Setting:
•Outside Slowpoke Well, Johto•
•Late February, After 5 AM•
•Silver (age 18) POV•
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Girl Behind the Name
Silver felt like he was caught up in some weird, twisted new nightmare as the rhythmic galloping of the giant dog under him carried him into the morning. Never in his life did he think he'd see Repede again, nor ride him—much less under these weird circumstances. The whole past few hours themselves seemed like utter madness and chaos on his part. That Wolfe girl had taken his bluff way too far, though he did think that killing Team Rocket would be one way to stop them for good.
It was never his intention, however, to kill Team Rocket. Silver only was operating on a hunch—a tidbit of info that he had obtained, after all. He didn't know for certain that he'd find Team Rocket operating out of Azalea Town for certain.
If it hadn't been for Wolfe's meddling at all, he wouldn't have even found the well when he did. He begrudgingly realized that she inadvertently helped him locate exactly where they were. Still, Silver didn't even have a well thought out plan for taking on Team Rocket, and his bluff on collapsing the well was no more than that: a bluff.
And now, he was on his way to a holding cell…Silver couldn't even begin to comprehend all the madness that went down in the well. He decided that since he had nothing else to do, at least he could reflect on the entire experience and maybe see exactly what happened—where he screwed up.
The day started out just fine; he had made it through the Ilex Forest that went from Goldenrod to Azalea in a matter of hours. Sneasel proved himself handy in cutting a path for a shorter route.
He hadn't slept in, oh, he didn't know, but maybe the number was around two days? He was way beyond exhausted, and the pounding of the speeding horse-sized dog on which he rode was daring to lull him into a sleep. His mind, on the other hand, was super sharp—racing from event to event.
He made it into Azalea at around noon, and he grabbed a bite to eat since he wanted to conserve his strength. After that, he nonchalantly toured the average-sized town. It really wasn't all too large. There were some houses, a few businesses, a gym, a Pokémon center—that sort of stuff. It took him all afternoon to get acquainted with the town's layout, but after some snooping, nothing shady came to his attention. He knew he was supposed to search for the Slowpoke Well, but that was when that horrible storm hit, and he had to take shelter indoors while trying to figure out a plan.
Later in the evening, he gave up waiting for the storm to disperse, let Sneasel out, and the two made their way outside of town to search for the well. The weather was still pretty foul, to his displeasure. His clothes would have been drenched if he hadn't gotten himself an umbrella, but even then, the wind was terribly strong, so using the thing was a burden. And on top of that, rain still managed to soak his jacket thoroughly.
To the eastern exit of the town, Silver saw some nice-sized trees, which he thought would be better cover than the umbrella. He figured that since the umbrella was a lightning rod, anyway, he'd be taking no greater risk by switching to a tree instead. Once he got to the tree, the poor visibility in the dark, stormy night made finding the well a real task. Luckily, thanks to Sneasel's dark type abilities, the Pokémon had been able to lead him to the tree, but afterwards, he called the Pokémon back to his ball.
Beyond the howling wind that whipped his clothes, a yelp-like noise caught his attention. He then heard a human yelling afterward. Surprised that he wasn't alone on that rainy night, he followed the voices to investigate. That was the moment he laid eyes on none other than Gold and Wolfe, who were in what he figured to be the well. Silver had doubts about even bothering with his plans; he didn't want to mess with those two any more than he had to. He really wished to avoid them, especially with the task he wanted to complete.
As well as knowing the supposed location of Team Rocket, Silver guessed he did have at least an outline of a plan. He wanted to observe them, locate their base, and if possible, find out where they were mainly operating. He wanted to get to Team Rocket at the source—find out how many members there were, what they were up to, who was in charge, and possibly, though he doubted he should risk it, impersonate some Grunt to find out information from the inside. He decided against using brute strength since he realized one person would be no match alone for an entire organization.
He knew that Amber might have been the one to use brute strength, but when really considering what his late friend would have done, he realized even she would have used stealth to get rid of Team Rocket this time around had she been still alive; she usually learned from her past mistakes, after all. Silver figured from the start that he'd dedicate this mission of stopping Team Rocket to his fallen friend, who dedicated quite a part of her life to escaping them and bringing them down, thinking she had succeeded only to be killed by the reforming organization.
It really did piss him off—the cowardly way Team Rocket killed Amber. He didn't want to think on the murder itself; it gave him nightmares every night. Never would the image of her charred body leave his tormented subconscious, but it did fuel Silver's fire as well. It gave him the strength to continue on trying to find leads to Team Rocket's whereabouts.
In the years that followed Amber's death, he spent a lot of time grieving. He wished he could go back in time, save her, make things right. He heard tales of a Pokémon, Celebi, that actually could travel time. He gave up the thought, though, since Celebi was no more than a legend. During the grieving process, Silver analyzed that day repeatedly, simulating different outcomes if he had just taken action instead, or if he would have been there, or if he even would have tried to rescue her by entering the burning building.
Guilt had consumed him for a long time; it still did. He had let her down. She had saved his life, and in the end, he couldn't save hers. True, there were other times before where he rescued her from her impulsive, rash actions. There were also instances where she'd save him as well. They both were notorious for coming to the rescue of each other, be it a real life or death situation or just something trivial. The one time she really needed him, though, he didn't come through for her. And now she was dead, and he was on the hunt to find her killers.
Silver felt even worse when he held Amber's funeral. Not even her own parents attended, even though he made certain to pass the information to them through one of Amber's friends. That fact really pissed him off greatly. It was like he was the only one that really even gave a damn.
Angry, confused, hurt, guilty, and lost, he struggled to continue on for some time. Some mornings, he'd wake up thinking he'd find Amber already awake and doing something or other productive. That'd be dampened quickly once he realized he was in his old cabin—the one he resided in as a kid after running away from Team Rocket, and after leaving Darrius, his old mentor.
He quit responding to even Sneasel, who desperately tried to cheer him up. Deep down, Silver knew he was openly neglecting his Pokémon friend. The part of him that should've cared, however, didn't. Sneasel missed Amber probably almost as much as Silver did. She treated him like her own Pokémon. Still, it reminded Silver too much of her; he remembered all of the lessons she taught on how treating a Pokémon right brought out the best in them, and they'd perform their best in battle.
Her words often haunted him as he then openly neglected Sneasel, who finally got the message and let him be. After about a half a year of this, Silver decided that moping around would get him nowhere. He had a real burning hatred for Team Rocket. If they had fought on fair ground, Amber would have easily kicked their asses. No, they were cowards; their surprise attack cost Amber her life, and it left him with an aching emptiness.
Still overcome with grief, guilt, and hatred, Silver decided he needed to take action; it seemed like no one else was taking care of Team Rocket, so he'd do it all by himself. The prodigal son would return to burn down the family empire. He already knew that the Kanto police knew about Team Rocket's return; Amber told him once that they killed anyone who got too close. Maybe Amber was one of those people, though he suspected she was murdered because she forced Team Rocket to disband... Or maybe it was due to her true past in Team Rocket—the one he knew but she forgot…
All Silver really knew was that Team Rocket was back, but they were working underground. While living at his old cabin high on Mt. Silver, he began to research instances of policemen being murdered. What Silver couldn't understand, was the difference between Amber's murder and the murders of those cops. He figured Team Rocket would be true to form and do everything the same, but there was a total difference between Amber's death and the deaths of those cops and their families.
If anything, Amber's death seemed to be more personal. The cops and their families were all shot, execution style. Amber's murderer, on the other hand, had obviously made things personal. They knew about her at least fairly well. He didn't even want to get started on the fact that she was burned to death, while she absolutely loved fire; it fascinated her to no end.
She'd often have candles lit in her room in her time off, and he had spied her just watching the flame for at least an hour before as if mesmerized. She also raised many fire-type Pokémon. They all seemed to be the closest to her, too, since every one of them would knock her down to lick her face from time to time—especially her giant dog, Repede, or her mighty Charizard, Charry.
Amber's killer must have known she loved fire, so in essence, it really was the perfect murder: killing her with something that always fascinated her. It truly did cut away any pride or dignity she might have possessed. Silver was no cop, nor did he intend on operating like one, but he did observe Amber's own behavior enough to pick up on some of her habits and tendencies. She could be stealthy when push came to shove. That's how she managed to bring down Team Rocket in the first place after brute force just wasn't enough.
Granted, brute force with her Pokémon would have been more than enough after all of the training she had done since Team Rocket's disbandment. Silver wanted to make Amber proud by using methods similar to hers to bring down Team Rocket. She seemed to accomplish the task years before, although she didn't squelch them completely like she thought she had.
Silver's investigations led him to contacts; contacts led him to clues. The clues finally led him to believe that Team Rocket was becoming active in the Johto region. From there, he sniffed around to find rumors about Team Rocket being in Azalea Town.
He set out with a main goal: capture every last Team Rocket member—alive. He didn't want to kill them, though it certainly would have been easier than capturing them all. He didn't want to kill them, though, because he wanted them to suffer. He did want revenge, and his hatred for them burned brightly.
And so, there he was today, finally on the first part of his long quest to destroy Team Rocket by bringing them down alive and very much humiliated. He knew that if he needed to, he could probably use his status as being Giovanni and Ariana's son as a trump card, if it came absolutely down to it. In all actuality, he liked the idea of "joining" Team Rocket for some time, just to find out who was in charge these days. The Slowpoke Well would have been a prime opportunity for him, hadn't Wolfe or Gold shown up.
By the time he was at the top of the well, he could hear the two talking. Apparently it was Wolfe who made the yelp he had heard; she slipped and fell down the well.
What a klutz. He thought at the time.
And then, things started to get interesting. The Wolfe girl started talking about taking on Team Rocket—a total shock for him. He had no clue she of all people even knew about Team Rocket, much less knew they were in the well.
As he would've guessed, the Gold guy seemed apprehensive in whatever they were planning, so Wolfe started practically giving a speech. Neither noticed him when he entered and descended the ladder. Silver knew he could have done the smart thing and worked together with Wolfe and Gold, even though he really hated the idea; it would have killed two birds with one stone. Instead, his hatred for the Wolfe girl, who seemed like a living mockery of Amber, caused him to get into a heated argument with Gold, who defended her.
When Wolfe stepped in, his rage was boiling. Silver didn't really have that bad of a temper unless you really pissed him off, but he was reaching that point more and more as Wolfe talked. When she actually had the nerve to call him "Silv," Amber's old nickname for him, he wanted to just about punch her then and there.
Not only was she a living mockery in her actions and the way she dressed, but she even started trying to use Amber's own nickname for him. He figured any person would have come up with the nickname easily; it wasn't very creative, but that was the charm in Amber's style. It was the way that she said it that made it special.
In retrospect, he wanted to punch himself for even mentioning the thought of killing Team Rocket; and actually running with the bluff was a bad idea. Wolfe bought the bait, though. At least he put on a damn good act. And really, part of it was an act, but the anger and resentment and the hatred were all real.
But that Wolfe girl, she was better than he had expected. She caught him off guard, and he couldn't believe how she somehow managed to get him to tell her things he didn't want her to know. Well, she definitely knew about Amber afterward; her method on extracting that info was pretty crafty. It was almost like she was trying to get him to spill the real details, like she already knew what to expect, but wanted to hear it from him.
He didn't see it then and there; he was too caught up in the moment. Only as he rode Repede did he realize that she got him good. He fell right into the trap she had laid out for him.
He should have realized that his voice was rising as he continued with the verbal swordplay between himself and Wolfe, but he was too caught up in the moment to pay attention. The real trouble started once the Rocket Grunts arrived on the scene. Not only did he have Wolfe and Gold as opposition, but he was also outnumbered with Grunts.
The Grunts heard that he was going to kill them, too, so he had to keep up the bluff. That, unfortunately, didn't turn out so well. One sudden movement—only one, and he didn't even know what he was planning on doing next—and Wolfe tackled him.
Her momentum caught him off guard, and he felt pretty pathetic how easily she had subdued him. He wasn't a pushover, after all. Right then and there, he wanted to just about panic, which was not good. He couldn't afford to lose his cool, especially in front of Wolfe. Luckily, she provided the perfect opportunity to free a hand. He didn't want to punch her, and he felt somewhat rotten for doing it, but it was necessary. He didn't hit girls; he despised any guy who did.
So that means I have to hate myself, now?
Wolfe was no pushover, either, he found out. The punch wasn't nearly as hard as he could hit; he didn't want to hurt Wolfe for the simple fact that she was a girl, and even if he didn't like her, it appeared they really were on the same side. Still, he did try to hit hard enough for her to let go, and from there, he could maybe escape and rethink his whole battle plan. Unfortunately, the girl was already on to her next move by the time she did let go of him, and her pesky Chikorita bound him up tightly.
He did not find the idea of being held captive by a pint-sized newbie Pokémon to his taste. The Chikorita's vines were definitely stronger than he'd thought, though, since even with his resistance, the Pokémon held firmly to him. Held captive, he watched as the two other trainers took on the Grunts easily; that was no surprise, even if they were novice trainers.
From there, he was dragged along wherever they went, until finally, the Executive in charge showed up. He definitely wasn't someone Silver recognized by appearance, though the guy recognized him right away. Silver's reputation definitely preceded him in Team Rocket. He was respected simply for the fact that his parents were the leaders, even if their philosophies of running the organization differed.
That guy, Proton, certainly amused him, though. He found out that his mother was still stuck on the fact that Silver would one day realize his place in Team Rocket, step up, and become his father's second in command. It was nothing more than a pipe dream. Silver had no desire to join Team Rocket; he of all people knew what it was really like.
That was one thing he could always empathize with Amber on, too. They both knew what it was like in Team Rocket. Both of their perspectives differed, but at the same time, both drew the same conclusion that only desperate or naïve people joined as Grunts.
Silver was always treated well thanks to his position as the son of Giovanni and Ariana. As a boy, he'd often travel all over with his mother, watching as she oversaw different projects. It was thanks to her involved position that he originally met Amber in the first place. Amber knew how the Rocket life was thanks to the fact that she was a highly ranked member of the Special Corps science division in Mount Moon--one of the most dangerous operations Team Rocket had planned. Of course, Amber was well on her way to climbing the corporate ladder by then; she would have achieved Executive rank in no time with her battling skills and genius-level IQ; she really was a child prodigy.
The first time he ever saw Amber, it was when his mother invited her over to their RV when she was ten and he was eight. They ended up in a Pokémon battle: his Sneasel versus her Nidoran Male, King. Even at the young age of eight, he was a great Pokémon trainer, but somehow, she managed to wipe the floor with him with one simple attack. After the battle, she surprised him by tending to his injured Sneasel before letting Silver make up his own mind whether or not they'd be friends or even rivals.
From that day forward, their friendship had blossomed, until she went missing after their eventual escape, and she later had been "presumed killed" in the cave-in on Mt Moon's mining operation after she rejoined Rocket. She really had been the only one besides Sneasel there for him even back then. She wasn't scared at all that he was her boss' son.
And since they were both highly intelligent, he had many a conversation with her on so many different topics. He even entrusted her with a Jigglypuff his mother had given to him. She took it happily and nurtured it to be the strongest Jigglypuff he had ever seen. Of course, after some time, both decided that they needed to leave Team Rocket. That was when the real trouble started… His mother seemed very happy whenever news of the cave-in involving her "death" took place. Those memories pained Silver now that she really was dead.
Thinking back on his mother, though, she was the one that looked after him as he grew up. His father was usually too busy, and in all actuality, his mother was, too; she just brought him with her and told him to pay attention to the Grunts and made him attend meetings. His father gave him Sneasel, though, and the two became close friends, and eventually they escaped where Darrius, his mentor, took over. Darrius gave Silver more attention than he ever had from another adult in his life. He'd even call Silver his "little bro" from time to time.
Darrius introduced Silver to the world of music, and he taught the interested Silver how to play guitar, and over time, he became pretty good at it. That came to an end though, and Silver and Sneasel left for Mt. Silver, where they built a cabin and lived. He had stayed off of Team Rocket's radar for a really long time. It was no wonder his mother was "complaining" about him.
In that sense, he did feel sorry for Proton. He didn't feel sorry enough, however, to be taken back to Team Rocket as a prisoner. And what was worse, Proton knew already that Silver didn't want to join Team Rocket, so there was no point in even trying the infiltration thing. Luckily, Wolfe didn't want Proton putting his grubby hands on "her" prisoner, either.
They put up a good battle, but in the end, even if Proton's Pokémon were defeated, it was definitely his win. The Koffing self-destruct ploy was well thought out. He wanted to hit his head hard on a rock whenever Wolfe let them get trapped, though. Then there was the whole touching scene with Gold and Wolfe's Pokémon finally evolving. He didn't care; he was just happy to be unbound for a little while. The vines were cutting off his circulation.
He didn't want to help clear the rocks to escape, and even if they had asked him to help, he would have refused. He figured that Wolfe would just capture him again afterward. Not only did she allow Team Rocket to go free, but also she was going to have him arrested; Silver thought she was just plain backwards. Once the rocks were finally cleared, Silver once again was restrained, and now that Chikorita was a Bayleef, the vines were even more powerful.
He thought maybe he would get away once they reached the entrance of the well since there was no way that Bayleef could climb that ladder, but the Pokémon surprised him by lifting him the distance in the air and setting him down on the grass outside while still holding firmly on to him, even if it was extremely uncomfortable. It was just his luck, after all. After that, Gold left, and it was just him and Wolfe, whom he could tell was exhausted.
She stated something about being tired and it being his fault; he pretty much just told her to get it over with already. He had no clue what to do next, but something told him escape was not an option. From there, things began to really spiral strangely out of control. The events that happened next made absolutely no sense, and even as he played them over and over in his mind again, he didn't understand them completely.
Of all the people in the world, Wolfe called none other than his former mentor, Darrius. From there, he just figured, "small world". But then again, he doubted it. He played those scenes over again in detail in his mind. If anything, he had a really good memory; it was photographic. He could picture everything that happened. Of course, it helped that everything happened maybe just an hour or few ago.
Wolfe dialed the number; it rang a few times. The voice that answered sounded familiar to Silver right away, though he hadn't heard it in a while, so he couldn't place it right off hand, though it sounded like the guy she called the other night when he eavesdropped on her in the Pokémon center. The guy on the other line seemed rather upset for being woken up, but then he made some joke about the girl waking up at a not normal time, and then the guy seemed fine after that.
The shift in attitude caught Silver off guard. Once Wolfe openly stated the name, it clicked. She really was speaking to Darrius, and it seemed to be on a personal level, too, since she was complaining about being up for almost a full day.
Hmph, try being up for two in a row. He thought.
But then, she mentioned Darrius should debrief her in a secure location, which made no sense…
Darrius's answer seemed very easygoing, though, which was odd since apparently, Wolfe took orders from him. Even the way Wolfe mentioned that he was there, her tone indicated that she knew something. From there, Darrius reprimanded her on using his name.
So he doesn't want me knowing he's on the phone with her. Strange.
Wolfe seemed annoyed and made an excuse about being tired; Darrius replied about something that made no sense. Of course, Wolfe somewhat cut him off before he could finish. Darrius openly called him his "old disciple," and the weird thing was Wolfe didn't even seem surprised.
What exactly does she know about me?
Unfortunately, given the fact that she believed his bluff, she told Darrius his "plan" to kill everything inside of the well. He knew Darrius, and he knew that would not bode well with Darrius at all. Darrius did seem shocked by that news, and Silver just about wanted to curl up and hide when Darrius said he was "bold but harmless." That was one of the last things he wanted Wolfe to hear about him. Her response really puzzled him, and he still couldn't figure it out.
Lecture her on my personality? What is that supposed to mean? She doesn't know my personality. Though I guess she may think she does from all the run-ins we've had. I bet she even did a little research on me…
Of course, Darrius confirmed the run-in part. And then, they began to bicker about what to do with him. It shocked him to find out that Wolfe was actually an undercover agent.
She really IS a wolf in sheep's clothing. Name makes sense now. I wonder what her real name is.
It made him wonder even more when Darrius said she was a Kanto police officer who moved to the Johto region. He may have been held captive, but at least he was gathering information on this Amber wannabe. Wolfe got him there, since only moments later she warned Darrius to watch his words—even stating that Silver was probably analyzing everything that was going on.
Damn, she's good. It's like she knows me.
He did not look forward to it when Darrius had Wolfe put the pokegear by him. From there, Darrius began scolding him, just like the old days. Wolfe interrupted on some slip-ups on Darrius' part, and then Darrius continued. It ended with Darrius even personally threatening him.
By then, Silver's patience along with his temper were pretty much out the window. Of all the people to scold him, Darrius had no right, and he told Darrius that. It had been years since he was Darrius' student. And to top it off, he was mad at Darrius for knowingly missing Amber's funeral.
Amber trained under Darrius, too—and for some time thanks to her dad being in the police force. Darrius set her back on her feet from being in Team Rocket twice, and she respected and looked up to him.
Silver personally contacted Darrius about Amber's funeral, and he asked him—begged him—to find the people responsible and make them pay. Darrius refused to show up, saying he was too busy, but he was sorry, and he said he'd work on it when he got the chance. It was as if Amber never even mattered, and that pissed Silver off greatly.
For some stupid reason, Darrius just had to catch Silver off guard when he mentioned the jacket that had practically become a part of his being. Silver always wore it. Secretly it was because of his shared past with Amber and Darrius, but really he did love the jacket itself, too. It was soft, warm when it needed to be, and actually cool when it needed to be. It was unlike any other jacket he knew of. And it was all he had left of Amber...
Luckily, Wolfe cut in before he answered, but Wolfe's response once again made no sense. Sure, she had never seen him out of his jacket, but her response sounded once again like it came from someone who knew him.
If anything, Wolfe's character certainly became more interesting as Darrius explained the jacket to her—though it wasn't the real story—and she said she'd like one for herself. Darrius seemed upset at that, which was strange, since after all, it was just a jacket, and Wolfe seemed pretty defensive in the fact that it was just a jacket.
What are those two hiding? I know they are hiding something—just to figure out what.
From there, Darrius targeted him again, and said some BS about sentimental stuff and whatnot. It seemed he wanted Silver to respond, so he did. He tried to be curt, but Darrius pursued the matter by cutting to the chase. He asked Silver why he was after Team Rocket. Just the news that Darrius knew his plans startled him, since he didn't hear Wolfe say anything, and he was certain Wolfe knew nothing before the well. He didn't tell Silver who gave him the information, but obviously Silver scolded himself for not being more careful in covering his tracks, since someone told Darrius.
Since Darrius was good enough to find out his motives, he figured he might as well tell the truth; he was doing it for Amber, more or less. From there, the fact that Darrius blew off her funeral that had been bugging him forced him to add that it made Darrius a pretty crappy friend in his book. It figured Darrius said he was busy and Amber would understand. He then told Silver to move on and find closure.
That pissed Silver off; Darrius didn't understand the half of it! He couldn't just move on like that; finding Team Rocket would help the process some, but Silver doubted he'd ever be the same again. Finding someone you truly cared about dead—mutilated? It scarred a person, and Silver was scarred.
Finding closure was out of the question for then at least. He simply replied that he didn't need a lecture, which was true. Darrius was great at giving those, whether you wanted them or not.
Darrius shot back words that struck Silver to the core, words that he still had a hard time accepting. "Amber is dead. Deal with it. She's never coming back."
He knew it was true; he saw her body first, after all, but even then, even despite the nightmares he'd have of finding her body that played over and over again, he'd wished there'd be even a small chance that some day she'd come back somehow. He knew it was impossible; it was insane to think that she'd ever come back. The day he caught his Gastly, who somehow figured out these thoughts, he had almost snapped completely from the psychological trauma it triggered.
From there, Darrius told him to back off since he was taking care of Team Rocket using Wolfe.
Explains how she knew about Team Rocket.
Silver replied by backing up his bluff. Even then, he knew it was too late to change strategies, and he doubted Wolfe would believe he wasn't a violent person, anyway. He really thought she thought he was capable of killing people in cold blood. Silver, himself, knew he wasn't, even though he'd love to see the people who burned the schoolhouse down tortured to death.
Silver decided to take out a lot of his unsaid thoughts on Darrius: how the irony of the fire killed Amber. How the element of surprise took away any of her skill as a trainer. If Darrius could see how the job had to have been one from someone who knew her, at least he hoped Darrius would find a lead. More than anything, Silver did want the ones who killed Amber—the ones directly responsible for it—punished.
Unfortunately, Darrius mistook what he was saying. Darrius thought he was trying to protect Amber's dignity, and maybe he was a little, but that was far from his actual goal. He just replied "whatever" to it, though, since he realized there was no point in arguing. And, he realized that Wolfe was hearing everything he had to say, which would only give her more ammunition against him.
Darrius went on to say it was unlike his old self to care about dignity of all things, and Silver agreed. However, Darrius struck the right nerve, and he straight up told Darrius what bugged him most: his best friend was dead, mutilated beyond recognition by something she really loved and appreciated. And, it was in a place that he built for her, a place that he had called home, where he learned to be a better trainer, friend, and person. Everything went up in smoke literally on that day.
Unfortunately, Wolfe stopped them since she apparently sensed the shift in his attitude. She told Darrius to leave him alone, then she turned to him. He did not like how she casually sided with Darrius, saying Amber was dead—the end. The thing was, she knew she was pissing him off; she was reading him like a book.
And from there, she started rambling, ending with a frustrated statement about wanting to go to bed, which startled him since for that one moment, she sounded so much like Amber, it was haunting. He was certain it was just his mind playing tricks on him; exhaustion could do that to a person, and he was under a lot of stress, and he was not in a good mood at all.
He knew that if he were well-rested and were in a neutral state, Wolfe would have sounded like Wolfe. Even then, though, just the way her voice took on the same pitch as Amber's for a brief moment, it spooked him more than he liked to admit. Her ramble at least took Darrius off of him, though Darrius' response was strange in itself, saying some things couldn't be changed.
What is that supposed to mean? He thought as they began discussing what to do with him again.
The next name that came up made Silver's heart sink to his stomach. Wolfe would be calling Amber's dad of all people to come pick him up.
Wait… She knows Amber's dad, too?! Something's not right here…This Wolfe girl, she's so shrouded in mystery. Who is she? What does she want? Why does she know so much about me? And how the hell did she get involved in Amber's own little circle of police people?
Silver was honestly intrigued by it all, so he asked Wolfe who she really was. He wasn't expecting an honest answer, and he knew he didn't get one. She simply told him her agent name, and that she worked for Darrius to bring down Team Rocket. At least he did find out that he was her lead on Team Rocket, though he wondered if since she knew he knew about Team Rocket, whether she knew exactly who he was to Team Rocket. He figured it to be highly plausible. He didn't like the idea of being arrested, either.
She did manage to impress him a little, though. She was playing him, and he never even suspected it. Luckily, she revealed a little more about what she knew about him, saying that she didn't know his full story until he blatantly repeated it over and over during the whole Well and Darrius incident.
She revealed that she knew he knew Amber, and she stated that his mentioning Amber earlier had made her curious. What made him curious was that she knew about Amber. Well, maybe not that she knew about Amber, since many people knew about her; she was pretty famous. Silver was pretty certain she might have actually known Amber, though. If she did, it would explain a lot.
Next, Wolfe went on to call Amber's dad. Silver was pretty surprised when the voice of Amber's mom answered.
What agent has the personal home phone number of another cop who has nothing in common with them? What am I missing out on?
Wolfe acted pretty formal, which sounded fine. It was Mrs. Neilstone's response that really made him not only get a bad feeling in his gut but also confused him to no end. Amber's mother was going to call Wolfe by Amber's name, and then Wolfe cut her off. What's more, Amber's mother seemed shocked at Wolfe's behavior. And, she said she was Wolfe's mother. Silver knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Amber was an only child with no siblings; that right there ruled Wolfe out as a long-lost sister or anything.
Why is Mrs. Neilstone calling Wolfe her daughter? Why was she going to call her Amber? Then again, why didn't either of Amber's parents go to the funeral? Hmph, this isn't making any sense.
Wolfe really seemed to keep her cool, however, which eased Silver's tension a little. It seemed that only Amber's mom was acting strangely.
Once Wolfe was put on hold, he guessed he must've been making a weird face at her, because she told him that Amber's mother was still in shock and sometimes confused her for being Amber.
Well, that would make sense for Mrs. Neilstone's behavior, but still, that must mean Wolfe knows Amber's family…
Mr. Neilstone finally answered the phone, and he seemed pretty casual, which was odd because Silver knew just how absorbed Amber's dad could be in his work; he took his job very seriously. The instance was just an instance, though, since he seemed to become serious as Wolfe explained the situation to him.
Silver could feel himself turning a bit pink from slight embarrassment when Wolfe called for his arrest. Silver had always been cool with Amber's dad, and in turn, Amber's dad was okay with him. He had known Mr. Neilstone for years. Her dad would always make joking remarks about them living together as "shacking up" and other such jokes that any cool father would do.
Amber's father picked on him in a kind manner; it was obvious that he thought highly of Amber's choice of friends, and really, since Silver knew how protective her dad could be, he felt pretty honored that Amber's dad was okay that they shared a schoolhouse, even though it was on the terms that other trainers also came and went as they pleased.
For Mr. Neilstone's image of him to be shattered by him arresting Silver? Well, Silver did feel pretty bad about it. Wolfe walked a distance away and talked in a low tone to where Silver couldn't make out the words, which seemed pretty suspicious.
If Amber were here now to see the mess I've gotten myself into, I think she'd never let me live it down. I was just bluffing, dammit. I'm not a murderer. I'm just a guy who wants to stop the people who killed his closest friend. Is it so wrong of me to want to catch my best friend's murderers?
Then again, I did say I was planning on killing them in front of Wolfe, and I didn't know she was an undercover cop. I screwed myself over this time. And now, Amber's dad of all people is going to be taking me in to custody… Just perfect, Silver.
When Wolfe walked back, she had apparently hung up, and Silver watched her to see if maybe anything of that private conversation could be leaked. It's not like he had anything better to do; he couldn't go anywhere. That Bayleef's vines were just about making his body numb. Wolfe simply told him that his "welcoming party" was on the way.
A lot of time passed, or at least it felt like a lot of time. Wolfe kept pacing impatiently: back and forth, back and forth. When she got bored of that, she'd tap her foot: tap, tap-tap, tap, almost Morse Code-like. Finally, hours later, he heard the rushing of something large running from the east. The figure looked like a giant Pokémon, and someone was riding on its back.
The moment the Arcanine came into full view, Silver's mouth hung open slightly. It was Mr. Neilstone, all right, riding an Arcanine Silver thought to be dead along with Amber. What happened next surprised Silver even more. The Arcanine actually sped up, and it plowed right into Wolfe, but it managed to catch her on its back before coming to an abrupt halt. Only Repede would do that sort of thing; and he only did it to Amber, as far as Silver knew.
Wolfe dismounted while scolding the dog. Her words confirmed it: the Arcanine was Amber's Repede. He then knocked her down and proceeded to lick her face while wagging his immensely bushy tail. Wolfe, whom Silver figured would scold the dog, or act surprised, or do something typical, began laughing. She was giggling while only halfway scolding Repede. After the dog let her get up, she wiped her face in his fur instead of on her sleeves or anywhere else.
Strange, stranger, strangest… Repede is alive, he rushed her like he would Amber, and she was okay with it… I'm not getting it.
Wolfe then showed Mr. Neilstone over to Silver, who avoided eye contact. Instead of even saying anything about Silver, Amber's dad started talking about Wolfe's Pokémon.
That's odd. This whole situation is making no sense.
Meanwhile, Repede went up to him and sniffed him. For a second, the old Silver resurfaced. He was actually glad to see that Repede was all right. Repede was one of Amber's favorite Pokémon. Repede licked his face in reply, which actually didn't bother Silver any.
Silver then decided to address Amber's father about it; after all, he didn't find any of Amber's pokeballs after the blaze, though he didn't mention it to anyone. Amber's father threw him off when he said that all the pokeballs were found in Amber's room. Maybe in the horror of finding Amber, he missed them, but he didn't remember finding any of her Pokémon. He thought all of them had perished in the flames.
While talking about Amber, Silver noticed Repede tilt his head in confusion. That caused Silver to smirk; Amber must've picked up the habit from Repede. They did grow up together, he realized. Wolfe seemed to take Repede's attention off of his old trainer, though, and she then stated how she wished she had an Arcanine with her.
Silver wasn't too happy how Amber's dad joked about loaning Repede to Wolfe. He liked it even less when Wolfe requested to take Speckle, Amber's Lapras. And even more, he definitely didn't like how she wanted to release Amber's Pokémon to the wild.
Who is this girl to have the nerve to think she can just go in and steal Amber's Pokémon and release it to the wild?! Amber and Speckle were too close for her to be just released like that. And Mr. Neilstone is just letting her get away with it. This Wolfe girl, something's not right.
After that, Silver was released finally from Chika's grip. His body was halfway asleep. Amber's dad then slapped on some handcuffs, and they were really tight. He loaded Silver on the saddle on Repede. Amber always rode Repede with no saddle, but her father apparently had use for one. Silver didn't use a saddle, either, when he rode with Amber on Repede, but then again, he never was on the front end driving. He'd always be the one holding on for his life since the dog ran crazily fast.
It was Wolfe's last words before they left that made Silver the most puzzled, however. She told Mr. Neilstone to take care of them, meaning Repede and himself. He heard her say that Repede was a fine dog, and more importantly, she said that he, Silver, wasn't a bad person. That part, he didn't understand.
For my own good? What's that supposed to mean?
And so, as they rode, Silver pondered everything over and over again, trying to make sense of it all. He came to one conclusion: Wolfe knew more than she let on—much more. It appeared that she was deeply involved in everything. She knew more about him than he knew about her; she knew Darrius, she knew Amber's parents, Amber's Pokémon, and she knew Team Rocket and was assigned to get rid of them. He also came to the shocking realization that everyone she talked to respected her, too.
If she's a beginner trainer, she probably shouldn't be getting so much respect. It's almost as if she's controlling everything by herself. I don't care what she's says. Wolfe isn't that girl's real name. One day, I'm going to find out who she really is, and when I do, I'll make certain she knows I know. If anything, I can't get a read on her at all.
One moment she hates me, the next she acts like she knows me, the next she's treating me like a criminal, and then she goes and says I'm not a bad person? I don't get it at all.
If anything, I'll try to pry some information from Amber's father. Ugh, but first I guess they'll try to pry info out of ME in an interrogation. Not fun, Silver.
Finally, hours later, they arrived in Viridian City in Kanto, where Amber's father regularly worked. Silver had dozed off at some point, and the sleep felt good. His head was a little clearer, though he knew he needed much more than that. Repede gradually slowed to a stop at the station, and Amber's father helped Silver down as he escorted him inside the building.
"To think, my daughter's old boyfriend is my prisoner. Never thought I'd see the day," Mr. Neilstone joked half-heartedly to Silver.
"I don't know what that girl, Wolfe, told you Mr. Neilstone, but I'm really not a monster…" Silver trailed off.
He was going to be honest with Amber's dad, even if he didn't go to the funeral, either. Silver was certain her parents were taking it hard that she was dead.
"I'm sure you're right. Still, murder's not the way to do things, Silver." He gently scolded.
"I was only bluffing. She took me too seriously." Silver sighed.
They walked past the interrogation rooms. Strangely, her dad led him straight to his own solitary cell. No other inmates were in the room. He took the key, unlocked it, had Silver stand inside, undid the handcuffs, and locked it back after exiting. Across the cell was a wooden bench; Mr. Neilstone sat.
Silver eyed the cell. It was simple. It had a single, hard bed in the corner, a stall that was a bathroom, a sink, and that was pretty much it. Silver stood by the bars and eyed Amber's dad. He wasn't expecting to be locked up without even an interrogation.
"Now we can talk," Amber's father stated.
"Shouldn't we be in an interrogation room?" asked Silver, puzzled.
"If this were a normal case, yes. But when you're involved, it's no longer a normal case."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked even more confused. He assumed he was being picked up primarily for his warrant, even if that was out of New Bark.
"It means we can hold you here to keep you out of the way until we feel like you won't be in the way anymore. Technically you're not under arrest—just indefinitely detained for regional security. Just look at it like a little vacation behind bars." Mr. Neilstone tried to lighten the mood. He still had that same sense of humor that Amb used to have...
Silver smirked. "Some five star hotel."
Her dad chuckled. "You know, that's one thing I always liked about you. You have a sense of realistic humor. Amber could've used some of that. She was always a little too optimistic…" He trailed off with a sigh.
"Mr. Neilstone, I'm really sorry about her death. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help her. If I were there, maybe she'd still be alive today…" Silver hung his head.
"Oh, that's water under the bridge or over the dam—however you want to see it. That's the past now, Silver. She's gone. I miss her, but the old Amber is gone. I guess that's just life for you." Mr. Neilstone shook his head.
"Still, Mr. Neilstone, you have to understand where I was coming from at least. I wasn't trying to interfere with Wolfe's plans. I had my own plans—"
"—Yes of killing Team Rocket, I know. Wolfe told me all about it." Mr. Neilstone slightly cut him off.
"No, sir, you don't get it. That was a bluff. I don't want to kill them. I want to catch those bastards alive. I want to see every last one of them rot in jail." He told the truth.
"Hm, I see. Still, guess Wolfe felt like you were in her way…"
"I don't get it; is Wolfe the one who calls the shots around here or something? She seems pretty young to be in charge." Silver shook his head as he looked at Mr. Neilstone.
"Oh, she is young. A little older than you, actually. We all respect her nevertheless; she's got a sound head on her shoulders. She's been through a lot, though it may not seem it. She's seen her fair share of bad things. She doesn't call the shots, but she does get to have a say. And you? Well, she wanted you out of the way. I guess she feels threatened by you."
"Threatened? How?" Silver asked incredulously.
"Well, you have basically the same goal as her. Competition? Maybe that's it. I don't know…" Mr. Neilstone shrugged.
"I don't get it, though. I think it's more than that. It's like she knows me… That's just the feeling I get. Something tells me her name isn't really Wolfe, is it?" He asked not really expecting a full answer.
Amber's dad chuckled. "I'll give you credit. It isn't her real name. It's the name Darrius gave her, and it's been her name ever since he gave it to her. She's the key piece in our war game. Without her, we'd have a hard time."
"What's her real name, then? Just out of curiosity."
Amber's dad sighed. "I wish I could tell you, but I'm sworn not to. Darrius demands we keep her identity a secret."
"Wait, identity? You mean she isn't who she says she is at all?" That sickeningly made sense.
"Shoot, said a little too much." Amber's dad grimaced and said under his breath.
"Just don't you worry about it, Silver. Just know Wolfe will get the job done. She's very competent. I have absolute faith in her." Mr. Neilstone said calmly to him.
Silver eyed him. "Please, Mr. Neilstone. There are so many things about her I'm not getting. They make no sense. Why did your wife call her Amber on the phone? Why did Repede act so friendly to her? Why are you just going to let her take Speckle? Amber's dead. Are you trying to replace her or something?" The thought actually felt like a knife to the gut.
Mr. Neilstone laughed softly. "Silver, you and I both know that Amber could never be replaced. There's not a one person on this earth like my daughter. She's sweet, devious, impulsive, brave, and a little reckless. I wouldn't want to replace her even if I were told to. No, Wolfe isn't Amber's replacement. That's far from it."
"Then what is it? I don't get it…"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Just know that Wolfe is special. Amber's Pokémon all adore her. My wife calls her Amber at times by accident. Sometimes I, myself, call her Amber. She's Wolfe, though. I'm sorry I can't tell you more than that." He sighed.
"Urgh, fine. Thanks. How long am I going to be locked away in here? At least let me help find Team Rocket. I was Wolfe's lead, after all. I wouldn't mind being her lead again, even if personally? I, well, hate her..."
"It's an idea, but I'll have to talk to Darrius about it, and more importantly, Wolfe. Something tells me she doesn't want you around, and the fact that you hate her doesn't help you any at all." Mr. Neilstone said calmly.
"Just being honest."
"Well, honesty is great, but sometimes you should just stay silent. Something tells me Darrius won't see to you being released, though. Too risky. You might escape. But, Wolfe is being brought over to Kanto for a debriefing soon, so I guess I'll have her talk to you about it in person." Mr. Neilstone said before slapping his knees and standing up.
"Anyway, I have to get back home; this is supposed to be my week off. Don't worry; people know you're here. They'll take care of you. Take care of yourself, Silver." He smiled.
And with that, Amber's dad left the room and left Silver with his head spinning as he sat by himself. Nothing made sense any more, and Amber's dad's words just muddled things even more. Frustrated, he lay down on the bed and easily drifted into a dreamless sleep.