Author's Note: Hello everyone! Wow...not that long to go till the ending! D: I'm going to be so sad when this is all over. But good news! I have plans to write a collaboration, and also a Palletshipping fic of my own! xD No spoilers as of yet. So for now, enjoy!

Chapter Twenty One: On the safe side

"Hey...are you okay?"

I jolted upright from the sink, not realising I was gripping it for dear life until that voice entered my ears. As I slowly looked over my shoulder I noticed it was Green. He had his arms folded, and was giving me that look, you know the one, where they want to ask you about something but don't. I forced a smile quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Green's brow furrowed significantly before shaking his head

"Don't lie to me Silver. It seems like you have something on your mind."

Damn, how did he know?

But still, I wasn't prepared to spill all my emotions out for him to see. No, I was quite happy just festering in my own self inflicted misery for now. I turned fully to see him and continued keeping up the charade.

"Why would I have anything on my mind?"

Green shrugged half heartedly.

"I don't know, unless it's about Cyan again."

The sheer mention of his name caused a horrible shiver to dance down my spine, which Green noticed almost immediately. He smiled softly, chuckling.

"Well if it's any consolation I am on your side. He is a psycho, and needs to be stopped. I don't give a shit if his brother killed himself over something stupid you said to him, or whatever the reason was. The moment he attacked Red...was the moment he made enemies with me, and trust me, no-one wants me after them."

That was comforting, but it wasn't about people taking sides.

Why were they all so forgiving? They knew that all this shit was happening because of me, and I had half expected one of them at least to go nuts at me or something. But they didn't. They supported me, and I didn't know why.

Sighing softly I bowed my head, allowing my trail of depressing thought carry me away.

"Yeah..I know..."I murmured weakly.

"Hey! Cheer up buddy! Gold's birthday is in a few days! You should be celebrating, not feeling down in the dumps!"

I looked up to see Green's kind smiling face, and I knew that I should at least make an effort. It was a major milestone for Gold, being eighteen and all, and I guess I owed him at least to try to celebrate it. My hands gripped the sink behind me for support as I nodded weakly.

"I guess you're right."

"And besides! All of us are going to be there so I doubt Cyan will launch an attack."

How was it possible for Green to stay so positive all the time? He just oozed optimism and I swear I was jealous.

Then he walked towards me until his arms wrapped around me in a tight hug. For a moment I was unsure of what to do, and just allowed my arms to stay frozen in mid air, until I heard his voice again.

"Calm down Silver, it's only a hug."

As I inhaled deeply I allowed the taller male to hold me in the kitchen, and was surprised with how comforting it was. It was like all my problems were fizzling away, and he was the cause of it. Once again the scent of strong cologne entered my nose as I held the taller boy, but it didn't bother me any more.

It was just the smell of Green.

"Everything will be fine, just you wait and see." He said softly, and a part of me wondered what the hell I did I do to deserve such kindness?

I was a bad egg, some-one who fucking caused a kid to kill themselves! Kindness was wasted on me.

But still, right now I gladly accepted it. Anything was better than festering in my own guilt.

Once I had calmed down enough, and Green has cracked a few terrible jokes about Cyan I decided to accompany him back to living room where everyone else was. They were still discussing Gold's birthday arrangement's and the poor soul looked like he desperately wanted to get out of there.

So, as I sat down beside him I decided to save him from this scene.

"Hey Gold, don't you need to pick up some clothes from your house?"

Large golden eyes blinked at me for a moment as it finally registered.

"Oh yeah! Oops, I forgot!"

"Well, why don't you take somebody with you, like just to be on the safe side?" Green suggested, relaxing in his chair once again. Gold nodded and flashed me a smile. I was sure he was grateful for my interference.

But who would go with him?

Well, Red wouldn't be much use in his state so we all suggested he would stay here with me, and Crystal offered to accompany Gold because she had to stop off at her house along the way.

As expected Green volunteered to keep watch over both of them, because being in three's was safer, apparently.

But what the hell did I know?

So as the three of them left my apartment only Blue, Red and myself remained. It was weird being in the same room as Red again without any input from Green.

He still seemed nonchalant as ever, but every now and then a flash of something that resembled a personality shone through. But that was down to Green mainly. I sighed softly as I relaxed on my sofa, trying to ignore Blue and Red's aimless chit chat about God knows what.

"It's nice to see that you're on the mend though, you could've died because of that psycho!" Blue cried out beside me. Red sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't understand why everyone hates him, yes okay, he has issues...but don't you see why? His brother killed himself because of something Silver did. I'd say it was only fair."

I blinked rapidly.

Was Red defending Cyan here?

Blue gasped and almost fell off the sofa in shock, and to be honest I almost did too.

How could he defend him even after he tried to kill him?!

"Have you lost your mind?! He tried to kill you Red!"

"No, he was making a statement. He was showing Silver what he could do, and quite easily I might add, to the people he cares about. I doubt it was ever personal."

So, divided opinions...I had expected this to be honest, and Red and I hardly ever saw eye to eye.

I had thought better of him since knowing Green though. Perhaps because Green was so loud, and brash, and his personality sort of captivated you.

"RED!" Blue cried, puffing her cheeks out in rage. "Cyan is a fucking psycho! Yes, okay...his brother died, but Silver didn't hold a fucking gun to his head, or shove the pills down his throat! He had his own mind! He didn't have to do it!"

I looked across at Blue, at the way her eyes sparkled in determination, how she defended me with her life. I honestly didn't deserve it, but it was nice nonetheless.

Red placed a hand to his head in annoyance.

"As much as that is a valid point, Silver still said something horrible to him, which caused the events to spiral out of control. If he hadn't then all this would have been avoided, and no-one would've got hurt."

Okay, now this was irritating me.

I already knew I fucked up! I didn't need reminding!

I gripped my head tightly with my fingers, trying to ignore the argument.

"But Cyan didn't have to act like this! There are much better ways than trying to inflict pain and torment on other people! Okay, so he wants revenge. I get that. But, why hurt everyone else? If he hated Silver so much he would've killed him by now!"

Red clicked his tongue in annoyance at the brunette.

"It obviously isn't that simple. Considering Silver hurt the person who Cyan cared about most, he now wants to inflict the same pain on him. Perhaps...once he believes it has been achieved he won't bother anyone any more."

Then a thought hit me.

Yes! That was it! I knew just how to get rid of Cyan once and for all!

I sat upright, and cleared my throat.

"I think I know a way of stopping Cyan for good."

"You do?" Blue asked, tilting her head curiously to the side, like a confused Eevee. I nodded in determination.

"Yes. All we have to do is stage Gold's death!"

"Whoa...hold up." Red interrupted, holding his hands up. "Stage his death?"

"Yes! We make it seem like Gold is dead, when actually he isn't, then I'll act all upset and whatever, then Cyan is bound to leave us all alone!"

Why the hell didn't I think of this plan sooner? It was so freakin' obvious!

Blue's eyes lit up as the information sunk in.

"You're right! Then Cyan will assume that he has succeeded in hurting you as much as you hurt him, and will back off!"

I nodded, feeling slightly proud of my plan. Now, we just had to figure out how to implement it properly. Red shook his head.

"This is all well and all, but how are we going to do that? Isn't Cyan going to have to be there anyway when Gold fakes being dead?"

That was a valid point, but I had a feeling he would strike soon, and I knew when it was most likely to occur.

"Cyan will probably show up at Gold's birthday party."

Blue gasped once again, pressing a hand to her chest.

"It seems like a logical idea." Red mumbled, giving the idea some thought.

"Do you think he will...try to kill him?!" Blue panicked, as she looked at me for the answers.

I honestly didn't know if that was his intention or not, but I had a feeling that was the battle ground. We needed to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

"I'm not sure."

"Well maybe not kill, but I reckon there will be some sort of commotion." Red mused, placing a hand to his chin in thought.

"Commotion?" Blue repeated.

The champion nodded, before allowing his eyes to stare up at the ceiling.

"Yes, like a bomb exploding or something, I doubt Cyan would arrive without a big entrance."

I frowned, hating the fact Red was probably right. We had to be best prepared for this.

But how?

"Maybe Green should bring his gun then..." Blue thought aloud, causing all the hairs on my arms to stiffen almost immediately.

Wait...what?! Green...owned a gun?! SINCE WHEN?!

"I don't think that is a good idea...you know how angry Green is about this whole Cyan fiasco." Red said calmly.

How on Earth could he be calm?! Did he know about the fact he owned a gun?! Oh my God...

I ran my fingers through my hair anxiously.

But...say he did bring the gun, just to be safe. Would it actually help matters?

"But we need to be prepared too Red! We can't just be sitting ducks, waiting for something to happen!" Blue cried, getting evermore frustrated with the champion, who sat in his wheelchair.

He folded his arms and nodded.

"That is also true, but guns and violence is not the answer. Cyan is quite obviously psychologically damaged...so our best weapon we have is...our minds."

I blinked for a moment. Well, none of us were psychic so that wasn't going to work at all.

"How the hell will that work?" I asked.

"In much the same way a poker game works." Red replied, nonchalantly. "You fool your opponent into thinking your hand, or your next move will be something amazing, when in actual fact it isn't. So by bluffing, your opponent ends up giving up, and you end up the winner."

I glanced at Blue for a moment, before allowing the information to sink in.

Like...a poker game? So, by bluffing Cyan would believe us, and then we would end up winning? Blue smiled softly.

"I think I understand. So if Silver fakes being upset over Gold's 'death' Cyan will believe it, and then leave us alone?"

Red nodded, looking very proud of himself for that moment. Well, it was the best idea so far. Now we had to hope something happened for Cyan to appear so we could put the plan into action.

"Think you can create some fake tears?" Blue asked me, giggling to herself. I shrugged. Well, I had no idea if I was capable, but I'm sure I could try.

"I'll give it a try."

"Good, you might need to practice." Red added in, smirking playfully. And that was a rare opportunity to actually see him smile, even if it was only a smirk. It was progress, and that was enough.

As evening settled in, and Blue, Red and I were watching some stupid film on the television the front door opened. Loud jostling voices entered my ears and immediately I turned to face them. It seemed like they were arguing over something.

I noticed Gold held an envelope in his hands, which hadn't been opened and was just staring at it in confusion. Green and Crystal were bickering about something, as they carried Gold's belongings in a rucksack. I couldn't quite understand it all.

"Guys! Can you shut up! I'm trying to watch this!" Blue grumbled, waving her hand in the air in annoyance.

Green and Crystal shut up almost immediately, but their faces still appeared pain stricken.

Had something happened?

"Is everything okay?" I asked softly, trying not to disturb Blue. Gold sighed and sat on the arm of the sofa, beside me. His eyes continued scanning the envelope in his hands.

"I'm not sure..." He responded.

"Gold found that envelope posted through his letterbox." Green added in, standing behind the sofa, along with Crystal. She nodded in response and dropped the rucksack on the floor.

But it was just an envelope, why did he look like his whole world was crashing down?

"Aren't you going to open it?" I pursued, watching as his whole body stiffened considerably. Then he shook his head wildly.

"No...I don't recognise the hand writing."

Without thinking I took the pale blue envelope from his hands and studied the writing. I didn't recognise it either, but it was addressed to Gold.

Maybe it was an early birthday card?

"It's probably just a birthday card..."I grumbled, passing it back to the dark haired boy. He shrugged weakly. I heard Green sigh, as he leant on the back of sofa, directly behind my head.

"Gold has a feeling that it's not as innocent as it seems,"

I glanced at the emerald eyed boy for a moment, before thinking it through.

What on Earth did he mean? It was only a card.

"Guys...as much as this conversation is completely riveting...I am trying to watch this." Red groaned, giving a stern look towards Green's direction, who merely smirked and bobbed his tongue out playfully.

As Gold continued to study the envelope a part of me just wanted to open it and get this all over with.

"Just open the fucking thing!" I cried in annoyance.

"I can't!"

Biting the inside of my lip I was getting frustrated with this. It was only a stupid card! So I grabbed the envelope from Gold's hands, watching as he desperately tried to get it back.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"Well...you're not going to open it, so I will!"

The dark haired boy stopped struggling and just sat still beside me, watching as carefully I tore the envelope open, wondering if there was like a ticking bomb in here or something.

Doubtful.

I didn't realise it at the time but everyone was staring at me, and the object in my hands. Perhaps they all wanted to know too.

As I ripped the envelope off it revealed a birthday card, and instantly I threw it at Gold's face, watching as it collided with his cheek.

"You fucking idiot! It's just a birthday card!"

As the card landed in his lap he picked it up and read the message on the front of the card, out loud so we could all hear it.

"It says...'I like you so much I'm giving you two birthday presents, maybe even three or four'..." Gold paused as he opened the card to read the rest of the message. "...'Try not to think about it and have a happy day.'..."

The whole room went silent as we just watched Gold's face change from apprehension to utter horror. His hands were shaking as he held the card, and instantly I took it from him to see for myself. As my eyes read the writing I noticed the signature at the bottom of the card.

It was signed...by Cyan!

"You have got to be kidding me!" I cried, not quite believing this.

"What is it?" Green asked, glancing over my shoulder to get a better view of the card.

Why on Earth would Cyan send Gold a birthday card? None of this made sense,

"Who is the card from?" Blue asked quietly, her interest completely consumed in this scene, ignoring the film that was currently showing. Green growled angrily, before snatching the card from my hands.

"THAT PRICK!" He cried, and a part of me wondered if he would rip it apart in anger.

"Just what is going on?" Crystal added in, large blue eyes staring up at the older male.

Then, like a game of pass the parcel the card was handed around each and every one of us.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She cried in shock, holding the card closer to her face, obviously believing she was hallucinating or something. But she wasn't. It was very real.

Gold still seemed on edge about the whole thing, but was slightly calmer than he had been.

"But...why would Cyan send Gold a birthday card?" Blue pondered, putting her hand to her chin in thought.

"Because this is quite obviously nothing more than a game to him..." Red joined in, rather calmly, causing all of us to stare at him. The champion sighed as the card sat in his hands, and he studied it carefully.

"A game?" I repeated.

Red nodded.

"Yes. This is nothing more than a game to him. By sending a birthday card to the one person he wishes to destroy? It's like he is mocking each and every one of us."

That Cyan...he was a piece of work. And we had to stop him!

"Then that means...he must be close by if he delivered the card to Gold's house!" Crystal shrieked in shock, clasping her hands over her mouth.

That was true. If Cyan had delivered this by hand then he must have been close by, but where?

"...well, the thought was in the right place." Gold joked, chuckling nervously. I could tell he was worried, even through all the laughter, but it was only to show everyone that he was okay.

But he wasn't.

"I don't like the hidden meaning behind the card either..." Red mused, as he looked at the front of it once again, studying the font.

"What hidden meaning?" I asked, starting to get annoyed with this whole situation.

"It says...'I like you so much I'm giving you two birthday presents, maybe even three or four'...perhaps it is like a warning for what is about to come?"

Shit...this was really bad.

So, as I predicted something major was going to happen, and soon. We all had to be prepared. Even though it was difficult to prepare for something we didn't know. But it was worth a shot at least.

After everyone had calmed down, Red, Blue and myself discussed the plan we were to put into action when Cyan decided to make his move. The plan to stage Gold's death.

Of course, Gold wasn't too happy about playing dead, but when Red assured him that Cyan would back off he was instantly on board the idea.

Of course Green liked his idea much better, which involved bringing his gun along to the birthday party. The idea was instantly dismissed by Red, who claimed that Green's bad temper would only hinder his plan.

And as much as Green didn't want to agree with the champion he did in the end.

So it was decided. Gold would fake being dead, and I would somehow pretend to be upset about the whole thing, causing Cyan to believe he had won the game, and ultimately leave us all alone. It was the safest way, and would ensure no casualties.

"But...like I said before, what if Cyan isn't alone? He might have outside help!" Crystal grumbled sadly, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Green sighed, and looked up at the ceiling in thought.

"Perhaps...but for now let's just assume it's just Cyan we are up against."

"If Cyan believes that vengeance has been served, he will be satisfied with that and leave. Then no-one gets hurt, or dies." Red stated proudly.

I knew he was against this whole thing, but now this whole fiasco had gotten way out of hand and this was the only possible solution we could think of.

"I swear to God Red you always have to be a party pooper..." Green complained, folding his arms in annoyance.

Red smirked softly, and once again I saw that spark of a personality shine through.

"Well if you want to spend a lifetime in prison for murder, then please...go right ahead. I'm sure you would love it in there."

Then he did the most magical thing ever.

He laughed! A genuine laugh.

I had never seen Red laugh like that before, even if it was at Green's misfortune. It sort of made me want to smile.

"You know... you could be my alibi..." Green said playfully, nudging the champion on the arm gently, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Anyway, so what are we going to do now?" Blue asked, looking from the two bickering guys to me and Gold. We shrugged at the same time, which was a little weird.

How did we do that?

"Well duh! We have a party to plan!" Crystal squeaked happily. I sighed, placing a hand to my head.

Great, even after everything she still wanted to plan this thing?

"Oh yeah, I guess we do." Blue joined in. I swear those girl's would be the death of me, and probably Gold too. He just smiled awkwardly, not really enjoying all this fuss, given the circumstances.

The birthday card lay flat on the coffee table, open for all of us to see. I could barely make out Cyan's terrible hand writing as he signed his name and a violent shiver danced down my spine.

Our plan just had to work, we had no choice.

As evening started to turn into night time Gold and I said our goodbye's to everyone, who all went home, of course in pairs like we agreed. It was nice to have my apartment feel normal once again. All the noise and commotion was not good for my health.

So as I relaxed on my bed, wearing my old black t-shirt and boxers I just waited. Gold was using the bathroom, and usually it took him a while.

As I closed my eyes for a moment a bright light burst out of my trouser pockets and faded away to reveal Hoothoot. He cooed softly before hopping onto the bed beside me.

I had almost forgot I caught this thing.

Oh yeah...and I called it Gold.

"Hey..."I mumbled, gently patting the tiny owl's head.

"Hoot~" He called happily, as he bounced up and down on his one leg. Even his enthusiasm was like Gold. How uncanny.

But still, this tiny owl made me wonder. Why did it even follow me in the first place, I was hardly the nicest of people, especially to my Pokemon.

Sneasel went through most of that, yet somehow she still managed to evolve into a Weavile. And she risked her life for me without even thinking about it.

Did I really mean that much to them?

"Hoot! Hoot!" The owl chirped happily as he bounced up on top of my head and nestled there for a while.

So I lay on my bed with Hoothoot on my head, in total silence. I didn't mind it though.

I sighed softly.

"Why the hell did you even follow me? You could have stayed in the forest or something..."

I felt Hoothoot flutter his wings, which tickled the side of my face, causing me to laugh.

Was he trying to tell me that I was being stupid?

"Silver?"

At the mention of my name I sat upright, watching as my owl Pokemon leapt down from my head to my shoulder. It's large eyes scanned the intruder, which was quite obviously Gold.

The dark haired boy was just about visible in the dim light, as he scrubbed his wet hair dry with a towel. He was wearing the same attire as myself, an old t-shirt and boxers.

"Yeah?" I mumbled, not really wanting to draw attention to myself, and the fact I was playing with a Hoothoot. It would kind of ruin my image there.

But I assumed he noticed the arrival when he started staring at my shoulder.

"Is that...a Hoothoot on your shoulder?"

As he pointed to the small owl, in shyness it buried itself behind my hair, which felt really weird on my scalp. I wasn't used to things hiding there after all.

But still, I thought better than to ignore his question.

"Yes, it is."

"But...I never knew you had one of those." Gold commented softly, before throwing the towel in the laundry basket and sitting on the edge of my bed. I smirked.

"I didn't... until I bumped into it in Ilex forest."

It's wings fluttered once again in my hair, which tickled so without thinking I just laughed, trying to stop Hoothoot from it's onslaught.

Eventually I grabbed the tiny owl and held him in my arms. He looked happy, which was nice. Gold smiled softly.

"He looks really happy, and obviously really likes you."

I smiled, and snorted in approval.

Well...he was called Gold, after all.

"I named him after you." I admitted, hearing Hoothoot coo softly as I held him.

Gold's eyes widened in shock.

"Why on Earth did you name a Hoothoot after me?"

I looked down at the tiny owl, who had settled down now quite comfortably and didn't seem so frightened of Gold any more. I shrugged my shoulder's weakly.

"After I accidentally knocked it down from a tree it decided to follow me to Cherrygrove City. I figured it had the same persona as you, and at the time...well, you know I just came back from Kanto. So, I named it after you. Stupid really."

Gold smiled softly and outstretched a hand to gently pat the owl's head. He didn't cower or hide away, he just allowed Gold to pet him, which was nice.

"So...he is called Gold too?"

I nodded.

"Yeah..."

I paused. I just had a great idea, and it would be for the best anyway. As I looked down at the tiny owl, who seemed content at being petted by Gold I sighed softly.

"And...I want you to have him."

"What?" Gold's voice sounded shocked, as he looked from me to the Hoothoot in my arms. I nodded defiantly.

"I want you to have him, Gold...call it an early birthday present if you want to."

I could clearly see Gold's eyes sparkling in the dim light, and without thinking I handed the owl Pokemon to him, wondering if he was okay with this.

Hoothoot seemed to be fine, even though it had originally been attached to me. Gold could raise it better anyway. He was better off with some-one like him.

"But...Silver...Hoothoot is yours,"

I shook my head.

"No, now he is yours. But you better take care of him or else." I warned, watching as Hoothoot seemed rather happy at the exchange.

Even though it was a good thing a part of me felt saddened to see the little guy go, but I knew he would be in good hands. Gold smiled wildly as he stared at Hoothoot. He now had another addition to his team.

"Silver..."

"Just shut up and accept him! Or I'll change my mind!"

I watched the two of them for a moment before smirking. It was nice to see that glimmer of hope in his eyes again, just like when we were kids.

Gold used to get so excited about new Pokemon, or just being with his old friends. This was no different.

"Thanks..."

Once Hoothoot had been returned to his Pokeball and was now part of Gold's team we both lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling in thought. Time just seemed to go so fast nowadays, like everything was sped up on purpose.

Gold's birthday had once been far away...and now, it was literally just round the corner. Judgement day.

"Do you really think your plan will work?" Gold asked, as he lay on his side to face me.

Sighing softly I nodded, desperately longing to believe myself. We had no choice, it had to work.

If it didn't...well, we were all in trouble.

"I can't see it not working."

Gold exhaled deeply as he lay beside me.

"Do you honestly believe Cyan would...try to kill me?"

I glanced across at the dark haired boy. His face seemed pained for a moment, completely unlike the old Gold I knew.

But how could I tell him that a part of me did believe that Cyan would try to hurt him? It would only make him worry. So instead...I lied.

"No...he won't."

Then Gold smiled as his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Well to be honest I would like to think I could kick his ass if he tried." He joked, chuckling afterwards.

And I wanted to believe it too. But Cyan was so unpredictable there was no telling what he could do if he put his mind to it.

"Just don't worry too much, it's not like I am going to let him hurt you, is it?"

Gold looked up at me with large questioning amber eyes, before closing them for a moment.

"No...I guess not."

"Just, relax. Leave it to me. I'll sort this mess out."

And as we lay on my bed, embracing in the darkness I could feel myself getting drowsier the longer time progressed.

Gold's birthday was just around the corner, and I had to make sure my plan would work, if not only for Gold's sake, but for my own too.

Author's Note: Short chapter, but the next one will be much longer! I promise some major drama coming soon! So stay tuned! Please read and review, it makes a girl very happy :) Thank you!