Misha: Hello! I know it's been a while, so please forgive me! I've just had some awful writer's block, but it finally passed, and so I'm updating again! Yay! Anyways, I really like this chapter, and I hope you guys do too!

Disclaimer: I really wish I owned Pokemon... but alas, I do not *sob*.

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"Well, here we are!" Ethan exclaimed, pointing. The house ahead was rather small and painted a bright, cheerful yellow. An old man stood near the doorway. As the group approached, he looked up and smiled widely, stretching out the wrinkles in his face.

"Ah, Ethan! It's good to see you again!" He squinted. "And it looks like you've brought friends along as well! It's always nice to have company around here..."

Lyra leaned over to Silver. "That's Ethan's grandpa," she explained quietly. "He helps run the Day-Care center here with his wi-"

"Listen," Silver interrupted, "I don't need a running commentary from you," he whispered harshly. Lyra feel silent, stung. Silver noticed this and looked away, ashamed and angry at himself for taking his annoyances at that jerk Ethan out on her.

"Hey," he mumbled, "Look Lyra, I... I'm sorry..."

Lyra glanced over at Silver and felt her face flush slightly. "What a weird guy. He's always so moody... it's like... like he's PMSing or something..."

Ethan, who had remained oblivious to the entire exchange, slung his arm around Lyra's shoulders.

"Well, c'mon in," he said, and the two entered the house, Silver trailing behind.

The inside of the Day-Care was a faint pink, with pictures of different pokemon covering the walls. Bright potted plants stood in the corners giving the house a very cheerful look. The adorableness of the place made Silver feel slightly nauseous. Lyra, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly delighted with her surroundings.

"Wow Ethan, this place hasn't changed a bit!" she chirped excitedly.

Ethan grinned back (Silver noticed that his arm was still around Lyra, and he felt anger rise up in the pit of his stomach) and led Lyra over to a counter in the back, where an old woman stood, looking as happy to see the group as her husband had.

"How nice of you to stop by Ethan," she said, smiling warmly. "And I see you've brought your girlfriend! How sweet!"

Both Ethan and Lyra sweatdropped, while Silver looked murderous. Ethan quickly took his arm off Lyra.

"N-no Meemaw," Ethan stuttered nervously, his face red. "We...we're not d-dating or anything... she's just a... a friend that's a g-girl, that's all!"

"Yeah," Lyra continued, blushing slightly. "We're just childhood friends. Don't you remember me? I'm Lyra!"

The old woman peered intensely at Lyra. "Oh yes, I remember now. You two would always run around and make a huge mess," she said fondly. "Still," she added, with a wink to Ethan, "You two would make a cute couple!"

"S-stop it!" Ethan exclaimed, his face flaming up again. "Listen, can we take the room upstairs tonight? These guys need somewhere to stay."

"Oh, of course dear," was the reply. "Don't stay up too late though, and don't get up to anything crazy!" she said with another wink, causing the whole group to blush.

"We...we won't ma'am," Lyra said. "Well, c'mon Silver!" she said, adressing him. Silver looked up, surprised.

"Oh... yeah... coming," he mumbled, acting completely out of character. Lyra noticed, and began worrying immediately. As Ethan chattered on happily, she fell back and walked with Silver instead. Silver noticed her beside him and felt his heart beat faster.

"Dammit," he thought, "Why do I keep feeling so weird?" All sorts of emotions were running through him: anger, jealousy, and another strange one that he couldn't name. He was frustrated and confused, and though he wanted to say something to Lyra, his mind was blank, so he settled for an awkward silence instead.

Lyra was also confused. Silver was always so difficult of figure out. "He can be a real jerk, but he can also be really sweet," she thought. "And why do I feel so... strangely about him?" she wondered. "It's almost as if... no, it couldn't be," she thought dismissively. The two continued thinking in silence until they reached the room.

The first thing they all noticed was that there was only one futon on the ground... and it only looked like it could fit two people.

"Well, it looks like Lyra and I will take the futon, and Silver... you can find somewhere else to sleep," Ethan said, smirking at Silver, who was immediately outraged.

"Hell no!" he shouted. "There's no way Lyra's sleeping with a creep like you!"

Ethan glared at him. "Why not? It's not like we haven't slept together before!"

Before Silver could fully register what he had just said, Lyra jumped in.

"It was just when we were kids!" she cried indigenously. "It's not what you're thinking, I swear!"

Neither of the boys seemed to pay any attention to her, however. Silver continued glaring at Ethan, who returned the look.

"L-listen," Lyra continued, stepping between the boys, "Can we please save this for later? I really don't want to listen to you guys arguing all night!"

Neither boy stepped down, but they dropped their stares. Lyra sighed; it was probably the best she could hope for.

"Well! Now that that's over with, I'm going to go wash up," she said, and walked out the door, glad to leave the awkward tension behind.

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"So..."

"I'm going to stop you right there," Silver said roughly. "I really have no interest in talking to you."

Ethan glared at Silver, affronted. "I was just trying to start a conversation, you jerk!"

"Sticks and stones," Silver sighed. "God you're annoying. I don't know why I'm even sticking around..."

"Really? I thought it was because of Lyra?" Ethan said with a sly grin.

"W-WHAT?" Silver spluttered. "No... no it's... it's because..."

"Oh, come on. It's so obvious that you have a crush on her..."

Silver stood up, his face turning a bright red. "I do not! There's no way I would ever have feelings for that mushroom-headed loser!" He turned abruptly and began to storm out of the room. He had reached the door when he suddenly collided with Lyra, who was just walking in.

"Ow..." she moaned quietly, rubbing her head. She looked up and saw Silver. "Oh! Umm.. where are you going Silver?" she asked.

"Nowhere... I mean... umm..." Silver stammered, not able to look her in the eye. "Umm... bathroom!" He quickly brushed past her into the hall, leaving a confused Lyra standing in the doorway.

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"Dammit!"

Silver chuckled. "Lyra, you really are bad at this game..."

The three were playing Bluff, and Lyra was losing badly. She didn't really mind though, because at least Silver and Ethan were getting along, even if they weren't really on speaking terms. She was enjoying herself, and Silver had finally calmed down to the point where he could tolerate Ethan, and have a little fun himself.

"Then again, Lyra's always been a really bad lier," Ethan said.

Lyra stuck her tongue out at him. "It's not like that's a really bad thing... right?"

"Eh, sometimes you have to lie and cheat to survive," Silver said. "It can be a pretty useful skill..."

"Yeah, I'm sure you know all about that," Lyra teased. "Tell me, how did you come across your Totodile again?"

Silver grinned. "Some things are better left unsaid. Besides, how do I know you won't turn me in?"

Lyra gasped dramatically. "I simply cannot believer that... that you don't trust me!" she recited theatrically, an overdramatic look of hurt on her face.

Silver laughed, and Ethan sat silently, confused.

"Well, I'm really tired," Lyra said, standing up and stretching. "How about we all get some sleep?" She was already dressed in her pajamas: a light pink tank top with frills on the sleeves and matching pants. Her hair fell in soft waves down her back, reaching past her shoulder-blades.

"Sounds like a plan," Ethan agreed, standing as well. "But... we still haven't decided where everyone is going to sleep..."

Lyra smiled. "Oh, I think I have an idea..."

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"Silver, stop kicking me!"

"Oh shut up Ethan..."

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Well there you have it! i'm actually really pleased with this chapter, so I hope that you liked it too! Also, for those that don't know, Bluff, also known as BS, is a card game where you try to get rid of all your cards, and you usually have to lie for that to happen. If you don't know the game, go look it up. And, as always, please review!

Oh, i'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed so far... usually it's the same people, but thank you for your continued support! I'd also like to thank my anonymous reviewer, even though you are nameless, you still mean a lot to me! :D