Hi guys, stealthclaw here. This is my first fic since...well, ages. It's a one-shot about my take on what happened to Kris and Leaf, and why Lyra is the female protagonist of HGSS. It's not really that good, as I've been seriously out of practice with writing stories, but I hope you guys like it all the same.
One-shot: The Disappearance of Kris and Leaf
A sharp, cold wind cut through the town of New Bark, whistling keenly in the ears of the residents and making them shiver. Despite the fact that it was still summer, Johto was rather cold this year. Practically everyone in the tiny town had bundled up and sought refuge in their homes, watching the trees violently shaking from their windows.
However, one certain girl stood at the edge of town, watching the yellow-orange glow of the setting sun. Unlike everyone else, she didn't seem to be bothered by the cold in the least; she wore a cyan tank top and short red skirt, without the slightest sign of noticing the chilly breeze that blew through her light brown hair. A white and red sunhat was plunked over her head, shielding her brown eyes somewhat from the harsh glare of the sun. A yellow messenger bag lay at her feet, looking quite limp.
The girl gave an irritated sigh to herself as she stared off into the distance, and muttered with annoyance, "Just where is she?"
Just as she said that, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and gave a backward glance. When she realized who the incoming person was, her lips curved into a small smile, and she called, "I was beginning to wonder if you were coming or not, Kris. Never knew you were such a slowpoke." Though her voice held a teasing lilt, there was an undertone of sadness in it.
Kris gave her a half-hearted glare, but didn't respond, as she usually would. Leaf was slightly taken aback at this, as she usually would fire back a snappy retort, but couldn't blame her for not being enthusiastic.
Instead, her eyes shifted to the girl next to her, and blinked in surprise. "Who's this kid?" she inquired, frowning. "Your sister or something?"
"Of course not!" Kris exclaimed in protest, although she could see where Leaf was coming from. She and her companion did share some physical traits: they both had similar facial features, for one thing, such as small noses and wide set eyes. However, the similarities ended there.
Kris was taller and seemed a bit more on the athletic side, with her white jacket, red turtleneck shirt, yellow hat, and matching black and yellow running shorts. The light pink backpack slung over her shoulders only served to enhance the appearance of one who frequently traveled.
On the other hand, her companion seemed to exude a more relaxed air. She, too, wore a red shirt, but with a pair of blue overalls, as well as white leggings. While she and Kris also wore pigtails, Kris' hair was dark blue, and seemed to spike forward. In contrast, Lyra's hair was light brown, and swept backward. A white hat that seemed one size too big for her perched atop her head, adorned with a red ribbon. Like Leaf, she had a yellow messenger bag, but unlike either of the other two girls, her bag wasn't empty.
She stepped forward, and smiled nervously. "Hi, My name is Lyra." She shuffled her feet, looking down at the ground, "Kris asked me a favour, so...I came to see her off." Her voice shook a little as she said this.
"A favour, huh?" Leaf sighed, raking a hand through her messy locks, "I can imagine what you mean by that. Kris, are you sure about this? Lyra's still a kid, and this is something huge. You can't give a responsibility like this to just anybody. No offense." She quickly added the last part, seeing hurt flash in Lyra's amber eyes.
"None taken," the young girl mumbled in response, still unhappy. "I know that I'm not really suited for this, but..."
"But nothing," Kris interrupted her, giving an encouraging pat on the shoulder, "You'll be just fine. Have a little confidence!"
Her words did little to comfort her. "But..but.." Lyra bit her lip and clutched at her bag. "What if n-no one likes me? What if they get mad? I mean...I'll be replacing you, Kris!" she cried out, looking close to tears.
Suddenly, she was enveloped in a warm embrace. Lyra stiffened in surprise, but relaxed and let the blue-haired trainer hug her.
"Don't say that, Lyra..." she whispered fiercely, pulling away and looking her dead in the eye. "You're going to forge your own path, and everyone will remember you for who you are, not who I was." She added, giving a grin, "So c'mon, give us that smile you're famous for!"
Lyra's lips curved upwards, in an attempt to comply, but Kris could see that her heart wasn't in it. Giving a sigh, she let her own smile drop, and gazed at her hometown, letting the memories of her life wash over her. Somehow, it seemed so far away...
"C'mon Kris, I didn't think that you were such a slowpoke!"
"Argh! Wait up, Gold!"
"...My name's Silver. I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokemon trainer."
"Kris..?" Lyra's hesitant voice broke through her memories, forcing her back into the present.
"S-Sorry.." with a start, Kris realised that she had tears at the corner of her eyes, and hastily tried to wipe them away with the sleeve of her jacket. "I guess I just got a bit emotional..."
"I-It's okay!" Lyra waved her hands in front of her, then, in an effort to change the subject, dug in her bag and pulled out some items. "Um, I got you guys some things! I know you won't be needing them, but..." She thrust them into their hands.
In Leaf's palm, there lay a battered pokeball, which she recognised immediately. It was the one that used to hold her starter pokemon. She held it up to the light and inspected it. "How did you...?"
"I..I found them, and thought you guys might want to keep them..." Lyra clasped her hands nervously together, watching them. "I-Is it okay?"
Kris stared at her own pokeball, as well as her old pink pokegear. It was the oldest model, and was currently out of date, impossible to find in stores. The scratches on the screen were a testament to the adventures she had shared with her friends, and though she longed to turn it on and call them up, she knew it would no longer work.
"Okay?" she murmured quietly, "It's more than okay...Oh Lyra..."
Lyra scratched her cheek in embarrassment, and mumbled, "It was nothing," but was grinning shyly.
Leaf glanced at the sky, noticing how the sun was beginning to sink lower, and commented, "We better get going, Kris. We've got a long trek ahead of us, and if we don't reach the Sevii Islands by the day after tomorrow, we'll be locked out. And that will be bad news." She shouldered her messenger bag with a grimace, already walking away.
"Right." Kris nodded in agreement, and turned to look once more at her hometown, letting the memories rush through her head like a coursing river. She could feel the dampness of tears on her cheeks, but didn't even bother to brush them away.
"C'mon Kris, I didn't think that you were such a slowpoke!"
"Argh! Wait up, Gold!"
"...So you both got pokemon at that lab. What a waste. Wimps like you two?"
"I'll show YOU who's a wimp! Go, Cyndaquil!"
"Gold, wait -"
"What the - I lost?"
"Humph, what a waste of my time."
"Just who the heck are you?"
"...My name's Silver. I'm going to be the world's greatest pokemon trainer."
"Maybe I should give up."
"Give up? But we've barely started, Kris!"
"I'm nothing like you, Gold...nobody believes in me the way they believe in you."
"Who cares what everyone else thinks? I believe in you, don't I?"
"..Why...why do I always lose? I've assembled the toughest pokemon. I don't understand...is what that Lance guy said true?"
"Silver...you..."
"...I couldn't win..I gave it everything I had...What you possess, and what I lack...I'm beginning to understand what that dragon master said to me..."
"I...I'm sorry."
"I don't want your pity."
"Damnit! Why can't I win against that guy?"
"Don't worry about it, Gold...I know you can do it. I believe in you."
"Listen, one of these I'll prove how good I am by beating you."
"I'll be waiting."
"Hold on, Silver!"
"Nggh...why do you guys keep bothering about me...?"
"Because we're your friends, dummy!"
Kris' heart clenched painfully as she remembered everything she and her friends had ever been through. So many memories...but in a couple of days, they wouldn't even remember her. No one would. Everything would be reset. Gold - No, Ethan, would be going on his journey again, without knowing that he used to be friends with a girl called Kris. Silver would steal a pokemon from Professor Elm's lab, and would never remember that he had once been her rival. It would be Lyra, the girl in front of her, who would take that place in their memories.
Unable to take it any longer, she turned to follow Leaf, when a thought occurred to her. She turned back to look at the girl in overalls, and bravely tried to smile. "Take care of them." she simply said, before hurrying to catch up with her senior trainer, clutching her pokeball in one hand and pokegear in the other.
Lyra watched the two girls walk into the sunset until the deep orange glow of sunlight swallowed them whole, and whispered softly, almost to herself, "Goodbye, Kris, Leaf...I'll never forget you two..." but her voice was lost forever, in the howl of the icy wind.
A few days later, the world was reset. As Kris predicted, Gold, now known as Ethan, began his journey to become a Pokemon master, along with a girl called Lyra. A boy, Silver, stole a pokemon from the lab of Professor Elm, and began his own journey. Meanwhile, a young man stood atop Mount Silver, awaiting challengers, while his rival managed a gym in Viridian City. No one remembered the two girls who had once been a part of their story, who had fled to a certain seven islands, before they could be erased. For some reason, it had been deemed that the girls were no longer useful to the world. The islands have been locked away from the rest of the world, and memories of it have been erased into oblivion, for better or worse.
And there we have it. I'm not sure if I've really explained what happens in this oneshot properly, but I hope it was alright :) Sorry that Leaf didn't get much focus, but from the start, it was gonna be mostly about Kris. I might do a version of this from Leaf's point of view some other time, but I'm not sure.
- stealthclaw