Important News! This story is not Dead! Teaser for future Chapters coming out soon!

I'm currently going through a phase of my life where upon rediscovering my DS lite I have found myself once again loving the Pokemon franchise. After catching up on the 4th and 5th Gens (and now 6th) I discovered that Pokemon Soul Silver is by far my favorite of the series and I felt like writing a narrated version of what happened on my adventure in game.

On a side note, I've always been a fan of Heartsoulshipping and felt that there was a distinct lack of any good fanfic's with them, let alone any long ones. So I decided to take a crack at it, and so far people seem to like it.

Also, it may not seem it, but the reason this story is rated M is because of what happens later in the story, it will get very violent, sexual themes, and maybe even Lemon (haven't decided). But for the most part the story is very tame with the worst being foul language from Silver. Its going to be around chapter 35 when the M rating really kicks in.

If you liked what you read, do me a favor and smash that review button!

Chapter 1: Dreams are made of Gold.

I feel strange. Like I'm somewhere that I shouldn't be. The air around me is frigid and bitter, and I can feel something falling on my face.

It . . . it . . . it feels like snow. Why is there snow? Am . . . I . . . outside?

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but a pale, ever-shifting sky of grey clouds. A harsh wind was blowing snow into wild flurries.

Where . . . where the hell . . . am I?

I looked to my side and noticed that I was lying on the ground, several inches deep in snow. I leaned up to look around while brushing myself off, but I couldn't make out anything aside from the ground in front of me. The icy wind pelted me and made it impossible to see any farther than a couple yards, which only added to my confusion.

How the hell did I get here? Is this a mountain, or some sort of frozen wasteland? And why don't I remember how I got here? Where is my home?

I tried to stand up, but the raging wind pelted my face with ice-cold shards. With what little vision I had, I could make out the outlines of some rocks—or something; I wasn't sure. There was also some sort of broad, triangular shape off in the distance, but it was barely noticeable. It looked like the peak of a mountain, fading away as the wind grew stronger. This place felt so desolate and isolated, yet so . . . familiar, like I was here before.

"Hello . . . is there anyone there!?" I yelled, but the roar of the wind was deafening, and I couldn't even hear myself.

The sheer loneliness that I felt was overpowering, and my sweatshirt was starting to give in to the cold. I wrapped my arms around myself, but it did little to fight off the freezing wind. Ice began to cling to the ends of my hair, as well as to my sweatshirt. I felt alone and afraid as I stood there in the bleak, unforgiving snow. I tried to walk, but the snow was deep, making each step an intense struggle. I could feel the frigid ice clawing away at my legs. Unfortunately, with every step I took, I felt like I was going nowhere. Nothing in my surroundings changed and the tracks I left in the snow were quickly swallowed up by the raging blizzard in mere seconds. There were no landmarks, no anything really; just snow and the hazy wall of wind and ice that surrounded me.

This was pointless—I wasn't making any progress! And where the hell was I going, anyway?

I stopped in my tracks when I heard something from behind me. It sounded like the flapping of wings or something like that, but the wind made it barely audible. I stood there for a moment, unsure if I had actually heard what I thought I heard. It was so faint that it could've been just a whistle of the wind. But then I felt a presence of someone or something. I don't know why, or how, but I knew that something was behind me.

As if heeding to some primal instinct, I turned around in the snow to see what was there. The wind was intense, and I held my hand in front of my face to keep the snow out of my eyes. Then I saw them: standing before me were the dark, hazy outlines of two large shapes. It was hard to make them out, but they looked like some sort of Pokémon. They both had what looked like long necks: one ended in what appeared to be a pointed arrow shape, while the other was narrower and had some sort of bulge or crest-shaped thing on it. I tried my best to see these figures that towered over me, but I could see nothing more than their hazy grey outlines.

I stood there in the freezing cold, wondering where these figures came from and if they would move. Then, as if reacting to my very thoughts, the two figures suddenly pointed their heads toward me as what looked like eyes flared open on both of them. The eyes of the arrow-headed one glowed a soft silvery-blue, while the eyes of the one with the crest burned bright golden yellow.

I took a step back in reaction to their sudden movements and was ready to run. But they just stayed there staring at me, unfazed by the icy wind that flowed around them. Then, suddenly, one of them spoke.

"The day of binding is coming."

Those words were uttered in such a way that it sounded like the voices of hundreds of people talking in unison. I don't know how I could tell, but I somehow knew that the golden-eyed one was saying those words. But the way it spoke wasn't literally sound, though; more like it resonated inside my head.

"And servitude will befall all," said another voice similar to the last one, but more feminine. It seemed to come from the blue-eyed one.

"But two will join to quell it," uttered the golden-eyed one.

"They are the Messiah and the Pariah," said the blue-eyed one.

They were talking one after the other as if they were synchronized in their thoughts—once one finished, the other spoke. But what they were saying made no sense, and I was growing frustrated and utterly confused.

"Wait, what? . . . What are you talking about?" I tried to say, but was drowned out by the wind.

"But sadly, they will fail," said the blue-eyed one.

"Unless both find that which they seek more than anything, before time runs out."

"And with that the two will put an end to that which is missing, but still there."

"What the hell are you talking about? You're not making any sense! How did I get here? Who are these people? What the hell is missing but still there!?" I begged, but once again the wind was too loud.

The two massive figures were both silenced for a moment and just loomed there staring at me, but then they continued.

"The old hero is gone," the golden-eyed one began once again.

"But the Messiah . . ." echoed the blue-eyed one.

". . . and the Pariah . . ."

". . . will take his place once they find the things that fill their voids!" they both said in unison as their eyes flared intensely.

Then the two forms faded away, as if they were made of dust, and dissipated along with the snow that blew furiously around them.

"Wait! Come back! What does any of that mean!?" I yelled again.

But they never came back, and the winds grew more intense. The sheer loneliness returned and nothing—nothing at all—made sense. My legs and arms were getting numb; I've never experienced this kind of sheer cold before. I just stood there shivering, hoping for someone to find me.

Then I felt something shift in the atmosphere. I didn't notice it at first, but the winds that raged around me had become silent. I looked around and wondered what the hell was going on. Then I felt something, something I could only describe as a presence. But this was different than the one I felt before—it felt familiar, yet intimidating. I turned slowly once again, and off in the distance, among the raging winds, stood a figure.

It was hard to make him out, but he stood there as if he always knew I would be here and was patiently waiting. He reached his hand up and tilted what looked like a baseball cap.

"Who . . . who are you?" I said, my voice echoing across the silent winds.

"..."

"Ethan! Time to get up, sweetie!" I heard echoing from downstairs, into my room.

I awoke from my sleep and found myself in my bed. Was that all . . . just . . . a dream? But it felt more real than any dream I've ever had in my life. Jeez that was weird—I hope I never have a dream like that again.

The room was still dark, and it was hard to guess the time thanks to my room facing away from the sun. I turned to see my clock on my nightstand, rubbing my eyes to see better; it was 9:20 AM. I sluggishly got up and sat on the side of my bed, wondering why my mom would get me up at this hour when she usually lets me sleep in till eleven on weekends.

I looked around my room with my PC in the corner and the Wii & TV combo right next to it. On the other side of my room stood my bookshelf, filled with science fiction and fantasy novels I've collected over the years. And there were also some posters of my favorite films made by Pokéstar Studios hanging on my walls; my room is pretty geeky now that I think about it. I stretched my arms, scratched my back, and got out of my bed, heading for the stairs. On the way I grabbed my favorite red hoodie and black sweatpants.

"Morning, Ethan," said my mom, getting breakfast ready for me.

I yawned in response, "Morning, Mom," while walking down the stairs.

I walked over to the table to eat the prepared scrambled eggs and toast. Once I finished I asked, "So Mom, was there something you needed me for?"

"Well, actually, it's your friend Professor Elm. He gave me a call and asked for you to meet him at his lab—he said he needed you to do something important for him. I guess those summers working for him has won you some favor with him."

"Hmm, really? I wonder what he wants. Well I don't want to keep him waiting—thanks Mom."

I headed for the front door and grabbed my black-and-gold baseball cap hanging on the door hook and walked outside. New Bark Town wasn't very big, and for the most part was a quiet town that was surrounded by forest. My house sat at the very edge of the town, on the shoreline of a river that leads to Kanto. There were many homes and flea markets, but not much else; it's more of a residential town. As I made my way up the street, I noticed the wonderful springtime weather, and that many of the trees had begun to flower, releasing their odor, lofting it into the breeze.

"Ethan, look out!" a familiar voice called out from behind me.

I turned to find the source when out of nowhere a Marill ran into my legs and fell over on her back.

"Oh no, you okay little guy?" I said as I bent over to help the round Pokémon up.

As I looked up, I saw a slim girl running towards me. She had chocolate eyes and brown hair, which she put up in pigtails. She was wearing a big white hat with a red bow on it, short-short suspenders, and a red shirt. She was roughly a foot or so shorter than me, and carried a yellow bag with her. It was Lyra, my best—and probably only—friend since I was little.

"Oh, sorry about that, Goldy boy," she said with her iconic smile, walking up to me. "Me and Marill were playing hide and seek, and she must've gotten turned around and wasn't looking where she was going," she said apologetically.

"It's okay—no worries."

"So Ethan, where were you going before, well, you know, Marill ran into you?" she asked with a slightly embarrassed face.

"Oh, I was going to see Professor Elm. He said he needed me to do something important for him."

At that moment, I saw Lyra's eyes light up with excitement.

"Oh, you know what I think?" she said confidently with her finger in the air. "I think you'll finally get your first Pokémon today—that has to be it! Think of it, you've been helping him out so much, I bet he's going to reward you. Oh, how exciting! I can't wait to see—here, I'll come with you."

She grabbed my hand and almost threw me off my feet as she made off with me towards Professor Elm's lab.

"Whoa, Lyra, calm down. What makes you think I'll be getting my first Pokémon? I mean, he probably just wants me to fetch something!" I exclaimed, pulling my hand free.

She stopped for a second and looked back at me with her cute smile, and said, "I don't know—I just got this feeling, you know? Come on, let's go!"

And she was off again at a brisk pace, with me tailing behind.

I never understood what made Lyra so outgoing and positive. It's one of those things I always liked about her since we were little. Lyra was fifteen years old, while I'm sixteen, and she moved here with her mom about five years ago. I was really shy, and I didn't have any friends back then, until I met her. She was so cheerful and fun, and she hung out with me all the time. Although, to be honest, we weren't exactly friends from the get-go; in fact, I found her to be rather irritating at first. She would always get into my business when I wanted to be left alone, and she would always play pranks on me, which she still does today, but I eventually learned to like her quirkiness and spontaneous attitude. The day I met Lyra was the day my life turned around for the better, and she's always been the one who brightens my days. And she can kick my ass at any fighting game on my Wii.

After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at Professor Elm's lab. It was a large building at the edge of our town that had a very different architectural feel, with more of a contemporary, modern look as opposed to the classic look of the rest of the town. It was the newest building in New Bark, commissioned about two years ago. I volunteer my time there to help Professor Elm with his research, but mostly because I want to work with Pokémon.

"Well, let's go in," said Lyra, but the next moment her phone rang. "Oh, come on," she groaned as she rolled her eyes with disappointment. "That's probably my mom. If my hunch is right, then she must need me for something. I have to go—I'll come back later to see your new Pokémon."

She then waved good-bye and ran off, back into town with her Marill trailing behind her. After she disappeared into town, I turned to face the lab, but something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was subtle, but I definitely saw something move fast. I turned again and I caught a glimpse of a shady figure roughly my height with noticeably red hair that darted behind the side of the building. I was hesitant to act; I wasn't sure if I should pursue or not. What if this guy meant trouble? I decided to push past my instincts and investigate what I saw.

I rushed to the side of the building to find the mystery person. As I looked around the corner I saw a kid who looked my age with red hair draping over his eyes and ears; he wore a black jacket with red trimming along the pockets and edges. He was intensely looking at the side of the lab, as if inspecting it, and cursing quietly like he kept failing to find something. I stayed hidden for a while, not sure of what to do. I have to do something, I thought, this guy has trouble written all over him. But what if he has a Pokémon on him, or what if he tries to attack me? Worried, I took a deep breath and thought it over, and then I decided that I had to confront him, or else something worse might happen.

I called to him, "Hey, what are you doing back here?"

In response, the red-haired kid snapped his head toward me and gave me an intense look.

"Hey, piss off, kid!" he exclaimed, standing up and pointing at me. "How about you mind your own goddamn business!" Quickly, he dashed off into the woods and was gone before I could run after him.

After that unpleasant encounter, I wondered who he was. I certainly never saw him before in this town. And what was he looking for? I was afraid to keep thinking about it and tried to move on. Besides, I knew if he tried to get in the lab he wouldn't be able to without the use of a keycard. So I headed back to the front of the lab and went inside, using the keycard that Elm gave me during the summer when I was working with him.

The inside of Elm's lab was wide and open, with mostly bookshelves near the front and lots of cool machines near the back. The tiles on the floor were white like marble, and every so often I could find a pile of papers scattered around the floor or on a table. As I walked towards the back, I couldn't help but notice three Poké Balls on the table there. I thought to myself, Perhaps Lyra was right—maybe I will get my first Pokémon today.

"Ah, Ethan, you're here—glad to see you!" exclaimed Professor Elm.

"Good morning, Elm, how's it going?"

"I'm doing well, thank you, Ethan. Now then, I called you in today because I have something important I need you to do for me. An associate of mine who goes by the name Mr. Pokémon was raving on about his newest discovery recently, and he said I should stop by to pick it up. Unfortunately, I'm very busy at the moment, so I need you to go to his house and pick it up for me. So, are you up for it?"

"Sure, where is his house?"

"That's the spirit—I knew I could count on you. He lives north of Cherrygrove City, on the road. Now then, the trip will take a while, and you'll be trekking through wild Pokémon habitat, so I thought it would be best if I let you have a Pokémon to accompany you on the way."

At that moment, my heart filled with joy. I couldn't believe it—I was getting my first Pokémon!

"Wow, are you serious, Elm? Are you going to let me have one?"

"Well, the volunteer work you did for me over the summer proved to me that you can handle a Pokémon. Now, come over to the table—I have two Pokémon for you to choose from."

We walked over to the table and he pointed to the first ball.

"Here we have a Cyndaquil—he's a fire-type Pokémon—and here we have a Chikorita, a grass-type; both of them are very loyal and easy to handle."

Confused because there were three balls, I reached for the third and asked, "Well, who's in this one?" while I pressed the center button to release the Pokémon.

"No wait, put that down!"

It was too late. I had already pushed the button, and in a brilliant flash of light, an upright blue Pokémon with a large mouth and reptilian features was revealed, and, once fully formed, it chirped like a baby alligator.

"Careful Ethan, that Pokémon is a Totodile—they have a nasty habit of biting people. I tried working with him, but ever since he came back from his last owner he's been too wild," Elm warned me.

"Oh come on, this cute guy? He can't be that bad."

I turned to face the Totodile, who was currently under the desk, so I kneeled down to the floor. Once I was at his level, I reached for him. The moment I motioned toward him the small gator snapped his jaws at me, but missed narrowly.

"Oh shit!" I cursed, pulling my hand away from the Totodile and falling onto my back.

"Ethan, you all right?" Elm worried, as he motioned to me.

I looked up at the Pokémon in fear and tried to crawl away. It was bearing its teeth and hissing very loudly at me and Elm. Elm tried to get to the Poké Ball on the table, but the Totodile snapped its jaws at him and he backed off. It then focused its attention back on me and started to walk closer with its jaws wide open, ready to make me a shredded mess. I crawled back frantically, trying to get away, but that's when I saw it. It was brief, but I know I saw it, or at least I think I saw it. It was fear. I didn't see hate in the Pokémon's eyes—I saw fear. He was afraid, just like me. I looked closer and then noticed what looked like a scar on the side of the Totodile's left arm. That's when it hit me. The scar, the fear, the mindless attacking—it was all the product of some kind of abuse the Totodile had endured! I quickly took off my sweatshirt and threw it to the side.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop! Just hold on a sec—look, see? I have nothing on me!" I exclaimed as I pulled out the insides of my pockets in front of the enraged gator Pokémon, hoping to prove to it that I had nothing that could hurt him.

The Totodile stopped in its tracks and looked confused at my display. And, to be honest, I would've been confused too.

"Look, you're scared. I can see that. Okay, I'm scared too—just understand that I don't want to hurt you," I said, trying to find anywhere else I could hide something, and then show I had nothing hidden there.

"Ethan, get back, he's about to—" Elm warned as he reached for the Poké Ball.

"Elm, wait! Trust me on this—he's scared of us!" I interjected.

Then, in continuing my trend of proving I had no weapon on me, I took my bag and emptied what I had inside on the floor and kicked that away. I noticed a turkey sandwich and reached for it. The Totodile hissed at me for trying to reach for something and started walking towards me again.

"Wait, wait ,wait! Look, it's just a sandwich!" I said frantically as I got the sandwich off the floor. "Look, I don't want to hurt you," I said, holding out the sandwich to the Pokémon. "I promise I won't hurt you—I just want to give this to you."

The Totodile looked very confused, but still ready to strike—its eyes were still watching me for what felt like an eternity. It took one step, but then it paused and looked at its scarred arm before hissing again.

"Did someone do that to you?"

The Totodile looked away from its arm and gave me a funny look.

"I promise, I'm not like whoever did that to you. I just want to be your friend, 'cause sometimes, even if you don't want it, you need someone to be your friend. Let me be your friend," I said, thinking about what Lyra did for me five years ago.

Something in the Totodile's eyes shifted: it was subtle, but I could sense something in him had changed. Totodile slowly closed its mouth. Then, after a few seconds, it took a step closer to me, then another, and another, until he was mere inches from my hand. Then he stood there, staring at me. He then looked at his scar, then back at me. I was holding my breath; I didn't know what would happen next. I saw the Totodile open its mouth, and I closed my eyes and looked away. Then I felt the sandwich leave my hand. I looked back and saw the Totodile sitting next to me, eating the sandwich.

"Oh, thank God that worked," I said, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

"That's incredible, Ethan! I've had that Totodile for over a week now and I could never get him to be so docile. How did you know what to do?" Elm asked as he walked over to me.

"The scar on his left arm—I think he got it from his previous owner, and I thought because of that he was afraid of other people, so I showed him I had nothing on me that could hurt him," I said as I stood up and got my sweatshirt and the other stuff I tossed around. "So can I bring him with me?"

"Well, Ethan, I have to say, I'm very impressed. I think it would be perfect if you brought him with you. I think you're the only one who can teach him to like other people again, but are you going to give him a name?"

At that thought, I picked up the Totodile—who was still eating his sandwich—and put him on the table, looking at him for a second.

"Hmmm, you know I've had an idea for a name for a long time now. I'll name you after a great and powerful river. From now on, your name will be Nile. Well, what do you say—do you like it?"

Nile looked up at me and gave me a subtle look, then went back to his sandwich.

"Well, I guess he likes it," I said as I reached to pick Nile up.

*Snap!*

"I guess Nile still needs a bit more time with you before he trusts you completely. But it looks like he only gave you a love bite." The professor chuckled to himself.

"Owww . . . I guess you're . . . arghh . . . right," I uttered painfully with Nile still latched on to my hand. "Come on, Nile—let go, please!"

At that, Nile released my hand, and I put him on the ground to walk with me. Then I grabbed Nile's Poké Ball along with everything else that fell out of my bag.

"Okay Elm, I'm off to visit Mr. Pokémon. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay. Here, take a few potions in case Nile gets hurt," he said, reaching for several purple-colored bottles from a nearby cabinet.

"Thanks, Elm."

I grabbed the potions and put them in my bag, and then Nile and I headed outside. When we left the lab, I saw a familiar face smiling at me, waiting across the road.

"Hey Lyra, check out my new friend—but be careful, he's a bit shy."

At this, I noticed Nile was hiding behind my leg and bearing his teeth at Lyra. She ran over to me with her Marill tailing behind.

"Oh my God, Ethan, he's so cute! What's his name?"

"I named him Nile, you know, after the river," I said reluctantly, realizing how silly the name was now that I thought about it.

"Wow, that's a cool name," she said, kneeling down to see him.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah, totally, Nile is a great name. Isn't that right, Nile?" she said, reaching for Nile.

"Careful, Lyra, he's not—" But before I could finish, she was already petting him down his back.

Wow, seriously? It took me what felt like an hour and a whole display of trust to get this close to Nile, and she can just walk up and pet him like she knew him. I guess that's another thing I admire about Lyra: she always has this aura of positive energy. Pokémon and people alike cheer up just being around her.

"I think Nile is perfect for you, Gold—you two will make great friends. So, come on, let's go to the pond and have Marill and Nile swim together," she said enthusiastically.

"Really, you're calling me Gold again? I thought I told you that nickname is too childish. Anyway, I'd love to go, but I have to go to Cherrygrove City and meet a friend of the professor's today."

"Aw, really? I thought we could hang out today," she muttered, looking down in disappointment.

Feeling nervous, I said, "Um, don't worry, I'll be back later, though—we can hang out then."

"Well, okay, I guess I'll see you later then. Come on Marill, let's go back home." And with that she took off back into town.

I then turned to Nile.

"Well, Nile, guess we need to get going too—let's head for Cherrygrove City."