World – Game
Characters – Silver, Kotone
Pairings – Silver/Kotone, Soulsilvershipping
Genres – Romance, General
Note(s) – (Request #5) I'm already a fan of this couple, can't wait to get HG to get to know their characters better. And slight spoilers for Silver's backstory in HGSS.
Disclaimer – Pokémon ain't mine.

Closure

You remembered many things about her that irritated you without fail – her determined eyes, her stubborn personality. The ridiculous outfit she constantly donned, with navy blue overalls that fitted her perfectly and a white hat that was always too large for a head filled with impossible dreams and senseless thoughts. It was too bad for you when her senseless ideals had been realised, and what she had been trying so hard explain and teach you all along wasn't a load of crap. You scowled as you admitted bitterly to yourself, the very thought a pollutant in your sea of mind. She always had a point, and she never tried to act any smarter than she was. Though honestly, she wasn't even that intelligent to begin with – all she had in her name was a lot of heart and ludicrous dreams; the two things you always lacked.

You hated the moments when you thought about her, because it proved that she meant something to you. No one was supposed to be important or special, ever since that bastard abandoned you in the forest. You were not supposed to develop feelings and thoughts for others – because they'd end up betraying you like he did.

She hadn't done so yet, and you cursed silently with a whisper of a voice. Because she made you deliriously hopeful that such a time would never come. And that she would always accept you.

Yeah, right.

You sought comfort in the angering recollection, your hand finding its way to the crown of your Meganium as she lowered her neck. You hesitated briefly before stroking her head, your fingers light and stiff as you brushed the green pelt. You still weren't ready to adapt to this touchy-feely affectionate routine, but it was the least you could do to thank the Grass-type for sticking it out with you that long. She'd been the strongest all along, since the day she was defeated by the girl's Totodile and stood up and survived despite your poisonous words and stinging tongue. You applied more force as you trailed your hand down the Meganium's sleek neck, feeling lasting scars and bruises that would never heal, and the beginnings of regret and hatred flooded your heart.

Then, you swallowed a gulp of air and stored the sappiness away for a winter that would never come, because you're still you regardless of however you've decided to change, and you were never a weakling or a crybaby. And hate, you've learned the hard, demeaning way, is no more useless than salty tears.

The Meganium growled fondly and propped her chin on the top of your head. You grumbled audibly, but that was the only form of retaliation you chose to show.

You glanced absently at the screen of your pokégear and twirled it with your gloved hand. She should have made it here by now – unless, of course, she'd been sidetracked again. That was one of her all-time flaws, outside of her horrible fashion sense. With a heart that big, it was no wonder that she bothered to stretch out a helping hand to the littlest, most insignificant of details. You used to refer to those acts as weak and time-wasting, but now, you thought about renaming her habits. Charity, perhaps, was better-suited as a description of her unusual kindness. You sighed softly and leaned against the warm body of your Meganium.

And then, there was that unexplainable courage she could summon out of nothing – you recalled how you first met, and how she eyed you with a curious, unafraid gaze as you shoved her aside. She was more annoyed than intimidated at you, which got on your nerves – but you chose not to make it embarrassingly obvious.

Then after that, she bared the mask during numerous instances involving the insidious Team Rocket. She was virtually pretending to be the heroine, leading everyone along gaily and merrily and blindly. She saved Pokemon and human lives alike, with a team groomed from love and passion. You would have sneered loathingly at her then – but not now.

And they were all fools, failing to notice the intense fear reflecting in her eyes in those times. You, on the other hand, saw through her completely – with her broken smile and uncertain eyes. She played with her pigtails when she was flustered and scared, curling the hair around a dainty finger and hastily attempting to conceal her cowardliness. The only thing you didn't really get was why she never ran away from all the confrontations and battles, even as the obvious fear enraptured her.

When you finally clinched the chance to ask her, she smiled that innocent, bugging smile of hers, and replied you almost instantly – as if the answer was pre-programmed into her, as if the answer was disgustingly sincere and not one that she came up with to seem like a goody-two shoes.

She explained, with patience and understanding and everything rainbows were made of, "Because there were more important things to worry about."

You felt the urging need to gag and retch to make your stand and scepticism crystal clear, but in the end, you decided against vomiting. You pulled annoyingly at your crimson red bangs and commenced your departure without saying farewell. Your hands made themselves comfy in the pockets of your black jacket. When you turned back curiously, there she was still standing, waving at you with a promising gaze in her eyes. You stuck your tongue out at her, receiving an unhappy frown from the girl. You smirked involuntarily, quickening your steps as you pivoted away. You wiped the goofy smile from your face, and vowed that next time, you wouldn't lose to her.

Only, the fact was that you failed. Multiple times.

She was stupid – your rival, you mean. Never once, did she laugh at your defeat and comment rudely about your training skills. You thought the winner was always supposed to do that – winning gave you an unspoken authority. But she seemed unfamiliar with the very concept of victorious celebration. You didn't know if her sad smile and words of encouragement should be likened to unwanted pity or just her unpredictable personality kicking in.

You didn't even know when you began to accept her as a worthy rival. Perhaps, unavoidably, it was since the day you first challenged her to a match in Cherrygrove. You tried not to remember the details, but the loss was jarring all the same – as were the ones that followed suit. When you demanded to know how she trained her Pokémon to become so goddamned strong, she shrugged her tiny shoulders and blinked. It was almost like she was mocking you, except that her face was genuinely blank and nonchalant, and her cheeks were the same rosy shade they always were.

You don't know why you notice such details. But, anyway –

Before you could continue listing her flaws, you heard the echoes of strong, deliberate footsteps with a skip in their step. The cave was dark, and you could see no farther than a few feet away – but you recognized the sound and rhythm of her carefree walk. And your heart started palpitating twice as fast in utter betrayal. It wasn't supposed to react like that – in fact, it was supposed to remain the epitome of calmness. You disregarded it as you pushed yourself off the rocky wall and walked over to meet her in the middle of the cavern floor, your Meganium at your heels.

You ignored the sensation of a rampaging heart and blood pumping vigorously through your veins, as you glimpsed the top of a hat that resembled a marshmallow, before the rest of the petite girl's body appeared at one corner. An Ampharos was diligent at her side, lighting the road ahead and around the two of you. She glowed even without the electric tail of the yellow Pokémon. Her confidence and determination burned like an unquenchable ire in her eyes – as usual.

You fingered the pokéball clenched in your hand as she noticed you with pleasant surprise. She gave you a wave and a golden smile as she jogged over, her yellow bag bouncing cheerily along with her movements. You returned the gesture with a tilt of the head and tried not to let your anticipation show.

Behind you, the Elite Four was waiting for her.

But it wasn't going to be so easy this time.

end.