Making Memories

(Valentines Randomness Week Part 1)

Fandom: Pokémon

Ship: Silver x N (ChristmasColouredShipping)

Main Prompt: One or both characters are making a video journal

Opening Line Prompt: "Most vivid amongst the memories of his home town…"

Setting Prompt: A coffee shop

Most vivid amongst the memories of his home town was not the dense forest on all sides, nor the quaint and cosy atmosphere of the diminutive city proper. No, what Silver remembered most clearly about his old childhood home was how soul-crushingly alone he had been.

Giovanni (he refused to call that man Father, even after all these years) had never been particularly present in his life growing up. Always busy with "business matters" that he never elaborated on, he preferred to leave Silver in the care of whoever he could strongarm into babysitting duty. An endless parade of nannies and au pairs, each more distant and forgettable than the last, who only paid enough attention to him to ensure he was fed and in bed by night-time.

School was never on the cards. Silver asked a few times if he could go with all the other kids, but Giovanni was quite insistent that Silver be educated by tutor instead. Again, a parade of disinterested faces he could never be bothered to remember, tasking him to read this and write that and never listening to any of Silver's questions.

Friends? Equally out of the question. It was a rare day Silver was even allowed outside, and never unaccompanied. None of the other kids in town wanted to play with the boy who was always shadowed by strange men and women in strange outfits. They whispered amongst themselves, probably told all manner of made-up tales about the red-headed boy who they saw sometimes, but they never said a word to Silver.

And then, of course, there was the day everything changed. The day Silver learnt the truth about Giovanni and his "business matters". The truth about what Team Rocket had been doing all that time. Suddenly it made sense. Silver had been kept hidden away and ignorant of the reality of it all, because Giovanni couldn't let Silver become a weak link his enemies could exploit.

No school, because Silver had to be kept away from the truth.

No friends, because all the kids knew the truth, that Silver was the son of a criminal and they shouldn't go near him.

No freedom, because Giovanni couldn't let Silver get in his way.

Not that it mattered in the end. A trainer, a kid not much older than Silver himself had been at the time, brought Team Rocket and all Giovanni's grand plans crashing down regardless.

And then he left.

Giovanni left. Walked out and never came back.

And Silver, stupid little kid he had been, went looking for him.

He was finally free, and what did he do? Waste two years of his life searching for a man who had never shown him an ounce of love or affection. He was free to walk the length and breadth of Kanto, of Johto and more, and he couldn't even enjoy that.

Loneliness turned to desperation. Desperation then turned to anger. Anger drove Silver onwards. Anger at Giovanni, at Team Rocket, at the world and at everyone else. After a while he didn't even know who or what he was supposed to be angry with anymore, but the anger just wouldn't go away.

He stole. He lied and cheated. He chased after power, pushing himself to be strong, pushing the Pokémon he stole and caught and trained too hard and too far…

It took Silver far too long to realise what he had become, but when he finally stopped, when Ethan and Lance and Claire and the Professor finally managed to get through to him, he could only reflect in shame at all he had done.

They forgave him, because they were good people. They said they saw good in him as well, because they liked to believe in people like that. Ethan especially was adamant that Silver was his friend, no matter how often Silver said otherwise.

(Even though hearing someone say that to him made him feel happier than he could ever remember being).

So Silver decided to start again, in a way. He set out on another journey. This time, no anger clouding his mind, and no stupid notions of finding that worthless excuse of a parent. This time Silver was just going to enjoy his freedom, dammit.

He surfed to the Whirl Islands with Feraligatr, just to see what he could find. He sought out a Razor Claw for Sneasel so she could evolve. He soared through the skies with Crobat, just to feel the wind in his face and see what it all looked like from up high. He even started properly earning gym badges, if only so he had an excuse to challenge Ethan again.

Silver took his time. A few years of exploring Johto up and down, battling for fun, catching new Pokémon to raise and travel with. No plans, no goals, just enjoying each day as it came. He even picked up photography as a hobby. He had several journals filled with pictures he had taken on his travels, mostly of the scenery, but he had a fair few photos of wild Pokémon he had encountered as well.

Then one day, out of the blue, he received a phone call from none other than Professor freaking Oak, asking him to come to Kanto and collect a Pokédex.

A Pokédex!

He was getting a Pokédex!

A part of him still felt like he didn't deserve something so precious, but the child inside him, the small boy who once upon a time had dreamt of being a great trainer, jumped at the offer.

(Calmly. He accepted Professor Oak's offer in a calm and dignified manner. Regardless of what Ethan said otherwise. He certainly did not fist-pump and jump in the air cheering after he finished talking on the phone. That was just Ethan trying to embarrass him).

So Silver made the journey to Kanto. Rode the magnet train from Goldenrod to Saffron, and then began making his way to Pallet Town.

But Crobat could only fly so much, and Silver didn't want his partner to hurt himself, so as the sun dipped below the horizon they landed in a small city Silver spotted on the edge of a forest and went in search of a place to rest for the night.

And that was when Silver realised belatedly where exactly had had just landed.

About two seconds later, a passing woman hastily covered her young daughter's ears as Silver loudly and profanely made his displeasure known to all the inhabitants of Viridian City.

"I'm terribly sorry, but all of our beds are taken at present."

The Nurse Joy behind the counter offered Silver a sympathetic smile, while Silver fought to keep his eye from twitching.

"Would it be alright if I just slept here in the reception area for one night?" he asked slowly.

The Nurse Joy seemed to ponder this for a moment. "We usually don't let people sleep in the main reception area…"

Silver knew, logically, that this was just bad timing on his part. It wasn't like this was even the first time something like this had happened. Pokémon Centres sometimes just didn't have beds open, it wasn't a big deal.

But Silver wasn't exactly running on logic at the moment. He was back in a city he had hoped to never see again for as long as he lived, and it was souring his mood considerably.

Nonetheless, he did his best to remain civil.

"I won't make a mess, and I'll be quiet. Can I please just get some sleep?"

After a moment's pause, the Nurse Joy nodded.

"If anyone asks, you're waiting for a friend." She gestured to the lounge area, and Silver gratefully nodded back before dragging himself to the couches and falling onto the closest one.

One night. He could handle one night. He would just get some rest, let Crobat get his strength back, and as soon as morning came they would get the heck out of here without looking back.

I need a new tent. Stupid Ethan's stupid Typhlosion setting my last one on fire…

Closing his eyes, Silver let out a huff and did his best to get comfortable on the aging couch. He found himself wondering briefly if this couch had been here since he was a kid, but quickly shoved that thought as far down into the depths of his mind as he could.

He was not about to start dwelling on the past. Nope. Not at all. He was going to sleep, and then he was going to leave, and that would be it.

…

…

…

"Dammit."

Nope, he couldn't do this. He couldn't stay here, not when it felt like a thousand tiny Spinarak were crawling over his skin just from sitting on a stupid couch.

Ignoring the Nurse Joy's confused words, Silver stormed out of the Pokémon Centre and made a Beedrill-line straight for the small coffee shop he remembered being next-door to the Gym.

It was a solid plan, in his mind. Dose up on coffee, grab an extra one to go, and walk to Pallet Town. It was straight south through the Viridian Forest. If he made good time he could be there by morning, and if he ran into any trouble, Weavile preferred fighting at night anyway.

No need to stay in the city at all, really.

Silver was losing the fight against his twitching eye, and he was very close to losing his patience entirely.

"Is there a problem?" the barista asked politely.

Yes, there was. Some way, somehow, in the time between leaving the Pokémon Centre and arriving at the coffee shop, Silver had managed to lose his wallet.

It took all of his remaining willpower to keep from swearing loudly once again as he realised his pocket was empty.

That settled it. This awful city was cursed.

"Excuse me?"

A voice, and a tap on his shoulder. Silver turned around, about to snap at whoever was behind him-

He stopped.

"Is this yours? I think you dropped it."

He was a little taller than Silver, and his hair was a lot longer, a cascade of green underneath a monochrome cap, tied back into a thick ponytail. Bright blue eyes, and an easy smile, and he was holding his hand out towards…

Silver blinked, then looked down at the wallet held in this boy's hand. It was his wallet.

"Uh… yeah. That's mine."

Taking the wallet back, Silver turned back towards the barista, who was also smiling at him… no, wait. She was smirking.

"Just… here." Silver thrust the money at her, scowling as her smirk seemed to widen even as she rang up his order.

"Take a seat. I'll let you know when your drinks are ready."

"Sure," he huffed as he made his way towards a table by the window.

Since it was pretty late, the coffee shop was fairly empty. Only one other table was taken, its sole occupant reading something on their phone as they drank.

He clearly had the right idea.

Silver was not one for any sort of social media or other such nonsense, but he did have a few e-books he'd downloaded. Another hobby he had picked up fairly recently.

But before he could load something up, his attention was drawn by the sound of someone softly clearing their throat beside him, causing him to look up from his phone.

"The lady behind the counter said you forgot your change."

Silver stared up the green-haired boy, who was once again holding his hand out towards him, this time with several coins in his palm.

Once again, it took Silver a moment to reply.

"I did?"

The green-haired boy placed the coins down on the table, still smiling an easy smile as before. "Are you alright? You seem a little out-of-sorts."

"I'm fine," Silver responded automatically. "Thank-you. For the change."

"That's quite alright," said the boy. "May I ask you something else?"

"What is it?"

"Are you from around these parts? I've just arrived here not long ago and I'm a little unsure of the area still."

Silver's brow furrowed as he considered the boy's question.

No, I'm not from around here. Ask someone else, was what he thought about saying.

"I used to live here, but that was a long time ago," was what he said instead.

The boy raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? What brings you back to your old home, then? Visiting someone?"

"I'm just passing through," Silver replied again, somehow unable to stop himself from talking. "I'm not staying long."

"I see… May I join you? At this table, I mean."

No, get lost.

"Sure, why not?"

What am I doing!?

The boy took the seat opposite Silver. That easy smile never once leaving his face. He pulled off his cap and set it down beside him, and place the bag he had been carrying on the ground beside the table.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe I caught your name," he asked.

"It's Silver," Silver replied, much more casually than he usually did when asked his name. "Yours?"

"I'm N."

It was Silver's turn to raise an eyebrow now. "Just N? Really?"

"It's what I prefer to go by," N explained with a shrug. "So where are you headed?"

This boy, N, was very direct. A fast talker, too. Even so, Silver found himself responding to his questions regardless.

"Pallet Town." Silver was pretty direct too. Not one to waste words.

"Are you visiting someone there?"

"Professor Oak."

"The Pokémon Professor?"

"Yep."

"Are you one of his assistants?"

"No…" Silver paused. "Well, I guess I might be."

"Might be?"

Silver smiled. "I'm getting a Pokédex from him."

"A Pokédex!?" N exclaimed. "My friend Hilda has one of those. She helps Professor Juniper with her research back in Unova."

Silver sat up a bit more in his seat at that, his interest now definitely piqued. "Unova? Is that where you're from?"

N nodded. "Yes. Though I'm afraid I can't say exactly where in Unova I hail from, as I'm afraid I am not so sure myself."

Silver almost asked about that, but decided better of it and said nothing. He couldn't be sure, but something in N's voice just then told him that that was a sore subject in some way. His easy smile had slipped for a moment, and his eyes seemed to darken.

Silver could understand not wanting to dwell on things like that.

"So why come to Kanto?" he asked instead.

N brightened back up. "It was Hilda's idea, actually. She suggested I travel around the world and see what I missed. It's been great meeting Pokémon from other regions, I've been learning so much."

Silver smiled. That did sound great. Fantastic, even. Whoever Hilda was, she was a good friend to encourage N to travel like that.

"So how do Kanto Pokémon compare to Unova Pokémon?"

N seemed to brighten up even more, his eyes lighting up with something akin to childlike glee.

"They're so different! So many that you would never see in Unova."

"Well, have you been to Johto yet?"

N shook his head. "No, I haven't, but I will. I want to travel the whole world, see everything there is to see. I won't return to Unova until I've visited every other region, that's what I promised Hilda."

Silver's smile widened into a smirk of his own. "Well, how about I give you a preview?"

Removing a Pokéball from his belt, Silver turned and released Feraligatr beside them.

"Gator!"

N rose from his seat at once, his eyes almost looking like there were stars in them, and Silver felt his cheeks warm a little at the sight.

"Oh, you are beautiful!" N gushed. "From Johto, are you? It's wonderful to meet you!"

Feraligatr growled happily at the praise, preening and posing like the show-off he was.

Silver reached over to pat Feraligatr's arm. "Been with me for a while, haven't' you?"

"I can tell," N commented. "He adores you."

"Excuse me?"

Silver saw the barista standing off to the side, tray of drinks in hand. "Your orders are done. Here you go!"

She set the tray down on the table, and Silver could see sure enough that there was a second set of drinks there.

The barista then smirked, winked at him, and returned to the counter.

Briefly, Silver wondered how much trouble he would get into if he had Feraligatr blast that meddling woman with a Hydro Pump.

"Hey, you."

Silver leaned around Feraligatr to see who had called out to him, and saw that it was the boy on the other table, the one with spiky orange hair and a black denim shirt.

"You a trainer?"

Silver levelled the boy with a deadpan stare. "What do you think?"

The boy grinned. "Blastoise and I still have some energy to burn off after today. What do you say, up for a battle?"

At any other time, Silver would have been raring to go. Feraligatr clearly was, given that he was rearing up and giving this new challenger a growl of defiance. But at that moment, Silver found that he was… reluctant. He… wanted to keep talking with N. Maybe ask him about the other regions he had visited and the Pokémon he had seen. Maybe ask if he could meet some of N's Pokémon. Maybe ask about Unova, or about what he had done on his travels. Maybe show some of the photos he had taken-

"Can I watch?"

Silver looked back at N. "Huh?"

How eloquent.

"May I watch your battle?" N asked again. "And if it's alright with you, may I record it as well?"

"Huh?" Silver said again, apparently still unable to actually say words for the moment.

N picked up his bag and withdrew a camera from within. "I've been keeping a video log while on my journey. Recording things so I have something to share when I get back. If it's not too much trouble, would it be OK if I recorded your battle?"

"Fine by me," the challenger replied. "You're friends back home will get to watch something cool, I can promise you that."

Silver's competitive fire returned to him upon hearing that, and he too rose from his seat, staring down this boy with a confident smirk.

"Yeah, they sure will. Right, Feraligatr?"

His partner reared their head back and roared out a battle cry in response.

"Then I, Gym Leader Blue of Viridian City, will take you on!"

Gym Leader?

Silver supposed someone had to have replaced Giovanni at some point. But did that mean they would have to go inside…?

"Thank-you!"

Silver looked back at N, who was smiling widely, video camera in hand, eyes lit up like stars and almost vibrating with apparent excitement.

"Then let's do this, Gym Leader."

Silver had few-to-no good memories of Viridian City, and none at all of the Gym Giovanni had been in charge of.

But after tonight, he felt like he might finally have at least one good memory about this place.

Hello all! If you're a new reader of my work, welcome! If you're someone who's seen my other stuff before, welcome back! I'm Not Scot.

A few days ago, an idea came to me as I was wondering if I should write something fluffy for Valentines day: I wanted to challenge myself and do something a bit different. So, I put the names of a bunch of characters from a bunch of series I'm a fan of into a random name selector, then used some random prompt generators to give me plots, settings and opening lines to use.

A few spins of the wheel later, and the prompts listed above in the first A/N were what came out. So I decided to run with it, and here we are.

And this is just the start. All this week, every day, I am going to be writing and uploading a new short-fic following whatever the random generators spit out at me. There might be more Pokémon, or Owl House, or Toaruverse, or a bunch of other stuff. Who knows? All I know is that I'm gonna have some fun with this.

If you liked this one, then check back in tomorrow for a new fic, whatever that winds up being. Leave a comment/review if you feel so inclined, and I'll see you all again soon.

Until next time,

Not Scot.

P.S: I'm still working on 'RWBY Re:Mixed' and 'Family', don't worry. I just want to do something a bit different to refresh myself. Hope you like it!