My name is Silver. I'd tell you where I'm from, but that's nothing you really need to hear. I'm not being mysterious. That's just the way things are. After all, I never really spent much time there. I wouldn't be able to tell you what it was like. What I do remember, though, is that home wasn't what any child would have wanted it to be. My father was always busy and I was forced to spend most of my time alone. From what I hear, that isn't supposed to happen. When I was seven years old, I had my first taste of freedom from that life. I ran away on a whim, telling myself that I'd find adventure somewhere. I did, but that's a different story. It was a long time before Giovanni was able to find me and bring me back. I went unwillingly, I might add. After that little journey, he'd made sure it was impossible for me to get out again. His version of impossible was a little different than mine, though. Locking me in could only work for so long.

I never left for as long as I did the first time again. But sometimes it would be days before I found myself wandering back. Giovanni would get mad at me every time, but I was used to it. Besides, he was only doing what a father should. I just didn't agree with him. We didn't get along, really. At least not when I wasn't listening to him. He wanted me to stay home like a normal kid. That way, he didn't have to worry about me and could focus on his work. I wanted to explore. I never minded that I was by myself all the time, just as long as I was moving my feet. I couldn't do that stuck in a house. It was a clash of wills. You could say I should have lost, considering I was his son. But that didn't really stop me. Day by day, I went on defying him. He told me once that he admired that quality, but believed I was using it wrong. And if not wrong, then at least at the wrong time.

As I got older, though, we started to get used to each other's plans. He gave me the freedom I wanted, and I came back when he wanted me around. Just as Giovanni admired me, I began to find things that I respected about him. That was rare, in my case. Respecting people. He should consider himself a lucky man.

He was a hard worker, my father. I noticed that about him. His mind was always on achieving his goals. I may not have understood what those goals were, but I knew they meant the world to him. I saw his determination, and I wanted nothing more than to be just like that. To never give up on what I wanted. That's why, when he gave up on everything, I began to hate him.

He was defeated by a boy who couldn't have been older than I was. Such a worthless opponent... and he let that get to him. That day, he disbanded Team Rocket. I asked him why. He said it was because he'd failed. He wasn't strong enough. But I saw what his real reason was. He was a coward. Giving up on everything he believed in just because one person got in his way. And to top it off, not only did he abandon his goals, but he abandoned me. After that day, I never saw him again. He'd taken off without so much as a goodbye. He just put his hat on and walked away. I was more alone those years than I'd ever been before, and it was all because of him.

The years went on. Day by day, I lived with my anger towards him. I wanted to know why. Why he'd left me and why he'd let himself down. Finally, I couldn't stand it. I had to find him. I had to ask him how he'd given up so easily. But I'd had no leads. No way to find him. None until now.

This was why I was standing in front of Professor Elm's lab, wringing my fingers nervously as I let out a rough breath of determination. The building loomed before me like some ugly ass scientific obstacle. Which is what it was, I guess. It really was an ugly building.

Since I'd tried everywhere else, this was my last option. I'd heard somewhere that Elm and Professor Oak were good friends, and that Oak had somehow known my father. I thought that maybe, just maybe, they'd spoken to each other about him. If I could just find some sort of file, I might just have the clue I needed to find Giovanni. But I had to make sure there was no one left inside. I'd been waiting for a while, and it seemed like all the activity had stopped. After I was sure it was safe, I'd snuck out from behind the bushes and headed for the front door. I stood there, staring up at the bricks blocking my way. I was going to have to find a way in. For the hell of it, I tried the front door, pressing my hand against it roughly.

It didn't work. Well, at least the guy wasn't an idiot. I let my eyes wander across the wall, searching for some kind of entrance. There was a window not too far away from where I was standing. It was an easy break in, but it would work. Turning my head to make sure I wasn't being watched, I slunk over to it and slid my trainer card under the crack at the bottom. I swiped it across, hearing a click as the window unlocked. Letting out a sigh, I yanked it up and swung my legs up over the windowsill. That was easy.

My feet hit the tile with a soft thump. The room I'd landed in was lit softly, like a museum with nothing interesting to show. Files... I thought to myself. Where was I going to find those? There were random machines littered everywhere, many of which I couldn't see any real use for. I'd have to search away from any of those. No smart person would keep important papers by machinery. Bad things could happen. I let my feet trail me towards the back, near what must have been Elm's personal desk. There were papers strewn all over: some on Pokemon, some on other things I had no interest in. I slid open one of his drawers, furrowing my brow as I saw how much I was going to have to go through. There was paper upon paper, none of which were labeled. I grit my teeth, slamming the drawer shut loudly. There was no way I was going to find anything in there, no matter how long I looked. Instead, I sifted through the papers I'd seen on the desk. One by one, I pulled them aside, scanning them for any usable information. Elm had a lot to say, apparently. There were notes scribbled haphazardly on almost every page, elaborating on the already existing information. But I saw nothing on Giovanni.

I felt an angry heat rise into my face. I'd come all this way just to find nothing? Maybe if this guy would just organize his damn papers, I'd have more of a chance. I rested my palms against the table, gazing down at the top of my hands as I tried to figure out what to do next. I couldn't leave yet. I hadn't looked through everything. But I didn't want to risk staying for too long, either. Sooner or later, someone was bound to notice that the window was open. The window... I could buy myself some time if I shut it.

Sliding my hands into my pockets, I trudged back over to the entrance. Just as I reached up to pull the window shut, I stopped dead in my tracks. A tiny, rustling sound came from behind me. It was small, but it was enough to draw my attention. No one could possibly still be in the lab, could they? I whirled around, but saw no one. Any normal person would have dismissed it as nothing, but it had me on edge.

My eyes flitted across the room, searching for whoever had made the noise. You'd think it would be easy, considering the lights were on. But it wasn't until I heard the sound again before I could figure out where it was coming from. I realized at that moment that I'd been looking too high. The thing that made the noise was... Well, about the size of an egg. Come to think of it, it was shaped like one, too. And colored like one... And... Well, it looked like one. It trotted daintily into view on it's tiny legs, seemingly oblivious to my presence.

"A Togepi?" I mumbled to myself, scowling at it angrily. That wasn't worth the worry. As I spoke, it paused, turning it's head in my direction.

"Prrrrii?" It cooed, giving me a curious stare.

"The hell are you doing here, huh?" I grumbled at it, flicking my hand towards the door. "Get out. I don't need you hanging around."

It's brow twitched angrily, which surprised me. I'd never seen something as pathetic as that do so much as pout.

"Seriously. Get lost, you little runt." I set the Pokemon out of my mind, forgetting about both it and the window for the time being. Or at least trying to. I'd gotten halfway across the room before the Togepi slammed into my legs with surprising strength, knocking me down onto my back. My head slammed against the ground with a sickening crack, sending stars swimming into my eyes. For what felt like forever, all I could see was a blur of bright lights. I must have passed out, because when my vision flooded back, I found myself looking up into the face of another boy.

"Hey, you awake?" He frowned, looking down at me with light brown eyes. His messy, tousled black hair hung loosely over his arched brow. "You looked a little unconscious there, for a minute."

I let out a pained groan, shoving myself up off the ground. Shit. Just my luck. A wave of dizziness swept over me as I sat, causing me to fall backwards again. "Fuck..." I growled. "Where's that damn Togepi?"

The other boy blinked. "Eggy was here? I thought I saw him head this way. Hey, you seen him?"

I shot my hand out, grabbing the collar of his shirt and dragging him down towards me. He let out a yelp of surprise, reaching up to try and loosen my grip. "'Ey! What are you-"

"Was that your Togepi?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

He paused, giving me a furtive glance. "You got something against Eggy?"

"I might, yeah." I scowled at him, wincing lightly at the throbbing pain in my head. "Why do you think I'm lying here, huh?"

"Oh, you probably pissed him off then. See? That's your own fault." He gave me a knowing grin. "Did you hit your head? Don't worry. He does this to everyone who makes him mad. Just the other day, he-"

I gave him a rough shake. "Look, kid. I don't give a damn what it did the other day. Whatever it did, it shouldn't have." Using him as leverage, I lifted myself off the ground and onto my feet. "Now where the hell is it?"

"How should I know?" The boy shrugged, standing up next to me. "He ran away. I've been looking for him for a while. I thought he might have wandered in here since the window was open."

I paused, reaching up to place my hand on the back of my head. That's right... I wasn't supposed to be in there. I glanced sideways at the black-haired boy. He didn't seem to be concerned at all. Then again, he wasn't supposed to be in there either. At least not that I knew of. With luck, maybe he wouldn't ask questions.

"Say, what are you doing here, anyways?"

No such luck. "Why don't you mind your own business?" I snapped.

He turned to me, narrowing his eyes softly. "You're not supposed to be here, are you? Do you even know Professor Elm?"

I remained silent, fuming slightly. This idiot was going to ruin everything for me. Things might be safer if I just left. With a twist of my legs, I turned around, heading towards the exit. It wasn't worth getting arrested.

"Wait!" He called, jogging swiftly to cut me off. He spread his arms out, blocking my path. "If you broke in here, I can't let you leave." I hadn't noticed before, but the boy's right arm was wrapped up in a thick, white bandage. Was he going to take me on like that? There was no way he could do anything if he was hurt.

I stared him in the eyes, daring him silently to try and stand in my way. The only problem was, he didn't stand down like I'd thought he would. Instead, he put on a determined expression, obviously deciding that he really wasn't going to let me walk away. Idiot. I clenched my fist lightly, preparing to knock him down if I had to. "Just back off, alright?" I scowled, glancing down at the bandages on his arm. Was it really okay to hit someone who was already injured? I supposed it was, as long as they had it coming to them.

He shook his head. "No way. I have a duty to uphold. You're a criminal, and it's my job to stop you."

I let out a soft snort, rolling my eyes. "No. That's the cops' job. You have nothing to do with it. So get lost."

"That's what the cops want you to think. I can handle things without them. Just you watch." He gave me a wide, arrogant grin. "By the way, my name is Gold. Just so you know who to blame when you get taken down."

That was it. This kid definitely had it coming to him. I lashed out with my fist, sending a punch flying straight at his face. I guess I could have avoided a fight if I wanted to, but at that moment, I was more interested in shutting him up. It didn't work. He was faster than I expected him to be. He grabbed my fist with a wide eyed expression, pushing it back as he ducked away. Then, just like that damn Togepi of his, he slid his leg under mine and knocked me off balance, throwing his weight against me as he tackled me to the ground. Normally I would have been fine, but my already throbbing skull hit the ground a second time. Lighter than the first, but still enough to make me hiss in pain. A sudden wave of nausea rushed over me. If I'd ever doubted that the Togepi had given me a concussion, there was no doubt in my mind anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shove him off of me. "You... Asshole." I grimaced. "You trying to kill me?"

"Are you trying to break my nose?" He countered, sitting himself down on my chest to keep me from moving. That didn't help me feel better at all. I let out a furious puff of air, but couldn't bring myself to do anything about it. I felt like shit. Instead, I settled on breathing deeply, forcing myself to ignore the awful twisting in my stomach.

"You know," What's-his-face said teasingly, "you don't look so good. You feeling alright?"

"I'm fine." I growled, opening my eyes to shoot him a glare. "I'd be better if you got off."

"Can't do that, sorry." He shrugged. "You're sure you're fine? You look like you've seen better days."

"I have." Squeezing my eyes shut again, I tried to force him away. But no matter how hard I pushed him, he stayed. It was ironic, I thought, that both of us just happened to be injured when we met. And that he was so easily able to overpower me despite whatever was up with his arm. That was ridiculous.

He gave me an examining look. "Maybe you should come back to my house. I can figure out what to do with you there."

"No." I snapped instantly. There was no way in hell.

"You were unconscious when I found you. I think you should get your head checked."

"I'm fine."

"You look like you're gonna be sick."

"I'm fine."

"I really think I should do something."

"You can get off."

"Besides that."

"Go away."

"I'm going to take you back to my house. Maybe my mom can do something about that headache."

"I'm fine."

"Come on. I'll take you there."

"No."

"Eh. I don't have to listen to you." He shifted his weight, readying himself to get up. "You're coming whether you like it or not. What's your name, anyways?"

I just grunted in reply. This kid- Gold or whatever- was going to have to drag me if he wanted me to go anywhere. I was Silver. I answered to nobody. Especially not some vigilante idiot.