A/N: If you've enjoyed reading this story and want to hop on board my next story right at the moment of its conception, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It just started and I'm really excited for it~

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It was good being Blue. He'd been the Champion of Kanto for a few years now, and in that time he'd done a whole lot of growing up in a lot of ways. It took some effort, but he'd come to realize just how much his Great-Grandpa had fucked him up when he was a kid. And it was sad, because Oak hadn't even meant to. The Pokemon Professor really hadn't thought much about Blue at all, willfully at that, mostly because he'd killed Blue's dad and couldn't bear the sight of Blue.

It was never malicious or abusive, but it was neglectful. And as much as Daisy had tried to pick up the slack, she wasn't the father figure that Blue had needed. All Blue wanted was to make Professor Oak, who he thought was his grandfather at the time, happy. All he'd wanted was to make Oak notice him, to get his attention over Red.

Well, now Blue knew better. He knew that Oak was never a worthy father figure either. He knew that he was so much better off without the Pokemon Professor in his life. Heck, they all were, even Red!

At the tender age of fifteen, Kanto's Pokemon Champion has really come into his own. He's held his position these past few years, though not completely unchallenged. Yes, there have been a couple individuals who have beaten their way past the Elite Four and earned the right to face Blue over the years. No one really worth remembering, however.

Maybe that was rude of him? Maybe that was unkind? But it was also the truth, and in the sanctity of his own mind, he figured he could get away with it. Put simply, the handful of Pokemon Trainers who had managed to challenge him for his position as Pokemon Champion… didn't hold a candle to the true powerhouses in his life. When Blue could literally look to Cam and Red as a benchmark, no one else really measured up. Not himself, not the Elite Four… and certainly not some random Pokemon Trainer fresh off Victory Road.

With that in mind, Blue hadn't let himself lose. He'd refused to let himself falter, even. Hell, even Uncle Bill was a real powerhouse these days. After picking up the Legendary Bird Ho-Oh, he'd become something of a Big Deal around not just Kanto, but also Johto. There was some fear among the bigwigs over in Johto that he would use Ho-Oh to control the three Legendary Beasts… but so far, Bill had let that sword hang over their heads, not quite dropping it just yet.

Instead, the Pokemon Collector had been content with what he had at the moment, something he'd confided in Blue he'd learned from Cam.

Which was a little odd, because looking at his big brother Cam, Blue wasn't sure the guy was ever content with what he had! Now, don't get Blue wrong… he had a great life. From his Big Bro Cam, to his Uncle Bill, to his mom and his little sister… and a whole lot of other tykes he got to spoil and dote on as the 'big bro' to them as well.

But then, that was just the point! Cam was such a player that it was enough to make Blue, all grown-up and enlightened now, a little jealous! He wasn't sure the man knew when to quit. It felt like every time Blue turned around, Cam had found a new woman eager to… well, carry his child. It hadn't stopped over the years either, though admittedly it had slowed down a lot. Which was good, because Cam frankly had enough on his plate, in Blue's own totally unbiased opinion.

If nothing else, Blue considered it his duty to keep any of the more eager hussies away from his big bro where he could. He might not have understood that back in the day with Lorelei or Big Sis Cynthia, but now… now he knew better.

He was the Pokemon Champion of the Kanto Region. He was the main authority, but also it's foremost protector. His job was to keep Kanto safe, secure, and peaceful for everyone who lived within it. And sure, Blue wasn't actually the strongest Trainer in the whole of the Kanto Region. And he was well aware that there existed individuals outside of his Region that could defeat him in a match. Cam and Red were the true deterrents. But that didn't mean they weren't still his responsibility!

That didn't mean he couldn't still do his part to protect them!

Which brought him to today, in this moment. Waiting in a meeting room for someone who had requested to meet with him. Not just anyone though… but rather, the Johto Region's newest Champion. As the door suddenly opens and she's admitted into the room, Blue takes the moment before she gets her bearings and notices him to take in said Champion.

Her name is Lyra, and she's actually his exact age of fifteen. With brunette hair in pigtails under a poofy hat, she's also wearing a set of overalls over a red shirt that terminate into shorts, along with thigh-high socks and a pair of functional looking running shoes.

She looks… well, she looks like your average female Pokemon Trainer, to be honest. Everything about her attire screams functional, even as she holds a handbag on one shoulder, likely where she keeps her Pokeballs and other things. As Blue stands to greet her, he's grateful he decided not to wear the cape today. It would have been a little embarrassing, but instead he's just in his usual dark high-collared shirt and jeans combo.

"Hi! You must be Blue!"

Raising an eyebrow, Blue inclines his head and offers her his hand to shake.

"Champion Lyra, I presume. Nice to meet you."

He keeps things polite but a little bit at a distance. After all, Johto and Kanto, while not on the worst terms these past few years, have still been frosty. The bigwigs over and Johto probably would have restarted the war a hundred times over if they thought they had a chance of winning. But of course, they didn't.

That said, Lyra was a new factor. She was sort of like him, just a few years later. She'd come out of nowhere for the Johto Region, taking their Gyms by storm and annihilating their Elite Four and Pokemon Champion. And now, here she was. SHE was the Pokemon Champion of the Johto Region, the youngest in Johto's history. She would have been the youngest in the world… but he'd beaten her to that by a few years.

She also, apparently, wasn't a lab experiment. Blue hadn't even thought of that as a possibility at first. He hadn't thought it was an option. But Bill had mentioned it offhandedly when the older man was briefing Blue for this little meeting. They'd apparently done a proper background check, looking into Lyra. She was deemed a prodigy like him, and NOT a genetically engineered super-human like Red… or like his big bro.

"Y-Yeah! Haha, you don't have to call me that though. You can call me Lyra!"

She's certainly outgoing, if nothing else. But Blue has to admit… that just makes him more suspicious. Humming, Blue sits back down and gestures for her to do the same. Once Lyra has done so, he narrows his eyes at her.

"You went through a lot of trouble to get this meeting with me."

He'd made sure of that. In order to come to Kanto and meet with him, Lyra had had to jump through all sorts of hoops. To be fair, it wasn't anything against her personally. Rather, they'd instituted those road bumps in order to keep the old fogies who USED to be in charge of Johto from wanting anything to do with them. Because some of their demands for formal communications between the two Regions were insulting to the Johto higher-ups' sensibilities, keeping them at bay just out of sheer disgruntled spite.

And yet, Lyra was here all the same. She'd crossed every T and dotted every i. There was nothing left but to hear her out.

Except… the next thing Blue knows, a very familiar expression spreads across Lyra's face. The Johto Champion blushes and begins to squirm in her chair. He immediately straightens up, recognizing the look she now has quite well, his eyes widening slightly before narrowing as she begins to stutter and stammer.

"A-Ah, well, yes. You see… I really wanted to-!"

"No!"

Lyra jolts, eyes widening in shock at his sudden outburst.

"W-What?!"

"You leave Big Brother Cam alone!"

Jaw dropping open, the Johto Champion's mouth works wordlessly for a long moment, blinking rapidly as Blue stares her down intensely. He knows exactly what she's after now! He recognizes her demeanor by this point! He's seen it dozens of times before… all from women who were interacting with Cam, or around Cam's general vicinity, or even just thinking about Blue's big bro!

"Big Brother Cam? You mean the Team Rocket Boss?"

Except… Lyra, when she finally responds, sounds utterly baffled. And her confusion takes Blue aback, making him hesitate as he ends up just as confused.

"Uh…. Y-yes?"

"What… what about him? I'm not trying to start a war or anything! All those old goats would talk about was him! But I don't care about HIM!"

Now it's Blue's turn to look like a goldfish for a few seconds, his mouth opening and closing before he finally replies.

"You… y-you don't?"

"No! Why would I ask to meet with you if I wanted to meet with him! You're the one I'm here for! I thought it was cool that we were both Champions and the same age! I just wanted to hang out!"

Blue blinks rapidly, processing that. Before he can fully do so, Lyra suddenly leaps out of her seat and points a finger at him.

"You and me! Pokemon Battle right now!"

Slowly, a small smile spreads across Blue's face. Lyra, meanwhile, goes from confident and aggressive to blushing and a little shy in a moment as she withdraws her finger tepidly.

"I-I mean… n-nothing official, of course. Just… a friendly match, maybe? We don't have to either, I don't-!"

"Sure. I'm down."

As he rises to join her on his feet, Blue reflects that he'd had it all wrong. Lyra was actually kind of cool! Johto might have been really standoffish and cold ever since he beat Lance and Kanto declared its independence, but clearly Lyra isn't like the old fogies who used to rule Johto. Nor was she like all those women who had used Blue as a stepping stone to get to his big bro and make Cam's life harder.

No, Lyra… Lyra was special.

Beaming back at him happily, Lyra gives a little cheer, and the two of them head for the door… only for it to burst open at the last second, making them both draw back as a blonde girl steps inside, eyes sweeping over them both before focusing on Blue.

"A-Are you… Champion Blue?"

Blue blinks and slowly nods, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, yeah?"

Without hesitation, the cute blonde in an elegant dress does a deep curtsy, bowing her head.

"A pleasure to meet you, Champion Blue. My name is Lillie, and my mother Lusamine, President of the Aether Foundation sent me to act as a liaison between your government and our organization."

Huh? That was… well, alright, Blue supposed. It must all be on the up and up, otherwise Lillie wouldn't have been able to get in here in the first place.

"Nice to meet you, I guess!"

Smiling softly, Lillie nods her head again.

"And you as well."

Suddenly, there's a hand in Blue's. He blinks and looks down, belatedly realizing it belongs to Lyra as his fellow Champion snatches his hand up and laces their fingers together.

"Yeah, really nice to meet you! But, uh, we were about to go have a Pokemon Battle, soooo if you don't mind…"

Suddenly, Lyra sounds really standoffish for some reason. It's not directed at him though, but at Lillie. Lillie, meanwhile, has her eyes fixed on where he and Lyra are now… well, holding hands. Eventually, a frosty sort of smile spreads across her face as she takes on a cheery tone.

"Oh? How wonderful. I'll join you, and in the meantime I can tell Champion Blue all about the Aether Foundation and what it is we do exactly."

Though Blue doesn't realize it, metaphorical sparks fly between Lillie and Lyra's eyes as the three of them all leave the room so he and Lyra can go and have their match together. And though he's completely oblivious… the young Champion has just become the target of his very first burgeoning Love Triangle…

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