Ask and You Shall Receive
He ran down the dimly lit hallway and into the office, excited to show off a project he had been working on. His father sat forward against the wooden desk and looked displeased with whoever he talked to on the phone. His snarled scowl greeted the young, red-haired boy as he stopped in front of the desk.
"Dad, look what I made!"
"You idiots! What do you mean it's been stolen?" His father pounded on the desk in anger. "That is a necessary piece of technology. Don't make me get it back myself."
"Dad?" He held up the piece of paper in front of him, desperately trying to hide the fear in his voice.
Once his father's temper rose, he would lash out at whoever stood in his way. Ever since coming back from Silph Co. out in Kanto, he was extremely short with anything that went wrong. The first to feel his wrath was usually the young boy.
"Not now, Silver. I'm busy." He swiveled his chair around, ignoring Silver's cries for attention.
Fighting back wasn't an option. His father had become distant with his empire taking high priority over him. He left his father's office hanging his head, carrying the picture he drew of himself in a Team Rocket uniform standing next to his dad.
At times like this he'd run off to his mom, but she was gone. A freak car accident involving a rival criminal group took her to the heavens. Possibly another reason why his father threw himself into his work. He didn't have anybody but his dad, and even he didn't want to be around.
Silver looked at the picture in disgust, shredding it into pieces and tossing it to the side. If he didn't want to be involved in his life, it was fine. Lots of boys grew up not knowing their dads. He would just have to find his own way.
He stepped over the pile of the shredded paper and dug both hands into his pants. The family he once knew disappeared along with the childhood he never had.
Light crept up on his sleeping face. Except for the chirping outside, it remained quiet inside the cave. Too quiet...
There wasn't a sound of breathing, aside from his own, or the usual snoring of his Croconaw. He jerked straight up and found his jacket draped over him. Lyra was nowhere to be seen, nor were any of his Pokémon. The fire extinguished itself overnight, leaving ashes of the sticks in its center.
He wanted to leave before she woke up, but she must have healed sooner than expected. Figures that his Pokémon followed wherever she went. They weren't disciplined enough as of yet. But that would change once they got back.
He stood at the mouth of the cave, peering back and forth across the field of trees. Puddles formed in separate spots on the ground. Branches swayed back and forth with leaves gliding midair and falling to the floor. The air was fresh as it normally was after a storm.
"He's probably awake by now. We shouldn't keep him waiting." He heard Lyra somewhere off in the distance.
Not knowing much about her, and why she was nice all the time, confused him beyond comprehension. The couple of times they've crossed paths she was happy, always smiling. When he's around her tune changed. She still tries to be friendly but in the end she ends up frustrated. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Silver got a kick out of making her mad.
From behind a row of trees, Lyra and the Pokémon emerged carrying handfuls of berries. A Furret was at the forefront leading the way. Zubat flew alongside and landed on his shoulder.
"Hope you're hungry. These berries are fresh off the trees." She said as they made their way back to the cave.
His tinted red eyes glared at her without speaking. There was no point in arguing. He hadn't eaten a decent meal since they left Sprout Tower days ago. The berries in her hands did look plump and delicious.
"You can give me the stink eye all you want, but your Pokémon have been eating all the way back and I know you must be starving, too." She moved a few inches to where he stood, holding a giant blue Oran Berry out to him.
"Whatever." Silver snatched it from her hand and turned around. Her amused smirk followed him as he headed back to where they slept.
They sat at opposite ends, avoiding eye contact while they ate their food. She tossed three berries in the direction of her Furret and each one landed in its mouth. He looked over at his Croconaw and saw him gulp an armful of berries into its giant jaws.
She would occasionally look at her scratches and light bruises that set in overnight.
As much as he didn't want to talk to her, curiosity got the best of him. "How'd you end up on the side of the road?"
Lyra appeared genuinely surprised that he was talking to her. She swallowed her food before answering back. "I don't remember much. I was just outside of Azalea Town training, when I saw a guy standing alone. Next thing I know, smoke enveloped me and I blacked out."
He found her story rather odd. Why would somebody stand around doing nothing, and simply attack her?
"He wore all black," she continued, "and he had a big 'R' on his shirt in red." She demonstrated by drawing an air circle on her own.
That peaked his interest. He knew of only one group that had a signature 'R' on their clothing. "And you said he was in Azalea Town?"
"He was on the outskirts of town by the well. Do you know who he is?"
He looked away not wanting to say much more. This was his personal vendetta and telling her would just mean getting in the way.
"Silver, if you know him we have to tell the poli-" she stopped mid-sentence, covering her mouth like she said a swear.
He tensed up at the mention of law enforcement. Before leaving Violet City, he stopped at a Pokémon Center and saw an announcement on a news bulletin board. There was a police report that mentioned his heist way back in New Bark Town. It didn't say his name but described him very well.
Lyra must have seen the same report and made the connection between the two. Yet another reason to leave.
"Zubat, return." He grabbed the Pokéball from his pocket and aimed it at the bat hanging upside down on stalactite forming on the ceiling.
He stood up, put on his coat, and grabbed a few berries for the road.
"Let's go, Croconaw."
The scaly Pokémon followed orders and came to his side, waving goodbye to Lyra before they left. Azalea Town wasn't that far off. He could be there in an hour or so unless he was sidetracked.
"Silver, wait!" She came running out, fumbling with her hat as she tried to put it on. "I never…I mean…I just want..."
Her stuttering was annoying him, mostly because he needed to leave right away.
"Can you hurry up?" He stared down at her, running a single hand through his flaming hair.
"Thank you…" She managed to mumble. The innocence in her hazel eyes threw him off, and for a split second, he felt somewhat guilty for acting like a jerk.
He didn't know how to respond. He never had somebody thank him because he never did anything to help. One display of compassion and it was already haunting him.
There was only one way he knew how to act. "Whatever, just don't get in my way."
Nothing more than that. He brushed right past her and headed to Azalea Town. Team Rocket finally made an appearance, thankfully sooner rather than later. Nothing was going to stop him from getting answers. By any means necessary, he would find the whereabouts of the mastermind behind Team Rocket and confront him.
A/N: If you guys haven't already, check my profile page for updates and notes on what's going with my stories. R&R and enjoy your day.
