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Lyra Soul, the hero of Johto. The girl who defeated Team Rocket on three separate occasions. Collector of all eight Johto League Gym Badges. And Professor Samuel Oak's newest prodigy.

For a little over a year, she'd been on her Pokemon quest, travelling all over Johto. From New Bark Town to Azalea. From Goldenrod to Blackthorn. She'd been all over the region, challenging the League Gyms, and getting stronger.

Now, she had just reached the end of Route 26, and was at the entrance to Victory Road, a straight shot to Indigo Plateau, and the headquarters of both the Johto and Kanto Leagues.

She stopped for a moment, and reflected on her journey up to this point.

Her friends, and her Pokemon had been vital to reaching this stage of the journey. Her Feraligatr had been with her the entire time, protecting her.

Professor Elm, and her mother, both helping as much as they could, often conveying their love and care.

And… that boy, who'd challenged her like no other. That boy, who drove her to become as strong as she'd become. That boy that, despite not knowing where he'd gone to, she still felt so close too.

Silver had disappeared after Team Rocket's takeover in Goldenrod. Nobody knew where he'd gone off to.

Her feelings for him were just as strong as they'd ever been. Stronger, even. She thought about him often, wondering where he was and how he was doing.

When he'd finally come to realize that his ideals of "force and fear" were wrong, and that love and kindness were the way to go, she was overjoyed. She knew he'd become a fine trainer, and a fine person.

She just… she just wished she'd be able to see it. She wished she could be a part of it. A part of his life.

She wondered just how much stronger he'd become.

"Silver…," she said aloud to herself.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Pigtails," a voice called from behind her.

Her eyes lit up. She knew that voice. She turned around, and saw him standing there.

Silver, still in that old, black jacket, his hair still hanging down to his shoulders.

But there was something different about him.

He was actually smiling.

And it was a beautiful sight to behold.

"Silver!" she shouted joyfully, and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him.

Silver blushed, but he gladly returned the embrace.

"It's so good to see you again!" she said.

She meant every word. She was ecstatic to finally have him nearby again.

Having him so close, and hugging her back was causing her heart to beat like mad.

She finally forced herself to let him go, and looked him in the eyes. "What… what are you doing here?"

He smiled, and brought out his badge case. He opened it up, and proudly showed her all Eight Johto badges. "I got the Rising Badge from Blackthorn last week," he said, grinning.

"That's great!" Lyra exclaimed. "So… you're taking on the Elite Four too?"

"That's right, Pigtails," he answered, putting the badge case away.

"Well…," she said, extending her hand. "Good luck, Silver."

Silver looked down at her hand, raising an eyebrow, then back up to her eyes.

"What, do you think I'm just going to split and leave you all by yourself in Victory Road?" he asked, smiling slyly. He jokingly taunted, "We both know you're way too weak to last in there all alone."

Lyra pouted. "Oh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Silver replied, smiling cockily. "So I'm going through it with you."

He really had changed. A year ago… shoot, three months ago even, he wouldn't have wanted anything to do with her. He would've berated and insulted her about six times in the short span of time they'd been talking, and he would have pushed her aside as he stormed off. Now, he was offering to accompany her to the end of the League. Just who was this boy standing in front of her now?

"Well?" he said, making his way to the entrance. "You gonna just stand there all day?"

Lyra smiled. "Coming!"

She looked him as they walked, her heart fluttering. This definitely wasn't the angry, seething boy she'd met in New Bark Town. This wasn't the harsh, bitter trainer who'd pushed her away in Mahogany Town.

Silver was happy. For the first time that she could remember since meeting him, Silver was genuinely happy.

And she was happy for him.

The two walked for what seemed like hours, conversing about what had happened since they last saw one another. With Rhyhorns, Gravelers, Golbats, and Onixes popping out to interrupt them, they certainly never were bored.

"…and then, I made my way here, to Victory Road," Silver said, concluding his tale. "I'm actually kinda surprised you haven't taken on the Elite Four yet."

"I decided to train Route 45 for a while before coming to Kanto," she replied. "I figured I'd need to be even stronger to take down the Elite Four."

"Try all you want, Pigtails," he said, smiling, "but I'M gonna be the greatest Pokemon trainer ever."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Silver," she replied, smiling back.

"You won't get anything less either," he added.

The duo continued down Victory Road, until finally, they had to make camp.

"How deep is this damned cave?" Silver spat.

"I never want to see a mountain again," Lyra whined, as she sprawled herself out on top her sleeping bag.

Silver began to unroll his own bag when his stomach growled. He looked over at Lyra. "Tell me you have food."

"You didn't bring any?"

"I didn't think we'd be stuck in this cave the whole day!"

Lyra chuckled at his carelessness. She unzipped her pack and brought out her pot, a bag of rice, and a large bottle of water. Somehow, it all managed to fit in her pack.

She filled the pot with water and brought out her Flareon, and had him heat the pot with his fire.

Silver, meanwhile, began bringing out his Pokemon as well. He brought out their food, and turned back to Lyra. "How's it coming?"

"Just a bit longer, and I can add the rice," she answered. She looked up at his team. "The Kadabra's new," she said.

"Yeah," he said. "I caught him on Route 42. I spent a lot of my time around there after we split up in Goldenrod." He reached over and scratched Kadabra behind the ear. "He's good to have in a battle."

The Kadabra smiled, happy at the attention both trainers paid to it.

"Can you keep watch, Kadabra?" Silver asked the psychic type.

"Kadabra," it replied, and climbed up on a rock, and began to look around.

"You've really changed, Silver," Lyra said.

He blushed slightly. "Yeah, I guess I have," he answered.

"No, I mean it," she said, adding the rice to the pot. "You really care about your Pokemon. I can tell."

Silver smiled, but made no reply.

"I think it's great!" she added.

Again, Silver made no reply. His blush reddened further, and he turned away.

"About a year ago," he finally said, "when you found me in Sprout Tower… you said… you said I was unhappy." He looked back at Lyra. "You were right. I was miserable."

"Silver…," Lyra said his name.

"I didn't care about anything or anyone," Silver continued. "I just looked out for myself. I didn't have any friends. I didn't have anyone who cared about me. And I treated my Pokemon like dirt. I treated you like dirt." His gaze returned to the ground as he spoke, a frown on his face. "But you… despite the huge jerk I was, you stood by me. You did so much to try and keep me going." He paused, and added, "You taught me that kindness… and love… don't make people weak. They make us strong."

It was Lyra's turn to blush. "I just… I…"

"Thank you, Lyra," he said. "For everything."

The two sat in silence for a brief moment.

"Flare! Flare!" her Flareon called out, signaling that it had finished boiling the water.

She quickly grabbed the pot with a cloth, and went to pour the water out.

"I'll get some bowls out," Silver said, looking into his pack.

Lyra came back with the pot, and was about to scoop the rice into a bowl when Silver's Kadabra began to shout.

"Dabra! Kadabra!"

Silver immediately jumped to his feet.

Suddenly, the cavern began to rumble. Silver's eyes widened.

"Lyra, MOVE!" he yelled, as his Pokemon scattered.

A giant moving mass of stones slithered past their encampment. An Onix. A BIG one.

The loud rumbling lasted a good while before the Onix finally passed their campsite by. When they were finally sure it was gone, Silver rushed over to Lyra's side.

"Lyra!" he called. "Lyra! Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she said, still shocked. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm starting to think making camp wasn't a good idea," he muttered.

"Well, it's gone now, right?"

"Yeah, I think so-"

"ONIX!" the Pokemon's cry boomed as it came back around, leaping into the air.

"MOVE!" Silver shouted once more, shoving Lyra out of the Onix's path.

The cave shook as the Onix crashed down between the two trainers, and slithered away. When it was finally gone, Silver spoke up.

"We can't stay here, we have to move," he said. He looked around for Lyra, but couldn't see her. "…Lyra?" he asked.

No response came.

"Lyra?" he asked again, louder.

"LYRA!" he shouted, panic evident in his voice.

"Silver!" she called back.

Silver ran over to the edge of the cliff they'd been encamped by. Lyra was a good four feet below, having managed to catch hold of an outcropping on the cliffside.

"Lyra!" Silver shouted again.

"I'm losing my grip!" she shouted. "Help me!"

No! No no no no no!

This wasn't happening!

THIS WASN'T HAPPENING!

He'd JUST reunited with her, he couldn't lose her now!

Immediately, Silver dropped to the ground, hanging over the edge of the cliff as much as he could without losing his own balance. His arm hung down, reaching for Lyra.

"Take my hand!" he called down to her.

Lyra tried grabbing for Silver's hand, but she couldn't reach it.

"I can't reach it!"

"No," he muttered to himself. "No no no!"

He looked around for something – ANYTHING – that he could use to reach her. But there was nothing. Just dirt and stones.

"No," he repeated. "No!"

"Mag," came the call of his Magneton. "Magneton."

The magnet Pokemon floated past him and set itself down on the cliff's edge.

"Mag."

Of course. It was a steel type. It'd be sturdy enough to support her weight.

"Thank you," Silver muttered, grabbing hold of one of the magnets, as he lowered it down. He just prayed it was enough.

"I got it!" Lyra called up.

Silver breathed out a heavy sigh of relief as he tried to pull up Magneton and Lyra.

But he couldn't.

He wasn't strong enough to lift up both their weights, even with Magneton trying to come back up.

"No!" Silver shouted.

"Dabra!" his Kadabra called, appearing.

It wrapped its arms around Silver's torso. His Sneasel and Haunter joined in. His Golbat flew down to try and support Lyra from below.

And his Meganium, his oldest Pokemon, bit onto the tail of his coat with her mouth to help him pull up his friend.

His Pokemon, who used to be so afraid of and angry towards him, were now helping him save the only one who cared for him – besides them. He felt his eyes begin to water.

"Hang on!" he called down to Lyra, and all of them began to lift her up.

With their combined might, they were more than enough to bring her up.

"Lyra!" he cried out.

"I'm okay, Silver," she reassured him.

With Lyra secure, Silver immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He was so afraid that he was about to lose her. After everything she'd done for him, everything he'd learned from her – everything he felt for her – he was absolutely terrified.

He loved her.

Tears running down his face, he looked up at his Pokemon who had just saved her life. "Thank you…," he whispered. "Thank you…"

They passed another moment in each other's embrace before Lyra finally broke the silence.

"Silver…?"

Silver blushed and let go.

"We should… get out of here," he managed to say, wiping the tears from his face.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Right."

The next morning, after the two had found a much safer place to rest, they resumed their journey and finally came to the end of Victory Road.

Just outside of this cave was the Pokemon League HQ, where the Elite Four were.

Where his dream of being the best had brought him.

Where her dream of being the best had brought her.

Silver stopped, Lyra bumping into him.

"Oh, sorry!" she said.

Silver turned to face her.

He had to tell her.

"Lyra…," he said, struggling to make eye contact. "I…"

Lyra raised a brow, unsure of what was going on.

"I… I challenge you," he said, having lost his nerve at the last minute.

"What? Now?"

"Yeah," he said, going with it despite inwardly cursing at himself. "You've come so far; you must be a good trainer. But we can't both the very best." He drew a Pokeball from his belt. "For old times' sake," he said. "Let's go."

Lyra smiled.

"You got it."

Sneasel and Sandslash stood before each other, preparing to fight.

"Sneasel, use Icy Wind!"

"Sandslash, use Earthquake!"

The pair's battle lasted over two hours, their Pokemon very evenly-matched.

Pokemon after Pokemon fainted, until finally it was a winner-take-all showdown between the two oldest rivals. Feraligatr and Meganium.

"Use Surf!"

"Use Petal Dance!"

"Meg!"

"Feraligatr!"

Attack followed attack, trainers shouted commands and encouragement at their Pokemon.

In the end, the match went to Lyra and Feraligatr.

"You did it, Feraligatr!" Lyra cheered, giving the giant lizard a big hug. It growled happily with the bit of energy it had left.

Silver recalled his Meganium, and turned to Lyra. "I gave it everything I had, and I still lost."

Lyra frowned. "Silver…," she pleaded, not wanting him to feel bad over losing.

But he smiled back at her. "Congratulations, Lyra," he said.

She didn't reply, but she beamed at her opponent's reaction to losing.

He took it gracefully. He didn't grumble about weak Pokemon or chalk it up to a fluke on her part.

There wasn't a single doubt in her mind. He had truly changed.

"I haven't given up on becoming the world's greatest trainer," he said, looking at Meganium's Pokeball in his hand. "I'm going to train, and become stronger," he continued, looking up at her. He smiled, and added, "And when I do, I'll challenge you."

"You'd better," Lyra smiled back.

"Hmmph," he said. "You keep at it until then, Lyra."

"You're not leaving, are you?" Lyra asked, crestfallen at the thought.

"You don't… you don't need a… weakling like me dragging you down in there," he said, somewhat sadly.

"Silver!" Lyra protested. "Just one minute."

Silver's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh…"

"'Weakling?' 'WEAKLING?'" she repeated, her tone angry. "For a year now, I've had to listen to you go on and on about weaklings and strength! And do you know what?"

"Lyra…?"

"You don't know the first thing about being weak, Silvy! This past year, I've watched you go from a newbie trainer to an expert one! You beat all eight Johto League Gyms almost as fast as I did! In that entire year since you became a trainer, you've only lost six battles! Six! That is less than I've lost!"

Silver's jaw dropped.

"You are the strongest trainer I know, Silver," she said, her face inches from his. "I mean that."

Silver tried to find words to say, but none came.

"That's what I thought," Lyra said, smiling. "Now you are going to march into the HQ with me, and you are going to watch me fight the Elite Four, and you are going to be standing there waiting for me once I come out. Am I clear?"

Silver began to stutter. "Uh… Uh.. Y-yes, ma'am. W-whatever you say."

Lyra smiled, and grabbed Silver's hand.

He felt his cheeks heat up as she grabbed hold, and led him up the path to the League HQ, Feraligatr following them.

She healed up her Pokemon, and registered to challenge the Elite Four.

"Wish me luck, Silver," she said.

"If you lose," he said, a smile on his face, "especially after beating me, I'll never forgive you."

"You just watch," she said, playfully punching him on the arm. "I'm about to become the new Johto Champion right here."

"You'd better."

"Lyra Soul, please enter the arena," came a voice over the intercom. "Lyra Soul, please enter the arena."

"All right," she said, "time to go."

"Good luck," he told her.

"Thanks," she said. Then, without thinking, she planted a quick kiss on his lips.

Silver's eyes widened, his expression very confused.

The color drained from Lyra's face as she realized what she'd just done. Her eyes widened immensely, and she looked absolutely horrified.

"I…," she said quietly, "…I can explain."

Before she could, Silver grabbed hold of her and pulled her close, giving her another, much deeper kiss.

So, I've been switching between Crystal and SoulSilver for a few weeks now (when I'm not playing Pokemon Go), and I don't know why, but ever since HG/SS came out, I've been a fan of the SoulSilver ship.

Figured, "Hey, I haven't written anything in a while. Let me try my hand at this."

It's good to work on new things when you can't think of things to work on for your other things. Thing.

I originally wrote this up as a Oneshot (which, I guess, you could still say it is, since I uploaded it all at once), but I didn't expect it to be so long. I ended up splitting it into 5 parts so it'd be easier to bookmark where you were.

I worked practically nonstop on this for two days. Barring sleep and getting food, this was all I did.

I think it's actually pretty good.

But, given that I wrote it, of course I'd think that.

I have you guys to tell me that it's good, though.

So, leave me a review.