Setting:
•Violet City, Johto•
•Late February, The Day Prior•
•Silver POV•
Chapter Twenty-Four
Strength Without Bonds
Only one opponent now stood between Silver and the Flash TM that would allow him to challenge the gym leader for the Violet City badge—and more importantly, access to Union Cave so he could find Team Rocket in Azalea Town. The elder sage dressed in the black robes clearly appeared ready, and Silver was just as eager to get this over with.
"Bellsprout! Battle position!" Sage Li called as his Bellsprout appeared.
"Alright, guess I'll keep going with Croconaw. He can take out a Bellsprout easily enough. Go!" Silver called.
Croconaw leapt to battle with a war cry. The old Silver would have noticed the poor Pokémon panting. However, he was too fixated on getting that damn TM to pay any mind.
"I wouldn't send that Pokémon to battle if I were you. It appears to be worn out from its previous battles." The elder sage shook his head. "No matter. This will be a two on two match. No substitutions."
"Fine. Croconaw can handle itself. Water Gun!"
Croconaw let out a jet stream of water at the Bellsprout, aiming for its head.
"Dodge!"
The flower quickly darted away from the water, appearing behind Croconaw in an instant.
Didn't guess it to be so speedy. He thought wryly.
"Turn around!" Silver commanded to the blue reptilian Pokémon, who was looking around aimlessly trying to find the Bellsprout.
"Now, finish this! Vine Whip!" The Bellsprout lifted its rooted foot, and the instant Croconaw turned his head around to see his opponent, the foot connected with his head with such force, he was pushed into the ground, knocked out instantly.
"Tch. Whatever," Silver recalled Croconaw without another word. He then reached for Sneasel's pokeball. Two can play this speed game.
"Sneasel, let's go!"
Silver's first Pokémon appeared with a cry. The Pokémon was only about two years younger than Silver, himself. People often feared Silver's Sneasel. They were rumored to be very violent, vicious Pokémon, who many left alone for good measure if one were to just glimpse the Pokémon's claws.
His Sneasel was always kind-hearted, though. Until recently, Silver took pride in his first Pokémon. He used to love him like a sibling. Everything changed when Amber died. He'd been harsh on Sneasel as of late, who finally took the hint and drifted further from Silver.
He'd still listen to Silver, but he often stayed away when not taking orders. Silver did have to admit, though, its weak defense aside, his Sneasel did have incredible speed and attack stats, which he used well.
"Snease," replied his Pokémon, eyeing down the Bellsprout.
"Bellsprout! Use Razor Leaf!"
"Bell!" The Pokémon whipped its razor leaves at Sneasel.
"Dodge it!"
"Snee!" The black Pokémon swiftly dodged the leaves, getting within range of the Bellsprout.
"Slash!"
"Dodge!" The Bellsprout jumped back as Sneasel Slashed the air where Bellsprout had been an instant earlier.
"So this is a battle of speed…" Silver commented. "Try again!" Sneasel caught up with Bellsprout, Slashing at the Pokémon once more.
"Dodge again!" The Bellsprout jumped back even more.
"Keep it up, Sneasel!"
That Bellsprout keeps jumping back like that, then it'll eventually be pinned against the wall. Then we'll see. Silver strategized.
"Keep dodging!" The Bellsprout continued to jump back as Sneasel Slashed forward. Finally, the Pokémon was pinned against the wall, unable to jump back any more.
"Now, finish it! Night Slash!" Sneasel's claws glowed a sinister black as he sliced at the Bellsprout.
"Duck!" The Bellsprout listened just in time, and Sneasel's claws were stuck soundly in the wall.
"Useless! Get the Bellsprout!"
"Bellsprout, now! Use Vine Whip!" The sprout Pokémon lashed violently at Sneasel with its roots, while the dark Pokémon struggled to extract his claws from the wall.
"Retract your claws, dumb ass!" Silver growled.
"Snee!" The Pokémon did as his trainer told, and sure enough, he was unstuck.
"Now, finish this off. Blizzard!" Sneasel let out a powerful gust of frigid wind, with snow and hail forming as well, which pelted on the flower Pokémon.
The Bellsprout cried out in agony before soundly fainting on the spot. "Bellsprout! You fought well. You deserve a good rest," the sage recalled his Pokémon.
"You battle well, though you should treat your Pokémon with more respect. However, this battle is far from over. Hoothoot! Go!"
The owl Pokémon appeared with a cry. Silver merely smirked at the bird. Really? A Flying type? What kind of fool is this guy? Sneasel can one hit this thing for sure.
"Let's finish this before it starts. Blizzard!" Sneasel unleashed another powerful Blizzard, which was directed straight at the owl Pokémon.
"I don't think so! Uproar!" The owl quickly unleashed a loud racket, which caused Sneasel to cover his ears in pain, stopping the Blizzard, which only barely hit the Hoothoot.
"Don't just stand there! Night Slash!" Sneasel uncovered his ears and extracted his claws, which had bits of wood in them, causing the Pokémon to cry in pain from splinters.
"Come on, you wimp! A little wood isn't going to hurt you!" Sneasel carefully allowed his claws to grow dark, going in for the swipe.
"Hoothoot! Use your Peck!" The bird Pokémon flew in on Sneasel and pecked him soundly on the head, whereas Sneasel sliced upward, at where the attacker was flying.
Managing to knock the Pokémon out of the air, Silver decided to take the advantage. "Let's finish this. Sneasel, Quick Attack!"
"Hoothoot, Foresight!" The sage replied. The owl Pokémon's eyes turned red as it predicted Sneasel's location despite his incredible speed, allowing it to recover and fly just out of reach of the attack.
"Useless! Blizzard now! Teach that old man a thing or two about not being able to escape!" Sneasel quickly turned in the direction of the bird, and before it could use another Uproar, he not only unleashed Blizzard but also froze the bird nicely, disabling it.
"You've done well, Hoothoot. Get a good rest," the sage recalled his Pokémon and bowed respectfully to signify the battle was over.
That didn't go as well as planned. Sneasel is too weak.
"Next time I expect better from you," he returned the Pokémon to his ball.
The sage then approached him, holding a white disc in his hand. "You battled well, so I confer to you this Flash TM. However, I must say, you need to treat your Pokémon better. Pokémon are trusted partners in battle—not tools. You should care more about your Pokémon, or one day they may just turn on you."
"Hmph, save it old man." He snatched the TM from the man and stuffed it in his bag at his side. "Being kind and all that is for the weak. Being tough on them makes them tougher. Pokémon are meant for battling, anyway. Nothing more, nothing less."
Last thing I need is an old man telling me how to raise my Pokémon. After all, I won; he lost. I think I've proven that my method works well enough.
The sage then shot back, "You poor misguided soul. May you find the light from your dark actions some day and learn that there is more to Pokémon than just battling…"
At this, Silver couldn't help but roll his eyes. This man was taking things way too seriously for his taste. That, and he just sounded cheesy.
Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Silver turned his head to find none other than the wannabe rocker chick with the weird name and the stupid professor's assistant, both dressed like those idiotic sages. The girl was glaring menacingly at him. It reminded him a bit of the move Scary Face, though any Pokémon could pull that off much better than that girl.
Deciding that he might as well taunt the girl back to show that her "Intimidate" had no effect, he replied, "Well, well. Look what we have here. If it isn't that 'Wolf' girl and her little loser friend who works for that dumb Professor. And look, she's all dressed up too."
At that, he had to laugh at the absurdity of their clothing. The boy looked better in it than the girl. That Wolf girl, the outfit looked just plain ridiculous. The robe clearly exposed she was wearing a white undershirt, and the sweatpants were at least three sizes too big.
"Ah, you do have jokes, don't you Silver? It's a shame so much potential is going to waste. I can see what Sage Li is saying about you. I pity your Pokémon. Hell, I pity anyone who is close to you. With that attitude, I'm certain you must have quite afew friends." She said the last statement with so much sarcasm, he was certain it was meant as a personal attack.
Who is she to tell me how to treat my Pokémon? She's just a newbie. Besides, I don't need friends. All I need is to get rid of Team Rocket…
Then what? No. Don't even worry about that. Just worry about getting rid of Team Rocket for now. That's enough.
"Psh. Who needs friends, anyway? All I need is power. Once I'm the strongest trainer around, I'll be the one having the last laugh. Besides, just because you're dressed like one of those crazies, it doesn't give you the authority to tell me what to do, anyway. I simply won't listen. You train your way, and I'll train mine. In the end, I already know who will come out ahead as the stronger trainer," he retorted.
He could tell he had just crossed some line with the girl because the look in her eyes changed just a bit, and he was certain she was about to tell him off.
Just then, though, Sage Chow, who ushered her and the boy in, stopped her and interrupted. "My lady apprentice, please, that is enough. Violence begets violence. Do not take this boy's taunts, but simply let him go as is."
Silver merely smirked as the girl gave a resigned look at the sage, took a deep breath, and the look in her eyes disappeared. The boy accompanying her patted her shoulder sympathetically.
I wonder if there's something going on between those two…
From there, the sages turned their attention to the "apprentices" only to find out that they were actually there for the challenge. From there, the girl challenged Elder Sage Li to a battle for the TM as well.
Pissed at how the girl got out of battling ALL of the trainers except the head, he was hoping she'd lose the fight so he could dog her every chance he got. After all, if she did consider the issue of him "stealing" Totodile a "personal" one with her, then it'd just make his taunts more palpable for him.
Watching the battle, he saw the girl use an Umbreon against the man's Zubat. He was surprised that she'd have an evolved Pokémon—an Eeveelution no less. It pained him a little since Amber loved the Eeveelutions the best; she was an Eevee fanatic. He felt better to know Wolf's was obviously low level. The thing quickly went down to a Leech Life attack. Though while it may have been super effective, it was from a Zubat, which in his opinion was a weak Pokémon.
Watching to see which Pokémon she'd use next with a smirk on his face, he was quickly surprised to see another Eeveelution, Espeon, appear. This one was considerably stronger, as it had a psychic type move, although it was a weak one. The girl still skillfully had the Pokémon fling the bat at the wall, though, knocking it out.
Silver smirked even more to see the sage bring out a Haunter, which would have been a challenge to a psychic with its ghost type. However, it didn't seem to faze the girl any. She had her Pokémon use a move he never even knew an Espeon could learn, Wish, which restored its health.
She then used yet another move he didn't know an Espeon could know, Yawn, to put the Haunter to sleep. From there, he saw her exploit the Haunter's poison type with a psychic attack, and she actually had her Pokémon rock the Haunter to sleep, which surprised him, at least.
She sure is skilled for a rookie. Maybe it's just beginner's luck…or common sense. Hethought.
From there, the sage sent out a Weepinbell, which was a nice change from the normal Bellsprout scene for him at least, even if he wasn't the one battling. From there, he watched her battle go downhill. The Weepinbell quickly suppressed the Espeon's ability to Synchronize status problems, and before he knew it, it was fast asleep. Before the Pokémon fell asleep, she had the Pokémon use its healing move, but it didn't seem to help any, which made Silver smirk once more.
Betting that Chikorita would be up next, Silver was just about certain he'd have the satisfaction of seeing Wolf lose. Her next Pokémon surprised him. Not only was it a rare Pokémon, but also it was a rare Pokémon from the Hoenn region—a Mudkip, and it looked strong.
The Weepinbell gave it quite a beating, and since it was a water type, it got twice as much damage from Razor Leaf. He wasn't expecting the Pokémon to evolve suddenly into the more powerful Marshtomp. Right after that, he noted the healing move cast by Espeon took effect, leaving Marshtomp as good as new.
So, maybe it is strategy after all. Hmm…
From there, the Marshtomp swept the floor with a Blizzard that perhaps with enough practice could rival his Sneasel's Blizzard one day. From there, the sage praised the girl on the way she treated her Pokémon and gave her the white disc. He figured she must have needed it for a gym challenge as well.
I'll have to keep an eye out for this girl. I have a feeling I'll battle her again sometime. This was good for learning what to expect.
The sages then exited the room, leaving him alone with Wolf and Gold, who was talking to Wolf excitedly. Deciding this would be an opportune time to taunt the girl for getting through the tower without battling a single other trainer, he approached her, at which he noticed Gold back off as if to avoid him.
"Cheap trick…" He trailed off, which caused a look of confusion to cross Wolf's face.
"Excuse me?" She asked clearly not catching his drift.
It's going to be fun messing with her.
"The whole disguise…" He trailed off again, saying seriously.
A strange look crossed her face for a moment—a look of panic, almost—before she regained her composure and replied nonchalantly, "What disguise?"
She can't possibly be playing back at me.
"Don't act all ignorant. You know what I'm talking about," he replied sternly, letting his slight anger be clear.
"No, seriously… What disguise are you talking about?" Her voice was still light hearted, but it contained something else: a slight edge to it, as though she really had something to hide and thought he was in on it.
…Now what's that all about?
"Quit playing stupid with me, Wolf! Such a cheap trick… And you chastise me for stealing a run away Totodile and not treating my Pokémon with love. Here you are cutting corners. So pathetic!"
If she didn't catch MY drift by now, she's just stupid.
"Cutting corners?" She asked as though completely lost in the conversation. To prove her point, she tilted her head like a confused Growlithe.
Amber used to do that when confused… Maybe girls just do that in general, though? It sure makes her look stupid.
"Hmph, maybe you are just stupid after all. I'm talking about the whole apprentice disguise you and your little buddy there pulled in order to get passed the other trainers without battling them." He growled.
"Unlike me, who took them all on; I bet you wouldn't have survived, anyway. I took out his entire team with two Pokémon. Hell, I took this entire place with my Croconaw, and here you are still toting around that little Chikorita which hasn't even evolved yet. How pathetic!" He angrily stated.
"I did not do that on purpose! I would have battled if I had known I had to challenge all the trainers! I'm new to this region, thank-you-very-much. And, as for Chika? Who cares if she's still a Chikorita? She's happy, and she's strong the way she is!" He could hear the temper flare in her voice.
"How weak. Evolution is the only key to getting a Pokémon up to its full potential! Why have a Pokémon and not evolve it?! That's just doing things the hard way—which is for losers."
"Hard way?" She tilted her head again.
"If you don't understand, I really couldn't care less. Anyway, I'm off. I have a gym badge to earn while you waste time healing your weak Pokémon. See you around, losers!"
He hurried away tossing an escape rope out of the tower's top window and securing it so he could climb down. He needed to get away before he revealed anything. The last thing he needed was that annoying girl questioning him on things he may have said by mistake.
After climbing to the ground, he rolled up his rope, returned it to his bag on his side, and jogged in the direction of the Pokémon gym. He'd forego visiting the Pokémon center. His Pokémon could suck up their injuries just fine. Neither Croconaw nor Sneasel were seriously injured.
Finally reaching the gym, he noted it was late afternoon. The Sprout Tower had taken up too much of his time. Approaching the gym doors, he stood on the welcome mat as they automatically opened. Stepping inside, he noticed the massive space in the arena.
There was a battlefield on the ground, but there was a lot of room for a flying type to easily get an aerial advantage. The roof of the room was clear, which he saw the clouds overhead pass by lazily. Looking around the gymnasium-sized room, he searched for the leader. A man different from the man he saw earlier in the day approached him.
"I'm here to challenge the leader," stated Silver calmly.
The man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties and had a full-grown beard, shook his head in reply. "I'm afraid you missed him, then. Falkner is in Route 45 at the present moment. Someone spotted a Pidgeot with blue feathers flying around. Turns out it was wild, and it was injured on top of that. Falkner went to rescue and capture it. He should be back by tomorrow, though."
Silver sighed. "Guess I'll be back later, then." With that, he left the building without another word.
A Pidgeot with blue feathers, huh? He can keep it for all I care. So what if it was Amber's Pokémon? I let it go because it was weak. I have no room for the weak. Yeah. He can just keep it.
From there, Silver decided to head to the Pokémon center for the night, being cautious to avoid Wolf and Gold, for sure enough, he spied them out of the center's window on approach.
Waiting until they were in a different room—he guessed they were checking on her injured Pokémon—he entered the center, found a discreet corner, and sat.
A Chansey brought him some dinner, and he ate it wordlessly, thinking on what to do next. Knowing all he could do was wait, he finished his food and watched as Wolf and Gold returned to the center's main room, chatting. Bored, he decided to eavesdrop.
"I wonder when that Charmander egg of yours is going to hatch," Gold inquired.
"Dunno. According to the woman who gave it to me, it's been around for a few months, so I'm guessing soon? I thought Professor Elm studied eggs."
"He does. I just became his assistant, though, so really, I'm clueless."
"Heh. It's okay. We all gotta start from somewhere, right? I mean, look at me. Nineteen and just starting as a trainer. Man, I feel like I've been wasting my life."
"Oh wow, you're nineteen?"
"Yep. How old are you, Gold?"
"I'm fifteen. My birthday was just a few weeks ago. You don't mind me hanging around until that egg hatches, do you? I don't want to like, bug you, or anything."
Wolf laughed good-naturedly. "Puh-leeze, you don't bother me. I've met way worse people than you. Just take that Silver guy for example. He's a real jerk."
"Yeah. I really thought you were about to punch him or something earlier today."
Now that they were talking about him, his interest really was piqued.
"It's a good thing that sage stopped me before I started. I would've ended up regretting what I was going to do, or at least I have a feeling I would have."
"Really?"
"Yeah," she laughed. "People who don't care about their Pokémon really bug me the most. I can't understand how anyone would treat Pokémon as just mere tools of war. Only criminals would stoop so low."
"Yeah, I agree there. Well, that guy is a criminal after all. He did steal Totodile."
"Yeah, he did…" She trailed off.
"Which reminds me, how come he didn't get arrested yet? I mean your dad IS a police officer. I thought you gave him the guy's info and everything."
Wolfe sighed. "Eh, I guess it's a bit harder than that, Gold. I'm sure the police are doing everything they can to get Croconaw back and to apprehend that jerk. Too bad I don't have a police badge. I know he's got a warrant out for his arrest," she laughed.
So her dad is a police officer? She really could be a powerful enemy, then. I'll have to watch myself around her. Shit…and I have a warrant? Smart going, Silver…
Gold laughed in unison. "Hah! We run into him so much, we could easily bring him in. Maybe we should tip off the cops or something, tell them we saw him here today."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea. I guess I could call my dad. I'll be a sec, okay Gold?"
With that, Wolf got up and walked to another corner of the room—one that was actually closer to Silver's booth. She sat down on a booth facing away from him. Obviously she didn't notice him.
He could hear her dial a number as her pokegear then began to ring. A female voice picked up. "Viridian Police. How may I help you?"
"This is Wolf. I'd like to talk to Mr. DS, please."
"One moment," the female voice responded. A minute passed as Wolf was obviously put on hold.
Finally, a gruff, male voice responded. "This is DS. May I help you?"
"D, its me, Wolf," she replied.
Interesting name. Wonder what is stands for. Silver admitted maybe the voice on the other end did sound familiar somehow.
At that, the man's tone softened a little. "Oh, hey. It's about time you called. How are you?"
"I'm doing fine. I can't really talk since I'm at a Pokémon Center, though," she replied.
Can't talk? She's the one who called him…
"So you're in Johto, huh?"
"Violet City, actually. Plan on taking on the gym tomorrow."
"Oh, good luck! Got any electric types?"
"Nope. 'Fraid not. I'll be fine, though. My Marshtomp knows Blizzard," she replied happily.
"Oh, impressive. So, what can I do for you?"
"I need you to relay a message to my dad, if you don't mind."
"Sure thing, what is it?"
"Please make sure NO ONE gets the message except him, understood?"
"Wait a second, let me get in a closed room alone, then you can tell me."
"Okay." She waited as Silver could hear the opening and slamming of doors, chattering, phones ringing, and other background noises.
Finally, the man replied, "Okay, go ahead."
"Tell him I spotted Silver today in Violet City. He took the Sprout Tower challenge. Apparently he's taking on the Johto gyms. I guess by now he already has his first badge."
"Wait. Silver as in…?" The voice sounded like it knew more than he let on, or maybe Silver was being paranoid.
"Yeah. Silver…as in the guy who stole the Totodile from Professor Elm. It's a Croconaw now."
"I see," replied the man grimly. "I'll make certain to deliver the message. He comes back in a few days. Actually, I think it's very possible that he's at home right now. You could try calling your house to find out."
"Oh," she replied with a shocked tone. "That's unusual for him. I thought he went back to work days ago. But okay. Thanks, sir. Wolf out."
With that, Silver heard her hang up and dial another number.
This is proving to be very useful. Looks like Wolf is trying to get me arrested. Too bad she's wasting her time. Can't arrest me if I didn't commit a crime. I'll fight that warrant if it comes down to it. He smirked.
"Hello, Mom?"
A female voice replied, "Oh hey, Sweetie! Where are you right now?"
"I'm at the Pokémon Center in Violet City."
"Oh!! I so envy you! The Sprout Tower is there! Such a historical landmark! I'd love to see it. Take a picture of it for me, will you?"
Wolf sighed. "Sure, Mom. I was there earlier. I needed to do a challenge there so I could challenge the leader, which I'll be challenging tomorrow."
"Oh, good luck! I'm sure you'll be fine with that little Chikorita. You always were fine before."
Wolf cleared her throat at that statement.
"Oh, sorry! I keep forgetting! You know I don't mean to. I just worry about my little girl, that's all."
"Mom, I'm nineteen. You and I both know I can take care of myself, but thanks, anyway," Wolf sighed. "So anyway, is Dad home? I called HQ, and D said that Dad might just be home."
"Oh, yes he is! Let me go get him, he was feeding Rep—err Arcanine."
At that Silver watched Wolf face palm, which caused him to smirk in amusement. She certainly was interesting.
"Honey! Your daughter is on the phone!" In the background, Silver could hear a large sounding dog barking enthusiastically.
"Down, boy! Don't lick me! Gah!" A loud crash was heard on the line, and a panting dog could easily be heard over the speaker. It really sounded like a behemoth.
"Hey, boy! I missed you too!" Wolf replied enthusiastically to the dog.
So she has a pet… Guess that explains why she is a newbie and yet decent with Pokémon at the same time.
The dog barked.
"You're not causing any trouble, now, are you?"
The dog barked in reply.
"You better not be," she laughed. "Hey! Don't lick the screen! You silly canine!" She laughed some more. This laugh was different from the snarky laughs he had heard from her before; it was musical, rich, and youthful. It sounded familiar, too, though he daren't even compare this wannabe with Amber. Amber was clearly better than Wolf would ever be.
Then, the man's voice piped up again. "Sorry about that. He was so enthused to hear you were on the phone. He misses you."
She sighed. "I miss him too, Dad. I really wish I could take him with me. I could use a fire type on the team. I know you use him for work, though, and I'd never dream of causing him any harm. He's needed right where he is, I know. I still wish I could hug you, boy. You're the softest Pokémon I know," she added to the dog, which barked in reply.
"Okay, boy, go outside now. Wolf and I need to speak alone, I take it." The man stated. Silver could've sworn he heard his voice before, too.
"Yeah," she lowered her voice to where Silver could barely make out the words.
"Today…saw Silver… Sprout Tower…guess…team…I'm not sure."
Silver contorted his face, trying to strain his ears to hear more.
The man replied. "I see. Seems like I have quite a job ahead of me, then. Thanks for letting me know. Please keep me posted if this occurs again. I'll make sure there's an end to it once and for all."
"Thanks, Dad," she sighed. "I don't get it… That poor Sneasel of his. I feel so bad for it. That Croconaw, too. I just don't get why some people," and she lowered her voice again. "Pokémon…unfair…cruel…give respect. I mean…respect…" she sighed.
"He's changed…" She trailed off.
What's that supposed to mean? She doesn't know me so obviously she's not talking about me. Eh, what do I care?
"Okay Sweetie, well, I'll let you go now. Good luck with that gym match tomorrow. Knock those birds out the sky, kiddo."
She laughed, "Will do, Dad."
With that, she hung up, got up, and walked back to where Gold was dozing off on the sofa facing away from Silver's position. All this time, his spying really had gone unnoticed.
"So, how'd that go?" Gold asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I did all I could do. Now we just wait and see," she replied.
They both went silent for some time, staring off into space. Silver was certain Gold fell asleep, but he could tell Wolf was awake, probably lost in thought. Knowing he'd have to wait for her to fall asleep in order to leave the center before getting caught, he simply sat and waited, watching outside as he did so.
The phone conversations from Wolf intrigued him. When combining them with her reaction earlier about an identity, even though he meant being an apprentice, it made her seem even fishier than before.
Something is definitely up with that girl. I don't know what, but it better not interfere with my plans. I don't like how she has connections to the police and seems to want me arrested.
Maybe I should do something about it, like steal her pokegear so she can't make calls. I bet she doesn't have all of those phone numbers memorized.
Finally, Wolf yawned, checked the clock, and shook Gold's shoulder, who was sleeping sitting up. "Hey, I'm off to bed. Feel free to take the whole sofa. I'm going to sleep on the floor until a room empties."
Gold, halfway awake, nodded, let his Cyndaquil out, and fell right asleep again without a pillow or blanket. His Cyndaquil stared at him.
Wolf then picked up the Cyndaquil and stroked its fur soothingly. "Guess I'll have to take care of your trainer for you, huh?" She smiled.
Setting Cyndaquil down on a nearby table, she located the large pillow on the opposite end of the sofa and placed it under Gold's head. Borrowing a blanket from Nurse Joy, she covered the boy then set the Cyndaquil on top of him.
"Sleep well, little guy," she stated to the Cyndaquil before lying down on the floor on her back, using her arms as a pillow. He could see her stare at the ceiling for at least a good hour before she drifted off. If he were to steal her pokegear, now was the time to do it.
Getting up, he stood in front of the sleeping Wolf. She looked peaceful sleeping, without that edge that she normally had to her. Maybe in a different lifetime, they could have been friends, though Silver was certain he'd never find another friend like Amber again.
Seeing Wolf sleep with a smile on her face, he couldn't bring himself to do the job of stealing the pokegear.
I'm over thinking this all, anyway. She's harmless—just a rookie trainer. Besides, stealing the gear would more than likely wake her up, from the way she's sleeping.
Bad idea, Silver. Just get out of here.
Turning around to leave, he was frozen still by a voice. "Silv?"
He could swear he heard Amber. Frozen in fear, he looked back to see Wolf was still sound asleep, so there was no way it had come from her.
Looking around, he saw no one but the sleeping Wolf, the sleeping Gold, and the sleeping Cyndaquil.
You're really letting things get to you today, Silver. Snap out of it. She's dead. You still can't be shaken from that Gastly's antics earlier.
Pathetic wimp. Move on. You need rest. Just get out of here.
With that, he hurried out of the center's doors, not looking behind him. Deciding to stay at a run down hotel for the night, he quickly fell asleep on the sofa in the lobby, not even bothering to check into a room.