Heart of Silver

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf gave a little sigh, sitting at the end of Silver’s bed. “You’re allowed to let people take care of you, y’know,” she said softly, “It’s not weak. You take care of me all the time - and do you think I’m weak?” She gave a litle chuckle. “Actually, don’t answer that.”

After a pause, Leaf stood up with a little 'hup!', puffing out her cheeks. “Well, if you’re that insistent that I leave you alone, then I guess I’ll leave. But don’t blame me if you start to get lonely!”

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver went quiet; Leaf's words weighed more heavily on his mind than he would have expected. Did he think she was weak because she let Silver help her out? That question had a complicated answer which was neither 'yes' or 'no'. He was certain, however, that he knew Leaf was a lot stronger than he had thought when they first met.

His own immediate feelings about Leaf's weakness or strength didn't sit well with him. After all, if he didn't think Leaf was weak for allowing Silver to help her out and care for her, then what business did he have acting like it would be a personal failing for him to accept help?

Silver moaned and pulled the blanket over his head. He did not need to be having epiphanies with how ill he felt.

"I'll be fine," he said faintly. "Just let me get some rest."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf watched Silver get up and quickly drained the last of his water before going after him. She gently grasped his arm when he stumbled, motioning for him to lean on her shoulder.

"I can’t just leave you like this!" she said stubbornly, leading him back towards their room, "Exploring is no fun by myself! Besides, I’d probably get lost without you…"

They reached the tiny room and Leaf eased Silver down onto one of the beds, placing a hand on his forehead to make sure he didn’t have a fever. Satisfied that he was a normal temperature, she gave a little smile and pulled the blanket up to Silver’s chest.

"Just rest for now. You’ll feel much better after some sleep, I’m sure of it! I’ll be here when you wake up."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver cringed, his cheeks flushing lightly in shame. She was insisting he lean on her as though he were incapable of walking by himself. He didn't want to know what she must have been thinking about him at that moment.

He leaned against her shoulder as they walked slowly to their room. "You don't have to do this," he said. "I'll be fine by myself. I don't need any help. I can take care of myself..."

Leaf helped him ease into bed and Silver curled up into a tight ball. "Don't bother staying," he said. "I mean it. I can take care of myself. I've always been able to take care of myself."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

After making sure Silver wouldn’t topple over, Leaf made her way slowly back downstairs and into the kitchens. The tiny area was full of crewmen jostling into each other and scarfing down their breakfast before getting to work. Leaf managed to find a spot at the table big enough for the two of them and squished in.

"Um, two cups of water, please!" Leaf said in a small voice, barely audible over the din, "And… some crackers, please."

The cook winked and prepared their simple snack (thought really it just consisted of two metal cups plopped in front of them and a packet of saltines tossed onto the table). Leaf took a sip of water and and nibbled on a cracker, pushing the packet towards Silver. “You should at least try to eat something,” she said gently, “Some food might settle your stomach.”

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

As soon as he was seated at the table, Silver folded his arms and rested his head. He hated feeling so sick and weak. He hated that Leaf had to look after him like he was a small child or an invalid. He was supposed to be able to take care of himself, dammit. What sort of Champion-to-be got bowled over by a little seasickness?

The water arrived and Silver drank cautiously, wrinkling his nose at the tinny taste of the metal cup. Leaf pushed the packet of crackers towards him and Silver frowned. "If you say so," he said, picking a cracker up and slowly chewing on it. By the time the packet of crackers was gone, Silver's stomach was aching, although he couldn't tell whether that was because he was still hungry, or because the crackers had upset him.

"I think I need to go lay down" Silver said, standing up abruptly and swaying on his feet. "You don't have to help me back, I know the way to our room. Have fun exploring the ship."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

With one hand Leaf steadied herself on the railing and with the other she rubbed circles over Silver’s back. “There there…” she said, trying to be comforting, “It’s only for a few days. Look on the bright side, Silver - the weather is so beautiful today!”

It was true. The sun shone bright and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. A gentle breeze rolled off the water, lifting Leaf’s hair and tugging at her clothes.

A worker carrying a large crate gave them a grin. “Is the boy not feeling well?” he said with a hearty laugh, “Don’t worry, even people with weak stomachs get used to being on here fast.”

Leaf smiled hesitantly back at the man, knowing he meant well but that Silver would probably take offense to the “weak stomach” comment. Not to mention she wasn’t feeling that great herself, though she was clearly doing a bit better than her companion. She turned back to Silver.

"You’re probably not feeling well because we haven’t eaten anything yet today! Let’s go find the kitchen. I’m sure your tummy just needs some food and water."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Leaf was touching him again. Rubbing his back to help him feel better. That probably would have comforted him if he were in any shape to appreciate the kind gesture. As it was, all Silver could think about was how utterly miserable he felt. Dizzy and nauseated and exhausted and already far too eager to get off the boat which had barely set sail ten minutes ago.

He didn't even pay attention to the sailor who said he had a weak stomach, a true testament to how ill he felt.

"Food," Silver moaned, shuddering at the thought of forcing anything down his throat. "...Don't have much of an appetite, but maybe a drink would help."

Taking one last deep breath, Silver turned away from the rail and grabbed Leaf's arm for support. "Lead the way," he said.

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf couldn’t help but laugh and poke Silver’s cheek. “Wouldja stop being such a Negative Nidoran? You’re gonna get permanent wrinkles if you’re always frowning like that!” She peered over Silver’s shoulders, out onto the vast waves that seemed to go on forever. “The ocean is amazing. I can’t believe that something so big could exist. But I guess there’s also the sky, and outer space.”

The ship lurched again and Leaf stumbled backwards, landing into a sitting position on one of the beds. The mattress sank under her weight and the springs gave a sad little groan. 

Once the boat was steady again Leaf stood, grabbing onto Silver’s hand. The young child inside her had awoken and being in a new environment made her restless. 

"Come on! The captain can’t expect us to stay down here the entire time. Let’s go exploring!"

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

When Leaf grabbed Silver's hand and started chirping in his ear about exploring, Silver wanted to slap her hand away and tell her to leave him alone so he could die in peace. But between his nausea and his exhaustion, Silver didn't feel as though he could put his irritation into words, so he gave a dispassionate grunt and forced himself to his feet. 

"We're going to the deck first," Silver murmured, not even bothering to wait for Leaf's approval as he started walking. "I need the fresh air."

Once the two of them were on the deck, Silver made a beeline for the edge. Feeling dizzy, he leaned forward on the railing and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and trying to pretend he was somewhere else.

"I hate...ships," he muttered. "Hate ships. Hate the ocean. Hate this."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf shuddered at the thought of a Rattata infestation. “That… doesn’t sound very fun at all.” She shook her head furiously at his next statement though, sticking her tongue out at his mocking expression. “Of course not! There’s no one I would rather be with—”

Shouts could be heard abovedecks and the giant ship lurched beneath them, and they were off. Leaf was barely able to keep her balance by grabbing onto Silver’s shoulder, but as she steadied herself a wave of nausea came over her and she covered her mouth. 

"… Oog…" Leaf swallowed and the nausea was gone as quickly as it came. She hoped that it would stay that way. "Come on, let’s open the window!"

After some prying and struggling, she managed to force the window open with a grunt of exertion. Instantly a stream of fresh air blew in, the salty tang a vast improvement over the musty odor of their tiny room. The window was small, but if Leaf pressed her face against it she could see Olivine City’s port, slowly growing smaller. 

"Come here, Silver, look!" She moved out of the way so that Silver could take her place. "The ocean is so big! What if we get lost?"

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

The floor beneath Silver's feet shifted as the ship set sail, and as Leaf grabbed his shoulder, he felt his stomach flip. But he would have been hard-pressed to say whether that was more from the sudden movement of the ship or from Leaf touching him again. Silver had to bite the inside of his cheek to distract himself from his upset stomach.

"You...feeling alright?" Silver said weakly, not sounding well at all himself.

When Leaf opened a window, he sighed in relief. The fresh air helped a little and he wondered whether it would be feasible to keep the window open during the entirety of their journey. 

"What's so great about the ocean?" Silver muttered as he moved towards the window. To him, the ocean looked big and gray and boring. "Yep. It's an ocean."

When Leaf asked what would happen if they got lost, Silver had to laugh at the absurdity of the thought. "Don't worry, if we get lost, Feraligatr will swim us to shore."

The ship tilted slightly to one side and Silver's stomach flipped again. Moaning, he rest his head against the frame of the window.

"Is the entire trip going to be like this," he hissed through clenched teeth. "This is unbearable."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

"Of course!" Leaf nodded. "If there’s anything I know how to do well, it’s avoid trouble with others!" (A bit of an ironic statement.)

Once they got onto the deck, they found the captain and after handing over the tickets he lead them belowdecks and to their room. 

"It’s not much," he said in a gruff voice, opening the door and flicking on the lights, "But it’ll get ye by fer the next few days. There’s bathroom facilities down the hall, but I’ll ask ye to be sparing with the water. ‘Nd yer both welcome to join the crew at mealtimes." With that he tipped his cap and went back to his crew and duties. 

Leaf surveyed the room, trying to keep a positive grin on her face. “It’s… nice!” she said, though ‘nice’ was probably a word few would use to describe it.

The room was tiny, and dark. A single lightbulb hung from the ceiling and the two beds were pushed so close together they might have just been one bed. The walls were a bit stained and the blankets looked questionable at best. But at least there was a circular window that gave them a view of the sea, and even though it was a bit grimy it looked like it could be opened to let the fresh air in. Not to mention this boat brought Leaf and Silver that much closer to what they set out to do.

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver nodded along with everything the captain said, only half-listening. Bathroom. Sparing with the water. Mealtimes. The night without sleep was hitting him hard and standing on the boat, he was already feeling a little nauseated. The ship hadn't even set sail yet, so was he imaging the swaying beneath his feet? 

"It's...not the worst place I've ever stayed in," Silver said, setting his bag down on one of the beds. "I think I once slept in an abandoned building that was less comfortable than this. At the very least, I doubt this ship has a Rattata infestation like that abandoned building did."

He sat down at the bed, frowning at how close to the other bed it was. If he wanted to, he could reach over and touch the occupant in the other bed. "Sure you don't mind being cooped up in here with me for five days?" Silver said with a wry smirk. 

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

After a brief exchange of money Leaf handed one of the tickets to Silver. “It’s on a cargo ship!” she said happily, “But there are spare rooms below decks. And the trip should only take about 5 days! Come on, let’s go find the boat.”

Leaf led the way back outside, where several boats lined the docks. There was a huge luxury cruise ship, and several smaller vessels probably owned by the locals. It was fairly obvious which one they would be taking - it was large and industrial, but simple; the paint was wearing off the sides and crewmen were walking up and down the gangway loaded with crates and barrels, aided by imposing Machoke. 

"Um… hello!" Leaf caught the attention of one of the workers. "We have tickets to board… Who should we give them too?"

"Just talk to the captain. He’s on deck doing inventory." 

Leaf nodded in thanks and tugged Silver by the end of his sleeve up the gangway, an excited smile on her face. “I’ve never been on such a big boat before! Do you think we’ll see any wild Pokemon out in the water? Gosh, I hope I don’t get seasick!”

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

"A cargo ship?" Silver raised his eyebrows. "Well...it'll probably be faster than a cruise ship. So long as you don't whine how uncomfortable the accommodations are, I don't have any problems."

As he and Leaf boarded the ship, Silver eyed the crated being loaded. He wondered what the ship was transporting and whether, out of all the goods the ship was no doubt hauling, if the sailors would notice a couple of things missing.

"I don't know if we'll see wild Pokemon," Silver said absently, staring out at the ocean. "I guess it depends on how bold they are. They might want to stay away from such a big ship."

"By the way," Silver said, glancing at the working men again, "we should try to stay out of the way during this trip. Try not to make trouble for the sailors, you know?"

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

With a mighty yawn Leaf sat up in bed, awoken by the sunlight poking in through the window. As expected, Silver was up and looking like he was ready to go. There were dark circles under his eyes, though - he obviously hadn’t gotten very much sleep at all.

Leaf looked at him, a concerned expression on her face. “Did you have a bad dream or something—?”

She cut herself off when she caught sight of the clock on the wall, which read that it was just past seven in the morning. “Ah! Come on, Silver, we have to hurry to the port if we want to catch the first boat!”

Leaf rushed into the hallway, pulling Silver behind her (stopping only to briefly splash water on her face and brush her teeth in the bathroom). “Bye, thank you for letting us stay the night!” The nurse smiled and waved pleasantly as they disappeared down the door. 

By the time they reached the port Leaf was out of breath. They entered the very administration building they had broken into the night before and Leaf made a beeline for the front desk. “Two tickets for the next boat that goes directly to Castelia City in Unova, please.”

The woman behind the counter gave them a surprised look, taking in their disheveled and rushed appearance. Leaf gave her an urging expression and she turned to her computer, typing in a few commands. “Ah, you’re in luck! The next boat leaves in half an hour. It’s a cargo ship, not a passenger ship - but if you’re alright with less than luxury quarters, you can board for half the price of a cruise ship!”

Leaf turned to Silver, an elated expression on her face.

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver was already dressed and packed by the time Leaf woke up. He had to frown when she pointed out that didn't look well--he'd been hoping his poor night of sleep hadn't been obvious.

"Insomnia," he muttered, and was unsure if Leaf even heard him as she caught a glimpse of the clock and pulled him out the door and out of the Pokemon Center.

By the time the two of them arrived at the dock, Silver was feeling more alert. While Leaf talked with the person at the front desk, Silver leaned over and peered down a hallway. He could see an utterly bewildered-looking man sitting at the desk in the records room and Silver had to suppress a snicker;they must have put the files back all wrong!

He turned back to find that Leaf was looking at him brightly. "Uh, sounds good," Silver said, not entirely sure what sort of tickets Leaf had gotten. "We'll take them."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

"Goodnight!" Leaf kicked her shoes off and shimmied under the blankets, pulling them up to her nose. The fatigue her body felt battled with the thousands of thoughts buzzing about her mind - she had never felt such a bizarre mix of excitement, fear, and anticipation before. 

She peeked over towards the outline of Silver’s (supposedly) sleeping figure, barely discernible in the darkness. It still came as a bit of a shock that Silver would go to such lengths just for her - but that was what friends did, right?

Though the more Leaf thought about it, the more she realized that maybe Silver was more than a friend to her, and maybe he felt the same way. Maybe, just maybe—

But that was ridiculous. Leaf couldn’t really call herself the connoisseur of love, given her experience and lack thereof. She chided herself for thinking such silly thoughts and closed her eyes, this time succumbing to sleep.

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver's demons always came out at night. He usually had plenty of trouble getting to sleep in his own sleeping bag, so laying in the hard, unfamiliar cot in the Pokemon Center, Silver couldn't do much else but think.

He wondered whether he had made the right decision in offering to take Leaf on their grand adventure. He had thought he understood how Leaf felt about her own father, but perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps he had taken his own feelings of abandonment and assumed Leaf must have felt exactly the same way. For all Silver knew, this journey of their was doing nothing but dredging up memories and feelings for Leaf which had best been left forgotten.

And what if they never found her father? Was Silver supposed to shrug his shoulders and leave Leaf saddled with the expectations and disappointment the journey had brought her? After everything he had gone through trying to find his mother, he had assumed that finding someone who wasn't actively hiding from him was going to be a cake walk. But he and Leaf were about to travel to the largest city in Unova and Silver didn't have a clue where to begin looking.

And was he even doing all of this for Leaf? Or was he just doing this to comfort himself after his failed search for his mother?

With so many questions and doubts laying heavily on his mind, Silver spent a fitful night tossing in his cot. By the time the sun had risen, he had barely gotten any sleep at all.

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf nodded, somewhat comforted by Silver’s words.

"Here we are!" The nurse unlocked a door and stepped aside so that the two trainers could enter. It was a small room, with generic pictures hanging on the walls and two plain cots that took up most of the space. "Well, I should get back to the front. Sleep well!"

Once she was gone Leaf flopped face-down onto one of the cots, not even bothering to take off her shoes just yet. The mattress was thin and the blankets were slightly stiff but for how tired she was it might as well have been a king’s bed in a palace. She rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

"What a day!" Leaf said, "To think, 24 hours ago the biggest thing on my mind was that I was running out of Antidotes. And tomorrow we’ll be heading to Unova, to find my dad!" She trailed off, and turned to smile up at Silver, who still stood in the doorway. "… Thanks again, Silver. For doing this for me. You’re a true friend."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver nodded his thanks to the nurse as she left, then watched Leaf flop down onto her cot. She looked as though she were exhausted, and Silver barely felt tired at all. He could already tell he was in for a long night.

He set his bag down on the floor while Leaf spoke to him. "Don't mention it," Silver said, sitting down on his own cot. "Let's just try to get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Silver laid down and pulled his too-scratchy blankets up as far as they would go. "Sleep well, Leaf." 

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf nodded. “The Pokemon Center sounds fine!” She would probably be spending a good chunk of her money on the boat ticket, so saving as much money as possible would be ideal.

She followed Silver out of the building and into the city streets, which had grown completely silent. “I most certainly am glad it’s over!” Leaf said defensively, sticking out her tongue, “I can’t believe I broke a law today… What would Mom say! Well, she’d probably be proud of me for trying something new…” She couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Sometimes her mother could be a bit of an airhead, but she loved her all the same.

They reached the Pokemon Center - the lights were still on but the crowds had thinned substantially. 

"Hello again!" Leaf said as she approached the counter for the second time that day, "We were wondering if we could stay here for the night?"

The nurse smiled. “Of course! There’s always room for traveling trainers. Follow me, the spare rooms are down the hall.” She turned to make sure they were following. “Did you find your guy?”

"O-Oh!" Leaf swallowed nervously. "Um, we’re still looking." It’s not like we broke into the city’s port or anything…

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

"First time for everything," Silver said, still smirking. "Should I apologize for being a bad influence on you?"

Before he knew it, the two of them had reached the Pokemon Center. As Silver watched Leaf talk to the nurse, he almost wanted to laugh at how nervous she seemed. The poor girl certainly had not been built for a life of crime. 

They followed the nurse and Silver leaned close to Leaf to whisper in her ear. "Hey, don't worry about it. No one got hurt by what we did, and think of how much closer we are to finding your dad."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf gave an elated gasp and stood up straight, covering her mouth in excitement. “We know where he’s going! Silver, this is incredible, I feel like we’re so much closer!”

Sure, fate was probably still against them. Castelia City was enormous from how Silver had described it, and the likelihood of running into Reed by chance was slim at best. Not to mention that by the time they reached the city he could have moved on to anywhere in Unova - but every cloud had a silver lining, right? They had been riding on sheer luck so far - perhaps it would carry them just a little further. It certainly couldn’t hurt to look at things optimistically.

Leaf closed the filing cabinet, and suddenly realized how tired she was. She and Silver had been on their feet all day, and it was well into the night at this point. She suppressed a yawn. “We should get on the first boat that leaves for Castelia City tomorrow. But for now… we should find some place to stay the night.” She smiled. “I guess when you’re on an adventure you sometimes forget that you need to rest!”

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

"Sleep?" Silver had entirely forgotten about sleep. And although his instincts were telling him to leave for Castelia City that very instant, he knew this was Leaf's journey and that he should defer to her decisions. He and Leaf were two separate people, after all, and even if he could go entire days without sleep, that didn't mean Leaf should have to do so.

"The Pokemon Center probably has a few cots," he said, looking around the room one last time to make sure nothing was out of place. "Does that sound good to you?"

They snuck out of the building as easily as they snuck into the building, and soon the two of them were out of the port. "I bet you're glad that's over," Silver said, smirking.

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf exhaled, frowning. She could hardly navigate herself onto the next street over in a big city - finding her father in Castelia City would be like looking for a needle in a stack of more needles. If he was even in Castelia City to begin with.

"Hmm?" Leaf quickly tucked the folder she had been working on back into the filing cabinet and shuffled over in Silver’s direction. She gently rested her chin on his shoulder, looking down at the paper he held in his hands.

"What did you find?"

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver had to suppress a shudder when Leaf put her chin on his shoulder. She smelled really, really nice...

"Uh..." Silver said and coughed to clear his throat. "Um, I found your father's name on this registry. It says here that he boarded a ship headed for..." He let his voice trail off as he ran his finger up the paper, searching for the ship's destination.

"...Castelia City. Looks like I was right. Just great."

With a long-suffering sigh, Silver started putting away the files. "His ship stopped on an island for a few days to refuel, so if we head straight for Castelia City, we'll be closing the distance. Who knows? Maybe we'll even be lucky enough to catch him while he's still there."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

The entire time Leaf followed meekly, looking as though she might faint at the slightest provocation. She had been the type of child to never even steal a cookie behind her mother’s back - what they were doing was shaking her moral compass to the core. 

Once they entered the record room, Leaf breathed a sigh of relief. But once she opened another filing cabinet, the sigh became one of dread. “There are so many…”

Seeing no point in dillydallying though, she pulled open a file and began leafing through the documents. 

"Where do you think a ship would land in Unova?" Leaf asked as she scanned the documents searching for Reed’s name, "Do you know the cities of that region? I’ve never been anywhere other than Kanto and Johto…"

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver huffed to himself as he searched through the files as quickly as he could. "I've heard of a couple of cities, but the only one I really remember anything about is Castelia City. From what I recall, it's supposed to be huge and full of people."

Papers, papers, papers. "Right on the sea, too," Silver said, not bothering to look up from his papers. "If I had to guess, I'd put my money on your father being in Castelia City.

"But don't ask me how we'd find him in such a huge city" Silver muttered under his breath. He leafed through papers and papers and just as he was about to turn the page, a name caught his eye.

"Leaf, come look at this,"  he called. "I think I found something."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf gave Silver a blank stare. “You mean… like… breaking and entering? Can’t we just ask someone to see the logs?” She didn’t like the idea of sneaking around. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to be sneaky.

Though when she looked out the window, she could see that night had fallen and the people working at the port would have most likely gone home for the night by now. Not to mention every second they delayed let Reed get further and further away from them. 

Leaf gave a heavy, defeated sigh. “… Alright. But if we get caught, you’re going to have to talk us out of trouble!”

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

"They won't just let us see the logs. Big companies like this one have to protect the privacy of their customers, otherwise they'd never get any." Silver spoke gently but firmly. "This is our best bet."

Once Leaf gave her reluctant approval of Silver's plan, Silver smirked and crossed his arms. "Don't worry. I never get caught." Which wasn't entirely true, but he'd only ever been arrested once and he didn't really think that time counted. "Just stick close to me and don't act suspicious."

They made their way through the streets quickly and quietly and were soon at the port. The administration building was dark and the front door was locked. "This is good," Silver said. "Means there won't be anyone inside to catch us." Silver circled around the building until he found a window which had been left unlocked. Once he and Leaf were both inside, he closed it behind them.

Silver was disappointed by the port security. No cameras, no guards, not even those ridiculous motion-sensing statues Team Rocket liked to use. Silver almost felt a little cheated. To the port's credit, the door to the record room was locked, but Silver picked the lock in less than twenty seconds.

"Well, it's gotta be in here." Silver said, pulling open a filing cabinet. "We have to check every passenger ship to Unova that left in the last three weeks, so be thorough."

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Disillusion - Leaf & Silver

[leaflaughlove]

Leaf nodded, squaring her shoulders and entering the Pokemon Center.

It looked just like any other Pokemon Center - trainers milled about with their companions, Nurse Joy stood at the counter, and a TV on the wall was set to the local news station. But Leaf couldn’t shake the feeling that her father had been here at some point in some time.

"Um, excuse me?" Leaf asked timidly when she approached the counter.

The nurse smiled. “Welcome! Do you need your Pokemon healed?”

Briefly Leaf glanced at Silver before taking a deep breath. “Actually, we’re looking for someone… Does a man named Reed come here often? He would be tall, I think. With brown hair and amber eyes— erm, like mine.”

Nurse Joy thought for several moments, tapping a slender finger to her lips. “Reed… Ah, yes! He came here regularly for a time. Seemed like a nice guy, though he gave the impression that he was always restless.” A pause. “Though… I don’t think we’ve seen him for at least three weeks. He may have mentioned something about going to Unova?”

Leaf’s hopes rose and then fell within the span of five seconds. “Oh… Well… Could you tell me where in Unova he might be? Or what Pokemon he had with him?”

"I can’t answer the first question, but I can tell you about his Pokemon! He had a very distinct team. There was a Nidoking, a Ninetales, and an Umbreon… Oh, and a Poliwrath."

Leaf nodded in thanks and turned back to Silver. “… Now what?”

[silverhearttrainer-blog]

Silver watched the conversation silently, surprised at their stroke of good luck at finding someone who knew Reed so quickly. As the nurse mentioned Unova, Silver's excitement faded. Unova was far away; he and Leaf would have quite a way to travel if they were going to catch her father.

"Well..." Silver's eyes narrowed and he chewed his lip in thought. "We can't just run off to Unova without an idea of where to begin searching. If he left for Unova straight from Olivine, he probably took a ship. And the port would have kept a record of his ticket sale."

Silver paused, glancing from side to side before lowering his voice. "The quickest way to do this would be to break into the records and check the logs for passenger voyages to Unova."

Silver braced himself. Leaf was not going to like that suggestion.