Lyra found herself wandering through the thick mist, waving a hand in front of her as she attempted to clear it. "Hello?" She called out. She had never seen this place before, but she knew where she was. She continued to wander aimlessly in her lucid dream, curious and scared to know what would await her. The sky above her was black and the floor below her was like quicksilver as it reflected her image. Finding a clearing in the mist she stepped through it and gasped when she saw the image of a four armed humanoid with his back turned to her. She reached out, then quickly retracted her hand. Her guilt drove her into fear. The figure, sensing her presence, turned to face her. The Machamp lit up as he gazed at her. "Hello, Ly." His skin on his chest had been knit, leaving behind a faint scar.

She choked back a sob as she ran into his arms, to her relief he returned the hug. She loosened her hold and shook her head sadly. "This isn't real." She stated, her eyes downcast.

"So?" The Machamp replied with a shrug. "That doesn't mean we can't enjoy our company together."

She laughed at his optimism. Even if it were only a figment of her subconscious, she gained a certain amount of comfort from it. "Why are you here?" She asked the representation.

Muscles, smiled as he looked at her. "Because there is something I have to tell you. Something important."

"What?" She asked. She could feel her dream state weakening, their surrounds began to fade as she began to wake up. "Please, tell me!"

Muscles placed one hand on her shoulder while he cupped her face with another. "You must remember to love. Find love, and when you do, never let it go." He smiled as his form began to fade away. "Never forget to love…"

"Kotone?"

Lyra gasped as she woke from her dream, her heart beating erratically. She scanned the room, searching for the voice, when she could find it she looked up and saw Silver staring down at her. She had fallen asleep between his legs, curled up against his chest. He gently wiped away the tears that she had unknowingly shed. "I'm okay." She said at last, holding his hand.

He frowned, unconvinced. "You were crying in your sleep… was it a nightmare?"

Lyra shook her messy ponytail. "No, actually, quite the opposite." She smiled at the memory, deciding to keep it to herself. Looking the redhead over, she gave him a questioning look. "You… you're still here."

"Of course I am." Silver replied. "Why would I leave?"

Lyra fiddled with her hands nervously, unsure of how to answer. "Well, I know you have a lot of work to do, and a lot of responsibilities to take care of… I mean, that's more important than staying her with me-" Her ramblings were cut off when Silvers lips suddenly locked with hers. She widened her eyes in surprise at the unexpected kiss.

Pulling away Silver ran his hand along her face. "You are more important. And I am never leaving you." He pulled into a second kiss, this time, more passionate. As he slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss, all thoughts of the war left their minds. Lyra gave into the pleasure of his affection and returned the kiss with an equal amount of passion. For that moment, the only ones that existed in the world were them. She unknowingly slid her hands up his shirt and along his hard abs while he worked at unbuttoning her thick leather jacket. He paused his work when his knuckles brushed against something hard. Breaking their kiss he leaned back to admire the object around her neck. His eyes widened in recognition as he rubbed a thumb along the chipped moonstone that hung to the silver chain around her neck. "You kept it?" He asked, breathless.

She placed a hand over his and gazed into his eyes. "Of course. I always kept it close to my heart." She squeaked in surprise as he pulled her onto his lap. She felt that his kiss would consume her whole body. She could barely breath, much less think, as he kissed her. He undid her ponytail, allowing long brunette locks to cascade down while he ran his fingers through her hair. Pressing his tongue against her lips, he asked for permission to enter once more. When she allowed him entry he explored her mouth and caressed her tongue with his own. The sensation sent pleasant shivers down her spine. The experience was knew and exciting. Her fingers trembled as they traced his collarbone.

Silver trailed down as he kissed her neck and gently sucked on her soft skin. He moved his hands from her hair to her waist, gently massaging her hips with his thumbs. When she rewarded him with a soft moan, he felt his self-control slipping. He fought internally as he wanted nothing more than to toss her down on the bed and make her his. Moving his mouth down to her collarbone he ran his tongue along her skin, causing her to gasp.

Lyra craned her head back, gasping for air, as she allowed him to continue his work on her neck. Her attention became divided when she heard the faint sound of bells in the distance. Straining her ear she listened once more, and again heard the faint chiming. "Silver." She whispered.

"Hmm?" He grunted, preoccupied.

"Silver." She said once more, a little louder.

"What?" He asked, irritated.

"Listen."

Reluctantly he obeyed, listening for the phantom noise that distracted her. When he picked up the sound of bells he sent her an inquisitive look. "A bell?" He asked, uncertain.

She nodded while facing the closed draped of the window. "I think it's the Clear Bell." She said. When she heard the sound again her face split into a wide smile. Pulling his arm she urged him to get up. "Come on! We have to go see!" She grinned excitedly, pulling her messy locks into a ponytail.

Silver groaned in protest as he watched her fix her hair and button her partially opened jacket. "Yeah, give me a minute." He growled, stomping towards the bathroom.

Lyra couldn't help but giggle when she heard him turn on the cold shower. Within a few minutes, he stepped out wearing the same black shirt and khaki pants as the day before, his hair towel dried. Lyra cringed realizing she had neglected to take a shower before she fell asleep. The redhead nodded, signaling he was ready to leave. As they walked through the Safari Zone dorms, Silver grasped her hand in his own. Lyra looked up in surprise. When he offered her a small, shy smile, she returned it when a beaming one. Tightening her grip on his hand the two stepped out into the morning sun.

Other members of the League had stepped out when they heard the sound of the bell. Shielding their eyes with their hand they stared into the bright sunlight. Descending from the skies was none other than the Ho-oh, Suzaku. "Greetings, Lyra." He said, bowing his regal head.

"It is good to see you again, Suzaku." She replied with a sad smile.

"Yes, although I wish the circumstances were different." Despite being miles away, he had heard about the loss of Mr. Muscles and came immediately.


The League gathered outside, split into two sides as they waited for the funeral to begin. Belle walked down the center, telekinetically carrying Mr. Muscles linin wrapped body and placed him on the bed of logs and twigs they had gathered earlier. Everyone bowed their heads in respect as the massive legendary bird took center stage. Crossing over to Lyra he bowed his head. "May I have the honor of igniting the flame?" He asked, his head low to the ground.

Lyra reached out and stroked his crown feathers. "Of course. I think he would be honored."

Suzaku stepped over to the bed holding the Machamp and ignited the flammable linin with his fire. The rainbow hued flames consumed the linen, body, and logs until nothing remained. Lyra watched until the flames died out, listening to the conversations around her with half an ear.

"It's not easy losing a partner." Blue commented to Red. "The day I lost my raticate… I never thought I could battle again."

"I was always suspicious as to why you were in the Pokemon Tower. I am so sorry." Red replied softly. "The important thing, is for us to care for the friends we have now."

"How is your dragonite?" Blaine asked the Dragon Tamer.

"He is badly damaged but he will recover. How is Lyra holding up?" He asked, his words dripping with concern.

Blaine sighed sadly. "She is devastated but thankfully she has Silver to help her through it."

"Yes." Lance commented, glancing at the pair. "I don't think there is a person better suited than him."

"Kotone?" Silver asked, squeezing her hand. The flames had long ago died out as she continued to stand, frozen in place.

"Yeah?" She asked, softly, not moving her eyes from the ashes piled on the ground.

"Come on, let's go." He said, gently tugging on her hand. She nodded slowly, following his lead.


The rest of the evening involved the League speaking to one another, checking on their Pokémons wounds, and giving their condolences to Lyra and her team. Lyra accepted their condolences with a quiet grace, thanking them for their concern. Occassionally she would glance at her team, worried. Belle had found comfort in the Gengar's presence while Wish stayed close to the Ho-oh. Ruby, preferring privacy, swam in the waters below the cliffs. That left Blaze to try and comfort Pharos. Lyra sighed with a frown before walking over to the pair. She sat down silently beside the ampharos.

"I don't blame you." Pharos said, softly.

Lyra nodded her head appreciatively. "You don't have to do this, you know. Battling. If you want I can-"

"No!" Pharos cut her off, looking up. "I want to fight. I want… to avenge Muscles…" She lowered her head solemnly.

The young woman sighed, understanding the feeling all too well. "If that's what you want, I won't stop you. But you have to promise me something."

She tilted her head, "what?"

"You have to promise me you'll be careful. Don't risk your life because of your grief. I've been there, it's not easy." She bit her lip before continuing. "If you can't promise me, then promise to Muscles. He would't want to see you hurt, no matter what."

Pharos nodded her head, while wiping away a tear. "Thanks Lyra." She said, wrapping her arms around her trainer.

Lyra returned the hug and ran her hand along her back. "Of course. I'm always here for you guys."

Pharos stood to excuse herself, leaving Blaze and Lyra to themselves. They sat in silence, unsure of what to say. "I'll watch over her." Blaze offered. When his trainer gave him a look he offered a smirk. "That's what you wanted to ask me, right?"

She forced a laughed and stared at her clasped hands. "You really do know me well."

"Just so you know," Blaze continued while taking a stand. "None of us blame you. We all know you did everything you could."

She nodded her head sharply. "Thank you, Blaze."


Blaine excused himself from Pryce and Koga and he walked over to Silver. The young man had remained silent as he watched Lyra speak with her pokemon across the room. The older man sighed as he stood by his side. "You really care about her don't you?"

Silver continued to say nothing, only the lowering of his gaze indicated he had heard the older mans' words. "All I wanted was to protect her." He said at last, narrowing his eyes. "That's all I ever wanted."

"But you could not protect her from this." Blaine finished, nodding his head in understanding.

Silver forced a laugh as he covered his eyes with his hand. "Ever since she got back, I have been so busy with trying to find Giovanni. I thought if I found him first, I would be protecting her. I basically ignored her." He added bitterly. "In the end, I almost lost her. If it hadn't been for Mr. Muscles then…"

"Hey now." Blain interrupted his downward spiral. "What matters is not what-ifs or maybes. What matters is now. Don't torture yourself with thoughts like those, son. It's not good for you." He clapped him firmly on the shoulder.

Silver lowered his hand and studied the man. Offering a weak smile he nodded. "Thank you, Blaine."

"Anytime, by boy. Promise me you'll keep looking after her." He removed his dark shades to look at the boy in the eyes, demonstrating his seriousness.

"I will." Silver said, holding his gaze. "I promise."


The following day, Lance, Lyra, Red, Silver, and Suzaku met in the meeting room to discuss their next plan of action. With Ghetsis' strength combined with Giovannis' force, they were severally outmatched and out manned. They were going to need help. Suzaku offered to remain with Lyra, filing in Muscles spot on her team. Lyra graciously accepted his offer. Lance spoke of finding others that could help. He mentioned the former Elite Four members that had retired but were still in prime fighting condition. Red, agreeing with the Dragon Tamer mentioned his cousin that had completed the League Challenge but left the region as he earned his Championship. They all agreed this was the best course of action. Meeting adjourned, they stepped into the large lobby where the rest of the league waited patiently.

"Thank you all for waiting." Lance said, drawing the crowd's attention. "Given our circumstances, we have come up with a solution." He motioned to Lyra, inviting her to continue.

"When I was traveling through the different regions," Lyra began. "I met a lot of strong trainers along the way; all of them worthy of being called champions. It's our plan to fly out to those regions, gather their strength, and return before Arceus is summoned. According to the vision Mew gave me, we have less than a month."

The crowd fell into whispers as they spoke to their neighbors. "How do you plan to make it back in time?" Lt. Surge called out. "A trip to Hoenn alone would take nearly a month by S.S. Ann. And she's the fastest ship in the fleet."

Lyra turned to the rainbow hued bird beside her. "Suzaku has agreed to take Silver and I to the other regions. With his Extremespeed, we can make it to Hoenn in under a week." The Ho-oh flapped his large wings to emphasis the point.

"When will you leave?" Blaine asked.

"Tonight." Silver answered. "The sooner we leave, the better."

"Meanwhile," Red added. "I will be starting a new campaign, looking for anyone who is willing and able to fight. If you have family, friends, friend of a friend, anyone… we need their help. If we don't fight back now, we will lose both Regions to Giovanni and Ghetsis."

The crowd fell into silence as they took in the information. It was finally Blue that broke the silence, sporting his infamous cocky smile. "Well, then, what are we waiting for? It's time we show them exactly who they're messing with."


Nevermind the fact Suzaku is back, Silver finally kissed Lyra! (only took you 130,000+ words...)

Sorry about the complete BUTCHERY of this chapter. I wanted to knock this one out, especially after how sad the previous chapter was.

As always, thanks for your awesome support and reviews! Have a great weekend!

R&R