Novelux was as lively and over-crowded as it felt the last time Silver had been there, and he was far from surprised that Lyra was getting a kick out of everything around them, either by throwing a random commentary about how very Goldenrod-y this or that was, or by dragging him close to whatever caught her attention (much to his chagrin). Unfortunately, because of their wandering, they had arrived pretty late for today’s match at the stadium and missed finding Starr by mere minutes, but fortunately they found out where she usually spent her time after her sparring sessions.
As such, Silver led his hyperactive companion to the local hostel while Lyra rambled and hopped excitedly after him. While his ears cried uncle, he was also inwardly grateful that her chatter distracted him from his growing tension.
“—and whoooa!! D’you see the way Brisa threw those electrified punches like ha-ha wham-wham-wham?! That was so awesome!! I mean, gosh! She was so unbelievably epic!! It really felt like watching one of those live competitions back home!” The noise of bouncy steps grew closer, and he noticed Lyra was now hopping by his side. She looked at him with curious eyes. “Will I get the chance to see you before, y’know, we lose our furs and claws and stuff?”
At this, Silver couldn’t help but smirk. “Ha, you bet! Can’t leave this world without some final arse-kicking, after all! Just gotta see who’s daring or foolish enough to face me!” Alas, his burst of confidence didn’t last as a familiar building came into view, and the Sneasler stopped as his doubt surfaced again. “…So. This is the place.”
Lyra looked back and forth between the hostel and the Sneasler, then stared at him worriedly. “Awww. You aren’t getting cold feet now, aintcha?”
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous! Of course not!” he harrumphed and shook his head, almost offended, but after staring again at the building for a few more seconds, his bout of anger melted into nervousness. “I’m just… I really wanna check on Starr and see how she’s doing, but I’m not sure how best to approach her. And there’re so many things I wish so hard to tell her, but her amnesia…” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “It complicates things a lot.”
The Lopunny tapped her chin contemplatively. “Well, you know yourself fairly well, so you oughta know how best to talk to you, no? Amnesiac or not, she kinda retained her personality, it seems like?” She threw her hands defensively — probably his puzzled glare had something to do with it. “Of course, we know Starr isn’t technically you, at least not 100% you, but she still has similar DNA to yours and a similar taste for battles and trading blows — again, just like you — and…”
Silver waited for Lyra to finish her tirade, but when she simply kept looking at him with those disgustingly adorable eyes, he quirked a brow. “…And?”
“Oh, I actually dunno where I was going with that thought, tee hee hee!” she admitted with a giggle, flashing a sheepish smile.
Silver narrowed his eyes at her response, thoroughly unimpressed, but Lyra was quick to bounce back to her reassuring and cheerful grin.
“Hey. You gotta relax. It’s gonna be okay, maybe even fun and interesting! You’re just overthinking matters like you always do whenever it comes to getting outta your comfort zone,” she said before putting a paw on his shoulder. Somehow, that gesture made some of his tension flow out of his body. “Besides, I’m here for you. I’m gonna help you out and nudge you forward if you get stumped with something. Alright?”
That pep talk seemed to do the trick. Besides, he wasn’t someone who backed down from a difficult situation, not even if self-imposed. He snorted to chase away that pesky self-doubt and threw a challenging glance at the door. “Hmph! C’mon, let’s get to this already!”
Lyra winked at him while showing a thumbs-up, her grin widening. “Okay~!”
As soon as they entered the hostel, it didn’t take long to find the all-too-familiar Incineroar sitting by herself with a drink in her hand. Silver shot a quick glance at Lyra, who took it as her cue to break the ice, and she did so by hopping toward Starr with a sparkling smile. “Hiii Starr! It’s great to see ya again! How’re doing?”
