Kotone giggled softly as her Typhlosion nibbled at the berry she held in her palm, testing it out before taking the whole thing in his mouth. "Such a good boy." she cooed, patting his head happily. Typhlosion purred, leaning his head into the brunette's hand, closing his eyes with a content look on his face. She grinned at the sight and the love her starter Pokemon felt for her, and the love she felt for him. "I love you, baby." she whispered softly.

"Oh. It's you."

Kotone's head jerked up as she heard a voice she was all too familiar with call through Ilex Forest, the forest she had been sitting in. Typhlosion growled, his eyes narrowing into slits and his fangs showing at the irritating boy. "Shh... Don't be like that." his Trainer told him in a hushed voice before looking over at the source of her Typhlosion's anger. "Hi, Silver." she said, giving the red headed boy a soft smile.

Silver frowned at her, getting a look in his eyes, as if he regretted getting his rival's attention. The thought made the girl's heart break a little. "What are you doing out here?" he asked her, the usual roughness in his voice faltering a bit.

Kotone shrugged, pushing herself off of the ground and into a standing position. "I dunno. Just spending some quality time with my Pokemon." she said, a bright grin appearing on her face.

Silver rolled his eyes, placing a hand on his hip. "That's just a waste of time, idiot. Love makes you weak." he scoffed, sneering as he spoke.

Kotone's eyes saddened at Silver's words, her grin faltering a bit. "Love doesn't make you weak, Silver. Love encourages a bond between two beings. Bonds like that are unbreakable. Those kinds of bonds make you strong, bonds that are forever. Don't you see that?" she asked, her tone a bit pleading. It made her terribly sad that her rival was oblivious to such things, that all he cared about was getting strong. She wished she could understand why he felt that way, but he blocked such things from her. Silver, why do you have to be this way?

Silver chuckled softly with no emotion. "Love does anything but make you stronger. Love leads to things like betrayal and heartbreak, and those things make you weak." he said, his tone icy. His words felt like a slap across the face, causing the poor girl to stumble back a bit.

"Silver..." she whimpered softly, looking down at the ground.

Typhlosion looked up at his Trainer with worry. Seeing the effect the hot-headed boy's words had on her, he glared daggers at him.

Silver shook his head. "You're stupid for believing such things." he said, flinching at the fire starter's harsh gaze.

The volcano Pokemon snarled at Silver for saying such things about his beloved Kotone. The fire on his back flared and he got into a crouched position between the two Trainers, ready to maul the evil one.

Her head jerked up as she heard Typhlosion growl. "No, Ty! Stop it!" she shouted, running
forward and placing her hand on his back. "Don't hurt him!" she begged.

Typhlosion hesitated, stepping down from his attack stance. Even though he hated her rival, he could never disobey Kotone. He barred his teeth at Silver as he walked away, lying down against the tree behind Kotone.

The brunette turned back to SIlver, a frown etched on her face. "I'm not stupid!" she protested, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration.

The redhead smirked at Kotone's actions. He walked forward until there was barely any space between the two. Kotone trembled slightly at their closeness, biting her bottom lip as she stared up into his eyes. It bothered her how emotionless his silver eyes were, how mysterious he was to her. He could be so cruel, but she knew there was some good in him, no matter how deep it was within him. And she was determined to find it.

"You really are something, aren't you?"

His words stunned her a bit. She had been expecting him to say something... insulting, but she wasn't sure if she should take that as a good thing or a bad thing.

"Wh-what...?" Kotone stuttered, tilting her head to the side slightly and furrowing her eyebrows together in confusion.

Silver chuckled softly, shaking his head sadly. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off when thunder crashed down in air around them.

Kotone squeaked, jumping at the sound. She subconsciously moved closer to Silver for comfort as lightning streaked across the sky, which was closely followed by rain dropping from the dark grey clouds. The frightened girl cringed as thunder rang out again, looking up at the man she was practically clinging to.

Typholsion's eyes widened, taking them away from the irritated red-head and looking up at the leaking sky. "Ty, return!" his Trainer called to him, holding out his Pokeball. The volcano Pokemon didn't hesitate one second to return to his Pokeball, not liking the rain one bit. He just hoped Silver wouldn't do anything rash around Kotone while he wasn't watching over her.

Silver hastily grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side, her feet quick to follow his lead. He hurried into a small cave he had noticed on the way over, his bright red bangs falling over his eyes from the rain. "We can take shelter here until the rain stops." he said quietly as they entered the small cave.

"Oh-okay..." Kotone said quietly, her cheeks heating up the longer she held his hand.

Soon realizing what he was doing, Silver dropped her hand, his cheeks turning a color that matched his hair. He turned away from her, moving to the back of the cave in embarrassment

Kotone smiled softly to herself as he walked off, a giddy feeling overcoming the fright she had just been feeling moments ago. Maybe Silver wasn't such a bad guy, maybe he was good after all... Sure, he could be a jerk most of the time, but he did make a few acts of kindness every now and then. In fact, she hadn't expected him to get her out of the rain like he had. She thought he was just going to leave her out there. She giggled at the thought, getting excited over the fact that he hadn't ditched her out in the pouring rain.

"Oh, Silvy." Kotone said, walking over to where he was sitting and plopping down next to him. "Why do you keep walking away from me?" she asked him, looking over at her rival.

Silver sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know... And stop calling me that." he growled, giving the cheerful girl a quick glare.

Kotone laughed, nudging his arm with her elbow. "Come on, you know like it." she teased, grinning at him.

"Shut up, pigtails..." he muttered and looked away, crossing his arms in protest to her words.

Kotone rolled her eyes at him, smirking slightly at his response. "Hah." she brought her face in front of his, her smirk growing to a cheerful grin one again. "Come on! Let's dance!" she giggled, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet.

Silver wondered how she could go from beings so serious to so cheerful in one second. He didn't really like the idea of dancing, but she had already pulled him off the ground before he could protest.

Kotone reached into her bag and picked out her Pokegear, quickly turning the radio on. A bouncy, happy song came on, a song with a great beat to dance to. She began to dance to the lively tune, tugging on Silver's hands to get him to dance along with her. "Don't be such a lame-o! Dance with me, Silvy!" she exclaimed, placing one of his hands on her waist.

Silver's cheeks flared red. "Th-this is stupid..." he grumbled. He gave Kotone a seriously pissed off look, trying to retain his attitude, but much to his despise, wasn't working the way he planned.

Kotone giggled at his expression, reaching up and tapping her finger on the tip of his nose. "You're so cute when you're angry!" she announced to him, grinning boldly. "But you should really smile more often, you have a gorgeous smile." she added, bringing her finger down to the corner of his lips, stretching it upwards so he looked like he was smiling on half of his face.

Silver looked a bit stunned, his bright silver eyes staring into her wide chocolate ones. Half of him wanted to pull her closer into an embrace and kiss her, while the other half want to die from humiliation. Snapping back to reality, he slapped her hand away and pulled away from her. He turned away from the pesky girl, his heart beating irregularly and his fists clenched. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let some sick emotion overcome him, especially when he was feeling it towards a weakling like Kotone. "Don't touch me." he growled, his nails digging into the palms of his hands.

Kotone was used to his rude behavior and just smirked at the boy, placing her hands on her hips. "Calm down, silly." she said, chuckling softly. "No need to be so rash." she added quietly. But Silver just stood there, unmoving and silent, as if she hadn't said a word, and it really irritated Kotone.

"Heellooo...! Earth to Silver!" Kotone called, stepping in front of him and waving her hand in front of his face.

Silver caught her wrist, tossing her a quick glare. "Stop it, idiot." he sneered.

"You know I don't like it when you ignore me. And don't call me an idiot! I'm not an idiot..." Kotone trailed off, hoping she sounded convincing.

"When did I start taking orders from you?" he asked, his tone icy. Silver stared into her eyes, finding nothing but happiness and compassion staring back at him. He trembled, unconsciously squeezing her wrist tighter.

Kotone stared straight back into his shimmering, silver orbs. They were so captivating, so mesmerizing, that all she could think of was how beautiful they were in the illuminated cave, until she felt a painful pressure around her wrist. "Silver... That hurts..." she whimpered, trying to pull her hand away from him.

Silver gritted his teeth, guilt overwhelming him for causing pain to Kotone. He released her hand quickly, ripping his gaze from hers.

Kotone rubbed her wrist, trying to soothe the aching pain. "Thank you." she told him softly, a small pout on her face.

Silver flinched slightly, his heart weighing down by guilt as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. He cursed mentally for feeling that way, for letting into weak emotions. But he couldn't help it when he was around her. Not that there was any way in hell he'd admit it, but Kotone was his kryptonite.

"I'm... s-sorry..."

Kotone's head snapped up, her eyes widened in shock when she heard those words. She stared at the red head, watching as his cheeks turned a light pink that was visible even in the dim light they had. Those two words were so simple, but coming from the egoistic redhead, it meant the world to her.

The silence was killing Silver. Did he say something wrong? Why wasn't she saying anything? Did he finally push her over the edge? "Damn it, woman! Would you say somethi-" he cut himself off when Kotone tackled him with a hug. He just stood there for a few moments, frozen in shock from her sudden actions, though he eventually returned her embrace lightly.

Kotone couldn't believe that he had the heart to actually do something genuinely nice! She grinned and squeezed her rival in a tight embrace. "Yay, Silvy!" she giggled, squeezing her eyes shut in joy.

Silver's blush deepened, much to his dismay, from their embrace and from how close the two were. He could feel her warmth seep into him, he could feel her body pressed up against his. His heartbeat went wild and he shuddered from their contact, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from lifting her chin and pressing his lips against hers. It was so tempting... But to kiss her would mean the end of his pride.

"Okay, okay! Now let me go." the red headed grumbled, trying to pry himself free of her grasp.

Kotone giggled, stepping away from him. She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks flaring red. "Sorry." it was her turn to apologize. She held her hands behind her back, her gaze avoiding his as she looked at the ground by their feet.

Silver shook his head, smirking slightly. "Whatever." he said, chuckling softly. He leaned up against the wall behind him, sliding down until he was sitting on the cold, cave floor. Trying to clear his mind of indecent thoughts, he looked out of the mouth of the cave, watching as rain continued to pour from the sky. He heard Kotone quietly sitting down next to him, neither of them speaking a word to each other.

"Achoo!"

The teen boy jumped at the sudden noise, the startling sneeze echoing through the area. He looked over at the source of the noise, to find Kotone with her back towards him, curled up in a ball and shivering. He felt pain in his heart at the sight, cringing slightly as she sneezed again.

Kotone wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees, trying to retain the heat she still had as she continued to shiver. Her eyes went wide as she felt Silver rest his jacket along her shoulders, giving her the warmth she needed. As if that wasn't surprising enough, Silver didn't back away, instead, she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders as well. "S-Silver...?" she asked cautiously, looking over at her rival in confusion.

Silver's cheeks were bright red, meeting her gaze as she looked over at him. "What?" he asked stubbornly, wondering if what he did was wrong, if he shouldn't have taken that small stepped forward. "Did I-" his words were silenced as Kotone smashed her lips against his, her eyes closed so she could enjoy the moment while it lasted.

The petite brunette knew Silver was going to kill her once one of them broke the affectionate action, but it was so worth it. He was just being so kind to her and she had always had feelings for the boy, even though he was a hot-headed jerk. She couldn't resist any longer. She was surprised when she was the one who broke the kiss. She bit her bottom lip, looking straight in front of her to avoid him.

Silver was still frozen in shock. He missed the touch of her lips against his, it just felt so right. Despite his ego, he liked it, the feeling and the thought that she could be his. He leaned forward, resting her lips against her neck, his kisses soft and light.

Kotone's breath caught in her throat. He was kissing her. A giddy smile grew across her lips as she let out a soft giggle. Right now, she was the happiest girl in the world.

"Kotone..." Silver said softly, bringing his lips to her ear, nibbling it gently.

The lucky brunette giggled again, reaching up to clasp his hands in hers and she leaned back into him. "I love you..." she confessed shyly.

Silver smiled at her words. "I-I love you, t-too." he stuttered, a bit shy himself at his own confession. He had never thought that he would ever admit that to her, but it just seemed right now.

"Oh, Silver..." Kotone whispered, her eyes shining happily as she remained in his embrace.

Maybe it wasn't weak to love...

Silver pondered over the thought. He didn't feel weak after confessing his hidden love for her. In fact, he felt stronger. Stronger that he now had someone who was there for him, someone who loved and cared for him. He had never thought love could be that way, ever since he had lost everything he loved. But now he was beginning to understand that love can easily make you weak, but if you find the right love, true love, it will only make you stronger.