Fun fact: I tend to typo Kenya as "Kenta", often resulting in some funny sentences. lol

Chapter 20
Battle in Ilex!

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The chiming black-gray PokéGear lay flat in Silver's hand for the few moments he stared down at it. A slight spark of hatred simmered in his eyes, but he quickly extinguished it. He raised the phone to his ear, standing away from the entrance of the Pokémon Center.

"Hello." His expression remained unchanged as he listened intently and muttered soft replies. "...Azalea Town... No, I haven't... No." The red-haired boy suddenly froze, scowling. But nonetheless, he responded in a toneless voice. "Yeah, sure. Bye," he said and hung up immediately afterward.

He glared at his PokéGear as he stowed it away, muttering something along the lines of, "spoiled brat." Silver sighed before entering the red-roofed building.

Moments later, he watched the humming healing machine that cradled his Poké Balls. He was particularly pissed off, the call weighing on his mind, but held his tongue to give his anger time to fizzle away some. An idea popped into his head, soon morphing into a powerful urge.

Another battle. Yes, a Pokémon battle would be a nice way for him to vent some steam, even if he did just somehow have his ass royally handed to him by the dorky, effeminate Azalea Gym Leader. But Silver certainly did not want to see the kid's face for the rest of the day, so he had to settle for somebody else. But who? Who would he battle to get a satisfying battle and victory?

He thought for a little longer, and his piercing eyes darted toward Nurse Joy, who was working the healing machine.

"I want to ask you something," he spoke curtly.

Sensitive to the acute edge in his voice, the pink-haired lady turned to him almost instantly. "Yes?"

"...Have you seen a Trainer named Marina?"

"Marina?" While asking this, Joy retrieved Silver's Poké Balls and proceeded to hand them to him.

Without so much as a glance, the boy put them away. "A girl with blue pigtails and an annoyingly positive mind set. You can't possibly miss her," he said.

"Let's see..." Joy looked up thoughtfully, to which Silver rolled his eyes.

"Ah, yes! I remember seeing a girl like that just a little while ago," the nurse answered with a smile, "She was with the Gym Leader of this town, Bugsy."

"Where was she going?" Silver asked, a little coarse.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Nurse Joy gazed down upon him, highly curious—or perhaps suspicious. "And please be more polite."

Silver sighed, aggravated. "She's…my rival. Can you please tell me where she was going?"

"Well, I don't know for sure," the boy nearly shot an irritated scowl at her in response, but Joy continued, "But I do recall that the girl told Bugsy that she was going to train by herself."

"Then she's in one of the routes nearby," Silver murmured and whirled around, quickly putting distance between him and the woman.

"I hope you find your rival!"

Without offering a response, Silver left the Pokémon Center. He took a quick turn toward the outskirts of Azalea Town, ignoring the late summer sun's rays that hotly lashed down upon him.

"If she's in the forest, I'll wait until she comes back," he said with a smirk.

"Hey, you! Yeah, you with the red hair!" a voice bellowed from behind him.

Silver shifted to look behind him, and then narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Jackson soon stood before him, holding his Chikorita in his arms. His furious expression failed to fade away as he glared at Silver.

"I knew it was you," the boy said.

"Weakling Number Three has finally shown his face," Silver responded with apathy.

"Shut it, Silver!" snapped Jackson aggressively.

Silver turned to him fully, shooting a cold glare at him and his Pokémon. "How do you know my name?"

"Marina told me! And she told me all about what you did; you stole her Totodile, Wani-Wani!"

"Humph," he scowled impatiently, "Not this again. It's like a broken record, on and on about that."

"Yeah, Kenta also told me how you creamed him again in Violet City," Jackson muttered, glowering.

Silver put his hands in his jacket pockets, slightly smirking at the comment. "I'll make this quick and easy for you to understand. Marina doesn't care that I stole her Totodile, nor would she care if she ever got it back."

"You're lying!"

"Prove it."

For a few silent moments, they fired glares at one another. As Jackson grew frustrated, he squeezed the Pokémon in his arms—and Silver grew haughtier with a simple raised eyebrow.

"Well?"

"I can't," Jackson grumbled.

Silver, making a smug grin, turned his back on him. "For the record, it was your incompetent father who caused this misunderstanding, but I'm sure you know that already."

"What did you just say?!" retorted Jackson, fuming as he resisted the urge to lunge at him. If not for him holding his Chikorita, he probably would have done so.

"Humph. Look, I have better things to do than talk to a weakling like you." For a moment, he glared over his shoulder, his sharp silver eyes gradually shifting to the Chikorita that pouted at him.

"You chose that thing as your first Pokémon? Sure tells a lot about you." At that, Silver strolled onward, not slowing even as the brown-haired boy stomped on the ground and followed after him.

"Hey, hey! You can't just walk away from me!"

"Leave me alone already, you pest."

"Take back what you said about my dad!"

For a moment, Silver stopped. Without a verbal response, he pulled out a crimson device from his pocket and held it up. Jackson stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where did you get that from?" he asked quietly.

Silver cracked another thin smirk. "This one's mine. And I meant what I said. Perhaps you should ask that incompetent man about it. He'll give you all the answers."

This time as the red-haired boy left, Jackson only watched after him with a confounded look. His Chikorita nudged him with her leaf, feeling the once-tight hold on her loosen considerably. At last Jackson snapped from his trance and looked down at the concerned face of his Pokémon. Even so, he stared in disbelief.

"Why does he have a...?"

Breezing through the gateway, Silver marched through the foot-high grasses that carpeted the forest floor. A vaguely-placed trail wove through the web of elderly trees bearing lush evergreen bushes. Far above, the canopy yielded specks of bright sunbeams that glittered into the deep shadows, completing the calm and natural scenery.

Not bothering to recognize at any of this beauty, the red-haired Trainer strutted further down the overgrown path. He slipped a quick search of his surroundings, but seeing no one, he sighed in impatience. He walked off to the closest tree, leaning against the tree trunk.

After a few minutes, he crossed his arms; then after another few, his silver eyes darted around upon hearing a snapping twig. Still, there was no one around. Slowly his shoulders relaxed, his expression twisting into a scowl while he inclined his head.

"I really hate waiting," he murmured as he gazed upward at the intricate maze of branches overhead. In a sudden movement to combat his drowsiness, he stood upright and glared above him quietly.

"Woo!" Marina exclaimed as she stretched her arms in the air. In almost a skipping pace, she strolled through the forest's path just as evening began to muffle the sunlight. "Jeez, I'm so tired. Aren't you?"

"Tachi," purred Nana, who trotted at her heels. The Pokémon had grown from a Sentret; with a slimmer ferret-like body and brown stripe patterns, she had evolved into the Long Body Pokémon known as Furret.

"You think we should train more tomorrow? The Gym should have other Trainers like Falkner's did, so maybe there? What do you think, Nana?"

"Oota!" However, after her response to her merry Trainer, Nana paused and twitched her thin ears.

Marina noticed this soon after, turning away from the gateway leading to Azalea Town. "Nana? What's wrong?"

Now with her tail flicking, the Furret wandered deeper into the grass toward the line of trees.

"Is it a wild Pokémon?" At once, the girl ran toward her and stopped nearby, looking around. She followed Nana's gaze upward, and gasped. "Oh!" She quickly covered her mouth, staring at the figure that rested on one of the tree boughs.

The boy was slumped against the trunk, his head tilted to the side as he breathed quietly from behind the collar of his black jacket. His crimson mane was slightly messy and covered one side of his peaceful face.

Marina's green eyes widened considerably at this sight. "Is that...Silver? What's he doing in a tree?" A second later, she giggled and almost broke out into a full-on laugh; she had never expected to say something so random, or to see the serious—and downright mean—boy in such a calm yet unexpected position.

Her Pokémon tilted her head with a puzzled curiosity. "Oota?"

Smiling at her softly, Marina looked back up at the sleeping boy. "Um...Silver? Silver?" For a few seconds, she stared with a blank expression and then cupped her mouth. Taking in a deep breath, she yelled, "SILVER!"

With a sudden twitch, the boy's eyes snapped open, though only halfway. But as he turned his head to meet Marina and her Furret below him, Silver scowled awkwardly at them.

Undeterred by this, the cheerful Marina waved at him. "Good morning! Or, well, good evening! What are you doing up there?"

He frowned just a bit and muttered something her ears couldn't catch. Then in a single swift action, Silver sat up and leapt from the tree. In response, Marina gasped and nearly cried out as she jumped back to give him room, losing her balance and landing on her rump.

"Oota!" squeaked Nana, who eagerly rushed toward her Trainer's side.

"Oww..." Letting a few seconds pass to let her small pain wither away, Marina slowly opened her eyes. Just a few steps from her, Silver looked down upon her with a smug grin at her situation. Marina then scrambled to her feet, brushing herself off quickly.

"Geez!" she exclaimed, "What'd you dothat for? You could've at least warned me first! And...how did you land on your feet like that? I haven't seen anyone pull that off except me."

Silver, without regard to her berated questions, took out a Poké Ball and held it out before her with a confident resolution.

"We will battle. Right here and now," he declared.

Taken aback by the sudden request, Marina stared at him and the Poké Ball blankly.

"What? Why now?"

"What, afraid to battle me again?" he growled, "Are you scared?"

"No, of course not! I beat you last time, so I can do it again," Marina replied with a sudden smile. "Besides, I've been training."

"Humph. Then we'll battle one-on-one, like last time," Silver explained as the girl sprinted away to make room between them. He eyed the Furret that ran after her, observing quietly as Marina recalled the Pokémon back into her Poké Ball. Without a sound, he threw his own.

Before him, a Pokémon similar to a Totodile appeared, with a much larger and muscular form. It snapped its larger, menacing jaws loudly and made no attempt at a dance like it had once before.

Even so, Marina crafted a grin on her face. "Wani-Wani! You evolved!"

"...Arigei?"

"Tee hee," she giggled, despite the Pokémon's wary yet puzzled glance.

"Choose your Pokémon already," Silver interjected.

Marina's eyes moved from the Croconaw to him, and for a few moments her face went blank of emotions once more. Nodding, she retrieved a Poké Ball from her waist and glanced at it before throwing it in the air. "Go, King!"

"Magu!" the auburn-gold Quilava barked as he appeared before her, immediately switching on the flames on his head and hide once he saw his opponent.

Silver stared very skeptically at the girl, who was busy taking out her Pokédex. "Why did you choose your Quilava to fight against my Croconaw? That's a stupid move."

"Well, it'll be like last time, right? Hold on a sec," Marina added and opened the Pokédex in her hands.

"Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokémon. Type: Water
Croconaw always has forty-eight fangs lining its mouth, slanted backward. Once it clamps down, its prey has no hope of escape; if it loses any fangs while biting, they quickly grow back in."

"Okay, we can start now," putting the device away, she glanced at King, "Tackle!"

"Scratch," Silver ordered.

The two Pokémon collided into one another, Croconaw scraping at King's fur as it was thrust off its feet onto the grass. Growling, the blue alligator-like creature stood and lunged with its jaws opened wide.

"King, Quick Attack!"

We have to avoid its mouth because of Water Gun. Marina grasped King's Poké Ball as she watched her Pokémon avoid the gaping jaws of his opponent. I think last time really was a fluke, so it's best to be safe now.

The crimson Quilava barked as he swiftly tackled into Croconaw, who stumbled. But it pivoted and turned its tail on him, mercilessly smacking him across the head like a spiked bat. Marina winced at the sight, though Silver merely watched in pitiless apathy.

"Humph. Finish off that weasel with Water Gun!"

"Counter with Ember, King!"

Droplets of water and flames collided as their wielders had in their previous battle, unleashing a fierce hissing while steam hovered over the grass like fog. When the barrage ended, both Pokémon charged and slammed together, remaining that way with futile attempts at overthrowing each other.

"Ma," muttered King with almost a grin on his confident face. Just as he gave in, the crocodile did the same, and the ermine let out another fire attack that was instantly repelled.

"Keep up the Water Gun, he won't last long," commanded Silver, crossing his arms.

"King, don't give in!"

Upon both their Trainers' instructions, King and Croconaw recklessly fired again, but this time running side-by-side until eventually crashing into each other. They leapt back in front of their Trainers, their eye contact not once broken. Both panted slightly in near fatigue, and hid it away once they slowly began to approach.

Marina sighed, watching the two wary Pokémon. King has the disadvantage, but if my battle with Bugsy proved anything, I'm sure we can win despite that! Her eyes rose to the red-haired boy, and she blinked at the calm smirk he wore. However, once his silver irises noticed her, his expression darkened with an irritated scowl.

"What?" he snapped.

"Oh, nothing!" she replied, waving her hands a little with a smile. "You looked like you were enjoying yourself."

Silver raised an eyebrow, glaring at her as if she were a moron. "Only when I win the battle will I 'enjoy myself'."

"Winning isn't everything, haven't you ever heard that?" she asked, wagging her finger at him. As the crimson-haired boy replied, she pulled out the soft-green Poké Ball from her bag and clasped it gently in the palm of her hand.

"Only the weak say that as an excuse to make themselves feel better. Croconaw," snapping his fingers once, Silver pointed at King, "Ignore any fire attacks and use Slash!"

"Rashi!" King snarled, bending down his fours to ready himself. The flames on his hide and head crackled as he tensely stood still in anticipation.

Forcing a grin, Marina clenched her hands again and held the Neo Ball to her chest. "Alright then, King, Quick Attack—!"

"Halt…!"

"Huh?" The girl froze stiff the instant the soft voice called out. Her eyes darted around in her line of sight, and frowned in puzzlement.

Who was that?

But as she shifted to peer behind her, a small fear stirred inside her; she was not moving. Her entire body was heavy as stone, utterly paralyzed. Only able to breathe—much to her relief—and blink, Marina gazed blankly at the forest to her right, without anything else to gaze at. She was more so distracted by this than by the extreme warmth that her little green Poké Ball gave off.

What's...going on? Why can't I move? I…I can't even talk.

A biting cold jolt cured her petrified body, but a slick surge of unfamiliar feelings invaded her. This novel entity honed in on her consciousness, seizing her at once, and the girl helplessly loosened in its grasp. Marina stared at the racing blur of images without a single defiant action, but her succumbed conscious spoke out in a panic.

What's happening?

"...glad that I...finally...your...attention." A composed voice spoke. It was inconsistent, fading in and out and containing a strange sort of static to it—like a faint radio signal.

Um...uh, w-what? Marina thought, having no other way to communicate. Amazingly, her puzzled thoughts were heard. As though frustrated with the lack of clear communication, the smooth and feminine voice uttered a single word.

"...Here."

At last, the dizzying maelstrom that was her vision settled, however unevenly. The natural colors of Ilex Forest she had once seen were completely absent, replaced by a dark, forlorn room. There was a dim light shining quietly from an unseen source, but it was enough to see the floor that was littered heavily with crumbling debris, rotting wood, and accumulating dust.

"Look up."

Marina obeyed the soft voice without a second thought, and her head inclined toward three intricate and untouched statues that stood isolated in the rubble. A strong sensation flowed inside her with such force that she was knocked off her feet, landing on her knees. At that same moment, she noticed a set of statues that depicted three large beasts.

The echoing voice continued, as though urgent to get her message across. "There... They…still alive. All we…to do is—."

"Hey! Snap out of it. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"...Huh?"

The girl's eyes opened wide with a start. Her face was inches from the blades of grass that tickled her nose. For the seconds that passed, she breathed deeply as she recovered from her small case of nausea. She secretly expressed her gratitude and relief as she moved her working limbs a little.

Geez, what was that about? Her eyes ascended and managed to scan her surroundings for but a short-lived moment, for she realized that Silver had knelt before her. She stared quietly at his face, which was hard to discern though he appeared slightly taken aback—as taken aback as anyone who had witnessed someone passing out.

"Rashi." From the corner of her eye, King shuffled closer, though a little more away from Silver.

"Well, are you fine now?" the boy asked her, but so quickly that it took Marina a few seconds to comprehend.

"O-Of course," she meekly smiled, "What would you make you think—?

"Oh my gosh, the battle! What about our battle?" In the rush of this realization, Marina stood and wobbled as a momentary dizziness sapped away her balance. She forced herself to focus and looked around, only seeing King and Silver, the latter of whom also stood on his feet.

"...It ended," Silver mumbled, though it obviously seemed to bother him to admit it.

"Th-Then who won?" Even as she asked this, the blue-haired girl nearly hid her previous bewilderment as she glanced around once more. "I don't remember what happened," Marina added with another forced smile.

Silver more or less didn't react to this and glared at her like she was stupid, but answered her question in an irritated tone. "You won. Again."

"...Really?"

"Humph. It was after you commanded the last attack that you started acting weird, leaving your Quilava to fend for itself." The red-haired boy ignored the low hissing that King murmured in response.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean for that to happen!" Marina apologized. "The acting weird, I mean. I must've been... sleepy! Yeah, sleepy, from training all day."

"You're pale." Nothing more elaborated those two words, except for Silver crossing his arms, unconvinced.

"Well... I am still feeling kinda dizzy," she admitted with a meek grin.

With another 'humph', the boy rolled his eyes. "You're such an idiot. Don't go training all day if you're sick. You won't get any stronger that way."

"But I'm not sick! I'm just...well...I don't know what that was, actually."

"Not that I care," he added.

Marina watched with an innocent and blank expression as the boy walked toward the exit. In a sudden motion, she shook her head and lightly smacked her cheeks, remembering belatedly that she still held the Neo Ball in one of her hands.

Snap out of it, Marina, no more spacing out! Because that was really weird. She looked down at King, who looked up at her with the same puzzled expression he had been giving her since she had come to.

"Maybe seeing Silver almost smiling and sleeping on a tree were illusions too?"

Her crimson Quilava tilted his head and twisted his expression further, eying her strangely. "Magu?"

"Listen, you!"

The girl jumped at the sudden exclamation, and she whirled around where Silver stood at a distance from her. Wow, even from here I can tell he's scowling, she couldn't help but think.

"You only won because my Pokémon is weak," Silver declared with a sharp edge in his voice, "It was a complete fluke that your Quilava happened to win on its own. I'll beat you next time!" Without so much as a farewell, the red-haired boy turned and ran out of her sight.

"Marina, you're okay!" Jackson exclaimed the instant Marina entered the Pokémon Center. His friend had no time to react as he jumped off the bench and wrapped his arms around her, nearly knocking Marina over.

"Rashi!" called King, who stood at their heels, now eying Jackson oddly like he had Marina.

"Hi Jackson." Dazed, Marina nodded to accompany the greeting, and Jackson backed off with a worried look.

"Where were you? I thought you got lost in Union Cave!"

"It's...kind of a long story. Someone helped me find my way out," Marina replied, adding, "I was also training in Ilex Forest. I battled a tough Trainer and won. So it wasn't all bad!"

"Oh, really? Haha, well, I'm glad you're safe," Jackson grinned, but the smile was struck down a second later. "Wait, who did you battle?"

"...Well," Marina started slowly before putting a finger to her lips, winking. "That's a secret!"

For the following moments, it grew quiet. Jackson's his concerned expression appeared again. "Are you okay, Marina? You look pale."

"I-I do?" she sighed, "I guess I need rest; it's been a long day."

"You're telling me!" exclaimed Jackson, beaming again as he handed her a room key. "I already got you and me a room each. Let's get your Pokémon healed and you can go to sleep after that, alright?"

"Yeah!" Marina replied, relieved as she and King followed Jackson. With an extra friendly glance at her special green Poké Ball, she tucked it away into her backpack and bounded through the main lobby with a little more energy than before, grinning blissfully.

Marina's Pokémon:
King the Quilava
Nana the Furret
Tata the Rattata
Kenya the Spearow
Phany the Phanpy
Misdreavus