Alakazam
ooo
Abra had been the last Pokemon to be added to the team. In fact, Silver had already won eight badges before Abra had been captured, and so he'd taken quite some time before deciding upon his final sixth team member.
He'd thought about a Dragonite, because all the kids back in Kanto had said they were the strongest – apart from the Pokemon of legends. And then he'd thought about the aforementioned Pokemon of legends, but shook that idea off almost as fast as it'd come. He'd fantasised about commanding Zapdos or Lugia, and had even visited the Burnt Tower in Violet to sneak a glimpse of the three beasts, but... realistically? It would probably be much faster to beat the Elite Four and become a legend that way, rather than wandering around like that idiot Eusine to maybe catch a glance of Suicune's tail.
(He absent-mindedly wondered if Gold had caught a legendary Pokemon, because Gold was stronger than him, and then he shouted at his own mind for being on Gold's side.)
Silver had heard good things about Alakazams and even better things about trainers with Alakazams. Unfortunately, those trainers with Alakazams – or indeed, any psychic Pokemon – were often psychically enhanced themselves, which made mugging their Pokemon not a particularly feasible idea. But he'd narrowed down his search to Alakazams or Dragonites, and he was certainly not going to get a Dragonite because he didn't want any more Lance in his life.
ooo
For someone who had decided only a few days ago that he was too impatient to chase Charizards, Silver spends an inordinate amount of time raising his new Abra. At first, he views the creature as a prize, a trophy of his amazing catching – and mugging – skills, just like all the others. Still, it's too weak to stand up to anything more than a flap of Golbat's wings, and Silver realises with a sinking feeling that it'll take more than a few hours to get this Pokemon into any sort of battling shape.
But Silver finds himself at a bit of a loss when it comes to training the Abra – it's fast asleep nine training sessions out of ten, and it's an annoying teleporting moron that doesn't even know what a 'target' is for the other. There's some shouting and cursing, and even more anger – just as he's done with all the other Pokemon, Silver takes out his rage on the Abra. And then he shouts and curses more because all the Abra can do, and all that it does do, is teleport away in an attempt to escape.
ooo
It's about a week later when Silver sets up camp for the night after another unproductive day that things start changing. It's been in his head for a while, what that Lance with the dragons had told him, but he still doesn't know what to make of it.
Love and trust? It sounds like the kind of stupid thing that Gold would say, with all his loud and annoying rants about Silver stealing purses and Pokemon, about how Meganium just needed to be loved, about how he needed to be 'friends' with his Pokemon... Every time he thinks about Team Rocket in Goldenrod, Lance (and by extension, Dragonites) or Gold he can feel the anger and confusion rising again. How can those idiots treat him like that? Silver thinks that he knows better, that he's wiser and more experienced than those people – he knows that everyone he's loved and trusted have turned out to be cowards and tyrants, weak and hateful, and he knows that he's stronger and tougher because of the harsh world. He didn't need anyone's love or trust.
He kicks a log moodily. Two Pokeballs drop from his pockets, releasing Meganium and Abra.
Silver curses, but Meganium is too fast for him – she knocks the Pokeballs away from his reach playfully, and headbutts him in the stomach. Silver falls over, cursing even more.
"Gani..." says Meganium, trying to pick him up. She's been saying that quite a lot recently; Silver has guessed from the pleading look in her eyes that it's her way of saying "sorry," and that she's still not used to being a huge Meganium rather than a manageable, but still annoyingly clumsy, Bayleef.
"Stop it," growls Silver, sitting up and batting her face away. He tries hard not to care – his Pokemon don't need someone caring, they need to be trained not coddled – but, he has to admit, sometimes Meganium makes it hard. She sits down instead, squeezing into the space between him and Abra. She's warm and soft and smells of familiar spices; the scent makes Silver feel suddenly quite tired, or maybe it's because sitting with Meganium is just too... comfortable.
There's a shimmer in the air and Abra is gone. Meganium jumps up, antennae swishing in confusion; Silver smiles before he can control it. He curses again, but then he thinks of Gold – Gold hugging his Togepi and talking to it in embarrassing baby-talk, Gold chasing his Togetic and laughing like an idiot when it trips him over, Gold's enthusiasm and joy at every Pokemon battle ever, even the ones where he lost dreadfully... Silver is pretty certain that he's not stalking Gold and that Gold is the one who keeps following him around like a yappy little Growlithe, so he's not really sure why he keeps thinking of all these Gold-related events.
There's another shimmer and Abra reappears sitting on Meganium's back. She jumps about half a metre in the air in surprise, which is quite impressive given how stubby her legs are. Another second and Abra is gone again; it reappears a couple of metres away on the ground in front of her.
ooo
The next day, Silver trains Abra and Meganium together, making sure Abra watches as much of Meganium's battles as he can. It's a good training strategy, he finds, and for the first time he offers Meganium a rub and a petting session before returning her to her Pokeball. Abra stares at him – for once, it stays still, and doesn't teleport away while Silver gets out its Pokeball to return it.
It's the start of a new path, but Silver still isn't sure where he's heading to.
ooo
a/n: I know canonically Silver's starter is male, and 90% of the time it's a Feraligatr in other fanfics and canons, but my own headcanon is that he has a ditzy Meganium who reminds him of Gold because she's so cute and squidgy. Also these chapters are getting longer, I'm writing another that's getting up to 2000 words wtf.
As always, feedback and suggestions and squeeing about Gold/Silver are welcomed :).