Okay, first off, (only because of this one review I got) I'll say one thing: If you're going to send me an OC, make sure 2 rules are followed:

1. Submissions are sent in the form of a PM (private message) Do not send them in your reviews.

2. If for some reason, the PM system doesn't work, you can send the OC via review, but ONLY then. And please don't just send the OC; leave an actual review, too.

Thirdly, enjoy :D

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Pokémon franchise in any way shape or form. I do support the official release, as should all fans of the game, and I write this purely for the fun of it.

Chapter Two: Set Sail for Silver~!

All was quiet the next morning in Almia, although it couldn't really be called 'morning'. The sun hadn't even poked its burning bright face over the horizon yet, so the sky was stuck in the limbo between night and day, painted a calming color in between blue-grey and indigo instead of black or sky blue. The streetlights still gave off their fluorescent white lights to anybody still awake at this time but Grey didn't need it one bit.

The budding Trainer was awake in his house, which was lit by the last pale vestiges of the past night's moon, wide awake, looking for any supplies he'd need for his trip. So far, he'd collected the basic Potions and status-healing items from his mother's supply cabinet as well as several Pecha, Oran, Cheri, Chesto, Rawst and Aspear berries and the five strong-flavor berries from the berry trees Rachel had planted in the backyard. He'd packed all of this, plus two changes of clothes and hygiene items, into a messenger bag he'd gotten from the Ranger Academy. Food items were packed into a satchel he'd scrounged up from the back of his closet. Money he'd earned from chores and past birthdays was placed in a wallet in Grey's back pocket.

"Well, at least they gave me one useful thing," the boy mused to himself, "unlike that useless Ranger Browser. I wonder I put that thing, anyway." Disregarding that thought for the moment, Grey walked over to a mirror to assess his appearance. As a trainer, he needed to look the part as well as be able to battle well.

He was wearing a black shirt with a white stripe across the midriff and navy blue jeans along with his brown leather wristband on his right wrist. His hair was still relatively messy but tame compared to how he usually wore it and the pair of goggles he got three years ago were placed on his head. Black running shoes with blue and white accents adorned his feet and he placed around his neck a gold chain with the emblems of Fiore's and Almia's flag as a charm.

The latter emblem was also used by the Almia Ranger School, so one would think Grey would completely refuse to wear it because it reminded him of his father's stubbornness. Even so, Grey had some good memories of Almia and, even if he denied it, the Ranger School. Some of the things they taught him on how to be a Ranger would be invaluable on this trip.

Plus, it looked too cool to pass up.

"And now the piece de résistance," Grey said excitedly. He quietly tiptoed over to his closet and picked up his most prized item of clothing. A gift from his Uncle Zachary, Grey's jacket was truly something to cherish. It was orange like an Arcanine's fur and even had the characteristic bold, jagged strips decorating it. Cream colored fur lined the hood of the garment and a warm cotton lining was sewn into the inside.

Grey happily donned the garment and zipped it up so it stopped a bit below his collarbone. He looked at his right wrist and saw that the jacket covered his wristband. He toyed with the idea of rolling up the sleeves, but thought against doing that unless the climate called for it. Even if it wasn't seen, the wristband was still there and that's all that mattered.

So, with that, Grey picked up his packed messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder before walking to his bedside table and retrieving Soul's Pokéball. Pocketing the device, he proceeded downstairs, stuck his goodbye note to the refrigerator door with a magnet, and opened the sliding door that lead to the backyard, hopping the fence and making his way towards Puel Town's harbor. With one last defiant and manic grin over his shoulder, Grey bid his final goodbye to his home.

"So long, Puel Town. When you see me next, I'll be the strongest challenger to ever come from here." With that comforting thought, Grey adjusted the strap on his bag and began walking.

Grey had spent a good two hours on his walk to the harbor and the sun was just now beginning to rise, so he'd place the time at well around 7:30 AM. He smiled at the first advent of morning's light caressed his face, leaving him with a warm sensation that rapidly spread through him like wildfire.

The harbor was now visible and by the looks of things, very much active. Trainers who were ending their Almian vacation mingled by the docks as the sailors and dockhands worked on loading cargo ships. In total, there were six ships in port today, all billing white smoke out of their smokestacks as they waited for the signal to depart.

The most interesting sight to Grey was the multitude of Pokémon that hung near their trainers or socialized with another's. There had to be at least fifty there and all of them different sizes, shapes and types. A Manectric, two Ledian, a trio of Dugtrio and even the occasional bigger Pokémon, such as Torterra or Nidoking. Various Water-types frolicked in the harbor and Grey even spotted a Lapras and a Tentacruel among the multitude of Poliwag and Goldeen. A Wailmer breeched out of the water with a bellowing cry of

"Waaaaaail….!" before splashing back down, creating a geyser that displaced a group of Poliwag unlucky enough to be near it. Grey watched in a mixture of awe and joy at the massive blue Ball Whale Pokémon and considered a moment about catching one. Like with the Ranger Browser, he pushed that thought into the back of his head for later.

As he made his way up the cobblestone path towards the ships, his feet rhythmically click-clocking with each step, Grey started looking for the one that belonged to his uncle. Having not found it in the lineup of ships, Grey took his bag off his shoulder and began to think.

The Silver Ring Archipelago was, before this, a little known island, but one hell of a vacation spot. It was a beautiful string of nine tropical, semi-tropical and fairly maritime islands home to many kinds of Pokémon, be they natives to the islands or imported to help the archipelago's ecosystem. It was pretty much Grey's ideal place to go. Best of all, the Pokémon League had seen it fit to establish an official Gym Challenge while they were helping the islands at the same time. Zachary had been right; this was indeed an incredible opportunity too great to pass up.

Grey dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out Soul's Pokéball, enlarging it and releasing the Charmander inside in a burst of silver light.

"Chaaa~" Soul yawned sleepily, stretching his short limbs out and attempting to stoke the fire on his tail. Soul turned to Grey with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Char char?"

"Yeah, it's early; I know. But uncle Zach's coming here to pick us up any minute now. All we have to do is wait," Grey assured his Charmander.

"Char cha~r," Soul replied, waving his hand with a bored tone. Bo~ring.

"Well, what do you expect me to do? It's not like we have any interesting ways to kill time."

"Hey, you!"

Grey turned around to see the speaker: a boy who wore a yellow t-shirt, blue shorts and a backwards cap of the same color. He held a Pokéball in his left hand while the other pointed at Grey defiantly.

"I challenge you to a battle!" the Youngster exclaimed. "My name's Jimmy!" Grey rose to his feet with a wild grin plastered on his face, a look that Soul was quick to emulate. Thank you, irony.

"You are a trainer, right?" Jimmy inquired.

"Well, let's see; I have a supply bag, I have a Pokéball in my left pocket and a Charmander following me around. What do you think, Jimmy boy?" Grey replied sarcastically. The younger boy's face contorted into a grimace.

"I was just asking," the boy said angrily. "You don't have to be so mean about it."

"Didn't you know?" Grey asked. "Trash-talk is one of the basics of being a Trainer. It helps you psyche out the competition." Jimmy's face turned into a curious one.

"Really? I didn't know that. Thanks, mister," he smiled. Grey snickered a bit.

"It's no problem, kid. Now, you want that battle? Soul an I are ready to go!" he exclaimed. It was Jimmy's turn to smile as he tossed his Pokéball into the air before it exploded open, letting a silver light rain down. The light twisted and morphed until it finally burst away, revealing a small mammalian Pokémon with altering brown and cream colors in it's shaggy fur. It had a black 'mask' in front of its large, round eyes and refused to stay still, always looking in a new direction every two seconds.

"Zig! Zigzagoon!" it barked.

"Charmander!" Soul shouted. This one's mine! A grin spread across Soul's face as he flexed his claws in anticipation of battle. The flame on his tale flared and his cyan blue eyes glinted manically.

"Of course I'm putting you in this fight, Soul. You're the only one I have with me at the moment," Grey joked.

"So, we'll set the bet at fifty dollars. That okay with you?" Jimmy asked as he took a battle stance.

"Just fine," Grey muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Fine, then I'll start things!" Jimmy cried. "Zigzagoon, get in there for a Headbutt!"

Zigzagoon was eager to please, tucking in its legs and head and scampering across the ground in a zigzag line to try and confuse its Charmander opponent. Grey didn't have much time to act, so he uttered the first attack that came to his mind.

"Soul, Scratch attack!"

Just as Zigzagoon was about to ram his head into the scaled belly of the Charmander, Soul lashed out with his tiny claws, raking them straight across Zigzagoon's head. The two moves collided, causing damage to both parties, but Zigzagoon was first to get up.

"Tackle attack, Zigzagoon!" the young boy commanded, slashing his hand through the air. Again, the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon scampered forward in a zigzag, crying its name as it did so.

Grey ran a hand through his messy head and growled. This was tougher than it looked and this kid was about five years younger than he was. Through the surge of adrenaline, Grey realized he'd have a lot of work to do but, for now, it was time to concentrate on the battle.

"Soul, trip him up!" he roared. Soul, from his position on the ground, turned his head towards his charging opponent and stuck his tail out just as Zigzagoon was about to connect. The Tiny Raccoon tripped over the orange, flame-tipped appendage and fell flat on its face, eliciting a howl of pain. Grey grinned madly and saw his chance.

"Now, Ember!"

"Chaaa~r!" Soul screamed. The flame at the tip of his tail flared up, making the air around it shimmer as it powered the glowing embers that appeared in Soul's mouth. Rearing his head back, the Charmander spat the Ember attack forward into the brown-and-cream fur of Zigzagoon.

Zigzagoon cried out in pain as the red-hot flames pelted him and turned some of his fur charcoal black while setting other parts ablaze. It rolled around on the dock in an attempt to put the flames out, succeeding, but left with smoking patches that stung when it moved.

"Zigzagoon, are you alright?" Jimmy cried, worried for his Pokémon.

"Zagoon! Zig zag!" the little one barked, scrunching his face up in anger at Soul. The cocky Charmander stuck his paw out and beckoned the Zigzagoon to come at him in the 'bring it on' gesture.

"We have him now, Soul! Another Ember!" Grey shouted, pumping his fist in early victory. Soul obliged, attempting to repeat the attack, but all that came out was a small plume of smoke.

"Char?!"

"What?!" Grey said, his face falling in pure disbelief.

"Oh, that's right," he realized with dread, "Soul still can't control his fire that well…" Sensing an opening, Zigzagoon dashed forward, ramming his head into Soul's stomach once more.

The Charmander flew into the air and landed on his back, a grunt escaping his maw. Soul pushed himself up, shaking off the Headbutt attack's impact and turning to his Trainer as if asking 'What now?'

By now, a small crowd of people - Trainers and civilians alike - had gathered to watch the battle, offering their support to either Charmander or Zigzagoon. The adrenaline pumping through both Grey and Soul made them partly oblivious to the cheers of the small gathering.

"We have to stall for time, Soul. Use a Growl," Grey said.

Soul opened his mouth and did his best attempt at an intimidating growl, which lowered the potency of Zigzagoon's attacks.

"Now Smokescreen for cover!" Next, Soul belched out a thick cloud of smoke which obscured the battle from view for Zigzagoon. Soul hacked and coughed afterwards, always hating having to use Smokescreen.

"That's okay, Zigzagoon; use Odor Sleuth!" Jimmy commanded. Grey groaned loudly now that his cover was now useless. "Now Headbutt him again!"

"Zaaaaaa goon!!" the Tiny Raccoon cried, bursting out from the smoke to once again smash his skull into Soul.

"Dodge and Scratch!" Grey marshaled. Soul threw himself to the side, dodging the painful head butt attack before running up to Zigzagoon and repeatedly scratching it with his tiny claws.

"We got him now! Finish him with Ember attack!"

"Chaaa~!" Soul cried, flaring his tail-flame up in preparation. "Mander!" The Lizard Pokémon flung the weak ball of fire out of his mouth as hard as he could, watching as it struck Zigzagoon in the back with a small explosion of smoke.

Soul and Grey watched in anticipation, the blood pounding in their ears and the adrenaline making sure they were ready for a counterattack… But they wouldn't need to; Zigzagoon was down! The crowd around the two trainers broke out into applause for Grey and his battle-happy Charmander.

The Tiny Raccoon Pokémon had fainted, its eyes squeezed shut and a large black patch on its back from where the Ember struck.

"Yes!" Grey shouted victoriously, punching the air wildly as Soul danced on the spot. Grey rushed over to pick up his Charmander and place him on his shoulder so they could congratulate one another.

"You really did well out there, Soul. But we'll have to work on your Ember, alright?" Grey laughed.

"Char char? Charmander!" Who cares? I rock! was what Grey heard through the powerful ripples of joy coming off his Charmander.

"That you do, buddy," Grey said confidently.

The crowd of people dispersed, allowing Grey and Jimmy heal the injuries their Pokémon had sustained during battle and for Jimmy to pay Grey the fifty dollars he'd earned.

"That was a great battle, mister," Jimmy said, holding Zigzagoon in his arms.

"Zigzagoon!" the Normal-type agreed.

"Same to you. If that third Ember hadn't worked, you probably would've won," Grey conceded.

"Really?!" Jimmy asked, hope sparkling in his eyes.

"Tch! No; there's no way Soul and I would've lost! But, still, it was a good fight. Keep training and maybe we'll see each other again." Jimmy's face fell a bit, but he was still happy for the compliment.

"Thank you. I guess I'll see you later the--"

"GREY!!!!" a voice rang out, anger permeating every layer of it like a poison. Grey's head snapped up and he rounded on his heel, nearly displacing Soul, and his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear.

Rachel was stomping towards him, rage etched clearly on her face for all to see. She came to a stop in front of Grey, her eyes smoldering. Jimmy the Youngster had already ran away in fear.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Rachel growled.

As angry as she was now, Rachel eighteen years old was very pretty. She'd inherited her mother's pink hair and her dad's eyes, and was dressed in a standard Ranger's uniform. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, there was a Capture Styler at her side and a Vulpix trailing behind her. Because of her frequent exercise as a Ranger, Rachel was very fit and trim. Her pale face, which bore a string of freckles across the bridge of her nose, was a mere inch from her younger brother's.

"Oh, hey, sis. What're you doing here?" Grey asked fearfully. Rachel growled, and Grey realized just how intimidating she could be when angered. The fact that she towered over him by three inches really didn't help his situation either.

"That's what I just asked you! Do you know how angry I am?!" she screeched.

"Well, between the screaming, stomping and overall pissed off look on your face, I really couldn't tell," Grey said. Even know, he spoke the language of sarcasm.

"This isn't funny, smart-ass! You're so lucky I lied for you to dad and mom or else you'd be six feet under by now! What the hell are you thinking!?"

"Let's see: I'm down at the shipyard with a bunch of other Trainers, Uncle Zach's coming here to drop me off in the Silver Ring any minute now... Hmm, whatever could I be planning?"

Rachel could only open and close her mouth, unable to form a coherent comeback to the sheer audacity Grey had shown her. To make things worse, his arrogant little Charmander was laughing his head off while trying to stay perched on Grey's shoulder. The little…

"I… you… The… Shut your Charmander up!"

"Oh, come on. He's just having fun. And how do you know he's laughing at you?" Grey countered with a laugh of his own.

"You're coming home right now," Rachel growled. Her hand snapped forward like a Seviper and clamped itself around Grey's wrist so she could bring him back home. Grey looked from her hand's death grip around his wrist to his sister's rage-filled face and sighed in regret.

"You know, I didn't want to do this, but, in a way, I do," he said vaguely.

"What the hell are you -- " Rachel began.

"Soul, use Ember!"

Soul nodded and hopped off Grey's shoulder, opening his mouth to release and Ember, but only got a ball of smoke as a result. Soul stared at the rising plume of smoke for all of three seconds before hanging his head in disbelief.

"Ooh, didn't see that one coming," Grey muttered. Rachel growled again, tugging Grey's arm and attempting to drag him forward.

"Quit fooling around and let's go, idiot!" she barked. She tugged again and Grey resisted, staring at his sister with a fire in his eyes that wasn't there before. His eyes turned to a greenish-brown steel as they bored into his sister's skull angrily.

"No," was his simple reply. Soul trotted over to his Trainer's side to offer support.

"I'm not going back home. I don't want to be a Ranger and I've told you that a thousand times. You can go back home, but I won't," Grey said in a low voice that said he was serious.

"Char, Charmander!" Soul shouted. So back off! Rachel looked from her brother's defiant, steely face to Soul's angry one, refusing to give up. Her parents had told Rachel to bring Grey back so that he could be punished for running away from home and she always followed orders.

"Grey, quit being silly. You'd never be able to make it as a trainer anyway. You're meant to be a Pokémon Ranger, now get rid of your stupid pipe dream and --"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Grey roared. His sudden angry outburst startled some of the people on the dock, who either ignored it or began to talk about it among themselves. It scared Rachel too, who finally released Grey's hand and looked at him like he was crazy.

"What?" she asked dumbly, still in shock.

"I said, don't you tell me what I can and can't do. That's for me to decide, not you. If I want to be a trainer, I'll do it and nobody'll stop me. Not you, dad or anyone else. So just go home, Rachel," Grey said angrily.

"Vul vul?" What's wrong? Vulpix asked Soul.

"Charmander. Char char char!" We're going, Soul said simply. We're going to battle and get stronger! Vulpix's face fell. That didn't answer her question at all.

Just then, the whirring of plane rotors came into earshot. Grey looked out over the harbor to see a seaplane against the backdrop of the fully risen sun getting ready to land on the other end of the docks. Knowing it belonged to his uncle, Grey picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder and returned Soul to his Pokéball in a flash of crimson light.

"Grey!" Rachel shouted. Grey didn't turn back to face her, so Rachel couldn't see the smile that spread across his face like the sunlight that finally came.

"Sorry, sis," he said, "but my ride's here. Later!" Grey took off in a run towards the seaplane, determined to get on it and into the air before Rachel caught up to him.

"Damn it, Grey!" Rachel shouted, running after him.

Grey turned to the right, skidding into the space between two of the warehouses right behind the docks and kept running, legs pumping at a furious pace. He thanked his parents and the Almia Ranger School for training him in things such as running and jumping, otherwise he wouldn't stand a chance running from Rachel.

He vaulted over a trashcan, feeling the adrenaline pump through him, pushing him further. Grey almost crashed into a woman and her child, who he quickly identified as Jimmy, twisting his body so that he narrowly avoided collision.

"Sorry, ma'am! See you someday, Jimmy boy!" Grey shouted, laughing the whole time through though he didn't know why. Maybe it was the rush or maybe it was the thought of finally becoming a trainer, but either way, Grey was suddenly happy.

Nearing the end of his sprint, he could hear Rachel's shouting getting nearer as well as the image of the seaplane and his uncle standing before it getting closer. He put on one last burst of speed, rushing past Zachary and jumping into the plane, hurriedly buckling himself up.

"Start the plane, man! Let's go!" Grey panted. The boy looked over his shoulder to see if Rachel was getting any nearer. She was, and this only served to make him even more energized.

"Quick!"

"How come you're so excited? I mean, this is a big thing, but you don't --" Zachary started.

"Uncle Zach, all I can say is Rachel's coming and if we don't take off now, she'll catch up to us and we'll both be busted. So start the plane!" Grey urged.

After that explanation, Zachary didn't need a repeat. He gunned it, slamming down on the acceleration while flipping various switches and buttons in preparation for take-off. Finally, the propellers on the wings of the seaplane began to spin and push the metal contraption forward. Grey looked out the window towards the docks and was pleased to see they were leaving it behind at a very fast rate. Grey sank back into his chair with a sigh of content and relief.

"Finally," Grey breathed. "Thanks again, Uncle Zach."

"No problem, " the man said, giving Grey a thumbs up over his shoulder. "On a side note, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Grey asked. He didn't notice before, but now Grey heard a thumping sound on the outside of the plane. Looking out of the window once more, he saw two things:

One was that the plane was finally beginning to rise off the water and two was that Rachel was hanging onto the landing gear with a very wet Vulpix clinging for dear life.

"Help me!" came her muffled scream.

"Aren't we going to help her?" Zachary asked, also noticing the clinging girl.

"Fine," Grey sighed. He opened the door just as the plane left the water and helped his sister into the seat next to his.

"You little punk!" she shouted. "I could've been killed out there!"

"And?"

"And? What the hell do you mean and?" Rachel loosened her grip a bit.

"I don't see your point. You could've been killed and… How's that a bad thing?" Rachel's mouth fell open and Andromeda loosed some angry embers.

"You little -- !"

"I'm kidding! Sheesh, take a joke, woman," Grey said, dusting himself off. "Now, exactly what do you want?" Rachel let out a low, feral growl and resisted the urge to throttle Grey.

"I said, you're coming him with me, so move it!" she said authoritatively.

"Don't think so," Grey grinned wildly, making Rachel a bit uncomfortable. He'd never smiled like that around her before and, little did she know, she'd be seeing a lot more of it.

"And why not?"

"We're on a plane, genius. Unless Soul spontaneously evolves into a Charizard and decides to listen to you, you're stuck with me," Grey stated, pointing downward. Rachel looked out of the window to see the plane was flying away from Almia, and at an alarming pace. Looking around, she also saw Zachary piloting the flying vessel. She was stuck here… With Grey.

"So, looks like you're stuck with me on this, sis. What do you say; traveling companions?" Grey offered his hand in false goodwill; the deviously evil grin on his face made sure that message got across. Rachel groaned and threw herself over the railing as Vulpix's face slowly changed from auburn to green with seasickness. Grey laughed loudly before producing Soul's Pokéball - much to the astonishment of Rachel - and calling out,

"Come on out." The energetic Charmander appeared in a burst of white light..

"Pokéballs, Grey?!" she screeched incredulously. "You KNOW you aren't allowed to own Pokéballs in Almia!"

"The ball came when Soul hatched, remember?" Grey deadpanned. "And didn't you notice it before?" Grey laughed.

"You should really think of getting one for Vulpix; Soul doesn't seem to mind being in his for a rest."

"Like I'd use an illegal contraband!" Rachel shouted back.

"Not illegal where we're going," Grey said, faking wisdom just to push his sister even more. It worked and Rachel fumed audibly and ground her teeth to stave off her anger. "Cheer up, Rae! This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah, just one thing, genius," Rachel said snidely.

"What's that?"

"You don't know where we're going," Rachel pointed out smugly.

"The Silver Ring Archipelago," Zachary said suddenly. "That's where I'm dropping Grey off. It's a chain of islands southeast of the Hoenn Region and a really beautiful place." Rachel ground her teeth and groaned audibly. This was going to be a long, long trip.

Second chapter posted! Alright; now we're going someplace. Grey's all fired up and Rae's about three minutes away from throwing him overboard and waiting for the Sharpedo to show up. Ahh, sibling love.

Post-Chapter notes:

- Soul's a loveable, cocky little Charmander, isn't he? We'll be seeing a lot more of him, so don't worry about that.

-What other kinds of Pokémon will Grey catch throughout his journey into the Silver Ring Archipelago? Just wait and see, my friends.

-We meet a new character next chapter! Ooh, mysterious!!! O.o

-Lastly, Grey will catch a Pokémon later into his journey who will teach him to better use his powers of Poké-empathy, his ability to understand Pokémon. Which Pokémon do you think it is? Guess right and you get a surprise.