Author's Notes: I just realized I shouldn't have given my boyfriend his Pokémon Gold game back last week…
Red Camellia
© x0SilverFeathersx0, 2012
Chapter One: Devil in My Hand
It's a disaster! Uh, um, it's just terrible! What should I do… It… Oh no… Please get back here now!
Lyra huffed and puffed as she ran, with all her might, intent on reaching New Bark Town as fast as possible. What was it that had riled up Professor Elm so badly? The man was known to be rather eccentric — heck, all 'geniuses' tended to be — but he had sounded on the PokéGear as if he were seconds away from undergoing an imminent panic attack.
"C'mon, Cyndaquil, we've gotta hurry!" she called behind her to her trailing (new) pokémon.
"Cynda!" the creature piped, its stubby little paws thumping on the dirt floor as it picked up in speed.
Lyra smiled at her endearing companion, her starter pokémon, before turning back to face the road ahead of her.
Despite the current 'issue' she should have been concerned about in the present, she couldn't help but glow with inner happiness upon remembering her just-recent meeting with the Professor Oak. The famous Pokémon researcher — and he had even entrusted her with assisting him in his endeavours involving pokémon! How awesome was that?
"Quil! Cynda!"
Lyra came to an abrupt halt upon hearing the acute cry of distress (or was it a warning?), her breaths shallow and her chest heaving from the impromptu exercise. Bent over with her hands glued to her kneecaps, she panted as she turned her head back to face her Pokémon once again.
"What—what is it, Cyndaquil?" she asked with a cocked brow, several beads of sweat glistening at her temples.
The fire-oriented creature padded up to her side before rising up on its hind legs. It then pointed ahead of her with an adorably chubby paw and gave a curt nod, the slits of its eyes appearing somewhat more somber than before.
"Eh?" was Lyra's unintelligible response, her physical composure returning. Then, she allowed her line of vision to follow Cyndaquil's uplifted paw, and this time uttered a far more awkward, "EH?" She shot up to stand erect, tempted to also take a step back.
Walking toward her in a brisk pace, his calculating eyes riveted to her bristling Cyndaquil, was the rude and intimidating boy from earlier this afternoon. He practically zoomed up to her before coming to a clean stop, his critical gaze moving from her pokémon to her.
"So," he began in that scornful tone of his, "you got a pokémon at the lab. What a waste."
At the not-so-subtle insult, Lyra fired up and glared daggers up at the boy who towered over her smaller figure.
"Just what are you trying to say?" she challenged, more than put off by the implication that her amazing pokémon was a 'waste'.
"Cynda-cyndaquil!"
The redhead snorted and crossed his arms, tilting his head back haughtily. "That's a Pokémon that's too good for a wimp like you."
Lyra recoiled, blinking her incredulous eyes. "W-What?"
He squinted his own eyes at her in a patronizing glare. "…Don't you get what I'm saying?"
"Erm… No," she rallied in a weak attempt. "I don't!"
The presumptuous boy rolled his eyes and shook his head out of pity. But when he regarded her again his ruby orbs were ablaze with determination and his mouth was curved in a thin smile.
"Well, just like you, I too have a good Pokémon—"
Lyra opened her mouth to speak, but it was too late by the time he reached in his pocket for a minimized pokéball and tossed it up into the air.
"—and I'll show you exactly what I mean by that!"
A dazzling flash of white light manifested to reveal a blue creature with bright, inquisitive eyes and swift feet that failed to stay planted to the ground.
"To-to-totodile!"