Oh my god.

FML.

I'm so sorry this took so long! If you all recall, I did inform you that I was going on a trip, but I should have had this chapter done AGES ago! It's just that I came home to chaos! All my kittens are dead, we keep going camping and I was a wreck with no muse for a few days (due to dead kittens). I hate barn cats! They break my heart every year x.x

But I'm back to normal now, along with a slightly rushed chapter that didn't turn out very well since I still don't have any muse, but I hope you all like the bit of suspense I injected into this one near the end. It's not a funny chapter, but a serious one, with a dose of plottage :3

AND OMG CAMP NANOWRIMO IS IN ANOTHER LIKE DAY FFFFF I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WRITE SO I'LL JUST WRITE THIS!

On to the reviews, then!

MetalWingSkarm: Thanks for the review, and you'll be left to wonder what he whispered to her, sooorrryyy :3 Maybe this chapter will give you some ideas? ;) Sorry for the long wait for the update, but it's here now, so enjoy!

Splitheart1120: Wendy always wins *cackles* Even Lance doesn't stand a chance against her forceful logic. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Sapphiet?: The review doesn't say your name, but I'm figuring it's you… xD Sorry if I'm wrong to whoevers reviewing. My friends locked me in :3 It was a fun time. Sadly, her mom isn't going to make an appearance until much later in the book (cause I'm too lazy to write her in). Wendy was just being sarcastic! (I think…) When Lance fell was probably my favourite part to write :D I'll probably have Lyra bugging him about the pink robe in some later chapters, when things aren't nearly as serious Hope you enjoy this chapter!

ZerOtodona: 3 Lance. I need to write a little story about Lance all on his own, cause he's just that badass! Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this one!

Oh, and I didn't have time to read it through, so I'll do that some other time and repost the revised copy, so just live with this version for now, my little servants! Thanks!

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, R&R, eh? :3

Wendy's smug face was enough to make me scowl, my arms crossed over my chest and my cheeks feeling permanently flamed up. Why had I agreed to this again? It seemed as if my rational mind had shrivelled up and died.

Then again… I didn't look half bad. Even I could tell that. The dress hugged my hips kindly, and gave my non-existent bust a little bit more 'oomph'. My hair had never looked so… curly, not in all the years I'd been growing it and the makeup took away that ghastly pale thing I had going on. Wendy had actually managed to make me look half presentable.

"I hate it."

Wendy groaned, standing in front of the other mirror and adjusting the bright pink dress, sleek and layered in different shades of pink. I'd expected her to wear something with more frills, and a lot more sparkles. Not this sleek, plain but radiant pink dress, her own carefully curled black hair standing out against it, a necklace of diamonds glittering at her neck.

"Lyra, I'll never understand you. I mean, it's a dress. A very comfy one at that."

"The heels ruin it for me. I already can't feel my feet, " It was true. The heel on these monsters was almost four inches. The highest I ever walked on was two. I'd already twisted my ankles twice.

"But they look great."

"That's weird… why don't they feel great then?"

Wendy sighed, violently shaking her head. Her curls were so covered with hair spray that they didn't even move an inch, "Pain is the price of beauty, Lyra."

I turned around, stepping off of the raised platform Wendy had had me balancing on for the last five minutes, "A pair of two inch heels would have worked just fine, Wendy. You can't even see my feet in this dress."

"Two inch heels do not make a butt look that good."

"I already told you to stop looking at my butt! Dammit, Wendy!"

Wendy laughed, then turned and stepped off her own platform. We were in her house, because she had announced that my mansion was not set up to change a plain looking girl into a master piece. The room we were in was just across from the kitchen and I could hear my sister digging around in the cupboards, looking for something to munch on.

Speak of the devil… "Wendy! Why the hell are your cub boards packed only with apples?"

Wendy blinked, and then walked towards the door. I followed, wobbling on my heels. In the kitchen, my noticeably shorter sister was balancing on a chair in bare feet, her black dress with one white stripe down the front spilling over the edges. Kris's hair was straightened from its usual spiky crispness so that it spilled around her shoulders in straight, layered waves.

"I'm on a fruit diet! You should try it sometime; loose a few of those extra p-."

"I will punch you if you call me fat, Wendy." That pretty much described Kris's and Wendy's love hate relationship. One moment they got along great, the next they were at each others throats. I was usually caught in the middle, forced to separate them, during these fights

Wendy glared viciously at Kris, "I wasn't stating anything of the sort. I just wish that for once you'd take into consideration what you look like. At least Lyra doesn't already have a stain on her dress!" That stain was nothing more than a little black dot from a pen on the white part. Kris bared her teeth at Wendy.

"Don't you dare bring my little sister into this. Maybe you should stop being so judgemental for once and 'take into consideration' that you might just offend people when you act like a total bi-"

I was just getting ready to shove in between the two when a honk cut us all off. I glanced out the kitchen window, seeing the plain white limo getting over run by the paparazzi and didn't pause to turn and state, "Limos here! Let's go!"

Grabbing my friends by the hand, I strutted towards the door, Kris barely getting a moment to slip into the little black slippers she insisted she had to wear. It'd caused an uproar when I saw that my sister was getting to wear something so comfy, but Wendy had insisted I wear heels. More like forced.

The moment I opened the door, the swarm of reporters forgot completely about the sleek vehicle and turned towards me, pressing up against us in pack so tight that I couldn't even step out of the house. I blinked away the dots created by the cameras flashing, throwing one hand up to block my face from them.

I had a lot of experience with these people, though, and just started to elbow my way through the crowd. There was no courtesy in the world of being a champion, especially when walking through a bunch of people trying to get an interview with you. Wendy latched on to my left arm, Kris walking along behind me so that no one grabbed my dress from behind.

The limo doors slid open without effort and I scrambled inside, holding the folds of my dress close around my body. As soon as Wendy and Kris were seated the rest of the people outside swarmed then entrance, at least five microphones getting shoved into my face and a jumble of questions barely registering in my mind.

"What are your thoughts on the upcoming election, Champion Lyra?"

"Is it true that Candidate Ethan is your date?"

"Are you planning on giving a spee-," I grabbed the door handle, forcing it shut quickly so that the reporters had no choice but to retreat, then banged on the shaded glass separating us from the driver, "Go now!"

We inched forward slowly, barely making any speed. Someone banged on the window to my left and I jumped, my fingernails leaving little crescent moons in the leather of the seats. I felt psyched out, maybe from the barrage of questions, and it took a minute for my fumbling fingers to do up my seat belt.

Kris and Wendy both stared out opposite windows angrily, leaving me to my own thoughts. My shoulders were burning dully, but the strap Wendy had stitched on to match the dress covered up the puckered skin around the stitches. I half expected Team Rocket to blow the limo up.

Now that I wasn't nearly as… drugged up or confined to bed and not allowed to see the outside world, the actual problems going on had hit me like a ton of bricks. Team Rocket was back, and they had guns. From the little bit I'd seen and heard of so far, they weren't the stupid dickheads they used to be. They were cunning.

It wasn't a long drive to the place we were going. Wendy had planned the whole dance to be in the main hall of the Elite Four, underneath the mural that would be lit up brightly. The room was large enough to hold two hundred people if you packed them together like sardines and being as only half of that was coming, there was going to be lots of room.

And lots of music.

And dancing.

Ugh.

Cracking each knuckle one at a time, I watched as the distant, towering building got closer and closer, the sky slowly dimming as the sun dipped below Mt. Silver. The front of the building was lit up brightly, different color lights taking away the natural beauty of the area. I'd asked Wendy to leave the sky free of lights, but she'd insisted that it was for the best, and arguing with Wendy was like arguing with a wall.

There was already a crowd in front of the building, some of them reporters, some of them candidates' family, milling around and chatting. A red rope kept the swarm of paparazzi from getting to close, but nothing could stop the flashes on their cameras. It didn't surprise me in the least that they started taking twice as many pictures when the limo pulled up.

Wendy rose into a crouch, yanking open the door with enough force to take it off. I flinched, "Gently, Wendy."

Wendy laughed nervously, and then clambered out of the vehicle. Kris followed her and I came last, ducking my head as the paparazzi surged forwards against the protective red rope, tall men in suits urging them to step backwards.

"Let's just get inside," I grabbed both Wendy and Kris's wrists, dragging them forward, making sure to keep my curled hair hanging around my face so the reporters wouldn't see my frown. I was supposed to be enjoying this event, not hating it.

When we reached the door, Wendy stopped me. I looked up finally, but Wendy only smiled up at me, tipping her chin up, "Look dignified, Lyra. You go in first, but try to smile. There's a lot of important people in there."

I smirked, "Like a certain man?"

Wendy flushed brightly, fiddling with the silk of her dress, "Mmhmm."

Giving a laugh, I turned towards the door and managed to smile, tipping my chin up and looking as dignified as I could. The bright lights hurt my eyes, and my ears already ached from the words the people were yelling at me. No one tried to stop me to talk as I reached for the door, and I appreciated that.

The door swung open with ease and I stepped into a room filled with fantasy.

The floor had been carefully cleaned until it shimmers, ever wall, every pillar polished to perfection. Lights glittered in every corner, reflecting all the surfaces and created a crystalline world. High above the mural had been lit up into a state of brilliance, the fire almost seeming real. I half expected for the water to separate itself from the painting and crash down on us, soaking us all. Music played, sweet and soft. Dance music for couples.

On cue, some announcer spotted me, "Welcoming to the stage, Champion Lyra Kotone!"

Dozens of faces turned towards me and I felt my face flush. I couldn't even begin to count the number of people here, but I had a feeling that we were almost to a hundred already. A nudge from either Kris or Wendy sent me walking forward, stepping through the large crowd. People parted around me as if I was a force to be reckoned with, couples spinning away and into the glittering haze.

Then, a familiar figure, someone I recognized and brought relief. Lance. He was dressed in a tux, black and white, but still had on a black cape, which fluttering around him and in the glittering light almost looked magical. I smiled, stepping forward.

Lance glanced at me, returning my smile, then walked straight past me. I blinked, turning around. My eyes widened in astonishment as Lance leaned down, took Wendy's pale hand in his overly larger one and pecked her right on the lips.

"Holy fuck!"

Wendy flushed brightly, glaring at me, "Lyra, watch your language, here of all places."

I gaped at the two, staring back at forth as Lance then Wendy, "Y-you two? You're dating? Lance is your mysterious red head?"

Lance gave a small smile, "That I am. You should have seen how long it took Clair to convince me to even go on a date. I'm happy I did it now, though," Lance smiled down at my black haired friend, who blushed brightly again, but returned his smile, leaning into his chest.

I continued to gape at the two, "My mind… is blown."

Lance finally gave me a familiar look, replacing the sappy smile on his face with a frown, "It's not that much of a shock, Lyra. I do remember you bringing something up to me about Wendy a year or two back…"

I glared at him, crossing my arms, "And I remember you saying that you weren't interested in dating."

"That was two years ago!"

"So?"

"Do you not want us dating?"

I blanked out, staring at the two and realizing just how negative I sounded. Wendy was starting to look worried, biting her bottom lip and staring at me with trembling eyes. I sighed, starting to reach up to run a hand through my hair before letting it fall again when I realized that I couldn't do that, not with my hair curled like it was.

"Of course I do. You're the most adorable couple I've ever seen. Now go dance!"

I stepped forward, shoving the two away. They both gave me matching, irritable looks and I laughed, but in the next second they turned away, Lance taking a hold of Wendy's hand and leading her out to dance just like I'd told them to, leaving just me and Kris.

I turned to my sister, sighing, "Well, I wasn't expecting that!"

Kris gave me an amused look, "What did you expect, then?"

I stared off in the direction Lance and Wendy had gone, biting my lip, "Someone like the guys Wendy has dated before. Another douche or someone nice that she'd dump five days later."

"Where does Lance stand in those two categories, then?"

I smirked, "He's neither. He's the one guy that'll be able to hold onto her."

Kris smiled, but her eyes strayed to something else, her gaze lighting up and her smile growing ten times bigger. I didn't have to look to know who was coming. There was a flash of carefully mussed blond hair, a black and white tux and Morty made his entrance.

I blinked. It must have been the first time I'd ever seen Morty without his head band on. Luckily, he only had eyes for Kris so he didn't spot me staring. Taking her in his arms, he drew her close, hands linking behind the small of her back and forehead resting against hers.

"I missed you."

Kris smiled, "I was only gone for a day."

"Doesn't matter, I always miss you when you're gone. Ray missed you to."

Kris laughed, "Oh, I'm sure she did with that chikorita to play with."

Morty laughed this time to, before claiming her lips with his own. I looked away quickly. I had no desire to see my sister making out with someone.

"Just entering the building now, Candidate Ethan Gold!"

I involuntarily jerked, turning my head. We were still in clear view of the front door, and standing there, looking more handsome then I'd ever seen him, was Ethan. His hair was slicked back, even his cowlick forced down, and his tux was perfectly pressed. Instantly, his gaze traveled over the crowd, passed over the many people, and met mine.

That was just uncanny.

As he started to walk towards me, I paled and turned, walking into the sea of people. They were all too busy trying to get a view of Ethan to part for me, which worked in my favour, since it meant my old friend wouldn't be able to follow my usually noticeable path through the sea of people.

Another slower song came on, and I glanced around the crowd, spotting one another person I recognized. Falkner. While we didn't see each other in person very often we stayed in contact, mostly through the phone. I strutted right up to him, smiling as he turned towards me, reaching forward to give a light hearted hug.

"Lyra! Long time no see!"

"No duh! It must have been a year now! I need a favour, though."

Falkner dipped his head, navy bangs falling into his eyes, "Shoot."

"Dance with me."

A smirk touched his pale face, "Oh, so the ever so regal Lyra has finally fallen for my char-"

"Just shut up and dance, dimwit," I grabbed his hand, pulling him up close. In the distance, I saw Ethan stop at the sight of us, a small frown touching his face before someone distracted him, also leading him away onto the dance floor. I left out a sigh of relief.

Falkner was grinning down at me, keeping a healthy distance between us, "So, care to explain?"

I glowered of in the general direction Ethan had gone, "I'm being stalked."

"By a certain childhood friend?"

My look could have withered flowers, "How'd you know?"

Falkner laughed, "It's everywhere, Lyra. All over the news, on all the radio stations, in all the papers. I don't see why you're avoiding him. He's one hot gu-"

"Shut up!" I laughed, lightly punching Falkner in the stomach and causing him to flinch, than laughed along with me.

"Anyway, you can't avoid him forever, Lyra. It's not like he's going to bite or anything."

I glowered at Falkner's chest, "I wouldn't put it past him."

Patting me on the top of the head, Falkner only laughed, "Poor you. Anyway, I do believe I spot another candidate coming in."

Spinning around so I could get a better look, I craned my neck over the crowd. Sure enough, Candidate Joshua had just entered, along with his wife Melody. The two were dressed in matching blues, which made me wince. I was more into the traditional black tux, but it was a free country.

Twirling, Falkner and I danced for a few long moments, until the song came to a slow, drawn out end. It wasn't long until I was snatched up by another gym leader though. At the tap on my shoulder, I looked straight up at Blue, who grinned down at me.

"Let's dance, sweetheart."

I snorted, "Don't call me that," None the less, I took his hand in mine and let him lead me into the next dance. It was distracting, this dancing business, and I actually liked it more than I thought I would, even with me stumbling over my feet every few seconds. I don't know how much time passed, with me just dancing between different people, from Blue to Will to Morty. At one point I even danced with Surge, who was a hell of a better dancer then I thought he'd be.

Just when I thought Surges fast pace was going to make me break an ankle, Lance stepped in, carefully swirling me into his own arms, "Hope you don't mind me taking a turn, Surge."

Surge just bellowed out a laugh, "Of course not, she's all yours!"

Lance moved with slower movements, which was a relief, "Great timing, my feet were about to fall off!"

He laughed, "It looked like you needed saving."

"Where's Wendy?"

"She went to get drinks."

I wouldn't mind a drink. I craned my head up to see where they were, but instead only saw the door, which at the moment opened, letting in a rush of cool air. The lights from outside revealed two shadowy figures and I squinted my eyes to try and see who they were.

"Welcoming to the dance, Candidate Rosary Bell!"

The doors closed behind her.

My stomach clenched.

And it wasn't because I'd spotted Ethan, or seen a Team Rocket member. No, it was because of who Candidate Rosary was clinging onto, trailing fingers over a well-muscled chest in a very seductive way.

Silver.

That's it! Silver, you bitch! Why would you betray Lyra like that? :O R&R, my peeps!