It was the first time they had walked together like this.

Typically, they didn't like each other much at all. In fact, the only reason Lyra saw him at all was because they kept bumping into each other. They had even attempted to steer clear of each other for a while, but it always came back to the same thing, and they met and battled every time. And Lyra always won.

Lyra had a crush on Silver since they had met, because, well, he was hot. Not much to say about the subject other than that. Over time, she came to dislike him more and more, and the feeling was left as only a tiny flame from a once strong fire.

At the moment, Silver walked along side her in this dark cave. The only light was from the faintly glowing walls, but even with that they could barely see their own hands in front of their faces. Not to mention their clothes were drenched in acidic water that burned the skin, and they hadn't eaten anything in hours.

So why were they traveling together like this if they hated each other? Survival, Lyra figured.

Suddenly, Silver stopped in his tracks. Lyra stopped too, wondering what expression was on his face right then. "What is it?"

"I think I see a light…" he said curiously.

Lyra stared forward at what Silver was (hopefully, it was hard to tell in this light) looking at. He was right; a little sliver of moonlight shone through an exit. They were almost there!

"Well, come on! Let's go! I'm huuuungry!" Lyra took off toward the exit as fast as she could.

Silver called after her, yelling: "You idiot! We have to stay together! Something might happen!"

The rival didn't hear. She continued running forward, new hope running through her bloodstream. Both of them were tired, cold and hungry, right? Why didn't Silver follow? She turned her head to see his scared face bathed in moonlight, and then she lost her foothold.

She was falling. Falling down, down into God knows where. Survival instincts kicked in, and she scrambled for some ledge, which she did find after what seemed like a lifetime of screams. That's all she could do though. Scream.

Silver caught up to her, his eyes as big as saucers. At first he was silent, and he only stared at her when she cried for his help. But as soon as his own instincts kicked in, the gears of his mind started turning furiously.

"Hand me your bag!" he yelled down to her.

Lyra obeyed, reaching for the bag hanging off her foot carefully. It had slid down her shoulder, and she just barely caught it on her shoe.

When Lyra's bag was handled and the Pokemon inside were safe, Silver called out his own Pokemon to help him. Out of red lights came his Golbat and his Typhlosion, who looked dazed.

Silver didn't give his Pokemon time to think. "Golbat, fly down there and be a platform for Lyra. Typhlosion, you help me pull her up. Go."

"I'm not that heavy you know!" yelled Lyra.

"Shut up and let us help you, you moron!" Silver snapped back. He grabbed her hands, and Typhlosion took position behind him to help his trainer pull him up. Meanwhile, Golbat flew down and let Lyra's feet rest on his head.

"On three!"

Lyra gasped. Something floated behind Silver and Typhlosion, but neither seemed to notice. Was it… was it really…?

"Two!" Lyra had missed 'one'. The thing floated behind Silver as it stared at her with big gold eyes. Images of letting go, falling, and being caught poured into her mind, and right then, Lyra wanted to do just that. And the Pokemon flying around Silver's head seemed to be urging her to…

"Three!"

At the same time they pulled, Lyra let go. Golbat collapsed as she fell onto him, but she didn't feel worried. She wouldn't die. The Pokemon would make sure of that.

Then, right before Silver's eyes, Lyra disappeared.

Lyra blinked. Was she dead…?

A pink Pokemon floated next to her. All she could see was whiteness and the pink thing.

At first she felt for her body, which was still intact. She sighed in relief. "Where am I?"

The pink Pokemon floated around her body in a jittery zig-zag motion. It seemed to giggle, even though there was no evidence of its mouth moving. Lyra, overcome by curiosity, reached out for it. She pet its head, which was very soft with tiny, refined hair. Then the name came to her.

"Mesprit, what's going on?" she asked the Pokemon.

Mesprit zig-zagged some more before resting on Lyra's arm. Its big, golden eyes looked alive with eagerness to play, and that was all Lyra needed to know.

"I can't stay here and play with you, Mesprit. I have to go back. How do I get back?"

Mesprit seemed to sigh in disappointment. With a wave of its twin tails, the whiteness disappeared. Lyra hovered just above the dark cave she just fell into. She could see her bag, Golbat, Typhlosion, and Silver. Looking… sad?

"What's going on down there? Why is Silver on his knees?" she asked no one in particular. Mesprit seemed to answer the question with another wave of its tails. The audio below became alive, causing Lyra to cover her ears in retaliation.

"…Why? She let go! After all that, she let go! Why did she do that? Is she suicidal? Doesn't she know people care about her? That she has a whole life left to live?" Silver's words echoed in Lyra's ears.

"DOESN'T SHE KNOW THAT I CARED? DAMN IT!"

As soon as those words were spoken, Mesprit uttered a sound. Everything came rushing toward Lyra in a flurry, whilst she screamed on the way down to the floor.

Silver looked up, saw her crashing down from the ceiling, and froze in place. "…Lyra?" Of course, had he moved, he would have been able to move out of the way, or at least caught her.

But at least Lyra got a cushion, even if in the form of a 14-year-old boy.

Lyra's Meganium had something against Silver, and not just Silver, but Silver's Typhlosion. They considered the other a threat to their trainer. Even if they wouldn't admit it, they had at least one thing in common. They were protective of their trainers, and saw all others as a threat to them.

So when Meganium carried an unconscious Lyra on her back, it was hard for her not to turn around and bark at Silver and Typhlosion. It wasn't really their fault really, but Meganium had no one else to blame, and she was stubborn.

Just like her trainer, Silver thought.

He was smart and kept his distance from the grass-typed Pokemon, so therefore, Typhlosion kept his distance. His loyalty to his human reigned over his rivalry with Meganium.

A shriek from ahead told Silver that it was safe to go on. Golbat came rushing back to his human after the call. Silver continued moving until they were at the exit.

But when they got there, it was colder than the ice caves back in Johto.

Silver was okay because of his jacket, but Lyra… He took the jacket off and covered Lyra with it. "I'll take it from here, Meganium," he whispered. Meganium nodded, and Silver returned her to her Pokeball. He did the same for Typhlosion.

The moon was high in the sky, illuminating a lake surrounding the cave they had just emerged from. Silver surveyed all of his surroundings, shivering all the time.

"Golbat can't carry us both…" Silver thought aloud. But what about Lyra's Pokemon…?

He set Lyra down against the cave entrance, and took her bag off his shoulder. Ugh, he felt like a girl for carrying the thing, but Golbat might have dropped it, Typhlosion wouldn't do it, and Meganium was holding Lyra. Inside, he found a purple Pokeball.

The Pokemon inside this Pokeball has got to be huge, thought Silver. Big enough to get them to safety…?

Silver threw the ball up high, and out of the light came a magnificent beast. Lugia caught its Master Ball in its mouth descending down from the sky, and perched on top of the cave. It stared down at Silver curiously, not saying anything.

Since when did Lyra have a Lugia?