Archive of Our Own

i. sunshine

The harsh sun in the Hoenn desert was getting on his last nerve. Silver had never been one to enjoy warm weather, what with being a Kanto native, but this was on another level. Of course, he'd heard from the woman at the ticket counter for the boat that it would be warm in Hoenn. This wasn't just warm. This felt like hell.

Deeply regretting not bringing a single pair of shorts with him, Silver continued trudging through. He prayed to Mew and Arceus and any other that could possibly be listening that there was a Pokemon Center nearby.

So far, his trip had been nothing but miserable. He'd picked Hoenn on a whim, needing to get away from Johto for a while, but he hadn't exactly done much research before. It wasn't as if other regions didn't interest him. He was just… at a bit of a loss, after everything.

After what felt like hours and somehow managing to avoid the plethora of Trainers in the desert — they were all crazy, wanting to battle in that — he'd made it outside of the damn desert. Sure, he was right back where he'd started that day, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Mauville was an easy walk from the desert's entrance. Once he was back at the Pokemon Center, he could take a long cold shower and hopefully sleep it all off.

Silver released his Feraligatr from his PokeBall, nodding to it. The two had taken to walking together when they could. Much as he hated to admit it, he did enjoy the quiet company of his first Pokemon. His relationship with his team has improved drastically over the last few years. Never mind the fact that a certain Trainer had asked him not that long ago if he'd tried it before.

Never mind that the reason he'd even gotten this far at all with them because of her.

It didn't take long to make it to Mauville. Silver had never been so thankful for air conditioning in his entire life. He returned his Feraligatr, dropping off his PokeBalls with the Nurse Joy and snagging a room key in the process.

Setting back travel time was annoying, but it wasn't the end of the world. He didn't really have a specific plan for his trek through the Hoenn region, anyway. He could take some time the next morning to get more suitable clothing for his trip; Mauville was packed to the brim with stores. Hopefully someone around would be able to point him in the right direction. Going back into that sand death trap without a plan was a horrible idea.

"Silver? Is that you?"

The heat must've really been getting to him. Now he was hallucinating the very person he was trying to avoid. The very person he'd gotten on a boat to put an entire ocean in between. There was no universe in which Silver would mistake that voice. Between her speeches on how Pokemon were friends and the number of times she'd shown up in his dreams, he could never forget her.

Yet there she was, puffy hat and pigtails in all her glory.

"It is you!" Lyra grinned at him, giving him a big wave as she walked over, Typhlosion in tow. Its Trainer may have been happy to see him, but her Pokemon was glaring at him something fierce.

Any thoughts that he'd been thinking before flew right out the window with Lyra's arrival. Silver still didn't quite believe what was in front of him. It'd been months since he'd seen her, but she looked the same as ever — her eyes still shimmered in the light, and while she'd changed out of her overalls for something a little lighter for the weather, she still obviously favored brighter, bold colors.

It took all his effort to not smile at her.

The last time they'd spoken, things had been… odd. She'd come to Dragon's Den as usual for a good battle between them. Lyra had a tendency of calling it her vacation, something Silver didn't quite understand. After their battle, she'd sat down with him telling him she had a confession to make.

He hadn't known what to expect when she said that. What had surely never crossed his mind was Lyra telling him that she'd met Celebi, gone back in time briefly, and had witnessed a confrontation between his father and himself. Lyra had been gentle while breaking the news, but Silver couldn't help but get hostile at the mention of his father.

If there was one thing he never wanted anyone to know about him, it was who his father was. He hated that man with his entire being; someone that weak but put themselves at the top had no right trying to lead.

Lyra was, as always, too good of a person to even think of reprimanding him for his outburst. She'd taken it in stride, and waited patiently until he was ready to talk. He didn't really want to, but nonetheless allowed her to explain what had happened to her.

Had it been anyone else, Silver would've laughed right in their face. It was a ridiculous story, something that sounded more like a cover-up than the truth of how she had found out his heritage.

This was Lyra, though, and he knew he had no choice but to believe. He'd seen firsthand the kind of Pokemon she'd encountered — and caught — during her time as a Trainer. The legendary Lugia that often accompanied her was more than enough to convince him. Besides, Silver had to accept one truth if nothing else. Lyra was always honest with him. One of the few people that were.

That was the last time he'd seen Lyra. The very next morning, Silver had packed up some things and booked the first boat for Hoenn. It had been almost two months.

What had happened wasn't really her fault. Despite his difficulties with his rival, he couldn't blame her for her honesty. Many people would've never bothered telling him, and he was grateful she was honest to a fault. Unfortunately, it was still a reminder that he still had so much work ahead of him. The realization that he still had so much to undo from his father's legacy. Both in the world, and in himself.

Running no longer suited Silver. He'd refused to listen to anyone until Lyra had forced him to face everything directly. No matter what he did, he couldn't beat her. Through those losses he'd started to realize how much there was that he didn't understand, and how much his father had taught him that was simply untrue.

So he'd left. Maybe it made him a coward, but he needed some time and space away from the shadow of Team Rocket to figure out what he wanted now. Going through another set of Gym challenges, working on understanding his team more — these were all things that Silver felt he needed to become the Trainer he wanted to be. Someone who could stand on Lyra's level, all the way at the summit of Mt. Silver itself. The first person to be able to surpass Red, who often felt more like a local legend than a real Champion.

Seeing her now, when he'd purposefully not told her a single thing nor answered any of her calls, felt like a punch to the gut. Even still, he found he couldn't help the way his eyes remained glued on her smile. He'd missed her. It was also somewhat a relief that she didn't seem to hold him taking off without a word against him.

"How have you been?" Lyra asked after a moment of quiet, smile still bright. "Wow, you must be made of steel. Hoenn's pretty hot, you know!"

She was, of course, referring to his heavy black jacket and dark pants. "I'm aware," he deadpanned, somewhat unsure of what to make of all this. "I just came from the desert."

Trying not to look at her was a losing game. Despite the time and distance that had been put between them, it was so easy to fall back into the banter and comfort they'd had. Her eyes were still that bright, not quite green and not quite a brown color, her smile was still so wide, and his stomach still did something weird whenever she focused her attention on him.

Unlike him, she'd clearly come prepared for the weather — a red tank top, and denim shorts, but the big hat still remained. She looked so much the same it was hard to believe any time had passed at all.

"Ouch." Lyra winced. "Well, if you haven't eaten dinner yet, do you want to join me? I hear the Mauville food court is pretty cheap."

Silver rolled his eyes at that. Same old Lyra, indeed — always thinking about how to save money. Even as the reigning Champion of the Indigo League for two years, she was still like that. According to her, she sent part of her winnings to her mother after every battle. It was supposed to be used to support her family, but her mother apparently always tried to insist it was for her own use. So she kept sending it and never collected. It was a bit endearing, if he were being honest.

He'd be an idiot to say yes, considering the whole point of this journey was to clear his mind so he could return to Johto with a new perspective. He exhaled slowly. "I've got nothing better to do," he said, tossing sanity out with any other reservations.

Lyra beamed. "Great! You're paying, of course." She laughed, turning on her heel towards the door without waiting for him.

"Oh sure," Silver said with a roll of his eyes. "Let your poor rival pay." Despite his words, there was no malice in his tone.

Before leaving, he grabbed his PokeBalls back from Nurse Joy, who smiled knowingly at him. He could try to say otherwise as much as he wanted, but as he followed Lyra out the door, he knew he had missed her.

Part of him wanted to argue to the nurse that it wasn't like that, they were just friends — but Silver realized he still tripped over the word friends despite the fact that Lyra was most certainly the closest person to him. With her already out the door, it was a moot point, anyway.

With a sigh, he followed hot on her heels, like he always seemed to these days.

ii. rain

Unova sucked. Maybe even more than Hoenn had.

The people in Unova, in Silver's humble opinion, were far too noisy and too nosy. Everyone seemed far too interested in other people's lives. He couldn't go five steps without someone wanting to battle, or say something — usually rude — to him. Normally, he was happy to beat some Trainers for easy cash. That day, though?

All he wanted to do was get out of the rain.

Being honest, he still wasn't sure why he'd chosen Unova after completing Hoenn's Gym challenge. When he'd met up with Lyra during her visit to the region, she'd told him Sinnoh was the next best place to visit — "Colder weather!" She'd told him with a bright grin. "Too much snow for me maybe, but you'd have fun I bet." — and he was really, really starting to regret purposefully not listening to her.

Silver sighed to himself, speeding up his pace as the Driftveil Pokemon Center came into view. The whole point of these journeys, he reminded himself, was to learn and observe the world with an open mind. He'd spent so long not knowing anything but what his father taught him, while at the same time so vehemently hating everything his father stood for, that he was practically underdeveloped, as a person.

Sighing to himself, he sped up his pace as Driftveil City came into view from Route 6. The whole point, he reminded himself, was to learn and observe the world with an open mind. He was supposed to learn to love nature, or something. He'd spent so many years only knowing what his father had taught him, simultaneously hating everything his father ever stood for. Sometimes he felt underdeveloped.

If he used Lyra as a reference point, she seemed to be happy to travel in all weather. No amount of change would make him love the rain, it seemed. He wondered, often, if she were actually insane. Maybe it was a requirement to be a child prodigy, or something.

Right then, following Lyra's advice was the opposite of what he wanted. Both in the current rain, and in terms of his own person. It was why after they'd parted ways in Hoenn, he continued to not answer her calls or messages. That didn't seem to deter her at all. Still, learning to be his own person, away from his father's ideals, was his number one priority.

He practically stomped inside Driftveil's Pokemon Center, dripping from head to toe. Johto, Hoenn and Unova all had fairly unique weather patterns compared to Kanto, and Silver was starting to miss the simplicity of his home region's.

"Key, please," Silver ground out, slamming his PokeBalls on the counter. The Nurse Joy shot him a look of disapproval, but he couldn't care less. He was soaked.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped into the rented room, peeling his shirt off as he did. When he'd first stolen his Trainer's license, Silver had been much messier in these rooms. He'd just been happy to have an actual roof over his head, and a real bed to sleep in after he'd separated from the comfort his father and Team Rocket could provide.

Over the last two years, though, the novelty had worn off. He'd gotten used to treating the rooms with a bit more respect. His wet clothes, which would have once been thrown haphazardly around the bathroom, now hung neatly over the shower.

Maybe he was changing, slowly but surely. Silver couldn't pinpoint when he started trying to keep the rooms clean, but he was sure it was after he and Lyra had finally come to some sort of truce. As were most things in his life, these days.

As soon as he'd thrown on dry clothes, he left the room, heading back to the lobby. It wasn't terribly busy — apparently, spring in Unova was not a popular travel time, and he was starting to see why — and relished in the quiet. The only Trainers in the room were keeping to themselves, either whispering quietly to their Pokemon or looking outside the Pokemon Center's windows in hopes of changing the weather.

Despite his better judgment, he wondered what Lyra was doing at the moment. Even though he never answered her, Silver still listened to her persistent voicemails and read every text she sent. The last message was from four days ago, letting him know she was heading back to Johto for a few weeks.

She'd stayed in Hoenn much longer than he had. For whatever reason, Lyra actually enjoyed the extreme temperatures and varied biomes. While she'd never mentioned it in her messages to him, he would've had to be blind to miss the many headlines about the Champion of Hoenn, May Maple, and Lyra Soul having a few ceremonial battles throughout the last month.

It was a rarity to see two Champions go up against each other with no stakes involved. The entire world had been watching those matches, Silver included. She'd come out on top, winning best two out of three, but the third match had been close.

TEN MONTHS AGO...

"Do you enjoy being Champion?" Silver asked out of the blue, frankly surprising himself with his question.

They'd just finished their weekly match, Lyra the winner once again, and were now relaxing on the rocks in Dragon's Den. It was a quiet area, one he was still glad Clair Blackthorn allowed him use of, and his voice seemed to echo off of every wall. The only other noise was the water coming in the entrance from the rain, pitter-pattering softly.

It was peaceful. It was a comfort Silver still felt uneasy about; if he let himself become complacent with peace, then he'd lose it in an instant. Always be ready to run, his father had once told him, as they packed up everything for the nth time that year. Safety is an illusion. He could practically picture Giovanni in front of him, dark suit and permanent aggravated expression etched on his face. What matters is not comfort, but success. You cannot be successful if you're content with where you are.

Lyra hummed, snapping him back to the present. "Yes and no," she said honestly. He stayed silent, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts. As she pet her Typhlosion, napping in front of her feet after a hard-fought victory, her expression turned a bit bitter. "I understand why Red took off the way he did. It's… a lot."

It wasn't the answer Silver had been expecting, but he supposed he wasn't really surprised. Lyra seemingly shirked her Champion duties as often as humanly possible. The Elite Four and previous Champions — mainly Lance — were always picking up her slack, or so it sounded like when he heard yelling during some of their phone calls.

When Silver didn't say anything in response, Lyra continued. "I can't give it up, it's a matter of pride. But I wish things were different." She gave him a rueful grin. "That said, it is nice in some ways. It's nice to know my hard work paid off."

He snorted at that. Hard work was only part of it. Not to say that Lyra hadn't climbed to the top through sheer force of will, but when it came to some parts of her original journey, a decent chunk of it had been right place, right time. Silver knew she knew that, too — she was never shy about her good luck.

However, it was indeed her hard work that kept her where she currently was. Even being able to wipe out half her team was something Silver considered an achievement.

"Sometimes," Lyra said, a bit more hesitantly this time, "I sometimes think of taking off too. Not that I'd ever disappear like that!" She hastily covered herself. "But, really, it's like… the reason I like you so much, Silver, is that you don't treat me any which way. To you, I'm just Lyra." Her smile, this time, was much more gentle.

Not for the first time, Silver realized that Lyra had grown from somewhat awkward teenager to beautiful young woman. Her eyes sparkled even in the dim lighting of the Dragon's Den, and even with her silly marshmallow hat she still managed to look wiser than her years.

Her words caught up to him quickly. He felt his face warm, and he turned away from her abruptly. "Well, yeah." He coughed into his hand, uncomfortable with her honesty. "You're not that special."

Her laughter was as bright as the bells in Ecruteak. "Yeah," Lyra agreed with ease. "I know I'm not."

She didn't sound disappointed in that. Only relieved.

PRESENT DAY...

He wondered if it was raining where Lyra was, too.

iii. snow

TWO YEARS AGO...

"It's not good to be so tense all the time, you know," Lyra told him, matter of fact. She wasn't even looking at him, too focused on the task at hand. Her hands were covered in mittens, air visible with each breath she took. He should maybe be offended by the fact that she didn't even dignify him by turning to face him, but…

Silver scoffed. "It's hard to take you seriously when you're building a snowman."

Lyra let out a laugh. "That's what I mean! You should be helping me instead of standing there," she said, still not turning to face him, instead taking care to smooth out the first ball of snow for the thing's body.

The idea was downright laughable. Help someone build a snowman? Even on his own it wasn't something Silver would ever consider doing. Lyra, on the other hand, seemed to be taking her task almost excessively seriously. He'd watched as she spent a solid ten minutes rolling the first base body to meet her standards.

She wasn't the kind of person who ever did anything in halves. He shouldn't have been surprised that extended to things like this, too.

Still, Silver couldn't help but be somewhat curious. Things had changed a lot from the first days of their rivalry; he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her back then. Now here he was, watching as she made a snowman on a freezing day in New Bark town.

Ridiculous.

"I'm not helping you," he said, but there was no bite to it.

"If you're not going to help, at least talk to me." Lyra was pouting, he was sure. He didn't need to see her expression to know it. "Tell me a story or something!"

He let out a withering sigh. She was always needling things out of him some way or another. "Fine," Silver agreed, "but if you interrupt me, I will stop talking." Despite his words, he had no idea what to even talk about. Thankfully, he was fast on his feet.

Finally, Lyra turned around to look at him. Her smile was almost as blinding as the snow. She shot him a mock salute, over-exaggerating the motions. "Understood! I will not make a peep."

He didn't believe her.

PRESENT DAY...

Snowpoint City was aptly named. Unlike his traversal into Hoenn, Silver had come prepared for this weather — Sinnoh and Johto were much closer in temperature, which was grateful for. His Sneasel was hopping around, glad to be somewhere that was more natural for it.

Once upon a time, he probably wouldn't have even let his Pokemon out of its ball, let alone to roam around freely in the snow. Who he was now, though, smiled at the sight. Sneasel was one of his oldest partners, after all. He deserved a rest every now and again.

A loud beep from his PokeGear broke him out of his thoughts. Silver sighed, pulling the thing out of his pocket. He wasn't even sure why he kept it on. He hadn't answered anyone in months, determined to continue his journey on his own.

Whether or not that was actually making a difference was another story. As the days passed, he felt like he missed Johto more and more. Sinnoh reminded him of home, almost a little too much. There was a great focus on the mythology and religion that had shaped the region, like there was in Johto. He might not have appreciated that much when he was doing his first challenge all those years ago, but he certainly could now. It was why he was staying in Snowpoint after already having beaten the Gym — that old temple fascinated him.

Lyra had always liked things like that, Silver thought. She'd always seemed so at peace in Ecruteak City, participating in their traditions like she'd been doing them all her life. There had been more than one occasion that she'd confessed to him that she occasionally hung around the Burnt Tower just to collect her thoughts. When he'd seen the temple, he couldn't help but want to take some pictures to show Lyra when he finally returned.

Whenever that would be. Silver frowned, trying to shake himself out of his thoughts. With each passing region, it seemed like his mind was drifting farther and farther away.

He looked down at the PokeGear, seeing another new message from Lyra. She still hadn't given up on communicating with him, even though he knew it had to be somewhat disheartening to not receive anything from him after all this time. They hadn't even seen each other since they had accidentally met in Hoenn, and that had only been a brief encounter. Once they'd stayed their course in Mauville, they'd set off in different directions. She hadn't even asked him to keep in touch, as if she knew.

The message this time around was different than her usual — slightly cryptic. All it read was the snow is beautiful, isn't it?

Blinking at the message, Silver wasn't sure what to make of it. Her usual correspondences were long, detailed accounts of what she was up to, any new Pokemon she'd caught recently as she continued her work on the PokeDex for Elm, and how her mother was doing back in New Bark Town.

"Hey, stranger," an all too familiar voice called out.

Silver's breath hitched in his throat. He forced himself to swallow, meeting her eyes after a pause. "Lyra," he greeted, as if they hadn't just gone about a year without so much as a single hi from him.

Just as she had in Hoenn, her outfit in Sinnoh had changed. Her big hat had been exchanged for something loosely knit, but of course still featured a prominent red bow. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing shorts or regular running shoes, either — at least she seemed to know how to dress for all kinds of weather.

It had only been about a year since they'd last run into each other, but Silver was struck by how much Lyra had seemingly changed in that year. Maybe it was because he wasn't seeing her on a weekly basis, but she looked… older. Settling into her skin.

Still, she smiled at him as if no time had passed at all. "Been a while," Lyra said, laughing a little. Behind her, her Metagross floated off towards where his Sneasel was playing. "I didn't expect to see you!"

Despite the fact that he'd never told her why he was taking off and refusing to communicate, she seemed to understand. It was a little bit of a scary feeling, Silver thought, that someone could know him that well.

It hit him suddenly that she'd probably texted him from somewhere she could see his reaction. Maybe she wouldn't have said anything and quietly slipped away, had he not looked at it. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He wasn't sure about how to feel about his stomach churning at the thought of possibly missing her.

"Why are you here?" Silver asked, shoving the PokeGear back into his pocket.

Lyra shrugged. "I like Sinnoh a lot," she told him, almost as if it were a secret she was letting him in on. "And I wanted to check out the Snowpoint temple. There's apparently a legendary Pokemon that resides there."

That was news to Silver, but he held his tongue. He had a choice to make — he could either let her go, and continue the way he'd been going, or…

He took a deep breath. "I was going to head there tomorrow," he said, letting himself do what he really wanted.

Denying that he'd missed her was pointless. It was getting to the point where he even missed how noisy she was, which was saying something that he did not care to name. Silver had missed Lyra — he'd missed her as a person, the challenge she brought to the table as his rival, even her lame jokes.

Try as he might, this solo journey of him hadn't been doing him much good. He'd left Johto to try and relearn who he was, relearn how to exist in a world where his father was no longer a household name. Team Rocket's scars would always be felt, but they had faded into something that only hurt when touched.

That left Silver with a whole lot of nothing. He'd wanted, for years, to become the strongest Trainer to prove his pathetic father wrong. When that hadn't worked the way he expected, he had no direction any longer. His goal of being the best would never disappear, but the way he was going about it had to.

For a long moment, Lyra just looked at him with wide-eyed surprise. Silver was almost going to take the words back and tell her to forget it, when she walked closer into his personal space.

The snow under her boots crunched with every step, but it was like all else faded out besides her gentle smile. He could do nothing but watch her as she reached out to grab his hand in hers, the warmth noticeable even through her mittens.

"You're in luck!" Lyra exclaimed, nodding happily. Her pigtails bounced with the movement. "Only Champions are allowed entry, you know. Lucky for you, you've got one right here." She looked so hopeful Silver had to avert his eyes. It was something like staring into the sun.

Still, he didn't take his hand back. "You're still the Champion? Shocking," he replied instead of a real answer. It might have been a lie — he kept up with news about her even then, unable to help himself — but he wanted to see her pout a bit.

Exactly as predicted, Lyra pouted. "Of course I am. Who else is gonna come beat me but you?"

Silver blinked owlishly. Whatever he'd expected, such obvious faith in him was difficult to process.

"Well," he said, suddenly feeling too warm, "you'll have to show me how strong you've gotten in the temple tomorrow."

Smiling, she nodded. "We have a lot to catch up on. I'll tell you all about it after I wipe the floor with you."

He barked out a laugh, finally retracting his hand from hers. "We'll see about that."

iv. fog

Maybe, Silver acquiesced, separating himself from Lyra — and the rest of the waking world — had been out of fear and not a true desire to find himself. He hadn't thought about his solo travels in some time, as after he and Lyra accidentally met in Snowpoint he'd traveled with her since.

She hadn't once pushed him about returning to Johto. When he had gathered the courage to ask if she needed to go back as the acting Champion, she'd just waved him off and told him not to worry.

And now, instead of heading back to their home turf, she'd somehow convinced him to follow her to Galar.

Galar had not once been on Silver's radar. He knew too much about the culture surrounding their league and it held no interest for him. Being the strongest should not have to conflate with being on display all hours of the day. Some people might like that, there were contest stars who easily fit that description, but not him. Even Lyra's life was more public than he'd ever put up with.

Still, he had to admit, the region was interesting. It wasn't as diverse — apart from the wild area, or so they called it — as he was accustomed to, but that wasn't a bad thing. The people there were friendly, even if he didn't want to speak to anyone, and he found himself constantly being sidetracked by Lyra losing herself in a conversation.

If he'd been there alone, it would've never happened. He and his Pokemon would've continued on as normal, battling the Gyms to the best of his ability while being spectated, and leaving as soon as he had the chance.

With Lyra, he was forced to slow down. Take in the sights and smell the flowers, as they said. His Pokemon certainly seemed to be appreciative. Crobat was currently hovering near Lyra as she stood outside of a clothing shop, debating her options.

It was a completely different experience, Silver had come to accept. Perhaps it was an experience that he was learning more from, loathe as he was to admit he might've been wrong.

By himself, he had too much time to think. Too much time in his own head, wondering what he could've done differently as a child if anything at all. Too much time wondering why he could never seem to measure up to his rival, no matter how hard he worked.

Being with Lyra again was the slap in the face he needed. In some respects, anyway. It was certainly frustrating that he still could not seem to beat her, but being around her so constantly reminded him that it was not some cosmic force of the universe conspiring against him.

Lyra wasn't, really, all that different from other Trainers. She doted on her Pokemon to an absurd extent, making them treats every chance she got. She trained regularly, making sure to practice a move until her Pokemon could practically do it in their sleep. With everything she did, she made sure to consult her Pokemon. Are you ready for this battle? Do you need a rest? Do you want to keep going?

Things that likely everyone did. She had just happened to be more persistent than most. It was as infuriating as it was comforting.

When they'd been staying in the Pokemon Center in Ballonlea, Lyra had told him that he would beat her one day. When Silver had asked how she knew that, when he'd never been able to do so before, she'd just smiled cryptically.

"Persistence," Lyra said quietly, "matters more than anything else, when it comes to getting strong."

They were words she seemed to live by. If Silver saw her screw something up or fail, she would keep pushing herself until she got the result she wanted. It was been terrible in Sinnoh, when Lyra had decided she wanted to try and win a Contest. Silver had outright laughed at her, considering the girl had some of the worst coordination he'd ever seen in a human, but that had only spurred her on more.

Lyra had decided to enter with her Ampharos, who had clearly been raised for battling and battling only. The Pokemon, much like its Trainer, had no sense of moderation.

Silver and Lyra had ended up staying in Hearthrome City for nearly a month until she'd finally secured a ribbon of the lowest rank. He couldn't help but be impressed, and her words had never left his mind since.

Standing in front of the boutique window, Silver wondered if this was another example of her persistence. She'd practically demanded they stop and at least look at every clothing store in the region, as those sorts of dedicated stores were rare back in Johto.

"We can just go in, you know," Silver finally said, shifting his weight on his feet. He was a touch antsy, as they'd gotten a later start that morning due to a conference call Lyra had to take, and the streets of Wedgehurst were getting a bit busier.

Humming, Lyra shook her head. "Nah," she said. "Honestly, I was just a bit lost in thought. Let's head to Postwick to meet up with Leon."

Silver frowned. That was the real reason for his irritation that day, and he couldn't put his finger on why. He'd seen Leon everywhere in their travels through Galar thus far. The man was a celebrity, despite still being a fairly recent Champion in comparison to, say, Lyra. Everywhere they went, his face was on posters, advertisements, promotions. Lyra had commented wryly that he must make a lot more money than she ever does, and Silver couldn't help but agree — the man was really everywhere.

"Fine." Silver shoved his hands in his pocket, gesturing his head to signal Crobat to follow him. Lyra's footsteps followed him soon after.

When the Chairman of the Galar League, Rose, had heard of Lyra's arrival, he'd gone out of his way to greet them at the train station. It had seemed like a kind gesture at the time, but now, Silver couldn't help but wonder if he'd had ulterior motives. Rose had specifically told them to head into Postwick if they were so inclined, as that was where Galar's current Champion resided.

Neither of them could resist a good challenge, so they'd agreed. It should have been no different than meeting Kalos' current Champion, Calem. That was until Lyra had caught sight of the man.

He's really… Lyra had trailed off upon seeing a poster of him at the train station, cheeks flushed. Silver had felt so aggravated at that simple remark, and he hadn't been able to shake that irritation every time he saw Leon, picture or otherwise.

He wasn't stupid. Everyone with eyes could see that Lyra was attractive. Even in her younger teenage years, with that absurdly puffy hat and childish overalls, she'd still been beautiful. Age had only added to that. Back in Johto, there had been many people whom Silver had seen approach her. Other Trainers, but even people she knew — Ethan, that obnoxious kid from New Bark Town, the Ghost-type Gym Leader who was far too full of himself, hell Silver had even heard a Team Rocket grunt or two discussing her in the past.

Of course, he'd knocked them out good for that one.

It was prominent even during their travels together. While not as many people approached her with unsavory intentions with Silver around, the calls she got were frequent. Red, Green, even the previous Hoenn Champion Steven Stone had called her since she'd decided to come with him. Silver felt his jaw clenching at the thought of it. He absolutely wasn't stupid, and he knew why people felt the way they felt.

Things like that weren't supposed to bother him. Not about anyone, but especially not about Lyra.

"Wow," Lyra commented, making Silver pause his steps. "It's like… really foggy here. How do you even know where you're going?"

Silver blinked, realizing that he'd hardly even noticed the thick fog covering the trail. He was operating completely on autopilot. "You can't really expect us to get lost on a thirty-minute walk," he said, somewhat in disbelief. The trail might have been covered in a dense fog, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten how to walk in what was essentially a straight path.

Crobat chittered at that, going back to where Lyra was standing to check on her. He followed suit, realizing that he could hardly see her with how bad the visibility was.

It wasn't much like Lyra to be scared, so he didn't believe that was the reason for her sudden hesitance. Lyra laughed awkwardly. "Well, no," she trailed off. "I just… you've been acting a bit weird today, I guess?"

She sounded unsure of herself, but got the words out anyway. Silver wasn't sure what to make of that at all.

"I have?" He asked, confused.

When she didn't reply, Silver stepped closer to her again, so he could see her better. The fog was doing a fantastic job of obscuring everything. Lyra came into focus — she was staring down at her shoes, kicking up dirt lightly.

Huh. "You wanna tell me what's going on in that empty head of yours, or what? You're usually so noisy, but now you don't wanna talk?" Silver crossed his arms, frowning. This whole day was getting annoying, and now even Lyra, someone he could normally read like an open book, was being weird.

She shook her head. "No, it's nothing," she said after a moment, breathing deeply.

Good enough, Silver supposed. He turned on his heel, ready to continue making the trek down to Postwick. There wasn't exactly anywhere else they could go on this route, as far as he was aware, so the fog shouldn't slow them down too much.

Before he could get too far away, though, Lyra changed her mind. "Actually, Silver, wait." He didn't turn around this time. He wasn't even sure if he should. She took this for the invitation it was, and continued. "Do you want to maybe… do this another day, instead?"

He raised an eyebrow. "A little fog is making you want to turn around?" He asked, somewhat incredulous.

Lyra laughed, but it was still stilted and awkward. "It's not the fog," she said, quietly. "I just— I'd rather battle you today, after all."

For a moment, Silver stayed silent. The only sounds between them were his Crobat's wings, beating rhythmically next to Lyra's side. Even his Pokemon worried about her too much. He wasn't even surprised.

Lyra wasn't the type of person to avoid things, usually. The fact that she'd changed her mind so suddenly — and wasn't telling him why, either — had Silver feeling a bit uneasy. He almost wanted to decline her request, on the simple basis that he wanted to get to the bottom of things.

But, well. He hadn't been looking forward to meeting Leon, either. Silver felt himself scowl at the thought of it. He'd never been above taking an excuse to get out of something, anyway.

"Sure," he said, shrugging. "Let's head back then."

When she smiled, it was still a little wobbly.

v. overcast

"You know," Lyra said, sighing loudly, "isn't Alola supposed to be sunny?"

Silver snorted. They really had the worst luck, it seemed. What were supposed to be clear blue skies were covered with dark, gray clouds as far as the eye could see.

After their brief foray into Galar, they'd decided to check out Alola before fully returning back to Johto. He didn't say it to Lyra, but he suspected she figured it out anyway. After two and a half years of traveling abroad, he wasn't even sure if he was ready to go back. That didn't mean he could keep putting it off any longer, though.

So she'd suggested Alola. It was a tropical region, full of diverse wildlife and Pokemon. They had a lot of connection to the land and their own myths, and the place had been flourishing ever since they held their first Pokemon League match a year or so ago.

That Champion had stepped down quickly; Silver didn't even remember who it was. All he remembered was the short magazine article that said that they were working on rehabilitation after the fall of the Aether Foundation instead. Luckily, the region's Professor Kukui had been quick to take up the mantle again, waiting for someone else to come along. From the Trainers he and Lyra had battled since their arrival, he didn't doubt someone would give the professor a run for his money soon.

There was also the Battle Tree, which was frequently hosting former Champions and other notable Trainers. Lyra had been keen to enter the double battle tournament, something Silver absolutely couldn't say no to.

They'd done pretty well, all things considered. Winning their first bracket felt fantastic, and while they were battling together, he couldn't help but compare it to a double battle that had taken place many, many years ago, where he used to train.

Back then, while they'd still won, they weren't in sync at all. Lyra tried her best to match his rhythm and his moves, but Silver was too unpredictable back then. Too quick to anger and too eager to prove himself. When they fought together now, they barely had to speak a word to each other. They moved together no matter what the situation.

His Pokemon were stronger now, too. All that training over the last few years hadn't been for nothing, but they knew each other better as well. He could more easily read his Pokemon's moods, and sometimes let them take the reigns in a battle if needed. With this change meant they had become extremely open to him, and he had finally begun to understand what he lacked when he and Lyra started their journey.

While he and Lyra didn't win their next bracket, losing only in the finals to a tag team of Diantha and Wallace, Silver had known it was his fault. He was too distracted, and his head wasn't in it by the time they'd made it that far.

Lyra had noticed, but hadn't commented on it. He wondered if she was waiting for him to go to her first.

"I guess we shouldn't bother going sightseeing today, then," Lyra said, clearly pouting. Silver just rolled his eyes.

Their original plans had been to go touring through Ula'ula. Silver wasn't much of a sightseer himself, but it was something he'd discovered Lyra loved. Everywhere they went, she was sure to snap as many pictures as possible — of him, of the two of them, of all of their Pokemon and any wild ones, the scenery… She always said she was doing it for the memories, but it took Silver a tad too long to understand her.

For so long, there had been no memories he cared about keeping. His father was pathetic, the entirety of Team Rocket was full of losers who not only lost the empire to one kid, but then proceeded to lose it to another, just two short years later. Even after he'd ditched his home, if one could even call it that, what was there to keep around?

Living on the streets, trying to make it for yourself without a Pokemon to your name was hard. Silver had learned how to steal as a child, but it wasn't something he had ever imagined would keep him alive for so long.

Now, though, things were different. While they started off poorly, his team of Pokemon had grown to truly love him. Silver was grateful for the second chance, and he only hoped he properly showed that to them. And even though he might not be close to many people still, He had Lyra. Lyra was different. She'd always been different.

He knew, now, what it was he felt for her. Maybe he had been stupid. He also knew that Lyra felt the same for him — had likely felt the same for him for too many years. Why was a different story entirely.

When they'd first met, he'd been awful to her. He'd pushed her around, yelled at her every chance he got, demeaned her despite always being on the losing side. Frankly, he still hated most of everyone he came across. He had since learned how to keep his mouth shut, but Lyra was among the few people he actually looked forward to speaking to.

But even back then, Silver was starting to realize, Lyra had cared about him. She'd always been able to see past whatever mask he threw on. Her boundless optimism slowly but surely tore his walls down, brick by brick, until there was nothing left but to face her.

Still, he was a coward. He knew what he felt, and he knew Lyra knew what he felt, but he could not bring himself to act on it. Lying would be easy, saying he was scared of ruining the only good thing in his life would make sense to almost everyone, but that wasn't the whole of it.

The other part was that he was selfish. This game of will they won't they had kept Lyra's attention focused on him for years, and Silver didn't know if accepting things outwardly would change that. Would she no longer feel the need to spend most of her time with him, once they were in a relationship? Would she no longer want to battle him, encourage him to surpass her, because that would complicate things?

Silver couldn't stand the thought. So instead of acting, he kept himself quiet.

But of course, this was Lyra. When he didn't say anything to her complaints about the weather, she didn't just give up.

"Hey, Silver," she asked, and he blinked up at her. When she had moved off the bed they'd been sitting on to stand in front of him, he wasn't sure. "I have a question for you."

That was never a good start to just about anything. "What?" Silver asked, already feeling a headache coming on.

Lyra smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Do you like me?" Her words came out in a rush, almost tripping over themselves. Silver could only stare.

"What do you want me to say to that?" It was a poor attempt to deflect. Silver forced himself to swallow, trying hard not to avert his gaze. If she was going to be strong, he should at least give her the decency of meeting her halfway.

"Well, the truth, hopefully," Lyra replied.

Such a simple thing to request: the truth. It was something Silver had been quite terrible at providing her. He could change that now, he realized. She was giving him an opening to do exactly that — to be honest with her and see where that took them.

How terrifying. Silver blinked again, slowly. "The truth," he echoed dumbly.

She nodded. "The truth, please. Because I like you quite a lot, I'm sure you know," she said, almost forcefully nonchalant about the whole thing. "I've liked you for a really long time. For a while there, I wasn't sure if you felt the same, but I think you do? And I'd like to know if I'm right, please. Because I'm tired."

As always, she was brutally honest with him. She never pulled her punches when it came to their conversations, and it was something Silver had always appreciated in the past. Right then, though, he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

Being tired was probably not a good thing when it came to these matters. Had he let the charade go on too long?

Lyra must have seen his panic, because she crouched down until she was smaller than he was, still perched on the bed. She looked at him like he was a Pidgey about to fly the coop. He certainly felt like one.

"I'm not tired of you, silly," Lyra told him. "I'm tired of waiting. I didn't want to push you if you weren't ready for things, because that wouldn't be fair, you know? But you're still here after a few regions of travel and I'm still here and there's no one else I feel this comfortable around! You're always there for me and you don't treat me like I'm some idol you have always just treated me like me even after I became Champion and never stopped treating me that way and I think I've been in love with you since the Dragon's Den that first time we battled together and—"

Silver clamped both his hands over her mouth, effectively shutting her up. Muffled protests came from her, but Silver did not budge.

Love. She'd used the word love. Lyra probably hadn't even realized it, Silver thought. Her tendency to blather had not gotten much better with time, though it was always worse when it was out of anxiety. Starting the conversation with the word like had been a kindness she was offering him — it had been an out, if he wanted it. To tell her no. Always putting others before herself.

He took a deep breath. "You love me," he said, wanting her to confirm. Lyra nodded. More muffled noises came, but he still refused to move his hands. A nod was good enough. "You're so damn noisy."

Another deep breath. Being honest was not what he wanted to do. He hadn't planned for this at all — he had not wanted things to happen this way. Really, Silver wasn't sure if he'd wanted them to happen at all. What a coward he was.

"There's no going back from this," Silver warned.

Lyra's hands were on his arms now, in an attempt to pry him off. This time, he let her go, wanting to give her an out. She deserved that much at least.

Lyra crossed her arms, glaring at him, but it held no malice. "I don't want to go back from this, stupid! I just told you I'm in love with you, you could at least tell me something!"

Silver couldn't really argue with that. He grinned at her. "I should, huh?" Teasing her came so naturally, after all this time. He couldn't help it. When she opened her mouth to say something, he cut her off. "Yeah, I guess I should. You already know how I feel, though."

"I'd still like to hear it," Lyra said.

"I love you," Silver told her, matter of fact. No point in extra words, or beating around the bush. "But I'm selfish, and—"

Without letting him finish, Lyra leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his own. In the back of his mind, Silver realized she tasted like strawberries. Both of their lips were terribly chapped, the angle was awkward as he was still sitting on the edge of the bed. Even still, it was perfect.

From the clouds overhead, a light drizzle started, hitting the window.

epilogue - thunderstorm

Huddling in a cave in Mount Silver was not his idea of a good date, but what could he do. Lyra didn't seem to mind at all, leaning against her Arcanine and soaking in the warmth from its body. He, on the other hand, missed the warmth of their bed. He'd barely wanted to get up at all that morning, but Lyra had insisted. Getting to Mount Silver from Olivine, where their apartment was, took quite a bit of time.

But Lyra had insisted, and Silver was forced to relent.

"That doesn't look like it's letting up any time soon," Silver said, sighing. A flash of lightning punctuated his point, followed quickly by thunder.

Lyra wasn't bothered. "Oh well," she said. She patted the space on the ground next to her. "Guess we're stuck here for a while then!"

There was something about the tone she used that made Silver narrow his eyes in suspicion. She was always the one dictating what they were doing on their dates, and he was always following along. Unorganized as she was, she was fairly meticulous about checking the weather on her PokeGear. There was no way she would have—

"You planned this," Silver deadpanned. Lyra smiled cheekily. "Couldn't we have just stayed home? At least we have a bed there. And blankets." He got up early just to be trapped in a cave. Of course.

She laughed outright. "I have no cell service here," she said, an admission of guilt. "No one can bother us!"

He slumped down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. It was hard to stay aggravated when she smiled at him like that.

"You're buying takeout on the way back," Silver said. Resting her head on his shoulder, she nodded.

They spent a long time listening to the storm.