Chapter 4

Starting Over

Silver saw Jasmine with Sabrina and Mewtwo, but now he could see more details. He noticed they were standing in the Olivine City gym. Jasmine was crying, while Sabrina looked stunned. Mewtwo just stood there, giving no real expression.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Jasmine said.

"I'm sorry…" Sabrina said. "Mewtwo didn't mean it… but there aren't many options I have."

Silver then woke up, seeing a Chansey standing over him.

"Where am I now?" Silver asked. "Please tell me I'm-"

He then raised his hand to his face, seeing claws again.

"I'm still a Sneasel," Silver said.

"Kangashkan found you lying in the middle of a road," Chansey said. "She picked you up and brought you here to our healing center."

"A Pokémon Center?" Silver said.

"I use my eggs to heal all sorts of Pokémon who are brought here," Chansey said. "That's why you're awake now… you must have been very injured, because it took almost a dozen eggs for me to heal you."

"I remember being thrown off a cliff…" Silver said.

Silver then saw a Blastoise holding a fainted Cyndaquil in its arms.

"We here at Team Hydro found this Cyndaquil on Great Canyon, apparently knocked out by a Pokémon," Blastoise said. "It should be all right with an egg or two."

"I'll take it right away," Chansey said.

"It looks like it's a rescue team member of some sort," Blastoise said. "It's wearing a gray bandana… must be a new rescue team that isn't very experienced."

Blastoise then saw the gray bandana on Silver's head.

"Hey, are you a member of Cyndaquil's rescue team?" Blastoise asked.

"Me? Oh, no," Silver said. "That rescue stuff isn't for me."

"Then why do you two have the same colored bandana on?" Blastoise asked. "You know only Pokémon on rescue teams are allowed to wear those."

"Well, I-" Silver said.

A Golem then walked in holding a fainted Chikorita in its arms.

"This Chikorita starved until it fainted…" Golem said. "Our Team Rumblerock force fed it a few berries, but it's going to need a few eggs."

"Okay," Chansey said, taking Chikorita and placing it on a bed of hay.

"Hey!" Blastoise said. "That Chikorita's wearing a gray bandana too! Could it be a member of the same rescue team?"

"I wouldn't know," Silver said.

"I think you know a lot more than you want to say," Blastoise said. "What do you have to hide?"

"Look, Blastoise," Silver said. "I'm not even a Pokémon. I don't know how I got here, but I'm a human who somehow got fused with my Sneasel and sent to this world."

"That's quite a story," Blastoise said. "Why don't you ask Xatu for advice?"

"I did!" Silver said. "That idiot threw me off a cliff because I didn't have the money to pay him."

"Well, he's very money-hungry," Blastoise said.

"Anyway, I don't know how to get that money," Silver said.

"Why not join a rescue team?" Blastoise asked. "If, in fact, you aren't part of one already."

"I don't want to rescue anyone," Silver said. "I just want to go back to my world."

"Well, you'll have a hard time making money in this world without rescuing other Pokémon," Blastoise said. "There aren't many other jobs that are going to get you money in a hurry."

"I'll think about it," Silver said.

Blastoise and Golem then walked out of the building Silver was in.

"You three are all on the same rescue team," Chansey said. "You just don't want to admit it, because you're partially responsible for these two getting injured like this."

Silver looked at Chansey with amazement. "What, are you psychic or something?" he asked.

"No, I'm just smart," Chansey said.

"Well, you're right… although I think I'm pretty much totally responsible for Chikorita's fainting," Silver said.

"Why did you betray your own team members?" Chansey asked.

"I hate them!" Silver said. "They're so annoying! That Chikorita thinks she's in love with me, and they both think I'm their hero."

"Maybe you should think about how you treat your partners," Chansey said.

Chansey then went over to heal Cyndaquil and Chikorita. Silver, meanwhile, thought about what Chansey said.

I guess I need this money, and I'm going to have to do this rescuing whether I like it or not, Silver thought. I wonder if I have to keep these two losers with me, too.

Cyndaquil and Chikorita both awakened, after Chansey healed them with her eggs. Both saw Silver lying down on his hay bed, and they ran over to him.

"Silver? Are you all right?" Cyndaquil asked.

"Oh, Silver…" Chikorita said. "If there was anything I could have done to stop you from ending up like this, I would have done it."

Rats! Silver thought. Even betraying them didn't get rid of them!

"Well, I'm sort of warming up to the idea of going on a rescue mission…" Silver said.

"Let's go! Now!" Cyndaquil said.

"Only if you're feeling fine," Chikorita said.

"Yeah, I'm feeling all right," Silver said. "What about you two?"

"Oh, I don't even remember what happened," Cynadquil said.

"Me neither," Chikorita said. "I just remember being at Great Canyon, and you saved me again, and that's it."

They apparently have selective amnesia, Silver thought.

"I really need this money," Silver said. "Where's that post office?"

"I'll show you the way," Cyndaquil said. "Let's go!"

Silver and Chikorita followed Cyndaquil out of the building and towards the Pelipper Post Office. They came up to the bulletin board.

"Here's an interesting one," Cyndaquil said. "'I can't get out! I've reached my limit… My consciousness is slipping… Help…'"

"It's from Bulbasaur in Tiny Woods," Chikorita said. "That place isn't too scary."

"He's offering a reward of 1000 Poké," Cyndaquil said. "That's pretty good."

"Yeah, not bad," Silver said. "Hurry up, I need to get this money."

The three headed off towards Tiny Woods. Upon entering the woods, they saw some Wurmples, all but one of which Silver slashed into fainting. The other one hid behind his friends, so Silver did not see him. As Silver charged ahead into the woods, with Chikorita following him closely, the Wurmple spoke to Cyndaquil.

"I've always dreamed of joining a rescue team," he said. "May I join your team?"

"Sure!" Cyndaquil said. "We'd love to have another member!"

Cyndaquil and Wurmple eventually caught up with Silver.

"Hey, what's this thing following you around for?" Silver asked.

"Oh, he joined our rescue team," Cyndaquil said.

"What?!" Silver yelled. "A useless Wurmple! That thing can't fight!"

"I'll try my best!" Wurmple said.

"Get out of here!" Silver said. "I don't want you as a member of this team!"

Wurmple looked really sad as he crawled away.

"How could you just spoil his dreams like that?" Cyndaquil asked Silver. "I thought he might be a great member of our team."

"Oh, so it was your idea?" Silver said. "Look, I don't need a Wurmple getting in my way while I'm trying to find out how to become human again."

"He's the leader," Chikorita said to Cyndaquil angrily. "How dare you question his authority!"

"Sorry," Cyndaquil said. "Your decision is valid, Silver."

Silver charged further into the cave, with Chikorita and Cyndaquil following him. He finally found Bulbasaur, but with some other Pokémon there as well.

"Thanks for rescuing me," Bulbasaur said to the Blastoise that was standing next to him. Bulbasaur then teleported away.

"Hey! I came to rescue Bulbasaur!" Silver yelled at Blastoise.

"Rescue?" Blastoise asked. "I thought you weren't part of a rescue team! And aren't these the two Pokémon that you said weren't your team members?"

"Okay, so I lied," Silver said. "I wanted to rescue Bulbasaur and get the reward!"

"All you want is the reward," a Feraligatr next to Blastoise said.

"Bulbasaur already gave us the reward," Swampert said.

"How about this?" Silver said. "I'll fight Blastoise, and if I win, you give me the reward!"

The three members of Blastoise's Team Hydro looked at each other, then nodded their heads.

"All right," Blastoise said. "Bring it on!"

"Don't get hurt, Silver!" Chikorita said.

Silver ran up to Blastoise, about to slash him, when Blastoise blew him away with a shot of water out of his cannons. Silver was pushed all the way back to the wall, hitting his head hard.

"Are you okay, Silver?" Chikorita asked.

"Oof… my head…" Silver said.

"Why, you meanie!" Chikorita said to Blastoise. "I'll fight you!"

"Me too!" Cyndaquil said.

Silver then fainted, not getting to see Cyndaquil and Chikorita get wiped out by Team Hydro.