Act 3: So That Nothing Can Touch Them

The Safari Zone had always been known for its honorable mission to preserve the best of Kanto's natural wonders. And even in the darkness of the night, Maya could see the fruits of the preserve's labor: The dense, green forest spread out in miles all around them, its hanging hands of emerald oak leaves creating natural bridges over the pathways through the woods of the southern Zone. They walked slowly, crunching into dried piles of fallen branches that had yet to be scooped up by a nearby nesting Fearow, or groomed off the forest floor at all. The air was still.

As they walked, Maya peered deeper into the standing audience of trees beside their path. As the moonlight hit them softly, her eyes began growing wide; Although it seemed quiet, Maya was amazed to find that there were scores of Pokémon just a few feet away from them out there, lost in their dreams of the night: Hanging loosely to the bark of the thick-bodied oak trunks clung beautiful pairs of Venomoth, their lavish lavender wings clutched closed in their slumber. They were enormous, Maya thought, as big as Kadabra from ear to tail, their wings nearly iridescent under the light of the moon. Hiding in the piles of broken boulders on the path, she also spotted a sleeping clutch of Eggsecute, their rounded bodies and little weary faces blending in seamlessly with the stones of the trail.

As they trekked further, Lance pointed a silent finger up to an arching branch jutting above them with a tiny grin; How cute! From the bough hung a quartet of softly sleeping Mankey, dangling upside-down silently from the hooks of their tails. Even deep in their slumber, Maya could still see the sly, mischievous expressions on their faces, as if they were still causing some unseen chaos in their dreams.

"Watch your step," Lance whispered as they turned down a new path, gesturing down to the hardened mud of this new forest floor. The path was stamped with gigantic footprints from a long-passed pack of Rhyhorn, leaving their deep & detailed hoof tracks in the trail, like colossal leaf-shaped cookies cut fresh from the dough of the earth. They hopped from one print to the next like hopscotch, until Lance directed them to the next northern turn.

Maya could tell they were gaining elevation now; their steps were wide & climbing, the fog growing dense, the breeze growing colder as it whipped under Lance's heavy cape. For the first time all night, she wondered what time it was; it must have been late, but her body was not tired. She wished it was still early and that the night was still young, that the Dragon Master would have just one more stop to add before this night was over. But she knew she was probably wrong.

Before long, they came across a small clearing in the woods up ahead. A thin veil of mountainous fog lifted to reveal: a small wooden gazebo beside an overlook of trees. It had a positively enchanting look about it, with intricate carvings laid in its railings and faded bits of Bergmite-white paint, surely chipped away by the months of moisture on these Safari winds.

"Most of the preserve's Pokémon settle in the valley, they don't come up here much." Lance said softly as they approached the gazebo, "So these little ones can stay safe, and get the rest they need."

Entering under the gazebo's little roof, Maya spotted something at the back: it was a small wooden hutch, no bigger than her desk at work, surrounded by stacking bales of blonde hay. It had a window wall of chainlink on the front, but it was too dark to see inside. It was an enclosure of some kind; Maya's brow furrowed in curiosity.

Lance gently raised the top hatch door of the hutch slowly, carefully, cautiously, and Maya finally peered inside: lying there on a comfy bed of thin, silken straw was not one, but three Pokémon eggs!

Lance turned to Maya to catch her little reaction; her jaw was dropped again, her face bursting in a smile at the little family asleep in their bed, just like the rest of the creatures of the forest. Their shells were colored in a calming shade of Oran-berry blue, with tiny, intricate spiral-like patterns printed around each of them

"These are the pokémon you're helping the Warden take care of?" Maya asked with a smile, hushing her voice to a whisper as if not to wake them.

"Yes," Lance replied, whispering back, "The Warden found them by the lake of the preserve. It's extremely rare to find a clutch of eggs like this together. And, we don't know for sure yet. But going by their spiral patterns, we believe they're all Dratini eggs."

Maya awed at the thought. "All of them? Dratini?" She continued to beam her smile down at the little unborn pokémon, the soft blue hue of their delicate armor glowing under the new moonlight. Lance nodded proudly. "Are you going to train them when they hatch?"

He shook his head softly. "No," he whispered, "They deserve to live and grow here free, in the preserve. It's the Dragon way, for hatchlings to learn to adapt to the world on their own." He paused for a moment, nodding with the idea. "They'll be just fine."

He withdrew the parcel from the Pokémon Center that Nurse Joy had prepared for him, unwrapping the bag to reveal a small medical spray canister. He shook it gently, before misting down the eggs in a healthy coating of the salve.

"This will make sure they have all the nutrients they need. It'll keep their shells nice and strong, until it's time to come out." Lance capped the spray, and they looked down upon the eggs again as they glimmered with their new healthy dew.

Incredible, Maya thought; unborn Dragons, relying on his care.

As Maya gazed upon them, something big was dawning over her. All of these things he had shown her tonight; they were each more amazing than the last. And this was just a single night in the life of the Champion.

Hearing about the legend of him during her travels; reading the articles that followed his name... they did the real honor of the man no justice.

As Lance gently closed up the hutch for the night, Maya meandered toward the opposite edge of the gazebo. Just outside of it, a thick-bodied oak tree by the rim of the overlook was standing proud, as if the other trees had envied it, but as Maya slowly approached it, she soon found out why: it had the greatest view in the entire park.

She peered out beyond its trunk to the massive sprawling valley below, filled with acres and acres of blossoming trees, a wave of precious Kantonian jade, the heads of their flourishing branches casting out in miles in every direction. She could see all of the twisting trailheads and the winding pathway lines in the skins of the hillside, and in the distance she could even see the Safari's Lake, as still as a stone, a satin blanket of midnight blue. She peered up to the cloudless sky; it was getting lighter now. The morning was chasing away the stars that had witnessed their secret expedition.

Lance approached her slowly, and they soaked in the view together. For a moment, they just enjoyed the comfortable silence. For the first time all night, they were truly alone.

"Thank you," Maya began slowly, "For showing me this. For showing me everything, tonight."

Lance stood in silence, slowly looking her over now. Her cerulean eyes were shining, just barely reflecting the dawn's new light as she recalled all the stops on their little journey.

"I've learned a lot," Maya continued, "Especially about Dragons."

Lance raised a tiny grin, leaning his back up against the oak's strong trunk.

"Is that so?" He asked, crossing his arms as she nodded with his words, "Tell me. What did you learn?"

"Well," she began, still peering down over the luscious valley below, "I learned... that Dragon Masters have a lot of responsibilities. Not just to themselves, or their pokémon, but to the place that they live. To the grass they train on."

Lance closed his eyes and nodded, still wearing the tiny grin, remembering the Grassy terrain from the start of the night.

"I learned," Maya continued, "that Dratini eggs have little Twisters on them. It's like they're born knowing that dragon-type move, like it's printed on them from the very start."

Lance's smile got a little wider; such a sweet thought. The little patterns on the eggs did resemble tiny Twisters etching around their fragile little shells.

Maya peered over to him now with a wide smile of her own.

"And," she continued, "That a Dragonite's scales are warm to the touch. I honestly didn't know that before." Her voice turned to a curious tone, "They always look so terrifying through the camera, so powerful, scary. But they're actually really, really warm up close."

Lance's silverstone eyes opened again, locking with hers now in a soft, honest gaze. He took his time, studying this vision of her; standing against the backdrop of the verdant Safari valley, under the amber-black shade of the new morning's light, the scent of fresh Fuchsia-born trees all around them; her wholesome cerulean eyes, so beautiful, so serene as they looked upon him. He took in a slow, cold breath; I want to always remember this, he thought.

"I'm glad you had fun," He finally replied, looking back down over the treetops below, "I wanted to show you that Dragon types don't have to be so scary. Dragons can be powerful, unpredictable. My Charizard, especially, has a wild streak."

He paused for a moment, recalling their first little bought on Route 11, where he feared Charizard had scared her off for good. "But I've always seen how beautiful they could be. I'm glad you can see it too."

Maya's soft smile turned back to the view as well. She nodded with the thought; they really were beautiful. Those little Dratini eggs, covered in their little mist, were downright precious.

But her thoughts too turned back to that night on Route 11, recalling Charizard's terrifying sucker-punch that nearly took out Kadabra. (Oh Kadabra, she thought...She couldn't wait to tell Kadabra all about this.) Her mind recalled its protective reflecting shield.

And the anger; the harsh words she had said out of spite, about his battle with Diantha.

She turned back to face him, earnestly.

"I wanted to say, I was sorry," she began, her voice low and sincere, "For what I said about your Masters 8 battle. I said it, because I was angry."

Lance's eyes widened a bit at the memory, before he shook his head.

"No," he replied, "You said it, because it was true. Because you were right."

He stood there, letting the words hang over them for a moment. His next thoughts came out slow, as he worked them through in his mind.

"I... didn't have a defense that day. I didn't think I needed one. But I think I surrounded myself with too many Yes-Men at the League, because no one dared to talk to me about my faults in that battle after it was over." He peered over to Maya again. "But you did. You had the guts to tell me the truth."

Maya kept her eyes on him.

Oh no, she wondered, has he not talked about his loss with anyone?

"Well," she said carefully, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Those genuine, cerulean eyes; they were too much to bear with the memory of that day.

He looked away, taking a few steps out ahead of her toward the edge of the overlook to cast his gaze down over the forest, hoping the view would temper the rage he could already feel bubbling up from just the thought of that battle.

"There's not much to talk about," he began curtly, before his more candid thoughts began trickling out, unable to stop them. "Like I said, I didn't think I needed a defensive strategy. If I'm being honest, I still don't think I need one. I know how strong my dragons are; and they can take a hit. Their strong offense is their defense."

"But you have to admit," Maya retorted carefully, "Her screens were a good strategy against you."

"Strategy?" Lance repeated back, a line of incredulous pride in his voice now as he glanced back to her at the tree, "Running and hiding behind her little shield isn't strategy; it's cowardice."

Although a bit shocked by the new harshness in his words, Maya nodded with sympathy; she could tell he needed someone to say this to. He must have bottled this away since she secretly discovered him, fists full of rage, in that locker room in Wyndon.

"Go on," She said softly.

Feeling an angry line in his chest, he paused for a moment, reading her face; he didn't want to lose composure here, not in front of her.

But the understanding in her eyes told him to keep going. He turned his back to her again to face the valley below.

"Her defense, was one made out of weakness and submission," He continued coldly, "And her offense? A cheap parlor trick. She had to literally change my dragons at their very core, change them into ghosts, to be able to score any real hits on me."

"You don't think that was creative?" Maya asked, a bit of hesitance in her voice, "She came prepared with Trick or Treat to counter you."

"That's not creativity," he spat out, glancing back to her again, "That's perversion. She couldn't face my dragons as they are. She had to change them, to beat them."

Maya nodded; in a way, he was right about that.

"But still," Maya added, "She did her homework on you, and it kinda worked. In a way, it was like she was dressing up your team for one of her movie roles, like a ghost movie."

He shook his head at the idea in disgust.

"Actors like her make a living out of pretending to be someone else," he said callously, the stoic expression now painted over his face as he stood restlessly in the grass, "It's an art form for the stage & for undercover spies, but not for the battlefield. There's no honor in dressing up my dragons like pokedolls."

He paused again, searching for the right words, feeling the heat rising in his chest.

"I respect her as a trainer. And as a Champion, that's no easy task," He turned to her again with his words, "But I look back at that battle, and see someone who was running away from me. From my power. She needed not one, but two shields to save herself from me."

Their eyes were locked again. He sighed with the heat of his own words; it felt so good to say them out loud.

He peered back down over the Safari's treetops.

"Now everyone knows that's the only way to endure me," he continued coldly, "By running and hiding behind a wall."

Maya swallowed hard, now feeling a bit of offense at these words.

"What about Kadabra?" Maya asked, a bit of a challenge in her voice now, "Was that cowardly? We needed that Reflect to protect ourselves. Do you know what could have happened if that Thunder Punch had landed a hit?"

Lance paused; remembering that awful moment. He turned back to her, her little body standing beneath the shade of the oak, their eyes locking once more. He could almost see the fear imbedded in them again.

His eyes softened, but his stoic expression remained.

"No," he said softly, "I don't blame you for using it. I guess I can't exactly blame her either."

Maya studied him pensively in this moment as he turned his back to her again to face the verdant valley below. The mountain wind billowed under his cape gently, his soldier-like shoulders holding him steady against the vicious memories from that day. The back of his shining, rust-colored hair seemed so soft in the Fuchsia breeze, but his hidden rigid face was still so painted with the pain of his failure; with the shame of the watching crowd, with the immense and aching pressure of the bottle in his chest that he had kept this all in.

Maya could see something else in him now, in those strained, unyielding shoulders, pumping with his every anger-laden breath:

A profound loss.

A profound loneliness.

He carries the weight of this with him, she thought. All of the time.

"I just wanted to say," he started again, his words growing sharper, "That I don't think I ever needed that type of defense. I'm strong enough to handle a raw fight, my dragons can take anything that comes their way. By themselves."

Maya took a slow step toward him now. "By themselves?"

"I've trained them to endure," He growled out, a silent rage rolling through him now, eyes still on the trees below, "and we'll keep training, so that a loss like that will never happen again,"

Maya took another step, nearly closing the gap from behind as she watched his shoulders tremble, his voice rising with the anger now.

"They'll be even stronger. I'll make sure of it. So that nothing can even touch them."

One more step, just inches between them now;

Just beyond his cape, her eyes spied his clenching fists, balled up with the newfound fury of this promise.

Swallowing hard,

Maya slowly reached out from behind,

And grasped his hand inside of her own.

He froze.

His vision; suddenly clear.

This touch, so soft;

His fingers began to loosen within her own, the anger thawing.

He turned around to face her.

Their eyes met, his iron shields matching again with her true cerulean blues; the memory from the battlefield was fading, her ocean eyes washing away the sting. She was all he could see now.

The sunrise; it was standing still.

Slowly, carefully,

Maya reached up, with an outstretched hand.

"So that nothing," she repeated his words, now in a secret whisper, "Can touch them."

As softly as she could bear, she gently clasped the side of Lance's face, holding it tenderly in her hand. His jaw was so rigid; his creases so cold. He breathed slowly, her fingers holding soft to the edges of his cheeks.

Their eyes stayed locked; he dared not move. Her gaze; he let it soak through him, and felt the warmth of her touch steeping in, the breeze of the mountain fading away with the memories of his shame. She sighed, a terrible tremble in her lungs as she fought with this pull in her chest that had plagued her for so long.

He gently closed his silver eyes now, inhaling deep.

He slowly reached his own hand up to clasp overtop of her own, squeezing her fingers firm as they caressed his face together.

He then carefully guided her hand down to his lips, turning to meet the inside of her little wrist with a quiet, tender, slow kiss. He lingered in it, relishing the taste of the salt on her skin.

His eyes finally opened, peering up to find her again.

She stood still, frozen in this moment.

Leading her hand back down between them, he suddenly took a step forward, guiding her in a stride backwards toward the tree.

His eyes suddenly grew sharp; his face now lined with a sobered tenacity.

He advanced on her again in another step, but there was a change in the air now; a change in his eyes.

An aggressiveness; hostility.

On instinct she backed away, now pulling her hands from him in panic.

Her mind raced as she stumbled back away from him; did I go too far? Did I cross a line? I'm so stupid, this man is a almost stranger! She searched his face for answers but got nothing in return.

His breathing; it was still heavy, still recovering from his memory's rage. He took another step toward her, almost menacingly now; forcing her to retreat backwards again as he towered over her like predator on prey, still inches away, closing the gap as quickly as she could widen it.

She froze, flinching at the sight of him above her now as he suddenly leaned down close, his voice falling to a gruff and growling whisper as his lips hung into her ear.

"I know," he hushed out, "you like to watch me."

Her eyes grew wide; her knees grew weak; her chest, it throbbed in warning.

She anxiously took another step backward but he instantly chased & closed the gap again, the shade of the tree overtop of them now as his silver eyes gleamed into hers like daggers.

"And I can tell," he growled again, "That the thrill stays with you. When you teleport away. When you try to sleep at night."

Nowhere to go, another step had her back hitting the jagged trunk of the tree. She braced against it, his deep silver eyes shooting into her own, cornering her now as he loomed over her. He leaned down close once more, his lips grazing the inside of her lobe again, his voice as cold as the mountain wind that kicked upon them.

"But up close," he whispered slowly, "There is danger here. I won't see you be hurt. I won't allow it. You don't know what you're asking for."

She swallowed hard, her true cerulean eyes shining up with an earnest resolve.

"That's not true," Maya hushed back, feeling the bark of the tree grinding against the blades of her shoulders as she fought off the shakes. Their eyes locked again, a new declaration leaving her lips, "I know what I want."

"You want this?" He asked harshly, his hand now grasping onto her tiny ribcage, clutching it with a quiet rage as he pushed her deeper into the skin of the tree. She winced, heart throbbing with the thrill of his touch, but she never broke the gaze as his words spat out, "You want danger? Without a badge to your name, without a shield to protect you, what will you do?"

It calmly dawned on her, what he was trying to do here.

No, she thought. That wasn't going to work.

"You don't scare me," she whispered back defiantly, "This won't scare me away."

His eyes softened the slightest bit at the sound of this, but they didn't leave her gaze.

It was now his own hand reaching up to her heart-shaped face, gently trailing down the paper-thin skin of her cheek, as if carefully reading her freckles like brail.

"It's dangerous, to be here," his whisper was lined with a tinge of pain; of a raw and grueling grief, "It's dangerous, just to know me."

Her cerulean eyes stared up into him, cutting right through him, unbreakable, unmoving, unafraid.

"I want to know you," she hushed out, "I want to know every part of you."

His gaze softened again, with the words he's always wanted to hear as he let her go on.

"You say, you don't need a shield," she whispered up to him, "You say you don't need to hide behind a wall, that you can live without any defense?"

With her final words, her brilliant eyes pierced right through him:

"Then prove it."

He grit his teeth,

He clenched his fists again...

And he crashed his lips down onto her own in a passionate, ravishing kiss.

His lips,

so fervent,

so gentle as they did collide; unburdened by any space between them now.

Maya held her tremble, frozen in this moment as she became encompassed by the taste of him; of the caress in his touch as his hands clutched around her little face now, holding it like an unearthed Hisuian treasure, precious and golden and rare. Her own hands reached up as instinct took over, now coursing her fingers through his garnet locks of luscious hair.

And then deeper he pushed, exploring his tongue in her mouth, feeling her body gasp with a new trepidation as she let him pass through into her, breathing in the other; savoring each other. She wrapped her arms around & beneath his cape now, crossing up over his firm shoulders like a valiant protective shield to his back, the only shield he would ever need, as they shuttered in this sacred moment beneath the Kantonian winds.

The ache in her chest; the war she had fought against it was nearing an end with this losing battle, her body letting go of its stronghold as the mighty rush took over. It washed in a ripping current over her lungs, her ribs, spreading out across her chest to sear down the veins of her arms as she finally gave in with the solace of surrender.

She suddenly felt the floor drop out beneath them; she could no longer feel the soft Safari grass or the wall of bark behind her; only dancing golden lights like comet shards behind her eyes. What was this illusion, a fantastical dream? Did she fall asleep on Dragonite, and was now freefalling over the empty Cycling Road?

No, she thought; she could still feel his body pressing, his embered embrace, his lips still exploring in a bursting electric vigor, a raging current wrapping around them now and entangling them together. It was as if they could feel the power and vicious vitality of the other, as well as from the earth of Fuchsia's past.

But suddenly, lost in this freefall of passion and zeal, a thunderous RUMBLE shook her bones.

And before her sealed eyes:

A terrifying FLASH of dazzling emerald green.

Lips breaking,

Lance pulled away.

Did he see it too?

His shining grey eyes peered down over her softly, the sound of their heaving lungs shaking in the daybreak's glow as they each caught their breath. While one hand still grazed at her face, the other reached for his chest.

She peered up to him, her thoughts racing, her body pleading, the sound of his lungs echoing over her still as he stood back up tall and unbroken. Her cerulean eyes couldn't imagine a better sight; the Champion of Kanto, breathless with her kiss.

A tiny sly smile appeared over him now as he watched Maya tremble, body braced and clinging to the tree, knees weak, as if a silken string-shot had tied her legs together. He had won this little battle, exactly as he said he would.

Though his own trembling chest; He held it in, pushed it down with every breath.

He played it over again in his mind; no one had ever challenged him like this.

And this invigoration... this shaking in his muscles, he had never before felt this type of power; this unbridled strength. Even Dragonite's tango of Dragon Dances from earlier in the night, that had filled his veins with such vigor, was a blurry pale shadow compared to this.

He turned to look down over the green of the forest again, a distraction from the shakes, praying for them to pass. The sounds of awakening pokémon were beginning to cast up to them, parting through the brush for their breakfasts, seeking through the mist of the new Kantonian day. The sky was still dark but growing lighter every second, now the color of a Murkrow's indigo wings.

Lance reached into his belt for a pokeball, throwing it up with a spin. Out from a burst of light emerged Dragonite, now rested and refreshed.

"Come on," he said with a new resolve, "let's get you home."

Act 4: Uncharted

Soaring through the dawn of the new Kantonian sky on Dragonite's back again, the clouds ahead were bursting through the sunrise now, gleaming in brilliant shades of new-moon orange and pale pastel pink, like the face of a curious Clefable.

Maya watched in silence, the Dragon Master in lead, his heavy cape whipping along in the breeze as it cast down over his shoulders. She hadn't spoken a word, since their lips had come together. But she could see the tiny sly smile was still painted over his face.

What a curious man, she thought, studying him quietly, to take her on this whirlwind of a ride.

But she couldn't help but think: Where were they to go from here?

Slowly, gently; she slid forward on the dragon's back. With both hands rising to the nape of his neck, she softly caressed down the blades of Lance's shoulders, in one long, tender stroke; so firm, so strong.

He sighed quietly with her touch, closing his eyes now, leaning back into her to draw in a cold morning breath.

She parted her hands and traced around the edges of his taught shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze as she continued to wrap them around to his front, until her arms interlocked across his chest.

She rested her head against his back; her body was so tired, but her mind was still racing with the fresh adrenaline; still reeling with the taste of him.

He raised his hand up to clasp over her own, pressing deep into the center of his chest. And for a moment, they enjoyed this tiny moment of zen, flying together, breathing together.

She fought the urge to drift off to sleep, although a lullaby had been dancing around in her head... a song that had been stuck there since earlier in the night.

She began humming the song out loud, softly, gently, her eyes peering out to the blush of the clouds. It was the gentle tune of the Pokémon Center.

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm,

hmm,

hmm-hmm-hmm..."

Lance glanced back at her for a moment, a look of recognition on his face.

"The Pokémon Center." He thought aloud. Maya nodded.

"Yeah," she replied slowly, "It's been stuck in my head since we left there."

Lance nodded, looking out now to the clouds ahead, lost in thought.

"My Father wrote that song." He said slowly.

"Really?" Maya hushed back in genuine surprise, "It's such a famous song."

"Yeah," He replied, his eyes still lost with the thought, "He composed it for my Mother."

"That's amazing." Maya said, another smile crossing her face, "I read that he was a composer. Your house must have been filled with music growing up."

"It was," He replied, the memories coming back to him. He smiled at the thought. "But that song. He wrote it for her when she was in the hospital. He had his big piano brought in from the house up to her hospital room so he could play it for her. And when he did, the nurses realized that the song was effecting the pokémon who were on the floor. It was relaxing them."

Maya smiled at this; the song really did have a calming effect.

"So one of the nurses told another nurse who worked at the local Pokémon Center," Lance continued, "and they wound up buying the rights to the song."

"Wow," Maya replied, "And now it's everywhere."

Lance nodded, the memory still painting his face with a sweet smile.

Maya had a million questions; about his parents, about his childhood, his upbringing. She wanted to learn about it all.

"Your Father," she asked, "Was he a Dragon Master too?"

He paused, the smile slowly fading now. He shook his head.

"No," he replied, "Not a Master. But he was still a brilliant trainer."

Maya nodded at the thought. She didn't quite understand why that would make his smile fade away. But she gripped him a bit tighter anyway, turning her ear to rest against his shoulders once more.

The Saffron skyline lay ahead of them, just off in the distance. Lance could feel Maya's soft, slowing breath as the fatigue began to overtake her.

So many times, he thought, he had seen this view alone.

But now, in sharing it with her, it felt quite... right.

And there was more he wished to share,

if it didn't scare her away.

Even though he knew the heartache to which it would certainly lead.

Way off in the distant western sky, his eyes spotted something: A small, thick cluster of black, growing storm clouds. More of these unseasonable storms, he thought. Very odd. Though it would not reach Saffron for a few hours, the darkness was enveloping even in the distance. But there was no doubt about it; there was certainly a bad storm coming.

It dawned on him slowly; despite Maya's words at the Preserve, he knew that she still didn't quite grasp just how bad this storm could get.

"Please, understand," Lance's voice fell to a whisper, breaking the silence, "There are things about me... about my life. About my Clan. That you may need to know."

Maya listened intently, her ear to the blade of his shoulder, eyes wide with the husky sound of his voice.

"Where this could lead," he continued in a whisper, "is uncharted for me."

Maya let the words hang over her, as she attempted to decipher them.

"I don't understand," she replied, the sleepiness lined in her voice, "But I want to."

"It's okay," he replied softly, "You don't have to, right now." He drew in another whispering breath, "But we must be careful. My enemies, could become your enemies. They always go after the people within my circle. My family, my friends. That's where the danger is. I won't allow that to happen."

Maya nodded, squeezing him tighter as he continued.

"Until we figure out a... security solution," he hushed with the thought, "I think we should try to keep this between us. For now."

Maya nodded again. A small price to pay for her own protection; for her own place in the Champion's heart.

"I understand," She whispered back with a smile, "But I can't hide it from Kadabra."

He let out a little chuckle.

"That's okay," He replied back, "I trust Kadabra."

As Saffron's skyline drew closer, the towering Saffron Times building gleamed in the morning light. Lance's face turned serious again.

"There's one more thing you should know," he started again. "You must promise me you'll be careful at your office."

"My office?" Maya asked, "What do you mean?"

He shook his head with the thought.

"Imagine my surprise when I go to look up the address of the Times, only to discover that your new headquarters is the old Silph Co. campus" His voice grew serious, "I don't believe for a second that they purged every Team Rocket member from the building. They could be on your writing staff. They could be working on your floor."

Maya thought hard on this; there were a lot of new-hires in the last few months since the sale.

"Promise me that you'll be vigilant." He said again, the wind whipping at his face. Maya nodded solemnly.

"I promise."

After guiding him to her building on the eastern edge of downtown Saffron, Lance directed Dragonite to gracefully land on the stonetop of Maya's little balcony. The sunrise was in full view now; just after 5am. They had made the dark of the night their little secret accomplice.

Lance slid down off his dragon's shoulders to plant firmly on the balcony's floor, before outstretching a hand to Maya. She softly took it in her own, and he carefully guided her down off Dragonite's back. Her feet hit the ground safely, peering up into the noble dragon's eyes in great thanks for the memorable travels.

His hand did not leave hers for a moment as they stepped out to the middle of the terrace. The sunrise gleamed on the balcony's double glass doors, her bedroom waiting just on the other side.

But this was where the night was to end.

Something glinting in the sunrise caught their attention. They both peered over to a small round table that stood just beside the balcony's door. There in a skinny glass vase sat the single Vermilion Orchid, the invitation that started it all, it's petals still blooming wide from the night's cool air.

Their eyes met again, a knowing little smile crossing them both.

"When will I see you again?" Maya asked slowly, attempting to hide her trepidation with a playful tone.

Lance's steely eyes looked over her softly; he then raised her hand to his lips, meeting it with a tender, gentle kiss. He lingered on it, just for a moment; he could still smell the fresh Fuchsia soil engraved in her knuckles.

"Soon."

The word was laced with confidence. He finally let go of her hand, taking a few steps backwards to his waiting dragon. His voice fell to a hushed whisper, their eyes locking one last time.

"Goodnight, Maya."

He turned and leaped up again onto Dragonite's back. With one last glance, Dragonite kicked off from the cold tile of the balcony and set off into the Saffron sky.

Maya watched him fly away; the Champion of Kanto, the mysterious Dragon Master. She stood in the silence of the morning, frozen in the thought of him, until he was lost from sight. And even then, with all the memories made from their redeye rendezvous dancing around in her mind, she didn't want to move just yet. She felt as if she was welded there; a porcelain statue with a rush in its chest, overlooking the new Saffron day.