I had wanted to finish this before summer ended up then I got Persona 5 and everything changed oops sorry for such a delay. Like persona really took over my life, and dragon age. I really missed this pairing tho, I'm tempted to rewrite a few older stories with them in it

"Oh, I didn't realize their pokemon league was here too," Lyra said as they stood in Tapu Village after flying in on their ride pager pokemon. "We should head up there after hitting up the thrifty mart! I want to meet the champion."

"Sounds fine to me, sure you won't be scared?" Proton questioned while Lyra doubled checked her map before starting the walk to the abandoned building.

"I'm tough!" Lyra exclaimed, patting her chest. "I've done way scarier things before, besides, it'll just be filled with gastlys and haunters." Proton raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything else as they made their way to the abandoned building. He noticed that the closer they got to it, the closer Lyra got to him. "Doll, if you're scared, we can turn around." He said and she frowned at him. Stubborn as always. "Fine, let's get in here and check it out."

They got to the door, but it was locked. Lyra turned to look at him. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bobby pin, handing it over to him. Proton nudged her out of the way, quickly making work of the lock with the bobby pin. Once it was unlocked he slid open the door, looking into the dusty store.

"This is why I keep you around," Lyra smiled at him, taking her bobby pin back from him.

"So I can help you break into places?" Proton asked with a straight face, knowing she was joking.

"It's too much work to break into places myself," she hurried into the store, ready to face whatever awaited them.

Lyra had been right, it was mostly pokemon they had already seen before. The first few tricks they pulled on them had scared Lyra, but after a while she got used to them and found them more funny than scary.

"Oh, hey," Lyra saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a Pikachu run down the aisle. "There's a Pikachu in here!"

"A Pikachu?" Proton questioned, confused as to why a pikachu of all pokemon would be in the store. "It's probably another prank."

"Maybe, but…" Lyra went down the aisle the Pikachu went down, not seeing it anywhere. There was a door at the end of the aisle, cracked just enough for a pokemon to get through. She heard a pokemon call out to her and she opened the door before Proton could stop her. "Oh."

"What is it?" Proton walked up behind her and they both stared at this strange looking pokemon. "Lyra, that's not a Pikachu," he said, looking at pokemon. It was dressed up like a Pikachu? He wasn't sure why though.

"Mimikyu, the disguise pokemon. A lonely Pokemon, it conceals its terrifying appearance beneath an old rag so it can get closer to people and other pokemon," Lyra's pokedex said as the pokemon—Mimikyu—continued to stare at them.

"It's adorable," Lyra put her pokedex in her pocket and Proton could feel the determination radiating off of her.

She was going to catch this pokemon.

Her idea of cute had always been a bit off.

"Alrighty, Mimikyu! I challenge you to a battle. If I win, you join my team and become my pokemon—" Lyra started but the mimikyu trotted over and sat next to her leg, looking up at her with its drawn on eyes. "Uh, what?"

"I think it wants to join you, without a battle," Proton said, also looking down at the pokemon. It was so strange, even for him.

"But I…" Lyra trailed off as the pokemon kept staring at her. She wanted to see what it could do while she battled it, but this could work too. "Do you just want to skip the battle and join me?" She asked and it nodded its head, fake ears flapping about. She pulled an empty pokeball off her belt and clicked the center, letting the red light capture Mimikyu and pull it into the pokeball. The ball only shook once in her palm before it clicked.

"That was easy," Proton said while Lyra stared at the pokeball. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am! I just got a new pokemon!" She called Mimikyu back out and carefully picked it up. "Alright, Mimikyu, my name is Lyra, and this is Proton. We're from another region and we're here traveling. I'm so happy to have you on my team!"

The mimikyu cheered back at her, almost imitating her pitch.

Okay, maybe the pokemon wasn't that strange. The more he looked at it, the cuter it got.

"We should go to the pokemon league now, before it gets too late," Lyra let Proton lead them out, still holding mimikyu in her arms. It was swaying its head back and forth, looking content to finally have a trainer. "Afterwards we'll have to see what you can do it battle, little guy. You're just so cute!" She hugged the pokemon who let out another string of cheerful noises.

"She's not here?" Lyra questioned, looking at the secretary in the lobby.

"Sorry Ms. Lyra, she's taken the next few days off. I think she's going to be on Poni Island, at the Battle Tree. You might be able to find her there," the man said and Lyra groaned.

"Now we gotta go see Red and Blue and watch them flirt with each other," she rolled her eyes, slowly making her way back to the entrance. "When are they going to get together and stop torturing me?"

"I'm sure torturing you is their intention," Proton said dryly.

"I told you, they're like my older brothers. They love to embarrass me. You know this, you've seen them do it!"

"Doll, to be fair, I've seen you embarrass yourself plenty of times," Proton joked and was smacked in the arm for it, Lyra sticking her tongue out at him. Lyra was so dramatic. "You act enough like them for you to be their little sister."

"Everyone says that, guess I'm just the combined best traits of the two of them?" Lyra winked at him and Proton rolled his eyes.

"Or the worse," he teased, loving how riled up she got. "Relax, relax, you know I was just teasing you," he put his hands off to block off any incoming blows. "You know I think you're perfect the way you are, doll," he added, watching as the tips of her ears went pink from his comment. He hadn't meant to say it, it just slipped out, but her flustered face was worth any embarrassment he was feeling from saying it out loud.

Lyra mumbled something under breath and pushed the door open, both leaving the Pokemon League. "I guess we can hit up the Observatory too today, since we're over here, then go get some dinner. Hopefully Malie Gardens will be opened tomorrow!"

"YES! Lyra cheered when she saw that the gardens were open the next morning. Proton followed her as they explored the gardens, looking at all the new pokemon and watching a few battles amongst the other tourists.

"This place is something else," Proton murmured, looking around. His eyes stopped on a bridge lined with trainers, with one older man at the end of the bridge. "That bridge kind of reminds me of Nugget Bridge back in Kanto. You know what I'm talking about?"

"Oh, wow, it sure does," Lyra replied, eying the bridge as well. "I'm goin' give it a whirl!" She said and hurried over to it with Proton close behind. A little boy stood at the entrance, looking ready to explain the bridge.

"People call this Nugget Bridge! Beat us five trainers and win a fabulous prize!" He exclaimed with a big smile. "Think you've got what it takes?"

"Hm, doll, you sure you've got what it takes?" Proton questioned with a smirk, glancing at her before looking at the young trainers she would have to battle. Lyra could clear through all of them with just her Typhlosion if she wanted to. "Go easy on them."

"I don't know, five trainers in a row is awfully tough," she replied and shrugged, checking out the trainers. The little boy looked at her smugly as she walked to the first trainer. The second she locked eyes with him, he lit up.

"We call Malie Garden Nugget Garden! Beat us five trainers and win a fabulous prize!" He exclaimed and Lyra nodded her head, ready to call out Mimikyu. They had battled a lot together yesterday and Lyra loved the pokemon to pieces already. Lyra really was planning to go easy on them, to use a new pokemon and not one of her original pokemon to crush them in one move, but then the boy got a haughty look in his eyes, almost looking down on her as he said, "think you got what it takes?"

She looked back at Proton and he could see it in her eyes.

She was going to crush them.

"Typhlosion! Let's show them what we're made of!" She called as she threw out her starter's pokeball. The pokemon emerged and growled, ready to beat down anyone that stood in its trainer's ways.

"What a temper," Proton muttered, watching as Lyra made quick work of the boy's caterpie and weedle. It wasn't as if the boy was weak, because he wasn't, but Typhlosion was stronger, and had the type advantage. The battle was over in two turns and Lyra shook her head as the boy tried to give her money.

This process repeated for the next four battles. Lyra would swear to herself that she was going to use mimikyu, to go easy on these trainers, but each trainer was just as smug as the last and Lyra regretted even starting the challenge. It reminded her too much of her starting days years ago, when older trainers looked down on her and her tiny cyndaquil. Still, she shook their hands and refused their money, feeling a bit bad that she knocked their pokemon out with one hit.

When she got to the end, the older man stood there, smiling at her.

"Congratulations! You beat our five contest trainers! You just earned a fabulous prize!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a big gold nugget and handed it to Lyra. "By the way, would you like to join Team Rocket?"

Lyra was putting up her nugget when he said this and she froze, nugget almost slipping out of her hands.

"We're a group dedicated to evil using pokemon! Want to Join?"

Lyra slowly looked up at him, gaze icy as she locked eyes with him. "What?" she asked, dropping the nugget into her bag. He wanted her to join Team Rocket? There was no way Team Rocket had risen again, she made sure of that.

But, what if they had? What about Proton? Were they going to try and recruit him again? She knew he would say no, she knew it, but what if they hurt him because he refused? What if he ran off to hide and she never saw him again? What if—

"Come on, join us! Looks like you need convincing," the man said and brought Lyra out of her thoughts. He threw out a pokemon and Lyra shook, filled with rage.

"I'll crush you!" She exclaimed, calling out her arcanine. She wasted no time in the battle and he barely got one hit in before both of his pokemon were knocked out.

"You're good! With your ability, you could become a top leader in Team Rocket!" He exclaimed as he called back his pokemon. Arcanine growled as a hand rested on Lyra's shoulder.

"What did you just say, grunt?" Proton's questioned in a harsh tone, standing behind Lyra. The older man looked at Proton with a confused face until he saw past the colorful outfit and the sunglasses and realized who Proton was. Proton's hand squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, before letting go.

"E-executive Proton?!" He took a step back in shock and in fear. "W-What are you doing here?!"

"I'm on vacation, besides, I don't think you're in the position to be asking me questions, are you?" Proton asked and Lyra glanced up at him, seeing the look of fury in his eyes. One glare was all it took to send any grunt into a fit of panic and fear, but she wasn't scared of it, not when he was defending her with it. "Why the hell are you here, trying to enlist people into Team Rocket?"

"I-I was just kidding!" He held his shaky hands up, shaking his head. "I wasn't really going to enlist her! I know Team Rocket is gone!"

"It is gone, thanks to her," Proton looked at Lyra then back to the man. "You didn't even realize you were talking to the current Johto and Kanto champion, did you? The very girl who took down Team Rocket?"

Lyra glared at the man and he looked even more afraid now, as he should.

"I want you to leave our sight, now, and if you ever try to pull a 'joke' like this again, you're going to regret it. Team Rocket is dead. Forever. Now scram!" Proton raised his voice and the man took off, almost tripping. The trainers on the bridge hurried off too, afraid of them.

They stood there in silence until Proton nudged Lyra, directing her attention towards a tea shop a little ways off. They went and got tea and snacks, and sat a table, still in silence, drinking and eating.

Proton kept stealing looks at her, trying to figure out what was going through her head. Finally he broke down and sighed, getting her attention. "You know…you know I would never go back, right?" He questioned, meeting her brown eyes. Maybe she was worried about that? It hurt a bit, to think that Lyra would think he would return to that lifestyle, but he couldn't blame her for thinking that.

"What?" Lyra asked, eyes wide as she stared at Proton. She could see the hurt and worry in his eyes and she was hit with a sense of guilt. "Oh, no no no! Proton no. I would never think that! I'm sorry I just," she could feel tears at the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. "When he said Team Rocket all I could think about was them hurting you because you refuse to join or you running off to get away from them and I would never see you again!"

"Lyra, hey," Proton came around to her side of the table and sat next to her on the booth, trying to comfort her. Crying people weren't his strong suit, but he wanted to comfort her in anyway he could. "They aren't back, and even if they were, I wouldn't hide and I wouldn't let them hurt me. I'd help take them down, I promise," He let her hug him and she pressed her face against his chest.

He wanted to track that man down and make him pay for what he did, but he pushed that urge down. He wasn't like that anymore. He scared him enough.

"I'm sorry I just—" Lyra sniffed, hugging him tightly. "You're my best friend Proton, I wanna be able to protect you. I don't know what I'd do if they hurt you."

"They won't hurt me, they won't hurt either of us," Proton said, hugging her back. Like hell he'd let anyone hurt her. "He was just some washed up grunt stuck in the past. They won't come back, and even if they did, we'd take them down together." He rubbed her back as she begin to calm down. "I promise."

"Thank you," Lyra mumbled, pulling away and rubbing her face, knowing she looked like a mess now. She felt so embarrassed, crying in the middle of a tea shop, but it was a lot weighing on her. Sometimes she still had nightmares about Team Rocket, about Proton joining them again, about everything they built between them disappearing.

"I mean it, Lyra," Proton said, looking into her eyes. He wanted her to know that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, that he would remain by her side for as long as she wanted him there. He didn't know how to verbally say everything he wanted to say, so he hoped his eyes said it all.

"Thank you," Lyra whispered, her eyes filled with love and understanding and hope, all the things that made Proton feel like he could do this. He could be good. He was worthy to stand next to her. "I'm goin' run to the bathroom to clean myself up. I'm sure I look a mess," she joked and stood, smiling at him before she went off in the direction of the bathroom.

Proton looked after her and then looked back at the table. He picked up his cup of tea and sipped it, looking out over the garden. Arcanine was resting in the grass next to their table and stretched out when Proton reached down to scratch his ear with his free hand. Arcanine used to hate him and wouldn't stop growling at him when Proton first reentered Lyra's life, but now he deemed Proton safe and was much friendlier towards him.

"It really reminds me of home here," Lyra said as she approached the table, taking the same seat as before. "I wonder what the other islands are like."

"Already ready to move on to the other islands?" Proton asked, finishing up his tea. Lyra was about to respond when he phone started to go off.

"Helllooo?" She answered, looking at Proton.

"Where are you? Red and I have been waiting for you," Green replied loud enough that Proton could hear him too. "The champion is here too."

"Where? What are you talking about?" Lyra questioned, furrowing her brows.

"The champion, girl your age, about your height. You talked about meeting her the whole trip here. She's at the battle tree on Poni Island, waiting for you," Green replied casually, chuckling when he heard Lyra sputter on her own words.

"W-What!? Right now?!" She stood up, almost knocking the table over. "Proton, we need to go to Poni Island right now! Tell her I'll be there soon!" She hung up and stuck her phone back in her pocket. "Proton!"

"Alright alright, calm down doll, let's get to Poni Island."