Chapter 7

Outskirts of Viridian City

Yellow watched the small Pokémon wander on the path, stopping every so often to closely inspect some stones or plants at random.

"Yeah, we'll be careful," she said, adjusting the Pokegear against her ear.

Listening to the voice on the other end, the girl wondered what Eevee was searching for in this area. It seemed unlikely that the man that stole Green would be on this road. Still, the Pokémon was adamant to go back, giving them little choice but to follow.

"Ok…yeah, good luck on your end too," Yellow responded, "Talk to you later."

The blonde exhaled, happy to be done with that conversation. It wasn't easy explaining the situation, but Blue had eventually accepted their little detour.

"So? How did she take it?"

Yellow turned to the other girl trailing a ways down the road. The brunette kicked a rock in her way, hitting it off a distant tree.

"Ah, well…she wasn't very happy" the girl answered, "but she came around, I think."

"Seriously?" questioned Crystal in disbelief, "What did you say we were doing out here?"

The older girl shrugged, returning the device back to her bag. "Searching for leads, of course."

"This close to the mountain?" The Pokemon Catcher hummed, not even waiting for a confirmation. "The plan was for us to search around Viridian. The guy wouldn't be stupid enough to stay around the scene of the crime."

"Yeah, but maybe if we do find traces of the guy along this route, we'll at least know we were in the right region," Yellow reasoned.

Crys huffed. Tipping another rock onto her shoe, she flung it at the same tree. "This is a waste of time."

The older girl's eyes widened as she glanced back at Green's Eevee. Putting a finger to her lips, the Pokemon Healer silently sushed the younger trainer.

"Keep your voice down!"

Crys put her hands up her hips, returning the older girl's glare. "Why? Are we trying to hide from someone?" she called out, "In case you haven't noticed, there's no one around!"

"No!" The young Healer quickly rushed towards the other trainer. "It's because I don't want Eevee to hear what you're saying!" exclaimed Yellow in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, but like I said, there's no one out here," argued Crys, "We should really go back and finish talking to people in the city. I mean, we probably have a better chance of finding someone who saw this guy that took Green there than out here."

"I'm sure Eevee will figure that out on her own," said Yellow sharply.

Crystal was caught off guard by the blonde's tone. Tilting her head to the side, the girl raised a brow.

Yellow took a deep breath. "Sorry, it's just that Eevee is going through a lot right now, and I just want to give this to her." Looking back, she spotted the Pokemon still scouring the path. "You can't really blame her for wanting to go back to where she got separated from Green."

The younger girl's frown deepened as she shifted her gaze to Green's Pokemon. She didn't need Yellow's powers to understand how Eevee was feeling. She could imagine the guilt the Pokemon felt for abandoning her trainer, even if she was commanded to do so.

"Well, I guess Blue and Red didn't stick around the mountain long enough to do any recon," she muttered, more to convince herself than anything, "it might be worth taking a look around."

Crossing her arms, she turned her head to the side. The detour was frustrating, but she wasn't a heartless person.

"Fine…We'll look along the route," she continued as she narrowed her gaze at the other girl, "but not too long! Every minute counts."

Yellow looked down for a moment but still smiled gratefully at her before jogging ahead. "Give us another hour, at least."

The Pokemon Catcher shook her head and reluctantly followed after the other trainer.

Stuffing her hands in her jacket, Crystal eyed the dark clouds stretching over the mountain. The mass had been lingering there since yesterday evening, unable to make it past the formation. Feeling a cool wind pass her by, she doubted that would last much longer.

"We'll see how far we can actually get."

X

Minutes passed as the two girls traveled West towards the mountain. Crys spent the time quietly observing her companions comb over every inch of the terrain. Behind any shrub, through every grassy stretch, under each suspicious rock...nothing was left unturned by those two. Not to say there was something to find. She pretended to help, but the brunette couldn't bring herself to buy into this pointless search.

Crys clicked her tongue as she watched Eevee back out of another cluster of shriveled plants.

Of course there was nothing in there.

Turning away from the Pokemon, Crystal stomped ahead on the dirt path.

"How much longer are we going to waste our time here?" she grumbled under her breath.

The girl looked out at the mountain in the distance. They were almost at the end of Route 22, but they hadn't found a single thing remotely interesting. Why would it be any different the rest of the way? Between the dangerous wild Pokémon down the next route and the harsh conditions at the summit, only a few skilled trainers took on the challenge to trek the mountain.

Then again, Green made it all the way to the mountain on foot by himself...and willingly scaled it in the snow.

Crys pursed her lips in thought. Come to think of it, why would the older boy even go through the trouble of coming out here on his own? Honestly, the gym leader would have no problem with the hike, but it didn't seem like something he would do in his spare time.

"Hey, Yellow," called Crystal, "Why was Green going to Mt. Silver?"

"Huh?" responded the other trainer.

"Green," repeated the brunette. Stretching her arms out, Crys gestured to their surroundings. "What was he doing all the way out here?"

"I don't know." Yellow stood up from where she was crouched on the side of the road. "Maybe he was just going for a walk?"

"Come on, Yellow…Mt. Silver isn't just a casual walk," she sighed. Crystal shifted her gaze back to the large formation to the West. "Did he ever tell you that he was going to the mountain?"

"Hmm...no, he never mentioned anything," Yellow answered, approaching the younger trainer.

"Really? I thought he would have told you."

"What makes you think that?" the older girl questioned.

"Don't you and Green hang out with each other all the time?" the brunette replied, "You know, since you live in the same city and all."

There was a noticeable falter in the blonde's step.

"Oh, umm….well," Yellow stammered. She paused for a few seconds, rubbing her hands together in discomfort. "...We actually didn't really hang out that much."

"Seriously? I thought you two were friends."

"We are friends!" Yellow exclaimed. The blonde dropped her gaze to the ground, embarrassed by her outburst. "We are. It's just that…he always seemed busy with running the gym, so I barely saw him."

Crystal winced at the other girl's response, suddenly aware of her insensitive interrogation. The Pokémon Catcher frantically waved her hands as if to brush away her last comment.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to offend you," she blurted out. Glancing off to the side, Crys hoped Yellow wasn't too hurt. "I'm not surprised that he was always busy," she reasoned, "Green struck me as a serious guy...all work and no play."

"I guess you could say that," the blonde responded, half-heartedly.

The two fell into silence as a passing breeze brought the definite smell of moisture from the West. Yellow moved past her, but Crystal still caught the tiny pout on the blonde's face.

Crystal quietly followed, sensing the other trainer's dejection. Of course, Yellow would be hurt. It was stupid of her to question the older girl's relationship with the gym leader. Knowing Yellow, she was probably blaming herself for being a bad friend.

The girl shook her head at the thought. How could she be so careless?

Crys picked up the pace to fall beside the other trainer. "You know…" started the brunette, hoping to change the subject, "I bet Green doesn't get a break with all the challengers that want to take him on."

Peering back over at the Pokemon Healer, the girl tried not to let Yellow's silence get to her.

"A lot of people I've come across in the other regions always talk about him," Crys rattled on, "Seems like everyone wants a shot at the so-called ominous gym leader of Viridian City."

Yellow's eyes shot over at the unfamiliar label. "What?"

"Yeah, you haven't heard? He's really well-known in the Pokemon trainer circles," said Crys.

The other girl tilted her head as she hummed with veiled interest.

"From what I heard, his debut in the Johto-Kanto gym leader tournament really made trainers excited about challenging his gym," Crystal continued, watching Yellow's expression brighten, "Green's already considered one of the most sought-after gym leaders to beat even though he's only had the title for less than a year!"

"Really?!" exclaimed Yellow, "He's that famous already?"

Crys nodded. "Yep, Green's got himself quite the reputation."

"Wow, that's so cool!" A wide grin appeared on the girl's face as she turned to the brunette. "You know…there have been a lot more new faces around town these days," she wondered aloud, "but I never put it together that it might be because of Green."

Crystal smiled at the other trainer's excitement. She was glad that Yellow's mood was back to normal.

"Wait, why did you call Green 'ominous'?"

The Pokemon Catcher blinked at the question. "Oh…well, I didn't call him that," said Crys, "It's what other people say."

"Why would people say that about Green?"

Crystal shrugged. "Eh, people who have faced him say he's kind of…strange."

"...'Strange'?"

The younger trainer peered over at the other girl, picking up on the critical tone. "You know…it's just talk that goes around," she responded quickly.

"What kind of talk?"

Crys shifted her gaze to the sky, realizing she had made a wrong turn in the conversation again. She was just trying to get Yellow out of her own head, but apparently she stumbled into another minefield.

"I guess I've heard some stories, but I don't really know how true they are," she explained slowly, "Like on my last trip out, I talked to this trainer who had recently challenged Green and lost."

The brunette paused, considering her words before saying them out loud.

"He admitted his match was really short but losing wasn't what rubbed him the wrong way," she continued, "According to the guy, Green was silent during the whole battle. Green didn't even look at him once!"

"Wait a minute," Yellow cut in, "That doesn't sound like Green!"

"Right?" said the other girl, "And get this…when it was all over, Green still didn't say a thing to him - He just walked away."

"No, that isn't right at all," Yellow insisted.

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I've heard," said Crystal.

Shaking her head, the older girl stopped in her tracks. "Then I don't know what that trainer is talking about...Green takes battles seriously, but he's not cold like that."

"I told that guy he had to be making things up, but he didn't budge," Cyrs asserted, "He just chalked it up as Green being cocky or something." The brunette lifted her fist triumphantly. "He was dumb enough to add a few choice words about Green, but I definitely put that jerk in his place."

"I don't want to hear about that," Yellow huffed, "Green isn't ominous or cocky. Maybe a little guarded, but he's not a bad person." The young Healer frowned as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Those people are being unfair to spread those stories to make him out to be cold and self-centered. If Green was that type of person then he wouldn't have agreed to train me or help us defeat the Elite Four...or the Masked Man!"

"Wow, Yellow...tell me how you really feel," said Crys.

Yellow eyes shot up, surprising herself with her unexpected rant. "Ah, sorry about that," said the girl, pulling down the brim of her hat to cover her face, "I got a little carried away."

"Don't be - you're just sticking up for a friend." Crystal put her hands on her hips, raising a brow as she leaned closer to the other trainer. "But wait a minute, you trained with Green?" she asked in disbelief, "I thought you said you didn't hang out with him that much?"

Yellow nodded as they started to walk down the road again. They had already lost sight of Eevee, but she wasn't too worried. "Yeah I did, but it was a while ago...maybe a year before I met you," she explained.

"Wow, that's really cool!" exclaimed the brunette, "I'm so jealous that you got to train with him!"

"It's not that cool," the Healer responded sheepishly, "I mean..he taught me a lot, but I didn't really know much to begin with."

Turning away from the other girl, Yellow hid the smile on her face.

To be honest, she couldn't believe that the boy actually agreed to let her train with him too. They only met because Green showed up out of nowhere to defeat Agatha's Gastly, but watching him do what she and the other gym leaders couldn't…the girl didn't care who he was at the time. All that mattered was becoming a better Pokémon trainer, and Green seemed like the perfect solution.

Sure, he wasn't a fan of her gentler approach to Pokemon battles and maybe he wasn't very nurturing, but the older trainer really was a great mentor. In the little time they were together, she learned so much about her Pokemon and their abilities. More importantly though, she had built the confidence to stand up and continue her journey on her own.

It was lucky their paths crossed that day. At the same time...it also seemed like it was meant to happen. Back then, Yellow thought it was her sole job to save Red, but the future gym leader was also looking for the missing Pokemon Champion. Green was already wrapped up in the Elite Four's plot, not to mention a personal target of one of its members. Despite the recent threat on his life, the boy wasn't afraid to face the dangerous group of trainers head on. She didn't expect to find such an asset in his apparent "rival", but really, Green was just as determined as her to defeat the Elite Four and find Red.

"Wait." Yellow suddenly stopped again. Her eyes widened in realization as she turned to the other girl. "Do you think Green was going to see Red?"

The brunette looked back at her. "Red?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed the young Healer, "I mean, he's the only thing that would connect Green to Mt. Silver, don't you think?

"I guess that would make sense," Crys reasoned. Crossing her arms, the girl hummed skeptically. "But to travel hours from the city and then to climb a mountain…that seems like a lot just to visit Red."

"Why not? I bet the last time they saw each other was when we all were fighting the Masked Man," responded Yellow, "Maybe Green wanted a break from the gym battles or maybe he wanted to see a friend."

Crystal almost scoffed at the idea. Did Yellow not hear what just said? They had just gotten past the sore point a moment ago. If Green wanted to see a familiar face, why go so out of his way to get to Red instead of going by Yellow's home?

"Yeah! I guess you could be right."

Looking over at the other girl, Crys did her best to mirror Yellow's excitement. She knew better than to ask the question aloud this time.

"That's got to be it," the older girl insisted, "Let's call Red! I doubt Green was coming up unannounced, so he can tell us if I'm right."

"No, no," Crys answered quickly, "I'm sure it's not important. It was just a random thought."

"Or I could ask Eevee," offered the older trainer, "I bet she also knows since she went with him."

"Ah, that's ok we don't have to….Yellow!"

Crys called after the other girl as Yellow ran out ahead again. Chasing her friend down the road, the brunette warily gazed at the grey mass that was already overhead.

'When did it get so close?'

The girl looked forward again. "Yellow, you're running into the storm!" yelled Crys, "We need to turn back!"

Yellow looked up when she heard the steady drum of rain on the brim of her hat.

"Uh oh...It looks pretty bad," she said.

The girl frowned at the sky. Turning her attention back to the road, the Pokemon Healer suddenly broke into a full sprint.

"What are you doing!?" the younger girl exclaimed from behind.

"We can't just turn back without Green's Eevee!" Yellow shouted back, "C'mon, let's go!"

A streak of lightning descended from the sky, making contact with the earth a few miles ahead. Within a few seconds, the rain was pouring down on them. The two trainers dashed through the tepid wind as the clouds passed in the opposite direction.

"Eevee!" Yellow cried out, "Where are you!?"

Crystal raised her arm to shield her eyes from the falling rain, squinting through the shower to catch a glimpse of the tiny Pokemon. It was already tough to see across the hilly terrain, but the downpour made it impossible to see more than a few meters in front of them.

"How in the world did Eevee get so far from us?" Crys wondered out loud. "We couldn't have been talking that – what the..."

Crys glanced down when she felt a sudden tremor from below. It could have been thunder, but she hadn't seen any new lightning strikes. Slowing to a stop, the brunette raised a brow as more vibrations shook the ground.

"Hey, I think I see something!"

The younger girl looked up again, her eyes shifting to where Yellow was pointing ahead. Through the haze of droplets, she saw movement down the upcoming ridge.

"I see it!" she yelled, "Is that Eevee?"

"Yeah, I think that's her!" The Pokemon Healer beamed back at the brunette. "Looks like the rain finally got to her."

Crystal watched closely as the Pokemon dashed across the muddy path. There was something strange about her movements. Eevee was running at a furious pace towards them…or more like, away from something.

"I don't think it was the rain that finally got to her."

"What?"

Yellow slowed her pace when she finally noticed the ground trembling under her feet. Turning back to the road ahead, she spotted Eevee again, but her attention was quickly drawn to a glowing mass not far behind. The older girl tried to make out what she was seeing. It was hard to tell what was following the gym leader's Pokemon through the rainfall. The yellow…no, orange lights were moving so fast. If she didn't know better…

"Yellow, stop!" cried out Crystal.

The blonde heard the other girl's warning, but she didn't stop. Yellow had already connected the dots before Crys could get it out. She was less than a hundred meters of Eevee and not far behind…a wild herd of Ponyta.

"It's a stampede!"

Her heart dropped into her stomach as the other girl confirmed her fear. There were at least fifteen of them heading in their direction down the path. Clenching her teeth, the Pokemon Healer quickly reached down and pulled out a Pokeball from her waist. Eevee was only a couple meters out of reach now, but the other Pokemon's speed would quickly close the gap.

"YELLOW!"

The girl sped up to a sprint towards the small Pokemon despite Crys' frantic cry. She threw the orb in the air as she scooped Green's Eevee into her arms.

"Dody, get us out of here!"

From the red flash, a towering Pokemon appeared between them and the herd. The bird shook out its feathers, letting out a concerted cry before breaking towards its trainer. Yellow reached up and grabbed onto the Pokemon as it passed. Hooking onto one of the necks, she felt her Dodrio lift her and Eevee onto its back.

"Thanks, Dody!" she sighed, patting her friend. The young Healer leaned forward to direct the Pokemon back from where they came. "Now, let's get Crystal and get out of here."

The younger trainer was already running towards them, her arm reaching out in anticipation of Yellow's intention. Keeping a hold of Dody's neck, Yellow grasped Crys' outstretched hand as she used all her strength to pull the other girl up her Pokemon.

"Go, Dody!"

Shrieking in unison, Yellow's Dodrio pierced through the rain as it sprinted across the soggy trail.

Crys heaved a sigh of relief, looking back at the Ponyta that were slowly falling out of range. "Why didn't you call out your Dodrio sooner!"

Yellow smiled back at her again. "To be honest, I didn't think of it until that point," she laughed nervously.

"Are you crazy?!" yelled the brunette, "You could have been trampled!" The younger girl whipped around to glare at the small Pokemon between them, "and you - why did you get so far ahead?"

"Come on, Crys," said Yellow, looking ahead again, "There's no need to be mad at Eevee."

"No way!" Crystal retorted, "Do you not see that group of wild Ponyta behind us? I don't care how strong you are. You shouldn't go off alone when –"

Eevee placed her paw on the girl's arm.

Quieted by the subtle action, the young trainer's expression softened in concern. The brunette watched as Green's Pokemon looked up with a muffled whine. Tilting her head, the girl realized there was something in Pokemon's mouth.

"Hey…what do you have there, Eevee?"

The Pokemon Catcher held out her hand for the small Pokemon to drop the item. Crys raised a brow when the object fell into her palm. It wasn't anything recognizable or functional, but there was something familiar in the broken shape.

Bringing it closer to her face, Crys turned the mangled item in her fingertips. The girl's eyes suddenly widened as she recognized the tell-tale features. A shattered screen… dismembered keys… Even covered by mud, she could still make out the bright red shell.

She looked back at the Pokemon beside her. "Where did you find this?"

-X-

Cherrygrove City

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen any strange people pass by these parts."

"That's okay," Gold smiled at the old lady, "Thanks for your help anyway."

Beside the raven, Silver growled and walked away from the two. Gold anxiously watched his friend walk away before quickly turning to bow to the woman, "Have a nice day!"

"You too," said the woman, "I hope you find what you boys are looking for!"

Waving back, the young breeder ran to catch up to Silver who was already walking to the town's exit. "Hey, stop running off like that every time we talk to someone," lectured Gold, "It's rude!"

Silver scoffed and continued to stomp up the road. They had spent the past day and a half asking if anyone around town had seen a strange man in a hood or a boy with spiky brown hair. Unfortunately, nobody could give them any leads, much to Silver's irritation. His mood was only getting worse as they walked into the wilderness, leaving the first town with nothing.

"She had nothing we could use so we need to move on," declared the red-haired boy.

By now, Silver's attitude was beginning to aggravate Gold. "Well, when you storm off like that I'm left with the job of covering for you," said Gold between clenched teeth, "Why can't you at least pretend to be polite and not so grouchy?"

"You and your 'polite' talk are slowing us down," Silver answered, "We don't have time for idle conversation with random people."

"Geez, you're a pain!" groaned the other boy, "Fine, I'll hurry up if that's what you want!" Gold sped out in front of his friend, making sure to shove Silver as he passed.

The other boy stumbled as he was pushed, glaring at Gold walking out ahead of him. He was about to chase after him but stopped himself. Perhaps this was better for now.

They walked like that for a while, one behind the other with some distance in between. Silver quietly sighed. The space around them was silent and much too warm.

Above them, a Pidgey flew over and called out to the distance. The two boys looked up, seeing the sun still rising in the mid-morning sky. It would be a long day if they kept this up.

X

The two boys walked in silence for what seemed like hours. Around them, the landscape was drastically changing as they moved farther away from Cherrygrove city. Open fields of grassland became gradually populated with trees until they soon found themselves in the shade of a dense forest.

Silver squinted in the dim lighting, trying to find a glimpse of Gold's back. He could still hear the sound of leaves rustling beneath the other boy's steps, but the distance between them had grown far too much to be visible to each other.

He would have called out to Gold, that is, if his pride wasn't so great. No rush. He needed to think about what to say anyway. Maybe by the time they got out of this annoying forest, he would figure out how to apologize.

"AGH!"

The yell startled Silver as he looked frantically into the shadowed forest. Was it Gold…or something else? Scanning the trees ahead of him, the Exchanger tried again to spot the other boy through the darkness.

"Gold! Are you okay?!"

Silver ran in the direction he last heard the other trainer's footsteps. Shaking his head, the boy tried to reassure himself. The cry definitely sounded like Gold but that didn't mean something bad happened to him. He shouldn't have been too far ahead. So, why couldn't he see him already?

"Damn it, Gold…answer me!"

Coming to a small clearing, the young trader barely stopped himself in front of a large hole in the ground. It was barely visible through the buildup of leaves and fallen branches. Silver squinted in the dark, noticing the broken wood boards hanging half-hazardly around the edges.

"Gold!" Silver called out, "You down there?"

It took a while to get a response, but finally, the other boy managed to answer.

"Gah, yeah I'm down here."

Silver sighed in relief. "You didn't break anything right?" the redhead laughed, "Here, let me get you out of there."

Silver could hear the other boy huff in embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah", said Gold, "Stop laughing at me. I can get myself out."

There was a short flash of light that Silver took as a sign to take a few steps back.

"Alright Aibo, swing us up and get us out of here."

A few seconds later, Gold was back on the forest floor beside his Ambipom.

"Thanks for your help, Aibo" said Gold, returning it to its Pokeball, "Well, that was a painful detour." The raven walked over to Silver, giving him an annoyed look. "So now you smile after I hurt myself."

Silver couldn't help the small smirk, but he could tell the other boy was still mad at him for earlier - might as well not push it. "Was there anything down there?" he asked, turning to the small pit. Silver looked down the hole but could barely see the bottom with the terrible lighting in the forest shade.

Gold rubbed his sore back a little. "Nothing really valuable, but it was actually kind of creepy though," the boy answered.

"Yeah?" Silver questioned, "How so?"

"Well, when Aibo's Pokeball flashed, I saw a lot of random old Pokemon dolls all over the ground, and I think what looked like drawings on the walls."

The Pokémon exchanger tilted his head in thought. It was strange that a bunch of childlike things would be in the middle of a forest. "It must be some kid's secret hiding place," reasoned Silver. He was a little curious why the place was boarded up. If the wood was so weak that Gold would be able to fall through that easily, it must have been closed up a while ago.

The other boy appeared beside Silver.

"Well, if it's a secret then it's rude to be poking around now isn't it?" said Gold, nudging him off to the side.

"Huh? Hey wait, I wanted to see what's down there myself!" he argued trying to fight off Gold, "Stop push—"

An unexpected burst of wind traveled through the trees, rushing past the two trainers as it shook the branches above their heads. Silver blocked the falling leaves while he looked out in the direction the breeze had come.

"That was weird," muttered the Exchanger, "Didn't know the wind could get that strong on the forest floor."

Staring off into the trees, the boy was startled when he felt he felt a sudden shiver go down his back. He didn't know where it came from; the temperature was still warm this time of day even in the shade. Confused by the strange sensation, it only occurred to him that the area around them felt different.

No, not just felt...it had gone eerily quiet.

"Silver."

The redheaded boy turned to find Gold staring off into the trees around them.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Silver questioned. The boy scanned the area before looking skeptically at his friend.

There was no sound. If anything, that was the problem. He didn't understand why the Breeder looked concerned, but it seemed to be for a different reason than his own.

"No, I could have sworn I heard something," Gold said softly, "I think there's something out there."

"Are you trying to mess with me? It's been dead silent out here since…"

Both boys jumped when they heard a twig snap nearby. Looking into the woods, it was still too dim to see anything clearly and the foliage was dense. Silver felt the other boy's hand on his shoulder as another snap echoed out from the trees.

"Let's get out of here."

For once, Silver immediately agreed. Feeling Gold nudge his back, the two trainers broke out into a run. Just as they were about to make it out of the clearing, a rustle in the bushes ahead made them stop in their tracks.

"Hey! What are you kids doing over there?"

A man wearing robes rushed out of the trees, wielding a Pokeball. The boys tensed when they saw the set of prayer beads dangling from the stranger's wrist. Both of them instantly recognized the man as one of the sages they met at Sprout tower. Last time they were there they didn't make a very good first impression, and just by the way he was poised for battle, it didn't look like the monk would be happy to see them again.

"You think it was him you heard before?" whispered Silver sarcastically.

The other boy narrowed his eyes at him, but didn't acknowledge his question.

"Ah, we were just passing through," Gold called out to the man, "We'll be going now."

Silver felt himself being pushed out of the clearing again. It seemed that Gold's priority was to avoid a situation, but the sage didn't share the same inclination.

Stepping over to block their path, the man peered down to study the pair.

"Wait, I recognize you two," started the man, "You're those kids that ruined our trap room some months back!"

The two trainers winced at the accusation.

The redhead looked back at his friend as the sage inched closer to them. Silver was sure the other boy was still trying to figure out a peaceful way out of this encounter, but it appeared that they were going to do it by force. The Pokemon trader ghosted his hand over his Pokeballs, ready for a battle.

He'd wait for the man to call it.

"You must be great martial art masters if you were able to outsmart those traps!" the monk exclaimed.

Both boys staggered back at the unexpected compliment. Gold glanced over at Silver, shaking his head as he removed his hand from his belt.

"Thanks," Silver muttered, lowering his own hand.

"Yes, yes, it was quite impressive to see such strong kids your age," the man continued, "What brings you boys back to the Violet City area?"

Silver turned away, unwilling to answer the question.

Gold rolled his eyes when the Exchanger averted his gaze. "Well, you see, we're actually searching for someone," explained Gold, stepping in front of the other trainer, "Long story, but one of our friends is missing and we're searching for him."

"That's terrible! I shall pray for his safe return."

Silver sighed, already bored with the useless conversation. He nudged Gold trying to tell him that they should get moving, but as usual, the other boy was being too polite for his own good.

"We're heading to the city right now...do you think you can lead us there?" asked the raven, "Our memories are a little fuzzy."

"We don't need—gah!" Silver's was cut off when Gold subtly elbowed him in the side.

"I would be happy to help after I check up on something here," said the monk, "Thank goodness it was just you kids."

The sage peeked behind the two trainers, spotting the open hole in the ground. "I was scared that you were someone else."

The man chuckled lightly but his mood noticeably darkened when he saw the broken wood above the secret shelter. Judging by his grim look, it was obvious that he wasn't happy about the condition of the area. He looked at the boys – his face suddenly serious.

"Did you two break into there?"

"No, this guy just accidentally fell through because he wasn't watching where he was walking," answered Silver a-matter-of-factly. He felt Gold's glare on him, but at least he was being honest.

Surprising to both kids, the sage seemed to believe him. In fact, the old monk seemed relieved rather than anything.

The man sighed and motioned them to follow.

"I see, well as long as you didn't touch anything down there," he said tiredly.

Silver took one last glance at the small hideout again before following the monk into the trees. The old man seemed familiar with the strange space if he came here to check on it.

"Excuse me, did you know who used that…umm, hole in the ground?" Silver asked.

There was a noticeable pause before the man responded. "Unfortunately, I do," sighed the monk as he trudged ahead of them, "It belonged to someone who I lost contact with long ago… yes, a lost soul, indeed."

Silver raised a brow at the curious statement. "Was this person a friend of yours?"

"Hmm...I guess so," said the sage thoughtfully. The man tilted his head up as he considered the concept. "He was a boy that lived in the city," he continued, "but I think he spent more time out here than he ever did back home."

The trainer's eyes widened as he looked up at the man he was following. "Wait," he said in disbelief, "some little kid used to come out here to that hideout? Aren't we still a couple hours away from Violet City?"

Chuckling to himself, the man peered over his shoulder. "You're a young child too, but here you are," said the sage.

The Exchanger growled at the forward comment. "I meant very young," he said indignantly, "like maybe five or something."

It wasn't a significant detail to Silver, but the sage seemed caught off guard by the thought. Slowing his stride a bit, the old man let the trainer fall in beside him as he stared down at the boy incredulously. "What makes you think he would be that young?"

"Gold said there were dolls and pictures in that hole," Silver answered, "I just assumed that only little kids would keep that stuff around."

"Dolls?" repeated the man.

"Yeah…"

Silver looked over at the man, catching his confused expression. He wasn't sure if he had said something wrong, but the old man fell quiet.

"But I don't really know…Gold was the one down there, so he could probably tell us more" he said carefully, "Isn't that what you saw, Gold?"

Looking over his shoulder for the other trainer, Silver stopped when he noticed that Gold wasn't right behind them.

"Gold?"

The boy expected his friend to be trailing behind a few meters at most. Instead, the other boy was still standing back in the clearing they had just left.

"Oh, did we leave your friend behind?" inquired the sage.

Silver sighed while he and the sage retraced their steps. Although it didn't take them long to get back to the other boy, it irked him that Gold seemed completely unaware that they had walked away in the first place. Staring off into the trees, the Pokemon Breeder didn't even react when they rejoined him.

"Hey, Gold!" yelled Silver.

Gold tilted his head to the call. Looking around casually, he turned around to notice Silver and the sage a few paces behind him.

"What?" he asked somewhat absently.

The other boy glared at the other trainer. "What are you doing?" Silver growled, "We almost left you behind!"

"Oh," said Gold. He blinked as he noted their concerned expressions. "Sorry, I must have spaced..." he apologized, dropping his eyes down to the ground.

"Are you feeling alright," questioned the man, taking a few steps towards the boy.

"Yeah," assured Gold, "I just thought..." Rubbing the side of his head, the boy closed his eyes. It didn't take him long to decide against continuing the thought. "Ah, it's nothing," he said, turning to walk out of the clearing, "We should really get moving or we won't get to the city until after dark."

Silver frowned as Gold moved away from them. Running past the sage, he quickly reached out to grab the other boy by the wrist. He clicked his tongue when Gold looked back at him in surprise.

"Shouldn't you be letting him lead?" Silver asked, gesturing to the man walking up from behind them, "He's the only one that apparently knows the way, remember?"

"R-right," said Gold.

Clasping his hands behind his back, the old man headed off the pair. "Yes, yes...let me show you the way," he chimed, "Be sure to pay attention, you don't want to get lost!"

Silver shook his head when his sarcastic statement passed over the sage. Looking back at his friend, he noticed Gold glance back down the path they had just come through. The boy squeezed the other trainer's wrist to gain his attention.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Silver whispered.

Gold's eyes quickly shifted back to meet Silver's. Shaking his head, he pulled his arm out of the other boy's hold. "Yeah, don't worry about me," he said with a smile.

He didn't believe him, but Silver didn't pry any further. Letting the other trainer run out ahead of him, he watched Gold fall in beside the man. At least the other boy didn't seem angry with him anymore.

"You know, that's interesting to hear what was down in that little den," called out the man from over his shoulder.

Silver's eyes lingered on the Breeder before he looked back at sage. "Why is that?"

"Well, I wouldn't have thought the boy would have such items in there," explained the sage, "He had to be at least your age when he closed it up. I would never guess that's what he would decorate his little secret base with after all those years."

Silver shrugged. "I guess some things are too hard to let go."


It's tough keeping up with so many character groups and giving enough attention to their movements and significant findings. Plot is so much harder to focus on than just going straight into the drama, angst and romance. Hopefully, it will be all worth it.

Please leave a review! Really appreciate the support.