Strawberries and Mint

For Silver, his work was his life. He worked from eight to five Monday through Friday, and spent the weekend healing from the cuts and ice burns and sore muscles that accompanied the demanding career of an ice skating instructor.

Silver had a reputation for being an avid supporter of ice skating all through grade school, and now his passion for the activity seemed to have been made aware to every soul in the small city of Cherrygrove.

Every day, Silver taught people how to skate. And every day, he got a little closer to being happy.

Or so he told himself. Back when Silver had his father, he'd had nothing to worry about. He would graduate, maybe go to college, work for Team Rocket. Simple. But ever since Team Rocket had disbanded and Giovanni disappeared, his life had been anything but.

He'd saved enough money to buy a tiny house with two stories, a style he'd always been fond of. It'd been tough at first, adjusting to life as a poor unemployed orphan, and Silver found himself shutting down anyone who tried to help. He'd never been one for pity, whether he was giving or receiving it, and now was no exception.

I'm happier now than I was with Giovanni, Silver thought once. He didn't think it were possible that he'd be more content with having less. But he was, and he didn't regret a thing he'd done since.

Silver was fifteen minutes late, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

It was the last day of the school year, and Silver wanted to enjoy his freedom as long as possible. School ending meant a ton more of kids would be coming to receive skating instruction from himself and his boss, and every year Silver felt less and less ready for the endless stream of mild scrapes, crying and phone calls to parents.

With school being in session, Silver had few enough lessons that he knew he his entire schedule by heart. The first customer of the day never arrived before nine, giving him another forty or so minutes before he had to be at the ice rink in the mall. Besides, it was a beautiful day, so why not enjoy it?

The weather was the best it's been in a long time, hot but with the occasional satisfying breeze. Silver had decided to take a detour through a nice neighborhood today instead of traveling the short way through the city like he usually did. The change in routine felt fresh and reviving, and Silver could tell his Sneasel was enjoying it too from the was it was purring on his shoulder.

This neighborhood really is fancy, Silver thought, absently looking at the expensive homes around him. There were apricorn trees of all colors in well-maintained flowerbeds. The mailboxes were all the fancy kind, the ones with brick and multiple colors and the red plasic flags whose color never seemed to fade. Even the sun seemed to shine brighter on this side of town, but that might have just been a trick if the light that reflected off the metallic rooftops popular in the Johnto Region.

Whatever it was, Silver didn't like this side of the city as much as the side he resided in. He liked the way no two houses looked the same, and the creativity and originality that came with every person buying only what they could afford. The cost-cutting lead to new additions being added to houses all the time, and the patchwork roofs and sides made Silver feel like he was permanently living in a cozy old woman's house.

Silver was now approaching a construction site for a new home. Workers were carrying materials to and from the house's framework and a wood pile, glancing over at Silver as he walked on the other side of the street. Eye contact was exchanged. Nobody smiled.

Silver noticed one figure at the top of the house, the only person not working on transferring wood. His hair looked like an explosion of ink had frozen in place, and his Aipom had wrapped itself around shoulders, looking content.