Frodomar City…

"Ritchie, get up! Breakfast is ready!" The sound of his mother's voice awakened him from his slumber. He lazily rubbed his eyes, and then she called out again. "Ritchie, hurry up or you'll be late!"

"I'm coming, mom!" the boy replied, calmly going to his closet to get dressed. Once he chose his shirt and pants, he grabbed his slippers and walked down to the dining room to have his breakfast.

The previous night he had barely gotten any sleep; he was just too excited. Today was the day, today he'd take his final test to get his Pokémon trainer license approved. He'd have to be at the scheduled hour at the Pokémon Center, otherwise he'd fail by no-show and he'd have to wait another year to try again.

Once he was down, his mother was still at the kitchen, picking up some stuff. Ritchie's place at the table was always the one with the biggest ration, not even his father, Silver, who boasted of being a devourer when it came to food, had been able to out-eat him even once.

"Morning, half-pint!" he said as he greeted him the usual way: that is, placing his huge hand on his head and messing his auburn hair. More than it was, anyway.

"Stop it, Dad!" Ritchie laughed. "I'm not a half-pint anymore, I'm about to turn fifteen."

"Hah! Until you grow larger than me you're still a half-pint," the man replied in amusement. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"More or less," the boy replied. "I was really excited."

"As expected." Ritchie's mother, Regina, came over to sit with them. She had the same auburn hair as her son, but he certainly didn't inherit his height from her.

Last summer Ritchie had gotten tall enough to surpass her by an inch, and he still had a few years to grow. Nevertheless, with Silver being as large as he was, he still had a long way to fill his favorite longcoat, which Ritchie still couldn't put on without dragging the edges over the floor. Still, eating as much as he did, keeping up the pace he'd probably outgrow Silver in build and height one day.

As he ate his breakfast, Ritchie couldn't stop thinking about the past almost five years. Until then, he had been raised only by his mom. Even though she loved him and always made sure to provide for him, the absence of a fatherly figure was hard to ignore, especially when most of his peers had both parents. When he finally dared to ask, his mother's answer, painful but sincere, was this:

"I don't know where the man who sired you might be. I don't know his name, or where he came from, but if he left us this way, as far as I'm concerned he's not your father, and never will be."

Despite his short age, Ritchie got the message, even more seeing the grief his mom got from those memories. Not wanting to torment her anymore with them, he didn't ask any more questions. Even so, the little boy wished to have a fatherly figure on whom he could rely, like many of his friends.

Of course, things changed when he and his mom met Silver Raylight. A fateful encounter, as it were; one thing led to another, and eventually, Silver became his new dad.

"All done, thanks for the meal!" said Ritchie after downing his glass of milk in one swallow.

"Really son, I don't get how you're still smaller than me and yet you can eat more and faster," said Silver with a tinge of pride in his voice. "Anyway, you better get going, your final test awaits."

"Sure." The boy went to the entrance, grabbed a cap hanging on a rack and put on his running shoes. Before going out he stopped to give some friendly strokes to his father's Chikorita, resting by the window to get the morning sun. "I'll be back later, see you!"

A bit later…

In every region, and by extension in each big city, there were different ways to get a Pokémon trainer license. The standards varied from one location to another, but in general, the aspiring trainer had to show a certain level of competence in Pokémon caring and handling. In Frodomar City, Nurse Joy was in charge of evaluating the future trainers.

Ritchie was at the Pokémon Center's waiting room, along with another two trainers taking this test, a boy and a girl around his same age he only knew in passing, but they seemed to glare at one another for a bit and then turned away from each other, so he preferred to keep at bay. A few minutes later, Nurse Joy came with three Pokéballs, each with a specific symbol: a leaf, a flame and a water drop.

"Sorry for the wait. I think it is time for you to know what the final test is about," she said. "Inside each of these Pokéballs there's a starter Pokémon. Your final test will be to care for them for an entire week on your own. The usual: feeding them, getting them out for some exercise and grooming them. After that, I will evaluate their condition and based on that, we'll decide if you can keep them and approve your trainer licenses. Please choose one each."

The boy and the girl accompanying Ritchie both reached simultaneously, grabbing the Pokéball with the flame. Upon realizing, they both pulled away and grabbed another, this time the one with the leaf. And again with the third one. They glared at one another in annoyance.

"Hey you, make up your mind, will ya?" the boy said.

"Ladies first, isn't that how the saying goes?" the girl replied. "Let me choose first."

"On what grounds? I arrived first, so I get dibs."

"What, you wanna fight me?"

As those two tried to sort out their differences, Ritchie rolled his eyes and reached for the Pokéball in the middle and activated it, bringing out the Charmander inside. The argument was interrupted as the arguing pair noticed the quiet boy had gone ahead of them.

"I want this one," said Ritchie.

"That's good," Nurse Joy replied.

"Hey! Who gave you the right to choose first?" the boy asked.

"That's right, it's not fair!" the girl added.

"You're the only ones to blame," said Nurse Joy, arms akimbo. "Instead of arguing like children, decide at once. As simple as a Rock-Paper-Scissors game, isn't it?"

Both youths frowned, but if there wasn't any other way, they decided to comply. Ritchie, in the meantime, exited the center as the other two were left in their little game (which seemed like it would last for a while) taking his new partner home with him. It wasn't a long walk after all, and it would be a good way to connect with him.

…

"I'm home!" he called as he walked through the door. His father was sitting on the couch watching along with Chikorita a Pokémon League tournament, a battle between Elite Four members Agatha and Bruno, using a Gengar and an unusually large Onix with a scar close to the eye respectively.

"Well, you came back sooner than I thought." Silver then glanced at the fire lizard. "And who's your new friend here?"

"That's what the test is about," said Ritchie. "I'll have to take care of him for a week, and if I do it well, I'll get to keep him. You know, giving him his due meals, getting him some workout and stuff."

"Hehe, the workout part sounds good to me." Silver gave an ample grin. "How about if we teach him a new move?"

"A move?" Ritchie tilted his head, and Charmander imitated him.

"Charmander can learn Dragon-type attacks," said Silver. "Salamence can help us, and never hurts having one of those."

"Oh no. Darling, he's just gotten his starter, don't tell me you're planning on having him go up against your Salamence," Regina intervened.

"What's wrong with that?" replied Silver. "If he's going to keep him anyway, might as well start the training right now, don't you think?"

"I like the idea," said Ritchie, glancing at Charmander. "What do you think?"

"Char, char!" The lizard clenched his fists and nodded enthusiastically.

"Haha! Well, what do you know, honey, three votes against one," said Silver. "How about we go train in the city's outskirts after lunch?"

Ritchie nodded, and in the meantime, he sat along with his father and their Pokémon to watch the rest of the tournament. Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes; one of the downsides of having married Silver, was that Ritchie frequently seemed to always take his side, at least when it came to Pokémon training. Even so, who was she to deny her son spending some quality time with his dad?

…

The reason why they had to go to the city's outskirts for training was to avoid making noise or a mess, since in every corner of Frodomar, Silver had already made himself a reputation as the most destructive trainer in battle. In fact, several local tournaments had him suspended or outright banned precisely for this, which sometimes forced him to go to the neighboring towns whenever they needed extra cash.

That said, nobody could disagree that he was a very strong trainer, and many of the local aspirants would die to have him as their mentor. Ritchie was very lucky to have him as his dad, since that meant he'd always be readily available. At the time, they were at a rocky and somewhat wasted terrain. With a bit of trial and error, they had been able to determine that Charmander only knew Ember, Scratch and Smokescreen. Not too bad, but definitely a Dragon-type attack would make a fine addition to his arsenal.

"Watch closely," said Silver, talking to both Ritchie and Charmander. "Salamence, Dragon Rage!"

The winged dragon roared and opened his maw, preparing some blue-colored flames. Silver pointed at a huge boulder, and Salamence shot a powerful blue fireball which upon impact, blasted the boulder to pebbles. Ritchie and Charmander were left with their eyes widened in awe.

"Wow, incredible." The boy clapped.

"Dragon Rage is the most basic Dragon-type move," said Silver. "It's the easiest attack to learn, but also the hardest to master. That's where its strength lies."

"Got it." Ritchie nodded. "OK, Charmander, are you ready?"

"Char!"

Trying to imitate Salamence, Charmander stood before a smaller boulder and began inhaling. At first, his flames were orange-red as usual, but he started to focus to transform their energy. For any Pokémon, it was a lot easier to pick up moves of their own type, so others were a bit more complicated. Flames flickered between red and blue, until they finally stuck to the latter color.

"Now!" Ritchie shouted.

"Char!" Charmander tried to exhale the attack, but the fireball dissipated less than eight inches after coming out of his maw. The rock was left untouched.

"Not bad for the first try." Silver tried not to sound disappointed. "Salamence, show him again how it's done."

Once again, Salamence chose a boulder as a target. This time, he held the blue fireball in his jaws a while longer before spitting it out so Charmander could see more clearly how the attack was done. And then, like before, the boulder was blasted to pieces. No matter how many times they did it, it was awesome.

"See?" said Silver. "Now you try it."

Charmander and Ritchie nodded, and set their sight on the smaller boulder. Once again, the small lizard began to inhale. This time, the fire flickered less before turning blue, but upon firing it out, it dissipated again.

"Well, that's some progress," Ritchie commented. "This time it went a little further."

"Yeah, like three inches," said Silver, shaking his head, and kneeled in front of Charmander to look at him in the eye. "No, no. The secret is to imagine you're a dragon. Stop thinking about Fire-type attacks for a bit. Think that you're like Salamence for a while."

Charmander glanced at Salamence, who nodded. A dragon, he had to imagine himself as a dragon. It wasn't too far from reality; his final evolution was a Pokémon capable of rivaling Dragon-types and was sometimes considered one unofficially by many. Charmander adopted an expression of determination, and for the third time, he stood before the boulder along with Ritchie. They would make it this time.

"One more time, Charmander, Dragon Rage!"

Determined to achieve it, Charmander inhaled again. Following Silver's advice, he stopped thinking about being a Fire-type. He was a Dragon. He had to become a Dragon to perform that attack. The thought worked: the flames didn't take long to turn blue. With a loud cry, Charmander fired his attack.

*POOOOOFFFF!*

The fireball didn't dissipate in midair this time; it impacted square on the boulder. Obviously it didn't blow it to pieces like Salamence's, but it did leave a good mark. Ritchie and Charmander beamed in excitement.

"Yeah, we did it!" Ritchie pumped his fists in triumph.

"Charmander!" The small lizard celebrated with a victory dance.

"Hehe, that's what I'm talking about." Silver crossed his arms and smiled in satisfaction. "But come on, the day is still young. Repeat it until that boulder gets blown to pieces and there's nothing left!"

The training had all but begun. Of course, blasting that boulder would take the rest of the afternoon, but it would be worth it. They just had to keep it up like so far.

Six days after…

With his father out of town taking part in another tournament, Ritchie had to keep going with Charmander's Dragon Rage training on his own. Lucky for them, the initial push was enough and it was just a matter to recall his advice. Charmander turned out a good learner, and though it would be long before his own Dragon Rage could blow boulders like Salamence's, they were definitely on the right track.

With only one day left to go back to the Pokémon Center and check the results, Ritchie was certain he'd pass with flying colors. He was keeping his fingers crossed, since he had grown fond of Charmander and didn't like the idea of separating now. Maybe now it was a good time to think a good nickname for him. He didn't like referring to his Pokémon in a 'generic' way, and decided to give them nicknames to give them more personality of their own.

To help with their workout, Silver had left Chikorita with them, and the three were at the local park doing some additional training.

"Let's go, Chikorita!"

"Chiko!" The small Grass Pokémon jumped up and spinning his leaf launched a Razor Leaf barrage to the air.

"You're next, Charmander, Ember!"

"Char!" Charmander opened his maw and fired out a small rain of flaming sparks. The attack managed to catch the leaves without problem, turning them to ashes.

"Alright! Again!" said Ritchie, and Chikorita sent out another wave of leaves for Charmander to set on fire in the same way.

A simple exercise, yet very fun and excellent for training. Nothing like some target practice to work on the aim, and Charmander himself seemed to enjoy it a lot. Ritchie had Chikorita throw his leaves higher and further to increase the challenge, and when he couldn't keep up anymore, they finally stopped.

"Thirty-three out of fifty. Not bad, good work you two," said Ritchie, and pointed them a bench so they could sit and rest.

The park was relatively clear at the time. At this hour most people were either working, or in the children's case, at school. Ritchie pulled out some Pokémon food to reward Charmander for his hard work and thank Chikorita for his help. For himself, be brought out some croquettes his mom had made. The three enjoyed their food as they glanced at the sky. It was a beautiful morning, and the weather was perfect to just sit and relax…

"Pika!"

"Get back here, you damn rat with hepatitis!"

"Row, spearow!"

Those shouts snapped Ritchie out of his relaxed state, as he saw a Pikachu approaching, running in all fours and chased by a Spearow, and an albino young man Ritchie knew all too well. The two had been in the same class just once, but they never liked each other, at all. The albino boy had a Pokéball in hand, throwing the recall beams one after another, while the Pikachu dodged jumping from one side to another. As soon as he saw Ritchie, the rodent immediately ran towards him and hid behind his leg as if seeking for protection. Ritchie noticed something particular when seeing him up close: the Pikachu had a small scruff of fur on his forehead.

"Well, well, just look who we found. Fancy meeting you here, Ritchie." The albino glanced at the Charmander next to Ritchie, and then a gesture of envy crossed his face.

"Joshua," Ritchie dryly replied. He then noticed something in the other hand, a green stone with lightning-shaped lines inside. "Exactly what are you doing?"

"That's none of your business," the albino boy, whose name was Joshua, replied. "Now if you don't mind, step aside so I can do a favor to that useless rat."

With that comment, Ritchie didn't need to know more. Joshua evidently wanted to use that Thunderstone and the Pikachu disagreed. Although they were rare cases, there were Pokémon who did not want to evolve, let alone if their trainers attempted to force them. This completely violated Ritchie's almost-15-year-old sense of justice, so he refused to move.

"It's obvious he doesn't want to, why don't you just let him be?" said Ritchie.

"I told you, I'm doing him a favor. This'll make him stronger," Joshua replied. "And in any case, what's up with that Charmander?"

"I'm taking care of him." Ritchie patted his partner's head. "If I do a good job, tomorrow they'll let me keep him."

"Tch, some people are just lucky, aren't they?" Joshua looked away in disgust.

Ritchie felt tempted to rub in his face that memory, but decided not to. Last year, there were invitations for aspiring trainers sent by Professor Samuel Oak himself, to take part in a Summer Camp in Pallet Town. But not just any camp: at the end of it there would be a test, and if you passed with flying colors, you'd get a starter Pokémon and a Pokédex, a dream come true for any trainer who sought to become of renown. Ritchie couldn't attend because he caught a fever, while Joshua left boasting that in one year, he could start his journey with a Pokédex in hand and a starter from Oak.

Five weeks later, when he returned he was enraged. The details were unclear, but he apparently got caught cheating and he was kicked out, on the very last day no less. This left an indelible mark in his personal record, which would make it much harder (though not impossible) to get a trainer license. In fact, at the lack of something better, his father had no choice but to go catch him a Pokémon himself, and all he got was this Spearow, about a month ago.

"The Pikachu is yours?" asked Ritchie.

"Not yet, my father bought him from a wealthy collector," said Joshua. "But it seems he doesn't like Pokéballs for some reason. He got out by himself and tried to escape."

"Really?" said Ritchie. "If that's the case, how about we make a deal? Let's have a Pokémon battle, here and now. If you win, I step away so you can take him. If I win, you leave him alone."

"Are you serious?" asked Joshua, staring at Chikorita and Charmander. "Don't tell me you're gonna use one of them against my Spearow."

Ritchie looked down. If he wanted, he could easily let Chikorita take care of everything, since despite being unevolved, he had been with his father for years and could easily take out Joshua's Spearow without problems. Of course Joshua didn't know that, and on the other hand… it would feel more satisfying to defeat him with his own Pokémon.

"One on one, my Charmander versus your Spearow. What do you say?" he asked.

"Mander?" Charmander asked, staring at Ritchie. He just gave him an 'I know what I'm doing' glance, so he replied in the same way, challenging the bird. "Charmander!"

"Tch, please, didn't you say you had that lizard for one week? There's no way you can beat my Spearow? We've been training the whole month."

"What's that, are you afraid?" said Ritchie. Pressing that button was the best way to goad him into a fight, he knew that.

"Someone else is gonna be afraid here," said Joshua. "Alright, you're on."

Soon, both the aspiring trainers were face to face. The brown bird with red wings, and the fire lizard stared at one another in defiance, awaiting for their trainers' orders. Meanwhile, the Pikachu stood behind Ritchie, begging for him to win this battle.

"Use Ember!" Ritchie began.

"Char!" Charmander opened his maw and launched a rain of fire sparks.

"Dodge and use Peck!" called Joshua.

"Spear!"

The bird quickly gained height and dived forward, his beak glowing in white energy. He moved to a side to dodge the Ember sparks and once close enough, charged in to peck him in the stomach.

"Great! Now use Fury Attack!" Joshua ordered, and Spearow began repeatedly attacking Charmander with his beak and talons.

"Use Scratch!" Ritchie yelled.

Charmander raised one claw and with a single strike to the face managed to get the bird away from him. Joshua tried to press on and ordered to charge again with Peck, but Charmander managed to anticipate and countered with another Scratch before he got to him, striking him below the beak.

"Now, Ember!" Ritchie called.

Still stunned with his dislodged beak, the bird was unable to dodge the rain of fire sparks all over him, and Joshua began to become irritated.

"Use Fury Attack again, and don't stop!"

"Spearow!"

The bird once again turned around and charged to viciously attack with his talons and beak, while Charmander tried to cover himself. Ritchie tried to think of a way to get him off, and fast.

"Smokescreen!"

Joshua thought that was stupid; everyone knew Spearow's ability was Keen Eye, so if he was trying to hide it would do no good. But Ritchie wasn't trying to hide; even if Spearow's eyes would be able to see through the smoke, his nostrils wouldn't stand inhaling it at point-blank range. The bird was forced to flinch and coughed, giving his opponent a death glare, while the opposing trainer smiled in satisfaction. Joshua gritted his teeth, but then he got an idea.

"Let's see how you like this! Spearow, use Pursuit on Pikachu!"

"What?!" Ritchie gasped.

"Pi?!" Upon hearing that, the Pikachu instinctively began fleeing. Of course that was Joshua's plan from the beginning; Pursuit's power doubled if the opponent tried to run away.

"That's cheating! Pikachu's not even fighting!" Ritchie yelled.

"Who cares?! That rodent's gonna evolve here and now!"

Ritchie couldn't believe he'd stoop to that. Well, if he wanted to play that way, maybe it was time to put their training to the test. As Spearow zoomed in on Pikachu with his wing tip covered in dark energy, Ritchie gave his command.

"Charmander, Dragon Rage!"

Charmander began inhaling and formed the draconian fire in his throat, much to Joshua's shock. With a loud cry, he spat the blue fireball right on the bird's back, stopping him dead on his chase of Pikachu. The bird slumped on the ground, but managed to get back up and fly again, just barely.

"Forget Pikachu for now, deal with Charmander! Use Fury Attack!" Joshua called. Spearow charged again, but going upfront like that he was just making himself a big target. Ritchie resisted the urge to facepalm and decided to just end the battle.

"Dragon Rage again!"

One last time, Charmander launched the blue fireball, blasting the bird square in the face. One second later, Spearow had fallen on his back, lying on the ground with his wings spread out and his talons up. If he wasn't breathing, the awkward position would probably make them believe he was dead. Charmander placed his arms akimbo and smiled with satisfaction, while his trainer nodded. It came in very handy after all.

"Spearow!" Joshua yelled as he went to pick up his Pokémon and checked on him. "No fair! How the hell a starter Pokémon got an attack like that? That was cheating!"

"Cheating?! You're the one who ordered Spearow to attack Pikachu!" Ritchie retorted.

"It doesn't matter! Where did your Charmander learn that attack anyway?!"

"We've been training the whole week," said Ritchie, regaining his smile in triumph. "Having the strongest trainer in town as your dad has its perks."

"Tch, yeah, sure. Don't get too cocky, that man's not even your real father, everybody knows that." Joshua scowled.

"What did you just say?" Ritchie muttered. His triumph smile quickly vanished. He didn't like that remark. At all.

"What, are you gonna deny it?" said Joshua, carrying his unconscious Spearow. "Even if I didn't know better, you two are nothing alike!"

Ritchie tried to get a hold of himself, but he involuntarily clenched his fists. If Joshua was good for something, that would be pressing other people's buttons, and if there was something Ritchie wouldn't stand for, that would be someone daring to question the father-and-son bond he and Silver had. Joshua thought he had seen some sparks in his eyes for a split second, but dismissed it as just an effect of him being angry. He grabbed a Pokéball to recall Spearow, and the other he was using to try and recall Pikachu before, he just tossed it to Ritchie, who caught it with both hands.

"There you go, you can keep that little sparky, for all I care," Joshua said. "But this won't stand. Someday, you and your little lizard will pay for it."

And then, he left stomping in anger. Even though he was happy for his victory, Ritchie was still left with a bad taste in his mouth at that remark. He just sighed and shook his head; he wouldn't let that jerk ruin his day.

"What are we gonna do with you?" He glanced at Pikachu. "Do you wanna come with us?"

He had to look after Charmander, but maybe his parents wouldn't mind if he took another friend home. If his trainer license was all but a fact already, who cared if he took another friend home? His mom never minded at all, and with his father's Pokémon around there was always company. Maybe he could get some extra points by taking care of an extra Pokémon.

Last but not least, that 'little sparky' thing, maybe there was a good name for him in that.

Three nights after…

When Silver came back from his tournament, aside from the trophy he brought along a few gifts for his wife and son. For Regina, on top from giving him a large stack of the cash for her bank account, he brought a new coffeemaker, a bit bigger than the old one she had. For Ritchie, he brought a traveling backpack and a small package of Great Balls, in case ordinary Pokéballs were not enough and he needed something a bit stronger. The veteran trainer wasn't surprised when Ritchie told him he passed his final test with flying colors and his trainer license would be approved, although the procedures would end when he officially turned fifteen. He just said "I knew you'd make it" and began ruffling his hair.

One of their favorite shared pastimes during clear nights, was sitting on the rooftop to gaze at the stars and share stories. Ritchie took the chance to tell him about what had happened with Joshua, and when he ended Silver just shrugged.

"Bah, a sore loser will always do anything to feel better about himself."

"Even so, it made me mad he said that," said Ritchie.

"Then just ignore him. He's just bitter because you kicked his ass," said Silver. "If I don't care about what others say, why should you?"

Ritchie couldn't say anything else, so he just smiled. Silver always seemed to have the right answer whenever he felt bad; that was another of the things he liked about him. When something bothered him, he could always be counted on to raise your spirits.

"On a different note, I can't say I'm a fan of the nicknames you gave to your Pokémon," said Silver, trying to change the subject. "Really, where did you get the names 'Zippo' and 'Sparky' for them?"

"They didn't seem to mind," replied Ritchie. The Pikachu didn't seem adverse to be named 'Sparky', but with Charmander, Ritchie had to go through several names until he settled on 'Zippo' and just by accident. The boy tried to change it, but it had stuck and the lizard wouldn't respond to another.

"Well, so long as you get along with them and you guys work together, the names aren't important," said Silver. "I can't believe how fast time passes, you're about to start your Pokémon journey."

Ritchie nodded. "I know, I can't wait."

"Five years ago you were really small," said Silver. "Do you remember that day?"

Ritchie smiled sideways as he recalled. It was that time he and his mom went on a vacation to the Sevii Islands aboard a cruise. Everything was good, until the ship ran into a larger-than-average and very angry Gyarados blocking the path, but before the captain could give the order to pull back, Silver came up and with a single Hyper Beam from his Salamence, defeated the marine serpent, on top of catching it to keep as a trophy. Ritchie was excited like he had just met a childhood hero, but Silver said a Gyarados was nothing compared to what he was expecting to find at One Island.

When Ritchie and his mom asked about this, Silver told them sightings of the Legendary Fire Bird, Moltres, had taken place in that island, especially close to the volcano, and Silver was hoping for the chance to battle it. Ritchie, being an extremely curious boy, when they disembarked, took advantage of his mom being distracted to sneak away and follow Silver to Mt. Ember and see that battle. And he saw it: it was the most awesome thing he had seen in his entire life, an incredible display of Hyper Beams and Flamethrowers clashing against each other… until a stray attack impacted close to where he was and almost made him fall down a cliff. Fortunately Silver saw him and despite being in the middle of the battle, the boy's cries for help prompted him to ride on his Salamence and fly to rescue him. Right when a huge boulder was about to crush them, Moltres blasted it to pieces with a fireball. With a single glance, Moltres and Silver shared a silent message: "We'll finish this another time".

"How to forget it?" said Ritchie. "Mom grounded me two months for sneaking away like that."

"What you did was insane, kid, can you blame her?" said Silver. "Then again, it was my fault to for telling you what I was planning to do."

"It was still worth it," said Ritchie. "Not many can say they saw a Moltres in the flesh."

"Haha, let alone having fought one," added Silver. "In any case… fighting Moltres was only the second best thing that happened to me that day."

Ritchie knew exactly what he meant. After getting over her anger born of worry, his mom proceeded to give her thanks to the man who had saved her son, and before they departed, she told him that if someday he stopped by Frodomar City, she'd be more than glad to properly show her gratitude. Who'd have guessed she'd actually get the chance to do it?

Flashback, three years before…

Ritchie's classes ended early that day, so he decided to stop by the restaurant where his mother worked to eat something. Unfortunately, that was a particularly busy day, and as such, one or two problematic customers were bound to show up. At the lack of empty tables, Ritchie went towards one where there was an empty seat so he didn't have to wait standing.

"Excuse me mister, do you mind if I sit here?" he asked the other occupant, and then he realized who he was.

The same dark gray hair, the same traveling brown longcoat, and even the same Chikorita on his shoulder. The same man they had met aboard that cruiser two years prior, and whose Salamence had fought Moltres.

"Well, well, just look who we found here," the man said upon recognizing him. "The half-pint from two years ago in One Island."

"My name's not 'half-pint', it's Ritchie, you know?"

"Well, then you don't call me 'mister', that makes me feel old. The name's Silver, Silver Raylight," the man replied as he shrugged. "Go on, you can sit. What are you doing here on your own?"

"My mom works here." Ritchie glanced at the kitchen door just as she came out with an order. "School's out for today, so I came to eat something here."

"I thought that waitress looked familiar." Silver nodded as he glanced at her too. She certainly looked different with the uniform of this place.

Regina at the time was carrying a tray for a customer at the table next to Ritchie and Silver, a bald and bearded man who kinda looked the rough type, and accidentally spilled some of the coffee. When she was about to leave, the man brusquely grabbed her wrist.

"What took you so long?"

"We're doing what we can, sir." Regina tried not to struggle to avoid making a scene. "But there are too many people today, I'm really sorry."

"You spill another drop of my coffee, and then you will be."

"Hey, just because you're having a bad day, you shouldn't vent it on the lady," said Silver, getting the bald man's attention.

"Mind your own business, you idiot," he replied as he stood up, as if challenging him. "Or do you want to go outside to sort this out?"

In response, Silver stood up himself, evidencing his height and build. Suddenly the bald man didn't feel as brave. Silver walked up to him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Listen, you insect, I can easily crush vermin like you before breakfast, and if you've got a problem with the lady, you have it with me, are we clear?"

"Stop it, no fighting here, or we'll have to call the police!" said Regina.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," said Silver. "Our friend here isn't gonna cause any more trouble, right?"

The bald man scowled, but grudgingly nodded and sat back on his chair, eating his meal as fast as he could just to up and leave the restaurant, never to come back. Silver watched in satisfaction how the guy went through the doors and vanished.

"Sorry you had to see that," Silver apologized. "Bring the boy anything he wants and charge it to my bill."

"Eh? Are you serious?" asked Ritchie.

"That's so kind of you, but it's not needed," said Regina.

"Bah, just don't argue," insisted Silver. "You just order what you want, half-pint. Besides, I doubt you can eat as much as me."

Regina and Ritchie exchanged glances. Silver probably had a lot of money if he was offering to let the boy eat as much as he wanted, claiming that Ritchie couldn't out-eat him. He was in for a huge surprise when the bill came…

"OVER NINE THOUSAND?!" he shouted upon seeing it, eyes as big as flying saucers.

Fortunately it was still within his budget, but he didn't expect the kid to take up his challenge. Silver had ordered a full course meal good for at least three people at once. Ritchie's was good for seven, not even counting the three slices of cake he order for dessert after finishing. How could someone so small eat that much?

End of flashback.

"You almost emptied my wallet that day," said Silver. "Lucky for me I had the money of that tournament, or else…"

"That's only on you," said Ritchie. "Nobody told you that you should treat me to everything I could eat, right?"

Both of them laughed heartily. An odd encounter, but those were good memories. Of course, from that day on, Silver became a regular at the restaurant, and a few months later, he gathered courage to ask Regina out. Even though the woman was a bit wary at first, seeing how well the man got along with her son, she finally relented. They had their differences and all, but in the end, things turned out just fine.

"Hey, you two!" A voice called them out. Both of them looked down below and saw Regina wearing her apron and her arms akimbo. "Are you going to stay there all night long? If you don't come back in right now, you're not getting any dinner!"

"Yeah Mom, we're coming!" Ritchie replied. "You heard her, let's go back in."

"Bah, and just when it was getting interesting," Silver complained.

They'd have plenty of time to chat in the morning. Or the next night, as they used to. They'd miss it a lot when Ritchie started his journey.

Two months later…

Finally the day had come. His trainer license had finally been passed, and now he had turned fifteen, he could finally begin his journey. Adjusting his cap, vest and gloves, Ritchie looked in the mirror, took a deep breath and clenched his fists. His two partners were in front of him, as enthusiastic as he was.

"Alright, guys, today is the day," he said, kneeling to look into their eyes closely. "Are you ready?"

"Pikachu!"

"Charmander, char!"

Since Sparky didn't like being inside his Pokéball, Ritchie only recalled Zippo. He then placed his backpack, the same his father had given him, on top of the bed and began to fill it with everything he needed to survive out there: town maps, a sleeping bag, a pocket knife, a water canteen… he had to be ready for anything. He glanced one last time at his nightstand, and the framed pictures on them. There were two in particular: one of him and his mom during his seventh birthday, and the other at the fourteenth, this one including Silver too. Right when Ritchie was about to blow the candles (and Silver pushed him face first into the cake). He chuckled as he recalled that. A close observer would have noticed his Z-shaped marks when he was seven, but at age fourteen, they had already disappeared for some reason. He never knew what they were or why he had them.

Leaving these memories aside, he placed the photos back on the nightstand. Right when he was getting the backpack on, his room's door opened.

"Well, so you're ready to go." Who else could it be, but Silver.

"For Arceus, would it hurt you to knock before entering?" Ritchie protested.

"Hey, this is my house as much as yours, half-pint."

"Stop calling me that. I'm fifteen, and I grew three inches over the last two years," the boy retorted. "And I'm still growing."

"Hah! That doesn't matter; you're still a half-pint until you're bigger than me, you know that!" Silver laughed as he placed a hand on Ritchie's head to shake him around a bit. "Anyway, your mother wanted to give you this."

He handed Ritchie a sealed lunchbox wrapped in a handkerchief. The boy held it carefully, this would be the last meal prepared by his mom he would eat in months, so he had to enjoy it. He would miss the homemade food a lot.

"Well, it's time for you to go out and show the world what you're made of." Silver placed a hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes. "You're on your own now, but just remember everything I taught you, and you'll be just fine."

"I will." Ritchie smiled and gave Silver a big hug. "See you soon… Dad."

Silver returned the hug in the same manner. No matter how many times Ritchie called him "Dad", he never got tired of hearing it. It felt great.

Outside, Silver and Regina stood by the door. Regina wanted to escort Ritchie until the city's outskirts, but Silver convinced her to let him go alone. He wasn't a kid anymore, and now he was a trainer, it was best to let him walk his own path.

"Time surely flies." The woman sighed with nostalgia after Ritchie was finally out of sight. "My little boy is growing into a fine man, I almost can't believe it. I just hope he'll be OK out there."

"Rest easy, honey," said Silver. "He'll be fine. The kid's a lot better than I was at his age. He might lack some attitude at times, but he's got what it takes, and then some. And he's definitely got his mother's heart."

"Well, but he also had a good father to teach him to be strong," the woman replied, lovingly staring at her husband.

"Bah, he always had it in him." The man just shrugged it. "I just helped him bring it out, that's all. Besides, if things get rough, he always has… that."

Regina giggled and gave her husband a playful punch in the chest. Despite their initial mishaps, Silver had been an amazing father. A bit loud and aggressive when he lost it, but he was as kind-hearted as he was strong, and he could bring the best out of her her son. Not too bad for a man who had lived almost his entire life as a bachelor.

"I've been thinking… do you believe Ritchie's biological father could still be out there?" asked Silver.

"Don't you dare call him that," said Regina, taking on a severe demeanor. "That man lost his right to be called Ritchie's father since the moment he left us. The only father Ritchie has, that's you, and only you."

"Right," said Silver. "Well, for his sake, I hope he never dares to lay a finger on him. Because if he does… no force in the universe will spare him from my wrath."

Whoever that guy was, he deserved a good beating. Not only did he abandon a wonderful woman; he also missed out on having a son with great talent and a bright future ahead as a Pokémon trainer. Should he ever cross that man, Silver would give him his just desserts personally.

FIN.