Life as a kid was rough. I wore eye glasses, which kids made fun of me for. It didn't help that my mom always gave me a nerdy hairstyle, and didn't have a fashion sense, period. Still, there was one thing I could always take pride in: Pokémon. At first I had Blue and Yellow versions, but I never did much on them. Then, I received Gold and Silver for Christmas. Gold was alright, but Silver…
I played Silver as much as an addict smokes cigarettes. I started with a Cyndaquil, and named him Partner. In retrospect, it wasn't the coolest name, but it was special to me. I trained my Cyndaquil well, working it up to level 50. I also trained the rest of my team well, my Sneasel leading the way at level 60. Still, Partner remained my favorite.
I beat the Elite Four, and went on into Kanto. Partner and I seemed closer than a boy and his digital pet could be. Shortly after this, I obtained Ruby version. Lured in by the awesome graphics, I foolishly stopped playing Silver and started playing Ruby. After Ruby came Emerald. Then Pokémon lost its charm, and I decided not to buy anymore new games. Still, SoulSilver came out and I had to buy it.
I once again started with Cyndaquil, but I didn't name it. I already had a Partner. I played the game further than Silver, partially due to my greater skill and age. My Typhlosion reached level 50, the same level as everyone else in my party. I also changed my team, and no longer used a Sneasel. Still, I would play Silver every so often, and say hello to Partner. Then one day, the unthinkable happened.
A little boy came over to my house with his sister, who was coming to play with my young sister. The boy was bored, and asked to play my Silver version. I made a decision I will always regret, and said yes. A couple weeks later I returned to Silver version, and almost had a heart attack. The file was gone, replaced with a new trainer barely past Cherrygrove City.
I was shattered, but I stayed strong. I grabbed Soul Silver, turned it on, and made a mad dash to the Name Rater. I named my Typhlosion Partner, in an effort to keep his spirit alive. Then I trained him hard, up to level 70. Eventually I turned off the game unwillingly, and went to bed.
The next morning, I pulled out my DSi again, and turned it on. I loaded SoulSilver, but something seemed off. I loaded my file, and my sprite appeared where I had left it, in Goldenrod City. Suddenly, the picture became distorted, and lost a lot of color. It finally cleared, and I realized I was in Silver-era Goldenrod. Suddenly, an exclamation mark appeared over my head, and an old Typhlosion sprite appeared in front of me.
"Austin, is it really you?" it asked, using my real name rather than Silver, which I had chosen. I selected Yes. "Did you mean to delete the game file?" he asked. I selected no. "Speak, tell me what happened." Partner said. I spoke to him aloud, and his sprite nodded slightly, so I knew he heard me. "I made a foolish decision, and let a little boy play the game. He started a new game, unaware of what he was doing. Please forgive me, I've regretted it ever since." I said.
"Do not cry, I do forgive you. I didn't want to be a fool and just straightaway blame you for what happened, not after what we went through together. The others agreed… except Sneasel." Partner said. Suddenly, an exclamation mark appeared over both of our heads. Partner turned around, and faced the same direction as me. A Sneasel sprite dashed on screen.
"YOU! YOU DELETED US, ABANDONED US! YOU ARE A HEARTLESS JERK AND NOW YOU WILL PAY!" it cried. Partner and I entered a battle scene, with my Sneasel opposing me. My other party Pokémon were nearly fainted; apparently I had been on my way to the Center the last time I played. Partner had most of his health though, and stood bravely in front of me. "YOU ARE A FOOL FOR SIDING WITH HIM PARTNER, AND YOU SHALL PAY DEARLY FOR IT!" Sneasel said.
Sneasel's health was full, and he was much faster than Partner. He threw hits left and right, and Partner couldn't do enough damage due to his being ten levels weaker. Sneasel wore Partner down, and was about to deliver the finishing blow. "I'm sorry… I couldn't… win…" Partner huffed. "NO!" I exclaimed as Sneasel moved to attack. I moved the D-Pad as if to move my sprite, and miraculously it dived in front of Partner.
I took the full brunt of a Blizzard attack, and both me and my sprite were frozen solid. "NO!" Partner cried. He turned to Sneasel, and screamed "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!" He unleashed a Fire Blast attack that roasted Sneasel alive. Sneasel fell to the ground, dead. I could see Partner move over towards my sprite, and then I blacked out from the cold.
I awoke in a white room, and quickly realized I was in the hospital. My mom sat in a chair at my bedside, evidence of tears on her face. Sitting in a chair next to her was my father, who was holding hands with her. "Kitty!" I heard from the other side of the bed. I turned, and damn near had a heart attack. My young sister was riding around in circles on the back of a Typhlosion.
I sat up, causing everyone in the room to suddenly turn their attention to me. "W-What's going on here?" I exclaimed. "Don't you remember? You were frozen solid!" my Mom said. "Yeah, but how's he here!" I asked, pointing at the Typhlosion. "You and your sprite were connected somehow. When I touched it, I was warped to the real world. I did my best to thaw you out while your parents called 9-1-1." The Typhlosion said. "It's true, if it weren't for Partner, you might not be alive!" Mom said. I turned to Partner, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Partner." I said. He wrapped his furry arms around me, and replied "That's what friends are for."
