DJG: "Okay, people! I got the idea for this from, yup, you guessed it, Waking Up In Vegas by Katy Perry. I was oh so casually playing Soul Silver and listening to my MP3 player at the same time (oh, like you've never done it before!) and at a scene with your rival, Waking Up In Vegas started playing, and I thought, "Hmm…I could go for some bacon right now." So, I abandoned both my MP3 and my DS and fried up some bacon and had a delicious BLT. And then, as I was throwing away my paper plate, I thought, "Hmm, I should write something about Lyra and Silver going to a bar. What chaos would ensue?" And thus, this story came to be."

Muse: *snore*

DJG: *looks back at the author's note* "Oh, COME ON! It's not that big!" *looks again* "…is it?"

"You want me to what?"

"Aw, come on, Lyra! It'll be fun! You never do anything for your birthday, and this one is actually important!"

"Ethan, no. I'm turning eighteen, not twenty-one. My mom would murder me if she knew I was in a casino!"

"That's why she won't find out! C'mon! Your mom's never been to Hoenn! She won't know the legal drinking age there is eighteen unless you tell her!"

"B-but-"

"No buts, Lyra! You don't even have to drink! Let's just go out to the Mauville Game Corner for a few hours, listen to music, chill…"

"…fine. But I swear, if I see anyone there I know, I reserve the right to leave and lock myself in my room for the rest of forever, maybe longer."

"Sweet! Oh w-wait, not about the…you know, forever thing…But seriously, this is great! You never do anything fun anymore! I'll see you in Mauville at seven tomorrow night. Don't be late!"

I was so doomed.

I showed up at six forty-five, unfortunately for me. I told Skarmory to fly as slow as possible, but we still managed to be early.

~My life sucks.~

Only after I had agreed to show up did I realize that since we were celebrating my birthday a day early…tonight was New Years. And I was going to a casino/bar/club…thing. Hell, I'd never been inside it before! I had literally no clue what to expect, or even what to wear for that matter. So, I'd just kept it simple. I took my hair down and left my hat at home, and felt strangely short without it. I'd also swapped my usual outfit for a small sky blue dress that went just above my knees. And I

~against my better judgment~

wore matching blue high heels that made up for my lack of a hat. They also made my feet look like caged animals. Did they seriously need that many straps? Where did I even buy these? DID I even buy these? …I seriously needed to quit ranting. Anyway, to say I was uncomfortable was a massive understatement. It was freezing outside, and the wind was picking up, making me shiver. I also kept Skarmory out, hoping his size and aggressive nature would keep any creeps away. Like I said, I'd never been in a bar before! I was going on what I knew from my mother!

~I hate having my birthday a day after New Years.~

It had never really made much a difference before, but I guess having your friends

~set you up~

take you out to clubs when you didn't want to was kind of in their job description. Suddenly, a large bird Pokemon descended from the night sky, and landed literally two feet from me. Well, crash landed was more like it. Ethan poked his head up out of a bundle of blue feathers, and huffed as they fell out of his hair. "So much for a flashy entrance, eh, Swellow?" he asked sheepishly, crawling to his feet. The majestic looking bird Pokemon snorted at him, and started prooning its feathers.

Ethan recalled his Pokemon and looked up at the sky. "I guess we should go inside, huh Lyra? The weather's getting bad." I shivered and managed to glare at him.

~No shit, Sherlock. Maybe you should apply for a job as a weatherman, I'm sure you could use your mad observation skills for much more beneficial things than pointing out the obvious to me.~

Right as he said that, harsh rain began to pour down. "Gah! C'mon, Lyra!" he yelped, grabbing my hand and dragging me through the doors. My nostrils were instantly raped by the smell of booze, sweat, and cigarette smoke. As soon as we were inside, a beefy security guard came up to us. "'Scuse me. You got yo' I.D?" he asked Ethan. "Sure. Here ya go." he said, handing the man his trainer's license. The man looked at it and grunted, waving us through.

"Uh…Ethan? I'm not legal yet." I felt the need to remind him.

"Yeah. I know." he said cheerfully.

"You do realize I could have been thrown out into the rain?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Lyra. That could have been a possibility." Ethan said, that cocky smile not leaving his face.

I was just about to come up with a witty reply, when I noticed the bouncer check a few people who were leaving for I.D. "…..What the-!" Was pretty much all I could think of.

"Ethan! I won't turn eighteen until tomorrow! And I don't think I'm gonna be lucky enough to get by without being checked again!" I began to enter freak-out mode. "That means we're gonna be stuck here all night! My mom's gonna kill me if I don't show up tomorrow! Oh no, my reputation is gonna be trashed! I'll never be the same again! People won't look up to me anymore! They might even take away my title! Do you know how long it took to remember to write 'Champion Lyra' instead of just plain Lyra? I'm gonna have to relearn it all ov…!"

I had just realized that Ethan had walked away. In the middle of my rant. MY rant. My night just got a hell of a lot worse. Muttering about how unfair it was that I couldn't murder my best friend, I stomped over to a counter for the games and bought 50 coins. Apparently, everything here is paid for in coins, including food and booze.

"Screw this." I grumbled, heading for the exit. Maybe if I asked politely, when the bouncer threw me out he could try to make me land on my face so no one would recognize me. I was just about ready to approach him, when suddenly, I found an arm around my shoulders. "Aw…you ain't le…leaving yet, are…are ya?" The source of the arm was a drunken teenager in a green hoodie with short black hair and dull blue eyes.

"Yes. I am. Because I, unlike you, have better things to do than get pisspoor drunk on a holiday just because I can't think of anything better to do with my life! Now, if you'll excuse me…" I snapped, totally not in the mood for this crap. I didn't want to come here in the first place, and now I had random drunks thinking I was their girlfriend. Good to know I spent months training Pokemon to be thought of as just another whore.

"Hey. Hey…you're kinda…you're pretty fun-ny. Funny girl. Hey…that sounds weird…I-it sounds funny…ya…ya know…like, you're kinda funny." the guy laughed, but didn't move his arm. I made a face.

~Just how drunk is this guy?~

"Hey, guys! Come…c'mon over here…this chick…this girl funny." Oh great. He has friends. Two other people came over, a guy and a girl, the other guy just as drunk as the first. "…Funny?" the second guy asked skeptically. He had a grey vest on over a purple T shirt and was wearing a gold necklace. The girl just stood there and didn't say anything.

"Y-yeah, man. You need to check this shit owt, man, cuz…uh…this girl be funny! Hey, uh…what's yo name, 'gain? Whatev's, dude…say somethin' funny, kay?" I stared at him. I mean, come on. What was I supposed to say? "Uh…"

"Man, you lie! This chick ain't funny. You just waaay too drunk, dude. You'd think a hooker was funny right now!" Purple Shirt said irritably. Girl rolled her eyes at the two guys. "H-hey. I'm not…I ain't drunk…I'm shipty…I mean tipshy!" Green Hoodie snapped back.

"Hokay. Glad I could help settle this, I'm just gonna go-" I started, but Purple Shirt interrupted me.

"Go? Naw, you don't hafta go jus' cuz you ain't funny. Stay…have a drink or two. Quit bein' so edgy!" As he said this, he slid his drink towards me.

"Uh…no thanks. My friend's probably looking for me." I said quickly. Of course, I'm sure the exact opposite was true, but these guys didn't need to know that, did they?

"Yo friend could come ova' here too, y'know. All the ladies in the club here is welcome at ow' table." Purple Shirt said, gesturing to Green Hoodie and himself. The whole tough-guy look was thrown off by Green Hoodie hiccuping, and then giggling girlishly. Purple Shirt sighed and rolled his eyes. "Maybe you right. It might be time to blow this burg. How 'bout you come ova' to my hotel room? I'm top floor, baby. Hmm? Ya know you can't resist that!"

Actually, I could. Quite easily, in fact. "No thanks. I need to find my friend and get home. I really shouldn't-" As I stood up, his hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to sit. It was then I realized Purple Shirt was a really good faker. No one as drunk as he had been could have moved that fast. "Stay." he said in a low, dangerous voice, his calm demeanor falling away. It was then I started internally freaking out.

"Now, you listen to me. We're gonna walk outta here, nice and easy, and you ain't gonna do anything you might regret later, ri-?" His threat was cut off by a tap on the shoulder.

"Hey. Hey buddy. She said she didn't want to. Now back off." a quiet, yet commanding voice said. Purple Shirt whirled around angrily, and I glanced up into the face of my savior. And blinked.

~Oh, no fuckin' way.~

"S-Silver? H-hey, my man, h-how you been?" Purple Shirt asked nervously, all hostile signs falling away. Silver looked the same he always used to, except his hair was longer than it was the last time I'd seen him, and he was taller. There were also noticeable changes in his facial structure. He'd lost any baby fat he might have had, and his eyes weren't so…angry, like they used to be.

"Damian…we've had this conversation before…" he said, not taking his eyes off of Purple Shirt-er…Damian. "…and it looks like you didn't learn anything about knowing when to back off."

"Sh-shit, bro, I'm sorry…if she's yo' ho, take her! I din' know, a'ight?" Damian looked quiet nervous to have Silver's glare directed at him. In my opinion, he should have been more worried about my glare. No one calls me that and gets away with it!

"Get out." Silver spat, looking disgusted.

"Wha-?" Damian asked.

"Get out. You've had your chance. Multiple times, in fact. You blew it. Now leave."

Green Hoodie had decided to get involved.

"Hey, you can't-"

He wisely decided to be silent as Silver's Typlosion growled viciously from behind him, even Silver looking a little surprised at the normally lazy Pokemon's behavior.

Just then, the bouncer from before came up, towering over all of them. "Hey…is there a problem over here?" The tone of his voice suggested that there had better not be a problem. I cowered internally.

"No, sir! In fact, me an' my homies was jus' leavin'." Damian strolled towards the exit, Green Hoodie and Girl following behind him. Right as they were about to leave, he turned and shot Silver a glare. "This ain't over, Silver. Not by a long shot." And with that ominous message hanging in the air, they were gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I was a little surprised when Silver did, too. "I need a drink." he muttered, and walked away before I could say anything, his Typlosion yawning and returning to its Pokeball. "Hey!" I yelped indignantly, realizing I was being left behind for the second time that night! And it wasn't even nine-thirty! I mean, I know he doesn't really like me, but can't he even acknowledge my existence a bit? Is that too much to ask?

By the time I caught up to him, he was already at the bar, a drink in his hand. I sat down next to him and waited for him to feel me glaring at him. After he set down his shot glass, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. "…can I help you?"

"Why did you do that?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I just couldn't believe Silver of all people, helping me! Normally, he wouldn't have even considered it! What brought about the change? Even if it was Silver, it was a very kind thing to do.

"What, you wanted him all over you like that? Fine, go chase after him. Not my problem." he said, turning around on the bar stool so he could rest his arms on the bar.

"No! I mean…that was, a bit out of character for you, wasn't it?" I asked, ignoring the free drink the bartender had brought me.

"Well, if you're expecting me to apologize, you're…wait, what did you just say?" he asked, twirling to stool around to face me.

It was then that I realized he didn't even know who I was.

All thoughts of him being kind and maybe changing for the better flew out the window.

"You seriously don't recognize me?" I demanded, glaring at him. He stopped moving the bar stool and froze, turning to look at me slowly.

"…Lyra?"

I nodded the affirmative.

He slowly turned back to face the bar. "…well, fuck!" he swore, downing his shot in one gulp. He slammed the glass back down with more force than what was necessary. "Scotch," he called to the bartender, "And make it a double!"

"Silver! What is wrong with you!" I yelled at him. He never drank before! I had convinced myself that this had nothing to do with him being underage in all regions.

"Oh, shut it…tonight, I need it." he said, twirling the stool again. I stuck my foot out, blocking him from moving it anymore. It was getting really annoying.

"You sound like a drug addict! You do NOT need it!" I scolded him, pushing my own untouched drink out of his reach as he made a move to grab it.

He huffed.

"Oh, yeah? Well, what do you know, anyway?" he snapped at me, but made a noise of happiness as the bartender set down his drink and walked away. We both lunged for it at the same time, but his reflexes were slower than mine, probably from that other shot he had earlier. And who knew just how many drinks he had before I had even shown up?

He stared at the alcohol in my hands and smirked. "All right, you got it. Now…what are you going to do with it?" He seemed so smug that he had me at a loss, and I wanted to wipe that grin off his face so bad, that I did the first thing I could think of.

I downed it in one shot.

And immediately wished I hadn't. I coughed loudly, choking on the burning liquid. Silver stared at me with a look of disbelief as I slowly calmed myself down, setting down the glass. "Man! How can you drink that stuff? Tastes like cat pee!" I declared, already feeling a bit…detached from my very first drink.

"I'm sure you would know." he scoffed, looking more than a little put out that he was now shotless.

"Aw, don't be sad, Emo Kid! Hey, bartender! Two more over here!" I called, banging my glass on the counter. I giggled in a most un-Lyra…y way at Silver's expression at the Emo Kid comment.

"I'm not emo!" he grumbled, but brightened up as the booze arrived. I did too. Now I wondered why I'd ever thought beer was bad, when beer was most definitely good. Just not for Silver, because it made him a prick. Well, a bigger prick than normal.

"Ooh! By the way, Silver, what's a drinking game?" I asked, turning to him as he sipped his drink. I had heard of them before, but had never really known what they were.

"Wow, you really don't get out much, do you? A drinking game is where you take a shot at a certain time. Like, if we played 'I Have Never…', if I said I'd done something you hadn't done, I'd have to take a shot." he said. I chose to ignore his first comment.

"Cool, than let's do that! Okay…I have never…Hmm…Ooh! I've never won at Voltorb Flip!" I said, feeling immensely proud of myself for coming up with that one. Silver couldn't have beaten it, because that game was friggin' impossible. And if I kept coming up with ones neither of us had done, Silver wouldn't drink anymore! Well, at least until he got bored and quit, but I'd cross that road when I got to it.

Silver set down his glass. "Another one over here."

I could have cried.

"Are you shittin' me?" I yelped. How on Earth had Silver beaten the most impossible of all impossible games? How, I ask? HOW?

"Geez, Lyra." he said, taking his shot. "You really get a potty mouth when you're drunk." He turned the bar stool back to face the counter. It was then that I noticed a sign of how he actually cared about his Pokemon now. I don't think even he noticed it, but when he wasn't speaking, his fingers ran over each of the six Pokeballs attached to his belt, as if ready to call one out if needed.

~those aren't the only balls he's got by his belt~

I immediately did an impressive spit take, my face turning bright crimson. Wow…I also had a potty mind when I was drunk, too! For some reason, that fascinating me more than it ought to.

We played 'I Have Never…' for the next hour. The object of the game

~for me, anyway~

had slowly changed from 'Keep Silver Sober' to 'beat the bitch at his own game and get him absolutely shitfaced drunk'. I obviously had my priorities straight. Speaking of Silver, his voice broke me out of lala land.

"-yra? I…I th-think we've…we've…" He sighed. "We're done." I would have loved to have gotten up and protested leaving so soon, but as it was I couldn't really make my mouth work right.

"B…b-but…w-we're…not done?" I asked pathetically, holding onto the bar to keep the room from spinning.

"Y-yeah. We're…we're done. But, jus' for fun, les' do one more quets…quess shun. I…I have…never b-been drunker…than I am…r-right now!" He seemed extremely pleased by this fact.

"Then…les' go one more!" I cheered, handing him one last drink. He took it with shaky hands, smirking at me. "Shure…whas' one more…gonna do thet…" He slowly tried to figure out how much we'd actually had. " Hell, I dunno…forty others haven't?" he asked, downing it in a quick swallow.

Funny…that's what I was thinking, too.

DJG: "Just so people are aware, this isn't done yet. I'll try to get another chapter posted soon, but I'm going on vacation this Sunday, and won't be back 'til Friday, and I highly doubt I'll get a chapter done before I go."

Muse: "Cuz you're a SLACKER!"

DJG: "I know, it's true! *sobs*"

Muse: "Reviews are the Johnny to my Depp!"