tsunsandsteals | [Action]

[For once, Silver isn't in the forest to work his Pokemon to exhaustion. In fact, he left them back at the house, apparently granting them rare permission to rest. Instead, he's sitting beside a tree, head bowed and one knee drawn up to his chest. He's deep in thought, almost as if considering a couple things...things he'd rather not have to be considering.]

Damn it...everyone who says those things are wimps and bleeding hearts, but...

[He doesn't want to admit he's beginning to wonder if that's why his team is weaker than they should be. Why Golbat seems terrified of him and Sneasel picks on him so much. Why Quilava hasn't evolved despite all the training.

Was the man with the cape and the dragons right? Were his other self, Tracey, Lyra and all those other people right?

No, they couldn't be. Compassion is for the weak; that piece of advice was the only thing the old man had ever given him.

But the old man was weak. He'd run away with his tail between his legs just because some kid kicked his ass.

Silver buries his face in his hands with a frustrated groan. Stupid people making him think about this stuff!]

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[Silver's head snaps up once more and he blanches at seeing who it is this time]

...oh.

It's you. [One of the people he feels especially guilty about.]

[Tracey turns to face Silver the moment he realizes he's been spotted, but he won't smile the way he usually does when he greets someone he knows. Instead, he just gives a small frown in dismay.]

Don't worry, I was just leaving.

[side-eyes him] You're not gonna gloat about how I deserve to be feeling like utter crap right now?

[Tracey's first instinct is to question why Silver feels like "utter crap", but he manages to stop himself just in time. Instead, what comes out is:]

I don't gloat.

Well. Good. Cause if you did I'd have to punch you. [he can't even look at Tracey without feeling guilty and stupid and that makes him feel even more stupid. Why should he have even the smallest urge to apologize to the guy? Just because of one week in February...]

[He has no idea how to even respond to that. Ultimately, it's just like Tracey said; if Silver continues to be a jerk and reject other people, nobody will be there for him when he actually does need help. Whatever happened, Silver clearly hasn't learned his lesson yet.]

... Right. [And he'll turn to leave again. There's no point in standing around like this.]

...wait. [Damn it all, damn it all to hell.]

[Against better judgment, Tracey stops in his tracks again and turns to face Silver. ... He really is a bleeding heart.]

Hm?

...look. I...I barely know you except for that one week, and I kinda don't care that you probably hate my guts, but...

Well...

[Anything close to an apology is stuck in his throat, damn it all.]

[The sad thing is that even after everything that was said, Tracey still doesn't hate Silver's guts. Granted, Tracey can't think of a single person he actually truly hates.]

... But what?

...maybe I was more of a jerk than I should've been. [why do apologies have to be so hard?]

[Coming from someone like Silver, this seems almost like he's begging for forgiveness on his knees and Tracey is filled with a mild sense of satisfaction. But he mustn't gloat!]

If you really feel bad about it, you should start watching your attitude from now on.

...yeah. I...I can't promise I'll try. But I'll try to try. [maybe he should at least be better to his Pokemon. Even if they are tools, sharp tools that have been taken care of are stronger than tired old ones.]

[He can't quite keep a strained smile from his face at that.]

Well, that's still better than not trying at all.

I guess. [finally he actually looks at Tracey]

[...] So uhm... How are your Pokémon doing?

Okay. I'm letting them rest for the day.

Good. ... That's good.

Yes...I mean, they're of no use to me if they're too tired. Toughening them up is one thing, but...well, even tools need proper maintenance. [It's going to be a while before he fully lets go of that perception, sorry.]

That's... [Not what Tracey was hoping to hear.] ... Is there even a point in trying to remind you that Pokémon are not tools?

Fine, then. They're protection. Is that better? [He's trying, okay?]

[Sigh.] They're supposed to be your pals, but the least you can do is think of them as living beings.

Of course I do! I may be a jerk but I'm not a complete monster!

[Hm... That's not the impression Tracey got from their previous conversations, but he won't press the matter.] ... Right. Well, okay. That's good.

Yeah. ...I mean, they're no good to me if they're all ragged and tired and stuff. [tsundere much, Silver?]

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