Still breathing heavily after her little getaway, the pigtailed thief rested her weight against a large, shady tree not far from Dark Cave. With the mid-afternoon sun having bared down on her as she ran, Lyra greatly appreciated the cover of the tree.

Slumping against the trunk, she slid until her butt hit the ground. The swiped hoodie was quickly discarded on the ground beside her. Having no idea why she took it other than to spite that awful boy, Lyra inspected it. Its dark purple hue was reasonably pleasant to look at and the pockets seemed to be pretty deep, a feature that was most likely very useful. She checked both of those pockets, not expecting to find anything. The first only had an old pen with an R engraved on it; she quickly tossed it aside. "Booooring."

Surprise was etched all over her face when she pulled out his wallet from the other pocket.

Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. Who the hell leaves a wallet in a jacket pocket? Don't these things go in pants?! she thought frantically as she rummaged through the wallet, pulling out most of the bills and tucking them into her pocket (she had already done a lot of bad crap that day, why not indulge a bit more?) and taking time to look at the only card in it, his trainer ID. Maybe she could find some contact information; somewhere, anywhere to leave the damn wallet.

"Seriously? Isn't Silver a metal?" Lyra questioned, legitimately confused. What a strange name. And the ID itself was strange too; it seemed to be new, only issued a few days earlier, but it was somehow different from the ones Kris and Ethan received. The colors didn't match Johto's flag. Was this from another region?

Dismayed there was no registered address, she shoved the ID back into one of the wallet flaps and, along with the old pen, stored it in the purple jacket's pocket. Leaving the jacket there didn't seem like a good idea, so Lyra folded it neatly and placed it at the bottom of her bag. It wasn't a bad jacket and she'd forgotten to take one with her that morning anyway.

It was only a few hours ago she had made such a bold move, but it already felt like an eternity. As thoughts of the morning flooded her mind, she suddenly remembered that tiny sphere nestled deep within her pocket.

A hand gingerly pulled it out, her doe eyes even larger than usual; Lyra was in awe. Lyra was in awe of the object, /no/, the life that she now held in her hand and in awe of her actions.

She could barely contain her excitement as she hurriedly pressed that little white button. A flash of red later, a relatively small creature sat on the grass in front of her, visibly confused. The fur on top it's head was tussled and had an overall scruffy appearance, and the embers on its back glowed softly.

Lyra stiffened. "Cyndaquil? I nabbed a Cyndaquil?! This is amazing!" Suddenly she was flailing about, completely unable to contain squeals of joy.

The fire mouse was more than a little peeved by her ridiculousness. A quick puff of smoke from its tiny nose caught Lyra's attention.

"Oh, are you upset? What's wrong, little dude? You are a dude, right?" she paused to check quickly, leaning over to make sure his little boy parts were in fact little boy parts. The Cyndaquil squeaked and shot out a tiny fireball. Lyra yelped, barely jumping back in time to avoid the small blast heading her way. He curled up tight, embarrassed, and let out a low growl. Quickly scooting away so as not to upset him any more, Lyra waved her arms about. "Oh no! I'm sorry, little dude. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, honest! Just didn't want to get your gender wrong."

Cyndaquil uncurled slowly, considering her apology.

Taking that as a good sign, she continued. "I'm Lyra and I was hoping we could be friends. Does that sound cool?" she asked softly, shifting her position so her face was at the Cyndaquil's level.

His squinty eyes were unreadable, but his body language was, and it was saying he wasn't all that taken with her offer. This intrusive girl had just invaded his personal space and suddenly she wanted to be friends? Did she often go around checking the genitals of others before introducing herself?! He huffed angrily and turned his snout upwards.

Why can't we just be instant bros? She grimaced, but quickly took into account the fact she might have just sexually assaulted the creature.

"Look, little dude, I risked a lot getting you. I'm sorry if you were embarrassed a second ago and all and that was probably a pretty bad first impression," she paused to smirk as his head turned towards her, clearly not in agreement with the "probably" in her last statement, before holding out her hand, "but I've got a feeling we could be really close if we could move past my potential sex offender status."

Cyndaquil was amused by the acknowledgement of her wrongdoings, and she /did/ apologize. He took a few tentative steps towards her, slowly closing the gap between them until his tiny paw touched her hand.

Lyra retracted her hand cautiously and gave a thumbs up to her new partner. Recalling Ethan's stories of nicknaming his pokemon, she wondered if she might give Cyndaquil.

"I should probably call you something other than Cyndaquil, right?"

He shugged. Lyra pursed her lips, thinking hard. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she smiled wide.

"Right, I've got it! You'll be Midas, because everything we touch'll turn to gold!"

The scruffy creature showed no opposition to the name, but he didn't seem to understand why on earth she had chosen it. Lyra picked up on his confusion.

"I want to take the gym challenge, see? You'd be my partner and we'd participate in pokemon battles. But, I have to tell you something first, because if this is going to work out we've got to trust each other. Don't get mad, but I kind of stole you from the lab you're from."

Midas squealed and leapt back, eyeing her carefully.

"Don't get mad please! At least I told you! And I needed to tell you because we've to start this partnership on truth since I need you to trust me. I ran away from home and I wasn't even planning to!" she blurted, her face displaying the sudden emotion she felt. As excited as she was, Lyra was feeling a bit guilty and homesick.

Relaxing a bit to give her a chance to explain, Midas plopped down on the cool grass.

Lyra continued, "See, I'm not allowed to take the gym challenge since my 'rents are way overprotective, but I can't always listen to them, and they're barely ever home anyway! They don't get that I just want to get away from everything and be awesome on my own." She sniffled a bit, all the hurt from the past few months resurfacing. Wiping her nose with palm, Lyra looked away, her pigtails drooping as if they were tied to her emotional state.

"So, the only way to get away was to run away and steal a pokemon. If I'll be taking that challenge on with you as my partner, if you want to be my partner, I figure we'll be blazing a trail an' all. I know it didn't end too great for the Midas with all his turning things to literal gold, but I've got a feeling we'll work all this out! Together, we can overcome anything, especially if we trust each other, yeah?" she turned back towards him, a warm smile on her face, "Whuddaya say? Partners?"

Midas appeared to be deep in thought. The girl, Lyra, had an interesting story and seemed really heartfelt about everything she had said. The lab he'd come from was safe, but there was no fun in living in complete safety. Their eyes locked, his squinty ones on her big browns, and he knew that even though she hadn't proven her trustworthiness yet, she would prove to at least be an interesting companion.

He waddled over to her and nodded a few times then cheekily blew a puff of smoke into Lyra's face. The new partners shared a laugh, Lyra's mood improving quickly.

Midas was ready to stand by her and fight in battles, so he gave her a curt yelp before scurrying off, as if to say "Hurry then, can't waste time if we're going to do this!"

Already Lyra loved her pokemon. He was more than just a tool that would help her fulfill a goal; Midas had personality. Getting up to follow him, she couldn't help but guffaw at the small creature. "Midas," she called, slinging her bag over her shoulder, "the first gym is the /other/ way!"

Immediately turning around, he acted as if no mistake had been made at all, earning him a few more laughs from Lyra. The two walked side by side down Route 31, just off the deserted road.

"So we can train a bit. Gotta be ready for than first gym battle, right?" she asked idly, paying more attention to the sights rather than his answer. Lyra knew he would be alright with her suggestion after the enthusiasm he'd displayed earlier. She suddenly remembered a very important detail of her meeting with Silver.

"Midas, I think I'm more of a sex offender than I realize!"

He looked up at her, concern written all over his adorable face.

"Yeah, I know. Not good, huh? So some kid was trying to steal you from me and we ended up fighting! I got him good, right in the nose, but at one point he pinned me down and almost had you," she stopped and peeked at Midas from the corner of her eye to see if he was listening. Satisfied with the interested expression he held, Lyra continued, "I had to geddim off, so I kissed him! Totally surprised that weirdo. Then I kneed him in the nose! Might've broken it, actually."

Midas stared up in awe, surprised by the levels of badassery she claimed to have.

She continued nonchalantly, but was secretly glad he was impressed, "Anyway, I kind of took his jacket before I ran away...and it /might/ have had his wallet in it. That part was an accident, I swear. Just be on the lookout for angry looking teen-age boys with ridiculously red hair, alright? His name's Silver."

Lyra noticed the disapproving look she was getting. "Oh, don't give me that. He doesn't deserve that jacket. But don't worry, stealing isn't a habit of mine. Promise!"

Midas wasn't sure whether to believe that or not, but he knew now for sure that his new trainer was a fascinating creature.

The cave was dark and a foul stench hung in the air. "Is this r-really necessary, sir?" a boy, barely old enough to be considered a legal adult, stammered, uncomfortable in the presence of his superior.

The man he had addressed didn't even bother to look at him when he answered, "This? Why, 'course it is. This funds our organization, kid. These," he gestured to the crates around him, "sell for so much overseas. May seem gruesome, but believe me, it makes a /world/ of difference. You understand, right?" His tone light and body language playful as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

The boy nodded furiously, feeling a bit more at ease, "Y-yes sir! I was just feeling a bit guilty since it seems so cru-"

He trailed off, any comfort he had just felt washed away. The man had turned to face him, and while he did not tower over the boy at all, his piercing green eyes were terrifying. Cold and hard, the two orbs were a contradiction of the man's demeanor. He might have seemed lighthearted and playful, but he was just what the boy worried about; he was cruel.

"That's what makes it all so fun, so just try to have some fun," he hissed in a dangerously low voice.

Nodding furiously again, the boy responded, "Oh, yes...sir! I'll uh, be sure to do that!"

This was convincing enough for him, and suddenly he seemed a lot less sinister. "Great! Now," the man paused, smiling a crooked coyote smile as he ran a gloved hand through his minty hair, "we've got some tails in need of cutting..."

Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you? Lyra peered down at the speckled egg, seriously questioning why anyone would leave such a fragile life in her hands. The cyndaquil at her feet was asking the very same question, especially after witnessing her ruthlessness towards the wild pokemon they encountered. She wanted to be ready for the first gym, but they may have gone a bit overboard with the training.

Other than Lyra's bloodlust, though, everything had been going pretty smoothly up until they reached the gate of Violet City. The pair had been about to enter when Lyra claimed she was hearing cries for help. Midas was in disbelief of course, but he humored her by accompanying her into the thick overgrow.

All he remembered after that was the brilliant flash of light. According to Lyra they'd emerged in a tiny clearing with an egg at the very center. Next thing he knew they were back at the gate and the egg was resting safely in her bag. She told him it wouldn't have been right to leave some defenseless egg in there but that she didn't want to keep it; they could give it away to someone in Violet. As soon as they entered the city grounds, Lyra set off to find someone to take the egg.

Her efforts proved to be in vain. Who would take an egg from some dirty girl? Despondent, Lyra approached one last woman. She seemed kind enough to not refuse, and Lyra had high hopes; she was getting tired of lugging the egg around. The woman introduced herself as Zuki and had been very curious as to where the egg was from. Lyra quickly told the story.

"What? A light?!" Zuki gasped.

"Look, I know it's probably hard to believe, but it happened! I just can't take care of it. Promise it's not a bad egg though! Not that that would matter since it's free." She held the egg out.

The woman only shook her head and pushed it away. "No, I'm sorry, child, but I cannot. This is important. You must keep it safe. Trust me when I say it was meant for you."

Zuki had left after that, mumbling something about "a sign of the return" leaving Lyra and Midas thoroughly confused.

"You'd think at least one person would take the egg. Whatever, guess we'll have a new teammate when this thing hatches," she sighed, "It's getting late, dude. Let's just try to get a room at the Pokemon Center. I hope they don't need a trainer card. I'll have to make something up."

Exhausted, the pair set off towards the Center. Cold air nipped at Lyra's bare forearms, so she put the stolen purple jacket on.

At least she had Silver's card, but she realized a lack of her own would soon catch up to her. No Pokemart would sell her anything without one. How would she catch other pokemon without pokeballs? What if Midas were to be seriously injured on the road? She'd need potions. She sighed heavily once again as they entered the big doors.

Lyra picked up Midas gingerly and waited in line patiently, preparing herself to make up some lie about having lost her trainer card. She was not paying attention to anything in the room, and so she failed to notice the boy in front of her with his overly red hair. Midas began to squirm about, trying to catch his trainer's attention, but Lyra hushed him. Only when the boy in front yelled at the poor nurse did she look up and see his hair, but her mind was too tired to fully comprehend what it meant.

"-one stole it!" he hissed, causing the battered woman behind the counter to flinch as she struggled to respond.

Personally, Lyra was angered by the boy's rude behavior. She jabbed his shoulder roughly, prepared to give him a good, long lecture about not being an asshole.

"What?!" Silver barked, whirling around.

Realization struck the both of them.

"Shit!" Lyra exclaimed, suddenly very alert. Her handiwork was evident on his bruised face and a bit of blood was crusted under his nose.

The boy's face contorted in rage. She's wearing my jacket! But before he could demand she return it she had scrambled out the door, his jacket flapping about behind her.

"Hey! Get back here!" Silver boomed as he dashed out the doors after her.

Well, shit, it's been a few weeks. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Most of it has been done for quite a while but I wasn't sure how to finish it off, honestly. The random bit in the center is something I really wanted to put in but I'm not sure how well it fits!

Let me know how it is?

You should probably get ready for another SilverxLyra scuffle and more sexual assault next chapter. I really didn't intend to play on Lyra's sex offender status like I am BUT HERE IT IS.

I'm taking a break on this one for a while. I've sort of forgotten where I want it to go and I lost the word doc with the story on oops. Once I'm on vacation I'll probs take da time to go through it and correct any awkwardly worded sentences. justfuckingcleanitallupchafeel