Frontier Town Nina's Place

[Cresselia92]

Koa’s sudden outburst startled Silver, his eyes widening to the size of plates and his ears standing upright. He opened his mouth, almost automatically, then closed it, not knowing what to say.

And you're here, that says a lot.

Indeed. He was. He helped. He could keep helping. He could keep being good, better. He was much more than what Boss planned him to become.

As words failed him, Silver finished his leppa cider and shot fleeting glances around, wondering if they had drawn too much attention. Luckily for them, most ‘mons were far too enthralled with their own conversations to care, and only a waiter or two looked at them in concern before resuming their own business.

Silver placed the empty glass back to the table, then stared intently at Koa, still bewildered. “…Wow, erm…” he started quietly, rubbing the back of his head. He had yet to get get used to heart-to-heart encouragements, but he couldn’t deny that it felt… nice, to have someone trust him to this extent. “I, huh… thanks. That means… much more than I’m willing to admit.”

And Silver meant it, a bashful smile stretching on his face as he felt his heart warming a little. When Koa admitted of his own grievances with past mistakes, Silver nodded sympathetically, understanding that kind of struggle all too well.

"Sometimes it just feels like... you'll never be good enough, you know? Like you just want people not to think badly of you."

Story of my life, was what Silver wished to quip, but he wisely kept that thought to himself. Instead, he studied the other boy, noticing the loose focus in his eyes and the absentminded gestures. Koa was clearly pondering something important, but what?

“Aah, I getcha. There’s also the matter of constant peer pressure: if you do good once, they expect you to be perfect every walking second of your life, and if you do bad once, you’re doomed to collect all kinda insults other people can think of.” He shook his head, a thought crossing his mind. “Though, it kinda sounds to me like you’re… I dunno, trying to prove your goodness as a person to someone? But I wonder: are you trying to prove it to yourself or to someone else?”

 

[Tetra]

Silver's question caught Koa off guard. He blinked, jarred from his thoughts. For a good few seconds, he just stared at the Sneasel.

"I..." he closed his jaws and frowned. He stopped himself and considered it longer. "Both," he said quietly. His voice well lowered and he stared down at the counter. Subconsciously, his claw dug into the worn wood.

"I have to." Dragging out that admission fell like pulling out a piece of his insides. But... Silver would understand. "It's the only way. If I can prove to... to everyone. Then they'll know. I can make a legacy, a new one, and be known for doing something good."

Maybe, maybe then it would feel less suffocating. "I can just be... me. Koamaru, friend of legendaries, and nothing else. No one else." His voice hitched on the last sentence.

 

[Cresselia92]

If there was one word to describe that conversation, it was probably… disconcerting, if not ominously familiar. The more Silver heard Koa talking, the more he felt like he was talking to a mirror. To the reflection of a boy who had gone through a lot of hardships and difficult trials, if he had to guess.

Gods. Where were those annoying, hyper-empathetic, overly cheerful teens when he needed them? They’d probably know what to do and say in that awkward situation and how to heal the wounds of the mind, the soul and all that sappy nonsense.

“A new legacy…” Silver half-whispered, feeling his heart twinge, and he bit his lower lip as the familiarity of those words sank deeper. If Koa had that desire to do good, which was a mindset Silver could relate to, then… did that mean that Koa was trying to escape someone’s shadow, too? Whose shadow, though?

“…Koa,” he started, his voice even and his gaze soft. Silver needed to stay strong and steady: for Koa, and to handle whatever weight was plaguing the Electrike. “What is this old legacy you’re trying to leave behind you?”

 

[Tetra]

Koa shook his head, old reflexes rearing. No one. Nothing. Not important. A thousand excuses at the tip of his tongue, but none of them he really wanted to say, at least not to Silver. Still, words caught in his throat as he struggled to decide what to say, how to explain. He'd spent his whole life hiding the truth.

Talking about it went against every instinct. He wasn't even sure what to feel about the idea that two people here already knew.

Bitter sarcasm was the emotion he eventually landed on. "Oh nothing big, just the usual. Just a head of a crazy cult gang trying to rewrite the universe, enslaving legendaries, almost destroying Sinnoh, cursing Mt Coronet." He snorted, scowling. "The only way to make sure no one thinks I'm like him is by proving it." He spoke with solemn certainty. The emphasis on 'him' and the other details painted a telling picture.

He looked at Silver finally, emotion burning in his gaze. "Once people know who you are, it'll change what they think of you. How they see you. They won't see Silver the trainer, just..." he paused. Koa, son of Cyrus. "Just Silver, son of Giovanni." His tone made it unquestionably clear that wasn't his opinion, just one he feared from others, and sympathized with on Silver's behalf.

Not everyone. Odette might not, but she was in the same boat. Archie hadn't, but Koa wasn't naive enough to think everyone in this world or his own would be so effortlessly understanding. He still remembered their early suspicion Lucien. What would people think when he said he wanted to catch a legendary?

 

[Cresselia92]

“…So, you’re related to some arsehole with a degree in jerkassery and megalomania.”

Despite aiming for some witty remark, the seriousness in Silver’s tone and his narrowed stare revealed what emotions were brewing underneath his stoic stance: a complete understanding mixed with frenzied rage at the fact that someone else was going through a similar situation as he was.

Silver already had a vague idea of this cult in Sinnoh, but he spared further anguish in Koa’s mind by dropping the topic for the time being. After all, the Sneasel had some truths he wasn’t ready to talk about yet, too.

He glanced away for a moment, looking for the most right words he could think of, then looked back at Koa.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t give a damn about bloodlines. Whoever’s this scumbag you’ve got as a relative, it won’t change my opinion of you. I mean, um, you’re more than okay in my books, and heck, your heart’s definitely in the right place!” He crossed his arms, and his tone became more resolute. “If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be questioning yourself nor be willing to prove what you’ve got. That’s the proof you aren’t some sicko like him. Or like… her…”

Silver exhaled deeply and looked at the floor. His claws dug into his arms, an obvious telltale of the thoughts that were crossing his mind. Then, he relaxed his grip and sighed. The rage flooded out and a bitter sadness flooded in.

“However, you’re not wrong about being apprehensive about all of this.”

Silver’s voice was sterile, monotone, distant, almost as if he were trying to translate some ancient tome written in a language lost to the sands of time.

“What you’ve said earlier, about the whole ‘Silver, son of Giovanni’…” He paused, hesitation flashing into his scowl, but he pushed forward despite the sudden dryness in his throat. “That’s how people began looking at me, once… once some idiot spilled the beans about my father, my lineage, all the… dirty business, and…” His scowl darkened and venom seeped into his voice. “That’s one of the reasons I had to run away from home…”

 

[Tetra]

Koa snorted in bitter amusement at Silver's quip. "Yeah, something like that, to put it mildly," he muttered. "Parents earned perfect grade in that."

“For what it’s worth, I don’t give a damn about bloodlines. Whoever’s this scumbag you’ve got as a relative, it won’t change my opinion of you. I mean, um, you’re more than okay in my books, and heck, your heart’s definitely in the right place! If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be questioning yourself nor be willing to prove what you’ve got. That’s the proof you aren’t some sicko like him

"Thanks," he said quietly, voice cracking slightly. Even if he had thought Silver would understand, hearing the affirmation still felt... Nice. Warm.

Silver's second admission made his heart twist in sympathy. He didn't like to imagine what would happen if people knew who he was back home. It was part of why Blake had kept him in Canalave, why... Blake knelt in front of him. Gripped his shoulders. "You're Koamaru Averon, okay? Remember that.". Or if they learned who Blake was....

The venom in Silver's voice felt all too familiar, and he couldn't fault him for it. Silver didn't deserve that. To have to run away. "I'm sorry," he growled. "That's wrong."

His paw curled into a fist. "I'd give all of those people a piece of my mind if I could. Especially whoever thought they could blurt out your secrets." Just the thought of it made his skin crawl and a dark anger flare in his chest.

"Even if some people accept it, we can't escape who we are." He glared sullenly at the melted ice in his glass. "Suffocating," he muttered, half to himself. Odette had been right about that. Always feeling like there were parts no one could know...

At least here, he could have some kind of escape. Aside from the few people on the team, Galactic was just a name.

"Who is she, for you?" he asked quietly, finally. "Who are you trying to be different from?"

 

[Cresselia92]

"Even if some people accept it, we can't escape who we are." He glared sullenly at the melted ice in his glass. "Suffocating," he muttered, half to himself.

“We can’t. No,” muttered Silver, bluntly, as bitterness rolled off his slumped shoulders.

There was no need nor way to sugarcoat that fact. It was obvious they both had the terrible luck with being born in questionable families and forced to take on the burden that followed, without having any say on the matter. Forever shackled by turbid pasts and without any way to break the lock.

“Still, while we can’t force others to have or change opinions, at least we can control how much or how little we can let our lineages and others shape who we are as people,” he added with the same matter-of-fact tone, and crossed his arms. “And if someone doesn’t accept you, well, you oughta look for someone who does.” He tapped a claw on the table, determination flashing on his expression. “Those are the people who are worth fighting for.”

"Who is she, for you?" he asked quietly, finally. "Who are you trying to be different from?"

As soon as he registered those questions, the burst of determination faded from Silver’s face. The fresh pallor on his gaze nearly matched the whitish gleam of his silver-y pelt as a rare emotion flickered into his usually serious and neutral scowl.

It was fear.

“…She.”

Silver drummed his claws on the table, torn on what to say. For so long, Silver held onto that truth in hopes of keeping her away from him with no trails to follow — perhaps foolishly, perhaps cautiously. After agonizingly long seconds, he made up his mind and crossed his claws together.

It took considerable effort, but if there was someone who might understand, it probably was Koa.

“Y’know how… Giovanni is known as the leader of Team Rocket, right? Probably it’s the same in your world and others, I dunno. But at least in mine, well… he isn’t the first leader.

“Giovanni is—was mostly a facade. An icon, a mask. Not saying he didn’t have power because no, my father was powerful and charismatic and had plenty of influence. Hell, he was held to such high esteem that he disrupted the workings of Team Rocket when he… left.”

A shudder ran down Silver’s spine. He ignored it.

“And yet, Team Rocket didn’t completely vanish. Why? Because it was held in place by the real mastermind. The true puppeteer that holds and controls all the strings. The one who… barged into my life, ruined it, sabotaged my childhood to try to turn me into one of her admins, her malleable pawn, her new mask.”

Pained emotions fluctuated wildly in Silver’s tone as he ripped the haunting truth out of the hinges of his mind. Silver closed his eyes and exhaled deeply to regain his composure. Strong, he was strong, he couldn’t be any less than strong, and persevered.

“In the crime ring and, um, by the Interpol she is known with one codename: Madame Boss. And… and she is…”

The Sneasel opened his eyes again. No longer was his gaze aghast or lost. Now, it was more… tired, if not somewhat relieved, after holding that weight close to his heart for so long. And the final sentence came out as a near-nonchalant confession, “…my grandmother.”

 

[Tetra]

“Those are the people who are worth fighting for.”

Archie's friendly grin and Odette's sharp tongue flashed through his mind. Silver was right, he couldn't let himself get defined by the things Cyrus had done and yet... You're doing exactly what he did. You're just like him.

Shaking himself inwardly, he pushed aside the thought.

The way Silver spoke dredged up a familiar sensation in Koa, and his ears pulled back slightly. Used. Turned into a pawn. You wanted him to notice you. You would have followed him anywhere, wouldn't you?

“In the crime ring and, um, by the Interpol she is known with one codename: Madame Boss. And… and she is… …my grandmother.”

That's who it was. The twisted pieces clicked into place, painting a wretched picture that made Koa's blood simmer with disgust and sympathetic anger. Silver didn't deserve this, didn't deserve to have someone seeing him like just an object or a puppet. He knew enough vague bits about 'Madame Boss' in his own world to know she was a piece of work far worse than what little Koa knew of his own grandparents.

His lips curled, showing his teeth, and a growl built in his throat that he swallowed back. "Well you're nothing like her. Screw her." What he wouldn't give for a chance to sock her across the jaw. What was wrong with all these pathetic scumbags suffocating and ruining and destroying their kids lives?

"She can choke on a muk. She's weak and pathetic and the fact that you turned out good proves she's nothing but stupid spineless scum who can't control you or who you are. You're stronger than she ever was, or your father. Better than them too," he spat, slamming his paw on the counter.

The words came out in an angry, impassioned rant that drew a stare or two from patrons nearby who shrugged it off after a moment.

Silver was nothing like either of them. But can you say the same?

 

[Cresselia92]

"Well you're nothing like her. Screw her. She can choke on a muk. She's weak and pathetic and the fact that you turned out good proves she's nothing but stupid spineless scum who can't control you or who you are. You're stronger than she ever was, or your father. Better than them too," he spat, slamming his paw on the counter.

And once again, Silver found himself staring intently at Koa, utterly flabbergasted for receiving yet another loud proclaim. That kind of persistence was… admirable, he had to admit, if not familiar. Didn’t Archie and Kotone also voice similar opinions about him and sound genuinely proud of his progress? And even if he didn’t deserve it after all the spite and ire he spat at Hibiki’s face, even he thought the same? But why…?

“…Of course I’m not like them.” A hot wave of rage ignited his spirit, and Silver unknowingly dug his claws into the table, his face switching to a snarl. “I refuse to be anything like them!”

Realizing what he was doing, the Sneasel promptly sheathed his claws again and sighed. The shadows retreated back into his core, but the anger slowly morphed into shame. He ran a hand through his red fur.

“But also, I… can’t forget what I’ve done, Koa. I was, y’know, the standard lowlife with a rap sheet full of terrible and misguided actions? I’ve stolen, picked fights with whoever got on my nerves, ridiculed and insulted whoever I saw as beneath of me.” He looked away, his regret intensifying and his voice thinning with raw emotion. “Not unlike them.”

Silver snorted and shook his head. No. Enough self-pity. If those people keep saying he was good, then he needed to remind himself he was good. His mind immediately latched onto warmer memories.

“But then I met some kids and got a wake up call from Lance, the Johto Champion, and… well!” A low chuckle resonated deep in his throat. “Let’s say they helped me get out of my hole. I’ve tried returning what I’ve stolen and apologized for being a jerk, and most people forgave me. Maybe because they saw that I tried to fix myself,” he flashed a sneering grin, “unlike them.”

Gods, didn’t his confession make him feel hungry all of a sudden! Without thinking, he casually swiped a piece of the remaining jerky with a practiced swift motion — a result of feeling a bit better about showing off some of his skills as a former thief. Something occurred to him as he stared at his morsel.

“Still, gotta say that you’re taking the dramatic tale of my mess of a life surprisingly well. Almost like you’re talking from experience… or to a mirror,” remarked Silver, twirling the jerky in his claws. “Did you deal or are you dealing with similar crap at home, too?”

 

[Tetra]

“Still… Gotta say that you’re taking the dramatic tale of my mess of a life surprisingly well. Almost like you’re talking from experience… or to a mirror,”

"No one deserves to be judged for something they couldn't control," he said simply. "You're not the same person you used to be." And that was enough.

Silver's next question made Koa avert his gaze, the pit in his stomach deepening. It was weird how much Silver felt like a kindred spirit, and yet...Silver is different, he's forging his own path. Are you?

"It was different for me," he said, his voice strained. "Nobody knows who I am back home at least. My cousin protected me." Hearing what Silver had gone through made him realize just how grateful he was for Blake.

"If people knew they wouldn't look at me the same way anymore. Especilally not if they knew my goals." Not if they knew who you really are. Silver knew that half already, of Koa's dream of wanting to catch a legendary pokemon. Taboo back home but perhaps innocent enough on some worlds. A codemnation if they knew his heritage.

The familiar vise tightened around his throat. Here at least, he was worlds away from his reputation, but there were still a few on the team who had their own experiences. Would they feel different, if they knew? The only thing he felt sure of was Silver wouldn't. Odette and Archie hadn't...

He snorted. Shadows prickled at the back of his mind and he pressed them down. Lapsed into a more nonchalant state of mind he was used to from back home. "You were right though, about a mirror. For you its her... and for me... My so-called father. Cyrus." He forced down the swell of emotions inside him as he watched Silver from the corner of his eye.

 

[Cresselia92]

"You were right though, about a mirror. For you its her... and for me... My so-called father. Cyrus."

At hearing that name, Silver’s eyes flashed with recognition. Not in the enthusiastic, “Oh, so it’s really that guy!” way but in the more terse and stiff, “Oh… so it’s really that guy…” way.

The Sneasel unconsciously grabbed his glass and swirled the remains of the cider, looking at the now timid Koa (who could blame him, considering his lineage?) with a gaze filled with sympathy and stronger understanding.

No wonder the other boy was so openminded about his own situation: they both had dealt with similar, if not identical, hardships.

“Cyrus…” he muttered, his scowl growing stormier as he glanced away. “That name isn’t new to me.”

Quite the understatement. Should he tell about how the same-named bastard from his home had lured his sister away with false promises of ‘making a new world’?

…No. That wasn’t really relevant and it wasn’t what Koa needed. The Electrike had helped him with the shadows of his past. Now it was his turn.

With a mental nod, Silver placed the glass back on the table and stared squarely at Koa.

“Listen. Those people who might judge you for something that isn’t your fault…” He pulled himself closer to the Electrike and pointed his claw at him, his voice bold and steady, “If you can’t keep them outta your life for some reason then you gotta prove them wrong, and I know you can!

“Because you’re not your father, y’hear me? You might share blood and DNA with him, and yeah, that’s a stain that you’ll never fully remove. But you’re your own person with your own goals and dreams that you’ve achieved with your own strength and efforts.”

Silver spread out his arms meaningfully, referring to their surroundings. “Like, damn, just look at all the kinda stuff you’ve done here! You’ve tamed a shadowed Drapion. Raided a prison-lab controlled by sociopathic criminals. Fought against a legend to prove your heart and fought with that same legend to save this world from chaos. You’re a hero here, someone who has fought for what you believed — and know — is right.”

And then, Silver patted Koa on the shoulder, hoping to add more weight to his words and to give him support.

Because Koa was a friend.

“If you could prove your worth here over and over again,” he smirked, his expression radiating genuine comradeship, “then I’m confident you can do the same at home, too.”

 

[Tetra]

What does he know? Koa quashed the instinctive reaction. It was absurd to think that way about Silver, different and similar as their lives had been. He had to believe Silver.

You're not him. Silver was the second person to tell him that after hearing the truth. Somehow, sitting next to Silver and hearing it and hearing it from Odette made the dark voice in the back of his mind quieter. Easier to ignore.

Some small part of him felt a little guilty for pushing Archie away after the comb... He would have to try and apologize later.

You’re a hero here, someone who has fought for what you believed — and know — is right.”

A hero. The comforting touch on his shoulder made him smile faintly. "...Thanks," he said, the words coming hoarser than he meant. "Someone else told me something similar too." Odette's reassurance rang in his head. "You're you. Neither of us are the people who came before us. You're not the person who likes to hurt others anymore. We've both done a lot and proved what kind of people we are. Even when it feels... suffocating, we have to try and remember that."

Koa shook himself and exhaled heavily. He flashed a grin, cocky but more confident than arrogant. "We'll just have to both achieve our dreams back home, yeah?"

 

[Cresselia92]

"Someone else told me something similar too. You're you. Neither of us are the people who came before us. You're not the person who likes to hurt others anymore. We've both done a lot and proved what kind of people we are. Even when it feels... suffocating, we have to try and remember that."

You’re not the person who likes to hurt others anymore.

Silver nodded in agreement and held his tiny smile, but he quietly wondered how true that statement was. A small part of him was still drawn by the alluring feeling of power, and the cathartic satisfaction that came from overpowering scumbags that deserved getting their arses kicked was… not something he could ignore with ease.

But he knew he had to shut that door, throw the key away, and never look back. He needed to keep doing what was right, not what felt right even when it wasn’t. He had to, and he was going to.

For himself and for his friends.

Koa shook himself and exhaled heavily. He flashed a grin, cocky but more confident than arrogant. "We'll just have to both achieve our dreams back home, yeah?"

At this, Silver reciprocated with a grin of his own, his dark thoughts reduced to unintelligible whispers. “…Yeah. Of course!” He pointed a claw at Koa, “You’re gonna be besties with a badass legend,” then he pointed the same claw to himself, “while I’ll keep training my team and I to become legendary badasses! And nobody’s gonna stop us!”

A soft grumble cut through the air, somewhat audible despite the constant chatters around them. Silver blinked, his head tilting slightly, then he burst into a peal of laughter.

“Wow! We’ve been so focused talking ‘bout the crappy branches of our families that we haven’t ordered anything substantial yet, and I’m kinda starving now!” His laughter turned to faint giggles and his posture relaxed considerably. It was obvious from his expression devoid of frown that he was in a much lighter mood, despite the topics they had just discussed. “Gods! Family drama’s so freaking exhausting!”

Without further ado, Silver raised a clawed hand to get the attention of a nearby server, then stared intently at Koa with a cheeky smirk. “So! Let’s celebrate our future dreams and the many more successes ahead of us!”

 

[Tetra]

Koa chuckled, grinning a little at Silver's encouragement. "Oh yeah, I am starving," he said. He held up his glass for a toast. "To sticking it to our families and being better," he said sardonically. "And toward achieving our dreams!"

Archie had been right, talking to Silver had been a good idea. Finding another kindred soul here, someone who understood the pressure, made it easier to bear the weight. And on Forlas, far from Sinnoh, it didn't feel quite as suffocating. After all, it wasn't like he'd have to worry about Cyrus here.

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