"Hey, I just call to remind you of the party, tonight at six, in the Sootopolis GYM. Don't forget, this is your own boyfriend's birthday party, okay? Don't screw this up! And I hope you've got something for him already! I'll see you later, Lance!"

Lance took a moment to register the message, before he finally threw his thick blanket aside and stared at his phone as if it had been a time bomb all along. He froze for several moment, before jumping out of bed and dashed into his bathroom to get ready for the day.

Dragonite, who had been sleeping peacefully next to its master on the king size bed, drowsily look at the clock, which indicates that its ten in the morning. Dragonite yawned loudly and stretched, fully expecting breakfast to be ready as soon as possible.

Lance burst out of the bathroom, casually dressed for the day. He put on his black glasses and his black jacket, "Dragonite, go get breakfast by yourself," Lance ordered as he grabbed his phone and flung the hoodie over his head, "Remember, no cheese for breakfast!" And with that, he flew out of his room. Dragonite stared for a few moment, before yawning again and drag its massive body out of bed, with nothing else in mind aside from mac and cheese.

The Dragon Master couldn't help but to curse his incapability of remembering something as trivial as his boyfriend's birthday. He know he had been so caught with work as of lately, but it's no reason to be forgetting important dates like these, especially considering that the birthday party was his idea all along. If it wasn't for Wallace phone call early in the morning, he would probably have forgotten completely about it.

He jogged quickly to his car, turned on the engine, before speeding out of the Johto League parking lot at full speed.

Lance knew that he can't possibly be screwed if the Celadon Department store is open, and much to his relief, it is open. He walked over to the jewelry section, and got the exact thing he had been looking for after a several hours of searching. He ordered it to be wrapped up nicely, and make his way out of the store with a smile pasted on his face.

It was twelve o'clock when he got on the elevator, which was occupied already by several more people, and made his way to the first floor. He knew that at least he's at a safe point at the moment, and couldn't help but to hum a little song as the elevator traveled down. However suddenly, there was a terrible tremor that sent the whole elevator shaking violently, before a loud explosion was finally heard.

Lance instinctively ducked and cover his head, while the others screamed out in panic. The lights suddenly went out, and there was a long silence. The little children in trapped there with him began crying desperately, while some others began praying out loud. The Dragon Master finally opened his eyes, and looked around, suddenly realizing what the explosion is all about.

He realized that he might not make it to the party in one piece...

Steven checked his watch for the hundredth time that day, only to find out that it's two in the afternoon, and that there's still four more hours before his birthday party in the Sootopolis GYM. Steven is not a fool, he knew what Wallace and the others are planning when he suddenly invited him to come over to his place at six, yet he decided to play the fool, and kept quiet about it.

He never really thought of birthdays as a big deal, and neither does his boyfriend. That's why the two gets along well. The thought of repeatedly celebrating them same thing over and over again every year seems to be too dull and boring. He wondered if he's going to see Lance in the party, but never kept his hopes high. Wallace and Lance didn't get along really well anyway, especially ever since the incident that happened several years ago when he just started going out with the Dragon Master.

His beldum nudged him gently when it noticed that Steven had been spacing out. The rock-getter smiled, "Oh, right..." He muttered as he got back to work, "I'm just thinking, that's all..." He pocketed the sun stone he managed to get several moments ago, and turned to his Metagross, "Come on, let's go home..."

With the help of some of the people trapped in the elevator with him, he was finally able to break open the hatch on the top of the elevator. And using the shoulder of one of the strong men there, he was finally able to climb up. It took Lance a few moments to adjust his eyes with the darkness, but finally, his eyes caught sight of something glowing to his right, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw a count-down timer. He has been working in the Inter-Regional Security Service to figure out what this means.

"What's wrong? Did you see anything?" One of the worried mother asked when she noticed the abrupt way Lance froze.

Lance turned to look at them as he got down, "Okay, before I told you anything, I want you people to stay calm, and don't panic. We are in a very delicate situation, one wrong move and we all could... die." He revealed the news slowly and carefully, careful not to trigger and sudden reaction. He waited for a moment, then two, "There's a massive time bomb right on top of our heads. We only have four hours and thirty minutes, before it exploded."

Cry of anguish, disbelief and pain rang throughout the small cubical elevator, and the mother of the children began to break down and cry.

"I've called Officer Jenny!" One of the trainer in the room declared as he held up his phone, "She's on the line! Officer Jenny, there's s time bomb on top of the elevator, we only have four more hours before it exploded. Please, we need help here!"

"People, don't panic!" Lance shouted, "This bomb is very sensitive to the slightest movement! If any of you ever moved again, it will blow up! You, tell Officer Jenny to get the Bomb Squad in line, quick!"

Steven sighed when he cancelled his call for the fourth time. Lance hasn't called ever since yesterday, when he told him that he has to work on a very important mission and might not be back until this morning. Lance had promised to call him first thing when he got back, but now, three o'clock in the evening, and he still has yet to hear from him.

He knew that if anything bad should ever happened to him, he should be the first one to know, especially since most of Lance's co-workers are familiar with Steven already, and he couldn't help but to fear the worst already.

"Lance? No man, he's taking the day off, why are you asking me this? I thought you knew about him better than me."

Steven sighed, "No, it's fine... It's just that he hasn't called me for the whole day. I'm just worried..."

"Well, I don't know about you, but it's Lance we're talking about here. When he's panic, he can leave his phone anywhere. Did he ever tell you that he once left his phone inside the public toilet?"

"No." Steven replied, "Did that really happen?"

"Of course! Name any place you can think of."

"Eh? Ummm... the Dragon Den?"

"He lost his phone in that den for five times already."

"I see... Well, I guess he really lost his phone this time. Thanks Karen."

Steven threw himself on his own bed after he hung up, and inwardly cursed the Dragon Master's carelessness. He doesn't know how he can be so anxious, but maybe, he might be expecting something after all...

After some time, all the men in the elevator decided that it would be best to open the door of the elevator, and get the hell out of there. It took them quiet a lot of effort, especially since Lance, the most well-built man in there, isn't exactly built for such work. However, after working together, and with the sudden help from the police forces working on the other side, the finally got it. To their inconvenience, the gap is only big enough for the children to go through it.

"I'm Lance, an agent from the Inter-Regional Security service. Could you tell me what's going on?"

"Terrorist attack..." One of the police from the other side answered, "They've send messages to our offices. We've tried talking to them, but they don't want any money."

Lance knew what that means. Terrorist who doesn't want any money are those who only wanted to see pure destruction and terror. However, he can't say that out loud, it would only scare the others who's still stuck in there with him. They have calmed down pretty well, especially after seeing the police forces, but Lance knew that this is far from over.

"What about the bomb squad?" Lance asked again.

"The weather isn't really supportive, but they'll be here soon."

Lance look at the clock on his phone, which clearly indicates that it's now four already. They only have another two hours to live, and Lance only have another two hours before the party begun. He looked at the item he had bought in the jewelry store a few minutes ago, and couldn't hold back a sigh.

Will he ever be able to make it in time?

The answer to his question quickly came when suddenly, from the outside, a loud explosion was heard.

Five o'clock...

Wallace checked on the preparation for the party. Everyone is there already. From the members of the Elite Four, to Steven's father. And the food had been wonderfully prepared. Everything seems to be fine, but then Wallace has to stressed over the fact that someone is missing.

"I've tried calling that son of a bitch for the ten times! He's not answering my calls!"

"Wallace, relax," Winona tried to assure, "I'm sure he'll be here soon enough."

The Sootopolis GYM Leader sighed, "... I'm just worried you know. I mean, he's the one who told me that he has something very important to say in this party. I've promised Steven that there will be a big surprise... What if he doesn't shows up?"

"He will, trust me."

"Captain Russell?" Lance whispered, "I've got the equipments, and I'm right in front of the bomb. Please tell me what to do next..."

"Son, don't panic, you've got to have steady hands to do this..."

Lance smirked, "I'm a Special Agent in the Kanto Inter-Regional Security Service, I never panic..."

"Good to know... My men are trying to dispose of the other bombs located throughout the whole building. You don't have to worry about them... Now listen, Special Agent Lance..."

Lance took a deep breath as he bite the small flashlight in his mouth, put the phone on loudspeaker, and began to work. Even though he said he never panic before in his life, he still couldn't deny the fact that he is, indeed, scared. His heart thumped loudly against his chest, and he occasionally have to wipe the sweat off from his forehead. The fact that the timer is still counting down isn't helping at all.

Twenty-five minutes, that's all the time he have to finish this...

"Okay, I see the main wires..." Lance said at the phone, "There's blue, and red, which one should I cut?"

"Stay calm, and cut the- HOLY SHIT! What the fuck is that?"

There was a loud rustling and crackling voice, before an explosion was heard through the phone. Before Lance could say anything else, the line was cut already. He stared at the phone, unable to believe what just happened. He nervously glanced at the timer again, which indicates that he only have twenty more minutes.

Judging from the loud noises outside, it seems that those people are engaged in some kind of fight, and it seems that it's not going to be finished anytime soon. The timer keeps on counting, each silent moment could only make the Dragon Master more and more nervous.

There's no way he can make it out of this situation alive...

"Happy Birthday, Steven!"

The loud clanging of glass echoed throughout the room, followed by happy cheers and words of congratulation as the birthday boy smiled happily in return.

Wallace gulped down his drink as he nervously glanced at his watch, knowing somehow that Lance is sure going to be late. "Damn him..."

"So anyway, where is your boyfriend?" Phoebe asked, "Isn't he coming?"

Wallace nearly facepalmed himself.

"I don't think so..." Steven replied calmly, "He doesn't really like parties."

However, before anyone could say anything else, Steven's phone rang out loudly. He read the caller ID and ws nonetheless surprised to see who it is.

"Who is it?" Wallace asked.

"It's him..." Steven said as his finger hovered over hesitantly over the reject button, he's in the middle of a party after all.

Wallace noticed this, and quickly said, "Put it on loudspeaker."

Steven stared, but did so anyway.

"Steven...?" Lance's low voice echoed throughout the room.

"Hey..." A tint of pink crept up Steven's voice, wondering why he bothered to put the phone on loudspeaker.

"Happy Birthday..." His voice was gentle and relaxed, "I'm sorry if I can't make it to your party..."

"It's okay... I know you're busy..."

"No, not exactly... I'm not busy at all..."

Steven paused for a few moment, "... Where are you?"

Wallace bit his nail, hoping that Lance is somewhere nearby, ready with whatever 'big suprise' he had in store for Steven. The others listened half-heartedly as they munched on their foods.

"On top of an elevator."

"What? Elevator?" Steven repeated, somehow unable to believe what he just heard, "What are you doing there?"

"... Trying to save the lives of some people. What about you? What are doing right now?"

"I'm at Wallace's GYM, they threw me a wonderful birthday party... Why don't you stop by after you're done?"

"I will..."

"Okay, I'll see you later..."

"Wait... There's something I wanted to tell you..."

"We've been together for the last three years..." Lance held the phone close as he watched the timer counting down, "And the last three years with you have been wonderful. For the very first time in my life, I understand what it's really like to be sincerely loved by someone, it feels wonderful, all thanks to you... You could say that I'm a much better man, compared to the maniac I was before I met you..."

"... Should you really be saying this over the phone?"

"If I'm not stuck here, with a ticking time bomb right before me, I would've been there with you, you know..."

"What? Lance! Please tell me you're joking!"

The Dragon Master chuckled, "Listen, I only have ten more minutes before this thing blew up, it's either the red wire or the blue wire... Now, if you're in my position, which one would you choose?"

"Lance, are you serious? You're telling me that you're on top of an elevator with a bomb?"

"Come on, my time is running short. Red or blue?"

"I... I don't know! Send me the picture of the bomb, quick!"

"Oh my goodness..." The President of the Devon Corporation breathed out heavily when he saw the pictures Lance just sent, "This thing could probably blow up a city..."

Steven carefully studied the pictures, forehead creased in deep thought.

"Six minutes..."

"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" Steven snapped. He paused for a few moments, before finally saying "... It's definitely the blue one..."

"Do you really think so?" The Devon President questioned, "From the way I see it, cutting that one would only trigger the explosion."

Steven paused as he keeps on pondering, whereas the others watched with much concern in their eyes.

"Four minutes..."

"Cut the blue one..."

"Are you sure?"

"Cut the blue one!"

"I was thinking about cutting that one too."

"Do it then..."

"... Hey Steven..."

"Yeah?"

"If I survive, I wanted to ask you a very important question..."

"... I'm a scientist, I don't make decisions on instincts... You will survive."

"Here goes nothing then..."

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard, and Steven's heart skipped a beat. He waited for a moment, then two. The silence is killing him, no doubt, and he feared the worst already.

"For the sake of Archeus, Steven Stone, marry me!"

Hearing that statement, everyone in the room cheered out loudly. Steven smiled in relief, and slowly, a wonderful feeling of joy crept up to his heart when he finally registered the true meaning of the statement. "How could I say no, idiot..."

Lance smiled happily when he heard the answer, suddenly, from the level above him, he could see that the door has been pried open. He was, for the first time in his life, happy to see the members of the Kanto Elite Four standing there. "Lance!" Bruno shouted, "Hold on, we're going to rescue you! And the others too!"

"How's it going outside?"

"Karen and Will has taken care of those terrorist," Koga said, "Few people are injured, but thankfully, no one died. The bombs in the department store have been disposed of, it's safe now!"

Just then, an unfamiliar man appeared and pushed Koga and Bruno aside, "Lance! It's me, Captain Russell! You have to cut the red wire! Quick, the red one!"

Lance stared, before finally returning to his phone and said, "I love you so much, Steven, I swear..."

Steven sighed as he observed the ring on his finger, "Lance, you really shouldn't have..."

Lance smiled as he kissed Steven's cheek, "Do you like it?"

The rock-getter leaned his head on Lance's shoulder, and smiled, "Love it... Must've cost you a fortune though, it's platinum after all..."

"Anything for you..." Lance whispered as he gently ran his fingers through his bushy silver hair.

"... You know, for my birthday... I actually had something in mind..."

"What is it?"

"There's this cave I just found not far from here. It's fairly empty, since there's actually nothing in there..."

"And?"

Steven hesitated for a few moment, "I'm just thinking that maybe, you might want to go there with me... Then we can..."

It took Lance a few moment to understand what his boyfriend is implying.

"... You dirty little kitten..."

Steven smiled as he placed a light peck on Lance's lips. "I am your dirty little kitten now..."

Lance smirked in return, somehow knowing he will never regret loving this man...