Ecruteak's Charm
"There aren't any records of you as a resident of Johto. How long have you been here?"
"I started my journey two months ago without telling anybody."
Silver walked up the burnt wood steps, glaring at the rundown tower magically standing after being torched many years ago.
"Speaking of which, have you visited New Bark Town by any chance?"
"No."
The ancient door creaked open with the slightest push. Smoke and dust escaped to the outside, hitting his face in the process. He coughed and fanned the putrid smell away. The floorboards beneath his feet felt like they would break at any given moment as he entered.
"There was a break-in at the Pokémon Lab not too long ago. The description given by a witness states an individual with flaming red hair was the culprit."
"I've never stepped foot in that town."
Thoughts of the witness that singled him out ran through his mind as he slowly walked through the darkened halls. There was only one person he remembered seeing that day. And to think he allowed himself to have such pointless feelings towards her.
"Be that as it may, we are speaking to everyone who matches the description. Back to the problem at hand. What were you doing down in the well?"
"I heard of the Slowpoke tails. I wanted to help stop them."
A low rumbling rang under his feet as if there were living beings in the building. From the folklore he heard, three legendary beasts were said to have settled in this exact building. A winged creature was also said to have flown away when the tower burned. Whether they remained here was still a mystery.
"A little reckless, don't you think? I mean, why not call the police and have us deal with them?"
"I don't mean to offend, but you couldn't stop them once before. What makes you think you can stop them this time around?"
He reached the end of the hall, leading to an open area where light peeked through from the splintered ceiling. Just ahead was an open chasm revealing the bottom floor. With the minimal light given he made out three figures huddling together, resting.
"We are currently following leads that I am not allowed to disclose. Needless to say, Team Rocket will be off the streets in no time."
"I'll believe that when you actually catch them. Are we done here? I'd like to get on with my travels."
Stairs leading to the lower floor were to the right of him. The Legendary Beasts, believed to be reincarnations of Pokémon that once perished in the great fire, were within his reach. They called to him, ready to establish Silver as the world's greatest trainer.
"Silver?" Lyra's voice echoed throughout the open living space. The floor creaked as she crept closer. "It's been a while."
He ignored her. The little shred of kindness he had towards her shriveled away when he found out she had squealed. His mind was on bigger and better things and visions of a bright future. None of which involved her.
"I already won three badges. Take a look." She stood by his side and presented a pink case holding her sparkling badges.
Taking a quick glance, he turned away and scoffed without a word.
"Okay...you're acting weird. I thought we got past the whole you being a jerk thing."
"I may be a jerk, but at least I'm not a backstabber." He took steps toward the stairs, already done wasting time. She was his biggest rival and he needed to step his game up if he wanted to beat her.
She chased after him. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"You told Officer Jenny about me!" He snapped, causing her to step back in astonishment. "After I helped you, this is how you repay me?"
"I never said your name..." She whispered.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you." He turned to face her, catching her gaze in the process.
"I never said your name, Silver. And before you go accusing me, there were other people you didn't notice." She raised a menacing finger to his chest.
There standoff continued. Though they remained silent, their eyes kept firing insults at each other. It ended when Silver uttered his signature response. "Whatever."
He continued his march to the basement and reached the stairs.
Lyra wouldn't have any of it. "It's not whatever." She followed close behind, stomping on the loose floor beneath them. "You're nothing but an inconsiderate asshole that only cares about himself. I can't believe I had a crush on you."
Her tirade continued with every other word being worse than the last. All he got out of it was that she liked him.
"I mean, can you ever feel something other than anger? Can't you see that other people care about you?"
The passion with which she spoke was something he hadn't heard from her. He found it stimulating even though she was insulting him.
"Just forget it. I'm done arguing with you." She sniffled and started backing away.
"I hope you're happy alone, because I-waaaahhhh!" Her screams bounced off the walls.
Silver turned around and saw her fall through the wooden floor, scraping her nails as she tried to pull herself up.
"Silver, help!" She cried out.
He dashed towards her dangling form without a second thought. Had he stopped, he would have seen the mistake of stomping on ancient, fire-damaged wood. Instead, as he grabbed Lyra's flailing hand, he to fell victim to the worn-out construction. The floor disintegrated and both of them were falling to the darkness of the basement. He pulled her in close and contorted his body so that he would take the impact.
She had her head and hands firmly planted on his chest, leaving her screams muffled. He held tight and made sure not to let go. It felt like they were falling off a ten-story building rather than one floor. Time appeared to slow down, and in an instant, forwarded as they reached what they thought was the ground. Except it was soft and plush and it caused them to bounce off and hit the real floor.
"Dammit.." Silver cursed under his breath once he was sure they stopped falling.
Lyra, still on top of him, raised her head and looked down at him. "A-are you o-okay?" She stuttered, undoubtedly shaken by the fall.
Besides the aching pain shooting up and down his spine, he was physically fine. It was his mind that refused to cooperate. He stared up at her watery eyes and the vulnerability lying on the surface.
Do it. Do it, you idiot.
His mind came up with the idea, his body carried it out. He inched his head upwards, readying himself for the point of no return. She, too, lowered herself and met him halfway. Their lips touched briefly, adjusting to the new feeling they were experiencing. Only now was he aware that he still had both arms around her waist, and she moved hers to cup his face.
"You asshole." She smiled as clumps of hair fell over her eyes.
"But you still like me, don't you?" He retorted, smirking afterwards that elicited a throaty laugh.
"Shut up." Their kiss lingered this time. He appreciated the softness and plump texture of her lips, tongue gently exploring the inside of his mouth. Not bad for a first kiss.
It was cut short by low grumbles hidden behind the shadows. They both sat up straight and noticed three pairs of eyes piercing through the darkness and looking directly at them.
"Silver, what do we do?"
He knew exactly what to do. Grabbing a Pokéball from his coat pocket, he pressed the middle button and called out his Gastly.
"Use Mean Look!" He ordered the floating spirit.
Gastly's eyes emitted a purple light aimed at all three beasts. They never flinched. Entei, the legendary fire-type, came forward in all its glory. Its flowing brown mane blew behind him without the aid of wind. It opened its giant jaws and let out an enormous roar that shook the entire building. Gastly cowered at the mighty roar and was forced back into its Pokéball.
"You can't expect to catch a legendary Pokémon that easy, Silver." Lyra chastised his head-on approach that backfired.
"I'll show you to make a fool out of me." He took out an empty ball, ready to throw it at the majestic beast who slowly retreated back to its slumber.
"Wait! Entei saved us from falling." She placed a hand on his throwing shoulder. "It wouldn't be right."
Differences between right and wrong were becoming less complicated to him. There were instances where he knew what the right thing to do was, like helping Lyra. Other times his ego and pride took over and made him choose wrong.
As he lowered his hand, he looked over his shoulder and saw the kindness in her eyes. In that moment he realized she was the voice of reason. At times when he should have listened to her, things might have gone better for him. He wouldn't have gotten a concussion from taking Team Rocket on by himself. And who knows what might happen if he were to capture one of the legendary Pokémon. Especially one who helped them.
He placed the ball back into his coat and stepped away from Entei. Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon, crawled towards Lyra who remained watching in awe.
"Heh, n-nice Suicune." She raised her right arm cautiously and leisurely extended it to pet it.
"What are you doing?"
"Shh." She hushed him while her hand made contact with the top of its head. Amazingly, it didn't turn away or even flinch at her touch. She looked over at him and the giddy expression on her face caused him to smile.
Suicune soon turned away and headed towards the others. It let out a low gruff and they stood up on command, waiting for Suicune to lead the way. It gave them one last look and jumped upwards to the higher floor, followed by Entei and Raikou, leaving both of them open-mouthed and amazed.
"So, where are you going now?" She danced on her heels, leaning forward to hear his answer.
"I'm off to Olivine City, see if I can find something to do there."
"Oh. I'll see you there then." She put her arms over head, ready to turn on a swivel and head over to the Pokémon Center.
He scratched his chin to bide some time. "Are you waiting for something?"
She scrunched her face in a cute way, and without notice, jumped on him for a hug. "Thank you for helping me again."
He held her, lost in the flowery aroma that was her scent. In all his time alone, he never once imagined what it felt like to care for another person. It was all about him and his ploy against his father. But she comes along and starts changing his outlook on life. There's more to it than just revenge. There's also the joy of knowing there are people who can change your own life.
"Uhh, Silver? You can let go now." She separated herself, but not before stealing a quick kiss and walking off. "Bye." She waved, already strolling down the illuminated street that led to the Pokémon Center.
Silver cracked a smile as he headed towards the city gate and out to the wilderness. His thoughts were still on finding his father, only now they were divided amongst him and his budding relationship with Lyra.
A/N: Thanks for the follows and reviews. Greatly appreciated. Disclaimers: I don't own Pokémon or the characters.
