It was amazing how the trees north of Eucretek city were always crisp and orange, as if permanently affixed in autumn, and it was unknown to Kotone how it was that the ground was always covered in their crisp leaves yet the trees never seemed to lose much of their foliage. Stranger still, the place was always ominously quiet despite only being in the outskirts of the small city, but that only made it a better location to get away from the noise and excitement which followed the Johto champion. Silence was definitely something Kotone appreciated while she cradled the egg the day care man had given her in her arms and thought about the one person she could not get out of her mind. Despite that she loved to come to this particular spot to relax, the spiky red undertones of the trees only seemed to remind her more of her predicament, and the pigtailed girl sighed as she watched one particular red leaf fall on the mysterious pokemon egg.

Silver…

It had been a month since Kotone had last seen her rival, and she wondered when she would bump into him again, but more of how he would behave with her when they did eventually meet up. She doubted Silver would go back to being the same thief she had caught sulking in a shadowed corner from a year ago, but would it all go back to the icy glares and forceful shoves from back then?

"You don't know my father!"

It wasn't totally uncalled for, Kotone had spoken too soon about a man she knew next to nothing about and who Silver did. But at the moment she just couldn't understand how Silver could forsake his own family, as terrible as they could be. Of course, Kotone didn't want Silver to become part of Team Rocket, or anything relating to Team Rocket, but she thought maybe by talking to the Rocket Boss and Executive maybe they could also see the error of their ways. To Silver that very thought of just talking to Giovanni was just maddeningly foolish, and maybe she should have realized that when he told her about his relatives' deaths. Still, Kotone didn't believe it warranted being yelled at, to be glared like that. She wondered if Silver realized how much it had hurt her. It really did hurt… but why?

A whistle of wind blew through the treetops, and the girl felt two more leaves land on her shoulder and her hat. Kotone brushed the nuisances off but they were soon replaced by others similar to themselves. Holding a leaf in her hand, she wondered if the idea of her and Silver getting along was a fruitless one since the start. Yes, they both did have similar goals and slightly similar stories, but they were from different backgrounds and grew up with different ideals. Kotone clutched her hand into a fist, causing the leaf to turn into tiny pieces and another breeze blew them away from her hand. She never had a problem with Silver hating her before, why did it suddenly hurt so much? What was that strange tightness in her chest? It only seemed to get worse when she thought about the unfortunate turn of events as she last saw him. Why…?

"I shouldn't have brought you here..."

Kotone wasn't the kind of person who would wake up remembered every dream she had, and it was very rare to remember a dream so clearly even after an entire month had passed. The first part of the dream she could understand, that was where Silver had lived in, right? Kotone wasn't a psychic, she didn't know if it looked exactly like that, but… the girl shivered. If it was anything close it would have been such a horrible place to be in, and the feeling of desperation which inundated the abandoned mansion in her dream was simply overwhelming. She was just putting herself in his shoes, right? Kotone did fall asleep soon after he told her about it after all, it made sense. The trainer sighed deeply, pulling the hair knocked out by the wind behind her ear. What about when Silver pulled her to safety of that cliff?

"You're shouldn't be here…"

What was it about route 25? Kotone remembered battling that group of trainers – their name eluded her, Bill's grandfather's house, Misty and her date was there, supposed to be a romantic spot…

"Not with me…"

Kotone's eyes widened as she stood up, startling the meganium at her side. The girl gasped at her realization, and pressed her spare hand to her now hot cheek. Memories of her hotheaded rival flooded her mind, and Kotone gulped, her heart pounding furiously. I… I…

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Meganium snorted, not appreciating the earlier rude surprise. His trainer had been behaving very strangely ever since they last saw the hotheads, and he swore that the human girl changed colors faster than a breeding kecleon. The grass type pokemon closed his eyes, hoping Kotone would eventually calm down and forget about the imbecile and his trainer. It wasn't like they made their lives any pleasant, but apparently sense was something humans had very little of.

Kotone's heart had jumped when she heard her phone ring, and had halfway expected to see Silver's name on the screen only to realize it was her mother. She felt like an idiot, Silver hadn't called at all in the last month, why would he do so now? Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, the now red girl picked up the restless pokegear and answered her mother's call.

"Mom…?"

"Oh my, you sound rather disappointed answering your mother, don't you?" Kotone grinned as her mother teased her, she didn't know half the story! The truth was that when mom came back from Professor Elm's lab, the girl had lied about Silver leaving, saying he simply had something to do and Kotone wasn't about to explain to her mom, especially if it meant acknowledging she had been right about her and Silver. "Well, I kind of figure, saying farewell to that redheaded boy and all, you two seemed pretty close."

The girl gasped. Farewell? Why would she have to say goodbye to Silver? They would eventually bump into each other, since he was still after the championship she had, wasn't he…? Mom was obviously getting confused or had heard wrong or something.

"Why… why would I have to say good-bye…?"

"Huh?" The mother seemed surprised at her daughter's ignorance. "… You mean you don't know?"

Kotone gritted her teeth impatiently, what was going on? What could mom know about Silver that she didn't? Where was he going? Where could he possibly be going? It wasn't like he had much of a family or… Wait… the girl gasped. He did have a family, just not in Kanto or Johto. Kotone's heart sunk, He couldn't…

"What's going on, mom? Tell me!"

The older woman sighed through her phone, she didn't think her daughter could go through the same thing she had, especially at her age and with her incredibly talent. She remembered what the boy had said about his feelings for her daughter. It was tragic, now Silver was leaving without telling Kotone about it when she was discovering her feelings for him. The woman could tell by the strain on her voice.

"This morning I was visiting the Professor when he got a call from the Olivine city gym leader, Jasmine I think was her name…"

Earlier that day…

Clang CLANK!

Typhlosion roared at his victory, glad that this time he could trash an immense mineral pokemon, as dealing with the ladies with the pink haired human had been a nightmare. Well, one for his trainer anyway. This time it was accessories off, as he had no mercy for the pokemon who weren't charming girls.

With Typhlosion, Jasmine's Steelix didn't stand a chance. Silver grinned at his final victory; it had taken several months, but he had finally defeated Johto's last gym leader. His opponent sighed, and called back the defeated pokemon to its ball, then gave the redhead a shy smile. "Congratulations, you're the first person to defeat me since the champion. Are you going to try out at the league?"

Silver sighed, before approaching the timid girl for his reward. Jasmine grabbed a small box from her purse where the Mineral badges were located, before handing the redheaded boy one of his own. "No, actually, I'm heading to Sinnoh." The gym leader looked at her challenger in wonder; she was heading to that region herself! Strong, cute and now sharing something in common, Jasmine wasn't the flirty type but she thought it was her chance to ask a guy out, as being a leader she didn't always have the chance to.

"Wow, I-I'm actually going to Sinnoh too! Um…" Jasmine looked down, studying her feet. "Would you like to accompany me to the City diner later this evening? Don't worry; I'll… cover the cost."

The redhead gazed at the shy girl in surprise, was she asking him out on a date? "Uh… well…" Silver sighed, remembering how he had walked out on the girl he actually had feelings for. That situation was hopeless now, even if he had decided to stay in Johto. It wouldn't hurt to date a gym leader and besides, he himself came from gym leaders on both sides, it would make sense, wouldn't it? "Well… sure." The boy shrugged. "The place near the dock, right?"

Jasmine nodded shyly, still looking at her feet. The gym leader would have to remind herself not to eat as much as she usually did now that she was going with a boy. Silver simply nodded in return, then turned around and walked away with his hands in his pockets, followed by his exhausted typhlosion. The sound of shoes and claws clanking against the steel gym's metal floors almost muffled the fifteen-year-old's murmur. "See you later, I guess." For now though, it was still impossible for him to get one pig-tailed girl off his mind.

Man, Silver was glad he didn't have to pay the bill because this girl ate. The slower eater could only watch as Jasmine went on her third plate while he was barely finishing his first and only one. Even then, Silver wondered if it would still be polite to pay for his share, since they had already met and they were going on the same boat to Sinnoh the two would probably see each other more, it would be best to get along.

"So…" the long haired gym leader cut her meal into smaller pieces. "Is this your first time going to Sinnoh? What brings you there?"

I was born in Sinnoh and spent most of my childhood there but my mother and sister were pushed down the stairs by an evil ghost, so we moved to Viridian city in Kanto where my dad was the gym leader but then he decided he wanted to run a criminal organization for profit. He was defeated by the Kanto champion who was only a kid so when I was old enough I ran to Johto and stole pokemon myself. Then I fell for the Johto champion who constantly bested me, but will never return my feelings, and I feel I should re-establish connections with the family I have in Sinnoh and hopefully stay and forget about her.

Silver sighed. Yeah, he would definitely have to go with the simpler route when it came to explaining his predicament and why he was getting on the S.S. Marine to where he was born. He looked out the window and saw the lights shimmering from the ship's windows against the darkening skies. It wouldn't be long before he boarded it, saying good-bye to Johto, Kanto, and all the memories he had collected here. He also wouldn't see Kotone for quite a long time and it was a shame his last memory of her would be an angry one, but at least it would help both of them move on which is why he hadn't called to apologize. Kotone hadn't called either, so Silver assumed that she was still upset, which was fine as she had every right to be.

"I was born in Sinnoh, but my family moved to Kanto when I was a kid after my mother passed away." The trainer grabbed his glass of water, still fixated on the large ship outside. It wouldn't leave for another while, but people were already starting to board it. "My dad wasn't on good terms with my mom's family so I haven't been in contact with them since." The boy returned his sights on the girl in front of him. "A few years ago I had a falling out with my father myself, so I figured I'd pay my family there a visit, see what I've been missing out, and train there before coming back for the league."

"Oh…" Silver had to suppress a gasp when he realized Jasmine had just finished her third plate. How did such a shy-faced girl like her have such a ravenous appetite? "So you're going to be there a while, huh?" Silver nodded, and finished up his meal as he listened to the gym leader speak. "You sure you have everything done in Johto? No regrets or anything, right?" Jasmine signaled at one of the waiters for the bill. To her surprise, once she turned back to the cute redhead he was blushing. Jasmine felt disappointed, a girl, right? Ah well, at least she would have someone to talk to on the trip there.

"Uh…" Jasmine was a nice girl and had been rather polite to Silver; it would be unfair to get her hopes up if he did have someone else in mind. The boy figured he might as well tell the gym leader, but he would definitely have to leave the detail about her being the Johto champion out. "There's a girl I didn't tell I was leaving." Silver sighed audibly. He hadn't really told anybody about Kotone and what he felt about her, and it was something he wasn't at all comfortable with. "And last time I saw her I yelled at her. I guess it's okay if she hates me since that way she won't be sad when I'm not around. Oh, I'll pay for half of the bill…"

"No, no." Jasmine waved her date off. "It's… it's okay. I did invite you and say I'd cover the bill. Don't worry about it." Before Silver could protest, Jasmine had already handed the waiter the necessary amount. The boy groaned lightly, there was nothing more he disliked than depending on others. "Are you friends with her?"

"I… guess…" Silver's blush deepened, remembering all the memories he shared with Kotone and all they had been through together. She obviously did care about him, and they had become quite a bit closer when they opened up their pasts to each other a month ago. Were they friends? It was possible. "More like… rivals, really."

"Well…" Jasmine grabbed her purse and coat, and began to stand up, and Silver followed suit himself. "I can't criticize you since I… don't know the details but…" The gym leader waved at the waiters and receptionist as she walked out of the diner, clearly being familiar with them as a regular. "I'd be sad if someone I knew was going away, e-especially if he didn't even let me say good-bye. I always make sure to tell my friends when I'm going somewhere." Jasmine looked at her side at the taller boy. "You clearly have strong feelings for this girl, I'm sure you know each other well…" Jasmine looked down at the stony Olivine city sidewalk, feeling embarrassed. She was talking too much, wasn't she? "Even if she doesn't return your feelings I'm sure she at least cares about you."

Silver stopped in his tracks. The gym leader was right, it was unfair to Kotone for him to leave without a trace and without apologizing or saying good-bye to her. She deserved an apology and an explanation. He gritted his teeth, and turned around to look north, back to Johto. A strange cold wind was blowing southward; perfect weather for sailing. How could he have been so selfish? Kotone would eventually try to search him out in Dragon's Den or Ilex Forest, only to wait for someone who would not appear.

"You're right. Go ahead to the ship. I'm going to try to call her… and thanks."

Jasmine nodded in understanding, then jogged towards the ship. Brr! How weird, it was late spring already, so why was it this chilly? The gym leader held on to her coat tightly with one hand, her other hand occupied with her suitcase. She wished she had known earlier about the weather as to not wear her knee-length dress. Jasmine took one last look at the redhead, before entering the small building from where she would leave to Sinnoh for her second time. It was such a shame to have to say good-bye on such a short notice and over the pokegear as well.

Ring! Riiing!

KOTONE flashed on Silver's pokegear's screen, and in surprise he almost dropped it. Man, did Kotone have fantastic timing! His heart racing, the boy looked at the screen for two seconds, trying to think of a way to explain things to her. Not being able to come up with anything, the now even redder redhead nervously clicked the answer button and held his breath as he pressed the gear to his ear.

"Ko… Kotone?"

"Silver, you… you…" The girl was clearly upset. Had she somehow managed to find out about his departure? "You bastard! You better not get on that ship, I'm heading there right now!"

"Wh-where are you? Kotone?"

Click! … ...

Silver widened his eyes in shock. Kotone had never talked to him like that, not even back when they had first met and he had certainly deserved it. Damn it, Silver looked up at the night sky, looking for any sign of the light which emanated from her charizard's tail. He inwardly cursed, Kotone was most likely flying to Olivine city. While not prohibited in any way, flying during the night was uncommon because of the low temperatures at high altitudes and at high speeds. The situation was only made worse as it was an unnaturally chilly night. He could only hope her fire-type pokemon would give off enough heat to keep the girl warm. Silver clenched his fists, hating that all he could do was wait.

They were the longest twenty minutes of his life, and Silver had even let out Typhlosion out of his pokeball for some sort of comfort (yeah, right), when he finally spotted the brilliant flame which could only belong to one of Kotone's pokemon. The black charizard landed with a thud on stony street after giving off one final flap of her crimson wings, which sent a gust of wind in all directions. The Johto champion hastily jumped down from the large pokemon, followed by her trusty meganium.

"You idiot!" Silver jogged towards the girl, pulling his jacket off quickly before draping it over her then grabbing her shoulders. "It's freaking cold and yet you are flying here from Arceus knows where without a simple jacket? What were you thinking?" Kotone simply looked up at the older boy with a tragic stare Silver instantly knew. His eyes widened, instantly recognizing what it meant; he himself had worn it continuously over the last month. It was a look of desperation and hopelessness present on his face whenever Kotone entered his thoughts. Why was she looking at him like that? Was it possible…?

Kotone lowered her head in shame, once again something Silver was not expecting out of his usually energetic and happy rival. He noticed how her hands trembled and she held on to his jacket for comfort, and her voice wasn't exactly firm either. "Why… why are you leaving? Why didn't you tell me?" The girl looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why, Silver? Do… do you hate me?"

Silver let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and slowly let go of his grip on Kotone's shoulders. There was no getting out of it now, and there was no use lying to her – or to himself anymore. Silver simply had to tell her how he really felt and risk a very possible rejection. He sighed, a simple farewell wouldn't cut it now.

"I don't hate you. The truth is…" Silver made sure to look at Kotone straight in the eyes, and Kotone felt herself fidget under them, her heart beating skipping beats at incrementing intervals. Unexpectedly, his gaze softened, but that only seemed to make her heart beat faster.

"Kotone… I… I love you."

Mustering what felt like every drop of courage in his body, Silver leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. This was it. As wonderful as the feeling of Kotone's lips were, this could be the best or worst moment during his time in Johto. Then, something amazing happened. Silver felt Kotone's arms wrap around his shoulders firmly, telling him everything he needed and wanted to know. The boy returned the embrace, but far more strongly and hastily than hers. Was he dreaming? Despite a year of rudeness, shoving, glares, and insults. A year of rivalry, battles and stealing. Damn it, a month of Kotone knowing who he was and where he came from; He was Giovanni's son for earth's sake! Yet… despite all that… despite all that…?

Typhlosion elbowed the meganium, who now was sporting a comical look of horror on his face. Seems like you'll be seeing a lot of me soon, huh? Despite the enormous shock and horror of the implications of a relationship between the two trainers, as if it were a reflex Meganium reacted by stomping on the toes of the typhlosion, causing said pokemon to yelp and yowl in pain. Shitty piece of compost!

Charizard rolled her eyes at the two other pokemon. Sure it was a surprise, but why were they all up in arms about it? Ugh, males… She would never understand them.

The loud sound of the ship's horn filled the dock, and Silver had no choice but to break the kiss and the embrace. The ship was going to disembark soon. As much as it pained him, and as bittersweet this farewell was, all his plans were made and he would not have this opportunity to go back to Sinnoh for a long time. That, and his ambitions from becoming champion were far from gone, regardless of whether Kotone was to be defeated or not.

"Kotone…" The girl looked up at Silver, not expecting what he was about to say next. "When I come back from Sinnoh I will defeat you!" She blinked, surprised. It wasn't exactly the most romantic thing to say after a first kiss, after all! But… it wouldn't be Silver any other way, why would his feelings for her impede his desire to become champion? "Like hell you will!" The Johto champion wasn't about to go soft on him either. Her tears long gone, Kotone grinned. At least until Silver caught her completely off guard by what he said next.

"I will! And when I do… I'll marry you!"

Whaaaaaat?

Kotone searched Silver's face for any hint of it being a joke, but found none. He was serious. The shocked girl knew her rival-turned-boyfriend had a habit of being rash, reckless, impulsive, and not to mention cocky enough to count eggs before they hatched, but… marriage? How long was he planning on staying in Sinnoh anyway?

"I'll be back in a year." Silver huffed, seemingly not noticing the shock on Kotone's face. The redhead proceeded to turn around in the direction of the S.S. Marine. "Don't go giving up your championship to some loser before then."

"Wait!" The boy was stopped by Kotone's voice, and he proceeded to look at her quizzically. The trainer pulled out something out of her bag, before shoving it into Silver's hands. It was… an egg? Why was she giving him a pokemon egg?

"I got it at the day care… I want you to have it." Silver smiled, looking at the egg tenderly and then back at her with the same eyes. Kotone felt her heart jump – it was already starting to feel exhausted from everything which had happened today. Finally, a genuine smile from him, and it didn't look sad at all like the last one she had seen.

"Whatever it is, I'll take care of it. You can… keep my jacket too."

Blushing, Kotone held on to Silver's jacket tightly. It was still warm. "I will, thanks. You better call me once in a while."

"D-don't worry about that." The ships horn blared once again, warning that anybody not boarding it would be left behind. "Look, I have to go." The girl nodded, as much as it pained her to say good-bye, especially now, Silver had his reasons. With one last look, the redhead turned around, and accompanied by his typhlosion, disappeared into the same building Kotone had gone in to go to Kanto. Sighing Kotone looked back at her own two pokemon.

"We better train hard for when he gets back, right? Hey… Meg, are you all right? You don't look so good…"