Note: My sincerest, absolute humblest apologies for the inexplicable lateness of this update. Life kind of swallowed me up there for a while, and I was just too busy to get this done. Really, I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy this update's chapter. I'll try not to be this bad about an update again.

Follow Me

A Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver Story

Chapter Twenty-Six
Glaciate

Mt. Mortar was a complete waste of time. Not only did they not find anything there after days of searching, but when the half a week it took them to get there was calculated in, the whole trip was an entire week wasted, something Silver repeated many times in the days that followed their leaving. Soul suggested that they Fly to their next destination, but Silver declined, saying that he "didn't want to risk having to play the hero again" should she fall asleep. Despite her asserting that was a one-time mistake, he was very adamant against the notion, and so they made their way south on foot.
There wasn't much speaking to be had along the way, much to Soul's dismay. Despite her earlier assertions that she'd try her best to win Silver's heart, Soul found having pleasant conversations with Silver was becoming increasingly difficult as each day passed, due entirely to the fact that Silver's mood seemed to slip further and further into constant anger the more he dwelled on their lack of success in the hunt for his father. A month came and went over the course of their fruitless searching, and as they neared the end of November, Silver's mood reached an all-time peak of irritability. To be frank, however, Soul preferred this, since the alternative was much more unbearable.

Things were definitely not well between them. No words were exchanged outside of their discussions of where to travel next, but every so often Soul would catch Silver fixing her with the strangest glances...She knew he was probably thinking about her feelings in those moments, and while it was nice to know he was keeping his promise, it still struck Soul as a little bit...creepy. Not the consideration, that is, but the staring...the staring was just plain odd. Worst of all was whenever she caught him at it, he'd whip his head away so quickly that he obviously injured himself, because he'd walk ahead, rubbing his neck. Not knowing what he was thinking and knowing that she was constantly being ogled in this way ate away at her nerves, despite her best to rationalize it. At night, she dreamed about him watching her sleep, and the nightmares were so realistic that when she'd startle awake, she'd instinctively check his sleeping bag to make sure it had only been a dream.

It was on such an occasion as this that she awoke to a bitterly chilly morning, rubbing her stiff neck as she sat up in her sleeping bag. The ground made crunching noises as she did so, indicating that a hard frost had settled in over the night, and a glance around confirmed the frozen dew surrounding them. "That tears it..." Soul mumbled in a groggy tone, "this is the last time we're sleeping outside. It's nothing but Center sleeping until spring." She yawned and stretched, grabbing her winter coat, which she'd requested from her mother some few weeks ago. Sliding her arms into the long, flannel red coat, she stood in her sleeping bag and adjusted it over her clothes. Mornings like this called for lengthy warm showers, and the thought that she could not partake of such a luxury crushed her spirit as she set to the task of making breakfast. When she had the spare moment, she caught herself glancing at Silver, who lay sleeping still, huddled up from the cold. Doing so only caused her chest to clench inside, so she tried her best to keep her eyes averted. It was so strange; while sleeping, he looked so peaceful and calm, the complete opposite of how he'd been lately while awake. The corners of her mouth twitched in an effort to smile at this irony.

She knew better than to wake Silver for breakfast (it would just make him grouchy right off the bat rather than leading into that later), but luckily he awoke right around the time she was finishing the final preparations for their breakfast, and he joined her around the little fire she'd made, sitting on a rock across from her.

"Good morning," Soul said as she handed him a plate.

"It's effing cold," Silver grumbled, taking his breakfast.

"Well, it'll be December soon, so it's only natural..." Soul said, trailing off as Silver dug into his breakfast, ignoring her. After a tense minute had gone by, she straightened, renewing her resolve. "So, we're searching Union Cave today, right?"

"That would be why we're here, wouldn't it?" Silver said, not looking up.

"Right..." She looked around the deserted Route 33 where they'd made camp the night prior; usually it was pretty rainy in this area, but the cold weather must have staved off the rain, for not a drop was falling from the sky at the moment. "Well, I hope we find something in there today. I..." She faltered for a moment. "I'm sorry about the whole thing with Slowpoke Well yesterday." She was referring of course to their arrival at the famed well the day prior, only to discover that the town had taken an extra effort to keep people out of the well they held so dearly. This was obviously a result of Proton's exploits a year or so prior, when he used the Well as a place to extract the tails off of the local Slowpoke. This meant that it was inaccessible to them, which also meant it was inaccessible to Giovanni, meaning it was unnecessary for them to search it. Had it not been for Union Cave, their entire journey south would have been for naught, and Soul didn't want to imagine the fury Silver would have unleashed upon her if that were the case. "It's my fault that happened."

"Damn right it is," Silver muttered, low enough that Soul didn't hear him.

"I should have known Slowpoke Well would be off limits to the public by now," she continued.

"Yeah, seems like you don't know a lot lately..."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," he said harshly, shoveling more food into his mouth. "Hurry up and eat your damn breakfast so we can get started."

Her eyebrows twitching in irritation, she did as he asked, if only because her meal was starting to get cold.

"How can it be so effing cold, even in a cave?" Silver grumbled as they wandered in Union Cave some time later, guided as always by Soul's flashlight.

"Remember, I said it's almost December..." Soul muttered as she walked past him.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

Union Cave was oddly deserted, due most-likely to the frigid conditions, Soul surmised. It did, however, make their search easier, and the two of them scoured through the dark, damp cave together, their footsteps echoing off the cavern walls. Their search took them into the inner depths of the cave, past rock slides and deep pools of water that seemed bottomless from above. As the minutes turned into hours, Silver's disposition grew darker and more rigid, and Soul did her best to avoid provoking him. Even Chocobo, snuggled in Soul's arms, could sense the tension between the two, and he too remained silent toward Silver and even his master, lest he cause an explosion between them. When at last it seemed like they'd searched the entirety of the cave, they came across a doorway, illuminated by a cool glow that could only mean sunshine was on the other side.

Silver was the first to emerge, and he was greeted not by the sight of his father, or perhaps a hidden building in which his father might be concealing himself, but instead...

"Ruins..." Soul said as she emerged behind him. Fishing out her PokéGear, she brought up the map. "We're...in the Ruins of Alph. Funny, I didn't realize Union Cave connected to here..."

Silver stood before her, fists clenching, shoulders straight back. He seemed to be concentrating very heavily on something just beyond the trees that surrounded the ruins compound, trying with all his might not to explode.

"Well, it's always possible he could be hiding here in the Ruins," Soul continued, pocketing her PokéGear. "After all, outside of researchers, not many people visit this plac—"

"No."

"P...Pardon?"

"No more," Silver said, knuckles cracking. "That's it. I'm done."

Selected quote from the next chapter:
"If you never wanted me to come with you, you should have just said so!"