Shadow Fire

Jasmine, who was now back in her gym, full of trainers eager to battle a worthy opponent, was waiting patiently for Ethan to make his way to her. She had still wanted to thank him for helping out Amphy.

Silver was still asleep, deciding to give himself an extra bit of rest. He did need to catch up a bit on sleep regardless. Snappy was still peacefully snoozing next to the red-haired boy. You shall witness one day the revival of me and my Team Rocket. Opening his eyes, Silver glanced around slightly, before letting out a sigh and dropping his head back on the pillow. "Great..." he grumbled to himself. "I had to go and remember that again..."

Arriving back at Ecruteak, Silver headed for the Pokemon Center, greeting Nurse Joy and asking for accommodation. The nurse gave a smile, handing Silver a card key, ironically, for the same room he had shared with Ethan before. Somebody up there hates me. Taking the card key and giving his thanks, Silver went into the room, and flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Why is he so insistent about me smiling? More importantly... why can I not stop thinking about him?

Silver didn't stop running until he'd fully scaled the hill back up to Ecruteak City. Once at the top, he dropped to his knees and slammed a fist into the ground. "What the hell's wrong with me?!" he hissed. "Why am I getting so soft?" Snappy remained silent, before letting out a soft noise when his trainer quickly stood and rushed towards Ecruteak again. I need to train more... I'm not sure how much Ethan was putting into our last battle. Even with a type difference, his Typhlosion has a level advantage... and I nearly beat it. Ergh... I need to stop thinking about Ethan and his Pokemon. It makes me feel funny.

Smile replaced with a look of confusion, Silver suddenly understood what Ethan meant. The slight smile returned, and he cast another glance at the other boy. "I look forward to our next battle..." he said softly. "Until then, take care..." Rushing out of the Pokemon Center, followed closely by Snappy, the red-haired trainer glanced over his shoulder. This is weird... I'm going soft...

Silver turned his glance to the side, daring to look at the other boy. A slight smile seemed to edge its way onto Silver's face at Ethan's comment. "I agree..." he mumbled. "I may not have been doing much, but I've still been having too many early starts." Walking forward so that he was parallel with his rival, the red-haired teen held out a card key. "Your accommodation..." he said softly. "It's my thanks..."

Slowly, Silver reached out and took Snappy's Monster Ball. His fingers unintentionally brushed against the raven-haired boy's, causing him to stiffen slightly. Cheeks going a little red, he glanced away. "Uh..." he mumbled. "Th-thanks..."

Silver cast a glance over at the door, watching as Snappy toddled through, giving an excited growl at seeing his trainer again. Standing up with a smirk, the red-haired boy suddenly froze as Ethan walked in, hair still wet, water dripping from it, his clothes sticking to his body. "Uh..." Silver stammered out. "W-welcome back..."

Chomping his jaws, Snappy gave Cynder a 'We were a great team' look. "Croconaw!" the water Pokemon said cheerfully. "Naw naw croconaw!" Inside the Pokemon Center, Silver opened his eyes, giving a slight smile. He's back... Snappy... you served him well.

[warning=Cyclone Warning]Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi is scheduled to hit Northern Queensland, Australia at approximately 10pm AEST. It is currently at Category 5, with winds in excess of 295kph.[/warning] Uh, yeah... fuck... Queensland is still recovering from the recent floods, and now, the northern half of the state is to be slammed by the biggest cyclone in the country's recorded history... The western state of the country has been hit with fires and a massive heatwave. Like... wow. And to top this off, other countries in the world are experiencing their own natural disasters. Disasters USA is expected to have a major snow storm, which will affect approximately 30 states. European countries have already had their own blizzards. So yeah... discuss... and if you have more information about disasters that aren't named in the Disaster information panel, please, talk provide a little information.

The Croconaw gave a loud cheer of his own, before jumping into the water, waiting for Ethan to jump on and hold on to him. "Croco croconaw naw..." Snappy said. "Naw!" Meanwhile, Silver made his way to the Olivine Pokemon Center and sat down on the sofa once inside.

The Croconaw glanced up at his trainer's rival, listening to his words. Chomping his jaws, he nodded. "Croco..." he said in his Pokemon way. "Naw."

Silver decided he'd go to the nearby Pokemon Center and wait. He knew it would likely take some time, but he'd be alright waiting. Snappy... aid Ethan as best as you can...

Silver smirked slightly, giving Ethan a thumbs-up. "Thank me..." he said softly. "...when you succeed. I will be waiting in Olivine... for your return."

A blank expression showed on Silver's face. "Why?" he repeated, before shaking his head. "You're asking a question which I don't know the answer to." Handing Ethan the Monster Ball for Snappy, the red-haired boy closed his eyes. "Use him well..." he mumbled. "You can be sure of his power."

Grunting as he was hit, Silver prepared to glare at his assailant, his expression immediately softening as he saw Ethan. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, he reached down and lifted the other boy to his feet. "Ethan..." he said after a few moments. "If you're after the leader, she's not here. Something about the lighthouse Pokemon. It's apparently sick. So, you may have to wait before getting to battle her. If you need any Pokemon that can surf you across water... you can use Snappy for now."

"What the hell?!" Silver's voice echoed throughout the gym. "Nobody's here?!" Scowling, Silver listened as the gym representative told him of the leader's absence due to the lighthouse's sick Pokemon. "Ugh..." he hissed, turning away. "Forget it." With a growl, he rushed outside, only to have someone bump into him.

shutdown -a Perhaps you mean that?

Silver had already made it to Olivine City and made a beeline directly for the Gym. Maybe a few more battles will distract me...

Glancing at his surroundings, the red-haired teen decided to keep heading towards Olivine City. "I guess..." he mumbled to himself. "...we'll just have to keep training until then."

Silver didn't stop sprinting until he made it to the MooMoo Milk Farm. Catching his breath, he stole a glance back at Ecruteak City. That Growlithe... it looked so much like Fang... I couldn't bear to battle at full strength. An image of Ethan flashed in Silver's mind, making the red-haired trainer a little more irate. "What the hell?" he growled. "Why does that kid bother me so much lately?" Snappy looked up at his trainer, blinking in confusion. Noticing this, Silver chuckled softly. "I wasn't asking you..." he said to his Pokemon. "Anyway... I said I'd leave him alone for a while, so I will."

The crimson-haired boy gave a slight smile, chuckle included, before walking a step forward. "Hey..." he said softly, stopping to place a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Thanks..." Removing his hand, Silver took a few steps forward, before breaking into a sprint, his footsteps growing fainter and fainter before they finally could no longer be heard.

Silver glanced back upwards, his eyes locking with Ethan's. "I'm going..." he mumbled. "I'll leave you alone for a while. Next time we battle, I want you to be in top form so that when I defeat you, victory will taste all the more sweeter. Goodbye, Ethan." Moving forward, he suddenly stopped right in front of the other boy and stared at him. "Ethan..." he said softly. "You're... in my way."

Silver lowered his glance to the ground, clenching his hands into fists. "Snappy..." he muttered out. "Dodge the attack." The crocodile Pokemon managed to dodge just in time, before jumping back closer to his trainer, who was still glancing at the ground. After all this time, I'm softening again. Oh well... I better do this now before I change my mind. Giving a heavy sigh, he reached into his bag, before pulling out a Super Potion. Without looking up, he threw the item into the air, and made it shatter over Cynder, shrouding the injured Pokemon in its healing light. "Ethan..." the red-haired boy muttered. "Take this chance. This is the only time I will do this. I... concede defeat." Snappy glanced up at his trainer, silently wondering why his master was throwing in the towel.

Silver's eyes gleamed, the teen wondering why his raven-haired opponent seemed so distressed. Then it hit him. AncientPower is a devastating rock-type move. Well, we'll see how this pans out. Snappy chomped his jaws as the attack partially hit Cynder. He could feel the attack without having to open his eyes. When he finally did so, Silver had one more action for him to perform. "Go, Snappy..." the trainer said softly. "Use Sitrus Berry... like we discussed." The water Pokemon took the Sitrus Berry it was holding, before dashing over to his opponent and feeding Cynder the Berry.