Lillil mumbled woozily in her sleep. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but a few seconds later, she was able to see clearly.
And the first thing she saw – was Samurott's face closely to hers.
'Ahhh!' Out of reflex, the Lilligant released Magical Leaf. Colourful leaves began to sprout from her body, and it hit the formidable Pokémon.
'Oww oww oww!" Samurott yelped in pain. Swiftly, he used his sword and swatted the leaves away. The huge water starter glared at his best friend. 'Lillil! Are you trying to murder me or something?!'
Lillil quickly stood on her feet. 'Well excuse me! I'm not the one who barges into Pokémon's rooms and disturbs their sleep!' She then stopped, finally realizing something. 'Wait, why are you in the girl's bedroom?' The elegant flowering Pokémon blinked in stupor. Thanks to her 'adventurous' mind – something she picked up from White – Lillil screamed, 'You were peeking on me sleeping weren't you! You pervert!'
Samurott gawked dumbfoundedly. He let out a heavy sigh. 'Lillil, the reason I came inside the room is because Banette and Volcarona tried to wake you up but failed. So they sent me. We're going to Kanto right now. Get ready.'
Her lips curved into a small frown.
Samurott turned around. Before he went out the door, his mouth muttered, 'Besides, what kind of male in the right mind would wanna gawk at you.'
That ticked Lillil off. 'You bastard!' Angrily, she summoned Leaf Storm. In seconds, vines began sprouting from below. The thick ropes plummeted towards Samurott. Due to his disadvantage and had been caught off guard, the vines easily constricted Samurott and Lillil threw him out of the room.
The huge starter slammed to the glass wall. Luckily, it was thick enough to endure the violent pressure. Samurott groaned in pain. It hadn't been 6 in the morning yet and he had taken two hits.
'I'm guessing Lillil's awake?'
Samurott opened his eyes. Zebstrika, Banette, and Volcarona stood in front of him. Muttering grimly, he stood on his feet. 'Next time, you guys wake her up and see how you like it when your body gets thrown like a sack of potatoes.'
The trio replied his snarky remark with a silly grin. 'By the way, you haven't seen Typhlosion, have you?' Zebstrika asked the two females. Banette and Volcarona gave surprised looks.
The females shook their heads. 'Now that you mention it, Rhydon, Charizard, and Ampharos weren't in their room too. And I didn't see Gyarados outside when I took a stroll at four.' The marionette Pokémon explained and Volcarona nodded, assuring her friend's words. Zebstrika and Samurott were stunned. They gave suspicious glances at each other.
'You don't think…' The formidable muttered.
Zebstrika shook his head. 'They can't be…'
"Kotone, it's time to go!"
Four heads turned to see White knocking on Kotone's door. N and Zoroark stood near the brunette. The illusion fox Pokémon seemed anxious. He was fidgeting next to N.
The second they saw it, they knew something wasn't right.
"Kotone?" White gripped the doorknob. She was surprised to see her room was unlocked. Without another minute, she entered the room. "Kotone…?"
Silver stood quietly. The darkness was filling his field of vision. He looked up. Only dark clouds were floating above. His eyes were empty as the sky. He stared blankly, gaze wandering off like a mindless soul.
Suddenly, sounds of metal rolling rang in his ears. Silver looked down.
A gun. A shiny, black-coloured gun was seen on his feet. It was quiet big. The shape was unique, indicating it was an antique. Suddenly, a bright purple light shined before him. Silver looked upfront, eyes not even a blink.
There, floating right in front of him, was the huge shadow.
Its eyes gleamed maliciously. Its body floated up in the air. It stared at Silver, giving off a certain vibe; a deadly one.
Silver eyes met its gaze. Silver should be scared. He should be terrified by now. He should cower by his knees, praying and crying helplessly. But no. The boy stayed motionless. His face showed no expression; not a hint of emotion. Like the dark shadow, he too was soulless and empty. He felt nothing. His eyes showed nothing.
He was nothing.
Silently, he took the gun. Silver stood up straight. His hands firmly gripped the metallic pistol. The shadow floated closer, its eerie eyes focusing on the teenager.
His hands didn't shake. His body didn't tremble. His mouth didn't quiver. Neither did he grimace, nor did he flinch. All he did was stood there, aim sharply on the haunting figure. His finger pressed the gun's trigger, ready to push it. His thumb was placed on the hammer, ready to pull it.
It was getting closer. Its eyes were shining brighter. The shadow flashed a wide smile. Fangs. Fangs were shown as its mouth widened; sharp, long, pointy incisors. Distance was closing in. Its skull-like arm stretched forward, reaching for the human child.
Bang!
The bullet zoomed right through it. The whole surrounding had gotten more silent; eerie like death. The mysterious figure fell limply to the ground. Silver stayed frozen, eyes on the fallen being.
Rain began pouring down. Drops of clear tears dripped on his head, and on the lying shadow. Silver walked towards it, face still emotionless. As he moved closer, the image was getting clearer in his eyes. Finally, he stopped. Thick fog was covering the body, making him unable to see. Silver stood there calmly, waiting for the fog to lift.
And as it did, he could perfectly see and identify his fallen prey.
For what was lying on his feet wasn't the purple-eyed demon.
But Kotone.
Her eyes were wide. A small, black hole was pierced on her forehead. Blood was seen trickling on her face. Drops of water splattered on her pale cheeks. Her dead eyes met his silver gaze. The once beautiful, hazel coloured irises were now cold and empty, showing no humanity; no life.
Even with the shocking discovery, Silver wasn't surprise. In fact, he wasn't reacting at all. He stayed there, looking at the lifeless girl.
Her eyes showed pain. Her eyes showed fear. Her eyes showed lost. Her eyes showed everything he ever avoided; hated every second in his life.
Silver blinked blankly. Without a sound, he pointed the gun right between her empty eyes.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Silver woke up instantly. His body shot straight up. His mouth was agape with heavy breathing flowing out of his mouth. The young man cupped his mouth, inhaling and exhaling for a good minute. Once calmed, he glanced at his watch. It was 6 in the morning; still too early to wake up.
He groaned silently, rubbing his forehead. The room was dark, but not as dark as his nightmare. There were no bright purple eyes, much to his relief. There were no heinous shadows, much to his relief. There were no guns, much to his relief.
There was no lifeless body, much to his utmost relief.
The boy looked at his sweating palms. Silver blinked dumbly, thoughts a blur. Huffing bitterly, he hopped off his bed. Silver walked out of the room – which was one short of a door. He walked downstairs and towards the kitchen. The redhead opened the fridge and took out a carton of milk. Not bothering to take a glass, he took a seat and gulped the white liquid down. Once satisfied, Silver placed the empty carton and stared blankly into space.
For a brief moment, he considered moving.
Because everywhere he saw, everywhere his eyes focused on – it reminded him of Kotone.
The girl always made herself comfortable at his home. And truth be told, Silver didn't mind it much. But after what just happened yesterday, his heart was feeling dreadful. Guilt was tapping into his mind ever since he left her place. Sorrow and pain were the only emotions left from the second he reached home until he fell asleep. Silver covered his face, moaning and groaning in his palms.
"Maybe I should apologize…" He muttered grimly, voice croaked from all the yelling.
"Snea…"
The redhead looked forward. His team of six stood before him, all looking very concerned. "What?" Silver asked annoyingly, even though he knew very well what was going on.
Sneasel jumped on the table and scurried towards his trainer. He sat in front of Silver, eyes gleaming in a way that meant, 'We're worried for you.'
The redhead chuckled dryly, as if he knew what the sharp claw was saying. "Stop making me feel like shit like I already am."
A low, sad whimper tapped his eardrums. Silver looked at Feraligatr. His starter looked down, claws tapping against one another. The human raised an eyebrow, suspicious with the big jaw's strange behaviour.
Suddenly, he remembered.
The incident at the Radio Tower; his behaviour.
Silver pursed his lips tightly. "Feraligatr. Sneasel. All of you. Please. I'm…I'm sorry." He breathed heavily, as if he had been holding his breath for hours. "I don't know what had gotten into me back at that tower. Or at Kotone's. Just, I'm sorry alright." He looked down, eyes inside the empty carton. His fingers tapped lightly. He was at lost for words. He had done enough damage. And Silver knew he wasn't going to be forgiven that easily.
Suddenly, he froze as all of his Pokémon crowded around him, giving him a big warm hug.
'It's all right,' buzzed Magneton.
'We forgive you,' chimed Gengar.
'You are our priority,' said Alakazam.
'You're still the greatest trainer ever to us,' purred Crobat.
'We will never leave you,' mewled Sneasel.
Silver was stunned, shocked to the bone. His Pokémon were murmuring their forgiveness; something he would have never expected. Their hugs gave Silver a sense of feeling – a family feeling.
He felt like family.
They were his family.
Silver looked at Feraligatr. The Pokémon stood in front of him, eyes dimmed in a softer light. A small smile curved on the big jaw's lips. Slowly, the huge water starter walked a few steps forward and wrapped his big arms around the group. 'We will always love you, Silver. You're like family to us; to me.'
Even though Silver didn't fully understand what they meant, but it was enough to shed a tear in his eyes. The boy's shoulders began to tremble slightly. He shut his eyes. His hands covered his mouth. His teeth bit the insides of his lips, fighting back the urge to do something that he swore never to do it again when he was nine: Let himself be opened up.
A tear, two teardrops trickled down his cheek. Sneasel quickly wiped it off Silver's face. The young redhead let out a breath of a chuckle. He awkwardly swiped the tear away, lips mumbling a faint, "Thanks…"
Thank you guys. Thank you so much…
Silver looked at his Pokégear. His heart pounded. His hands fidgeted. His Pokémon had lost count of his sighs half an hour ago. The redhead looked at his team, lips curving a sorrow frown. "I'd rather not…"
Grumbles and growls of his Pokémon indicated that he'd better do it. Silver scoffed bitterly and rolled his eyes. He glanced at the name on the device. The name glowed brighter, urging him to press 'call' and get it over with.
It had been one night, and Silver had gone ballistic without hearing the sound of her voice. If the old Silver were to know his state right now, that person would have laughed so loud and called him 'weak'.
He chuckled stupidly. Things have changed and honestly, Silver wouldn't want it any other way.
That is, until what happened yesterday.
Another woeful sigh escaped his mouth. "She hates the crap outta me now." Silver banged his forehead on the table, mouth groaning in resent.
He had hurt her – again.
The girl had taken too many hits from and for him.
At times like this, he questioned her taste in men and her sanity.
His frown grew wider at each thought. "I almost hurt her." His rage had gotten the best of him. His rage blinded him to not see and hear Kotone's explanation. True. He had never seen the true glimpse of the 'demon' before when he was a kid. But after today, all his nightmares were exposed right before his very silver eyes.
What was what he thought was dead, was actually alive and near him all along.
Silver stared at his Pokémon. It's not her fault. She didn't know it either. I wasn't planning on telling her anytime soon anyways.
But there's a reason why he kept it a secret.
Flames danced in his mind. Screams of terror pierced his eardrums. Panic and terror-stricken were the only two things he had encountered.
The sound of a gunshot.
The scream of a monster.
The scream of a woman.
The sudden high-pitched sound of an explosion.
The sight of the raging fire.
The sight of his ending.
Silver rubbed his forehead again. The remaining pieces of his heart were still scarred; never healed. The device in his hands were tightly clutched, buttons randomly and harshly pressed.
Sensing the fume in their trainer, Feraligatr touched Silver's hand. The redhead flinched out of reflex, his body jumped out of his seat. He gawked at his starter, then at his remaining five.
'Come on man. You can do it.' Feraligatr flashed an assuring, warm smile.
Thankfully, it did calm Silver down. He huffed sourly. "I hate this…"
Suddenly, his Pokégear rang. Another jump was seen from him. Silver glared at the red device. But annoyed changed into confusion to see it was an unknown number. His eyebrow cocked upwards. Feeling hesitant and slightly nerve-wrecking, Silver answered the call. He slowly placed his Pokégear on his ear. "Hello?"
"Silver?!" A voice – more mature than Kotone's and sounding very distressed – was on the other line. Before Silver could reply, the voice continued. "We have a serious problem. It's about Kotone!"
That was enough to make Silver jumped out of his seat and dashed right towards the front door.
It was a quiet day in Old Cinnabar. Wild Pokémon were frolicking and flying about. The only human present on the upper ground was Nurse Joy, handling and caring for some Pokémon in the Center.
But unknowing to Nurse Joy, there were other humans, living right underneath the old volcano. Team Rocket sat patiently, each minding their own business. Ariana cuddled with her Arbok. Petrel and Proton were betting on each other about their Pokémon's strength. Archer was sitting quietly, eyes shut, as if in thought.
Everything seemed quiet and peaceful.
Until a huge, massive explosion burst from the wall.
The four Executives were completely caught off guard. Petrel and Proton were thrown aback, but were quickly saved by their Pokémon. Clouds of dust and smoke filled the area. Debris of rocks scattered on the ground.
Archer, Ariana, Petrel, and Proton looked forward. Their respective Pokémon crouched before them, protecting their trainers.
In less than 20 seconds, five huge, snarling figures approached them. Typhlosion stood out front, on his four legs and exhaling raging flames. The volcano Pokémon's eyes focused on his enemy. His fangs were bared savagely as he growled like a maniac.
Finally, their trainer walked towards them. She stopped next to her starter. Her hazel eyes were anything but fun and joy. Her pigtails whipped against the harsh wind. Her hat stayed neatly on her head, not even flying off due to the rubbles and fierce air. Her fists were balled in and out. Her teeth were forcefully clenched inside her closed mouth. She looked upfront, intently glaring at the four human beings standing before her.
"Give-" She snarled acidly, voice almost as deadly as her Tyhplosion. "-me back my Mewtwo!"