A/n I don't own Pokemon . . . or Pride and Prejudice. ;)

Coffee shops are interesting places. There was a puny building that served as one in Cherrygrove, a place where Lyra would meet Ethan every Saturday to chat. Talking with Ethan usually put the champion in a good mood. Today, however, her mood was too low to be elevated by her childhood friend.

She walked into the warm structure soaking wet and mad. She'd been challenged by just about twenty young trainers on the way here from Goldenrod, and despite her insistence that kids shouldn't battle in the rain, and kids shouldn't challenge champions unless they want to lose, the challenges were held. And she had to accept. Trainer rules, after all. After making eighteen kids in a row cry about their poor little rattata and how mean she was for-horror of all horrors!-winning, she was in low spirits. To finish all that off, she'd been the recipient of scoldings from various parents who thought she was too harsh on their little angels, and that kept her out in the rain longer.

Hypothermia, here she comes!

Casting an icy glare across the room, her gaze finally rested on a small table with a much too cheerful Ethan sitting there. He was sipping was must have been a very hot beverage, and she instantly felt envy towards the warm looking boy. She went over to the table and sat down.

"Oh, hi Lyra! You look wet," he said smirking.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not in the mood, Ethan. Of course I'm wet! It's raining an ocean's worth out there!"

He laughed, making her madder. "I'm serious, Ethan. Stop it."

Stopping, he feigned a scared look. "Oh no, I've upset the champion! Whatever shall I do?"

Before Lyra had a chance to snap a reply, Ethan pushed a cup over to her. "Hot chocolate. Your favorite." He grinned. Making no answer, she snatched the cup and wrapped her hands eagerly around it.

A thick silence fell over the two, broken only by the sound of Lyra's shivering body hitting the table. It was slightly awkward . . . Lyra usually listened to Ethan's unending chatter, but today, that was not the case. He looked suddenly . . . nervous. Not at ease in the slightest. He was staring at his warm cup in anxiety. It seemed to come over him in an instant. One moment he'd been perfectly normal, the next . . . this. Lyra wanted to speak, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Not while her best friend was acting so oddly.

They both felt it; that tension that was so overwhelmingly there. He looked like he wanted to say something-anything!-but the urge seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come, thanks to the entrance of another.

Both pairs of eyes flew to the direction of an opening door. The little building was not accustomed to getting visitors, and before the other person had come in, the friends had been the only ones there, other than the woman standing at the counter.

Lyra looked somewhat pleased when the young man walked in; Ethan, not so much. He scowled as he walked over.

"Hello Lyra. Ethan," he murmured.

The girl grinned. "Silver! It's so nice to see you! Why don't you pull up a chair?"

Ethan noticed in annoyance that he had done so before being invited.

"So, how have you been?" The raven-haired boy glared at the red-head in jealousy. For some reason, Lyra seemed so much more open when he was around. A slight wave of panic rushed through him. What if the two were-gulp-more than friends?

Ethan knew there had been a time when they were rivals, enemies even. But they'd put that behind them, and become quite close. Too close, from the other boy's point of view. After all, if his best friend and . . . well, some guy, started dating, where would that put him? Goodbye Saturdays with Lyra. Hello Saturdays spent alone.

"I've been better. The weather's being a pain," Silver complained.

Lyra nodded in agreement. "No kidding. It isn't just the weather though," she huffed. "I swear I was stopped by eighteen new trainers who just 'had' to battle me. Guess what! They lost."

Silver laughed dryly. Ethan began drowning in his thoughts. Yes, how had he not noticed this before? His sister was always watching those nineteenth-century dramas, and she would always gush about how so-and-so liked what's-her-name, and apparently there were 'signs' or something that signified an attraction. He closed his eyes and tried to remember even a sliver of what those movies had been about. Some about some guy who was really rude to this girl at first . . . they both didn't like each other . . . then something happened and they ended up getting married.

He paled in fear. What if Silver and Lyra were to follow those 'steps'?

"Bummer. What were they even doing outside?"

"No clue."

To Ethan's embarrassment, he saw that both other trainers were staring at him. "You're . . . awfully quiet today, Ethan," Lyra noticed.

"Hm?" He blushed. "Oh, well, just thinking, you know?" The girl gave him a confused glance and said no more.

"Hey Lyra, can I tell you something?" Silver asked softly. His voice had some sort of tender quality that Ethan wasn't used to hearing.

Wait a second. This was bad. He was going to tell Lyra that he loved her, and she was going to gush about loving him back, and they'd live happily ever after and Ethan would be out of the equation.

Oh no he didn't.

"Lyra, wait! Don't listen! I-I have to tell you something first! Please, just hear me out."

That won him two perplexed stares. He continued to utter his deepest emotions despite his nervousness. "Lyra, I know that Silver and you, well . . . you know." They turned to look at each other, then back to Ethan. "But I have to say this before I explode or something."

He took a deep breath. "I love you. I've loved you since we were, like, twelve. I know Silver is probably going to say the same thing, and you're probably going to feel the same way to him, I just-" He sighed. "-had to speak my mind."

He waited for a reaction beyond the shock that had passed over both of the others. Silver was the first to recover. "That was a nice little sappy moment you had there, Ethan, but I'm afraid you've messed something up."

The boy looked down in sadness, knowing what Silver was going to say.

"I've already got a girlfriend, and she sure as anything isn't Lyra." Ethan snapped to attention.

"W-what? Really?" The red head let out a course laugh.

"Yeah really. What did you think I was going to say?"

Ethan reddened. "I-I thought you were going to admit your love for her."

Now, Lyra came to her senses. "W-what? Me and . . . Silver?" She turned from one boy to the other. "Of course not, Ethan!"

"I was going to tell her I wasn't going to make it to our double-battle tournament that she'd asked me to enter with her."

The other boy looked down to hide his beet-red face. Silver smirked. "Y'know, I think I'm gonna go now . . . and leave you two to yourselves." With that, he left.

Ethan finally brought himself to meet Lyra's gaze. She was smiling. "Ethan . . . that was sweet."

"You think so?"

"Yeah I do." She paused, then taking his hand, she added, "And I feel the same way."

He thought he was going to collapse. "I-I-I . . . really? You mean it, seriously?"

"Yes, yes, and yes." She laughed at Ethan's shocked expression. "And I have an idea. Maybe Azumarill would like to participate in the double-battle tournament? With his trainer, of course," she finished, winking.

"Well . . . Yeah! It's not like I'd rather do anything else," he said sheepishly.

She leaned over the table, bringing herself quite close to Ethan. "I'm glad to hear it."

Coffee shops are interesting places. There was a puny building that served as one in Cherrygrove, a place where Lyra would meet Ethan every Saturday to just be with him. Even when she was in a less-than-enjoyable mood, he still managed to bring out the best in her.

Because they were still best friends, but they were more than that too.

A/n Heartsoulshipping needs some love, definitely. And who is Silver dating? Well . . . I'll let you decide. In my mind, though . . . It's Leaf. ;)

Finessefully,

X