Warning: Possibly some abuse
Professor Elm wanted to give out starter Pokemon like Professor Oak did. Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totidile was his choice for what he would give to the prospecting trainers.
Those are rare Pokemon, but he managed to secrure the eggs. They were all healthy, BUT.
The Cyndaquil had grown too attached to the scientist helper that had taken care of it, and the Totodile... I haven't decided what happened to the Totodile.
The Professor needed replacements for them. He found them in a Wraltz that was gifted to him by the lab assistant from Hoenn, and a Mareep.
Ampharos are native to Kanto, and though aren't incredibly rare, they are popular and he decided it would be good for a prospecting trainer.
[Maybe related to Amphy from the lighthouse...?]
The young Mareep was well taken care of and educated. It was told that one day, it will be chosen by a young trainer and will be their lifelong partner. The Mareep took this very seriously, and every day was excited waiting for who its trainer would be. A lifelong friend!
It took this idea very seriously.
The day had come that the currently unnamed Mareep would be chosen by a trainer, set on a table in its comfortable pokeball full of anticipation and hope.
When it was summoned out of it, it was outdoors in a place it noticed as the area outside of the lab. In front of it, was a boy. A red haired, young boy, that the Mareep knew as its new trainer.
Instantly, IT KNEW IT WOULD PROTECT THIS BOY FOREVER!!!
Outside, there were people searching for someone! Voices it recognized, trying to find someone! The mareep wanted to go help them, knowing the voices, but the boy put a hand on its fluff. The Mareep looked to its new CHILD, and saw he didn't want it to go to them! So it didn't.
Aparently, the Mareep was stolen! It did not care. It takes its job very seriously.
They sneak through the forest until they end up at a town.
The boy, its trainer, is rude. He is mean, a twat, even. The other Pokemon didn't like him, and the Flaafy did not blame them. They complained about how their last trainer had abandoned them, and they didn't feel their new trainer really cared about them.
Flaafy agreed, but never hated the boy. It was its job to help him.
Ampharos looked like Silver. Silver didn't like that.
Silver releases all his Pokemon.
They all run to find better homes. He tells them all to leave, to find better lives, to do what they want and go where they want. They never have to see him again, and he is sorry.
The pokemon all run away. They may accept his apology, they have better places to be now.
Silver turns around, huddled by himself.
The large Ampharos stares at him, not moving from where it is, waiting for Silver to tell it to do somethimg maybe?
"I said you're free to go. I release you."
The Ampharos sits and blinks at him.
He doesn't understand why its there.
He grows more frustrated. "Can you not hear me or something? You can leave!"
The Ampharos sits still, blinking its red eyes. It still doesn't move.
He doesn't want to think that maybe Ampharos doesn't want to leave. He grows tense.
"Leave." A direct order.
At that, the Ampharos leans down, and scampers off into the forest.
Silver is left alone, his chest gets tight and breathing gets difficult. He can't tell why. He stares at the forest where the Ampharos had left.
They're all gone.
There's rustling in the bushes again, and the Ampharos pokes its head out. Then, two of his other former Pokemon appear next to it in the bushes: the Weavile and Sandslash.
He's taken aback when they all appear in front of him and sit patiently.
His pokemon came back, because they were worried about him?
...It wasn't the first time Ampharos had seen its trainer cry, but it was the first time that he didn't hide from them.
The Ampharos and the other two Pokemon huddled around him, the Ampharos wrapping its neck around him like a hug, and putting a little fin over his body with as much of a hug as it could manage.
Ampharos' trainer spent the next 48 hours in a bit of a daze. He did not talk very much, and he didn't do any training or any other normal practices he did. He also kept his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, for the most part.
Ampharos was glad when it saw Gold!