"-and Silver...well, Silver is actually a lot stronger now that he's nicer to his pokemon! His golbat even evolved into a crobat! I actually think that he could beat me next time I battle him," Lyra giggles cheerfully as we stroll down the street.

Stunned by the tale of her pokemon journey, all I can manage is a "Wow..."

This girl...is amazing. In the first year of her journey, she managed to conquer the Johto league, stop an evil crime syndicate, and beat the Elite Four! Then, she took a year to conquer the Kanto league, and now she's been training for a year to challenge what some believe to be a ghost! That's just the barest of summaries, too. If I recapped everything she told me, all of the legends she met and the experiences she gained, it would take at least an hour, and I would not do it justice.

This entire time, we've mostly talked about our likes, dislikes, and Lyra's past. We steer clear of my past, mostly because I think that Lyra is trying not to upset me. That's really fine by me; I'm not sure how much I could tell her about my anyway without giving myself away.

"Oh, the pokemart! Do you mind stopping there again? I forgot to pick up some revives..." Lyra asks.

I shrug and walk up to the building and hold open the door for her as an answer. I'm not too interested in the place because what there sell to you depends on how many gym badges you have. It's annoying that I can't browse their entire selection. Even if I can't use or afford it yet, I want to be able to identify what I will be able to use in the future, so I won't have to essentially have to learn as I buy. As Lyra goes to pick out what she needs, I look out the window of the store absentmindedly. The sun has just started to set; we must have been out for hours...

A glint in an alley catches my attention, and my eyes follow it. If I squint, it almost looks like...a steelhead?! The burly body type, the armored head, the ancient stance of a warrior...there's no mistaking it. There is a steelhead in the alley for some reason. Casually, I step out of the pokemart and cross the street. I pretend to look lost and lean against the wall to get my bearings. When I'm sure I'm not in the steelhead's line of sight, I inch as close to the alley as I dare.

"-how do you propose we get to Fuschia City by nightfall tomorrow? We are halfway across the region, and we have fifty pokemon traveling with us in these crates!"

"Silence, fool! Obtaining a mode of travel shouldn't be difficult with our pokemon providing some incentive to those with the vehicles we need!"

"...I'll see what I can find around here. Don't move!"

"You dare speak that way to me?"

"You're just here to control some of the pokemon! I'll be the one leading the destruction! You wouldn't even be able to find Kanto without me!"

"Why you-"

I tune them out. Obviously, it's an admin and a steelhead, and they are attacking some city in Kanto tomorrow with pinched pokemon. Unfortunately for them, the only place they'll be tomorrow is a a prison cell. My hand lands on my belt where my styler will surely-

...not...be. Right...I don't have my styler anymore; I'm a trainer now. I fight with pokemon now, not a capture styler. I really have to beat that in my head...

I glance over to the alley where the steelhead and admin are probably just seconds away from a full-blown fist fight. I can try to battle them with my pokemon, but I have no idea what type of pokemon are under their control. I'm probably out of my league in that sense. I bite the inside of my cheek worriedly. I don't know where the police department in this city is, and even if I did, there is no telling if they'll be there when I get back.

"Wendy! Where did you go!" I hear Lyra call out from the entrance of the pokemart.

The pincher and Steelhead both shut up immediately. That gives me an idea...I do have the Johto champion with me...

"Lyra!" I shriek. "Lyra, over here!"

Lyra's panicked face comes into view as she sprints to me. "Wendy! Wendy are you okay?!"

While pointing to the alley, I softly whisper, "Pinchers."

Lyra's eyes narrow. "Not here. Not now, not ever."

She marches into the alley with a pokeball in her hand and an uncharacteristic glare on her face.

I am sososososo sorry for the long wait! School just sucks and life sucks, and I can't remember the last time I had more than five minutes to write! I just barely finished this because my teacher gave us free time in class and...*sighs* I promise that the next update will come sooner! Spring break is coming up, and I won't be doing anything but writing:)

ps: Those five minutes that I get to write usually go to original poems, so if you guys could go on the fictionpress website, look me up(under the same name) and tell me what you think, I'd be really grateful.