The glow of my phone screen lit up the dim room.
I wasn't a big texter, but there were two names worth the effort.
'Ghosting the two is just shooting yourself in the foot.' I thought looking down at my phone. Especially a certain someone providing some amusement.
---
[Clair: You better not slack off in Unova, before you know it I'll beat you]
[Me: 1-0 scrub]
[Clair: SAY THAT AGAIN]
[Clair: When I get my hands on you...]
[Me: 1-0 scrub 2x. You will need to train for another 1000 years to beat me]
[Clair: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]
[Clair: TRY MEEEEE]
---
Lmao.
That was as close to encouragement as Clair got. It was easier to banter with a kid "closer" to my age in this world. It didn't feel as stiff to message in the ways I would friends back on earth.
Unlike my other chat.
Which was more mild mannered.
---
[Lance: Unova isn't a place I've been to yet. Do you know what dragon types they have over there? I'd like to see them, and if possible a picture!]
[Me: There's the Deino line and Axew line. Personally both are amazing but I personally like Deino the most. It's final evolution is a three headed Dragon, but I'll talk about it more in the future. Typing it out feels less authentic to how much I love them!]
[Lance: Hahah!]
[Lance: Well you can call me to talk whenever we chat like this, I'm free to help you as long as there are photos of these great dragons! Someone also passionate about dragons is always welcomed to chat.]
---
Quite the reassurance from the dragon master himself...
Maybe I should get some grunts to take a few secret photos. The internet still wasn't too main stream and such things were pretty limiting.
Especially for the Wataru Clan who hail from traditional originas.
A good example is the Draconid people from Hoenn or the other dragon clan from Unova where Iris is from.
I locked the phone and slid it into my pocket.
Behind me, zippers rasped and fabric rustled. Clara was bent over the luggage, folding clothes with precision only someone like her had. She'd been the first maid I'd met when I woke up in this life, years ago.
'He's definitely grown.' I thought to myself seeing the Pokemon under her shadow.
A gengar with a wide smile, waving at me.
Waving back a nostalgic smile hit my face. But it didn't last long as the maid turned around and spoke.
"I'll be the one accompanying you master Silver."
Direct as ever.
"Good to know." My simply reply getting a nod from her.
I leaned back in my chair, watching Gengar phase its arm through the suitcase handle before Clara swatted it away without even glancing.
'Only two pseodo legendaries could possibly persuade me to be maidenless again. As a person who never went out to camp, how would I survive...' The thought of being by myself out in the woods haunted me. 'I'll still camp but not everyday for my journey.'
As a former couch potato that's my limit!
Her hands didn't stop moving. "What's the plan?" she said, flat as ever.
"We will camp sometimes, but for the most stay at Pokemon centers.," I allowed. "If there's a hotel close then we go there."
Gengar cackled softly, sinking into the floor before reappearing by my side. I waved it off and it drifted back to her, obedient despite its playful nature.
I studied Clara for a moment. Her uniform wasn't the simple one she'd worn years ago. Darker, sharper lines now, a badge pinned neatly on her collar. A sign of rank. She'd risen in Rocket since the last time I'd really spoken with her, though she didn't flaunt it.
"Hey Clara, what's your rank?"
"It's not kind to ask of a woman's age and position master Silver." She directly answers making me squint my eyes. After seeing my silent treatment she sighs before talking again. "I'm a Tier-5 Senior Agent."
Not bad...
Around a Veteran rank trainer overall? Although she only has two Pokemon from my knowledge so not really.
I exhaled, standing up and stretching. "A tier five agent babysitting me for the next year. How great..."
"I've had worse assignments, like taking care of you." she said in a monotone voice. Looking me straight in the face.
Damn
I paused but got an understanding look. "Fair."
She zipped the last case shut, then motioned for Gengar, who lifted it easily as though mocking the effort. With everything packed, Clara finally turned to me.
"Everything is ready."
"Let's head off then." I say quickly double checking my pokeball belt.
The weight of the moment hit me then. This was it. Leaving Kanto, leaving Viridian, leaving everything that had built my name so far. But dangers such as future catastrophes aren't something I can change for now.
My strength needs to grow.
"Master Silver, I've gotten a message that someone is waiting for you" Clara suddenly said without even calling anytime recently. "It's her."
Her?
'I've almost forgot, my gift.'
...
[POV - Sabrina]
Silver was already waiting when I stepped into the Gym.
Some maid stood close to him, but she was irrelivant.
He looked the same as always, casual but sharp-eyed. But when his gaze flicked to me, I could feel the restraint beneath it. He spoke freely enough, yet part of him always held back.
I didn't comment.
Not like I knew what to say anyways.
"You're leaving for Unova." I simply ask.
He gave a curt nod.
I lowered my eyes for a moment, then lifted them again. "I've decided to go on my own journey. In Kanto."
His eyes widened in surprise and a his thoughts hit my head. Louder than any outside voice that I couldn't control. "You're going to start collecting badges?"
He was happy for me?
"Yes," I said. "Watching your battles… it makes me want to move as well. When I battle, everything quiets down. I want more of that silence."
It was the truth.
Silver tilted his head, listening in his usual way.
I hesitated before adding, "I've also… seen something. Flashes of ideas. Teams." My voice didn't waver, but my fingers twitched slightly at my side. "Someone customizing my future champion team from your memories."
He narrowed his eyes at me, suspicion flickering.
I didn't explain further. I couldn't. I wasn't even sure myself. Sometimes I wondered if I had glimpsed Silver's mind when I shouldn't have fleeting images of strange "videos," people speaking about me, about what I might become.
What were their sources?
I shook the thought away. "I'll use them. Those teams. To guide myself."
My body tensed at his warm smile.
Silver thinks its a great idea...
When he talks to me, even when he treats me like I belong, there's distance. He's uncomfortable. Not afraid, not exactly.
Just reluctant.
It didn't disappoint me. It made me want to change. But change wasn't something I could force. His thoughts always went back to a certain Mewtwo? Only with that would he ever talk to me comfortably.
He stepped forward then, pulling something from his coat pocket. A folded length of fabric, smooth and simple. A scarf.
Grey.
"For you, I know it's sunny in Kanto but I didn't know what else to get you." He sheepishly says scratching the back of his head.
I blinked, staring at it longer than I meant to before I reached out. The fabric was soft between my fingers. I draped it lightly around my neck, feeling its weight.
My heart hurt.
I didn't know why.
"…Thank you," I said, my tone as flat.
The confusion startled me more than the scarf itself. Before he could reply, I turned, focus snapping sharp. My power flared, and in the next breath, I vanished from the Gym, reappearing alone in my own room.
I touched the scarf again, fingers brushing against the fabric. My chest still felt tight. I didn't understand it.
'I hope you find your Mewtwo, Silver, so we can talk more...'
...
[POV - Silver Sakaki]
The air warped where she had been, and then she was gone.
I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders back as if that would clear the faint pressure she always left behind. Talking to Sabrina was like walking across a glass bridge you never knew if you'd take a step and it would crack under you.
The scarf was gone with her, tucked around her neck when she vanished. At least she accepted it. I wasn't sure she would.
I'm not sure if she originally went on a journey in Kanto but I assume not. With her Pokemon in the anime being an Abra a first stage Pokemon. Sabrina's sheer potential if she just tried was enormous.
Then her words came back to me, and I froze.
She mentioned the videos.
'Youtube videos perhaps or maybe myself creating my perfect monotype team? Wait a minute...' My thoughts slowing down.
My mind ticked back, slow and suspicious. There was no way she should have known about that. I'd watched them late at night when I couldn't sleep fan-made lists, "If Sabrina Were a Champion"-style breakdowns, people speculating on what her team would look like if she rose to the top.
Obviously being the strongest psychic in Pokemon earned her a fans.
The problem wasn't that she knew. The problem was… what else had she seen? I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Oh hell no."
With Sabrina, I always had to assume she'd caught glimpses I didn't want her to. And she wasn't the type to tease about it either she'd just state it flatly, like breathing. That was worse somehow.
Did she judge me? Surely no NSFW stuff was seen.
Let's just forget about it...
...
[Time Skip - Few Days]
The hum of the plane's engines was steady, a low vibration that made the armrest buzz under my hand.
The intercom clicked on, announcing our descent into Castelia City. My eyes went to the window. First impressions mattered, and I wanted mine sharp.
Unova's skyline rose out of the water like jagged teeth. Skyscrapers lined the coast, glittering against the morning light, each one taller than anything in Kanto. Even Saffron looked provincial in comparison. The streets below were alive with movement of taxis, trainers, vendors, a chaos that somehow worked together.
This place was basically the America of Pokemon.
With celebrities like Cynthia buying houses in the beaches.
Clara opened her eyes and glanced at me. "I've heard they got great meat," she murmured, voice monotone.
"Sure?" I echoed, tilted my head.
The wheels hit the runway with a jolt, snapping me out of my head. Within minutes we were off the plane, bags carried not by me but by Clara, as always. My boots hit Unovan soil for the first time, and I took in the crowd pressing around us.
"Keep an eye out," I said softly.
Clara inclined her head, no more words needed.
The press of the crowd eased once we reached the street outside the terminal. Castelia was overwhelming in a way Kanto never was—its scale was suffocating, but also energizing. Towers loomed like steel Pokémon, cranes swung overhead, and advertisements flickered across massive screens.
I paused on the steps, scanning the sprawl of it all. This wasn't home. That was the point.
"First stop?" Clara asked.
"The desert."
Her eyebrow twitched, her version of a frown. "At least settle down first master Silver. There's more to life please."
Looking at the dark bags under her eyes my amused face couldn't be hidden.
We had plenty of time to detour.
"I'll take my dear maid to a date then, on me of course!" My black card now in between my fingers
"yay." Her quiet voice barely a whisper with her half assed cheer made me wanna laugh. But deep in those eyes were a small light coming back.
I could take my time after all.
My men still are locating the ruins.