The Lion and the Mouse [Byron]

The water churning below Jian was hypnotizing in a way. She couldn’t look away from it even if she wanted to. I wonder if mom and dad see the same water from where they are? she wondered, tilting her head to the side with the brief glimpse of a possibility. She knew people told her not to believe in ghosts, and that she was old enough to know something like that wasn’t real, but she was fascinated by the suggestion that there were, in fact, something of that nature.

She hadn’t been paying enough attention to her surroundings to hear the rushed footsteps nearing her, followed by the appearance of an unfamiliar man by her side. His voice made her jump and turn to face him, her violet eyes slightly widened with surprise. So there had been witnesses to her near-miss with the size of the bridge. A flush of embarassment about as red as her hair rose to her cheeks before she looked up at the man and his Scizor, thankful for the falling darkness hiding some of the color on her skin.

”Y-yeah I did...” she said, scratching her head in embarassment, trying to calm her racing heart. Unfamiliar men always set her on edge, but so long as nothing too suggestive was done, she assumed he would be fine. He even had a Scizor with him (a beautiful one, too) so he couldn’t be too bad, right? She let him continue and finish speaking before she did as well. Although she hesitated slightly when he inquired about her parents, she didn’t miss too many beats of the conversation to dwell on it, though she did have to swallow to keep her voice level. ”I uh...wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Pointing at the ground, she attempted a small laugh. ”I wasn’t looking down at the rungs.” Sniffing slightly afterwards and shaking her head, she moved on to his next question. ”My parents arent nearby, no. I’m alone.” Although she didn’t like talking much about them, she would as needed. Who was this man, though? She had a feeling she’d encountered him in some way, or knew about him from a book or something. If he introduces himself, I’ll know then, right?

Jian nearly leapt into the air when he said his name. That was where she recognized him from! Posters, TV, books, anything that mentioned the Gym Leaders and Elite Four of the regions! She couldn’t believe that of all the people she could have encountered in Canalave, it was none other than the Gym Leader Byron. That wasn’t what made her so excited, though. The fact that she was standing in front of a Steel-type specialist was what got her energy going. ”W-wow, really?” she asked, any sign of sadness that had just been in her voice gone entirey.

”You’re really Byron?” she almost squeaked with excitement, raising her hands to just beneath her chin where she locked her fingers. ”I…if I could possibly stay somewhere…that would be very nice of you. I don’t know anybody here…I came here because I was told it would be safe for me.” She looked up at the Scizor beside him again, showing how terribly organized her priorities were – more of an interest in Steel-type pokemon than her own safety. ”Your Scizor is so pretty…” the red-haired girl breathed. ”I love Steel-types…”

The red-haired girl’s face lit up in excitement as the Scizor lowered a claw for her. Jian instantly lifted her hands and placed them in the steel exoskeleton of the claw, glancing at Byron as she heard his voice again. Her smile softened slightly as a feeling of relief spread within her. ”I would love to meet some of your understudies...!” she said happily, enjoying the thought of meeting people that worked with Byron, and further getting to talk to Byron more himself.

”I would be incredibly grateful if I stayed in your Gym.” she told him, stepping forward to follow him, though keeping her hand – having dropped one to her side – in the Scizor’s claw. ”Oh uh...” she glanced at the red pokemon before deciding she would give Byron her real name, and not simply what she asked most people to call her. After all, he was one of the trainers she admired most for their work with Steel-type pokemon. ”...my name is Jian.” the girl said, ”Jian Zyanya.”