Chapter Two: Surprise, Surprise
"Well, I'd better get going, then," Kris declared with her trademark grin.
Chikorita in arm, she reached forward and tapped Lyra on the hat. "I'll see you later then, Ly-Ly." Her Pokemon waved its leaf back and forth and let out a small cry, filling the air with a sweet, flowery scent. Lyra leaned back against the tree trunk and breathed in the aroma. She nodded toward the older girl.
"Bye, Kris…good luck on your journey!"
"Luck is for beginners." Kris winked. "I won't need it."
There was something strange in her eyes, Lyra thought, as she turned toward Ethan and patted him on the head. "See you later, Ethan…"
"Bye, Kris." Ethan crossed his arms and flicked a lock of black hair out of his eyes. Kris took a step away, turning over her shoulder.
Slinging her pink bag over her shoulder, she waved to her parents, to Professor Elm, to her two childhood friends, and to all of a New Bark Town. It figured that Kris would have an entire assembly watch her leave, Lyra thought with an uncomfortable twist in her stomach. They might as well have been applauding for all the heroic feel it gave the girl's departure.
"See you all later!" Kris exclaimed, waving. Shouts of goodbye echoed from the crowd as she mouted her bike with one deft jump and cruised away, her sleek form disappearing into the distance of Route 29.
"She's gonna go far, that one," Lyra heard her own mother remark over her right ear, wiping the corner of her eye.
Will I ever be asked? Lyra wondered to herself. Will I ever get my own Pokemon? She squeezed her fist shut and held it over her heart. Will I ever get to go on an adventure like that?
-.-.-
It had been two years ago, the day they watched Kris open the door from Professor Elm's lab, a cute, adoring Chikorita cradled in her arms. It sniffed at its new trainer and wriggled in her grasp, delighted.
"What are you looking at?" she had teased Lyra, tugging at one of the girl's brown pigtails.
Kris had run up to Ethan and let Chikorita jump out of her arms and scamper all over the boy's arms and torso. They had all been twelve, Lyra remembered, and it had been autumn. The air was thick with the scent of sap, lining the rough bark of the trees, and lining Ethan's red jacket now, as Lyra watched him writhing on the ground, chuckling as the grass Pokemon's leaf tickled him.
"Chika!" it cried happily. "Chika!"
"Kris! Call her off, Kris!" Ethan gasped between loud peals of laughter. Marill had joined in the tussle, hopping on her trainer's body and knocking him over. "Stop it, both of you!"
"Kris, stop bothering Ethan," Kris's mom had finally chided over her newspaper from their porch, a hint of laughter in her voice. Resigned, Kris had finally called off her Pokemon, as Ethan sat up, quivering, now covered in orange leaves.
"Here." Kris plucked a leaf from his forehead and brushed aside a piece of his black hair. "Let me get that."
Lyra cleared her throat, feeling awkward, as Ethan ducked his head in surprise and turned a faint shade of pink.
"Kris, honey, you need to start packing for your journey, remember," Kris's mom piped up again, breaking through the awkward silence that ensued. "Your bag's up in your room. I put it there for you."
Kris stood up and rolled her eyes. "Right. I forgot about that. Thanks, mom."
She turned and gave Ethan one last stroke on the nose with the leaf in her hand and then flounced away. Lyra heard her pounding footsteps up the stairs as she emerged from behind the tree and walked over to Ethan. He was still trembling with leftover laughter, as he uncurled his body and peered up at her with half-squinted eyes.
"Hand?"
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Ethan, you're so lazy." She held out her hand, and her friend took it and pulled himself to his feet.
"I guess Kris wasn't kidding when she said her parents promised her with a starter at twelve," Ethan remarked, adjusting his red jacket.
"Guess not," Lyra agreed.
It was only half an hour later that Kris re-emerged from her house, bag in hand, yellow cap fastened firmly on her head. Her Chikorita trailed behind her, nipping at her heels, and she proudly flung her blue pigtails over her shoulder and announced, "Okay, mom, I'm ready."
And that had been it, Lyra remembered. Two years. In two years, she had only seen Kris once, when she revisited New Bark Town before taking on the Elite Four merely a week ago. She had gone far, indeed. Probably the greatest fourteen-year-old in all of Johto. Fifteen now, actually.
Lyra set down the book on her desk and sighed. She couldn't really concentrate on anything right then, not on reading or studying or even talking to another human being. Not even watching TV downstairs with mom yet again, or talking to dad on the phone to ask about how his business trip in Sinnoh was going.
The one question was nagging at her: how had Kris gotten so far in so short an amount of time? She really was the Chosen One, the destined hero. It was no use fighting it. Even Ethan couldn't cheer her up at the moment. Her mind spun, full of the memories of that day a week ago.
"Oh, I'm just picking something up from Professor Elm," Kris had told her nonchalantly when they had run into each other last Monday, Lyra's eyes widening in shock as she uttered a stunned whisper of "Kris?"
Kris had waved her hand in casual greeting, as if the meeting happened every day and seeing each other so often was starting to bore her. She looked the same as she always had—still much taller and much more imposing than Lyra.
"It's really nothing," she said. "Just wanted to drop by and visit my old friends before tackling the Elite Four. Kanto's supposed to be really pretty, you know. Just over the river. Nice mountains and such." Kris waved a camera at her. "I'll be taking lots of pictures, that's for sure!"
"E-Elite Four?" Lyra was still stuck on those words. "But Kris, you—you—you what?" She swallowed, remembering that she hadn't yet given her old friend a proper greeting. "I mean, er, it's—it's nice to see you! I…I…" She wanted to smack herself. What was wrong with her tongue, or, for that matter, her brain?
"Yes, yes, you too," Kris tossed out absentmindedly. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really do have to be moving on soon. Places to go, people to meet, tra-la-la!"
Did Kris really just say "tra-la-la" in a regular conversation?
"Oh, and by the way, how's my boy Ethan?" Kris asked, her eyes focusing again on Lyra, glimmering with sudden warmth.
"Er—he's fine," Lyra answered awkwardly. "My boy Ethan"? What? "I'm sure he'll be…glad to see you…?"
"Great! Great, wonderful, just fantastic. Bye, Ly! It was nice chatting—!" Camera dangling from her wrist, Kris swept by her like a breeze before the last note of her voice even fell. Her bag slapped Lyra in the chin. Perplexed, she stared after the older girl, rubbing the spot on her skin where it had hit.
Barely ten minutes later, Lyra heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find an equally puzzled-looking Ethan standing on her doorstep, scratching his head.
"What was that?" he asked, frowning.
Lyra shrugged. "I have no clue."
It seemed that as soon as she had a word with the professor, Kris had left as quickly and suddenly as she had dropped in. But her words—Elite Four—still lingered in Lyra's mind now, keeping her from focusing on her work and filling her stomach with a peculiar longing she was far from comfortable with. It was a longing she thought had disappeared two years ago when she had been one of the people in that crowd to watch her childhood friend leave for her great adventure.
Giving up her hopes of doing anything productive that afternoon, she rose from her chair and wandered downstairs, glancing absentmindedly at the TV and mumbling a halfhearted "hello" to her mom. Lyra opened the door and stepped outside. She knew exactly where she was going.
To the east, the river gleamed in the sunlight, its waves rippling calmly in shades of blue and gold. Lyra had never paid it much heed, but now the sight of it made her stomach churn as she strode up the path and gazed across, trying to catch a glimpse of the other side.
But there was no other side in view—at least not for her. It was the passageway into Kanto, the passageway across which Kris trailed her blossoming clouds of glory, her now-Meganium in tow. The passageway to Victory Road and the Elite Four, and to becoming the Champion. Kris's passageway.
Lyra swallowed. After all her dreams, all her secret fantasies and imagination, it was no use. Kris was two years ahead; she would reach her goal first, faster and greater than any girl ever had before, and she would get there heroically and fashionably, just as she always did.
It was about time for her to face the truth. Lyra had started out a small town girl from New Bark Town, and she would remain a small town girl from New Bark Town.
She sighed. Why did those words feel like a bucket of cold water splashed over her head? Why did they make her stomach curdle and her chest ache? Ethan was satisfied with simply being Professor Elm's assistant—and someday, perhaps, being a Pokemon researcher—why couldn't she be as well?
She lowered herself to the ground, folding her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees. As she listened to the gentle lapping of the water against the side of the river, she ran her fingers along the length of her stockings—they were new, with none of the rips or tears that littered her other pairs, as she wore them almost every day. The wind threatened to blow her hat off; she held it in place, tugging on the rim, remembering the night that Ethan had given it to her.
"Lyra! Lyra, honey!"
Lyra turned to see her mother running up to her. "Lyra! Professor Elm called! He wants to see you."
"Professor Elm?" Lyra turned, standing up. "How come?"
"He didn't say," her mom replied. "He'll be in his lab, though. Just go find him there, dear."
Lyra nodded, dusting her hands off. "Okay, mom."
No, no, it can't be what you're thinking… Lyra shook her head and scoffed at her own thoughts as she paced back toward town, jamming her hands in her pockets. He probably just wants you to help him with some kind of experiment. Or ask you a question about Ethan. It can't be…
Either way, it didn't matter, she told herself—she loved the Pokemon lab, loved all the research equipment and the eggs she could see locked away in one of the incubation chambers, and sometimes even a Pokemon or two that Elm was studying at the moment. It didn't matter, she told herself firmly, walking toward the building. Really, it didn't.
Lyra stopped in her tracks as she spotted something peculiar—a flash of dark red, jutting out from behind the lab.
She rounded the corner, surprised as her eyes confronted the sight of a young boy her age, pressed against the wall of the building. The red she had seen belonged to the stiff hair that streaked down to his shoulders, a stark contrast to his pale skin. He was dressed in light blue pants and a red-rimmed navy blue jacket whose harsh collar framed his thin neck and accentuated all the sharp angles of his body, from his chin, to his elbows, to his knees.
He doesn't look like he's from around here… Lyra mused, biting her lip.
The boy was leaning over, his eye pressed intently to a window on the side of the building, his jaw set firmly as he peered inside. One hand was cupped around his face, the other hung at his side, clenched in a tight fist.
He looks really stressed out, Lyra observed.
She stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Um…can I help you?" she asked nervously.
The boy flinched as if she had slapped him across his bony cheek and jerked his arm back as he turned to face her, his eyes wide and piecing. "What are you staring at?" he snapped.
"Nothing, I was just wondering if—" Lyra shrank back. Sheesh. "Never mind. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
He glared at her with steely silver eyes. "Well, I don't need your help. Go away."
"Er…okay, I'm sorry…" Gulping, Lyra backed away slowly from the cold, glowering boy. He turned back to the window, narrowing his eyes and ignoring her presence, as if she had never been there.
What in Arceus's name was that? she wondered as she pushed open the door and stepped inside in the lab.
-.-.-
"Lyra! Good afternoon!" Professor Elm exclaimed as she walked past the rows of metal incubators and storage devices to his table at the back of the room. The professor was bent over the table, organizing a stack of papers that she was sure would have reached up to her knees had they been placed on the ground. "How are you doing?"
"I'm good, how are you, Professor?"
"I'm fine, just fine, thanks," he replied absentmindedly, hoisting the papers in his arms and dropping them down at the corner of the desk with a noise that echoed through the metallic room. Exhaling, he turned and wiped his balding forehead on the sleeve of his lab coat. "Whew. This place should really get cleaned more often. Your friend Ethan really helps out, you know."
"Ethan's a nice kid," Lyra agreed.
"Yes, yes, he is." The professor nodded adamantly. "There should really be more kids like him out there…" He adjusted his crooked glasses as his voice trailed off. "Anyhow, that's not what I called you here for, is it, Lyra?"
"What is it, Professor?" Lyra swallowed, waiting. Don't get your hopes up, she scolded herself. Don't get your hopes up…
"Have you heard the most recent news about Kris?" Elm asked curiously.
"Kris?" Lyra's heart sank. Had he called her in to chat some more about the town hero? "N-no, I don't think I have. Has she beaten the Elite Four yet?" Of course she has, she finished silently.
"Oh, no, no, I'm afraid not!" Elm's eyes widened as he spoke, waving his hands.
"What?"Lyra almost jumped. She hasn't?
"From what I saw on television, she beat Will, and then Koga—stunning victories, both of them, mind you, from what I heard—but she fell to Bruno's strong fighting Pokemon," Elm rehashed breathlessly. "I think she'll be taking a break to train some more. She said in the interview that the rest of the Elite Four would be too strong for her if she couldn't take Bruno down."
"W-wait, what?" Lyra gasped. She had missed Kris's interview on TV? When had it aired—just now, when she had been at the river? Why hadn't her mom called her inside? And more importantly—"Kris…lost?"
Elm lowered his head and closed his eyes in defeat. "I'm afraid she did. What a loss. We were all rooting so hard for her, too. But no worries, my dear, she'll be back at it soon, stronger than ever."
Lyra gulped; her stomach was swirling with an uncomfortable mass of mixed emotions. Kris—confident, irrepressible, invincible Kris—had actually lost a Pokemon battle. It was unbelievable. For two years, and even longer before that, she had been hearing of nothing but the girl's natural talents at training Pokemon and her lightning-quick rise through the Gym challenge and the Johto League. She was sure to be the next Champion, everyone knew…
Of course, it wasn't like losses to the Elite Four were uncommon at all—they were Elite for a reason—but Kris had been on such a streak that Lyra had expected her to win with no trouble at all. She took a deep breath, her mind racing. She couldn't deny the existence of the small—very small—part inside her that breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced at her old rival's loss, but the rest of her really, wholly did feel sorry for Kris, and disappointed that the hero from New Bark hadn't succeeded immediately. After all, they had grown up together.
"Of course she will!" she agreed aloud. "If anyone can do it, it's Kris."
"Yes, that's the spirit!" Elm exclaimed, a smile breaking across his face. He pushed up his glasses again. "But you see, Lyra…why I called you here today…I would have given this job to Kris, after she became Champion and came back home to celebrate with us…I'm sure she would have settled down peacefully and had plenty of time on her hands to do things like this and help out her old professor…" He shook his head fretfully. "But the girl is so busy training now to take on her next challenge, she would hardly have the time."
Elm paused, fiddling with his thumbs. "I considered Ethan next, but in all honesty, I don't think the boy has any wish to journey. He's so happy in this town. And he already helps out so much around the lab." The professor looked up at her. "So…Lyra, I thought you might have an interest." He smiled hopefully at her and wrung his hands together.
"An interest—in what exactly, Professor?" Lyra leaned forward anxiously.
"Well, Lyra, my friend Mr. Pokemon came by this morning, raving about one of his new discoveries, as usual. You might know him, Ethan often runs errands for him." Lyra nodded; she had heard about this guy, a peculiar researcher and definite Pokemaniac. "This time, he brought us something he called a 'Mystery Egg.'"
"A Mystery Egg?"
Elm sighed. "Yes. I'm not certain why he's so fixated on this Egg…I mean, it's only an Egg, after all." He adjusted his glasses. "Anyhow, he seemed really adamant on this one, so I just took him up on the offer. There must be something special about it if he's so concerned."
The professor glanced to the side, his face falling. "I was hoping Kris could help me to raise it with her usual care and talent, but…" He waved his hand, dismissing the thought. "Anyhow. It's no matter." He raised his head to meet Lyra's eyes. "Lyra. I was wondering if you would do me the honor of caring for this Egg?"
"Me?" So that was what he had called her in for. But why me? I don't have any experience with Pokemon… "Well, I'm h-honored, Professor, but…how?" Lyra swallowed. "How would I care for it?"
"Ah, yes, and that brings us to the next point!" Elm beamed. He turned over his shoulder and gestured at a peculiar tall, hexagonal device resting against the wall. "Do you see those Poke Balls over there?"
Lyra counted them. One, two. Two gleaming red-and-white Poke Balls.
"That was the device from which Kris took her first Pokemon two years ago and began her journey," Elm announced. "A Chikorita."
Lyra nodded, remembering all too clearly. That would explain the empty slot in the metal that formed a triangle with the other two. But why was Elm showing the Poke Balls to her? Where was he going with this?
"We may keep them in incubators all around here, which hatches them just fine, but really, Pokemon Eggs are best raised when they are walked with and brought outside with a loving, caring trainer to look after them," Elm explained. "And that, Lyra, is why I didn't ask Ethan—I doubt he would want to travel around. But you…" Elm paused. "I thought you might be interested in starting your Pokemon journey, Lyra."
The words didn't sink in for a moment. Lyra blinked. Did he really just say what I think…?
"You can choose from one of those Poke Balls over there." Elm pointed at the device. He smiled at her momentary confusion. "I thought that if you were to help me raise this Egg by walking around with it, you should have your own Pokemon—and maybe you could even take the Gym challenge, if you're interested."
If?
"Of course I am!" Lyra squeaked, finding her voice. She cleared her throat. "I mean—yes! Wow, thank you, Professor! Thank you so much! I'd love to!" It's only been my lifelong dream…
She could hardly believe her luck. Just when she had been gazing sadly over the river, prepared to give up all hopes of ever being given a chance to prove herself and embark on her own adventure… The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
"No, thank you for helping raise this Egg, Lyra," Elm returned warmly.
Her head still spinning with excitement, Lyra made her way over to the device that held the two remaining Poke Balls. She peered down at them.
Cyndaquil and Totodile. Hmm…
Vaguely, she remembered learning about fire types in school, and seeing the picture of the cute little fire mouse, curled up in a ball, its snout pointed toward the ground, flames flaring up from its back.
Cyndaquil is cute. Lyra nodded to herself.
"I'll take this one," she declared, pointing at the Poke Ball on the right.
"A Cyndaquil?" Elm nodded. "Good choice, Lyra." He stepped forward and pressed his finger to the button at the front of the Poke Ball.
A flash of light exploded from the open Poke Ball. Lyra covered her eyes. When she opened them again, she heard a trill and turned her gaze downward, where the dark green mouselike Pokemon was crouched next to her foot, sniffing at it.
"Cynda," it squeaked. "Quil quil!"
"It's adorable!" she exclaimed, bending down to pet the Cyndaquil's head.
"Cyndaquil!"
"Ahhh!" Lyra screeched in alarm and yanked her arm back just in time as a jet of flame shot up from the Pokemon's back, surrounding her skin with searing heat. The Cyndaquil tensed its body, curling its small arms into its furry stomach, trembling, as its trainer gaped in dismay at her barely salvaged hand and her new Pokemon.
"Careful, Lyra." Elm shook his head. "Cyndaquil are very shy Pokemon. It may not trust you right away, and it will light up its back to protect itself at first. However, like all fire types, when it comes to trust you, it will prove a fearsome and loyal companion."
Lyra glanced at her barely-charred fingertips and down again at the frightened Cyndaquil. She furrowed her brow. Maybe training is harder than it looks…
"Okay," she murmured, still shaken. "I guess I'll be careful…"
Elm nodded. "It's a good idea, at least at first. I'm sure it—she, actually, she's female—will come to trust you soon, though. In fact, you should try keeping her out of her Poke Ball—walking with your Pokemon will make it more friendly toward you. Now"—he turned back toward his desk—"do you need some bandages for that?"
"No, I think I'm okay," Lyra answered. The flame had barely licked the tips of her fingernails. "Thanks, though. It barely got me."
"That's good. Be careful, though," Elm warned again. He set down the box of bandages and swiveled around to face her. "Now, let's talk about the Gym challenge, Lyra. I'm going to warn you, it's not exactly a cakewalk. You can at least challenge the Violet City Gym, though, and go from there. But like I said, it isn't going to be easy."
She could almost hear the words underlying his earnest expression: not everyone is as talented as Kris…
"There are a few things that might help you—I would go talk to your mother and tell her you're leaving, of course. Also, you can take this."
Lyra looked up in surprise as Professor Elm placed a shiny device in her hands. It was silver, with a flap that opened to reveal a small screen.
"This is Professor Oak's genius invention—the Pokedex." Elm smiled as Lyra's face lit up. "Yes, it's for you. Kris already took the pink one, I'm afraid." He cleared his throat in an attempt to sound official. "The Pokedex is quite essential for a young trainer's journey; it will automatically fill with data of Pokemon you've seen or caught, which helps both you and me, as it is a crucial part of my research…well, Oak's research, actually…" His eyes shone as he beheld the device. "Professor Oak…that man really is a genius…" Elm blinked and turned back to Lyra. "Please do try to fill up the Pokedex as best you can; Professor Oak counts on young people like you to help him."
Lyra nodded. "I will, Professor. Thank you!"
She ran her fingers over the Pokedex's smooth surface. Now I'm a real 'dex holder. She felt so professional, with a Pokedex in hand and a starter Pokemon following behind her.
"Thank you, Lyra. And now—the egg."
Lyra heard a mechanical whirring noise emanating from the corner as Professor Elm leaned over and unlocked the door to one of the incubation chambers—a small one, tucked away underneath his desk. He resurfaced clutching a white egg a little smaller than the size of his head, covered with sparse, triangular red and blue markings.
"Here it is." Elm stepped forward and set it gently on the table before them. Lyra tucked the Pokedex in the pocket of her denim corduroys and picked it up, cradling it in her arms. It was rather light, and warm to the touch, and she swore she could feel a tiny, tiny pulse emanating from within its smooth outer shell.
"I'll take good care of it," Lyra promised, patting its surface gently.
As she thanked the professor again and began to walk toward the doorway, glancing behind her, she was surprised to see the Cyndaquil shake herself off and then obediently trot after her.
"Hey," Lyra said with a smile. "Sorry about earlier."
"Cynda." The Pokemon trembled and tensed up her nose, but she seemed to accept Lyra's apology.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all, Lyra mused happily as she opened the door and stepped outside. As she headed back toward her house, she cast a casual last look toward the side of the lab.
The red-haired boy was gone.
Lyra frowned, puzzled. That weird, rude kid must have left. Who knew what he was doing there, anyway? Maybe waiting for someone. But why was he staring into the lab…? Was he that curious? Or maybe he was poor and in need of a home, or people, or a Pokemon?
Whatever. It doesn't matter. Lyra shrugged it off. It had nothing to do with her.
Now she just had to tell her parents, and Ethan, and all the inhabitants of New Bark Town, that they were going to have a second adventurer.
Lyra grimaced. They were sure to be surprised.