Pokémon Heroes of Johto

For Little Old Meowth?

On our way out of Goldenrod City, Bill, along with Lizzy and their mom, decided we should spend a little more time together and go to National Park before we left. Gold and I agreed since National Park was in the direction of our next stop, Ecruteak City, so we could take our leave from there. It didn't take long to get there, and if I were to describe it in one sentence, well let's just say National Park was absolutely beautiful.
The emerald fields of grass and soft pink flowers captivated me, my eyes glued to the dreamlike setting. Lizzy skipped along the path with Quilava and Flaffy while Eevee and Bayleaf strolled calmly between Gold and me. I gazed at the open fields as we made our way through, Quilava taking in a deep breath as we strolled along. I was about to make my way to Lizzy's side when a small shadow flew over my head at blinding speed.
"What on earth?!" I exclaimed, my eyes swiftly following the shadow, finding a Meowth standing firmly a few feet away from me. It stared at me for a moment before getting into a battle stance. I instantly knew what it wanted and released Hoothoot, signaling it to attack.
Hoothoot did as I told it to, using Hypnosis to make the Meowth drowsy, then following up with Wing Attack to weaken it. Bill gave me a quizzical look, probably wondering why I was suddenly attacking the little Meowth. I tossed a Pokéball, easily catching the speedy Pokémon without much of a struggle.
I guess it was looking for someone to train it.
"What'd you do that for, Fire?" Bill asked curiously. I reached the Pokéball out to him, grinning brightly.
"It was asking for a battle, and I won, so I caught it." I stated cheerfully.
Seconds later, Hoothoot evolved into Noctowl! I smiled brightly at my newly evolved Noctowl as it flew beside me proudly. Bill and Gold gaped at me, Lizzy and her mom applauding my caught and evolved Pokémon. I smirked victoriously, turning on my heel and proudly continuing our walk, releasing Meowth to get to know her better in the process. "Hmm... I think I'll call you Asuna! Would you like that?" I asked Meowth cheerfully. Meowth nodded in agreement, smiling widely.
What a friendly Pokémon she is.
We made our way to the end of National Park and I hugged Bill and his family goodbye, Gold shaking their hands politely.
"Take care now, Fire. Don't push yourself!" Bill called as he made his way home. He always did act as my third older brother. I smiled softly in his direction as he disappeared over the horizon, Gold gently placing a hand on my shoulder, grinning softly at me.
"Ready to go, future Champ?" he asked, with a slightly teasing tone. I grinned back and nodded. With that, we made our way to the next town.
After a short hike, Gold and I finally reached Ecruteak City. It was gorgeous to say the least. It had this ancient, legendary charm to it that I adored. If I ever moved to Johto, Ecruteak City would be my first choice for sure.
"Hey, Fire, we should go check out the Burned Tower. I really want to explore it!" Gold exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, sure. Let me stock up on some items first. There's a Gym here in Ecruteak, so I really want to be prepared for it. You can go on ahead, I'll meet you there." I assured him, turning to stroll in the direction of the Pokémart. Gold nodded, dashing in the opposite direction of me.
I didn't need to get much, I bought a few Pokéballs, Potions, and these really pretty ribbons in red, pink, and a soft blue that I thought stood out.
I thanked the cashier and made my way out to the Burned Tower, admiring the city on the way. Quilava glanced over at a particular building for a while before continuing to look around peacefully. I grinned softly as I spotted the Gym, eager to take it on. I already got four Badges in a pretty short amount of time, so it's become natural for me to want to take on the Gym the second I enter a new town or city. But today we have somewhere to be, so we'll have to skip out on a battle. I wondered how Gold even knew about this place as we approached the Burned Tower, but the thought left my mind I began to hear muffled voices from a distance. As Quilava and I neared the tower, we began to recognize one of the voices as Gold's.
I made my way up the creaky wooden stairs and began to hear the tension in Gold's voice.
That's odd, Gold was never tense.
I could finally make out words about three stairs away from the entrance.
"Don't play dumb!! I knew I'd catch you one day..... you thief!! Or should I call you Silver!?" Gold spat.

My heart dropped.

I sprinted up the steps to the entrance of the tower, and the scene before me killed my spirits. Gold glared strongly at Silver, whose hands were tied together by Bayleaf's vines. Silver was in a tug of war with Bayleaf, as it tried to pull him closer, he tried to break free with the help of Croconaw, who attempted to push him back.
I was horrified. The situation I tried so hard, so desperately to prevent was playing right before my eyes. I was frozen in shock, staring wide-eyed at the heart breaking scene before me. What was I supposed to do? If I helped Silver, Gold would be furious with me for sure, and I'd probably have to explain everything to him, which wouldn't exactly help. On the other hand, if I sided with Gold, I don't think I'd ever forgive myself for betraying Silver after we just started becoming friends.
My mind debated the situation frantically, while my heart came to a quick decision. Though it was a decision I was sure to regret in some way, I chose to follow it.

I was always told to follow my heart, so now seems like the perfect time to do just that.