A Change of Heart, But at What Cost?

Lyre walked into town in a bit of a daze. Her partner, Swift, had been acting odd throughout their walk into he next town: she kept glancing over her shoulder silently, as if to make sure the boy, whom Lyre had already forgotten the name of, was following. Lyre herself remained indifferent, but concerned. Swift usually wanted no part of any person they come across, and yet now she was acting anxious and almost the opposite of her usual calm and intimidating demeanour.

Turning toward the nearest Pokemon Center, Lyre scoffed at the welcoming red building. "A false premise of kindness," she muttered. "They heal Pokemon free of charge to help the trainers that beat their own Pokemon into near death for their own amusement. What goal is there in battling in such a way? Oh, right. Because they want to reach the top. No one is ever satisfied with simply living alongside Pokemon, no, they have to strive to control them all." With her monologue complete, she glanced over to see Swif no long by her side. What has gotten into her...

Swift had followed Lyre to the Pokemon Center, but quickly turned back around and to the edge of town. It was there she sat vigilantly, looking out for the boy and Vulpix that smelled of her home and that she had shared her life with. She wasn't ready to leave them behind, and regardless of what Lyre may command, would make sure she saw them again.

Katsushiro was following a bit quietly. He wasn't quite certain what Lyre had thought of him. Was he a burden in any way? Swift seemed to enjoy his presence. He took notice of the way Lyre had repeatedly looked at Swift in a strange way, as if there was a change. Perhaps there was a change. Had he caused Lyre's dear friend to change somehow? Was it for the better, or for the worse? He hadn't noticed the change, simply because he had only recently met Swift, though he did notice the way Swift had made sure he followed.

Katsushiro was dressed in different clothes: A green T-Shirt, some beige brown pants, and boots whose neck reached to about two inches under his knees. His rather lengthy blonde hair was down to his back. It wasn't so much that he chose this hair style as the fact that he hadn't the money to spend on any type of hair cut. Whenever he did have some spare change, he usually spent it all on some costume he thought was cool.

He listen to the whole of Lyre's speaking of the Pokemon Center and what it really was. For a moment, Lyre struck him as quite radical. The nurses were there to treat Pokemon, right? Why would they enjoy healing Pokemon just for them to be injured all over? Given the fact that it's free of charge, wouldn't it be more than burdening to the Pokemon Center? Not only the fact that it was more Pokemon to look after, but they almost always required medicines, didn't they? That couldn't be very cheap for having free services.

Katsushiro looked at Swift curiously once more. She seemed to be watching him. Was it that she actually did become attached? Was that a good thing? Had he made a mistake? What if there came a time when they had to part with each other? Certainly, Swift would stay with Lyre, but how would she react to his absence? The idea of parting was already taboo to him, it seemed. The thought was enough to freeze him in his tracks.

Though he had so many thoughts in his own mind, he tried his best to keep any of that showing through emotions. He would have done pretty well, had his focus not been so split, that he lost his balance and fell, catching himself with his nose only inches away from a rock. He tried to cover the fact that he fell with something that made it sound like he meant to do that. "This rock... smells nice," he said, though any creature with the ability to think would know that was certainly fake.

Lyre turned toward the sound of clacking footsteps on the paved road near her and saw the boy, she briefly tried to remember his name once more. Was it Cat? Cat...something. His hair was the rather odd and most noticeable part of him. It was a nice gold in color and rather long, and the large pair of boots, typical of a Sinnoh Trainer, were enough to make him noticeable in a crowd.

Lyre gave him a lazy glance into his eyes, and a faint ghost of a smile formed on her face. "So you're the one who managed to reach Swift," she said with an amused tone, "I've never quite seen my partner care for anyone before, it's rather odd, but she deserves to find some happiness in this cruel world we live in. Mine was my naive innocence, it's gone now. So, what's your story?" Without waiting for a reply, she made her way to a bench sitting not far off the path they stood and she sat, raising an eyebrow and waiting for Katsushiro to begin speaking.


When Katsu got into town, Swift followed him from a short distance away. She was scenting home from him once again and flicked her ear in a sign of curiosity. Something about the scent and the boy's youth summoned up a motherly instinct in her that she had always subtly longed for. She craved family, and it was ripped away from her. Maybe becoming a guardian of Katsu was a way of making up for what she lost in her mind.

When Lyre sat on the bench, she stood behind her, leaning against the back of the wood, and resting her head on top of Lyre's. She continued to look up at Katsu with a look of mingled curiosity and happiness, also waiting to hear him speak.

Katsushiro hesitated for about speaking. It was more that he didn't know how he was supposed to answer. He didn't like not knowing what to say. At moments like these, he would usually kneed the pendant into his hand.. but it was gone now. He left it behind without realizing it right away.

He shifted a bit. "Well," he began, still uncertain. "Back in..." he stopped himself. He was about to say Lostlorn Forest, but did not want to summon the memories again. "... my home, I was very much into acting. So, I started acting.. but all others my age simply bullied me, calling me names or even hitting me... and no one really stopped them. When they stopped, everyone was simply tired of me, I guess, so I just left to find somewhere better to act." He paused for a moment, kneeling down to pat the Vulpix that seemed to dance around his heels, craving some sort of attention. "Then I met Kaguya. When I first met her, she was actually acting. She sort of followed me. We then became partners in acting." He purposely avoided mentioning the Ninetales or the Galvantula. The way the Ninetales appeared and left had sometimes felt a bit dream-like; though, the Fire Stone he has is proof that it was indeed there. He alsodid not want to mention being defeated by the Galvantulay, it being barely half his own height, and his personal embarrassment... as scary is it really was to him.

Sometimes, the fact that Vulpix had been hurt occurred to him as his fault and his inability to protect her. He didn't want it to happen to her again. She was out matched so easily. For a while, Katsu thought this, and he had to snap himself back to the fact that he was speaking. "Er... well, that's all there really is, I guess.." he had never had to explain himself to anyone, and he had to recount his past. He didn't know how they would react. He thought his own past was rather boring at best. Besides meeting Vulpix, not really much had happened to him, though that meeting was very much meaningful to him.

"I see," Lyre replied. Something in the boy's wavering voice and the way he erratically reached for things and caugh himself becoming lost in thought told her that he wasn't being truthful, or at least, telling the entire truth. She glanced up at Swift, who's head had long gone limp with the grip of sleep and exhaustion that had suddenly gripped her. She still hadn't fully recovered from her battle with the Hariyama, but the magic of slumber did wonders to a recovering Pokemon.

"You don't seem...too bad," she said, "but if Swift trusts you enough, then I can give you a chance, a slight one, so don't get too comfortable." She didn't offer up her own story, though Katsu's had summoned up a flash of images she would rather not remember. Her hand involuntarily rubbed her forehead, as if the memories were just a headach that could be soothed with just a touch.

"Your Vulpix trusts you too," she finally said, knowing her pause had to be broken by some words. She forced her hand away from her head and held it out to the little orange fox. "I can see it in her eyes, she's happy every time she looks at you. Needless to say, it makes me hope the human race would have more partners like you."

Slight chance? Katsushiro asked himself this. What was he supposed to do for her to trust him? Why wouldn't she trust him? There was probably a lot about her he did not know. It didn't feel right to pry, though, so he didn't ask. about it. If Lyre were to say such things, he probably was not in the best position to be saying such things.

The Vulpix ran more than willingly to Lyre's extended hand. Its first thought was to sniff at it, and then she licked her hand with a small, warm tongue that had a smooth texture completely opposite of the cats' sandpaper-like tongues. She did the cheerful cooing that all Vulpix do. Without any invitation, the vulpix jumped onto the bench, and sat down next to Lyre.

Katsu felt himself flinch when she said Your Vulpix. In reality, Vulpix was his friend, but he did not really own Vulpix. They were partners.. but he did not capture Kaguya. He had Pokeballs, sure, but he never actually used them. He had told himself many times before that it was Vulpix's decision to travel with him. If she decided that she was bored and wanted to leave, or got unhappy with him, he would stop himself from trying to go after her. He would certainly be crushed, but he couldn't force her to follow. There would be no possible friendship or happiness that way.

It was certainly nice to have the compliment that he had received from Lyre, though. "Thanks, he said, before his mind went away from him again. He didn't know what else to say. What about him was there that would be desired? He looked between Swift and Lyre. They seemed very close. Maybe they had been together longer than him and Kaguya. It seemed Lyre accepted him only because Swift did, to him.

The buildings came into view as a young boy walked slowly over the streets toward one particular building he had seen. It was the pokemon center but he didn't want to go there to heal Tepig for the little guy had survived well enough. No, the pokemon center also had a counter where he could buy potions and stuff like that, which is what the boy needed. Yet when Riah made it within close distance of the red building he saw a couple people up ahead.

Just then Tepig hopped up and down and ran around Riah's legs in joy. He had seen something and wanted Riah to know that so Tepig made it known he was ready to meet the two people. Riah crouched down and put his hand on Tepig's head, patting it softly. This little guy had been his only friend the entire he had traveled and Riah actually wanted him to be happy.

Riah smiled and rubbed Tepig's head softly before speaking slowly. "If you want to go meet them then go on. I'll be here to watch in case something goes wrong. Just remember, I can always call you back to your pokeball if you need me to." Riah stopped rubbing Tepig's head and watched as the little fire starter streaked off toward the two trainers and their pokemon.

Swift perked her ears back and lifted her head to swivel toward the approaching footsteps. She eyed the Tepig cautiously but deemed it not much of a threat. Still, not wanting to take any risks, she moved away from the bench and stood protectively by it, allowing the Pokemon to pass, but keeping a cautious gaze focused on it. She looked to Lyre to make sure this was what should be done, and her partner's eyes remained calm and collect, so Swift relaxed slightly.

Lyre continued stroking Kaguya absentmindedly, and looked a bit bemused at the approaching Tepig. "My," she said, "aren't we quite popular today?" It was a rhetorical question, and she did not wait for a response. She glanced toward Swift, but said nothing. Her partner was a little more on edge than usual, and she had a feeling it was because of Katsu's presence. Still, she didn't want to say anything, and didn't raise question to her over protective stance.

Lyre smiled down toward the small fire pig, "hello," she said with a calm and cheery voice, some of which was just a facade knowing it was most likely a trainer's Pokemon, a thought that sent her slightly on edge, "what brings you here, little guy?"

Kaguya more than eagerly greeted the Tepig. Despite the fact that it was most likely a trainer's Pokemon, it was still a Pokemon, and this vulpine was always eager to meet other Pokemon. Its six tails shook inflexibly for a few seconds and stopped, and Kaguya jumped down from the bench so they would be level when she greeted.

Katsushiro was actually partially relieved when the Tepig appeared and broke what most likely would have been an uncomfortable silence. He didn't make any attempt to interact with the Tepig, however, as he didn't want to overwhelm it with the feeling of everyone crowding it in.

Instead, he looked around the city they had just come to. He had been following Lyre, and not really asking her where she was going, so he didn't have any clue what this place was. Maybe there would be a sign of some type indicating where they were. He would ask someone in the Pokemon Centre, but didn't want to push Lyre's slight trust, especially when she is so passionate about hating Pokemon Centres. He sighed to himself. Not much he can do right now that sit quietly.

Riah watched in a strange pride as Tepig ran around and around the group playing with the pokemon and listening to the trainers speak. Finally he noticed the trainers looking around and he knew they were looking for him since obviously a Tepig wasn't just here without a trainer. Slowly the trainer walked over with his hands in his pockets and his face holding a small grin. "Hey, I'm Riah and that's my Tepig."

"Hello," Lyre greeted Riah with a guarded voice, "I'm Lyre and this is my partner Swift, however she isn't in my possession," she emphasized the word, gritting her teeth at how the trainer had used a possessive word in regards to their Pokemon. It had always bothered her when trainers did so, implying that their Pokemon was a possession, not another living being.

Swift stood close to Riah, relaxing slightly. There was an air of cheery calm around the trainer, and she felt no threat. Still she put herself between Riah and Lyre, keeping a watchful eye on Katsu as well, to make sure he was safe.

Katsushiro looked at Lyre in a curious way. She was so easily flustered just from the fact that the way the trainer spoke. He also didn't like the possessiveness in the trainer's introduction of Tepig. Was this really the way this person, Riah, thinks of Tepig? It seemed that Lyre was rather quick to assume this to be true. Something must have happened to Lyre before. All he was told was "Naive Innocence," however, and he did not quite understand just what happened. He quietly laughed to himself. He knew of Zoroark's past, but not Lyre's. How often does something like this happen? With all the things he finds curious about Lyre, he finds himself anticipating what their time together will bring.

When he thought of Zoroark, he looked at her. He had not noticed her watchfulness until he actually looked. It seemed she was trying to protect not only Lyre, but him as well. Did Zoroark not trust the trainer? It didn't seem Zoroark was so defensive that she felt the need to bear her fangs.

Not wanting to be rude, Katsushiro walked to Riah to greet him and give his own introductions. They were of equal height, and most likely near in age. "Hello," he says. His voice is different than when he was speaking to Lyre. He seemed to put more emphasis into his words. "My name is Katsushiro, the future's greatest actor. A pleasure to meet you." He gave a bow, at which the hair laid on his back gravitated off him and the gold-blond threads slowly slipped off and hung downwards. It was certainly long, he knew, but he didn't have the pocket money to spend on getting a haircut. Besides, long hair did have its uses at times, he told himself. He raised himself from his bow, and continued. "And my partner in acting, Vulpix, goes by Kaguya." When he said this, the Vulpix paused from her playing to give her own greeting, and then resumed its activity. "She's better at acting than I am." His voice started to become the same that he had used before. ".. Well.. I guess I'll be the future's second greatest performer," he said meekly.

Riah glared at the girl, Lyre when she spoke as if he were trying to possess Tepig In actuality the fire pig was Riah's best friend in even the hardest times and Riah wouldn't ever try to control his friend. Most trainers the boy had met spoke like he just had so Riah tried to replicate that tone and the words.

Lyre caught the trainer's glare, but didn't return the motion. She instead sighed, and looked slightly apologetic, an extremely rare sight when Lyre was concerned. She brought her hand to her forehead as a slight headache formed in the back of her skull. "Swift's odd behavior must be rubbing off on me," she sighed to herself before increasing her volume and looking to the newcoming trainer, "pardon my actions," she said, not entirely sincere, but it was impossible to tell, "I may come off strong. My beliefs are different than most, and I tend to speak before thinking if I should do so."

Something about the trainer was...friendly, for lack of a better term. They didn't seem like the monster she had made herself accustom to encountering, and frankly, neither did Katsu. Perhaps she had been wrong in her assumptions in most trainers. She quickly shook the thought away, wondering how it could have even crossed her mind. Two outlayers still didn't prove the goodness of the group as a whole. Yes there were good trainers, as she had started realizing, but the majority were still without thought for their Pokemons' well beings and thoughts.

Swift found herself curiously sniffing the firey pig and twitched her ears as a greeting to her fellow Pokemon. She had finally deemed it nor its trainer any threat, so she could instead interact in a friendly manner. Still, shed never let her guard down completely, she wasn't about to lose her caution toward humans, no matter how friendly they might seem. Thoughts of her home crossed her mind, and she looked to Katsu, the only reminder of her old life that remained. He reminded her of her old life and the goodness she once felt, and that made her happier than she had been in a long time.

Katsushiro had also noticed his glare. He could tell it was directed toward Lyre. It was a little disappointing to have been ignored, but he stepped back, afraid of being between them from the heat of the boy's gaze. Luckily, Lyre didn't return the glare, which was what he would have been afraid of. What would an angry Lyre be like? And what would the end result have been between her and the trainer?

(This is all I can really post. :/)

Riah shrugged to himself and pulled out a pokeball which he tossed up idly into the air. All five of his pokeballs were empty since he had never caught a pokemon but the trainer knew that at the moment he had more pressing things to deal with. "Tepig is my best friend in the entire world. More so even than my own parents who never really cared much. Why would I try to possess someone who is just as talented and important as I am even if they weren't my friend?" Riah looked back at Lyre and then at Katsushiro before he put the pokeball away.

"I really should go do a few things though. It was nice to talk to you guys and maybe we will meet again later on." Riah smiled at Tepig who turned and ran toward his trainer. The fire pig glanced back at the others and then snorted as embers shot from his snout. The Tepig ran ahead of Riah as they walked out of the city and into taller grass where pokemon preferred to hang out and sleep.