Hey guys, good to see you here. Recently been spending my spare time reading the Pokémon Adventures Manga which has led me to decide to play my spare copy of Pokémon Soul Silver, before Black and White get to Europe, and I figured, hell, I'll make a fanfiction out of it as I go. I'll likely make story changes here and there (I'll have to to allow the character to actually talk) and I'll probably skip some of the wild pokémon and possibly trainer battles just to cut down on time as they'd likely slow down my progress.

Anyway, onwards to glory... or something like that... just read and reviews would be appreciated.

Pokémon: Soul Silver Adventures

Chapter 1 – The Beginning

The sun dawned on New Bark Town, for many, this day was just like any other, but for one boy, today would be the start of something great.

Seph hoisted his backpack into place, mostly empty, but he'd gotten used to carrying it out of habit now. He cast one look around the room, double checking that he had got everything he needed. His eyes paused on his mirror for a moment as he made sure nothing was out of place.

Dark hair, styled to his liking, baggy denim jeans held up with his unique belt, a white shirt and a red jacket left open. He nodded to himself, happy that he had everything and made his way to the front room of his house.

He was greeted at the foot of the stairs by his mother.

"Hi, Seph! You're finally awake," She started, "Your friend Lyra was just here,"

"Oh, huh, I guess I did sleep in a little later than usual," Seph observed.

"She was playing hide-and-seek with her Marill,"

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Seph chuckled to himself, "I'd better go and see what's up"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Seph stopped halfway to the door and half turned, "Our acquaintance, Professor Elm, was looking for you. He said he had a favour to ask of you,"

"Okay, thanks, I'll go check it out," Seph quickly stepped outside before his mother could stop him again, "I love her and everything, but she sure can talk," he muttered to himself, "Hmm?"

"Mar-Marill," standing in front of him was a familiar pokémon.

"Oh, hey there Marill," Seph crouched down to pat the pokémon on the head, "if you're here then Lyra can't be far,"

"Mar-Mar-" the pokémon jumped up and walked off to Seph's right

"Well, I guess I'll follow you then," he grinned before following Marill towards Lyra's home.

Entering, neither Marill nor Lyra were in sight, "Hi, Seph!" her father, however, was, "Lyra is upstairs. She's playing with her pokémon as usual,"

"Yeah, thanks. I'll just head up and say hi," Seph told him, making a beeline for the stairs.

"You didn't bring your... pokémon?" He asked, looking towards the door, as though expecting one to enter at any moment.

"Er, well, the thing is..." Seph muttered at the foot of the stairs.

"...Oh, I should've known. You don't have your own pokémon yet," he apologised, "Well, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings, Seph,"

"No, no, it's okay, I'll get my own some day," Seph smiled, darting up the stairs. Out of sight, he continued muttering under his breath, "it's not like your daughter and I haven't been friends since we were kids,"

He made his way across the upstairs landing to Lyra's room. He announced himself with a knock before entering, "Helloooo-" he called as he stepped in.

"Seph!" Lyra exclaimed, looking up from her Marill which was running in circles on the floor, "Professor Elm was looking for you. Did you go to his lab?"

"Not yet, I figured he could wait a few minutes while I visited a friend," Seph smiled.

"Aw, that's sweet of you, but he said it was really quite urgent," Lyra returned Seph's smile, "You go see what he wants, I'll wait for you,"

"Well, if you say so," Seph turned slowly back towards the door, "I'll be back in a bit," He called, closing her door behind him. He quickly walked back downstairs and left through the front door, bidding a farewell to her father on the way, along with another muttered promise to get his name that he wouldn't follow through on.

Back outside, Seph walked around Lyra's house and came to face the Lab that Professor Elm called home. He trudged slowly towards the door, but stopped when something, or rather someone, caught his eye. Stepping to the side there was a boy, no older than him, looking in through one of the windows, "Well, there's something you don't see everyday. Let's see what's so interesting,"

Stepping around the mailbox, he came up behind the boy. Getting a good look at him, he had long red hair, blue jeans, and both his shoes and jacket were navy blue with red trim.

"So this is the famous Elm Pokémon Lab..." Seph overheard the boy say.

*Ahem* Seph announced himself to the stranger who turned around instantly.

"What are you staring at?" The boy demanded.

"Well, I-" The boy quickly shoved Seph back out to the front of the lab before returning to the window, "Rude much?" Seph asked, knowing full well the boy likely couldn't hear him, "Pft, whatever, I have over things to be dealing with,"

Seph dusted himself off before stepping into the lab. The place was somewhat of a mess, although Seph was hardly surprised considering the work the Professor did. Rooting through a stack of papers was one of the Professor's assistants, obviously too busy to notice Seph's presence. Towards the back, Professor Elm had his back turned, working on something.

"Hey professor, you wanted me?" Seph said, approaching the professor.

"Oh, hi Seph!" Elm said, dropping what he was doing and turning to face Seph, "I've been waiting for you! Do you know anything about my research?"

"Er... something about... erm... pokémon... I think," Seph stammered, having not usually paid that much attention previously.

"I'll give you a refresher then," Elm chuckled, "As you know, pokémon are carried in pokéballs these days," he began, pausing to adjust his glasses, "But before the pokéball was invented, people used to walk with pokémon. Just like your friend Lyra does!"

"I did always wonder about that," Seph pondered

"Anyway," Elm announced, drawing Seph's attention back, "Pokéballs are great because you can carry many wild pokémon. But walking with pokémon must have some advantages,"

"Yeah, Lyra says it helps her build bonds and friendship with Marill," Seph noted.

"Mhmm, it could also have something to do with how pokémon grow or evolve..." Elm added, "So I'm going to give you a pokémon!"

"Yeah, I see your point, but- What! Really!" Seph's eyes lit up, and suddenly he couldn't keep still any more, completely overcome with excitement.

"Yes, yes, but calm down first, I have something to ask you," Elm told him.

Seph took a couple of deep breaths before standing back upright, visibly calmer now, although his face still shone with excitement.

"Right, I'd like you to walk beside this pokémon, outside of it's pokéball, to see if this brings any special feelings or bonds between pokémon and people," Elm explained, "Think you can do this for me?"

"Of course I can, I couldn't think of anyone better," Seph grinned, before adding, under his breath, "Except Lyra, of course,"

"Excellent," Elm clapped his hands in joy, "The device over there," He indicated to his left, Seph's right, "has some pokémon you can choose from..."

*Ding*

Professor Elm suddenly stopped what he was saying before turning his attention back to his computer, "Oh, hey! I got an email!"

The professor mumbled to himself as he read through the email, all the while, Seph began to tap his foot, his former joy rapidly replaced by a rare spell of impatience.

"OK," Seph looked back up, Elm now finished approached him again, "Hey listen, I have this acquaintance that people call Mr. Pokémon,"

"Original name," Seph muttered.

"Ahem," Seph jumped, looking back to Elm, "He keeps finding weird things and raving about his discoveries," Elm explained, "Anyway, I just got an email from him saying that this time it's real,"

"What's real?" Seph asked, jumping in on Elm's explanation.

"It's probably another pokémon egg, but we're still so busy with our pokémon research..." Elm looked around at the stacks of paper haphazardly strewn about.

"Well, since you're giving me my first pokémon, I figure I could lend a hand," Seph offered, 'like you were going anywhere else with this' the thought echoed through his mind.

"Really? Can we count on you?" Elm beamed, "You can choose one of the pokémon over there,"

It took every fibre of Seph's being not to run over and just casually walk over to the device. Upon closer inspection, three pokéballs sat upon pedestals on a rotary stand. Two buttons on the front rotated the balls, allowing him to reach them all. A set of lights changed colour as the ball changed along with a name plate. Blue for Totodile, Red for Cyndaquil and Green for Chikorita. Seph stood there for a minute just rotating the display, unable to come to a decision. Instead he left it to chance, just stopping randomly and taking the ball. The feel of the sphere in his hand felt natural, like a part of him that was previously missing. Savouring this moment, Seph slowly depressed the central button on the pokéball and released the pokémon inside.

An arc of red energy leapt from the ball and condensed into a small creature Seph recognised as a pokémon... his first pokémon. It had bluish fur along the top of it's head and back, while it's underside was a milky colour. And to top this off, flames sprouted from it's back.

"Cyndaquil!" it called cheerily.

"Ah, so you've chosen the fire type, Cyndaquil," He smirked.

"Cyndaquil. So that's your name, huh?" Seph was kneeling, looking at his new pokémon with a smile on his face.

"You can give him a nickname if you want," Elm suggested.

"A nickname?" Seph looked at the pokémon.

"Cynda?" It cocked it's head to one side, puzzled, as though listening to learn it's new name.

"Alright, Hinoarashi," Seph beamed, "or just Hino for short,"

"Cynda!" Hino cried happily, leaping up at Seph as he caught him. After carrying him briefly, Seph let Hino back down before joining Professor Elm again.

"So, how do you like walking with your pokémon? It's not bad, is it?" Elm smiled at Seph's joy, "You can take it all the way to Mr. Pokémon's house,"

"Thanks, professor," Seph nodded, "I'll be back in no time at all,"

"Hang on," Elm stopped him, "You should know, if your pokémon gets hurt, you should heal it with this machine," He half turned and stepped to the side, letting Seph see the large machine behind him, "It's easy to use. Just check the PC on my desk!"

"Oh, one thing before I leave, where, exactly, does this Mr. Pokémon live?" Seph questioned.

"Mr. Pokémon goes everywhere and finds rarities," Professor Elm explained, "His house is past Cherrygrove City. Go north a little past Cherrygrove. I'm counting on you, Seph!"

"Don't worry," Seph stated, looking to Hino, "Leave it to me!"

"Cynda!" Hino announced in agreement.

Seph burst out laughing, running out of the lab, closely followed by Hinoarashi. He stopped outside to catch his breath, when the call of his name made him turn around.

"Thank god I caught you," Professor Elm's assistant was stood in the doorway, "Here take these with you, they'll come in handy,"

Seph took the offered items and saw they were potions, 5 of them. He stashed them in his backpack, in a compartment within easy reach for emergencies.

"Pokémon are weak in the beginning," the assistant explained, "Don't hesitate to use a potion if you think yours is in danger"

"I won't, thanks" Seph tells him. The assistant smiles before returning inside to his work.

"Mar-Marill!" Seph turned around, now finished with the assistant, and first noticed Lyra and her Marill.

"Seph!" Lyra called, "I didn't think he'd let you leave," she giggled, referring to the assistant.

"Tell me about it," Seph chuckled back.

"Oh! So you picked a Cyndaquil!" She exclaimed, kneeling down to properly greet the new pokémon, "Hey there. I'm Lyra, and this is Marill,"

"Cyndaquil!" Hino happily called out.

"Well, someone's happy to see you," Seph smirked, "He's called Hinoarashi, or just Hino for short,"

"Hino, huh?" Lyra turned back towards the pokémon, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you,"

"Mar!" Marill exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"And Marill thinks so too," Lyra smiled, standing back up to talk to Seph, "That's a cute pokémon you have. When you walk with it, it'll become more friendly,"

"Thanks," Seph offered, "And I don't know how much more friendly he can become, but I look forward to it,"

"You should," Lyra smiled, "And don't forget to talk to him once in a while too... Oh, that's right!" She nodded, before half turning to look back at Seph's home, "Why don't you show him to your mom?" She suggested.

"I think I just may," Seph smiled.

"Good," Lyra nodded again, "Well, I'll see ya later!" she smiled, leaving before Seph could say anything, and headed towards her home.

"Mar-Mar!" her Marill remained, playing with Hino a moment.

"Cynda!" Hino was clearly happy.

"Marill!" Lyra called.

Marill and Hino quickly parted as Marill left to catch up with it's trainer.

"Well, come on Hino, I'm sure my mom would be happy to meet you," Seph said, leading the way to his house, Hino following him every step of the way.

Stepping into his home, his mother was too busy watching some movie on the TV to notice him walk in the front door.

"Mom, I'm back," Seph announced.

"Oh! Seph!" She turned around to face him and her eyes quickly went to the new pokémon that was doggedly following his every step, "That's a cute pokémon you have. Professor Elm must have given it you?"

"Yeah, that's what he wanted," Seph confirmed, "I promised to run a little errand for him in return,"

"Oh, Professor Elm has a task for you?" she asked, "What kind of task?"

"Well, I'm to go in his place to meet this Mr. Pokémon person," Seph explained, "He's a little north of Cherrygrove, so it's not too far,"

"I see. That sounds a little difficult," his mother fretted, "But when someone makes that kind of request of you, it must be important!"

"Yeah," Seph nodded, 'Even if he didn't technically request it," he thought to himself.

"Oh, that's right! I completely forgot!" She turned, rummaging around under the living room table, which acted more as a storage than an actual table, "Here, your pokégear came back from the repair shop!" She told him before holding it out, "Here you go!"

"Oh, it's about time," Seph stated, taking the device from his mother before strapping it to his left wrist for easy access, "Can't leave home without a trainer's best friend,"

"Don't forget you can use it for phone calls too, so you have no excuse not to call me once in a while when you're out,"

"Okay, okay," Seph turned towards the door, "I won't be that long anyway. Come on Hino!"

"Cynda!" he called cheerily before following him out the door.

Seph stood outside, admiring the breeze and the setting sun.

"Cynda?" Hino looked at him, cocking his head side ways in a questioning manner.

"Sorry, I just like the breeze here, and the sunset is my favourite time," Seph sighed, "But I guess you're right, we can't just stand around here, we've got a job to do. Let's go!"

"Cyndaquil!" Hino called as the pair of them sprinted outside of the town limits, heading towards Cherrygrove City.

He'd barely taken 5 steps outside of the town limit's when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait one second!" turning around, Seph saw Professor Elm jogging from his lab, "I almost completely forgot about this.." He panted, obviously a little unused to the physical exercise, "Here, I'll give you my number,"

"Probably better that you gave it me now, since I've just got this back from the shop," Seph grinned, programming the number into his pokégear as Elm gave it before saving it under Prof. Elm and returning the favour, "And done,"

"Good," Elm nodded, "I'll call you if anything comes up," He explained before turning back towards his lab, leaving Seph and Hino alone again.

"Now, where were we..." Seph joked, looking back towards the path to Cherrygrove, Route 29.

"Cynda!" Hino called out before running off ahead.

"H-Hey! Wait for me!" Seph laughed, running after his pokémon.

Well, that's chapter one over with.

Short opening, I know, but it's getting late and this seemed like an okay place to take a break.

Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll get started on chapter 2 when I get the chance (fingers crossed for tomorrow)

Oh, also, cookie to the first to guess where I got the idea for Hino's nickname :)