A quick ***spoiler warning*** for this one - this chapter contains spoilers for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
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You stand blinking at the person in front of you as the sight of her brings back so many memories all at once. The Sinnoh champion, my best friend, the last person I battled before disappearing... "That was a truly excellent battle, Y/N, I can't remember the last time I was backed into a corner like that. Next time, you may well defeat me."... "Hey, Y/N! Come with me to the Canalave library, let's go research some myths together!" Oh almighty Sinnoh, that's the region's name in modern times, just like Kamado had suggested to you on the beach outside Jubilife. Everything begins falling into place. No wonder Volo looks so familiar, in a way you could never quite place, and no wonder you trusted him so easily - he looks exactly like your best friend in your past life! All of these thoughts come rushing through you so quickly that it makes your head spin as you remember parts of your past life.
You're from Sinnoh, Celestic Town to be precise, and you grew up alongside your best friend, Cynthia. Being a few years younger than her, you always looked up to her as a role model, and once she became Champion you aspired to challenge her at the Pokémon League one day. Which you had, and the battle was close, but you'd narrowly lost as you were both down to your last Pokémon. No wonder you've seemed to have a natural ability in Pokémon battles since arriving in Hisui - back in your past life you were an incredibly skilled Pokémon trainer, second only to the champion. And thinking about it, of course Volo's team seemed familiar in the battle at the Temple of Sinnoh - it was almost identical to Cynthia's team!
The force of everything falling into place, and the powerful relief you feel as you realise that you weren't some awful person in your old life, gets to be a bit too much, and you grab onto Adaman to steady yourself as Cynthia stays quiet for a moment, the ever-perceptive champion recognising your need to collect yourself. It's at this moment that you notice Adaman's muscles are tensed, and looking up you see him looking at Cynthia with a sceptical frown on his face. Realisation rushes through you as you realise that all he will be able to see right now is Volo, so you quickly compose yourself and run a reassuring hand down his arm as you say so only he can hear,
"Sweetheart, it's okay. I know who she looks like but trust me, Cynthia isn't him. She was my best friend in my past life - I promise you can trust her."
He relaxes slightly, trusting your words, as you turn back to Cynthia,
"Umm... hi?" you say sheepishly. Cynthia initially says nothing, instead pulling you into a tight hug, holding you for a few moments before moving back and finally saying,
"Y/N, I've missed you so much - where have you been all this time?!"
"You're not gonna believe me when I tell you, but trust me you'll want to know all about it," you chuckle, before resting a hand on Adaman's arm, "But first, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Adaman."
"Hi, nice to meet you," he smiles, but you can still sense a hint of unease from him. Understandable, really, given that his only association with someone who looks vaguely like Cynthia is the man who tried to kill you and destroy the entire region.
"Boyfriend, hey?" Cynthia says teasingly, before adding with a warm smile, "Well you two make a wonderful couple. Nice to meet you, Adaman."
"So yeah basically I got sent back in time by Arceus, lost my memory completely and seeing you just now has brought a lot of it back," you suddenly say casually, and Cynthia freezes and stares at you in complete shock.
"What?" is all she can manage, her eyes shining with a mix of wonder and disbelief.
"Yeah...," you say, "And Adaman here is the leader of one of the clans back in those times. The region is called Hisui, it's, um, old Sinnoh I guess."
"Wait wait wait," Adaman suddenly says, eyes wide, "You're telling me they will actually rename Hisui Sinnoh at some point like Kamado said to you? After the almighty Sinnoh both of our clans worshipped before we found it to be Dialga and Palkia?"
"I guess so," you say, "Although I have no idea when it'll happen."
"That's absolutely fascinating!" Cynthia interjects, "To think you got sent back to a time written about in the myths and legends I've studied for years. And to think you're dating someone of such importance from that time!"
"Well I don't know if I'd hold myself in such high regard," Adaman says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "I try my best though. My clan is my family, after all, so I owe it to all of them to be a good leader."
"I can already tell from you saying that that you are," Cynthia smiles, "I have a similar role now as the champion of the region. Part of my job is to guide young trainers and to make sure everyone is safe in any situation, no matter how extreme."
"That sounds like what Y/N does for us too," Adaman nods, "She literally stopped the world from ending by closing a space-time rift that had been opened by someone who looks remarkably like you, probably your ancestor, and even went on to face and defeat Arceus in a fight. You probably know this already but she's amazing." You blush at his words - Adaman is always eager to share how proud he is of you, insisting he will continue to do so until you truly believe how amazing you are, and it's something you will always be grateful for.
"She is," Cynthia agrees, before gasping as she processes the rest of what Adaman has just said. You look at her in confusion as she uncharacteristically gapes at you, her grey eyes wide in awe.
"Err, Cynthia?" you ask tentatively.
"You... you're the one who defeated my ancestor? Volo?"
"Wait, you know about him?!" Now it's your turn to gasp as his name leaves her lips. It shouldn't be a surprise to you, given Cynthia's almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the region's myths and legends, but to think she's actually read about your escapades and the fact that there are actually books out there recalling what you did to save Hisui blows your mind.
"I... I do," she nods, her expression serious, "It's a shameful part of my family's history. A tale of a man getting so overcome by bitterness and a desire for power that he strives to recreate the world. It's something every generation of my family since has used to teach their children and learn from his misguided ways, but is something that we have been sworn to secrecy about so it never gets out that he is associated in any way with our family and the ancient people of Sinnoh. It's also why I was so determined to stop Cyrus when he tried the same thing, to stop the mistakes of old being repeated. To think that you were the one to overthrow Volo, Y/N... To think you're the one who I've read about in the history books all this time... It's incredible."
You go to reply, but before you can you're interrupted by the sound of more people approaching, along with Rachel and Sawyer returning with a couple of sandwiches.
"Oh, it looks like Lance, Steven and Wallace are here," Cynthia says, her expression quickly relaxing in a smile once again, "Looks like we'll have to continue this conversation later - I'd love to hear more about your life in Hisui," she adds, as she gestures you to follow her across to meet the other champions who have just arrived.
You and Adaman gratefully take the food from Rachel and Sawyer, who then take their leave as Cynthia quickly introduces you to each of the champions and explains where you and Adaman have come from, and they all greet you with a warm smile. Lance explains that he is the Indigo League champion and carries out his duties in the regions of Kanto and Johto, and Steven says he's the Hoenn champion, with Wallace standing in for him whenever he wishes to travel.
"It's great to meet you all," you smile, and Adaman echoes your words, before raising an eyebrow slightly as Steven approaches him,
"Adaman, your neckpiece is fascinating," he muses with a soft smile, "Is that really a diamond adorning it?"
"It is!" Adaman smiles, relaxing as he gets the chance to talk about something that's so important to him, and your heart warms as you see him gesture enthusiastically as he talks, "It was a gift from my grandfather, and I wear it everywhere. You see, back home I'm the leader of a group called the Diamond Clan, and this is a symbol of my role as leader. Before me, it was my grandfather's, and dates back in my family for years before that too. It reminds me of my grandfather, and of my duty to be the best leader possible for my clan, so it's really important to me."
"That's amazing!" Steven smiles, his eyes shining, "The diamond is a truly remarkable specimen, and the story is incredible too of course."
"Thank you," Adaman smiles warmly, and happiness fills you at the sight of him becoming more relaxed by the minute on Pasio, "I'd love to tell you more about it, if we get a chance."
"Oh no, he doesn't want to do that," comes a voice from behind you, and you jump slightly before turning to see Wallace standing next to you with an amused smile on his face, "Getting Steven talking about anything to do with stones is certainly dangerous - I fear if he does that your boyfriend will never get away for Steven talking his ear off."
"Does he love stones that much?" you chuckle, noting the way Wallace's eyes shine when looking across at Steven despite his teasing words.
"You don't even know the half of it," he says, with an over-exaggerated mock eye roll that makes you laugh again.
"Oh come on Wallace, I'm not that bad!" Steven protests, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he and Wallace start discussing Steven's apparent obsession with stones.
"Don't mind them," comes a voice from behind you, and you and Adaman turn to see Lance approaching with Cynthia after they'd earlier stepped aside to discuss something. The Indigo League champion has a warm smile on his face, but something in the way his eyes are shining tells you he's here for more than just a chat, "Cynthia and I were just talking, and we were wondering if you two fancied a battle? That way we can show you how battles work around here, as well as seeing what you're all about!"
You feel a jolt of nerves at this, but that's quickly replaced by determination - you trust your team's strength unconditionally after everything you've been through back home in Hisui and you're also pretty excited to see what battles are like here on Pasio,
"What do you think?" you say, turning to Adaman with pleading eyes.
"How can I say no to that look on your face?" he chuckles, before adding, "Yeah I'm definitely up for a battle. I might not be as talented at battling as Y/N here, but training together has definitely helped me hone my skills so I'm excited to see what we can do."
"So how do these battles work?" you ask.
"Well here on Pasio we have one Pokémon each for battles, forming something we call a sync pair," Cynthia begins, "You can form sync pairs with multiple Pokémon, but can only use one per battle."
"So I guess the first thing for you two is deciding which of your partners to form a sync pair with," Lance suggests.
Adaman immediately chooses his Leafeon, his most trusted partner, and you decide to go with your starter, Typhlosion, given that he's the Pokémon who you've had for your entire journey through Hisui. As you call Typhlosion out, Lance gasps,
"I've never seen a Typhlosion like that before!" he exclaims.
"Oh yeah, it's Typhlosion's Hisuian form," you explain, pulling out your Pokédex and opening it to Typhlosion's page before handing it to Lance and Cynthia to take a look at.
"Interesting, so its evolution is influenced by what I presume is Mount Coronet," Cynthia muses, "I wonder why Typhlosion doesn't take that form when it evolves in modern Sinnoh?"
"I'm not too sure," you admit, "but it would definitely be something interesting to find out!'
"Definitely," Lance agrees, before continuing, "So anyway, now you've chosen your sync pairs, we usually have something called sync stones to help you form even closer bonds with your partners, as well as being able to perform exclusive sync moves, but that could be an issue as I'm not too sure where to get ones for you two without scouring the ocean floor for them or mining for them in the mountains..."
"I think I might be able to help with that," Steven says with a smile as he and Wallace walk up to rejoin your group, seemingly finished with their debate about stones, "Here," he says, handing a couple of beautiful, shining stones to you and Adaman, "I've collected a few sync stones in the hopes of taking them back to the Hoenn region with me, but I've got some spares so I'd love for you two to take these ones."
"Thank you, Steven," you say gratefully, and he flashes you a brilliant smile that immediately earns him a glance across from Adaman. You can't help but smile at your boyfriend's protectiveness, and move to brush your hand against his reassuringly, which immediately helps him to relax once more. This is absolutely for the best, as Steven adds,
"You know, usually battles in Pasio are 3-on-3 battles, so would you guys mind if Wallace and I joined in?"
"Not at all, that would be great," Cynthia smiles, "Steven, how about you team up with Adaman and Y/N, and Wallace you come with me and Lance."
"Sounds perfect to me!" Wallace smiles, waltzing over to join Cynthia and Lance as Steven steps alongside you and Adaman.
"Okay you two, let's show these three what we're made of," Steven says, his eyes shining with determination as he takes his place on your left.
"Agreed - let's win this," Adaman nods, stepping up next to you on the right hand side as you all turn to look at your opponents, and send out your Pokémon, ready for battle.
The battle is truly fascinating, and a lot of fun. It's great to try out team battles and, much to your delight but not at all to your surprise, you find that you and Adaman fall into sync instantly, working together well with Steven too, who helps to show you the ropes throughout the battle. Leafeon quickly takes down Wallace's Milotic with a swift Leaf Blade, as Metagross hits Lance's Dragonite with a powerful Iron Head, causing the dragon to flinch as Typhlosion hits it with an Infernal Parade to finish it off. Following this, Leafeon tanks a Stomping Tantrum from Garchomp before cutting its attack with a quick Baby Doll Eyes, as Steven causes it to flinch once again with an Iron Head.
"Now's your chance, Y/N!" Steven calls across to you.
"You've got this, darling - let's finish this!" Adaman says, and you feel determination flood through you as you get ready to command Typhlosion to hit with another Infernal Parade. Just as you go to do so, your sync stone starts glowing, and you gasp as you squint slightly to protect your eyes from the bright light.
"Change of plan, that means you're ready to use something called a sync move! Channel all of your energy into your bond with Typhlosion, and go for it!" Steven encourages you, and you quickly do what he says, calling encouragement to your Pokémon before the light flashes even brighter and Typhlosion unleashes what looks like an incredibly powerful Infernal Parade, the full force of which hits Garchomp to deal the finishing blow and win you the battle.
You stand there, panting slightly from the exertion and excitement of the battle, unable to believe your team has just beaten a full team of champions. As you're still processing this, you feel strong arms wrap around you and pick up in a warm embrace,
"Y/N, that was amazing!" Adaman gasps, before adding with a proud grin as he puts you back on your feet, "You were incredible as always."
"So were you!" you immediately say, "I feel like we worked together so well."
"You did," Steven says, walking up to the both of you with a smile, "You were both so in sync, and shining brilliantly throughout that battle. Thank you for giving me the chance to battle alongside you. And Y/N, your sync move was amazing - it was astonishing to see how powerful it was even with it being your first time using it."
"Thank you, Steven, really," you grin, "We couldn't have won without your guidance."
"Agreed," Adaman nods, and although his facial expression is friendly you have to suppress a giggle as you notice him squeezing your hand slightly protectively as he does so. You don't have much time to dwell on it, though, as Cynthia, Lance and Wallace approach, smiles on their faces despite losing the battle,
"That was excellent. Truly, an outstanding battle," Cynthia smiles, "You two are so powerful - it was amazing to be able to battle against you."
"It really was," Lance says, "I have a feeling you two are going to enjoy your time here if you can already battle together like that! You can count on me asking you for a rematch very soon."
"I'd be more than happy to have a rematch and I'm sure Y/N is the same," Adaman says, "I really loved that battle - who knew how much fun team battles could be! And it's always great to be able to do anything with Y/N," he adds, and you blush slightly at his words and the way his eyes shine as he looks at you; even after two years, he still gives you Beautifly in your stomach with the slightest glance.
"You two were truly elegant, infuriatingly, brilliantly so," Wallace says, "I'm also looking forward to our rematch, and beating Steven next time," he says, with a warm, teasing glance towards the Hoenn champion, who suddenly gasps,
"Oh! I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to head off - I promised Roark, one of the Sinnoh gym leaders, that I'd do some mining with him this evening!"
Roark... That name... Suddenly, you remember your first ever gym battle in Sinnoh, taking on the young and brand new gym leader Roark with your Turtwig and emerging victorious to win your first ever gym badge. You feel a pang as you think of your old partner Pokémon, now a Torterra... you hope he's doing well back in Sinnoh, but you know better than to mention him as you don't think you could cope with seeing him again then having to go back to Hisui without him. Some memories are better to remain just that - memories that don't require yet another goodbye - so you push the thought to the back of your mind as quickly as it appeared, and are brought back to the present by Steven adding,
"And I believe Wallace here said he'd come along, or 'grace me with his presence' as he so eloquently put it."
"Well, I suppose I might treat you to my company," Wallace says, pretending to be frustrated at having to go along, but clearly happy to be spending time with Steven, "In that case, we better get going. It was lovely to meet you, Y/N and Adaman," he smiles.
"It was," Steven says, "Hopefully we can meet up and chat again soon, I'd love to hear more about your lives back where you're from."
With that, Wallace and Steven head off, and you immediately turn to Lance and Cynthia to voice something that's been bugging you,
"So what's the deal with those two?" you ask once they're out of earshot.
"Who even knows," Lance shrugs, "Everyone thinks there's something going on but they insist they're just good friends."
"They think they're good at keeping it quiet, but they're so blatant that we all just act like they're together at this point," Cynthia chuckles.
"Oh yeah, we were like that," Adaman laughs, "When Y/N and I first started seeing each other we thought we were keeping it on the down low, but when we came to do our 'big reveal' and tell everyone, they just said how they already knew."
You laugh, nodding to confirm his story as you think back to those early days of dating. They were magical, and you often found yourself struggling to believe that you weren't dreaming, and that all that time Adaman had had feelings for you too. Your relationship has just got better and better since then, and you can't help smiling lovingly at Adaman as you think to yourself just how grateful you are to have him in your life, and here on Pasio with you.
"It's amazing how many people think they're being subtle about these things when in reality they're really not," Lance laughs, his voice snapping you out of your thoughts, "I'm sure they'll tell us when they're both ready, but in the meantime it is quite amusing to see them failing so spectacularly at trying to hide it."
You all chuckle in agreement at his words, and you find yourself even more amused at the fact that, despite Steven and Wallace being so obvious, Adaman still felt protective over you. This is something you bring up with him when you're both left alone in the stadium after saying goodbye to Lance and giving Cynthia a warm hug and a promise to have a catch up soon over a coffee and some cake.
"I wasn't jealous!" Adaman immediately protests, "It's just... he's so stunning and to see you talking to him... Okay maybe I was a little jealous...," he admits sheepishly, his cheeks dusting pink as he realises he's talked himself into a corner.
"Okay, I know he's good looking, I'm not blind," you chuckle, "But love, I only have eyes for you, you should know that by now. Nobody compares, and they never will."
Adaman's already-pink cheeks immediately flush red at this, his blush spreading to his ears at your words, "We've been together two years, but I still maintain you're going to be the death of me when you say things like that," he smiles with a shake of his head, pulling you into a tight hug before tilting your chin up and kissing you gently.
"I'm only speaking the truth," you insist as you move apart, before suddenly finding yourself having to suppress a yawn as a wave of tiredness washes over you, all the day's events catching up with you.
"Looks like we need to head back," Adaman chuckles, before a mischievous grin passes across his face and he scoops you up bridal style. You let out a small squeak in surprise as you quickly wrap your arms around him for balance,
"Adaman! What was that for?" you protest lightly, a smile on your face as you rest your head against his shoulder.
"Well, you looked tired, and adorable, and I just couldn't resist," he says, his laugh vibrating through his chest, "Come on, let me carry you back would you? I want cuddles and don't want to wait, so this will have to do."
You almost snort at this; one thing you've noticed about Adaman over the two years you've been together is just how clingy and cuddly he gets when he's tired. It's adorable, and you absolutely love it as you're a sucker for cuddles, plus how could you say no to those big brown eyes?
"If you insist," you giggle, snuggling against him as he carries you through the streets of Pasio as night begins to fall, and you can't help but look forward to cuddling with him in the luxurious-looking bed back in your apartment as you both have a well-earned rest ready for whatever tomorrow, your first full day on Pasio, will bring.
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I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter Three, and a bit more interaction with some of the champions! Looks like you and Adaman are going to settle in perfectly on Pasio, especially with the help and support of trainers like Cynthia, Lance, Steven and Wallace! Also, who knew Adaman was the jealous type? This chapter was a bit less plot-based and more based on getting some interactions with some modern-day characters, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it!
I'll be honest, I've already written the next chapter, and it might well go up tonight if I proof read it in time (I know I could wait, but I'm not very patient and like to get things up as soon as I've written and proof-read them!😂). The next one is... well, let's just say it's something I felt needed to be done, and I really hope you guys enjoy it when it goes up! I don't want to say too much, other than I'm verrrry excited for it to go up! (Pat on the back if you get that reference hahah, you'll have already figured out just who is going to feature - and you'll know it's going to be an emotional one🥺).