A/N: Trying my hand at some Pokemon SoulSilver shipping! I've been replaying Soul Silver obsessively and coming up with stories for my Lyra (even though I didn't name her that and found out that Lyra/Silver was a thing.
May veer off into AU, my only contact with Pokemon in recent years has been the games. I basically gave her my team minus Lugia. Hopefully will be followed by more stories set earlier than this one, but the idea came and I rolled with it.
Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated. :)
He would have done it alone if he had the chance.
All of it. Defeated the Gym Leaders and Elite Four and Champion. Become the greatest Trainer in the world. Brought down Team Rocket.
He had done everything else alone after all. Grown up in Team Rocket hideouts, never knowing his mom, never seeing his father, occasionally checked up on by grunts assigned to keep him from dying or wandering off.
When Team Rocket was defeated by Red he was twelve and he was on his own. That suited him just fine.
At first he chased after his father, hoping, well he didn't know what he was hoping. For acceptance. For someone to care.
It didn't happen.
Alone, in a strange country, he did what he did best, hid and stole and bullied anyone who got in his way.
He heard whispers that Team Rocket was coming back when he was fifteen. He would stop them. For that he needed a Pokemon.
Not some weak crummy thing he caught in the bushes. He needed something rare and powerful and he knew where to get it.
He broke the window when the professor went upstairs for dinner and his assistant was stuffing his face. One Pokeball sat on the table, humph, that stupid girl with the dumb hat who had tried to bother him earlier must have gotten to them already.
He didn't care what it was, he took the Pokeball.
He never expected to see anyone from that pathetic town again, but marshmallow hat girl caught him.
She had a stupid little Chikorita.
He had a Cyndaquil. Type advantage. He almost smiled.
She thrashed him, her little grass thing chirping happily while she cheered him on.
"Worthless Pokemon," he mumbled as he stalked out of the city.
He caught more and every time he saw puffhead he challenged her to a battle. She kept winning.
He hated her. Her and her stupid little cute Pokemon she kept catching with their stupid nicknames.
He built a team that would be powerful. He didn't let them follow him around like so many trainers were doing now, what a stupid fad. He didn't nickname them, didn't play with them, nothing. They were tools. He was doing this alone.
Alone, he walked many lonely roads, devastating the teams of any trainers that got in his way.
But that stupid puffhead kept popping up. He was as mean as possible, but she kept coming back. She was the only trainer who could beat him and somehow she always got to Team Rocket first and she did it with a pithy saying and a grin.
He hated her.
"Get lost, I can do this alone," he snarled as she barreled into the hideout in Mahogany.
"Sure," she agreed. "But we're helping Lance."
And then there were all the times she preached at him. To be nicer to his Pokemon. Not to battle so hard. Typical weakling advice.
But something about her, she always won. And she was always cheering on her stupid weakling Pokemon. They were always spilling out all over the place, tripping her up, and she was clumsy enough without falling flat on her face over stupid Pokemon.
"Humph."
Why did he even bother to notice these details about her?
Once they battled side by side, against Lance and Clair.
"I could've done it alone."
Puffhead just laughed. "Sure, but we're better as a team," she stuck her hand out.
He shook it.
Just so she didn't start bawling or something. Puffhead was a real crybaby after all.
They came to a forgotten Team Rocket hive. He found it, Puffhead was close on his heels.
"I got here first. I can do this alone."
She chewed on her lip. Her giant Meganium, Hazard or something she called it, loomed over her.
"I don't know Silver. Let me come, as back up. Just in case. Please." She turned those big brown eyes on him. He huffed.
He huffed. "Fine. Whatever. I'm not going to need you though."
She skipped after him. "You should let Typhlosion out," she cajoled. "You know, let him walk with you."
"Be quiet Puffhead."
"I bet he'd be more friendly."
"Humph."
He blew past the grunts.
"I told you I could do it alone-"
"Silver."
His face paled and he looked up. Giovanni stood above them, Perisan sitting at his side.
"You."
He lunged forward and Typhlosion, sensing his mood roared.
"Giovanni," Puffhead said.
"You brought your girlfriend," Giovanni sneered. "Are you going to defeat me now Silver? Give it your best try."
"Typhlosion! Fire blast!"
Giovanni laughed.
The battle was brutal. But he won. Puffhead managed to restrain herself enough to stand back and watch, her Pokemon positioning themselves between her and the battle, refusing to join in when she tried to get them to.
By the time he had defeated Giovanni his Pokemon were barely standing. He felt shaky. He didn't know why. Giovanni had fallen back somewhere, Typhlosion had aimed his attacks at the trainer on Silver's orders.
The whole place was coming down on them, something exploded somewhere, burning rubble blocked their path out.
"Silver!" She grabbed his hand. "Typhlosion's Pokeball!"
Dazed he handed it over. She snatched it, called his Pokemon back, and stuffed it in her belt.
"Lobo! Wild Fire!" Her Vaporeon and Entei sprang forward. "Wild Fire, suck up all the heat you can, okay? Lobo, get ready to use Surf!"
"That's not even an attack," he mumbled.
"He's legen, wait for it, DARY. He can do ANYTHING."
She was insane. But he already knew that.
They ran. She didn't let go of his hand. Her Pokemon cleared the way, Entei even shouldering flaming pieces of wood out of their way.
They skidded outside into the cool night air and watched as the building collapsed.
"Good job guys," she said tiredly, patting first Entei, then Vaporeon. "Thanks."
They were still holding hands. He didn't want to let go.
"Lyra."
She started and turned to look at him, but she didn't seem surprised at the use of her name, more at his voice. He had never called her by it before. Not to her face. He had been hoping for more, but it was ridiculous to feel disappointed.
"Yeah?"
"That was my father." He would tell her that and she would leave. He would be alone again.
"I know."
"Oh."
"I don't know if he got out."
"I hope not." Good riddance if he was dead. She didn't answer. He would have to make her get it, she was an airhead and a Puffhead. "Aren't you going to leave now?"
"I don't think so."
"My father." Why didn't this girl get it?
"You're not him," she said.
"I'm not any better."
"Yes you are," she said firmly. "You are now. We're friends, right?"
He changed the subject to something that had been bothering him for a long time. Since they had first battled. She'd figure out she was supposed to go running any minute now and he wouldn't get another chance.
"Your Pokemon, they would do anything for you."
"Well. I guess so."
"Vaporeon!" Lobo barked and butted her hip. Wild Fire roared.
Agreeing with him, he thought.
"Why?" he pressed.
"I guess," she hesitated. "Let's walk, away from here," she gestured with her free hand.
He let her start pulling him along.
"Why?" he repeated.
She seemed to think about that and then took another four Pokeballs from her belt and tossed them. Meganium, Noctowl, Ampharos, and Dragonair joined them. She handed him Typhlosion's ball.
"Because I love them," she said simply.
He felt like someone had punched him in the gut and she must've noticed something in his face because she stepped closer.
"Silver?"
"You, them," he choked out. "You love them, Pokemon, more than, anyone has ever, me."
She guessed. "More than anyone has ever loved you."
He didn't answer her in words, just nodded and looked down so she wouldn't see the wetness in his eyes. He was not crying. Weaklings cried. Not him,
She surprised him and hugged him, throwing her arms around him. "But Silver! I love you too!"
He caught her.
"Lyra-"
"You didn't know that?" she asked, voice muffled against his jacket.
"Why would you?" he demanded.
"I just do," she said.
He looked at her in disbelief.
They found a tree and sat under it, her head on his shoulder. He didn't remember how they got there. He was still just trying to let that concept sink in. Waiting to wake up, because this had to be a dream.
"Lyra."
"Hmmm?" She was drifting off to sleep. Lobo had his head on her lap, her other Pokemon were watching him suspiciously.
"I couldn't have done it alone."
It didn't cost anything to admit that, like he had thought it would.
"You don't have to," she said sleepily. "You have me. And our Pokemon."
He hoped that was a promise.
"Hey," she said, almost wonderingly. "Hey. You said my name."