Author's Note: Man, I found my personal ticket out of writer's block. I exercise just a little (I was forced) and all the writer's block vanishes. My blood's a pumping and I'm ready to write a few chapters! Although, I can't stand up which is preventing me from leaving the computer . . . that might explain my readiness, also. Well, whatever works, right? Now that I finished a whole chapter in one sitting, I'm going to indulge my pulsing legs. I can literally hear my heartbeat in them (I've got to find a way out of my family's new exercise sessions). Finally, I got a jumbo amount of reviews in less than a day for "Silver", so I'm in a great mood (probably the only way my family got me to join in). -EeveeInHeat

Silver

- Chapter 9: Friends -

Silver and Flame couldn't move as the small Pokeball fell to the ground. It shook a little on the sand before it finally clicked. Silver didn't know what it meant, but Flame's shoulders fell as it did; Silver took it as a sign that that was bad.

The human walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up. He grinned and put it on his belt. He then turned toward Silver and Flame, frowning as he saw his Spinda defeated. He returned it and clipped it onto his belt. He then paused, staring at us. He seemed to murmur something to himself before he finally said, "Cacturne, use Mean Look; don't let that Eevee escape."

Silver started to back up as he realized that the human was talking about him. The Cacturne stepped forward and stared at Silver. Somehow, Silver's eyes seemed to move up and lock with the Cacturne's. He felt a strange presence seem to try to hold him in place, but pushed it away. Silver shook his head, helping him to break contact with the Cacturne.

"Shoot, it has the Run Away ability; Mean Look won't work on it. Hold it down with-" the human started.

Before he could finish, Flame stepped forward, his blaze getting higher, and shot a surge of fire toward the Cacturne. The Pokemon screamed as it was instantly set ablaze. It waved its arms and run out of Flame's attack, flames eating away on its body.

The human cursed and returned the battered Pokemon. He pulled out another Pokeball and threw it. However, this one was thrown toward Silver instead of on the ground. Shock seemed to freeze Silver's muscles, keeping him in place as the ball sailed toward him. Right before the ball hit him, Flame jumped in front of him. The Pokeball hit him and shot its red beam over his form. However, Flame stayed as the beam disappeared. The Pokeball dropped to the ground, still open.

The human stood there stunned, before growling and stomping onto the sand. He then walked off and back onto the path, quietly cursing and kicking up dust and sand as he went. He didn't seem to care that he had left the Pokeball behind.

Silver sat down on the sand, still stunned and confused. Flame stopped the flames on his back, though he kept watching where the trainer had left. "Uh, w-why were you not captured?" he finally asked.

Flame sat down beside him. "Captured Pokemon cannot be recaptured. I'm already a trainer's Pokemon."

Silver nodded and then sighed. "So what do we do now? Ace was our guide."

Flame paused for a little before answering, "Well, I-I think I used to live near here. I was near a path like this, so i-if we follow it, we might find my trainer."

Nodding, Silver got up. Flame got up as well, though he didn't look too confident. "Don't worry; we're already lost so we can't go the wrong way," Silver said encouragingly. Then again, that was actually discouraging on second thought.

Flame nodded, a little more confidence now showing. He started to head the way we had been heading before. Silver stared at him confused. He could have all the confidence to face down any opponent, but was not confident at all when being a leader or trying to communicate. Maybe him leading would help him get over his fear of it.

As they walked, Silver's adrenaline rush left, leaving him feeling slightly tired. However, Flame looked much worse, though. That water attack had weakened him more than Silver had been. His usual warm back didn't seem to release as much heat as normal. His skin was slightly glittering where it was still wet.

Though Silver was also mostly drenched, neither had to endure being wet for long. The sun, along with the heat dried them quickly, which also made Silver's longer fur puff up some. For Silver though, this was more a curse than a blessing. He would rather have had cool damp fur giving him a few extra pounds of weight to drag, than the damp sand that dried with his fur. Not only would it become clamped onto his hair, it would reach his body as his fur stopped being plastered from his side. The sand rubbed against his body, making his skin tingle and itch. Also, a few grains of sand seemed to be stubbornly stuck in his eyes, making him blink more often to try to get them out. Silver was sure he would never like sand again.

As they walked, Flame seemed to be going slowly faster and faster until Silver almost had to trot to keep up. The scenery never seemed to change. A rock here and there was the only thing to show they were making any progress. Other than the rocks and the road, Silver could just see the sand.

By now, Silver's body reminded him of his thirst. His throat felt dry, and his tongue seemed to be caked into the roof of his mouth. The heat didn't only affect his thirst, though. His body was beginning to sweat, only making him smell worse.

Finally, Silver had had enough of the dry wasteland. "Flame, I can't go-" Silver started, his voice slightly cracking. He stopped as he walked into Flame's back.

After picking himself up, he came around Flame to look at whatever had his attention. In the distance, there was a large black blob. Flame seemed to be trembling beside him.

"Is something wrong, Flame?" Silver asked, concerned.

"That . . . I'm sure that is the . . . it is," he replied.

Silver tilted his head at Flame's gibberish, but shrugged and started forward. He was a good ten feet ahead before Flame snapped to attention and swiftly caught up. "Can you talk now?" Silver asked, his tongue temporarily sticking to the roof of his mouth.

Flame looked blankly ahead at the rock protrusion. Nope.

The rock formation grew as they got closer. When they even a hundred feet, Silver found that the rock formation was not just a huge rock, but a large cave system. There were a multitude of tunnels everywhere along the side. Flame stared at it as though it was the most amazing sight in the world.

"Okay, there's . . . something special about . . . this rock. What is it?" Silver asked, tapping Flame to get his attention.

"Well, this . . . this is where I was c-captured," he almost whispered. "I live near here."

Silver nodded, a large smiled on his face. They were almost there. He opened his mouth to congratulate Flame, only to remember his parched throat. "Uh, is there . . . water here?"

"Yeah, it's just around this turn. I'll show you," he said. Silver made note that his stuttering was disappearing. His stride was also more confident. Maybe being home was the confidence boost he needed.

They went around the rock formation thing a little, before Silver saw a much more beautiful sight. There, right in the shade of several tall, skinny trees, was a large pool of glittering water. The calm, fresh water seemed to call him and he lunged forward. He immediately started to gulp as much as the water as he could. It was more delicious than any other he had ever tasted.

Silver had only barely started to push back his thirst, when someone grabbed him and pulled him away from the precious water.

"I need water," Silver protested, trying to squirm in his captor's grip.

"You need to slow down, or you'll seriously injure your body," Flame said.

Silver calmed down, and Flame finally put him down. Silver more calmly went to the edge of the water, Flame watching him carefully. It took all his willpower not to jump at the water, but he wouldn't get any water if Flame pulled him away. He more slowly lapped at the water, taking pausing when Flame put a paw on his back. He only belatedly realized that Flame had stopped him and ordered him around without stuttering a bit. He was definitely becoming more confident.

When his thirst was sufficiently quenched, he sat back beside Flame under the shade of one of the weird trees that grew around the water. Flame sat outside the shade, the sun's heat basically powering him up. Short grass allowed him to not sit on the irritating sand. However, he was still distracted from all the sand on his body. He longed to jump in the lake and clean some, but didn't want to hold Flame up too much.

However, his willpower failed him, and he leapt into the water. His small body made only a small splash as he dipped down. He shook himself while in the water. The sand started to come off, though not too much. The rest of the sand would need to be scrubbed off with a solid surface to rub against. Silver looked around, but there was only sand banks around, the nearest rock or slab being the rock formation thing itself.

It was only when Silver looked around, that he noticed Flame was gone. He started to panic at first, but then he saw Flame again, neat the rock formation. He was looking at the ground near one of the entrances. From what Silver had heard, that spot was probably where Flame had been captured.

Silver got out of the water and headed over to Flame to comfort him. Flame was staring at a rumbled up part of the ground, as though someone had dug the area to look for something. A small stone sat in the middle, a few symbols on it. All Silver could recognize was what appeared to be a small fire near the top. Somehow, looking at the stone made him feel sad.

"Do you know what this it?" Silver asked, making Flame jump a little.

"No idea. It wasn't here the last time, though. I would remember, for this is the last place I saw here. This is where I was taken from my trainer," Flame murmured. A small tear was forming in his eye.

Silver was about to press against him to comfort him, but remembered that he was still dripping wet, probably not the most comforting hug for a Fire-type. Instead, he nuzzled Flame's side and said, "We'll find him soon. We're almost there."

Flame sighed and nodded. "Let's-" he started.

Silver's head shot up as he heard something nearby. Flame stopped and looked in the direction Silver was looking. Soon, Silver was certain that he was hearing footsteps; human footsteps. "Someone's coming," Silver warned.

"I'm already captured, so I'm okay. I'll stay here and . . . think. You should go hide in one of the tunnels until they leave," Flame said, still looking at the small stone in puzzlement.

Silver nodded, once again surprised that Flame wasn't nervous anymore. Silver quickly slipped into the tunnel they were in front of. A rock near the entrance allowed Silver to hide and yet stay close by.

Soon, the sound grew louder as it finally started around the rock formation. Silver held his breathe as the person seemed to be heading straight toward them. Flame didn't look up as the human finally came into view. It paused as it saw Flame, but continued coming toward Flame. The human was holding something in his hands that Silver suspected to be flowers from the smell wafting from it.

The human came right up to Flame and crouched down next to him. Flame still didn't seem to notice it until the human put the flowers down in front of the stone. Flame jump high in the air in fright, over the human's head. Silver definitely liked his heightened senses more than Flame's. How could one not notice a human crouching down next to you?

Flame turned around, still frightened as the human laughed a little. Suddenly, both of them froze. After a while, the human's mouth started moving, though no sound was coming out. Flame's back was now to Silver, hiding his expression from view.

Then, to Silver's utter surprise, Flame leapt up and into the human's arms, the human eagerly grabbing him. The human stood up and began to swing in a circle, letting out a loud laugh. "Flame? I-I though . . . Where have you been? Never mind; it doesn't matter now! You're back!" the human yelled laughing. Silver saw tears openly flowing down the human's cheeks. This was a giant difference from the other humans he had seen. This was the first to show actual compassion and genuine happiness. However, Silver stayed back, unsure of what to do.

The human collapsed on the ground, leaning against the rock formation. This put them slightly out of view, but Silver could still hear them. Flame was nuzzling the human's cheek as the human began to lazily pet it.

"I can't . . . I can't believe this. You're here and okay," the human said, sighing. "I wish you could tell me what happened to you." Flame nuzzled him again and the human smiled. "Just please don't leave again. I was so worried."

Flame nodded and laid back on his trainer and they both looked at the sky. Silver waited a little, but he finally lost patience and came out. When Silver stepped out, Flame looked over and saw him. He quickly jumped off his trainer and came over. "Look, Silver!" he exclaimed, pointing at his trainer.

The trainer in question was looking over at Silver. When he saw Silver looking, the trainer froze. "I take it this is your trainer," Silver commented.

"Yes, Silver; I've finally back!" he said, emotions pouring out through his voice. This was the happiest and most open Silver had ever seen Flame.

"I saw-" Silver began, smiling back.

A crunch interrupted him. Silver looked back at Flame's trainer to see that he was standing up. He froze again as Silver looked at him. The human used only side of his mouth to whisper, "Flame, that's an Eevee."

Silver couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. Flame tilted his head at his trainer's actions. The human tilted his head back, and a look of understanding seemed to flood over Flame.

"Flame, get ready," the human whispered again, as though Silver couldn't hear.

Silver looked over at Flame, to see that Flame was staring him down, slightly crouched. Silver could tell that his back was starting to heat up. Silver took a tentative step back from the two, not liking their expressions.

"Flame, Tackle," Flame's trainer ordered, now talking at a normal level.

Flame suddenly charged at Silver. Even though Flame wasn't going all out, Silver was too stunned to dodge and was thrown back from the impact. When he fell on the ground, he was finally able to react.

"What was that for!" Silver yelled.

"I'm following my trainer's orders. He wants to capture you," Flame explained calmly.

Silver's eyes bulged at the statement. He took a hesitant step back. "Uh, I-I'm not sure I want to be captured," Silver admitted, taking another step.

Flame frowned at his comment. "Being captured is a great thing," he protested.

"Flame, Tackle again," his human commanded.

Flame once again charged at Silver, though Silver once again saw that he was moving slower than before. Silver dodged to the right this time, and Flame went past him a few feet before stopping.

"Flame, you can do better than that!" Flame's trainer yelled.

"He's right. I'm not going all out, yet," Flame agreed. "I want to let you have a chance just to join. We don't have to fight." He sounded wistful, but was still determined.

"That's right; we don't have to fight," Silver said. "But I don't to be captured right now."

Flame sighed; his face showed disappointment and sadness, but only for a moment. Then, resolution and determination took over. Silver was stunned, for he couldn't see any of the Flame he remembered from before.

"Flame, use Flamethrower," his trainer commanded.

Without another word, Flame's back went ablaze with fire. A torrent of flames came out, straight for Silver. Silver leapt to the right and avoided the flames, though he felt the intense heat coming from it. Taking a deep breathe, Silver leapt at Flame. Flame was thrown back, his flames finally stopping. However, he flipped back up, seemingly unharmed.

"I'm stronger than you normally. I know you're holding back. You'll have no chance if you hold back," Flame stated.

"I don't want to fight!" Silver yelled back. He was barely holding back tears as he stared at Flame. Where was his friend, his traveling companion?

"Flame, Tackle," the human said.

Flame charged at Silver. Silver dived to the right in order to dodge the much faster Tackle. His soaked fur wasn't helping his speed. Silver quickly looked around for a way to run, but found himself hemmed in. Flame was in front of him, while the trainer was behind. The lake on his right and the rock formation on his left blocked his other sides.

Wait . . . the lake! While the lake wasn't big, it was still water. Flame had shown his unwillingness to go near water. All Silver would have to do is swim and he could escape without fighting.

"Flamethrower," the human repeated.

Flame opened his mouth, not allowing Silver the chance to just run. The torrent of fire came at him, but Silver didn't watch it. Instead, he darted to the right, toward the lake. However, Flame had noticed that Silver had repeatedly dodged to the right, and had moved the fire in that direction. He didn't know Silver had just chosen to run, but Silver had moved to the right again, confirming Flame's guess.

Silver screamed as the flames consumed him. The fire burned, even with his fur wet. He could see his fur signing badly as the fire attack burned him. It could have been five seconds or five minutes before Silver was finally released from the flames. He fell heavily on his side, groaning as his burned side touched the ground. His vision had started to have black spots on it as he simply stared ahead. He opened his mouth and let out a soundless howl, the pain taking over. The pain only seemed to increase, especially while the sun beat down on his side. Even breathing was painful as his sides rose and fell.

The world had already begun to spin when he saw it. His vision had grown cloudy, and he could barely see, but his little sight and still intact hearing noticed it as it came. The small white and red sphere flew at him. Right before Silver's eyes closed and he fell in unconsciousness, he saw a flash of brown and then a bright red light, blinding his already weakened vision.