Waiting was something Kris was not good at. She never was a patient person, and she figured she never would be, either. As she waited outside Lyra's house, sitting on a lone bench for what seemed like hours now, she was beginning to grow especially angry. She promptly jumped up, grabbing a nearby rock, and chucked it at a window of the house before her.
The window flew open. A brunette girl popped her head out, her hair dripping wet. "I'm almost ready Kris, I promise!"
"No you're not! Your hair is still soaking wet!"
A cheesy smile appeared on Lyra's face. "Stop being so angry, it's un-ladylike of you."
"Lyra!" Kris nearly screamed but held her tounge, obviously trying, and failing, to appear less angry than she was. "Professor Elm's gonna kill us!"
"Yeah, yeah." Lyra smirked, quickly closing the window once again. "Be out in a sec."
She sighed, a slight smile growing on her face, despite her trying to push it back down. She took her seat back on the bench, gazing up to the sky. It was so incredibly clear and blue today, like it was congratulating her for her big day. She had finally turned 14 yesterday, the age most kids in New Bark Town start their Pokémon journeys. And since she was the baby of her group consisting of Lyra, a boy named Ethan, and herself, had finally reached that landmark, the local professor had invited them to his lab to personally give them each their starter Pokémon. The three would then leave home to start their journey. Kris felt butterfrees flutter in her stomach just thinking about it.
Kris and Lyra had been friends since they were babies, literally. They even adapted each other's pigtail hairstyle, and used to go around telling people they were twins. And they were so similar, people would actually believe them. But they were much younger then. As they aged, they remained friends, but grew up to be significantly different people. Kris was the more serious of the two, while Lyra remained very carefree. They offset each other perfectly.
And then there's Ethan. He moved to New Bark when he was four, and quickly made friends with the two girls. He was, and arguably still is, the source of their affection, but it was never really returned to either. He knew better than to come between a friendship, no matter whether he did like one of them or not. Neither of the girls were too surprised when he declined joining them on their journey together. He had grown too independent to travel in a group of three, anyways. Weather or not he would be successful for five minutes on that single journey was still up for debate.
The front door of the house opened, and Lyra finally appeared, carrying two pieces of bread in her hands. She handed one to her blue-haired friend as the two began walking to lab together. "My mom covered it in strawberry jam, just how she knows you love it."
Kris took a bite. "I think the thing I'll miss most while we're gone is not being able to come over and eat all of your mom's super cooking anymore." Spots of jam remained on Kris's face as she quickly finished the bread. She wiped them off sorrowfully. "What're you gonna miss?"
"I think…" Lyra placed a hand under her chin, deep in thought. "I think I'll just miss the lack of responsibilities best. But I can't wait to get a Pokémon. I could barely sleep the past couple of nights just thinking about it. It's too bad you weren't born two months ago."
Kris pouted her lips. "Yeah real shame."
Lyra giggled.
"But I know what you mean." Kris continued. "I've been too excited to do anything. I really want that cyndaquil!"
Lyra abruptly stopped walking, placing her hands on her hips. "What? I was going to take the cyndaquil!"
"I thought you wanted tododile!"
"Well, I changed my mind." She ran ahead of Kris, turning her head back to face her. "But it won't matter what you want when I get there first." She finished by sticking her tongue out, trying to add insult to injury.
Kris fumed. "Oh… You…" She ran after Lyra, quickly gaining speed. "Lyra!" She shouted, finally catching up to her. The two continued to run next to each other, evenly matched, until they reached the lab. They promptly feel on top of each other at the doorstep, gasping for air. "I… can't breathe…."
"I haven't…" Lyra panted between each word. The distance between her house and the lab was noticeably far, she figured that was why she was so exhausted from the run, rather than her being totally out of shape. "I haven't run that fast… since I found that rattata in my basement when I was three…" True. And she's had a fear of the little rat Pokémon ever since.
"I remember that." Kris smiled, finally remembering how to breathe. "You came sprinting to my house… in tears…" The two girls looked at each other, before bursting into laughter. Still passed out on the lab's welcome mat, they remained laughing, until the door before them slowly opened.
"Hello."
The two girls shrieked, jumping up and hugging each other. The one who opened the door laughed, adjusting his glasses. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you two? I'm Professor Elm's aide. He's been waiting for you two."
The two girls, temporarily forgetting why they had ran here in the first place, suddenly remembered.
"Oh yeah!" They yelled simultaneously, quickly pushing past the aide in a rush to get to the professor, causing him to drop his glasses.
As they entered Elm's waiting room, all they saw was a closed door, some informational posters regarding Pokemon, and Ethan, leaning woefully against a wall.
"Ethan!" Lyra yelled with a smile, running over to him. "I totally forgot you were coming too!"
"Thanks." He answered with a gleefully fake smile. But as Kris approached the two, the smile dissolved. "You guys are so late." He lowered his voice into a whisper, as if he was trying to hide the fact he was scolding them. "Almost an hour."
"I know." Kris looked down in embarrassment. "We didn't mean to! we just got a little, er, hung up, I guess."
"Yeah well," Ethan looked away from the two, facing the large white door. "I hope it was worth it. You should be thankful Elm didn't give your Poke Balls away."
Kris opened her mouth to apologize, but Lyra intervened. "Oh come on, Ethan, you can't lecture us. You're always late places, give me and Kris a break for being late once."
He simply grunted. The two girls looked at each other. The Ethan they knew was a fun-loving, energetic pervert. Who was this? Had finally becoming a Pokemon trainer changed him this much, even before he'd received his first Pokemon?
The silence was interrupted as another one of Professor Elm's aides walked opened the mysterious door, peeking his head inside the room. "The Professor is ready to see you now."
The three looked at each other and gulped. Today was the start of the rest of their lives.