"Raa..."
"..."
"Raraa...?"
"...Nghh... huh?"
Lynelle slowly woke up from the repetitive nudging coming from her Pokémon. she got confused as to why she was in some random place with white walls and blue chairs around her. But as she observed more of her surroundings, she finally remembers that she was on an airplane.
"Ah... I must've been asleep the whole time. You doing okay, Lu?" The fighting-type Pokémon smiled and nodded at her. The ravenette stretched her arms in the air. 'Ahh, I slept like a log. I've never felt so alive!' She cracked her fingers one by one and then her knuckles. She never thought she needed a long and peaceful slumber like that. The stress from when they were preparing for her trip and the the constant worry that something bad might happen when she leaves, really took a huge toll on her.
An announcement came up from the pilot saying that they will soon land in Galar. That means nervousness will rise through the roof from the fact that they have arrived, and from the fact that the landing process will be just as rough as when they took off. Lynelle took a deep breath in, feeling excited and nervous at the same time. She looked at the window to see that the sky was still blue and the clouds are white as cotton.
She then looked down when the clouds disappeared from her vision. She saw grassy plains, clear blue bodies of water, an area where it's covered in sand, an area covered in tall trees, and a snowy mountain which reminded her of Snowbelle city in Kalos.
Lynelle took a deep breath in and exhaled her nervousness away as she puts on her brave and determined face. "Alright, bud! Let's do this." Both of them gave each other a determined nod as they braced themselves from the landing process.
~~~~
The plane landed smoothly, everyone got out of the plane. Lynelle and Lucario took their first step on the land together and quickly followed where the other passengers were heading.
The airport was just as similar as other airports from other regions, the only difference was that there were a lot of large flat-screen T.Vs that displayed the locations available for travel, some were playing advertisements of various products 'Typical.' She thought.
There was a larger one that showed pictures of tourists spots on Galar. One that caught her attention was a huge, pink stadium that is located in Wyndon, which is the same location as the airport. 'That looks amazing! I might take a couple pictures of it on our way out.' Lynelle mentally took note.
After finally getting their luggage, and buying a few snacks, Lynelle and Lucario went outside of the arrivals station to see a bunch of people with signs and banners that had the names of someone they're expecting. She remembered her brother's constant reminding of the appearance of the person who was going to pick them up.
Both of them looked around for an old lady with peach-colored hair but they couldn't find her, not even the granddaughter, who her brother said has the same hair color as her grandmother.
'Should we wait for them?' Lynelle had three options; one, she could call her brother about her slight issue. Two, she can move on and explore the region by themselves. Three, she could just wait for them for a little while.
After a moment passed, Lynelle sighed while she makes her decision. 'I'll do the first option first then the second.' She pulled out her phone and began to look for her brother's contact info until...
"Lynelle... Celestine?"
The ravenette looked up to see a young woman, smiling at her. "Umm... yes? Can I help you?" Lynelle became a little cautious towards the woman. Lucario sensed this and stood closer to Lynelle. "...Don't you recognize me?" The woman asked, her tone sounded like she was desperate. The ravenette did felt that the woman in front of her was familiar, but she doesn't seem to pinpoint her name.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I know you."
The woman froze, stunned at the ravenette's response. Lynelle became guilty and confused at the same time but she was being honest. The woman in front of her looked like she expected something else to hear from her. The ravenette took a closer look at the young woman's appearance.
'Peach-colored hair, teal eyes, wearing a brown coat, and orange-tinted sunglasses... is she the granddaughter?' She wondered. the woman's appearance definitely matched her brother's description of the granddaughter of Professor Magnolia.
"Ah! There you are, Lynelle. We've looked all over for you." Lynelle turned to see an old woman with faded peach-colored hair, wearing a lab coat, and walking with a cane. The old woman matched her brother's description of the person who was going to pick them up. Lynelle felt relieved that she and Lucario didn't have to wait longer than they needed. At the same time, she wondered how she didn't see them but they somehow saw her?
"Welcome to Galar. I'm glad to see you both safe and sound." The old woman gave Lynelle a welcoming smile and offered a handshake, which Lynelle politely shakes back. "Oh, thank you. I assume that you are Professor Magnolia that my brother told me?" Lynelle asked politely, she tried her best to not seem rude at the elder. "Yes, yes. That is correct. I am Professor Magnolia, I am a Professor and my research is heavily revolved on the special phenomenon that only occurs in the Galar region: Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing phenomenon." Professor Magnolia smiles as she introduced herself.
Lynelle smiled back at her and then looked at the tall lady beside her. "You must be her granddaughter, Sonia, right?" Lynelle asked. The lady named Sonia looked hurt and conflicted, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes became watery. Lynelle became worried, was it something she said? Or was she supposed to say something? Before Lynelle could ask, the Professor interrupted her.
"Lynelle, did you go to the restroom? You did spent a lot of time on that plane." Lynelle was taken aback at the old Professor's question. She looked back and forth at the two peachettes and ultimately got the hint that the Professor had something to say to her granddaughter. So, she decided to play along.
"...Right!, I do. Lu, you need a break don't you?" The ravenette grabbed Lucario's Pokéball from her pocket. The said Pokémon looked away from Lynelle as if saying no. Lynelle didn't buy it since she saw that the fighting-type had a tight grip on the handle of her suitcase. "Yeah no, I can see through you bud, Return." Bright light engulfed the Pokémon and then retreated into the Pokéball.
"If it's no too much to ask, can you watch over my luggage?" Professor Magnolia nodded in affirmation and gestured the ravenette to go on. When she finally disappeared, the old Professor turned to her granddaughter who already had small tears at the corners of her eyes.
"She forgot about me. I... kind of guess this would happen." The young lady's hands balled into fists to prevent herself from voicing out her frustration. Professor Magnolia just rubbed her granddaughter's back as reassurance. Then, with a heavy heart, she told something that she should've told granddaughter years ago.
"Lynelle and Lawrence's parents... have passed."
Sonia widened her eyes in shock. She turned to see if her grandma was lying but her grandma's face had sadness and guilt written all over. "...W-When?" Sonia asked, feeling her nails digging in the palm of her hands. "When... Lynelle was 16 years old." Sonia looked at her Grandmother in disbelief. Her grandma knew all this time and she didn't bother to tell her? She wanted to voice out her anger but they were in public space and the last thing she wants to do is making a scene.
"Why...Why are you telling me this now? You should've told me that years ago." Sonia asked again, this time, she had a slightly angry tone. "You also had a difficult time figuring out your path. I didn't want to make you worry more than you need to. Even if I did, both of us know that we can't do anything about it." Sonia flinched at her grandmother's reasoning.
Her grandmother had a point, how could she forget that she had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to become, what path she wanted to choose. In the end, she took some time away from home for university and become her grandmother's assistant while aspiring to become a Professor herself. It was a choice that she decided for herself.
"You needed to be alone to think about what you wanted to do. Lynelle and Lawrence needed time alone to mourn and grieve the loss of their parents. You can stay angry at me, I never wanted each of you to have more problems to worry about and... possibly make you hate each other for the rest of you lives." Professor Magnolia rubbed her hands together, something to soothe herself while talking about the sensitive topic.
Sonia saw this and immediately felt guilty. She understood that her grandma had good intentions but she didn't gloss over the fact that her grandma could've told her at some point in her life but chose now when she finally meets her childhood friend after all these years?
Sonia sighed heavily. This new information hit her hard. It made her feel like she's a bad friend to Lynelle. Even if they haven't talked to each other for a long time, she still see her as a friend. "I'm sorry for... being angry at you, Gran'. I know you did it for me but I wish you could've told me at some point, y'know?" Her grandmother sighed and then smiled at her granddaughter, her smile was full of sadness and guilt.
"I'm very sorry, dear."
"It's... it's okay."
The young woman smiled at her grandmother and gave her one tight hug. "So...why did you bring that up?" Sonia broke the hug and looked at her grandmother questioningly.
"Lawrence told me that Lynelle hasn't moved on from the incident." Professor Magnolia took a deep breath before continuing. "He said that every time the topic about her parents is brought up or when she remembers something that involves them, she would cry and force herself to get over it. That made her want to forget those moments just because it was too painful for her." The old woman explained.
Sonia felt pity on how her childhood friend had to go through. Her friend chose to forget, not accept. 'If we don't make her realize how much she's unknowingly hurting herself, something bad might happen to her.' Sonia became worried as she caught on what her grandmother was trying to convey.
"Thankfully, he said that she was getting better by the time and is learning to accept the loss. He said that a visit from her old home may be the final step for her to finally accept her feelings." Professor Magnolia smiled at Sonia, expecting her to realize what she said but her smile immediately falters when she saw her granddaughter's confused expression. She even swore that she saw a question mark popping out from the young lady's head.
"*sigh* I supposed I can give you more details." Professor Magnolia checked their surroundings to see if Lynelle was nearby. When the coast was clear, she gestured her granddaughter to inch closer so that only she can hear her.
"It's natural for someone to forget most of their childhood. It's the same for Lynelle. All we need to do is to gave her a sense of familiarity and make her remember." The old woman smiled. Sonia thought that it was a good idea but then she thinks about some of the drawbacks from her grandmother's plan.
"Wait... what if something bad happens?" Sonia asked worriedly but her grandmother doesn't seemed worried. "She'll realize it herself. Don't worry too much." Prof. Magnolia smiled at her granddaughter who smiled back.
"But we need to be very discrete about it. Lawrence told me that Lynelle is very observant, and could tell if something suspicious was going on. So after she returns, act like nothing happened, we never discussed this and let her explore the Galar region." Professor Magnolia became serious. A little too serious that she made Sonia gulped nervously. The young peachette quickly shook the nervous feeling off so that she could focus on helping her childhood friend.
A plan was set in motion as both nodded to each other.
~~~~
"I'm so thankful they had a restroom area for Pokémon."
"Grr...uraruaa..."
"Hey! It wasn't my fault that I took too long! The other girls were taking their sweet time when it was their turn."
"...Raa?"
"...Okay, me included, but I don't take that long."
Professor Magnolia and Sonia giggled at the silly exchange between the two. As they finally exited the building. Lynelle and Lucario widened their eyes on how amazing and beautiful the scenery was.
Both of them took a deep breath in and exhaled at the same time. When they realized how in sync they were just now, both of them just laughed and admired the beautiful and abundant plots of flowers around them.
"Woah... The saying where Pokémon can take after their trainers was true." Sonia commented, enjoying seeing Lynelle and her Pokémon being excited about some daisies they saw nearby
Sonia kept thinking about their plan, the worry that Lynelle might have a emotional breakdown slowly disappeared. She truly hopes that after everything is settled, she can make up the lost time by hanging out with her, introducing her to some Galar trends and some sight-seeing spots. Basically, she wants to show Lynelle everything that she missed out on.
After admiring the daisies, Lynelle looked up to see the giant pink stadium she saw on T.V. earlier. "Woah! Look Lucario!" Lynelle pointed towards the giant pink stadium for her Pokémon to see. Like her, Lucario's eyes sparkled in excitement. He could sense that the giant stadium in front of him was used for Pokémon battles. He would love to have a chance to battle strong-looking Pokémon from other strong-looking trainers.
"That's Wyndon Stadium, if you're curious." Sonia voiced out. 'Wyndon Stadium... It looks amazing.' Lynelle repeated the name to make sure she doesn't forget. She was even sure that Lucario also repeated the name in his head. "Trainers who got through their gym challenge and won through the champion cup finals, will battle the champion for the title." Sonia explained as brief as she could.
"Gym challenge? Champion cup? What's that?" Lynelle asked as she turned towards Sonia. "Like I said, trainers who got through their gym challenge, will join in the champion cup tournament. The one who wins in the finals will be the one who battles the Champion." Sonia explained.
Lynelle hummed in amusement. She did travel to different regions to grow stronger and that includes getting all 8 badges, then battle the elite four and finally the Champion of the region. Almost every region she visited had the same tradition for a trainer who wants to become the strongest. It's was interesting for Lynelle to know that Galar had a unique way for trainers to battle each other before battling the Champion.
For Lynelle, she would always intentionally lose to the Champion of that specific region because of a simple reason: she does not want to become one. Almost all of them noticed she was being too easy and asked for a rematch, and the result was... she won against most of them.
Though, she would always lose to her good friend in Sinnoh, no matter how hard she tries.
"Ours is quite different than the traditional Elite Four in other regions. As for the Gym challenge, that will be explained in another time." Professor Magnolia voiced out. Lynelle hummed in response, realizing that they make take up too much time if they continue doing sight-seeing. She nudged her Pokémon to stop for now and then went back to the two women to then continue on walking.
They called for a taxi the moment they were in the sidewalk. They were on their way to a city called Hammerlocke since her brother reserved a hotel room there for her and Lucario to stay. The moment they entered the city, both Lynelle and Lucario had their eyes glued on how there was a castle-like building that stood tall in the city. The building was in a dark purple color. At the top half it had a tall tower in the center and at the bottom half was a dome-like structure. There were pillars that stemmed from the sides that it looked like the tower had dragon-like wings.
Looking back at the large building, it was weird at first glance but she felt that there were a lot of rich history behind it, along with the city. The feeling that Lynelle had upon observing the city's surroundings was that the city felt so old, historic and... very familiar, like she had been there for quite some time. Lynelle didn't know why the city felt familiar to her when it was her first time visiting it. She shook the weird feeling off for now and worry about it later.
"That large building you're looking right there is the Hammerlock Stadium. That's where the dragon-type gym leader, Raihan, resides." Sonia voiced out beside her. 'The Dragon-type gym leader? Guess that explains the building's design.' Lynelle thought and then looked away from the building to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the drive.
~~~~
After checking into the hotel and dropping their luggage, both her and Lucario returned to the two peachettes went outside of the building. What Lynelle didn't expect to see upon walking outside was a Corviknight standing in front of a large but miniature version of a car, besides it was a man wearing a thick jacket, gray pants and brown shoes. He was also wearing flying goggles, a winter hat and brown gloves.
"Lynelle, this is a flying taxi. The name is pretty much self-explanatory. They're piloted by Cabbies, which is that gentleman over there." Sonia explained in a cheery tone. Lynelle couldn't began to think if her Corvi back in Hoenn would do the same things as the Corviknights here in Galar. She was smaller and was never trained to carry a large cargo. At best, she can only carry two grown adults on her back while flying.
"Can... can the Corviknight carry all of us at once?" Lynelle nervously asks. Sonia just chuckled at the girl's nervousness. It was every tourist's first impression when they saw a flying taxi. "Oh you don't have to worry about that. They're very well-trained and are strong enough to carry a Copperajah!" Sonia beamed.
"A what?"
"Ahh, nothing."
Lynelle and Lucario was skeptical at first but then decided to trust the young peachette. The four of them boarded the cab and took off to the skies. Lynelle and Lucario felt a bit scared when they took off but the feelings were soon washed away when they saw the bustling city underneath them.
They were headed to a popular restaurant in a city called Circhester, where Lynelle learned it was the city in the near the snowy mountain area that she saw during their flight.
~~~~
In the restaurant, they chatted and enjoyed the delicious meals. Lynelle felt comfortable and relaxed talking to them. She even felt like she was talking to old friends. When the topic of her parents came in, she became reluctant to talk. Sonia and her grandmother didn't mean to ask but Lynelle felt that she trusts them enough to tell them.
"They... died from a car crash. A truck rammed into them, Police said that the truck driver was under the deep influence of alchohol and lost his senses." Lynelle explained, her voice filled with emotional pain. She felt her Lucario tugging her arm, feeling the sadness radiating from his trainer. He felt concerned for her since he knew that she was very sensitive of the topic of her parents.
Lynelle smiled at her Pokémon, letting him know that she was just fine. "I'm... we're very sorry for your loss, Lynelle." The ravenette turned her attention to Sonia and her grandmother showing sympathy for her. "It's alright, really... thank you for your kind words... I really appreciated it." Lynelle smiled at the both of them, feeling thankful for the two being kind and respectful.
~~~~
After they ate their lunch, Sonia, Lynelle and Lucario decided to go to a small town called Wedgehurst. Professor Magnolia got an urgent call and that she needed to go somewhere. Sonia said that she had something to do in Wedgehurst but she didn't want to leave Lynelle all by herself. Thankfully, Lynelle agreed to go with her.
They arrived at a house with a purple rooftop where Sonia said that it was her grandma's Laboratory. "How about you take a short walk while I do my uhh... thing here." Sonia nervously suggested which made Lynelle chuckle. "Okay... where should I go exactly?" She asks.
"Just go as far as that little neighborhood right there." Sonia pointed to a pathway behind Lynelle. "Huh... well, okay. I'll be back." Lynelle started walking on the pathway with Lucario following.
Sonia watched as the two left her sight. She breathes out in relief to know that she didn't became suspicious in the ravenette's eyes after she made that suggestion. She breathes out again as she silently hopes that her grandmother's plan would work.
~~~~
The walk along the path was quite peaceful yet... familiar. Seeing colorful flowers and Pokémon wandering around was giving her a sense of familiarity and Lynelle doesn't know why. While walking, she saw a welcome sign that said:
"Welcome to Postwick!"
'Postwick? Isn't that...' Her thoughts trailed off as she saw the small neighborhood. Children were playing with each other, Pokémon running and enjoying the grassy plains and flying in the clear blue sky. Everything about the neighborhood was calm and peaceful. Her brother was right, it was no wonder why their parents chose Postwick as their dream place.
Lynelle wanted to look around more and enjoy the atmosphere. Then her eyes landed on something very familiar.
Her old house.
Lynelle couldn't believe that there was a garden filled with beautiful and vibrant flowers. She felt happy that someone was nice enough to take care of the home and even go as far as adding greenery, and a colorful one at that. There was even a small gate for protection.
Then her happiness faltered when she remembers how much she used to play near the porch with her parent's Pokémon. She remembers how she loved this place and how much she had fun playing with her brother and... another girl in when she was little.
She vaguely remembered what the girl looked like. Peach-colored hair and teal clothing. For some reason, her mind instantly went to Sonia. Lynelle thought it was a coincidence at first but she couldn't help but compare her to the girl back then. Sonia had peach-colored hair and wears teal clothing. Then she remembered the look Sonia had back at the airport, it was as if she was hurt.
Then it hit her. Sonia was her childhood friend.
'No wonder she looked so... hurt.' Lynelle smacked herself for being a bad friend for forgetting her. She decided to apologize for her actions when she goes back to her house. She had to make up for their lost contact.
Observing the garden a bit closer, her eyes landed on an odd spot. There was no grass growing and it stood out from the garden. She seemed to have recognize the spot immediately and it made the ravenette questioned herself on how she missed that.
The spot was where she had her last playtime before moving away.
Small tears appeared on the corners of her eyes. Oh how she missed the place. She remembered how much her Father's Yamper would tackle her to the ground, getting sand all over her face, or how Sonia and her brother would always chase each other when they play a game of tag. Lynelle started feeling guilty for forgetting almost everything, including her childhood friend.
"Excuse me, miss?"