Thanks to mirrorkinomoto for reviewing the previous chapter. This is the last of the fillers.
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Chapter Nineteen: Old and New
Lyra returned to Olivine City a couple of hours later. Flying was certainly the best way to travel. Scenic. Fast. And not physically exhausting. She didn't plan on flying to places all the time though, that wouldn't be fair on her Staravia. She planned to only fly to places there were far away from her current location. Besides, she had to remain in shape. As soon as she set foot in Olivine, she was taken aback by how pleasant the place looked.
The last time she had come here there had been a violent storm wrecking havoc on the city. Now she could see the place for what it was – a lovely area built on the ocean's end. Cianwood also shared a great view of the ocean, but Olivine just seemed like the perfect place to get a sun tan. The place seemed more alive, it was like the Goldenrod City of beach towns.
As Jasmine had promised, she was waiting at the lighthouse. "Here's the secret potion. The man gave me no trouble at all," said Lyra, handing the potion over to the gym leader.
Jasmine smiled. "Thank you very much. You've done a great deed for the people of Olivine City. I'll give the potion now to Amphy – please don't be offended though, Amphy will only take it from me." She removed the lid and knelt down besides the anxious Ampharos and gave it the potion. Ampharos drank it all within seconds and immediately seemed better.
"That's one powerful potion," said Lyra.
Jasmine nodded. "It's a special potion for medical emergencies only. Thank you again. I will now return to the gym after I've led Amphy back to the power source room." Ampharos wagged its tail and followed Jasmine back up to the top room. Lyra stopped by the Pokemon Centre on the way out to rest for short while. Once she felt better rested, she made her way to the shoreline of the beach.
Unlike all the previous gyms she had visited, Olivine Gym was rather simplistic looking. There were a few colourful steel-based archways but that was it. No artificial waterfalls. No trees and creepy bugs. No platforms to cross. There were even only two trainers in the building which seemed rather odd for a late gym.
Once again, the gym advisor was there to greet her. He gave her a dashing smile. "Hey there champ to be! Thanks to you, power has been restored to the city! Jasmine has returned and now she awaits you at the end! Be ready for a tough fight – steel-type Pokemon are pretty hard to take down. If you want to put a dent in that steel armour then make sure you have a fighting, fire or ground-type Pokemon with you! Otherwise you're going to be up for a very difficult battle. Good luck trainer! I'll be rooting for you."
Lyra thanked him for his advice. Based on his words, Lyra knew Growlithe and Gabite were going to be her primary battlers. She moved to the first trainer ready for a match. "Go on right ahead! You've already proven yourself to us by saving the Ampharos." The second trainer also thanked her for assistance. Well, that was a pleasant change from the usual, Lyra thought.
"Thank you for your help at the lighthouse… But this is different. Please allow me to reintroduce myself." She cleared her throat. "I'm Jasmine, a gym leader. I use the… clang! Steel-type! … Do you know about the steel-type? They are very hard, cold, sharp, and really strong! I'm not lying. So without further ado, let's battle!"
She brought out her first Pokemon – a robotic life form with a grey, circular metal body with horseshoe magnets on each side. It had three screws on its face – one on its head, and two below its massive single eye.
Magnemite. It is attracted by electromagnetic waves. It may approach trainers if they are using their Poke Gear.
"Go, Growlithe!" Lyra brought forth her adorable canine. Growlithe moved forward, eager to battle, uttering a low growling noise. She wanted to give her Growlithe as much experience as possible so it could learn some better moves – Growlithe was her only unevolved Pokemon on her team now. "Use Flame Burst!" Arrows of fire shot towards the Magnemite inflicting severe damage. Its robotic steel body now had a black scorch mark on it.
"Magnemite! Use Thunderbolt!" The Magnemite created a bolt of lightning with its horseshoe magnets and sent it forwards, striking the Growlithe. Growlithe yelped as the bolt struck her back. Fortunately, Growlithe managed to recover.
"Now use Fire Fang!" Growlithe lowered her body to the ground then rushed forward, teeth burning red. She leapt, grabbed hold of the Magnemite's body, and bit down. Magnemite writhed with pain until its eyes rolled back in its head. One Pokemon down.
Jasmine just smiled. "You're pretty good."
"So are you."
"Magnemite!" Jasmine summoned her second Magnemite. Lyra was beginning to think this battle was rather easy. Were her gym battles just going to get easier now as her Pokemon became stronger? Or was Jasmine simply lulling her into a false sense of security? Lyra ordered her Growlithe to use the same moves as before.
Magnemite received a critical blow and fainted. Surely, this couldn't be it, Lyra thought. It was just too easy. Growlithe turned to face Lyra, tilting her head to the side as to say, 'what's going on here?' Lyra could only shrug in response. She looked at Jasmine's face searching for a sign of worry, but there was none to be found. Perhaps this was her plan. Make the opponent think they've won the battle.
Jasmine summoned her final Pokemon. A large serpent made up of grey rocks appeared from the Pokemon, reaching upwards towards the ceiling. It was at least nine metres high. Nine metres of solid rock defence.
Steelix. The evolved form of Onix. Its body has been compressed deep under the ground. As a result, it is even harder than a diamond.
"Steelix, Use Rock Throw!" Steelix roared, and a bunch of stones from the ground rose up to the Steelix's centre point. With another fearsome roar, the Steelix thrust its head forward, sending rocks flying towards the Growlithe.
Growlithe was struck by multiple rocks, each one delivering a mighty blow to her health. She collapsed on the ground onto her side, growling softly until her eyelids closed. Growlithe had fainted. Lyra thought about her next Pokemon to move. Flying-types were weak to ground-type moves so that ruled out Staravia. Toto had Surf though… and Gabite knew Dig… both type of moves were super effective against a Steelix. So if one Pokemon fainted at least she had another.
"Feraligatr, use Surf!" As with the previous gym, there was no pool of water to take advantage of, so once again, Feraligatr summoned a tidal wave of sand and stone. The tidal wave moved fast and smashed into the Steelix, knocking it down to the ground. Steelix wasn't so easily defeated though; it simply picked itself back up again.
"Iron Tail!" Steelix swung its lower half in Toto's direction, the side of its tail smacking hard into the reptile's face. Toto was thrown a couple of metres away, hitting its head hard against the floor of the gym. The reptile grunted then forced himself back onto his feet.
"Use Surf again, Toto! Take that giant rock serpent down!" Feraligatr pounded his tail onto the ground, causing a few grains of sand to fly up around him. He conjured up another tidal wave of stone and sand again, and sent it forth. Steelix was struck again, toppling over onto the ground. Jasmine rushed over to her Steelix, knelt down besides her Pokemon and fed it a hyper potion.
Steelix recovered and stood up again, fixing its menacing gaze on Feraligatr. "Iron Tail!" Another powerful swing of its tail, and Feraligatr found himself sailing through the air again. Lyra knew that a Pokemon was super strong when it could toss a sturdy Pokemon like Feraligatr around like a rag doll.
"Keep using Surf, Toto!" Surf was the only attack Feraligatr could use against the rock-hard Steelix. Steelix fell over again, grunting as its head smacked against the ground for the third time that match. Feraligatr gnashed its powerful jaws at the air, emitting an ear-deafening roar that could even frighten some of the mightiest of dragons.
"Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered.
"Surf!"
This same vicious cycle repeated several times over until one Pokémon was no longer standing. Fortunately, for Lyra's sake, the Steelix had fainted. Jasmine returned her Pokémon to its pokeball then walked over to Lyra, a smile on her face. She brushed her hair back, reached into a pocket on her dress and pulled out a shiny badge.
"You are a better trainer than me, in both skill and kindness. In accordance with the league rules, I confer upon you this badge," Jasmine said, handing the item over to Lyra. The badge was in the shape of a blue octagon with silver edges. "Please take this…" She said, giving Lyra a tiny bottle of grey liquid. "You could teach this to a Pokémon. It contains Iron Tail."
Lyra smiled. Out of all the gym leaders she had faced, Jasmine was the most humble of the lot. "Thank you."
"I don't know how to say this, but good luck for your future endeavours! Your future is a bright one!"
Lyra put the badge away into her collector's box. "Where should I go next?"
"Your next stop should be Mahogany Town which is located directly to the east of Ecruteak City. Pryce awaits you. You'll have to cross through Mount Mortar to reach the town though," Jasmine explained, pausing briefly. A few seconds passed until she spoke again. "But that shouldn't be a problem for you or your team. You've already obtained six badges."
"I'll head out straight away after I visit the Pokemon Centre again." Another stop at the Poke Mart was also at the top of her list. This time, she had to pick a few parcels her mother had sent her.
"Make sure you return to Olivine City once you've claimed your badges! All the gym leaders will have advice for you," Jasmine said. "Goodbye Lyra, thanks again for everything!"
Lyra said goodbye, left the gym and made her way to the Pokemon Centre. The final quarter of her mission to obtain all eight badges was about to begin. What would await her? She almost skipped out of the gym as she thought about her future.
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Silver wasn't interested in bug-hunting, but he had been forced to come here, after being driven out of Ecruteak City. Taking out his frustrations on pathetic trainers helped him relax – slightly. Ilex Forest was the perfect place to prey on weaklings. Jumping out from behind bushes startling idiots was amusing for awhile. The only downside was that it was dark and hard to navigate through. Silver weaved through a couple of trees then crouched down behind a thick bush, waiting to ambush his next target.
To become the ultimate trainer, he needed strong Pokemon. For the past hour, Silver had been casing some poor trainer into a forest. The trainer had just received a Sneasel from his mother a few hours ago, but the kid had no idea how to handle it. Pathetic, Silver thought. He stood behind a tree, watching the trainer attempt to battle against a couple of Pidgey's.
He watched the Sneasel battle with awe. The Pokemon struck hard and fast, inflicting some serious damage. Such a Pokemon would make his team so much more powerful. He'd defeat that red-headed trainer with the Dragonite and he'd send that girl right back home where she belonged. No one made a fool of him. He might've found a way to defeat her back in Ecruteak City, but it wasn't really a victory to celebrate. He wanted to crush her.
"Sneasel! Why won't you listen to me?" the boy whined, removing his cap off his head. The trainer's Sneasel was currently lying on the ground having a nap. "Please, get up! How are we going to take on the league challenge if we can't even get our first badge?"
This was just embarrassing. Silver stepped forward, summoning his Bayleef. "Your Pokemon isn't going to listen to a worthless heap of trash like you! You're weak! You don't deserve to be called a trainer! You should go back to school, kid."
The trainer turned around, eyes narrowing into slits. "And who are you? Some tough guy?"
"Tougher than you'll ever be, chump." Silver looked at the trainer's Sneasel, who was now looking at him with interest. Silver turned his eyes back to the trainer, a slow smirk crossing his face. "Why don't you be a good kid and give me your Sneasel? He deserves someone better than you."
"That's my mother's Sneasel! I'm never parting with it!"
Silver growled. "You are weak. You're holding back your Sneasel from achieving ultimate power!" He took another step forward, eyes staring holes in the boy's head. The trainer took a few steps backwards, tripping over himself. He landed on his backside. "If you don't give me your Sneasel… I'll introduce you to a new world of humiliation and pain," he threatened.
The boy's eyes widened. "You… you can't steal another trainer's Pokemon! That's illegal!"
"I don't play by the rules." He pointed a finger at the Sneasel. "Bayleef, use Magical Leaf!" Bayleef leapt forward, emitted a cry and launched a couple of colourful leaves at the opponent and trainer. Both were knocked to the ground. The boy cried out from pain, while his Pokemon picked himself back up, glaring at the Bayleef. Fortunately for Silver's sake, the Sneasel's trainer was incompetent and appeared to know nothing about his Sneasel, making this battle so much easier for Silver. "Surrender your Sneasel now!" Silver snapped.
The boy bit down on his lip and nodded. "I'll do anything! Just please… stop the battle!" he pleaded.
"Strike him, Bayleef!"
Bayleef nodded, using Vine Whip on the trainer. He screamed, as one of the vines hit him on the leg. "You can have Sneasel! Just leave me alone!" he begged, giving Silver the Sneasel's pokeball.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Silver looked to Bayleef, smirking. "The strong must always punish the weak." He recalled the Sneasel into his pokeball and attached it to his belt. Getting the Sneasel used to him was going to take a little bit of effort, but his other Pokemon would beat some sense into it anyway if things got out of hand. The boy climbed to his feet and ran away, while Silver laughed. His laughter died down, and he turned around to leave the forest, when he caught movement in some nearby bushes.
"Come here, boy. Follow the sound of my voice."
A deep voice beckoned him deeper into the forest, pulling him away from the exit. Silver glanced back – he didn't have to listen, but curiosity made him follow the voice. If he found himself in danger he could always use his Pokemon to escape so it wasn't like he was completely vulnerable. Besides, if he didn't investigate now it would drive him crazy.
He followed the voice and soon found himself back where he was hiding just a moments ago. There was a man there now and he was at least twice Silver's height. He was wearing a black blazer and pants and wore a plain white tie. "Let me get a good look at you… Come closer… yes, that's a good boy."
Silver stepped closer, unsure. There was something about that voice which sounded familiar… Where had he heard it before? "Who are you?"
"Has it really been that long that you don't recognize your own father?" The man chuckled.
Silver swore his heart skipped a beat.
Giovanni.
Silver froze. He wanted to run, but his legs refused to obey him. All he could do was stand in place and watch the man who had ruined his life stand before him. He wanted to scream, to accuse him of destroying everything, but the words would not come. Fear had shut down logical reasoning. "Giovanni." He gazed up at the man, feeling a mixture of emotions run through him. Anger. Fear. Confusion. There were a few graze marks on his father's face, and his clothes were torn in a few places, but he seemed to be all right.
"My dear boy… it's been so long… You never thought to write me a letter?"
Silver snarled. "Why would I want to do that?"
"I missed you, my boy," Giovanni said, taking a step closer, so that he was now within arm's reach away from Silver. He towered over the boy, dark eyes burning with such intensity, Silver honestly thought flames were going to shoot out. "We have so much to catch up on." He reached out a hand.
Silver's legs decided to react at that moment. He jumped back narrowly avoiding his father's reach, but in the process, somehow managed to get his leg caught in a visible root. He tripped over and landed on his backside, glaring up at the man. "You said you'd never return! You said I was free!" he rasped. Giovanni had disappeared, and rumoured to have been captured by a group of thugs. Either Giovanni had escaped, or those rumours were simply false.
Giovanni chuckled. "You will never be free, son. The blood that runs through our veins binds us together for eternity." He extended a hand down for Silver to take. Silver refused to accept it, spitting at the hand instead. Giovanni chuckled again and withdrew his hand. "Freedom is just an illusion. Didn't I tell you that peace and freedom are just ideas the weak believe in?"
"I remember your lessons clearly, Giovanni." Lessons he tried hard to forget. Giovanni's teachings had been cruel, involving numerous beatings which he claimed were designed to make him stronger. All they did was leave scars – mentally and physically. The scars were all over his body, his arms, his back, his legs… it's why he chose to wear long-sleeves, so no one could see the markings. "Your lessons did nothing for me." He picked himself up from the ground after freeing his foot from the root.
"My lessons taught you how to be a survivor." Giovanni grabbed his arm and yanked a sleeve up, revealing the scars on Silver's wrist. "You've endured so much pain, yet you are still here." His grip tightened. Silver tried to wrench his arm free, but the older man would not lessen his grip. His wrist started to ache. "Do you think you would be the trainer you are today if you had stayed with your mother?"
Silver hissed. "I don't know – you took that chance away from me." He never knew her his mother – not on a deeper level anyway. He had only seen one photo of her and that was because Giovanni had chosen to share it with him one day. The only piece of information he knew about her was that her name was Selene and she was a Pokemon researcher. Giovanni claimed she was weak.
"I needed an heir… and someone who shares my blood will not be seen as a weakling. Your mother could not understand that. I had to take you away from her."
"You ruined my life!" he snarled.
Giovanni rolled his eyes. "I had to make you strong."
"For what? So I could be one of your mindless cronies?"
Shaking his head, he chuckled. "You are my son."
"You mean nothing to me. I don't need you."
Giovanni pulled away and rose to his feet. "You turn down my offer now, but you'll see that I'm right. The only person you can trust is family. Remember that, son. I will find you again, and together, we will make this world ours." He turned around and moved back into the trees.
Silver heaved a sigh of relief. At least his father hadn't dragged him away anywhere to be taught a lesson. "You're wrong about me, Giovanni. I'll prove to you that I'm stronger without you."
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Being back in Ecruteak City filled her with a great sense of joy. Excluding New Bark Town, Lyra had spent most of her time in the historical city. When she had the money, she was definitely going to buy a house here. "Hey there, Lyra! It's good to see you again after so long!" Morty said, grinning as she arrived at his door step. "I take it by the pleased grin on your face that you defeated Jasmine and Chuck?"
"I certainly did!" Lyra said, pulling out her badge box for Morty to see.
He looked down, examining her badges. "You've done extremely well, no joke. You've probably already been told, but not many trainers ever make it past their third gym battle."
That was understandable. She assumed Whitney's Miltank had crushed the dreams of many trainers. "I'm not really surprised… Whitney's Miltank was a nightmare to get pass." She shuddered as an image of the Miltank formed in her head. How many trainers had that cow crushed?
Morty grinned. "What do you say we go and get something to eat? I'm famished. Surely you must be too after travelling such a long distance to get here?"
"Food sounds good." For the past couple of months she had been living of health food bars and buns. Sitting down somewhere and actually having a proper meal sounded like a dream come true. "Can we invite Ethan? I haven't seen him in a long time."
"Sure, go ahead. There's a nice place to eat right here in Ecruteak so tell him to meet us at The Haunting restaurant. It's hard to miss – it's the only place here in Ecruteak with a yellow roof," Morty explained, drawing Lyra's attention towards the said building in the near distance. "I'll wait for you at the door." He walked off.
Lyra brought out her Xtransceiver and dialled Ethan's number in. "Hi Ethan! It's me, Lyra! Would you be interested in getting something to eat? I'm back in Ecruteak City now so if you are close to here, meet me at a building with a yellow roof. Oh, you are here? That's great then! See you shortly!" She hung up and put the phone away then headed towards The Haunting restaurant.
It was certainly a strange name for a restaurant. She hoped there were no ghosts inside - getting spooked while eating didn't sound like a good way to pass time. Morty was already at the entrance. He summoned her over, opened the door and allowed Lyra to step inside first. "Is your friend here?" Morty asked.
"Right here," Ethan said, bursting in through the front door, his Marill right behind him.
Morty turned to the cashier. A young woman with golden curls smiled. "A table for three please."
"Anything for you, Morty." She led him and his companions towards a table in the far back corner, right next to the fireplace. The three of them sat down. Lyra grabbed the menu and examined the food items on the list, while the two boys talked.
"Are you a trainer, Ethan?"
Ethan shook his head. "No. I'm an assistant researcher to Professor Elm. I'm travelling around the region helping him fill in data for the Pokedex." He glanced down at his Marill and stroked it on the head. Marill's wagged its tail in response.
Morty's eyes moved from Ethan to Lyra then back to Ethan again. "You two are from the same town, I assume?"
"Yup. We're both from New Bark Town," Lyra responded.
"New Bark Town… can't say I've ever been down that way before." He turned his attention on Lyra. "I suppose I should drop by one day – it seems the best trainers come from the smallest towns."
Lyra wasn't sure how to react to that comment. His words could be interpreted in an offensive manner by some trainers. She put on a polite smile. "Red came from a small town too, I heard."
There was a brief awkward moment of silence, each person lost in their own thoughts. Ethan was busy feeding Marill some poffins, while Morty was examining the menu. Every couple of seconds though, Lyra caught him looking at her with interest. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She used to only turn heads when people spotted her in her 'farming' attire, but this wasn't the same condescending look.
"He came from Pallet Town, the same place Blue called home. It's funny how the greatest trainers hail from small towns," Morty said, putting the menu back down on the table. "There are factions of people in Johto and Kanto that want Red back as Champion."
Lyra frowned. "Why is that?"
"It's not really my place to speak ill of the current Champion."
"Well, don't say anything then. The less I know about the Champion, the less judgemental I will be when I reach the league." There were only two things she knew about the Champion: the Champion was male and secondly, he didn't seem all that interested in forming relationships with other people judging by what the ladies had said back in Goldenrod City. He didn't sound like a person she wanted to meet. Oh well, the more unlikable he is, the more determined I will be to defeat him, Lyra thought.
Morty continued to look at her, a hint of amusement on his face. "You are unlike any other trainer I know, Lyra. Most trainers already know who the Champion is and are always eager to know more, but you don't want to."
"I like surprises."
He chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me at all." He pointed at the menu. "So, what would you like? I'm paying."
"Oh, I can pay – I have money," Lyra immediately replied, reaching for her wallet.
He shook his head. "You're a guest to this town… as is your friend here," he said, briefly glancing in Ethan's direction. He returned his gaze to Lyra, eyes lingering on her face. "Please, allow me to pay."
"If you insist." Lyra withdrew her hands away from her bag, letting them rest on her lap. She glanced down at the menu, scanning the available items. There were the basic pastas and steak options, but also more exquisite tastes unique only to Ecruteak City. She wasn't sure what they were exactly so she decided to stick the safe options. Besides, she didn't want to make Morty spend too much money on her.
A waitress came over and wrote down their orders then moved back to pass the information onto the chefs out the back. "Have you thought about what you are going to do when you become Champion?" Morty asked, taking her by surprise by the question.
"That's still a long way to go."
He shrugged. "You should give it a bit of thought. You need a backup plan just in-case you don't like it. Blue became a gym leader and Red vanished. If I was in there shoes I'd probably start up a museum so people could learn about the history of the events that happened here in Ecruteak. What about you?"
Lyra thought hard. If she became Champion… and that was a big if… she didn't know what she would do. She wanted to become the Champion of course, but the more she learned about the role, the less keen she was in sticking with it for too long. Waiting for months… even years for the next Champion to arrive would become boring after awhile. Going on another adventure sounded more exciting. "I would want to seek out Red."
"If anyone can, it would be you."
Morty was a nice guy and all – he was someone she could see herself becoming quite good friends with in the future – but all this unnecessary complimenting made her uncomfortable. "Thanks for the meal, Morty, really, I mean it. I haven't had a good meal since I left home." And that was well over a year ago now. Time had certainly flown by.
"Anytime."
Lyra was running out of things to talk about at this point. Fortunately, the waitress returned with their meals. The meal couldn't have arrived at a better time. Food, a perfect distraction to avoid awkward conversations. She dug into her meal as did Ethan, but Morty didn't even touch his. He wasn't even looking at his plate; rather he was looking at the exit. Lyra looked in his direction. Whitney was standing in the doorway and she did not look impressed.
"You'll have to excuse me," Morty said, standing up from the table, looking upset at the interruption. He walked over to join Whitney, while Lyra helped herself to her food.
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Whitney released his arm and glared at him as if he had done committed a great crime. Morty had an idea he knew what the crime was and it involved him spending quality time with a girl other than Whitney. He braced himself for a lecture which was rather embarrassing considering the girl was two years younger than him, just turning fifteen recently. "You're spending time with her?"
"She's an interesting trainer, I'd like to get to her know better," Morty replied, keeping his voice low.
Whitney snorted. "Interesting?"
He nodded. "I don't see why it concerns you, Whitney. Who I choose to spend time with isn't for you to decide." He tried to turn away, but Whitney gripped his arm.
"You think she's the one?" He could detect a hint of jealousy in her tone. Whitney probably thought he was interested in Lyra in that way which of course, he wasn't. Lyra had earned the attention of Suicine and that meant she deserved his as well. If he stood at her side and protected her, he might be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Ho-Oh.
"To bring back Ho-Oh? Yes."
"Nothing else?"
He narrowed his gaze. "Not in the sense you are implying." He pushed her arm aside and headed back to the restaurant's entrance. His meal was probably getting cold now. Whitney seemed to pick up on his negative vibe and took a few steps back. She didn't say anything, but he knew she was not happy. She was probably going to tell Falkner that Morty was spending time with someone else instead of her. Falkner wouldn't do anything to help her though since Whitney was a nuisance. He headed back inside and returned to the table, relieved to find his meal still relatively warm. "Sorry, about that," Morty said to Lyra.
She shrugged. "It's all right. Ethan and I were just talking about my remaining journey. Jasmine informed me I have to head to Mahogany Town next to face off against Pryce."
"I hear he's a tough trainer," Ethan said.
"Cold as ice," Morty replied. "They call him the Winter Trainer; he uses the elements to help him win battles. If you can withstand the cold, you'll be able to beat him. I'd suggest wearing something warm when you enter the gym."
Lyra smiled. "Thanks for the advice."
Silence fell between the trio as they concentrated on finishing their meals. Ethan finished his first and excused himself to go to the bathroom leaving Morty alone with Lyra. There weren't too many females within the city he spent time with. Most of the time, he preferred to hang out with his ghost-type Pokemon rather than with other people. The girls in Ecruteak were either twice his age or off limits so he didn't really have much of an opportunity to socialize anyway. Lyra breathed new life back into the city and had made him realize he wasn't the one to capture Ho-Oh after all.
"I suppose I should be going, I've got a long road ahead of me," Lyra said, putting her knife and fork down on her plate.
He felt a surge of disappointment rise up inside. "You'll be fine, Lyra. You've conquered over half of Johto already." He nodded. "All the best. I'm sure I'll see you again in the near future since you seem to enjoy this city." Why did she keep returning here anyway? To see him? No. She probably came here because of the beautiful sights surrounding the place.
"Thanks for everything, Morty. I really mean it." She stood up from her table. Morty did the same and guided her out of the building after paying the bill. The next few moments caught him by surprise as Lyra gave him a quick hug. He suspected giving hugs was something Lyra did. She seemed like the type. "I'll be sure to return when I can."