Chapter 9
Inside the Viridian City Gym, where they were far away from prying eyes and ears, Blue and Silver sat down in a small room on the second floor, which served as Blue's office -and a very tidy office it was too, surprisingly. There, Silver would communicate to Blue the result of his reflections:
Silver had fought Blue. And he'd heard Blue's story. And he'd seen Blue fight the Rockets. And he'd decided that Blue was someone strong enough that he could respect him; and someone who hated the Rockets enough that he could trust him.
Furthermore, the younger Trainer didn't know why, but there was something that endeared Blue to him. Maybe it was how they were simultaneously so different and yet so strangely similar. Or perhaps it was just how lonely it was for a young Trainer to carry the weight of his quest without opening up about it to anyone. Even if -or perhaps especially because- the quest itself wasn't especially secret.
In any case, with all these things in mind, Silver had decided that Blue could be trusted and admitted as an ally in his fight against Giovanni. And he was going to tell Blue everything.
"My name is Silver," he began "I'm the Johto Challenger. I would've been Champion, but Lance was off fighting Giovanni... as you know."
Blue blinked:
"So that was you?"
"Yes Sir!"
"Well, that's weird," Blue said "I'd heard of you. I was expecting you to show up eventually... but... I don't know anyone who wouldn't brag about being Champion. And I don't know a good reason anyone wouldn't."
Blue sounded nonchalant. But he didn't break eye contact with Silver for a second.
Silver had now started to speak up, and he wasn't going to stop.
"It's like this, Sir," he said "I was here trying to find Giovanni, Sir. After Lance was defeated by him, I figured he'd be in Kanto... and with those... those weaklings in Team Rocket getting so powerful, I figured the only way to stop the organization was to cut off its head. Defeat Giovanni. Here. At home."
"Home?"
At this point Silver felt his last compunction about being honest to Blue swell up in the form of a heavy ball in his throat. And for a moment, it seemed to make talking impossible. Just for a moment, Silver thought he'd just switch back to secrecy again.
But it was only a moment.
The cocky older Trainer looked down at him. The Champion. The boy who'd taken down Team Rocket.
No. If Silver was going to trust anybody, he had to trust him.
Could he?
It didn't matter. He wanted to.
"I'm Giovanni's son," Silver finally blurted out, breaking his usually fearless composure "He abandoned me when you destroyed Team Rocket three years ago. I'm looking for him, so I can defeat him once and for all. I expected he'd be here in Viridian City. You said it yourself, it's where he fell back last time Team Rocket was hit."
Blue blinked again,
"So you're Giovanni's son, and you're going to take Team Rocket down?"
"Yes."
There was a brief silence. It was out.
"Well," Blue said then, finally breaking the tension, and seeming to take the revelation in stride after processing it for a while "I certainly can't fault you for courage. I like the way you think. But sadly, Giovanni's not here; as you saw. Although I can't think where else he would be. Wouldn't you know?"
Silver shrugged.
"No. The only place he spent as much time as here when I was a kid was Saffron City, at Silph Co. If he has any plans that don't involve this Gym, chances are they involve Silph Co."
A huge weight was off Silver's chest now. And the conversation seemed to go a lot easier; although the intensity of Blue's attention, however much he hid it beneath his cocky exterior, didn't subside.
"Yeah, but," Blue said "Silph Co isn't working with him anymore."
"It wasn't working with him then either," Silver said "He'd taken it over by force."
"Well, we would've heard of it if he had again, wouldn't we?"
"I guess..."
At that point, there was a small knock on the door.
Blue sighed:
"Excuse me for a minute, kid," he told Silver; then, louder, "Come in!"
It was the Cool Trainer who'd helped them defeat the Rocket Grunts.
"Sir, the police just got new information. I thought you might be interested: the Saffron City Gym is closed. There's been a Rocket Attack there too, and another one at Silph Co. They say to be on guard: the Rockets are clearly targeting Pokémon Gyms and key buildings. And they've stolen some very expensive equipment from Silph Co, too."
Blue and Silver instinctively looked at each other.
That cleared things up.
"Alright," Blue declared "Well, I hope I can leave you in charge Elan." He got up. Elan, it seemed, was the Cool Trainer's name.
"It's pretty obvious what has to be done," Blue continued "Giovanni is in Saffron City. I'm going to go find him."
Silver looked at Blue aghast.
"You're not going to... you're not thinking of leaving your Gym? Now?!"
"You're one to talk," Blue said "You're the Johto Challenger and you left Indigo Plateau! I'm doing the same thing you're doing." At this point, Blue was already going through his desk and office space and was packing various important items into a small backpack "I'm going to find Giovanni and defeat him He's the reigning Champion. If I beat him, I become Champion again."
Silver stared at him for a second, and he recognized the look on Blue's face.
He only knew one other person with such a purposeful look, and with such a purpose, to defeat Giovanni: himself.
In that moment, Silver was supremely glad he'd trusted Blue.
Blue's eyes fixed his own once again.
"What are you looking at, kid? You got a problem?"
Then, Silver's asperity took over.
"Look," her said "I respect you. A lot. You're one of the strongest Trainers I've fought. You've been Champion. And you..." here, it took some effort to quell his emotion "And you defeated Giovanni; I hope you understand how important that is. But let's get one thing clear. I'm the Johto Challenger. I'm the one that's going to find Giovanni; I'm the one that's going to fight him; and I'm the one that's going to defeat him."
Blue shrugged:
"So you're still determined on that, huh?"
Silver, with great determination, rejoined:
"Yes."
"Well, then, I guess there's only one thing for you to do," Blue answered with seeming indifference, as he continued to pack.
"What's that?"
"I'm not going to go anywhere except where Giovanni is, to fight him," Blue said. And once again, his eyes met Silver's "So, if you're so bent on finding him... then you might want to join me."
Silver frowned:
"Are you serious?"
Blue began to walk out the door.
"Completely."
"What... now?"
"Does it look like I'm going to be leaving any other time?"
"But..."
"If you're joining, go get your stuff at the Pokémon Center. Meet me at Diglett's Cave in half an hour. We have no time to lose."
Silver was completely overwhelmed. But...
"I won't wait any longer than that," Blue said.
Silver knew that he couldn't refuse.
