Notes: Not much to say this week; just enjoy the chapter. :3 Oh, and for extra notes/doodles for Follow Me, look me up on deviantArt under the same name, 'kay? ;D

Follow Me

A Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver Story

Chapter Fifteen

Pickup

"So you're off to Kanto?"

Gold was adjusting the shoulder strap of his sling backpack when she addressed him. He turned to Soul. "Yep, I'm taking the ferry to Olivine, and then it's off on another boat to Kanto," he said with a nod. "A good friend of mine lives in Kanto, so I'm going to pay them a visit."

They were walking down the road leading from Baoba's mansion, who they'd thanked for allowing them to stay the night. Chocobo trotted along beside Soul, chirping happily at Gold's Azumarill, who replied with equal cheerfulness, the two apparently wrapped in merry conversation.

"What about you two? Any plans?" Gold asked, his hands behind his head as he turned to them.

With a knowing glance at Silver, Soul replied, "We have some things to do here in Cianwood, so we'll be here a few days." They'd decided to leave their search for Giovanni out of their explanation yesterday; Gold was a bit of a chatterer, and despite the fact she knew he meant well, Soul worried he might blab that they were searching for a wanted criminal to the wrong person.

"Then I guess this is where I leave you," Gold said, stepping ahead and turning to face them. They had reached the city limits of Cianwood. "Take care, Soul, and give me a call every now and again, huh?"

Soul smiled and nodded. "Sure thing," she said with a laugh.

Gold turned to her Torchic and beamed. "I hope you grow up big and strong, Chocobo!" he said, and his grin widened when the Pokémon chirruped in approval. Finally, he rounded on Silver, and his smile fell slightly. But then, he seemed to change his mind, and he grinned wider than before and said, "Always a pleasure to see you, Sil-Sil!"

Every inch of Silver's body prickled with rage. He clenched his fists and growled, "I've told you not to call—"

"Oh, come on, Sil-Sil, lighten up!" Gold said jovially, clapping his shoulder but being quick to retract it in case Silver decided to bite him, which he appeared liable to do. He turned to Soul, adding, "If Sil-Sil gives you any problems, be sure to call me, all right? Sil-Sil— he was putting more and more emphasis on the name with each iteration—"tends to be a cranky guy, and I don't want him hurting your feelings, okay?" He turned back to Silver, who looked murderous, and beamed. "But you wouldn't be mean to Soul, now would you, Sil-Sil?"

Soul suppressed a laugh with much difficulty; she thought the nickname was rather adorable, which is why she supposed it bothered Silver so much. She wondered why Gold was trying so fervently to irk him...?

Satisfied, Gold waved and said, "So long!" before heading off at a run, his Azumarill tottering off behind him. When he was several tens of feet away, he turned back to yell, "Bye-bye, Sil-Sil!" at the top of his lungs before disappearing into the city, his Azumarill in tow.

Silver stood, clenching and unclenching his fists as Soul tried desperately to hide the grin that refused to leave her face. After a minute of snarling under his breath, he turned and muttered, "Let's get started."

They spent the next few days scouring every corner of Cianwood Island, from the city itself to the alcoves and recesses of Route 47. Much more than Soul had anticipated of the Route was occupied by the Safari Zone and its many underground caverns. Each day, they returned to the Pokémon Center feeling more sore and exhausted than the day previous, and Soul realized Silver was starting to notice, as she was, the sheer impossibility of their quest. It was all she could do to stay positive and keep him from slumping into depression.

"This is pointless," Silver said on the fourth day as he rode behind Soul on her red Gyarados through the waters at the base of the cliff-side. "I don't know what I was thinking, trying to find my dad...He could be anywhere in the whole world and could be moving every day! It was stupid and arrogant to think we could track him down."

Soul bit her lip; his thoughts had merit (she herself had been thinking them privately), but she couldn't let him derail their whole journey just because he was frustrated. She adopted an airy tone. "Wow, not even a week, and you're already talking about quitting," she said. "And here I thought you were more committed than that."

This must have stung, because his grumbling ceased, which was the desired effect, so she smiled with satisfaction. After a few minutes of silent Surfing, they came to the mouth of a large waterfall and a steep cliff wall: the end of the Route via water.

"Rosa, stop here," Soul instructed, and the Gyarados paused several yards from the roaring fall. Retrieving a Pokéball from her pocket, she clicked it and tossed it in the air. The ball burst open with a flash of light, and her Quagsire emerged, diving into the water and then resurfacing, looking delighted. "Bog," she instructed, and the Quagsire looked up attentively, "swim behind the waterfall and check for a cave or an opening of some kind."

Nodding, Bog dove underwater and, in less than a minute, resurfaced.

"Well? Is there something there?" When Bog nodded, she glanced over her shoulder with an encouraging smile, but Silver was already sulking with a bored scowl. Frowning, Soul guided Rosa to the side of the waterfall, where she stretched out her neck for the two humans to dismount. "You and Bog can go play for now, but come back in five minutes to get us, okay?"

Rosa smiled cheerfully—it didn't suit her gruesome features—and then plodded off to swim in the afternoon sunshine with Bog.

Digging in her bag, Soul took out a flashlight and clicked it on as Silver shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. They were in a small alcove with barely enough room for three people to stand side-by-side, but it went a good ten feet into the cliff, as if someone had taken a large, circular scoop out of the mountain. It, however, did not have an occupant, nor did it appear to have ever had one. As Soul took a few steps inside, casting the light in all directions, Silver sighed more heavily.

"There's nothing here, Soul," he said gloomily, staring at the down-pouring water. "We should head back to town and make our way to Olivine; I'm tired of being on this stupid island."

She was about to agree with him when a glint in the flashlight beam distracted her. Frowning curiously, she approached the back of the cave. The object she had spotted had moss grown all around it, and it took a fair amount of tugging to extract it. As she stood and wiped it clean, her eyes widened. "Silver! Look at this!"

He cocked an eyebrow as she approached him, wiping something on her sleeve. She handed him the flashlight, and he shone it on her hand. His jaw fell.

Pinched between her fingers was a small gold lapel pin, the front embossed with a glossy red paint. It was shaped like a capital "R."

Selected quote from the next chapter:
"Well, well, well, look who it is!"