Authors' Note: A cookie to anyone who knows who Dean and Sam are based off of. It's really blatantly obvious, though.
Spots of Silver
A Pokèmon: SoulSilver Drabble Collection
Set Two
016. Dean and Sam
When Bill asked Lyra if she wanted to take care of the Eevee that had followed him home, she'd stared at him for a few moments, wondering if he was truly serious. Who turned down a free Pokèmon, much less a free Eevee? So of course she had accepted, and that was how she'd landed herself with Dean, the rough-and-tough Eevee who seemed to have a mind completely his own. Dean was unwilling to really cooperate with Byrnison or Pantalaimon, and sometimes didn't even want to seem to listen to her, instead doing his own thing in battles and looking out solely for himself. It wasn't that Dean was a bad Pokèmon - no, not at all - but merely that he did his own thing, and that was that.
And then . . . then came Sam.
Lyra found Sam completely by chance, roaming around the day-care while she went off looking for Dean. Dean had run off to do his own thing again, and while she was looking she found a smaller Eevee running out of the woods being chased by a Drowzee (how the Drowzee ran that fast Lyra would never know, but it was certainly tormenting the poor little Eevee that ran straight toward her). Lyra was about to command Pantalaimon to go defeat the Drowzee, but out of nowhere Dean came hurtling forward, tackling the Drowzee before delivering a vicious Headbutt that made the Drowzee retreat. The smaller Eevee was clearly shaken, but Dean - so unlike his previous sole-serving nature - actually comforted the smaller cub, and refused to leave its side. Sam entered into a Pokèball completely willingly, and from that moment on, Dean and Sam were virtually inseparable, with Dean always fighting his hardest when Sam was in danger or injured. In fact, he evolved into an Umbreon just after Sam lost a battle against a wild Miltank and Dean took it down, and likewise, Sam evolved into Espeon when he was fighting alongside his brother (Lyra knew they probably weren't, but she couldn't help but see them that way anyway) against a Clefable and Wigglytuff.
Either way, Lyra knew one thing was for certain: between the power team of Byrnison and Pantalaimon and the power team of Sam and Dean, her team was definitely set.
017. Wild Encounter
It happened in a split second. One moment Lyra was walking through the tall grass, heading for Olivine City, and the next the most powerful Pokèmon she'd ever seen was standing before her. Tall and ferocious, the beast had reddish-brown fur and enormous paws, completely towering over Lyra. Pantalaimon ran around to hide behind Lyra, peeking out from behind her legs, and Lyra stared up at the massive Pokèmon, unable to move or speak. She recognized it just as quickly as it locked its eyes with her as one of the beasts from the Burned Tower, but she couldn't put a name to the face - she couldn't even breathe.
Instead of attacking, the Pokèmon turned and bolted, leaving a gust of wind in its wake that actually made Lyra sway along with the grass around her. Her legs suddenly feeling like pudding, Lyra sank to her knees, and Pantalaimon nudged her arm comfortingly just as her phone rang.
"H - Hello?" Lyra stammered, having fumbled her Pokègear open as quickly as she could.
"Hey, Lyra!" Ethan said cheerfully. "What's - Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm . . ." Lyra swallowed the lump in her throat, though her heart was still running a Pokèathelon in her chest. "I'm fine. How about you, Ethan?"
018. Ridiculous
The Mineral Badge tucked safely within the case in his pocket, Will pushed open the door to the Olivine City Gym, fully intent on making it out before he could be seen. But just as he was pushing the door shut behind him he caught sight of Lyra, walking right toward him with her Furret bounding along at her feet.
"Oh, it's you," Will said darkly, hoping that it covered his surprise. Lyra's eyes widened, almost as if she hadn't even noticed he was there, and Will continued before she could ask what he was doing. "The Gym Leader isn't here. Apparently she's taking care of a sick Pokèmon at the Lighthouse. Hmph. What a waste of time."
"Really? Oh." Lyra looked down to her Furret, and Will frowned, his eyebrows knitting together.
"What's wrong with you?" he demanded. Lyra wasn't smiling like normal, or chatting like normal, or looking at all like her usual cheerful self. To be honest, it was unnerving him.
"Nothing," Lyra answered, and then tilted her head, looking curiously at him. "Why do you ask?"
Will couldn't explain it, but suddenly the back of his neck felt hotter and his stomach felt jittery, and he felt the overpowering urge to run. "No reason," he snapped. "Look, I have to go. Why don't you go train at the Lighthouse? Maybe then you'll be less weak." Before Lyra could reply, Will moved past her, stalking toward the edge of the city. But before he reached it, he heard her say:
"Hey, Pan, did you notice? Will didn't push me this time. Maybe he's starting to actually like me."
Will very nearly stopped, but waited until he was out of eyesight to do so, leaning back against the side of the Gym and clenching her fists. Him? Like her? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. The only reason he didn't push her was because it was easier to walk around her. That was it. Thinking anything else was just ridiculous and stupid.
Even so, when he looked around the corner and watched her walk away, a little bit more of a bounce in her step and her head held a little higher, Will felt a bit of the unease creep out of his stomach and loosen the tension in his shoulders. He didn't like her. He didn't. But seeing her unhappy just threw the world a little out of sorts, and Will liked things best when he was in control and knew what was going on.
That was all.
But the more he thought about her, and the more something in his belly flipped a little bit more, Will cursed, closing his eyes and letting his head thud back against the wall of the Gym.
As much as he hated to admit it . . . maybe it wasn't as ridiculous as he'd originally thought.
Damn it.
019. Cameron the Photographer
Lyra began to sense that Cameron was getting a little impatient, but for the life of her, she could not get her Pokèmon to behave.
"Come on, guys, just - Pan, stop trying to fight with Byrnison, you can both stand beside me! And Dean, stop teasing Sam!"
Pantalaimon, ignoring Lyra's words, nudged Byrnison out of the way, and Byrnison's fires blazed a little larger in response. Standing a little ways away from them, Sam was trying to pose for the camera, but was finding it difficult since Dean kept standing on top of him, using his front paws to push Sam's head closer to the ground. Sam tried to push Dean off him, and almost succeeded, but instead just turned it into a wrestling match.
"Hey, no worries," Cameron said. "We can always do this later." Lyra looked helplessly at him and then back to her Pokèmon, setting her face into a determined scowl.
"No, we're doing this now. You guys! Listen up!" Her Pokèmon looked at her briefly, but when Sam used his split tail to smack Dean in the face, Dean tackled him to the ground and began wrestling again. Lyra sighed loudly, shaking her head.
As if human boys weren't frustrating enough, boy Pokèmon were sometimes even worse.
020. Quest
Just as Will had said, Jasmine was in the Lighthouse, tending to an Ampharos named Amphy. To be honest, Amphy looked terrible, with fur that was damp with sweat and labored breaths. Pantalaimon nudged Amphy's paw with his nose, giving a small measure of comfort even as Jasmine put a cool rag on top of Amphy's head.
"Could you please go pick up the medicine for me?" Jasmine asked, not removing her eyes from her Pokèmon. "I would go myself, but Amphy needs me. All the same, he needs his medicine . . . But there's really no one else who can . . ."
"Sure I'll get it," Lyra said, and Jasmine looked over at her in surprise. "I can't just leave knowing that your Pokèmon is this sick. I'll go to Cianwood City and get that medicine myself. You can count on it."
"Really? Thank you so much!" Jasmine walked over, opening the door to the private room, and then crossed back to sit next to Amphy again. "I'll be waiting," Jasmine said. "The sea is dangerous, so please, be careful."
Lyra nodded, turning and leaving the room with Pantalaimon scampering along with her, hopping up onto her shoulder as she headed toward the elevator. "It kind of feels like we've been sent on a special quest, doesn't it?" Lyra asked, and Pantalaimon nodded. Lyra smiled a little. "Well, I'm not complaining, especially since we've got to go to Cianwood anyway to get to the Gym."
021. From Point A to Point B
The problem with getting to Cianwood City lay in the fact that Cianwood was an island surrounded by water, and it wasn't as if there was a bridge of land stretching over the sea that Lyra could walk on. Lyra stood on Olivine's beach, staring at the water, squinting her eyes. If she squinted hard enough, she could almost make out Cianwood in the distance. Almost.
"If I had a water Pokèmon - a reasonably sized water Pokèmon - this wouldn't be a problem," she said to Pantalaimon, who was splashing around in the water close to the beach. "But I don't, and I don't think there are any boats going to Cianwood right now."
Pantalaimon made a sound of agreement, yet then cried out in surprise, a low growl in his throat. Lyra turned, eyes widening when she saw Will striding toward her, a cool look in his gray eyes.
"Stranded?"
"Just a little," Lyra replied, watching as he pulled out a Pokèball. Without looking at her, Will released his Pokèmon, revealing his Feraligatr in all her glory. Lyra's eyes widened.
"Do you . . . want to battle?"
"Hmph. No. That would be a waste of time." Will walked forward, yet then paused and looked quickly at Lyra before glancing away again. "Are you -" Will sent her another furtive glance, yet then avoided eye contact by turning away. "Were you wanting to go to Cianwood City?"
"Yes . . ." Lyra said slowly. Will still refused to look at her, and Lyra's brow furrowed in confusion. "Will?"
"What?"
". . . Um, was there a reason you were . . . ?"
"Get over here." Lyra stared at him until he looked over at her impatiently, glaring heatedly. "What, are you stupid? I said get over here."
"Why -?"
"Do you want to go to Cianwood City or not?" he demanded, and Lyra's eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared beneath her hat. Will's cheeks darkened - was he blushing? - and he looked away again. "I haven't got all day. You can stay here on this beach for all I care, but if you want to go-"
"N - No! I'll go! I was just . . . surprised, is all." Lyra ran over to him, recalling Pantalaimon (much to Pan's dismay - he still didn't trust Will) and taking off her shoes and socks, stuffing them into her bag before walking into the water. "Thank you so much, Will!"
"Yeah, well, whatever." Will mimicked her action, putting his shoes, socks, and jacket into his bag and rolling up his pants before wading in, putting his hands on his Feraligatr's back and making sure that his hands weren't anywhere near touching hers. "Are you hanging on?"
"Yep!"
"Good." Turning away from her, Will patted his Feraligatr once on the nape of her neck. "Feraligatr, go."
022. A Little Help
Lyra had taken off her shoes and socks to prevent them from getting wet, because she hated wet shoes and socks more than anything else, especially since wet shoes took so long to dry. But that didn't change the fact that her overalls and shirt were dripping by the time they made it to Cianwood, especially since they had to keep stopping to battle various swimmers along the way (Will had been especially annoyed by this, remarking about how stupid weak trainers should focus more on staying above water than battling if A) they sucked, and B) they were out in the middle of the freaking ocean). Thus, even though the air in Cianwood was warm, Lyra still started shivering as she climbed out of the water, especially with the breeze brushed against her skin. Still, the last thing she expected was for a jacket to be thrown over her head, the dark material briefly obscuring her vision before she pulled it off.
"Huh?" Lyra stared at it for a minute before she looked over at Will, who was pointedly looking away from her. "Will? Isn't this yours?"
"Just put it on," he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was dripping wet as well, but he seemed not to notice. "You look stupid when you're wet like that."
Lyra supposed she could have taken his words as an insult, but really, he'd called her stupid far too many times for it to have any real effect anymore (same with his calling her weak), and the gesture was kind all the same. She smiled. "Thanks, Will." The jacket was too big for her, but it was warm and felt nice on her wet skin. "Hey, will you be around later? I just need to pick up some medicine from the pharmacy and then I was thinking of stopping by the Gym. But if you want to leave before that, then -"
"Just meet me here around eight," Will interrupted, turning to walk away. "I have business of my own to take care of." Will started off before Lyra could say anything else, but she smiled a little more as she watched him go.
"Okay," she said, even though he couldn't hear her. "See you then, Will."
Well out of her earshot, with his head ducked low so no one could see his slightly darker cheeks, Will muttered, "Idiot." But even as he said it, he couldn't be sure whether he was talking to her, himself, or both of them at once.
023. A New Acquisition
Truth be told, Will's reason for going to Cianwood City wouldn't take him nearly until eight o' clock. In fact, it would probably only take him a few minutes, and staying on the island longer would only give him more opportunity to get caught. But he wasn't going to just leave Lyra there - because how could he beat her in battle if she drowned swimming back to the mainland like the stupid, weak idiot that she was? - so he had to give her enough time to get her stupid badge and medicine for the weak, ill Pokèmon of the Lighthouse. So, he'd wait until eight, but Will's reasoning for going to Cianwood would all be done in a matter of minutes.
Will's destination was an out-of-the-way house on the island, one with shut blinds and a securely locked door. After studying the lock for a few seconds, Will scoffed. It was amateurish. There was no point in locking a door if it was going to be one that was easily picked, and Will proved the point seconds later by using his set of lockpicks to undo the lock and push the door open. Immediately, Will heard footsteps from inside the house, but he had the door shut before the owner rounded the corner, eyes wide.
"Who are you?" the man demanded, voice trembling. "What do you want?" Will didn't answer, and instead looked down to the man's feet, watching as a Sneasel came out curiously. "I asked who you were!"
"Shut up," Will said, and the man flinched - actually flinched. Will almost wanted to roll his eyes. "Is that the rare Pokèmon you're always bragging about?" The man was so boastful that his bragging had reached the main land, though Will couldn't see what was too special about the Sneasel. It was a cool Pokèmon, yes, and probably strong, but it wasn't even oddly-colored. What was there to brag about?
"He's my strongest!" The man proclaimed, and then pointed wildly at Will. "Sneasel! Attack him!"
"'Attack him'?" Will echoed, and this time he did roll his eyes. "How pathetic. You don't even know how to control your own Pokèmon. Sneasel!" The Sneasel's head snapped up, his eyes looking straight at Will. Will pointed down to his feet. "Come here."
The man's jaw dropped as the Sneasel obediently scampered over to Will's feet, standing at attention right in front of his shoes. Will smirked. "From now on, I am your master. You'll listen to and take orders from me and only me, got it?" The Sneasel nodded once, and the man took a step forward.
"W - Wait! You can't! That's my prized Pokèmon!"
"I repeat: shut up. No one wants to hear your pathetic whining," Will said, and the man fortunately closed his mouth, though he looked as terrified and outraged as ever. "You don't deserve this Pokèmon," Will went on. "All you ever do is sit here in this house, bragging about it to anyone who stops by to listen. You don't even know how to control it. If you did, it wouldn't be following me now. So do yourself and everyone around you a favor by sitting down, shutting up, and accepting that this is your fault for being so weak and pathetic."
Just as obediently as his Sneasel, the man sank into a chair, never once removing his horrified gaze from Will. A smirk of triumph curling his lips, Will turned and walked out the door, the Sneasel following along behind him.
Just as he'd predicted, it only took a few minutes, and truth be told, Will didn't think it mattered whether anyone knew or not. After all, he didn't even really have to steal the Sneasel; it followed him of its own free will.
024. A Safe Place
Before heading off to get the medicine, Lyra stopped off at the Pokèmon Center, knowing that her Pokèmon needed a rest after the numerous battles they'd faced during the trip. But as she handed her Pokèballs over to Nurse Joy to have her Pokèmon healed, a hand grabbed her arm and turned her around.
"Hey!" she squeaked. "What are you - Gym Guy?"
"Champ in Making!" It was the guy from all the gyms she'd visited up until that point, complete with his glasses and grizzly beard. Lyra didn't know how he managed to get from Gym to Gym so quickly, but part of her thought he was stalking her, and that made her feel uncomfortable. "Hey, sorry to grab you like this, but I've got something important to tell you."
"Why aren't you at the Gym?" Lyra asked uncomfortably, tugging her arms out of his grasp. She rubbed at the spots where he'd held her, checking the sleeves to make sure he hadn't gotten any dirt on Will's jacket. After all, as mean as the thoughts sounded in her own head, she had no idea where Gym Guy's hands had been.
"The men in the Gym are all burly and buff! They could beat me to a pulp in an instant! I'm not about to step foot in there!" Gym Guy spoke as if the information was obvious, but Lyra frowned.
"I guess that means that it's a fighting-type Gym, but why . . . why would they beat you up if you haven't done anything wrong?" Gym Guy shifted uncomfortably, looking away, and Lyra felt another wave of awkward unease wash over her. "O - Oh."
"It's nothing like that!" Gym Guy said hastily, and Lyra frowned deeper, her unease increasing.
"Nothing like what?"
"Like . . . Like what you're thinking."
"How do you know what I'm thinking?"
"I just know what people say!"
"What do people say?"
"I'm not going to say it!"
"Then how do I know what you mean?"
"You just do!"
"That makes no sense!"
"Here you go!" Nurse Joy's cheerful voice broke through their arguing, and Lyra turned to see her Pokèmon returned to her, Sam popping out of his Pokèball for his turn to follow at her feet. "Your Pokèmon are fully healed! Please come back any time!"
"I . . . I have to go," Lyra said quickly, scooping her Pokèballs up and heading toward the door.
"Make sure to give Chuck a pounding! A psychic one, if you know what I mean!" Gym Guy shouted after, and Lyra nodded furiously, even though at the moment, her only thought was to get as far away from Gym Guy as possible.
025. Close Encounter
Morty was lost in the feel of hot-hot water soaking his hair to the back of his neck and coursing down his stiff shoulders and back when the phone rang, breaking through the solitude of the shower. At first, Morty ignored it, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair to get the last few bubbles of shampoo out of it. But the ringing stopped only for a moment before it started again, the caller apparently too persistent to merely let the matter go. Groaning, Morty turned off his shower and stepped out, wrapping his towel around his lower half before exiting the bathroom, heading for the phone. The air in his house was much too cool for his still wet torso and soaked hair, and that made Morty's answer all the more snappish and irritated. "Hello?"
"Morty!" Eusine. Of course. Morty glared at the receiver, as if it was the phone's fault that his best friend was an obsessive freak. "Morty, I saw it! I saw it up close and personal!"
"Saw what?" Morty demanded, though he really already knew. He heard Eusine groan impatiently on the other end.
"What do you think? Suicune!"
"Really?" Morty deadpanned.
"Yes, really! It was on the outskirts of Cianwood City! I saw Lyra heading there, so I followed her and -"
"Eusine, I already told you to stop stalking that girl!"
"Morty, relax, she never even noticed." Morty closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. Eusine was going to be the death of him, he just knew it. "Anyway, just as I was approaching her on the outskirts I saw Suicune! It stopped in front of her, and then ran out across the ocean." Eusine sighed dazedly on the other end of the phone. "It was magnificent - the most magnificent creature I'd ever seen. Words can't even begin to describe how awe-inspiring Suicune is."
"Fascinating, Eusine," Morty said. He knew he was being unfair, given that Eusine was his best friend and Morty knew full well that Suicune was the most important thing in Eusine's life, but the house was cold when Morty only had a towel to cover himself with, and all he wanted was to get back to his shower. "Now if you don't mind -"
"I wasn't finished!" Eusine interrupted, and Morty groaned. Why am I friends with him? "Suicune was clearly only interested in Lyra, so I battled her in an attempt to gain Suicune's respect."
"Wasn't Suicune already gone by that point? How could it respect you for winning if it couldn't even see the battle?"
"Irrelevant, Morty."
"Sounds pretty damn relevant to me."
"Whatever! The point is, I battled Lyra."
Silence followed before Morty asked, "Well? Did you win?"
". . . No. I lost." Morty rolled his eyes. "But all it showed me was that I need to train harder, and that continuing to watch Lyra is of extreme importance. It will show itself before her again, I'm sure of it."
"And it will completely respect you for stalking an underage girl," Morty said sarcastically. "I can see it now. It'll certainly claim you as its champion."
"It will someday," Eusine insisted. "I'm sure of it!"
"Whatever." Morty shook his head. "Look, Eusine. It's eleven o' clock at night, I had a long day of training, I'm tired and all I want to do is finish my shower and go to bed. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. Goodnight."
"But wait, Morty, I wanted to tell you about my plan -"
"Goodnight, Eusine." Without any further words, Morty hung up the phone, and turned to return to his shower. There was no doubt in Morty's mind that Eusine would simply call back bright and early the next morning, most likely right in the middle of Morty's breakfast or possibly even a gym match. Whichever it was, however, Morty knew that Eusine would call, and he also knew that he would answer. Because whatever Eusine did, whatever harebrained schemes he came up with to track down Suicune, Eusine was still Morty's best friend, and he'd put up with him through thick and thin.
"But if he gets himself thrown in jail over this," Morty muttered, throwing his towel onto the counter and stepping back into the shower, "I'm not bailing him out."
