Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Author's Notes: This is a sequel to my other story Days in Ecruteak. I'm not saying that you have to read the first one first, but this may make a little more sense if you do! Also, this story is in multiple chapters instead of just one big looooooong one-shot. I thought I'd spare the readers of this at least that much.

Summary: Lyra and Silver's new relationship together has been difficult, but they've made it work. But will they be able to make it through their newest two challenges... and still make it out as a couple, or as nothing but jilted lovers and renewed rivals again?

Pairing(s): Lyra/Silver, Lyra/Ethan, OC/Silver/Lyra/Ethan (love square!) *cue insane cackle*

Chapter 1 - The First Few Steps Downwards

"Oh, where is she?" Ethan complained to himself, checking his watch. The S.S. Tidal had been scheduled to land in Lilycove City at 5:00 P.M., and it was now 6:30, and it was not like he was just going to leave her and go off! "Okay, let's backtrack here… she got on the S.S. Anne in Olivine, which went to Vermilion City and docked two days ago, and then she got on the S.S. Tidal and… she should be here by now!" he threw his hands up into the air, exasperated. Looks like he was going to have to spend another night here and just wait.

He stopped pacing the docking station, sighed, and shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling at the little wrapped gift that he had gotten Lyra for her sixteenth birthday, before stomping off back to his hotel for the evening.

"Oh, Silver, look!" Lyra shouted at her boyfriend, jumping up and down and pointing to the little coastline that was Lilycove Beach. Her ruby necklace glittered as she did so. She had barely taken it off since that one fateful night in Ecruteak. "It's Lilycove! It's Lilycove!" She turned around, but he was nowhere to be found. "Silver?"

Suddenly, she felt two hands grip her shoulders gently from behind, and she looked up to see him. "Here I am," he said with a smile. He wrapped his arms around her. "Now what were calling me for?" He silently admired how gorgeous she looked in the red and pink evening light.

She turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck as he pressed her up again the S.S. Tidal's railings. "We're almost there," she smiled back at him.

"Good," he sighed heavily. "I'm sick and tired of being on boats. I've discovered that I have a serious intolerance for water."

She laughed, and he pulled her closer. "You look really cute right now, you know that?" she whispered after a second, and began playing with little strands of his red hair.

He blushed brightly. "Lyra, don't say stuff like that."

"Why, you embarrassed?" she smiled teasingly.

"We don't want the world to know that the Champion of Kanto and Johto is dating a reject like me, now do we?" he said, smiling sadly.

"Now you don't say stuff like that!" she swatted his arm. "Silver, that's not funny! Why would you even say something like that? I don't care if the world knows I'm dating you, in fact I want everyone to know I'm in a relationship sooner rather than later. And you are not a reject, so don't even think that about yourself," she lectured sternly. She was quite aware of how Silver thought of himself, and she had been helping him to change that ever since they had gotten together.

He sighed again. "Okay, dear," he mumbled sarcastically.

She cocked a suspicious eyebrow at him. "What was that now?" She crossed her arms accusingly.

"Nothing," he looked away.

"I have my ways to make you confess, you know," she said with a serious voice, though the hint of playfulness in it was clear.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, do you?"

She said nothing after that. Placing her arms around his neck again and tightening her hold on him, she forced his face to smash into hers in a heated kiss. He smiled against her face as he kissed her back. "Now that's the way the Lyra I know would do it." He then shut himself up by joining himself wholly in the kiss.

Ethan swung open the front door of the Golden Raichu Inn, grumbling to himself in the process. "Stupid boat… all late… and-" he was interrupted when a sharp, loud whistle was blown. He stared back in the direction where it was coming from - the docks. What he saw did not impress him. The S.S. Tidal, of which was now almost two hours late, was now finally coming to the dock - and just after he walked halfway across the city to go back to his hotel! Of all of his unlucky timing, now was probably the worst, considering he was exhausted, and now he had to go and run back.

And so, Ethan turned around, exhaled loudly, and began to jog back to that dreaded dock.

"Hello, everyone!" shouted Captain Briney over the loudspeaker. "We are now preparing to dock. I suggest you all get your things from your rooms and prepare, as well. That is all."

Lyra reluctantly pulled away from Silver. "What are you doing?" he muttered, annoyed that she had just stopped.

"We need to get our stuff, if you were listening," she explained. She walked down the long stretch to their room. "Silver, c'mon, we've gotta pack," she waggled a finger at him when he didn't come, "seriously, we have to go."

"Make me," he said with suggestive smile.

"Oh, this again?"

"Yes."

"Well, then I will," and she marched straight up to him and kissed him once again.

"That's better," he said after she was done, and the comment sent her blushing madly at him. "But I still think I need some more convincing to move."

"Fine then," she kissed him again, this time with more vigour.

"Still no-" he was cut off by an irritated Lyra.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me already," she balled his jacket up in her fists, and gently forced her lips upon his again in yet another kiss.

Ethan ran down the steps to the dock, where small bunches of people were waiting for their own relatives and friends. He pushed his way through the crowds, making sure that he was the very first person at the front of the dock. The boat was just pulling in, and he excitedly looked up to see if he could see Lyra at all. And there she was! He was ecstatic! He began to wave madly at her, trying to get her attention.

But she didn't move. He wondered why, and so sauntered a little more to the right to see if he could get a better look of what she was so immersed in. And then he saw it. She was kissing some familiar looking guy. He felt jealousy begin to burn deep within him. Who was this random dude? And why hadn't Lyra called and told him!

Whatever, it can't be too serious, I can still win her over, he told himself confidently, though he still couldn't help but feel a little torn up about it.

The S.S. Tidal slammed into the docking station, blew its huge horn three times, and then the path for the passengers to get off was thrown onto the wharf's wooden slats. Ethan stood off to the side, letting everyone exit the large ship, and reunite with their loved ones. He waited rather impatiently for his own friend, and finally he saw her unusually big red and white hat, and had to calm himself once again. It had just been so long since he had last seen her; she was his best friend!

Lyra grabbed Silver's hand and began to yank him down the ladder and off the boat. "Okay, okay, I'm coming," he said with a laugh. He hiked his bag further up on his shoulder and they both walked off together, hand-in-hand. Almost instantaneously, following an instinct, Lyra turned her head, and there was Ethan, standing their, looking off into the distance, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Ethan!" she shouted at the tops of her lungs, bolting down the ramp and to her best friend. Silver, caught off guard by this, almost fell over, but regained his balance. She ran right up to Ethan and locked him in a tight hug. "Oh my Gosh, I missed you so much!" She hugged him tighter, and then released him. "How have you been?"

His face was still burning up from the abrupt hug, and he managed, stuttering, "H-hi."

Once again, Lyra couldn't hold her excitement in. "It's just so good to see you!" And with that, she hugged him again.

"It's great to see you, too, Lyra," he hugged her back, smiling sheepishly.

He then saw an unfamiliar, but at the same time familiar, face, approaching both of them, a sullen look implanted on it. And then it hit him. "Lyra!" Ethan jumped out in front of her, swinging his arms out as if to protect her. "Watch out! It's that red-haired creep that stole Professor Elm's Totodile!"

Silver dropped his bag loudly onto the ground, crossing his arms. "Excuse me?"

"Y-you-" Ethan was cut off by Lyra. He actually went as far as to motion to his belt, where all six of his Pokeballs were all sitting, all the Pokemon ready for a battle.

"Ethan," she stepped out from behind him. "It's okay."

"Bu-but…" he trailed helplessly.

"Lyra, would you please explain to me who this… unwelcome… visitor is?" Silver narrowed his eyes at Ethan, who did it right back.

"Hey!" he tried to defend himself.

Lyra sighed and walked over to Silver and smiled between the both of them. "Ethan, this is Silver. Silver, this is Ethan."

Silver gave the scrawnier boy a condescending look up and down before turning away completely.

"Silver," Lyra nudged him in the ribcage.

"Fine," he gave her an annoyed look. "Hello, E-than."

"Hi," Ethan waved half-heartedly. He gave Lyra a look. "Ly, who is this guy, exactly? Why is he here?" He still hadn't managed to piece together the puzzle quite yet.

"Silver's my boyfriend, Ethan," Lyra explained. She didn't notice the flash of hurt on the young boy's face.

"Wh-what?" he blinked incredulously. "Him?" So that was who she was kissing on the boat, of all people!

Lyra couldn't help but think back to when she had to explain her feelings for Silver to Naoko. She had said the exact same thing!

"Yes, me," Silver looked offended. "Is there a problem with that?"

"I-I just…" Lyra gave Ethan a look that said 'what's up with you?' He figured he should just shut his mouth before he said something that he would really regret. "Uh, nothing."

"Okay, then, let's go," Lyra bent down to pick up her bag (of which Silver had dropped with his own), and began to hastily march off down the pier.

"Wait up," Silver grabbed her shoulder. "I still don't know who he is."

"Ethan? Well, he's my friend," Lyra smiled awkwardly at both of them. She had figured something like this was going to happen - she didn't tell either of them about the other. But she really didn't want to get into an in-depth explanation right then. She was tired and she just wanted to go to bed that night on solid ground. She'd explain it all in the morning!

Silver raised his eyebrows sceptically at her rushed answer. Were they just friends?

"Yeah, her best friend, since we were 3 years old," Ethan stated. He looked cocky as he said this.

Silver gave him a look, before picking up his own bag, and starting off down the dock, leaving Lyra and Ethan behind without saying a final parting word. Yeah, he was pissed. Of course he was. Lyra hadn't told him anything about this loser!

Lyra just sighed. She really hadn't thought this one out. She began to walk off in the direction her boyfriend had gone, with Ethan hollering out at her to slow down and wait up for him.

"Why didn't you just tell me!" Silver slammed the door to his and Lyra's room.

"It's not that big of a deal, Silver!" she fought back.

"How would you know?" he yelled in her face, though he tried to suppress his true underlying rage of the current situation.

"Silver, why do you care so much about it? I mean, it's not that bad," Lyra tried to reason with him. Though her inner self was agreeing with him. It wasn't fair that she hadn't told him earlier. Now she just had to get one more teeny little thing past him. "He's just going to be travelling with us a bit, that's all." She whispered this last part - seeing if maybe she could sneak it into the conversation without him noticing.

He turned around to face her, after brooding out the window a minute before. He was now seething. "What did you just say?"

"He's coming with us, Silver, to travel around Hoenn," Lyra explained. "You can't blame me on this one, Silv. What happened with us in Ecruteak… I didn't ever expect that to happen. I couldn't have planned ahead for any of this, so don't go off raving that this is all my fault!"

"But what prevented you from telling me about him when we were on the boat?" Silver questioned, calming down slightly.

"Why are you acting defensive all of a sudden?" she countered. "Normally you would have just gone off for a little while and vented… what's going on with you?"

They stared directly into each others' eyes, before Silver looked to ground and mumbled, "N-nothing."

"You can tell me, and you know that," she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"…" He was perfectly silent.

"Silver…"

"I know."

"Then what is it?"

"You wouldn't understand." She was once again reminded of her confession to Naoko.

"I think I may, if you tell me."

"…" Again the room was eerily quiet.

"Silver!"

"Okay! I… am I getting in the middle of something with you and Ethan? Because if I am… I can leave, if... if you want," he gave her a sad side-glance - he knew what it felt like to be left alone, to be second best. He was used to it, to say the least.

She didn't want to laugh at that, but she couldn't help but do it anyway. She knew he was vulnerable, but she just couldn't hold it in. He gave her a look of hurt. "And you find this funny?"

"Silver, we are just friends. We've never been more than that, and we never will. You're the one I like, not him," and with that, she leaned up and kissed him softly. "And there's some reassurance for you."

He smiled at her. "I believe you." But he still couldn't help but feel a little tugging at the bottom of his heart.

Chapter 1, done!

Author's Notes: Okay, so this is chapter 1 of… however many parts. I have decided to split this story up into chapters because that way it isn't an incredibly long, painful-to-read one-shot, more or less (more) like this one's predecessor was. So, hope you liked the first chapter! For once, the second one should actually be up soon.

'Til next time!

Fooboo24