Pokemon, Lyra/Silver: changing the bad boy; Hold hands with me, you jerk.

It was hate at first sight. Okay, maybe not hate exactly but she sure didn't like him. He was rude, he shoved her and other trainers around for no good reason, he was mean to his Pokemon and he'd stolen that one guy's Sneasel. Anytime she bumped into him she tried to get rid of him quickly, even if it meant having to battle him and listen to him whine afterwards. What a sore loser. And then there was that ugly little incident in the Radio Tower, which she'd just about throttled him for.

But after that, something happened. He stopped being an idiot, and suddenly she realized he was a person. With feelings. And maybe it was an accident, but lately he was treating her like a person with feelings. Or at least not some "stupid weakling" to kick around.

Somewhere around Kanto, Lyra realized she didn't dislike him so much anymore. Sure, he was still a cocky brat, but at least he wasn't pushing her around and giving her the urge to smack him across the face. And every time they battled she could swear his Pokemon looked happier.

And then, the battle against Clair and Lance happened.

"Go, Crobat!" Crobat? Had she heard him right? No, it couldn't be, Golbat only evolved into Crobat when they were their happiest. So he'd either stolen someone else's, or...no, that's not possible. He's still Silver, he's a big jerk, no one can change that much in so little time. But enough about that, Clair's Kingdra was setting up a Dragon Dance so she had to strike while there was still time.

"Meganium, Seed Bomb!"

They won, somehow. Even the power of friendship hadn't given Crobat much of an edge over six dragons, and only Lyra's Steelix was still standing by the time they were done. And of course, Silver wasn't too happy that all three of his fighters had been knocked out. Lyra braced herself for one of his usual tirades; she certainly hadn't been prepared for what came next.

"You guys did a good job. Lance just had help this time, next time we'll get him alone and beat him for sure."

That was the moment Lyra fell in like with him, and she was quick to tell him as much. He fled, then stopped by her house the next day to tell her he liked her too.

He was a bad boy, and she tried to be the best person she could be. She'd heard of girls who thought they could change a bad boy, bring out his heart of gold. Not many of them already had that done for them. Silver was a good person, she realized. Maybe not all along, not with the way he'd acted in the beginning, but he'd obviously had it in him to be a better person.

He had feelings, real ones. He had a heart. He was a decent person, and as long as they were sorta boyfriend and girlfriend she was going to make sure he remembered he was. Even if he had trouble showing it.

And boy, did he. She hadn't expected flowers and candy, of course. She could pick her own flowers and buy her own candy, thank you very much. And she could deal with his acting like they weren't close or saying he only picked up the tab for her soda because he had too much money. But his aversion to affection was a tad bit annoying now and then.

"Hold hands with me, you jerk." She reached out again, and he pulled away. "Come on, it's just my hand. It's not like I'm asking for a Piloswine-back ride or something!"

"Holding hands is for saps," he grumbled. "Besides, someone might see us, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, your reputation, tough guy, blah blah blah." She rolled her eyes. "Look, no one's here, and if they were they'd be too busy with their own lives to stare at a couple of kids like us. Now hold hands!"

He sighed, jamming his hand into his pocket.

"You're such a piece of work."

"Oh, look who's talking." Lyra snorted. "Fine, be a jerk. But I'm not gonna stop trying!"

She reached for him again, and this time he hesitated before taking her hand. He didn't hold on very tightly, but he was holding. And when she looked up at him, he was smiling.

He looked good when he smiled. She'd have to force him to more often.