"Excuse me, miss?"
Lynelle jumped in surprise at the sudden voice. She turned around to see an old woman holding a basket of groceries. She was like any typical old woman: White hair, prominent wrinkles and slumping back. She was wearing a white woolen sweater with a brown crocheted shawl draped over her shoulders, she wore a long, checkered skirt and was wearing black, flat sandals.
"Are you looking for someone?" The old woman asked. "Oh! Uhh... Do you know the current owner of this house." Lynelle asks. "Well, that would be me, dear. Did you need something from me?" The old woman smiled.
Lynelle couldn't help but return a smile. She can already feel how nice the old lady was. That made her feel comfortable enough to talk without being nervous. " I was uhh... wondering if there was a previous owner of this house?" Lynelle rubbed her neck sheepishly.
"Yes, my good friends Marybelle and Leonard Celestine." The old woman answered. The ravenette was surprised to know that the old lady actually knew her parents. It wasn't often she would see old friends of her folks because most of them are from abroad.
"You knew my parents?" Lynelle asks with slight pain in her eyes. The old lady looked confused at first before finally registering what the ravenette just said. "Parents? Oh...! You must be their daughter, uhmm... Nelly Celestine, was it?" Lynelle laughed at the old woman's sudden excitement and from her attempt on getting her name correctly. "It's Lynelle, ma'am." She politely corrected her.
"Oh! Pardon me. You can call me Laura, dear. Ehm-please, come inside! " Ms. Laura opened the gate and gestured Lynelle to follow but Lynelle felt like she was intruding. "Oh no, I don't mean to intrude..."
"Please, I insist." Ms. Laura looked at her expectantly. The ravenette smiled and then felt her Pokémon tugging her arm with an unsure look. "It's okay, Lu. We'll be fine." Lynelle petted the fighting-type to reassure him.
She understood her partner Pokémon's uneasiness. She, of course, also felt slightly uneasy to enter her old home that is currently owned by a stranger. Even if she's a nice old woman, she had her guard up. With a deep breath in, Lynelle entered the house while mentally noting to keep her guard up at max.
~~~~
"Please, take a seat and have some biscuits." Ms. Laura says as she placed her basket of goods on the table. Lynelle felt a huge wave of nostalgia hit her as she walked in the house. The corridors looked the same as it was back then, the kitchen cabinets were newly painted but still looks the same, Lynelle felt like she was at home.
Same as the garden outside, the place was filled with colorful and vibrant flowers. She felt thankful that Ms. Laura took the time to take care and beautify the house.
"I'd never thought I'd be meeting their precious daughter again." Ms. Laura said excitedly as she pours tea. Lynelle shook her head in disbelief by the new piece of information. "We've met before?" She asks. "Oh, yes! You were just a little baby back then and your brother was still five. Speaking of which, how is your brother? Is he doing well?" The old woman cheerily asks.
"Oh, he's doing fine, happily married even. He's also the founder of the Pokélife sanctuary, where we help Pokémon in dire need." Lynelle says proudly of her brother's achievement as she sat down, Lucario sat next to her and ate a biscuit.
"Ah, yes. I remember now. Even when they're gone, I'm sure parents are very proud of everything you both have achieved." Ms. Laura smiled but Lynelle could tell that she was hurt by their passing, and it was the same for her.
"Yeah, I miss them too." Lynelle slumped her shoulders, frustrated and brokenhearted to remind herself that she will never see them again. Her eyes then landed on the paw of her Lucario on her shoulder. She looked at him holding a biscuit for her to take. She saw the concern written all over the Pokémon's face and simply smiled and accepted the biscuit from the fighting-type.
"Are you feeling okay, dear?" Ms. Laura asks, her voice filled with concern. Lynelle shot up and quickly took a sip of her tea. "Oh, yep! Just fine." She quickly answers but Ms. Laura saw through her bluff.
"Do you want to talk about it?" The old woman asks after taking a sip of her tea. Lynelle was a taken aback at her suggestion. She knew what she meant but she was unsure if she wants to. "Talking about what you feel may be hard at first... but it is necessary so that you can move on and accept." Ms. Laura had a pained smile on her face. Just one look and Lynelle realized that she too, had a similar experience.
"I always believed that my dear husband and daughter are always keeping their eye on me. So I stayed strong, live my life the way I wanted and cherishing the moments when the three of us were smiling and happy together. That would make them happy and relieved, wouldn't you agree?" The old woman softly smiles. Lynelle looked down and stared at the glistening tea on her cup, feeling a bit conflicted as she remembered how she was acting back then just when her parents died.
"Wouldn't it hurt to remember the moments back when they were alive?" Lynelle looked up to Ms. Laura, not bothering to hide her pained expression. "Of course, it hurts..."
"...But the thought of forgetting them just hurt me more than a stab to the heart."
Lynelle froze. What Ms. Laura said sounded so genuine, it made her rethink everything she has done to move on from her parents' death. When she put more thought about what the old woman said, she realized that she never told her brother how she felt back than, and that made her feel disappointed with herself.
Just from a few exchanges and Lynelle realized that her way of moving on was quite immature. Forgetting rather than accepting, bottling her feelings rather than talking about them, it resulted on her getting sleepless nights from crying, mourning... and hurting an old friend. She felt ashamed and disappointed on herself for choosing such method, and she wanted to change.
"Ms. Laura?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Can you... give me some advice?"
~~~~
"Thank you for taking the time to talk this old bag of bones." Ms. Laura laughed knowing that she was the one forced the ravenette and her Pokémon to have a conversation with her in the first place.
Lynelle didn't mind, she actually enjoyed talking to the old lady. Both of them shared some fun and interesting stories and she learned a lot about her parents' past. She didn't share what she felt back then because she wanted to have that talk to her brother first and she was glad that Ms. Laura was understanding of her decision. They had to stop short because Lynelle felt that she was taking too much of the old lady's time.
"I learned quite a lot, I should be thanking you." Lynelle smiled and patted her Lucario, who leaned in to her touch. "Well... remember everything I said, alright dear?" Ms. Laura said as she gave Lynelle a pouch full of biscuits. She was about to refuse but Ms. Laura stopped her. "I noticed your Pokémon is quite fond of my biscuits... so I decided to pack some up as a parting gift." Ms. Laura laughed.
Lynelle looked at her Lucario to confirm if she was telling the truth, only for the fighting-type refusing to look at her. Lynelle snickered, slightly amused at how her Pokémon is acting slightly bashful. She did like the biscuits too so she decided to accept them.
"Well... I should be going then. Goodbye, Ms. Laura." Lynelle and her Lucario waved the old lady goodbye and continued their walk along the peaceful paths of Postwick.
Ms. Laura watched as the young woman began to disappear from her sights. She remembered when they were once neighbors in Ballonlea and the ravenette was once was a young toddler, she would cry almost a full hour straight whenever her parents leave for work. Her brother had to ask her for help and advice to calm his sister down.
Now, she's a grown woman who can handle anything herself. Her brother became someone who helps others in need. Ms. Laura could feel that her dear friends, their lovely and loving parents, are proud of how their children have become.
"They grow up so fast." The old woman softly says.
~~~~
Walking around the neighborhood was quite the stress-reliever for Lynelle. She can really see why her parents loved the place. Some kids even waved at her while they were playing with each other. She returned the wave and felt the wave of nostalgia hitting on her head as she looked
"This place feels so... nostalgic." Lynelle breathes out, feeling guilty about almost forgetting everything when she was young. "How stupid I was for thinking that forgetting will fix everything." She disappointedly laughs at herself, regretting her decision to forget.
She recollects every moment of her conversation back with Ms. Laura. With a deep breath in, Lynelle decided on a task of recollecting her childhood while learning and enjoying their time in Galar. But first, she owes a certain someone an apology.
"Come..."
Lynelle's eyes shot wide open when she heard a male voice whisper. She froze on her tracks, making her Lucario looked at his trainer confused.
"In the forest shrouded in fog..."
Lynelle felt uncomfortable hearing another whispering voice. This time it sounded like a woman's voice. Lucario sensed his trainer was feeling slightly distressed but he was unsure what made her feel stressed. He pats his trainer's side, making her look at him and calming her down.
"S-Sorry Lu, I just heard somethi-"
"We have long waited for you."
Lynelle heard the whisper again, this time she heard the same two voices; a man and a woman and it was more louder than the last two. Lynelle looked around her surroundings, trying to figure out where the whispering is coming from. Her Lucario became alert, ready to fight anything that harms his trainer.
Then Lynelle's eyes landed on a forest. Just from one look, she had a strong gut feeling that that's where the whispering is coming from. But there's a problem, it was far from where they were standing. The forest had a pathway that was blocked by a small, wooden gate. Lynelle walked towards it and then stopped right in front of the gate.
'This looks familiar.' She thought as she inspected the gate. She grazed her hand onto the surface of the gate, fascinated of how old it looked. The varnish was gone and there was moss on some areas of the gate. Then her hand came across the lock, it looked like a hook type of lock and it was rusty.
When she was about to touch the lock, a memory flashed on her mind.
-----
"Huh?"
The little ravenette slowed down right in front of a wooden gate, it had a hook as a lock. She sees on the other side of the gate a pathway that may lead somewhere. And if it leads somewhere far from here then she wanted to go that way. But she didn't know that it was a path people forbade anyone to go.
She unhooked the lock and pushed the gate open. It was heavy for a little girl like her but it took all her strength to push. She may have overdone it because she made it collide with a wall, Making a loud bang. She got scared that she made a loud noise so she ran as fast as she could, following the path in front of her. She didn't care to look at what's in front of her or where she's going. She heard someone calling out to her but she didn't dare to look back. She just ran, straight into the forest where anyone isn't allowed to go.
-----
"...Raa?"
Lynelle came back into her senses when she felt her Pokémon tugging her hand. She gave the fighting-type Pokémon a reassuring smile and a pat on his head, telling him that she's okay. She looked back at the forest and slowly remembering bits and pieces that happened before and after she opened the gate.
She remembered why she ran, how unsettling the forest was, how fog was too thick that she couldn't see two feet in front of her, and... those mysterious Pokémon she encountered, she couldn't remember what they looked like.
Lynelle clicked her tongue in annoyance as she tried racking her brain on remembering what happened after that. The memory was too blurry for her to remember. As she was busy trying to remember,
she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"GAH!" Lynelle shouted and immediately turned around to see who it was. It was a young man with long and purple, spiky hair, dark skin and yellow eyes. He was wearing a black shirt with a blue sword and red shield logo, white sport shorts over white leggings with a diamond pattern on the sides, and white high-cut shoes. He also wore a black hat that had a crown pattern on the brim underneath.
Lucario stood protectively in front of his trainer. The man notices this and gave her an apologetic smile. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I did call out to you but I guess you didn't hear me? Just wanted to warn you that this path here is off-limits." He points towards the forest.
"O-Oh! Sorry! I didn't know... and I didn't hear you call out to me, I'm sorry about that." Lynelle apologized, feeling embarrassed. The man looked at her suspiciously. He was right behind her when he called out so she could've heard him with no problems. He even assumed that she was deaf.
He observes the ravenette in front of him. 'She doesn't seem like she's from here, but she sounds like she's from here.' He thought, slightly confused.
"You didn't know? If you don't mind me asking, are you from here?" The man questions her. Her Lucario narrowed his eyes and growls towards the man. Lynelle noticed this and patted the Pokémon's head to reassure him that everything's alright.
"It's alright Lu... We're from Hoenn and we just arrived here in Galar." Lynelle politely answers, still feeling embarrassed. "Ohh... That's quite far. No wonder you don't know." The man laughed. "Heh, yeah... makes me think that I should've learn a thing or two before flying to Galar." Lynelle sheepishly rubbed her neck.
"No, I think it's fine to just experience it firsthand. I personally believe it's more exciting that way." The man smiled at her. "I know right?!" Lynelle immediately covered her mouth after unconsciously raising her voice in excitement. She apologized to the man who just reassured her that he didn't mind it.
Lynelle smiled at the man before realizing something. "Oh, where are my manners. I'm Lynelle and this is my partner Pokémon: Lucario." She introduced herself and the Pokémon beside her who grunted. "I'm Leon. It's nice to meet you." The man named Leon extended his hand for the girl to shake. She smiled at him and shook his hand.
"So Mr. Leon, what's the deal with that forest?" Lynelle looked back at the forest as she waited for a reply. She looked back at the purple-haired man after a few seconds of not getting a response. She saw that Leon looked shocked by something which made the ravenette confused. "Did I... say something?" Leon blushed and immediately shook his head no.
"Sorry 'bout that." He apologized before turning his attention towards the forest. "That forest has an unusual fog that doesn't disappear even when the weather changes. There are wild Pokémon living in there but people say that there are some mysterious Pokémon that dwells deep within the fog." Lynelle hums as she listened to his explanation. 'It's probably the same Pokémon I saw that time.' She thought but she was unsure if it was the same one.
"What does the Pokémon look like?" Lynelle turned to Leon. "Well... no one really knows what 'It' or 'they' looked like. A friend of mine once went into the forest to investigate... only to come back full of cuts and scratches, hair and clothes were dirty, she looked tired and was just a mess." Leon chuckled but Lynelle saw this as something concerning.
"Was she alright?" Lynelle asked. Leon just looked at her surprised. He was a bit amused that someone he just met felt worried for his friend, even if she doesn't know who it was. 'What a kind person.' He thought
"She was fine, don't worry. Though, she couldn't escape her grandmother's intense scolding." Leon sweatdropped at the memory. 'It must've been that intense huh?' Lynelle sweatdropped, feeling pity for the man's friend for going through that difficult time. Even Lucario felt bad for the man's friend.
"It's best to just stay away from that place." Leon voiced out and then turned to Lynelle who just admired the forest afar. He then saw something shining on her neck. His eyes widened when he realized that it was a keystone. He then looked at her Lucario only to see a bicep guard on its right arm, holding a Lucarionite.
He saw that she was no ordinary trainer. It's not everyday he meets someone with a lucarionite, let alone bearing a keystone. 'She may be a strong and experienced trainer to be able to acquire a Keystone.' He thought as he felt excitement within his heart. He wanted to have a Pokémon battle with her to see how strong she is.
He was also slightly baffled by the fact that she didn't recognize who he was. He thought that it would be unfair for the girl to battle someone like him. But he really wanted to have a friendly battle with her since he had a strong gut feeling that the girl might be stronger than the average trainer.
That, and he wanted to get to know her. Leon already saw that she wasn't a threat. He was happy met someone who would rather 'go with the flow' like him. She seemed like someone he could be friends with.
"Uh, Ms. Lynelle?" The ravenette turned to face him. "This may seem sudden but can we-"
*VRRRBT! VRRRBT!*
The sound of a phone ringing cut Leon off. Both Lynelle and her Lucario looked at the purple-haired man who turned deep red. He turned away and quickly grabbed his phone to answer the person calling him.
Lynelle kept her gaze towards the man. She couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity from him. A subconscious feeling that she has met him before. Not only that, he seemed to be a really nice person and someone who she'd probably talk to often. The fact that he agrees with something that others might not, made her giddy and happy. She had a feeling that they would get along just fine.
"Sure... I'll be there." Leon ended the call and turned to Lynelle, letting her notice his slightly annoyed face. "Sorry, I... need to go somewhere." He apologized but Lynelle just shook him off. "No, it's alright. Thanks for warning me about the forest though, you really saved my skin." Lynelle smiled at him. Leon felt thankful that she was understanding ad returned back a smile, much brighter than hers.
"I'd really love to get to know you but... my uhh job..." Lynelle waved him off, telling him it's fine. She felt her heart flutter that someone would love to spend time with her. It made her feel somewhat special and nervous at the same time.
She is aware that she is quite awkward with social interactions. But for some reason, talking to Leon was like talking to a close friend despite just meeting for the first time. "Of course, I'd love to get to know you too." Leon was surprised to hear that from her but he felt relieved that the girl felt the same way.
"Then... If we happen to meet again... will you have a Pokémon battle with me?" Lynelle was taken aback from the man's offer. She thought that it was silly thing to say, but when she saw that he was being serious about it, she couldn't help but...
"PFFT! HA-HAHAHA-HAHA!"
Both her Lucario and Leon looked at her in shock. The girl was laughing and clutching her stomach. Leon froze, feeling embarrassed from whatever he said that made her laugh, but he was ultimately mesmerized of her laughter.
Her Lucario on the other hand, couldn't believe what he was seeing. His trainer was laughing like she was keeping it in until she couldn't take it anymore, and all it took was from a stranger's silly question. The fighting-type looked at the purple-haired man with in shock and awe that he managed to make his trainer laugh.
"HAHH...hahaaa...S-Sorry, it's just... I've never met someone as straightforward as you." Lynelle says as she wipes a tear from her eye. Leon snapped back in reality when she stopped laughing. He shook his head, realizing that he was staring at her the whole time but Lynelle didn't seemed to notice.
"Hahh... well, what do you say bud? Wanna take up his offer?" Lynelle smiled at her partner Pokémon, already knowing she didn't have to wait for her Pokémon's answer. The fighting type had a look of desire and excitement. Lynelle smiled at her best friend, knowing that he would be willing to challenge any strong Pokémon in a battle.
The same goes for her. The first and most basic rule of Pokémon battling was that when trainer's eyes meet, they battle. This time, she was willing to accept. "Me and Lucario would love to battle you, Leon. Just tell us when and where and we'll be there. But, it has to be within this week." Lynelle shot the man a determined look, letting him know that she has no intention of backing out. Leon got the message and shot her a confident smirk.
"Oh, we'll definately have a cha-"
*VRRRBT! VRRBT!*
His phone rings again, catching him off guard. He immediately canceled the call and looked back at Lynelle only to saw her giggling. He awkwardly laughs. He was about to say something but he immediately reached out to his pockets and pulled out some sort of card and a marker. He wrote something on the card and handed it to Lynelle.
"Here's my league card." Lynelle took a moment before grabbing the 'league card' from the man. Before Lynelle could even ask, Leon released one of his Pokémon which was a Charizard.
Lynelle was in awe by looking at the fire-type Pokémon. She knew that the Pokémon was strong and that comes from her experience on having to train a Charmeleon once. The flame Pokémon looked at Lynelle, then her Lucario, and then grunts in excitement.
"Haha, it's not like that, Charizard. We need to go back to Wyndon." Leon laughed and then mounted on the Fire-type Pokémon. "Well, 'till we meet again, Ms. Lynelle." Before Leon could take off, he heard Lynelle laughing. "Just call me Lynelle." The blue-eyed girl smiled, making Leon smile back widely. "Well, call me Leon then." He chuckles.
"'Till we meet again, Lynelle."
And with that, they flew away. Both her and Lucario waved them goodbye until they were far away. Lynelle looked back at what the purple-haired man gave her. A card with the whole thing is a picture of him sitting with a serious expression, wearing a red, royal-like cape on his back. The card had black scribbles on it, which she assumes it was Leon's signature. Even with what she observed, the one question remains on her mind...
"What on earth is a League card?"
~~~~
Lynelle put Lucario back into his Pokéball since she wanted to do this alone. Walking back towards the house with the purple rooftop, she saw Sonia at the front door at her Grandmother's Laboratory.
"And here I thought you'd forget." Lynelle awkwardly chuckled at the peachette in front of her who was crossing her arms like a person who lost their patience would do. "Sorry... got caught up with something. But first...I'm so sorry... for everything."
Sonia was taken aback at the ravenette sudden apologizing. She didn't do anything wrong so why was she apologizing to her? "Uhm... why are you apologizing?" Sonia asked confused.
"I... went with the wrong way to cope with... you know... and that led to me almost forgetting everything I know and did here in Galar. That even led me to forget about... you and our promise. I'm so so sorry." Sonia widened her eyes, trying to fight her back tears.
She finally understood what Lynelle was talking about but she didn't think that there was any reason for her to apologize. They have their own lives to focus on now that they're adults and she wasn't even angry at her for forgetting her childhood, especially knowing something traumatic happened to her. She was just happy and relieved to know that even after everything the ravenette has been through, her old friend went out and finally remembers her.
"Lynelle... there's no right or wrong way to cope the loss of your parents . Whatever you feel, whether its anger, sadness, or guilt, is valid. I can't say that I know the feeling but I do understand how you feel and no one blames you or your brother the death or your parents." Sonia gave her the biggest and brightest smile she can muster to make her friend feel better.
"I forgive you."
Lynelle didn't even try to fight back her tears. Even after all that, Sonia forgave her. Both girls hugged each other tight for the first time in their long separation. They both were even reluctant to let go of each other.
"I... just wanted to apologize, never thought I'd be comforted in the process." Both girls laughed at the ravenette's comment. "Well, you deserved to hear it... Lyn'." Lynelle was taken aback from the old nickname but ultimately smiled at the peachette.
"Sonia... can you umm... give me another chance?" Sonia chuckled at Lynelle's request which made said ravenette feel embarrassed. "Well, of course, even though I still see you as my best friend." This made Lynelle feel even more embarrassed for asking such a silly question.
~~~~
They decided to catch up on what they missed as they headed for the hotel. Lynelle couldn't help but feel happy and relaxed talking to Sonia. She was a really fun person to talk with. Both of them told each other what their jobs were and they were quite happy knowing that their promise was fulfilled. Lynelle laughed at Sonia's reaction when she told her about her job back on Hoenn.
They happily talked for a while and when they were at the vicinity at the hotel, Lynelle told Sonia about her encounter with Ms. Laura and her old home. She didn't tell her about her weird experience from seeing the slumbering weald because she was unsure herself. So, she told Sonia her encounter with Leon and her confusion with "League Cards"... which the former made the peachette spat out the water she was drinking.
"Lyn'... you've met Leon. A guy with purple hair, yellow eyes, wearing a cape, and has a Charizard?" Sonia shook the Lynelle's, looking serious. "Uhh yeah? Well, minus the cape one. He wasn't wearing it when we talked and then he gave me his uhh... 'League card' where he's wearing it... see?" Lynelle showed Sonia the League card Leon gave her. After a second of looking, she looked back at the ravenette.
"Lyn'..."
"He's the current Champion of Galar."