Silver Lined Rival

From the outside, it might have appeared as though the gym trainer was ‘spacing out.’ He’d brought his right hand to the side of his head, touching his ear, as though he were focusing his telepathy — he truly was.

On the other side, the gym’s master waited. Her orders were simple, brief, as she moved from her usual perch, that red velvet throne of hers, to another safe and comfortable room of hers, a reception room reserved for guests she actually wanted. Red and black were the strongest colors throughout the room: a sleek black, modern coffee table rest between a red love seat and a single chair.

She would keep standing not to far from the teleportation pad tucked close by discreetly away from the actual door, at the corner of the room, that had been lit up from the moment she’d arrived. Her arms were folded; her left hand rapped against her arm, as the barest hints of an earnest smile reached her lips. 

The gym trainer pulled their hand away from their head, glancing over at the red haired boy, bowing his head before moving away. Just as he moved, the light from the teleportation pad had flickered, changing from its usual pale green glow to bright lavender. 

“Master Sabrina will see you now.”

Silver gave the gym trainer a silent nod of thanks before he stepped forward onto the teleportation plate. Although he had teleported plenty of times over the years the sensation still made him uncomfortable. He took a brief moment to take a breath and recollect himself after he stopped off the pad.

He was slightly taller than her now, but beyond looking more mature nothing much was different about him. His red hair was kept at shoulder length, the clothes he wore were still dark in color to contrast his hair, and his grey eyes still looked sharp and determined.

“Good afternoon, big sister.” Silver said with a bow, formalities first as always. When he straightened up there was a small smile on his face. 

Once Silver was rested from his jet lag it was time to continue his itinerary of visits. He could have simply called or texted to let everyone know that he was back in Kanto, but seeing his friends, family, and acquaintances in person was more... well, personal. Besides, he needed to reacquaint himself with the region. A lot had changed in the five years he was gone. Cities and towns expanded, business he used to frequent were gone more often than not, and new people of all sorts were part of the crowds. 

Fuchsia City was no stranger to change. It embraced it but still held tight to its historic past. Silver was here today to visit the Fuchsia Gym, home of another Gym Leader Silver considered his sibling, Janine.

However, as Silver neared the grounds he heard another familiar voice. An older male’s, calling out orders to his pokemon. On a lot with an open field there was a man that Silver easily recognized.

The young man hopped over the short fence and waved to get the E4 member’s attention.

The Dragon’s Den was one of Silver’s favorite places. His younger self hadn’t quite appreciated it like he could now. It was the kind of area he preferred. Quiet, cool even in the summer, and with only a handful of people at any given time. It was a retreat that few had access to. One that he probably would have been barred from if he hadn’t bettered himself.

He was on his way out of the den when someone in the entryway blocked his path. Silver’s expression turned into one of annoyance when he realized who was in his way: Ethan. Of all the times Silver was going to run into one of his old rivals of course it would be while he was in the middle of something important.

Coiled up in his arms was a Dratini. He found the pokemon washed up on the shore of a far corner of the den. Sick, or injured, Silver wasn’t sure, all he knew was that he needed to get it help if it was to survive.

Backyard Flower Garden Questions

Salvia-May-Night: What your habits/rituals you do when preparing for bed? How long do you usually sleep for?

After his evening hygiene routine Silver will settle for bed by reading. This is much easier for him after he got an E-Reader as now he can have a library at his fingertips in one device instead of picking a small book that wouldn’t last him very long.

As for how long he sleeps, that varies greatly. Silver suffers from insomnia that comes and goes.

Ornamental Purslane: Do you wear any jewelry? Which ones are your favorites? Do you favor certain metals/gems/styles?

Silver does not wear any jewlery. He has no piercings for earrings and the like. He tends to wear gloves which doesn’t lend itself to wearing rings. And he doesn’t like the possibility of wearing necklaces or bracelets that could potentially get caught on something. He’d rather use his phone for time instead of a watch on his wrist (also a fancy wristwatch reminds him of Giovanni).

The closest thing to jewelry he’d wear would be a nice pair of cuff links if he needed to dress formally.

Flowering Cabbage: Name one thing you keep, despite it being pointless or purposeless other than sentimental value or you simply cannot throw it away, and state the reason why you hang onto it.

Backyard Flower Garden Questions

Ageratum: Are you friendly or wary of strangers?

Growing up with Team Rocket consisting the entirety of his family, it’s only natural that Silver was taught to be wary of strangers. While only those most loyal to the Boss were allowed the privilege of aiding in Silver’s care, everyone was still to be regarded with some degree of suspicion in the event one turned out to be a traitor. Still, those he did choose to trust he trusted with his life.

Silver is still wary of strangers, and keeps most people at arms length. Anyone desiring to become Silver’s friend must first endure an initial and often lengthy acquaintance screening process before he can consider them a friend.

Snapdragon: What sort of things would you hoard, if given the chance? Would you?

Books. Without a doubt Silver would hoard books. Libraries were his lifeline after he ran away from home. The sight of a wall full of books and the smell of their pages are a comfort to him. He would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to sit down and surround himself with a literal fort made from stacks of books.

Sunflower: Name one thing that will always make you smile.

Backyard Flower Garden Questions

Silver has been on both the giving and receiving end of a black eye. He is no stranger to getting into physical fights. Throwing a punch provides the instant gratification that a pokemon battle can’t. 

This was more likely to happen during his Johto journey, as Silver was full of anger and frustration because of his tendency to lose to his rivals. PokéGods help the rambunctious trainer who would’t take no for an answer to battle after Silver suffered a loss.

Deciding who Silver was going to see first was easy. From the airport it was only a train ride away to Saffron, and the Gym. If anyone would be instinctively expecting him, it would be his “big sister” Sabrina. Which would be just as well, Silver was tired from his flight and tired of carrying around his duffel bag.

It was apparent to the gym trainer at the door that the young man who walked in was not there to challenge them.

After an eight hour long flight Silver’s feet finally touched Kanto ground once he left the airport. The last time he was in this region was over five years ago. While he had stayed in contact with some during his travels, he hadn’t told anyone he was returning. 

The decision to return to the Tohjo area was relatively sudden. It wasn’t homesickness, not in the least. It was another feeling that he got when one day he was looking over his collection of pokemon hanging out on the Poké Pelago. He felt a sense that it was finally time. That he and his pokemon were ready to face the challenges he left unfinished in his home region and its neighbor. 

It’s eight years in between GSC/HGSS and SM. That begs the question: What has Silver done in that time?

Running away from Giovanni and living on his own at such a young age left him angry and bitter, contributing to his bad attitude during his Johto journey. After Team Rocket’s second fall and his humbling by Lance and the protags, Silver’s anger has cooled off and his focus turns inward to himself and his bond with his pokemon. Becoming Strong™ is still on his mind, but it’s less of an obsession by the end of the game.

After the events of the game (now 12yo), Silver stays in Kanto to challenge the Gym Leaders there. He stops before facing the Viridian City Gym due to conflicting feelings over battling in Giovanni’s old Gym and having to face the trainer who, in Silver’s mind at the time, did not properly earn the right to the position. Instead, Silver skips over the Viridian Gym and challenges the E4. He is successful in beating the four, but loses to Lance. 

The loss is especially troubling to Silver. He worked hard not only in training his pokemon but in retraining his attitude and strengthening his bonds with them. He worries that it still isn’t enough and that he’ll never fulfill his declaration to become stronger than Giovanni.

Silver spends another year in Kanto and Johto to continue his training, and begins to accept the help of others who offer a willing hand. (This part of his story is open to headcanoning with others!)

He decides that he should travel to the major regions to capture new pokemon and gain new experiences in order to grow as a trainer and a person. Silver spends a year in each region: Hoenn (14yo), Sinnoh (15), Unova (16), Kalos (17), Alola (18). Because of the time frame Silver traveled it’s unlikely he encountered the events of each respective region, either showing up before or after said events occurred.

Now 19-years-old, Silver returns to Kanto and Johto.

This is where his story here begins.

A list of Silver’s Pokemon that he caught while traveling through the various regions. 

Currently WIP, I’ll update it overtime.

[Hoenn]

♀ Salamence

♂ Breloom

[Sinnoh]

♂ Gliscor

♀ Mamoswine

[Unova]

♀ Galvantula

♂ Chandelure

[Kalos]

♀ Talonflame

♂ Klefki

[Alola]

♂ Bewear

♂ Houndoom - A pokemon Silver received as a Houndour for his fifth birthday. The fire type was indispensable to Silver in order to keep warm on cold nights after he ran away. He did not use Houndour during his Johto journey because of the pokemon’s connection to his life growing up around Team Rocket. It wasn’t until Silver began traveling the other regions that he added Houndour to his pokemon rotation and evolved it to Houndoom.

Houndoom, being a Rocket bred pokemon, very much fits the aggressive guard dog stereotype. He’s a one person dog who only cares for Silver’s company. Houndoom cannot be trusted around pokemon or people smaller than it.

Nidoking - A pokemon he received as a Nidoran♂ from Giovanni as a gift on his seventh birthday. Silver almost left the Nidoran behind when he ran away from home, but picked up the pokeball anyways along with Sneasel’s and Houndour’s. Silver did not find the pokemon as useful to him and even loathed it because of its connection to Giovanni. It wasn’t until after Silver started traveling the other regions did he finally decide to train up the Nidoran in an effort to get over those feelings.

Nidoking comes from Giovanni’s personal stock of the Nido line. He is primed with battling potential and a fighting spirit. Nidoking gets along well with Silver’s Feraligatr and will wrestle the other pokemon to keep their strength up.

♀Kingdra - A pokemon Silver captured as a Horsea while he was traveling through the Whirl Islands to get to Cianwood City. The pokemon was quickly placed in the PC as Silver deemed it too weak to have a spot on his team. It isn’t until Silver faced Clair that he learned of the pokemon’s potential as a part Dragon Type. He trained it up during his journey through Kanto, and eventually found someone willing to trade with to evolve it to Kingdra.

Kingdra is a vain and lazy pokemon, preferring to sleep and preen itself when not called to battle. She considers herself a queen because of being the only female pokemon in Silver’s team for a long period of time. She has no issues with demanding attention and pampering from her trainer.

♂ Weavile “Bandit” - Originally Kirk’s Sneasel, from Cianwood City. Silver didn’t like how Kirk was flaunting the fact that he had the “rare pokemon” and decided to bully him into handing it over. Silver took care of the pokemon, but didn’t use it in battles because he already had his first Sneasel trained. When Silver started journeying through Kanto he contemplated returning the pokemon, but decided against it out of embarrassment over his past actions and fear of the potential repercussions. He decided to release the Sneasel, but his first Sneasel convinced it to stay with them, allowing Silver to recapture it under his ID. This pokemon is the only one to have a nickname, as Silver wanted to distinguish it from his first.