Chapter 12: Lyra's Shining Luck

I was awoken by the sound of something moving quickly outside of the tent. Unsure of what it was, I sluggishly got up and rubbed my eyes to see clearer. I looked to the side and saw that Gold was still asleep on his side of the tent, his hat covering his eyes, using his bag as a pillow. I wondered what time it was as I leaned up to look out one of the netted windows in the tent. When I looked outside, I could hear a buzzing sound, and I saw a red blur rush by, which startled me for moment.

"What was that?" I muttered quietly as I leaned closer to peer out the sides of the viewport.

Whatever it was, it was definitely a Pokémon. In fact, it was kind of like the Yanma I saw back at Bugsy's Gym. Excited by the possibility, I went over to wake up Gold.

"Hey, Gold, wake up—I think there's a Yanma outside," I said, tugging on his sweatshirt.

"ZZZZZZ . . ."

I could feel myself frowning as I looked down at my sleepy friend. Gold is so inconsistent in his sleeping habits. Sometimes the littlest thing will wake him up, while other times nothing short of a bucket of water over his head will get the guy to budge. The latter of which I've done to him several times, actually. But seeing as I lacked a bucket and didn't feel like messing with him right now, I decided to let him sleep.

I then saw the red blur out of the corner of my eye again, so I looked out the netted window and had my suspicions confirmed. I was delighted to see a Yanma land near the fire pit Gold made last night. It began to meticulously groom its four wings, using its tail and front legs. Unsure if I was going to get another chance to catch a Yanma, I quickly reached for my bag and crawled out of the tent, being sure to be quiet so I didn't scare the dragonfly away. I then kneeled down and nudged Teeka, who was sleeping next to the tent, to get her up.

"Teeka, I need your help. We're going to catch that Yanma over there," I whispered as I pointed out the Yanma to my adorable Mareep.

Teeka hummed quietly to herself as she got up to her feet, and we both started to quietly move towards the Yanma, who was still grooming its wings. Just before we were within a good attacking range, I accidently stepped on a twig, causing it to snap.

"Oh, shoot," I whispered as the Yanma turned its head, noticing Teeka and me.

The red dragonfly instantly took off, zipping into the woods.

"Oh, no you don't! Teeka, let's go," I called out enthusiastically as Teeka and I ran after the Yanma.

I was determined—I wasn't going to let this Yanma get away. This was probably the only chance I'd get at catching one, too, because Gold's Pokédex said they're pretty rare around here. After entering the tree line, I saw the Yanma hovering over a thin, dirt path.

"Teeka, use Thunder Wave," I instructed, pointing towards it.

My Mareep dashed forward as pulse of electricity shot out from her wool. Unfortunately, the Yanma was faster than I thought, and easily avoided the pulse of static.

"Wow, Bugsy wasn't kidding when he said these things are fast. Teeka, keep trying!"

Teeka's wool sparked once more and unleashed more static pulses into the air. But the Yanma darted around the attacks like it was child's play. In fact, I think it was snickering at me as Teeka failed to connect any of her attacks. I was starting to get frustrated, and wished Gold was here to help me out. But if I went back to get him, the Yanma would definitely get away. No, I had to do this myself.

I looked back up to see the red dragonfly, in the midst of its dodging, quickly zip around an incoming pulse, then charged Teeka head-on.

"Teeka, look out—use Cotton Guard!"

The Mareep receded into its wool coat, but the attack was a fake-out, and the Yanma used this opportunity to dart back into the woods.

"No, come back! Teeka, come on—we have to hurry!" I said, motioning towards my Pokémon.

I dashed once again through the forest with Teeka right behind me. I've spent a lot of time outdoors, so navigating the various bushes and undergrowth was easy, but the Yanma seemed to notice this, and started to fly through areas with thicker foliage and thorn bushes.

Damn, this Yanma is playing dirty!

I wanted to avoid the obstacles in my way, but if I did I would lose track of the dragonfly.

"No, I'm not going to lose you!" I sneered as I felt the thorn bushes scratch at my arms and legs.

While we chased the Yanma through the woods, the dragonfly finally took its eyes off me, and was more focused on where it was going. Seeing this, I figured it was the perfect time to strike.

"Teeka, use Thunder Sho—" I ordered, but stopped in my tracks when I noticed that Teeka's wool was caught in the thorns.

Teeka meeped as she struggled to escape the bushes that ensnared her.

"Ah, come on, really?!" I exclaimed as I turned to help untangle Teeka.

As I aided my Mareep, I looked over my shoulder and saw the Yanma snicker at me before it flew off. I clenched my fist, frustrated that my only opportunity to catch a Yanma just flew away.

"Darn it." I sighed. "Great, it got away. Jeez, Teeka, come on, I almost had it," I complained, giving my Mareep a disappointed look.

Teeka looked upset that she let me down, and I felt bad for blaming her.

"I'm sorry; it's not your fault." I apologized, sighing as I freed my Mareep from the thorns.

I scratched her chin and she nuzzled my hand. Despite her cute affections, I felt disappointed in myself; I couldn't believe it got away.

I guess I should head back to the tent now; I wonder if Gold is up yet. If he is, he'll probably need me to help him take down the tent. Or . . . I think I'll manipulate him into doing all of it for me. Oh, I can already think of several ways to make him do it, too.

I snickered at the thought of working Gold like a puppet as Teeka and I trekked our way back. Despite how easily manipulated he is, though, I have to say he's changed a lot since we left New Bark. He's become a lot bolder now, and he's done some pretty amazing things, too. I knew Gold always wanted to be a great Trainer, but I never thought he would get so strong so quickly. Nile, Merlin, and even his newest team member Duke are all really tough, and Gold knows how to make them fight at their full potentials, too. For being such a shy guy, he's actually quite amazing. It's times like these where I'm really glad that he's my friend.

My only friend . . .

I frowned after that last thought, because I was reminded about the fact that I let the whole notion about him being my only friend slip out. Oh God, that was so embarrassing; I wish I'd never said that. I know that Gold thinks I'm very confident and sociable, but he would be shocked if he knew the truth.

The reality is that I used to be extremely self-conscious, and rather shy, too. I was like that because all the kids back at my old town would never hang out with me because they thought I was weird, and it's always been that way until I moved to New Bark and met him. I've just never shown him my timid side because of some reason that I don't quite understand. It's just that whenever he's around, I feel unafraid to express myself. Hell, I doubt that I could've even performed in that Contest if I didn't know Gold was in the audience.

Well, now that I think about it, Gold never asked me about what I said; maybe he didn't hear me. Oh, I hope he didn't, because I'd rather not talk about my lack of friends with him and just leave it at that. As my thoughts continued on that subject, I noticed that I still had ways to go before I reached the tent—that Yanma took me out pretty far.

Maybe I should take this time to call my grandparents and let them know Gold and I are going to stop by for a visit.

I dug through my bag and grabbed my cell phone, scrolling through my contacts. I noticed that I had a very low battery, but I was pretty sure I had enough for one call.

"Teeka, let's wait for sec. I need to call my grandparents, okay?" I said as I walked to the side of the trail and started the call.

As the phone rang, Teeka walked up and rubbed against my legs, and I could feel little sparks of static as they jumped across my legs.

"Hello?" answered my grandfather as he picked up the phone.

"Hi Grandpa, it's me," I said cheerfully.

"Oh, good morning, Lyra, this is a pleasant surprise. How are you doing, sweetie?"

"I'm doing fine, thanks."

"I heard from your mom that you're participating in Pokémon Contests now, so how's that going?"

"Oh, I won a ribbon at Violet City with my Marill," I proclaimed with pride.

I could almost feel him beaming on the other end. "Oh, that's great, sweetie! I knew you could do it—I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Grandpa. Anyway, I called to let you know I'm on my way to Goldenrod with a friend, and I was going to stop by the Day Care for a visit."

"Oh, that would be wonderful; I didn't know you were traveling with a friend. What's her name?"

"Um, actually . . . my friend's a guy. . . . His name is Gold," I muttered, embarrassed that I had to clarify that.

"Oh, it's a boy, huh? So, is he your boyfriend?" he asked in a rather coy tone.

"My what?! No, no—he's just my friend!" I shrieked as I felt my face blush at the thought.

He laughed for a moment or two before saying, "Oh, my bad. It's just that you're at that age now, and I thought that—" he explained before I cut him off.

"Look, I'm telling you, he's just my friend!" I exclaimed, a bit irritated.

"All right, all right, if you say so." He chuckled. "So, when do you think you two will get here?"

I sighed and said, "I don't know. Gold and I are trying to catch one more Pokémon before we head out."

"Well, don't take too long—your grandmother and I would love to meet your friend."

"Okay, thanks Grandpa. See ya."

"Bye, sweetie."

"Bye," I said as I ended the call and put my phone away.

Gold as my boyfriend? That would just be weird. No, he's just my friend.

"Jeez, Grandpa, you're so silly," I muttered to myself as I made my way around a bend in the path.

"Wait, this doesn't look right," I said as I noticed the unfamiliar surroundings.

Teeka looked around as well, and she looked confused, too.

"I think I made a wrong turn a bit further back. Teeka, let's head back," I suggested, turning around with Teeka skipping by my side.

As we walked, I felt my legs and arms starting to get itchy from the scratches.

I think Gold has some antiseptic on him; I should use some of it when I get back and . . .

"Okay, this is definitely not right," I said, a bit concerned.

This path looked nothing like the one I ran along when I chased the Yanma. How did I get lost so easily? I mean, I went in a relatively straight line when I ran after that Pokémon, I think. Okay, maybe I can use the sun to get my bearings. I looked up and noticed the sun was rising off to my left, so that means that way was east. Now I just have to remember which way the sun was rising back at the tent and . . .

"But wait . . . which way was that?" I shuddered as I failed to recall the sun's position earlier.

I felt myself panic for a second, not knowing what to do, but then I remembered that I could just call Gold and have him come and find me. So I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the contacts, but just as I was about to make the call, my phone died on me.

"Oh my God! No, not now!" I called out, frustrated, as I put my phone back. "Teeka, you wouldn't happen to know how to get back?" I asked skeptically, kneeling down to scratch my Mareep's ears.

Sadly, she shook her head, saying no.

"Great, now what do I do?" I worried.

I felt panic starting to set in again, and I was clueless as to where I was. Okay, I need to think this through and stop getting worked up. I know Gold would never leave without me, plus it's been a while since I left the tent, and it's rather bright out now, so he's probably looking for me. Besides, I'm probably near the tent anyway, so I should just stay put till he finds me.

"Well, Teeka, looks like we're going to have to stay here till Gold finds us." I sighed as I slumped to the ground and crossed my legs.

Teeka walked over and curled up in my lap. I started to stroke her wool and felt static arc across my fingers. It's a neat feeling when you pet a Mareep, because instead of hurting, like most static shocks do, it actually feels kind of tingly, in a good way.

I sat there for what felt like ten minutes or so, and I was starting to get worried that I couldn't hear Gold calling for me. Where the hell is he? He is looking for me, right? Did he even wake up yet? Or am I much farther from the tent than I originally thought?

As I wondered my situation, I noticed that I felt rather parched and hungry. Gold and I were going to get food today when we reached Goldenrod, but now I'm feeling really hungry, and my stomach growled angrily at me.

Seeing as I couldn't do anything else, I got up to walk around a bit and try to fight off my feeling of hunger. Teeka looked up at me and had a concerned look on her face.

"Don't worry, Teeka, we'll be fine. Gold's going to find us soon. I hope."

But after I uttered those words, I heard a low growling sound, followed by several loud, crashing footsteps. I gulped after hearing that and felt my legs start to shake.

"What was that?" I asked fearfully.

The crashing sound was heading towards me, and was growing louder and louder.

"Teeka, get ready—something's coming," I said, bracing myself for what might come out of the undergrowth.

The sounds of breaking sticks and bushes being toppled over were drawing closer; whatever's in there was huge! Oh God, is it another Nidoking?! What am I going to do?!

I prepared myself to run at a moment's notice; if this was another Nidoking, Teeka could do nothing to stop it. Then, out of the bushes came not the massive creature I imagined, but instead a small, teddy bear-like Pokémon with a crescent moon symbol on its forehead. It looked up at me as it held its finger up to its mouth in a rather cute way.

"Oh, phew, it's just a Teddiursa," I said as I breathed a sigh of relief. "Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack. So, what's a little guy like you doing out here?" I asked in friendly voice as I walked up to the little bear.

As I stepped closer, the Teddiursa looked a little scared and stumbled backwards, unfortunately banging its head on a rock. It held its paws up to its head and started crying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?" I asked as I knelt down to help the poor thing.

But before I could try to calm down the little Pokémon, the area around me got dark. I glanced to the side and saw a shadow that outlined a large creature looming behind. I slowly turned around and saw a massive bearlike Pokémon with a ring pattern on its gut, and it wasn't happy. I trembled at the sight of the Ursaring that loomed over me, and it started to growl, angrily bearing its teeth.

I screamed as the massive bear tried to sweep its arm at me. I dove out of the way and narrowly avoided the attack. As I glanced up from the ground, I saw the Ursaring rear its arm back to swipe at me again, when Teeka zapped the massive bear with Thunder Shock. The Ursaring grimaced as it turned around to focus on Teeka.

"Teeka, look out! Use Cotton Guard, quickly!" I yelled as I leaned up from the ground.

Teeka quickly receded into her wool as the paw swiped her round form aside, into a thorn bush. Teeka poked her limbs out, but meeped fearfully, for she was stuck in thorns. Seeing this opportunity, the Ursaring pummeled Teeka, who was unable to escape.

"No—Teeka!" I screamed as I reached for Marill's Poké Ball. "I'm sorry to make you do this, Marill, but I need your help. Please, just this once," I begged as I released my first Pokémon.

Marill came out in flash of light, and was shocked to find the situation she was in.

"Marill, please help Teeka!" I screamed, seeing Teeka get pummeled.

Hearing my command, the Ursaring turned to face the blue Pokémon and roared loudly. Marill froze up and couldn't move; she was terrified of the Pokémon in front of her.

"Marill, please. I know you're scared, but if you don't help, we're going to die!" I pleaded with her.

But Marill wouldn't budge; she was too scared of the imposing Pokémon before her. The Ursaring charged forward and kneed Marill, sending her tumbling past me. When she landed, my heart sank when I saw that she wasn't moving. I instantly shot up to my feet to grab my fainted Marill.

I had to run somewhere, but where!? This Ursaring would outrun me for sure! I looked around frantically for anywhere I could escape. Then I saw a tree that looked easy enough to climb. That's it—I had to get up that tree! I ran to the side of the trail and climbed as fast as I could; unfortunately, I had to hold Marill in one of my arms, and was slowed down. I didn't want to look, but I could hear the Ursaring breaking the braches that were below me as it tried to grab me.

Once I climbed about twenty feet up, I stopped on a branch and looked down at the bear Pokémon that was attempting to get up the tree, but failing. In anger, the Pokémon roared loudly at me, and I curled up next to the tree trunk, trembling in fear.

Oh God, what do I do now!?

"Someone help me!" I screamed.

But then I remembered that Teeka was still down there. I quickly reached inside my bag and found her Poké Ball. I pointed it towards my Mareep on the ground and returned her. But now it was just Marill and me, and the Ursaring was hacking away at the tree trunk.

As I looked down at the rampaging Pokémon, I heard something buzzing over my head. Before I could look up to see what it was, I felt something land on top of my hat as air rushed past my neck. Whatever it was it had six legs and weighed only a few pounds. I glanced up and saw the cute eyes of a Yanma looking down at me. But it looked different, though: Instead of red, the dragonfly was blue. Wait . . . is this . . .

"A . . . Shiny?" I muttered before I was shaken by the Ursaring's attack on the tree.

The dragonfly on top of my head looked at the bear below and then back at me before tilting its head. After a second or two, it flew off my hat and dashed into the woods.

"Wait! Come back, don't leave—" I pleaded before the Ursaring slammed into the tree below and I almost lost my grip.

I whimpered as the massive bear Pokémon smashed against the tree over and over again.

"Help me! Someone—please!" I screamed.

But no one came, and I felt the tree start to crack and splinter. I squeezed my Marill and prayed for someone to save me as tears ran down my face. Then, I heard a sharp whistling sound off to my right. I looked to the side and saw the blue Yanma from before, and it whistled again, looking off somewhere, and then it flew away. What the hell is it doing?

Then I saw someone come out of undergrowth where the Yanma was looking—it was Gold! He turned his head and saw me in the tree with the Ursaring below me, and his eyes widened.

"Lyra!?" Gold yelled as Duke came out of the bushes behind him.

In response to Gold's outcry, the Ursaring turned away from the tree and glared at him.

"Get the hell away from her! Duke, use Double Kick!" he yelled defiantly as Duke charged the massive bear Pokémon.

Gold's Nidorino dashed along the forest floor, and, upon reaching the Ursaring, he jumped up and dropkicked the Pokémon in its side. The bear Pokémon lurched backward and held its side as it grunted in pain. Duke followed up with a serious of tackles, driving the Ursaring away from the tree. Gold quickly ran up towards the two to issue his next command.

"Duke, use Double Kick again, and follow up with Sludge!"

The Ursaring, in an attempt to stop the Nidorino, threw its arms up, ready to smash Duke. Before it could attack, though, Duke quickly turned around, pivoting on his front legs, and kicked his back legs into the Ursaring's gut, knocking the wind out of it. Then, using the momentum of his kick, pivoted back around to face the bear Pokémon head-on, and pelted it with small globs of purple sludge.

Duke continued to dish out attack after attack until the Ursaring finally gave up and receded back into the woods, along with its Teddiursa. Gold relaxed a bit as the Pokémon left and turned to look up at me.

"Lyra, are you okay? Where are your Pokémon? Are they hurt?" he asked frantically.

"Marill is with me, and I have Teeka in her Poké Ball, but she's hurt," I replied, breathing heavily.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm . . . I'm fine," I said as I started to calm down.

Seeing as everything was under control, I reached in my bag and returned Marill. But as I did so, I noticed that all the branches I used to get up the tree were broken and gone. If I was going to get down, I would have to jump.

"Gold I . . . I can't get down—the branches are gone," I said as I descended to the lowest branch that remained.

"If you can't get down, then I guess I'll just have to catch you," he suggested with a slight grin on his face.

"What?!"

"What, you don't trust me?"

"No . . . it's n-not that. I . . . I . . . I just. . . ." I stuttered.

I knew it wasn't that far of a drop, but that didn't stop my head from over exaggerating what it felt like. I have a fear of heights, and I regretted that I even climbed up this thing in the first place.

"Uh . . . um . . . can't you get a ladder or something?" I asked, afraid of how high up I was.

"A ladder, really? In the middle of the woods," Gold retorted to my rather stupid request.

"Look, I . . . I just don't want to fall, okay?!" I retorted.

"Lyra, you nearly gave me a heart attack when I couldn't find you earlier. The least you could do is trust me on this. I'll catch you, don't worry," he said, getting his arms ready for me to drop.

"I . . . I can't. What if you miss me?" I worried, closing my eyes as I cringed at the thought of falling.

"I told you, I won't."

"I . . . I . . . I just can't!" I cried.

"Jeez, you're like a ten-year-old," he muttered softly to himself.

"Hey, I heard that! I'm not a ten-year-old!" I barked at him.

"Then can you please just jump already? You have to come down one way or another."

"Okay, fine, I'll jump, you jerk!" I said as I started to lower myself from the branch I was standing on. "I swear to God, if you don't catch me I'm going to kill you, Gold," I threatened as I dangled from the branch, ready to let go.

"I'm going to catch you, now come on," he said impatiently.

"Okay. . . . Here I go," I said as I closed my eyes.

But I didn't let go—my hands were practically glued to the branch.

"Any day now," snapped Gold.

"Shut up!" I hissed at him.

"Just let go—you'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say! Ugh, fine!" I said as I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. Then, I let go of the branch.

As I fell, I could feel the air rush past me, and I braced myself for the worst as my stomach dropped and I tensed up. Then, I felt Gold catch me in his arms. He didn't even have to bend over or struggle to hold me up—he just caught me like I was weightless. When I opened my eyes to see, I saw him looking down at me with his vibrant golden eyes as he cradled me in his arms.

"I told you I'd catch ya," he said, grinning.

"Um . . . th-thanks," I muttered timidly.

After that statement, we both just stayed quiet for a few moments. Oh shit, this is awkward. Why does this keep happening to me? Why do I keep finding myself in his arms? Oh God, I can feel my cheeks starting to blush.

"Here—let me put you down," Gold said as he stood me up on my feet.

I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't see my cheeks and I was able to quickly hide it. As I was recovering from that awkward moment, I thought of something, and I turned to look at Gold.

"Gold, how did you find me?" I asked.

Before he could answer, I heard that buzzing sound again, and something landed on top of my hat. I glanced up and saw the blue Yanma again.

"You can thank him," Gold said, pointing towards the Pokémon on top of my head.

"I was looking for you when this guy came out of nowhere and harassed me to follow it—then I found you," he explained.

"Wait . . . you mean . . . you went and got him?" I asked, looking up at the Shiny Pokémon.

The blue Yanma nodded its head.

"Th-thank you," I said as the Yanma hummed pleasantly to itself.

"I think he likes you. I'm so jealous," Gold admitted.

"You do?" I asked the Yanma.

It gave me a cute smile as it fluttered its wings happily.

"You gonna name him?" Gold asked.

"I'm not sure; what should I call him?"

"How about Drake? He is a dragonfly, after all—a Shiny one, too," Gold suggested.

"Drake, huh? I like it," I said as I reached up to scratch the top of Drake's head.

"Well, now that you're singlehandedly the luckiest girl in the world for finding a Shiny Pokémon, I think it's time we get out of this forest," Gold proposed as he motioned for Duke to come over to him, "seeing as you now have three awesome Pokémon to help you perform."

I nodded and we made our way out of the forest. Before we finally left Ilex, I thought about something that Gold said. He said I was lucky. Well, he's right about that, but in more ways than he knows.

I'm lucky because he's my friend.


So this story will now contain some chapters from other character's perspectives like Lyra and even Silver at some point. But for the most part it's Gold's journey so it will focus mainly on him.

Once again hope you enjoy the story and review/follow if you want.