*This chapter was updated December 2021*

Chapter 1

Silver Dreams

"This weather pattern is unlike anything we've seen before. This blizzard has been moving all across Anotica, stopping even in areas where snow would never usually fall. Just last week, the Aurion Desert Region was covered in a few metres of snow, the first recorded snowfall in the history of the Aurion Desert. The blizzard has a movement path never before seen by meteorologists in any region. Here with an explanation, is Dr. Melvin Meltokio."

"Thank you, Dianne. This blizzard is something we at the lab can't even begin to fathom. It's almost as if it has a mind of it's own. It seems to stop moving over one region at a time, which is unheard of. It doesn't seem to have any set speed or pattern, and wind speeds or directions don't seem to have any effect on which way the storm travels. Because of this erratic behaviour, there is no telling when it could potentially hit Silver Town. It could be here tonight, tomorrow or it might just completely pass by the area entirely."

"Thank you, Melvin. We advise all residents of Silver Town to stay indoors this week, as much as possible anyways. If you do not need to go out, don't; there is no telling if and when the storm will hit. As Dr. Meltokio explained, this storm is far too unpredictable to chance. Please try to ensure that you have enough supplies for the storm. You need to be prepared for any situation. With that, we'll send it back to you, Tom, to explain some safety procedures."

"Thank you, Di-" the report was cut short as the screen fizzled out into darkness. A young man, with chestnut brown hair and eyes to match, sat there with a frown etched on his rather well developed face. Not now, I was so close... he moaned mentally. Tomorrow was the day he would have finally gotten his first Pokémon.

"Chris, honey, you should think about going to bed. I know you're disappointed, but it just means you're just going to have to wait a few more days to leave for your journey," his mother comforted, although her words felt hollow. Her brown eyes were sympathetic, but that did nothing for the empty feeling in his chest.

"But Mom! You know that Silver Town is hit by hard snowfalls ever winter. This one won't be any different," he argued. His rather thin figure, which he had assumed to be around 5'11", was quivering nervously. He couldn't wait another day. He had already had to wait five years longer than he should have. Why did the Anotica region have to have such bloody regulations? He mentally sighed.

"Yes, Chris, I understand that, but this blizzard has nearly crossed the entire region of Anotica. You heard the weather report just now. Even the Aurion Desert was buried. You will just have to wait until the storm passes," she stated firmly.

"The weather report also stated that the storm could be rather unpredictable, Mom, it could pass through here in a matter of minutes. Hell, the storm might not even hit here at all," he argued, hoping to gain some ground on his stubborn mother. Chris stared deep into his Mother's dark brown eyes, which were so much like his own, and knew he was getting nowhere. She was a stubborn, powerful woman. Her once brown hair was beginning to gray slightly, partially due to the stress of being a single, working woman, and partially from raising a smartass. Chris deeply loved his mother, but at this point he wish she cared just a little less.

"I just can't take that risk! I don't want to lose you like I did your father!" she cried, desperately hoping to end this argument. Chris cringed at the mention of his father. He had no recollection of ever meeting his dad. His mother always claimed that she had not seen, nor heard from his father since he was about three years of age. He had always believed this statement, as he didn't really have any recollection of any time in his life prior to his third birthday.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed in frustration. She's just being selfish! She probably hasn't even bothered to get me a Pokémon. She just doesn't want to be home alone, he thought darkly.

"Mom, you're just being selfish! You just want me to stay home, so you're not lonely! You just want to hold me back! Well I'm leaving tomorrow, no matter what you say! You probably haven't even gotten me a Pokémon yet!" Chris spat out in disgust. He knew he had crossed a line though, when he saw her eyes widen in surprise. He could see her chocolate brown orbs beginning to water. I should probably apologize. That was completely out of line and unfair, he thought to himself.

"I only want what's best for you, Chris. I just don't want you to get hurt. Yes, it may be selfish, but I do not want to lose you. You are my whole world. And no, Chris, I haven't gotten you a Pokémon yet," she explained quietly, trying to fight back tears as she spoke. Chris had been ready to apologize, but the last line enraged him. If she wants what's best for me then she would have gotten me a god damn Pokémon!

"I knew it! You don't want me to leave! Why the hell did we move to this hellhole of a region anyway? If we had never left Johto, I would have started my journey five freaking years ago with a Cyndaquil, but no! We had to move to a place with a wasteland of a winter; where a potential snowstorm can derail my journey. Just to add insult to injury, we moved to a region where there is no professor, or even a single Pokémon native to it! So all beginning trainers need to rely on their parent to buy or catch them a Pokémon. So when you do decide I'm worthy of being blessed with a Pokémon, I'll get stuck with a freaking Bidoof or something!" he snarled.

"Christopher Stanley Davis! We moved here because I was offered a job. This job has given me the ability to support us better than the job I had in Cianwood City. I will get you a Pokémon when I deem you ready to leave! The way you are currently acting now tells me that you might not be ready for a long time!"

"Mom, I am leaving on my journey tomorrow. I will leave whether you get me a Pokémon or not!" he declared, before turning tail and leaving the room, leaving behind his rather stunned, frustrated, and distraught mother.

Quickly, he clambered up the stairs to his room, and threw himself onto his bed. That went swimmingly, he thought sarcastically. I'll apologize in the morning. I was out of line. With his last thought, his breathing slowed, and he quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Chris had been expecting the usual adventure as he crept through the land of dreams. He reached for a ball on his belt, which always contained his trusty Typhlosion, before realizing it wasn't there. Looking around, he was shocked to realize he wasn't touching any ground; he was floating.

The area around him was flashing a deep violet, unlike the usual dream settings such as the sandy beaches of Cianwood City or sprawling metropolis of Goldenrod City. In the distance, Chris could make out what looked like a large shadow. It appeared to be a huge, dragon-like creature with rather large wings, which almost looked like hands with fingers.

"Hello?" Chris called out, praying that whatever it was out there was a good guy, but even if it wasn't, what harm could it really do to him? It was his dream after all.

The dragon-like creature turned its head sharply, before taking off towards Chris at speeds unlike he had ever seen, awake or asleep. Quickly, he braced himself for the impact as best he could. The beast flung itself head on into Chris; he had no time to scream. He was sent into unconsciousness.

Chris jolted out of bed; his neck and forehead were drenched with sweat. What was that thing? A Pokémon? Chris did not have time to ponder these thoughts however, as his mother came into his room, a look of worry on her face.

"Are you alright, dear?" she asked with great concern, which almost surprised Chris. I was cruel to her last night. I really should apologize, he mentally decided.

"I'm fine, Mom. Now if you excuse me, I really should get dressed," he said, as politely as he could sound.

Chris waited for his mother to leave the room, before peeling his sweat drenched pyjamas, a green t-shirt with a Poké Ball over his chest and pants covered with the Johto starter trio, off his body. Chris replaced his favourite sleepwear with his favourite outfit. Now covering his body was a plain black T-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans, which were slightly baggy on him. His outfit didn't really scream winter appropriate, but the snow didn't really bother him that much; he rather liked the cold. He would make sure to pack more clothes on his journey though, just to make sure he stayed warm and dry. Whenever I finally get to go on it... he mentally sighed.

Once again reminding himself that his dreams had come crashing down last night, he slunk down the stairs to approach his mother.

"Mom, I'm sor-" she stuck her hand out to stop his speech. She nodded slowly, as if to say, "I forgive you," before proceeding to speak.

"Chris, do you remember the house across the street that they had been building for a while yet? The one they finally finished building earlier this week?" she asked him. Chris knew the place, but he wasn't really sure what his mother was getting at.

"Yeah," he said simply, trying to hide his disinterest. Really not sure what she's trying to say here, he mused.

"Well last night, after you stormed off and went to bed, I went over and met the new neighbour. Her name is Hannah Hemlock, and she is a former assistant of Professor Oak." Chris' eyes lit up at the mention of Professor Oak. He was no longer disinterested in what his mother was saying. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mother continued. "She brought Pokémon with her, and when I mentioned your predicament, she suggested that you take one of hers. She came here to Silver Town to take the place of the Anotica regional professor, since it was a vacant position. My only condition is that you wait until the blizzard has passed."

Maybe she might have a Cyndaquil, he thought with glee. Perhaps his dreams weren't shot after all. It didn't even bother him the idea of waiting an extra week to leave, since he would already have his Cyndaquil. Even a Totodile or a Chikorita would do. Each of them would be exceedingly powerful Pokémon, suitable for a trainer like him. Or at least the trainer I will become, anyways.

"That's incredible, Mom. Maybe she'll have a Cyndaquil! When do we leave?" he asked excitedly, before noticing his mother was already dressed and ready to leave. Blushing with embarrassment for his momentary goof, he slipped on his runners, and headed out the door with his mother.

The snow glittered in the morning sun as the pair left their house. Chris had always believed that Silver Town was aptly named. On a sunny winter day, the whole town glistened in a fantastic shade of silver.

Chris could barely contain his excitement upon arriving at Ms. Hemlock's front door. I'm finally going to get my Cyndaquil! He knocked on the door, and was greeted by a tall slender woman, who looked to be roughly in her late thirties or early forties, with sharp green eyes and short, fiery red hair.

"You must be Chris, it's a pleasure. I am Professor Hemlock, and I will have the pleasure of giving you your first Pokémon," she declared, her green eyes glimmering with both nervousness and excitement. He could tell this was a big moment for her too. This must be the first time she has gotten a chance to give out a Pokémon herself, he pondered to himself.

"Today you will have a choice between the three Pokémon that I brought with me from Pallet Town," she said while releasing all three Pokémon in a beam of brilliant light. They all looked up at Chris expectantly.

The one on the far left was a green dinosaur-like creature, with a large bulb on it's back that was almost as large as it was. Chris knew this Pokémon to be Bulbasaur. It was a grass type Pokémon that also had poison type attributes. It was a great Pokémon for sure, but not what he had in mind for his first partner.

The Pokémon standing in the middle was a small, light blue turtle. The back of it's shell a reddish-brown colour, while the front of the shell was a light yellow. Chris recognized this Pokémon as a Squirtle. Its final form, Blastoise, was known to kick some serious butt. It still wasn't the type of Pokémon he was looking for.

Finally, the Pokémon on the far right was a small, lizard-like Pokémon. It was orange in colour, with a beige belly, and it had a small flame lit at the tip of its tail. It was a Charmander, a good Pokémon, although Chris believed them to be inferior to Cyndaquil. That reminds me…

"Professor Hemlock, do you happen to have a Cyndaquil?" he asked hopefully. He didn't really want these Pokémon. He wanted a Cyndaquil.

"I'm sorry, Chris, I do not. I only have the Kanto starters. However, you could always pick Charmander. They are both of the fire element, and they can learn many similar techniques," she suggested. The little Charmander appeared to brighten up at the suggestion that it might be taken. Chris could see the small Pokémon's sapphire eyes shining with hope. It didn't matter though, as this wasn't the Pokémon he wanted. Great, I keep getting freaking curveballs thrown my way. Why can't I just have a Cyndaquil?

"Forgive me, Professor Hemlock, but Charmander is not as good of a Pokémon as Cyndaquil is. Why would I want a weak Pokémon like that? I want a Cyndaquil, a god damn Cyndaquil!" he shouted. Chris could see that the little Charmander was on the verge of tears; he had obviously hurt it, but at the moment he didn't really care. In an effort to make Chris like it a little more, the Pokémon began to affectionately rub up against his leg.

"Get away from me," Chris yelled, before booting the small lizard away from him. His mother and the professor gasped in shock.

"Christopher!" his mother screeched. The little Charmander, after finally picking itself off the ground, glanced up at Chris, before running towards the still open doorway. He could hear the poor creature wailing, and it finally occurred to him what he had done.

"Oh my God… what have I done?" he mumbled. He stood there in shock for a few minutes; the entire room was silent. Suddenly, without thinking, he turned around and ran out the front door, ignoring the cries of both his mother and the professor to come back. I let my anger get the best of me again. That's twice in two days I've hurt someone who only wanted to help.

He had to find the little Charmander. He needed to apologize, and to make sure it was okay. In his blind rage, his frustration at not getting a Cyndaquil, he forgot that the poor Pokémon had feelings, and he had simply crushed them. Charmander didn't deserve that. It wasn't Charmander's fault that it wasn't a Cyndaquil, or that he wasn't going to get a Cyndaquil to start his journey. Chris knew he had to move quickly though, as the snow was deep, and the poor Pokémon might drown. Then Chris noticed something that made his whole body go numb, and stopped him in his tracks.

Damn it! Why now? I have to save that Pokémon! he mentally shouted, as the snow filled vortex approached his line of sight.

Charmander crawled through the snow, carefully trying to avoid anything deeper than her waist. The thought of the snow starting to melt around her, causing her tail to get wet or worse, didn't sit particularly well with her. She had entered some sorted of wooded area, and she was pretty sure that wasn't the right direction.

(I think I'm lost,) Charmander sighed to herself. (I knew I shouldn't have turned left there.)

All around her, she could hear the cries of various bird Pokémon, some of which she recognized, such as those of the Pidgeottos and the Starlys, while others of which she didn't. Suddenly, a small green caterpillar crept out of the bushes. It had a yellow underbelly with small, yellow feet and a red antenna on its head. It turned its large black eyes to stare at Charmander, as if it was sizing her up to see if she was a threat. Charmander recognized this Pokémon as a Caterpie, a Pokémon that she had seen many of in her time.

(Excuse me; do you happen to know the way back to Silver Town?) Charmander asked, hoping that this Caterpie didn't practice stranger danger.

(Why yes, if you head back the way you came and take a rig-)

The Caterpie was cut off as a bird swooped down and snatched it with its talons. Charmander could hear the bloody-curtailing scream of the caterpillar as a bird Pokémon with blue plumage, a red face and a white belly carried it away. Charmander knew that some Pokémon, in this case a Swellow, would snag Pokémon for their dinner, but she didn't expect to see it happen up close. She felt violently ill. Quickly, she turned around and sprinted back the way she came, snow be damned. She needed to get out of here. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far; she tripped.

(Ouch! What the hell was that for?) shrieked a small monkey-like Pokémon. This Pokémon had a pig-like nose, and semi long limbs. It was a very light brown colour, with darker brown hands and feet, and it wore a very annoyed expression on its face, while holding it's tail in discomfort. I guess that's what I tripped over. Better apologize, Charmander mused.

(I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to step on your tail. I'm lost in here, and I can't seem to find my way back to town. Will you help me?) she asked, hoping his tone earlier was just from the shock or frustration of having his tail stepped on. Unfortunately, she was getting the sense from the way he was glaring at her, that it wasn't.

(Oh we'll help you, right boys?) he snickered. Suddenly, two identical Pokémon emerged from the undergrowth. They glared at Charmander, before charging at her. She managed to duck out of the way of the two cronies, but the leader of the trio managed to connect with a kick to her face.

I don't think I can take all three of these guys. There's only one thing I can do, she thought. She let out a loud wail. It was her only hope; she knew what she needed.

(HELP!)

"HELP!"

As soon as he heard the cry for help, Chris couldn't help himself. He dashed towards the direction that he'd heard the cry coming from. I don't know what I can even do to help, but I've got to do something. I've done enough hurting lately; it's about time I do some helping! He wasn't the type to back down if he knew someone needed help. He didn't want that on his conscience.

As he raced through the forest, he began to slowly be able to make out figures in the distance. There were four Pokémon there, and he knew one of them. Charmander!

(Maybe next time you'll think twice before stepping on my tail, punk!)

(I said I was sorry! Please just let me go!)

If Chris didn't have adrenaline flowing through him right now, he may very well have fainted. I understood that! I understood them talking! Does that mean that Charmander was the one who called for help? And furthermore, how can I understand them? Humans can't understand Pokémon... he thought, utterly confused. I won't worry about this now; I need to save Charmander! I'll ask the professor about this later.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted. The Pokémon who had called Charmander a punk jumped back in surprise, and turned to face him. Chris assumed this one, a Pokémon called Mankey, to be the leader. The other two Mankey, its cronies, let out little yelps, before silencing as the leader glared at them. He turned back to Chris.

(Human! What business do you have here? We are taking care of a little problem, so if you wouldn't mind coming back later we'd be gla-) he was cut off as Chris charged at it. The leader had no time to react as it was kicked square across the face, sending him back about a metre or so. The other two Mankey gasped in disbelief, and ran over to their boss' side.

Chris looked on triumphantly at the leader, watching as he attempted to pick himself off the ground. He didn't want to take his eyes off the fallen Mankey, just in case he decided to test his luck again. The Mankey finally forced himself up, and turned to glare at Chris and Charmander, who had crawled behind Chris's leg for some extra safety.

(You're lucky your human came to save you, punk! And as for you, human! You will regret ever messing with us. We will be back, you hear me! I promise you!)

With that, the trio of angry Pokémon ran away, screaming like little girls who had lost their toys every step of the way. Hope nobody was trying to nap, Chris mused. Snickering at the thought of a hoard of angry Pokémon going after those Mankeys, he turned back to Charmander.

The young lizard was panting heavily, holding her ankle in obvious pain. He bent down to try and examine her ankle, but she smacked his hand away with her tail. A large layer of tears coated her eyes. I really hurt her, Chris mentally sighed.

(Did you come here to finish the job or something? Leave me alone!) Charmander shouted. (Haven't you hurt me enough?) Ignoring her pleas, Chris examined the ankle again. He was pretty sure it was sprained.

"You've hurt yourself; please let me help you. Look, Charmander, I'm sorry I was a jerk earlier. I honestly don't know what came over me," he added quickly. Before she resisted again, Chris quickly looked over her ankle, allowing him to confirm his suspicions. "You've sprained it; it's a good thing I bought some potion a few days ago for my journey, I guess."

(Why do you want to help me? Don't you hate me?) Charmander asked, her voice quivering. Her words hit Chris like a hammer to the chest. I really hurt her. I crushed her dreams. All she wanted was to be my Pokémon. All she wanted was to be my partner and friend. They say a Pokémon picks their trainer; she picked me, and I failed her.

"Of course not! I just reacted wrong in the heat of the moment. Hey, Charmander, I'd like to as-" Chris stopped abruptly as he was pelted in the face by a large ball of snow. "Oh no! The blizzard is here! We have to find shelter!"

Quickly perusing the area, Chris noticed a small, hollowed out tree. Not currently having the opportunity to be choosy, he scooped up Charmander, and ducked inside of it. Once inside, he sat himself down and put Charmander safely on his lap. He was pleasantly surprised at the amount of room they had in this makeshift shelter. I would never stop laughing if it turned out this was the home of those Mankeys, Chris snickered mentally.

(Chris, can you understand me?)

Well that was blunt, Chris thought. No point dodging it though, she couldn't exactly tell somebody else.

"I think so. I thought I was delusional at first, but I heard a scream for help and came running, only to find out you were the one who called it. I've never understood a Pokémon before today, but all of a sudden I seem to be able to understand you guys clear as day," he muttered, still confused about the whole situation himself.

(That's pretty neat. Whichever Pokémon gets you as a trainer is going to be very lucky,) she sighed, her sapphire eyes clouded over with sadness. Luckily for her, Chris had already made his decision.

"Well, I was thinking, I owe you an apology. I don't hate you or anything, my blow up earlier didn't really have anything to do with you. You didn't deserve it and I'm sorry. With all that said, I was kind of hoping that maybe you were still kind of maybe sort of thinking about maybe possibly being my Pokémon?" Chris stuttered out, embarrassed at how not smooth that was at all. He watched, as Charmander's eyes lit up like the fire on her tail. He had never seen anything, human or Pokémon, do that much of an emotional flip flop so fast.

(I knew you were going to say that!) Charmander cheered, the biggest grin plastered on her face. (I'd love to be your Pokémon. I felt a tug towards you when I met you. I felt like it was my destiny to be your Pokémon!) Gingerly, she pushed her body up and nuzzled her face against Chris's cheek, after which he couldn't help but blush a little bit.

"So it's settled then. You and me, we're going to be an unstoppable team Charmander!" Chris smiled. Besides, a butt-kicking Charizard will help me get over my Typhlosion fix real quick.

"So, Charmander, do you have a nickname? And you are a girl, right?" he asked, in an effort to learn more about his new partner. "I could call you Princess, especially if I'm going to have to keep saving you like that." Chris chuckled to himself with the last joke. He could see she was vaguely amused too.

(I do not have a nickname, nor do I wish to have one. I like the name Charmander, and yes, I am a girl,) she smiled sweetly. Her sapphire eyes were glittering with excitement.

"Charmander it is then," Chris declared.

(And, for the record, if you had called me Princess, you'd be the one needing to be saved,) she winked at him, causing him to laugh. He knew this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

"What do you say we get a little sleep, until the storm is over anyway," Chris suggested. He was completely exhausted, and could barely keep his chestnut brown eyes open.

(I guess you better wake up then,) Charmander declared cheekily. Chris poked his head out of the hollow tree, and his jaw dropped. How cliché is this, he thought to himself.

The blizzard was gone. Just as soon as it had begun, it ended. As Chris gazed upon the horizon, to where he saw the blizzard heading, he could have sworn he saw a large bird, flying in the middle of the storm. Probably just my imagination, he reassured himself. No way I'd see anything like that. I'm not special...

"They've been out there a long time, I'm really worried," Chris's mother cried. She had been waiting for hours to find out what happened to her son and the little Pokémon. She had been pulling at her dark brown hair, and her slender figure was drenched with sweat out of worry. Her dark brown eyes were watering.

"I'm sure they will be fine," Professor Hemlock said encouragingly, but even she wasn't sure. Suddenly, the doors burst open. Standing there was Chris, with the Charmander in his arms. They both had the biggest smiles on their faces.

"This is the Pokémon I want, Professor!" he declared. The professor smiled, she knew that would happen as soon as he ran after the little Pokémon.

"Perfect! Let me get you a Pokédex and some Poké Balls," she declared.

"Christopher Stanley Davis, what were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed!" his mother cried. Her eyes were on the verge of tears, although Chris couldn't tell if they were happy tears or not.

"I'm fine mom! Why don't you go home? I need to ask Professor Hemlock a question," he stated. His mother nodded, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and left through the front door. The professor returned momentarily.

"Here is Charmander's Poké Ball, as well as 5 others for catching more Pokémon. If you have more than 6 Pokémon on you, the next one you catch will be sent here. It won't be behind on training though, as I train the Pokémon left here. Now here is your Pokédex. You can use this to get information on Pokémon if necessary. My version of the Pokédex includes a special function. I can transfer Pokémon to you from anywhere with it, you don't even need to go to a computer. All you have to is send one back. That make sense?" she asked.

"Perfect sense, but I have a question for you. In the forest, I could understand what Charmander and other Pokémon were saying. Is that normal?" she looked shocked when he asked that.

"No, that's the first case I've heard of it? Are you sure you weren't imagining it?" when he nodded she continued. "Well, looks like you are a special case? When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," he said. "The First Gym is in Evertown right?

"Yes, the gym leader uses the ground type, so Charmander will be at a disadvantage." She said. Chris smiled lightly.

"Don't worry, we can take on anything, can't we, Charmander?" he looked at the flaming lizard, and was returned with a beaming smile and nod. Her sapphire eyes were glittering with excitement, she was ready too. Their adventure started tomorrow.