Here's the finale for Enlightening the Soul. As with all my stories that must come to an end, I'm both sad that Lyra's journey must end but excited for the next part of this saga. Special thanks to everyone who reviewed and read this story, and I hope you take the time to read the next part! Thank you so very much!
Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale and Sara.
o.0.o.0.o
The Adventure Saga
Enlightening the Soul
o.0.o.0.o
The places I had gone with the one who I dearly loved
the scenery surrounding the two of us
Unable to turn back, no choice but to continue
I wonder what I'm going to run into?
o.0.o.0.o
Despite feeling that she had properly prepared herself for the blistering winds of Mount Silver, Lyra could still feel the cold stinging her thighs through her jeans. The cold still stung her skin, despite the red jacket and fluffy white scarf that practically consumed a majority of her lower face. The fact she was in a desolate cave, furiously rubbing mittened hands together, made everything all the worse. And here she thought she could handle the cold! True, Johto always had a rather moderate climate compared to countries like Sinnoh and Kalos-where there was a clear cut line of when it was snowing and when it was not, but this was utterly freezing!
It made her wonder if the rumors about Leaf standing up here, completely unprotected, were true. She knew she couldn't stand it, not in the slightest.
As she looked up again, she saw the exit to what she guessed was the peak of the mountain. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she began a small jog towards the doorway of light.
Suddenly, another, familiar spikey-haired figure came towards her. Lyra knew him immediately, Gary's hair was practically a staple of his appearance.
He widened his eyes for a moment, then his shock turned to his usual arrogant smirk.
"Well, well. Lyra Kotone! About time you made it up here. What took so long?" without waiting for an answer, he shrugged his bag off his shoulder and pulled out a thermos. "I'd offer you coffee, but Leafy drinks it like she needs it attached to her arm via IV. Is hot chocolate okay?"
"Please!" Lyra gasped in gratitude. Within moments, the two dexholders were huddled against the cave wall, the younger using the thermos cap as a cup while the older sat with nothing. While it was not the most comfortable of circumstances, Lyra wasn't going to send her Arcanine out simply to make her experience easier.
"So seriously, what took you so long?" Gary asked again.
"Took me so long?" Lyra repeated, lowering the cup and raising her gaze. "No offense or anything, but Silver and I travelled through Kanto a in under a year."
"Yeah, but ten months is a long time for me. Especially when Leafy is up here, not even bothering to come down for supplies."
"You bring them to her?"
"Of course." Gary scoffed. "What do you take me for, an abandoner of girlfriends?" he paused for a second, then snapped his gaze back to her. "Don't answer that."
"I wasn't going too." Lyra responded.
"Leafy is perfectly capable of getting supplies on her own. She used to send down Pidgeot and drop off a list at a store. One time I intercepted it, about a year into her little isolation on this ice cap, so I decided to start bringing stuff up to her. You just got lucky enough to catch me on my way down."
"You don't use Charizard to fly?"
"I do, but I Leaf told me to walk back. I wondered why for a little bit, but I supposed that she sensed you were coming today."
"Leaf can sense things like that?!" Lyra gasped, almost dropping the cup. She averted her gaze with sparkles in her eyes. "I've always heard of people gaining psychic powers if they came back to life or they emerged from a coma but to think that I know someone like that…"
"You're holding her on the same level as Sabrina." Gary folded his legs and crossed his arms. "True, my girl is amazing, and I won't undermine her, but she came back with something, that's for sure."
"But to think…"
"Personally, I think that it's because of that weird connection she has with Mewtwo. But I've got a connection with Articuno, but I'm not developing any ice powers."
"Maybe it's a bit of both." Lyra mused. The two sat in silence, listening to nothing but the wind howling through the caves.
"Do you think you can beat her?" Gary asked. Lyra curled her knees into her chest.
"I'm not sure. In all honesty, I don't really want to beat Leaf."
"If I were in your shoes, I would be honored and raring to go." Gary responded. That caught her off guard. Lyra glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"What do you mean?"
"You're like, our number one biggest fan, right?"
"Well, I wouldn't say number one." she said with a light blush and a laugh. "But yeah, a pretty avid fan, I guess."
"So how many people has Leaf invited to battle her personally? I know for a fact," Gary said under his breath with a small smile. "She never personally extended an invitation for a battle. Not to anyone. Not to any of the Kanto gym leaders, not to Fire or Dayna… Not even to me."
"...Does that hurt you, Gary?" Lyra asked gently. Gary tilted his head back and laughed.
"No, not really. I wouldn't call it accepting it, but I've come to the realization I'm going to have to become much, much stronger and tactful in order to beat my oh-so-loving girlfriend. She must see something in you that I don't have. Honestly, I'm not to sure."
"Whatever it is that Leaf sees in me," she said slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. She then turned and beamed at him, holding out the now empty thermos lid. "I'll do my very best to prove her right in the sense that I am a worthy opponent!"
Gary blinked at her for a moment, then smiled. Taking the lid and twisting it back onto the thermos, he stood, offering a hand to help her up.
"Good luck." he said reassuringly, pulling her to her feet. Lyra smiled back.
"Thanks!"
And the two parted ways, walking in opposite directions. The junior, towards a fight that would mark history, and the senior, down the mountain, wondering if the girl that so few had so little belief in would rise to the occasion and defeat the formidable Leaf Green.
o.0.o.0.o
'Till I come to an end
'Till I can comprehend
I am sure that I have not really grown up yet
The things that I see
The people who I meet
In the end, I can only see what's right in front of me
o.0.o.0.o
Snow fell softly on the landscape as Lyra entered the cold. Oddly enough, the wind seemed to calm. Only every once in a while, a gust would threaten to take her hat, but otherwise, it was calm and quiet… Almost serene.
In the distance was a slight slope, and atop it was Leaf Green, still in a tank top, red skirt, legwarmers and sneakers. Her sunhat was almost blending in with the snow, and her brown hair shifted with the wind. Lyra couldn't help but wonder how she could possibly be warm in that attire. She seemed to not care at all about it, not in the slightest.
"You know," Leaf said slowly, not turning around. Lyra froze on the spot at the sound of her voice. Since Leaf so rarely spoke, what she did say must be important. "Champions are supposed to have some sort of script, aren't they? Something that defines them. Explains their accomplishments, interests, and expectations in a little under a paragraph. I've always thought of that as pointless, even when I was down on the Kanto branch of the Indigo Plateau."
"Not even when Gary clambered his way up here for a fight?" Lyra asked quietly. Something that sounded like a scoff came from her.
"There's only so many times you can said 'Shaymin Head, you're going to loose'." her voice got a little warmer at the next sentence. "Sometimes, he can still catch me by surprise, even three years later. Oftentimes, I wonder, will he still surprise me in five years? Ten years?"
"Must be one of the many things you ponder up here all alone!" Lyra laughed. A snort, almost like she was hiding a bit of laughter.
"Perhaps." she responded. "But back to my original point. I never every decided to give a speech because the only people strong enough to challenge me were Gary and Fire. Soon, Fire became consumed with helping restore Kanto from damage caused by Team Rocket, and my daily challengers dwindled to simply Gary. And then... I came across an impressive young woman who had a smile and outlook on life much like someone I used to know. And that young woman," she slowly glanced over her shoulder. "Is you, Lyra Kotone."
Lyra could practically feel her heart burst from happiness. Her idol actually took the time to think about her!
"I knew that I couldn't allow myself to not say something to you, but then I thought about it." she fully turned, pressing the button on a worn pokéball. "Lyra Kotone, I am Leaf Green, the youngest and strongest champion known to the current world. In most every way, I am your superior, but in order to hear what I planned to say to you, you must prove to me your strength. Prove to me that I was right when I recognized your strength, prove to me that you are indeed like that person I once knew!"
o.0.o.0.o
Dearest me in ten years from now,
Are you happy with your life right now?
Or are you buried in loneliness?
Are you crying bitter tears right now?
But listen to what I have to say,
There's something by your side that will never change.
Although you have yet to realize it,
Can you protect it for the rest of your days?
o.0.o.0.o
Silver felt his hopes rise when a figure exited the cavern that led up to Mount Silver, but they were dashed when he saw none other than Gary Oak. The older dexholder was walking with his hands in his pockets, head bowed and eyes closed. A thoughtful, almost knowing smile was on his face.
When he opened his eyes and looked up, he looked surprised. Silver scowled at him. Gary smirked.
"Two juniors in one day?" he said arrogantly. "My, you lot are becoming more obsessive than my fangirls."
"Shove it, I'm waiting for Lyra." Silver responded bluntly.
"Ah, as eloquent a speaker as ever, I see." Gary said, tsking as he shook his head back and forth. Silver chose to ignore him, turning his attention back to the entrance. Gary persisted in annoying him by standing by his side. "You could fly up there and watch, you know."
"Will you?" Silver shot back. Gary shook his head.
"Leafy's battles are sacred, she'll make them public if she wants to."
"Thank you." Silver said bluntly. Gary quirked an eyebrow, prompting Silver to explain. "This is a moment between Lyra and Leaf. We shouldn't interfere where it isn't our place."
Gary looked like he understood, nodding. A small silence.
"Silver, why did you want to become strong?" Gary asked. Silver glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, suspicious. "Because when I started training, I wanted to stand out. I wanted to be something other than some kid who was related to Professor Oak."
"You wanted to separate yourself." Silver stated simply, understanding the feeling all to well.
"You won't tell?"
Silver kept his mouth shut. What came next came out of no where.
"Say, lets have a battle, you and me."
Silver glanced at him, his turn to quirk his eyebrow. Gary had already pulled out a pokéball, casually tossing it in the air, letting it fall into his palm.
"Here and now?" Silver asked.
"Sure. I've been itching to fight you again since you beat me. Plus, our girlfriends are up there fighting. Call it mirroring the beloved or something. And," he caught the pokéball, looking at the pokémon inside. "Leaf always went on about 'seeing someones true colors in battle'." with an arrogant smirk, he looked back at him. "Lets test that."
"Hmph." Silver said, uncrossing his arms and walking away, putting some distance between them. "I was never one to back down from a challenge."
o.0.o.0.o
And in the days that pass I leave my feelings behind
Now all that's left - I'm only chasing after time
o.0.o.0.o
Though it was a small speedboat, it was a fast one. A boat that practically skipped across the water as the driver kept control on the wheel.
"Looker, are you sure your hunch is right?!" Sara screamed over the waves and winds that smacked against her face. Her long dark hair whipped about in a rabid mess, uncontrolled by any hair tie.
"Of course!" Looker shouted back to her. "I am never wrong when it comes to detective work!"
Sara couldn't help but crack only the smallest of smiles at that, and that made Looker feel at least a little better. Sara was never one to take to being a trainer, instead getting her license before the law changed, and then began enrolling in classes for the police academy.
She's been working under him for a long time now, from doing patrols to writing tickets to finally evolving into being an 'assistant' of sorts. While he was always the lead command of these investigations, Sara insisted on trying to find connections to her missing friends. His assignment was to investigate and squash any threat that was posed to the international stability of this current world. He never would have guessed that simply trying to dispose of the Masked Rockets would lead to finding Sara's little friend, and then, to a whole new region outside of Kanto and Johto.
Vale's death had hit Sara hard, he knew. She devoted her life, her being, to finding her long-lost friend and bringing her home. And he knew how much she was teased for trying. He knew how people told her it wasn't worth it, how Felicity Ray was probably better off, or worse, dead. How she should focus on being a teenager, on having fun. Yet through it all, she would keep smiling because she always had the confidence within herself and him that they could and would succeed.
Only to loose her, like that.
It was almost like all those things said were true. That she wouldn't succeed, she wouldn't ever find her, her time was better spent doing something else. In a sense, it was almost like a father watching his child train and train their pokémon, only to loose the battle they've worked their entire life towards winning. It made him feel horrible for his young comrade, because she threw her everything into this, only to come out with nothing, not even the body of her dearly beloved friend.
That was something neither of them liked thinking about. Once the Gyrados had calmed down, they sent divers down to see what could be salvaged. No one could even find a semblance of long lost Felicity Ray, known only as Vale. Scientists concluded the Gyrados were, indeed, lacking in food nourishments, so the deduced that they had probably fought over and tore apart the body to eat.
"Sara-" he opened his mouth, hoping to start a conversation with the girl in order to wipe the thought from his mind. Instead of seeing his young comrade, he heard a splash. "Sara?!"
Had that fool girl gone and jumped off the boat?! Arceus knows what was in these foreign waters, and what if she got dragged into the propeller?!
"Stop the boat!" he roared, slamming his fist into the glass separating the cockpit from the rest of the boat. The captain worked as quickly as he could, eventually bringing the boat to a slow stop. Looker grabbed a lifesaver from the storage area and scanned the waters for his young comrade.
Finally, she resurfaced, squinting at the bay line that they had been going by. It was barred off, almost like a deck connected to the cliffside where a town sat behind it. He didn't wait for any sort of response, hooking the inflatable, red and white tube around her form and demanding her to grab on. With the help of the captain, they managed to drag her back onto the ship. Once settled, and only then, was when Looker began to flip.
"Sara, you foolish girl!" Looker found himself yelling. Very rarely did he get angry at his underlings, especially her, but she was practically wishing for death by doing that! "What on Arceus's green earth were you thinking?!"
Sara kept her gaze averted, still looking at the bay.
"I… I swear to Arceus Looker, I thought I saw Vale. I know it couldn't have been her, but I swear I thought it was."
Looker widened his eyes a fraction, and looked over the beach himself. While they were still relatively far away, he could still make out figures of people on the beach, but he didn't see the willowy, tall woman that Sara had set her heart on finding.
"I think I just got excited." Sara shook her head with the most pitiful of laughs. It was nothing like the huge explosion of a thing she would let off when she found something truly funny. Even the corniest or the cheesiest of jokes would make her erupt into fits of giggles. But… that was no longer the case. "Hey Captain! C'mon, lets continue on to Undella!"
The captain looked to him for confirmation. Looker simply nodded.
"Onward, to Undella."
o.0.o.0.o
Whose dream was it that I had carried all this way?
In the end, I wonder if it could still come true someday
o.0.o.0.o
In this new country, where no one heard of the Masked Rockets, and only knew of the word 'Rocket' from Team Rocket. No one would make a connection. No one would ever know who she was.
This freedom… This new start… It was so entirely refreshing that Vale didn't even care if she looked weird, spinning around like a crazy in the middle of a field. She was happy, way to happy. Even better, she looked semi-normal here. From what she encountered, this country seemed to be diverse, filled with those from other countries, all united under a single name.
So no matter where she was truly from, be it Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, wherever, she liked it here. Because looked normal here and no one looked at her like she sprouted a second head because of her height or long limbs. Well, scratch that, some people still did a double-take, but it was almost like people here were used to the differences.
She often wondered what would make them turn their head in morbid fascination.
But despite this bliss, Vale was about as experienced as a ten-year-old when it came to battling. And she didn't even want to begin on what this place was like with education. Apparently, trainers all had to attend classes from the time they are six to the time they are sixteen, and then between their fifteenth and sixteenth year, the class guides them through getting their trainers license.
When she said she hadn't known this, Bianca almost immediately insisted that she took classes with her friends. As it turned out, they were already in the process of graduating, but they still took the time to walk with her to her own training classes.
"Vale!" she looked over her shoulder, and saw Bianca waving back and forth with a big grin. "Come on, your class is gonna start and the three of you still need to get to Accumula Town!"
Next to her was her bespectacled friend. Cheren was hesitant to trust her in the slightest, and she wondered if Bianca had a tendency to place her trust in people much to quickly, while he instead was wary. It was cute, almost.
"We need to wake up Hilda, still." Cheren sighed, turning around and walking towards a house right next door to Bianca's. "She always sleeps in like this. It's a wonder she's graduating."
"Oh, Hilda's just really good at battling!" Bianca beamed. "Being a good student isn't all about academics, Cheren."
He gave her a deadpan look.
"Bianca, being a good student is nothing but academics." he said bluntly. Bianca puffed out her cheeks in a pout, but she didn't respond. Not out of not wanting to argue any further, but because she couldn't think of a good argument. "Speaking of which," Cheren turned his gaze on her. "You have an license, do you not? What are you doing in the trainer school?"
"Only a Johtonese one." Vale responded calmly. "If I want to legally own more than one pokémon here, I need to get my license approved for Unova."
That was her excuse, anyways, and good thing it was a valid one. After all, she didn't know the first thing about training or caring for pokémon, only they needed to be fed and taken to the bathroom occasionally. If there were specific ways to handle certain types, she had no clue. She fed and pet her pokémon when she could without Mask scolding her. While they turned out okay on not being total weapons, she was at a lost for actually training them. What moves should they learn? Should they have a scheduled time to train, or would it be best to fight in trainer on trainer battles only? Should she have them fight each other? Should she have them fight together so they can be prepared for a group battle?
There were so many questions she had, and so many answers she couldn't wait to learn. All she could hope for at this point was that they didn't figure out she really didn't need to take additional classes. As a foreign traveller, she only had to take a couple classes on Unovian pokémon law and the regulations that went with them. But considering neither these two nor their friend Hilda every had to look into modern foreign affairs, she didn't see them calling her bluff so soon.
"But why so far?" Cheren further pressed as Bianca pounded into Hilda's house, not even bothering to knock on the door. "Why not travel to Kanto? Even Hoenn and Sinnoh are closer."
"Because I'm looking for something important that can only be found here." Vale responded. She glanced at Cheren, who was still eyeing her skeptically. "I don't see what you have to be so wary about. You look perfectly Johtonese yourself."
"It's not your nationality that's the problem." Cheren responded sharply, as if he were insulted by her side-remark on his views of other races. "It's that, of all people, you managed to convince Bianca's father for a free ride here."
Vale hardly done a thing. She had gotten her license only to be grabbed by Bianca on one arm and an older woman-her mother, she later found out- and they dragged her onto the boat. It was only then that Bianca's father found out they bought another ticket for her, and that she had no funds to pay them back.
The door slammed open, and Vale and Cheren were greeted with the sight of an overly enthusiastic Bianca and a half-asleep Hilda.
"Come on everyone!" Bianca grinned as Hilda's head lazily lolled onto her shoulder. "To trainer school!"
Yes, Vale decided as she allowed the three childhood friends to run ahead of her. She was going to enjoy this place. But even so, she knew that somewhere around here, was Hood, and with him, was Mask.
She could only hope Bianca could keep the over exaggeration of their relationship a secret, at least until she had a chance to take down whatever plans Mask had here.
o.0.o.0.o
Dearest me in ten years from now
Who is it that you're in love with right now?
Or maybe your feelings haven't changed
Do you still love the same person even now?
But listen to what I have to tell
Before you can truly love someone else
There's one more person you must learn to love
You have to learn to love and cherish yourself
o.0.o.0.o
"Hey there, Breeder!" Fire called out cheerfully, opening the door to the daycare center. Inside, he saw Ethan running around like crazy, carrying a few eggs in incubators while some trainers crowded around the desk, trying to get their pokémon back from his grandparents. Ever since his rise in fame, their Daycare Center had spiked in popularity, and now, Gold was getting requests to help breed powerful pokémon.
Ethans Grandmother waved towards the back, where Fire gave her a thumbs up and pushed through the crowd to get by. Krystal was trying her best to calm down the masses, but it was clear she wasn't used to this huge mass of people all demanding things of her at once. Krystal, too, had gotten requests from people. Apparently, the rich were willing to pray a pretty poké to whatever trainer could capture a pokémon they wanted. Even better, research corporations paid just as much for the services.
It made Fire feel a little bad, honestly. Like they were being taken advantage of. Both Krystal and Gold claimed to be okay with this, but every time he saw them, they looked more and more exhausted.
Pushing aside a curtain, he saw Dayna gently petting a small Pichu. She looked tired, but happy. Recently, a virus of some sort has broken out. It wasn't anything lethal, but it was highly contagious among pokémon and put them out of commission for a few days.
"Hey Healer." he said softly. He knew better than to yell. Dayna was a naturally gentle person, but her irritation had piqued once when he yelled while she was treating a sick pokémon. She raised her head and gave a tired smile.
"Hey, Fire. I just finished."
"I can tell." he responded, looking around. "Find your cure?"
"Yes, a few days ago." Dayna stood. "I began distributing it to Goldenrod. Soon, it will be available in pokémon centers across Johto and a few parts of Kanto."
"What caused it?"
"A batch of popular pokémon food accidentally got mislabeled. A somewhat unpopular spicy recipe, made with tamato berry juice, got labeled as the normal, most popular brand. The spice went through unchecked, and any pokémon not used to spicy food got sick. I mixed an Occa and Rawst berry together and managed to get a cure." she glanced at the sleeping Pichu. "Since it was such a popular and well-trusted brand, no one suspected it, not even pokémon centers. Now it's being recalled from shelves and the company is putting out a formal apology for the mislabel."
"Sounds complicated." Fire grimaced. The downfall of being a public hero; having to make complicated moves in order to keep your reputation.
"It is, but I think everything will be all right. I advised the centers to distribute rawst berries should they run low on medicine."
"Look at you, planning ahead."
"One must, when it comes to the welfare of others!" Dayna exclaimed with such a look of pure innocence that Fire couldn't help but smile.
"Hey," there was a soft rap on the doorframe, and the curtain moved aside. The older dexholders saw Ethans grandmother standing in the doorway. "If you all need a place to stay tonight, Ethan and Krsytals beds are open."
"...But what happened to Ethan and Krys?" Dayna asked. The old woman smirked, gesturing for them to follow. Dayna moved to put the recovering Pichu in a safer place, almost like a crib for pokémon, then jogged to catch up with the rest of them.
"The young'uns are always working hard." the older woman said softly, proudly. "Didn't realize how hard until I almost tripped over them."
Both dexholders suppressed a laugh when they saw their juniors laying adjacent to one another on the floor. Ethan was laying with his limbs splayed out, mouth open in mid-snore as his hat sat adjacent next to him. Krystal, in a surprising twist, was curled up next to him. They looked almost like innocent children!
"Should we move them from the floor?" Fire asked as quietly as he could. Ethans grandmother moved to open an adjacent window, hoping the night air would be cool in retrospect of the oncoming summer heat.
The older woman looked back at them with a knowing smile.
"Let them sleep, it is cooler down there anyways."
o.0.o.0.o
And the people who were closest to you,
Are they still the same people you once knew?
Or maybe you have all grown apart...
How long's it been since they've contacted you?
o.0.o.0.o
Leaf hasn't felt this invigorated in a battle since she was fifteen. Words were barely exchanged, Lyra had possessed what she had always thought. Her title was fitting…
All this time, Leaf thought that she was the only one who could wordlessly command her pokémon. But this battle was moving so fast even she was having trouble keeping up with it. With lightening reflexes, pokémon fought each other, and when one fell, they were called back and quickly replaced by one of their allies.
Little words were exchanged, and Leaf could feel her heart racing. It was like when she first battled Gary, when she challenged an opponent of significant strength, when she beat Giovanni… This battle… This was the grandest battle she had taken part in in years!
And the glory of it all was that it wasn't because her opponent was significantly strong. Leaf knew there was a significant gap in skill between her and her young junior. But this girl put so much trust and faith in her pokémon that it made her particularly hard to read… Particularly hard to form a strategy against.
But that was what was so exciting about it! Trying to form a strategy to win, and being unable to form one against this girl… Her mind was racing as fast as her heart! Not being five, ten steps against her opponent… This must be her ultimate high!
To think, this girl accomplished this over the course of a near two-year journey… It took her nearly four years, from when she started her journey to the point she is now, to have the bond she has. Such an impressive young woman…! With the correct training, Leaf had no doubt she could rival even her strength.
A smirk slowly formed on her lips. If all her juniors were this powerful, she might need to leave this mountain Gary hated so much and train in order to defend her title!
Another clash of moves as starter verses starter battled for their trainers. How long has it been since she had to use Venesaur at his full strength? To long, and she could tell.
A grass verses grass type was hardly a sound strategy, but something about this was almost poetic. Junior verses senior, down to their most faithful starter, the first pokémon either of them have ever had. An explosion from oncoming attacks forced Leaf to duck her head down, holding her hat onto her head as the wind kicked up her hair and skirt. The snow that went flying seared itself into her skin, the cold air rushing past her face made her eyes water.
After everything settled, she lifted her head and lowered her hand from her hat. The two pokémon were staring at each other, panting furiously as both struggled to remain standing for their trainers. As Meganium exhaled, however, it collapsed onto it's side with a low moan of defeat.
Leaf slowly lifted her gaze from the battle, making eye contact with her junior. Her hat had flown off, hopefully not lost to the oblivion of the mountain. Like her pokémon, she looked utterly exhausted, her once white scarf now dotted with gray and black specks. Remnants, Leaf supposed, of a particularly fiery attack when her Flareon got a little overzealous while attacking.
Lyra opened her mouth, and instead of hearing a sound of disappointment, such as tears or anger, there was a soft laugh.
"I guess I should have seen that coming." she said quietly, almost like she was tired. She raised a shaking hand, whether it was from the cold or something else, the older girl couldn't tell, holding a pokéball. "Leaf… you should… You should visit Pallet Town sometime. Your friends… Your mom probably miss you."
And with that, the girl collapsed into the snow. Leaf could only stare in astonishment. She has heard of veteran trainers passing out after all their pokémon fainted, but never someone so young. Even she had enough capability to stay conscious and focused long enough to at least apply a potion to one of her team members.
She walked forward, placing a hand on Venasaurs head.
"My dear starter, how long do you plan on holding up that facade of strength?"
Venasaur let out a growl, but collapsed with a thud. Leaf smiled in acknowledgement of her loyal starter. So stubborn…
"Well, Lyra…" she muttered under her breath, holding out her pokéball and returning him. "I will consider this a tie. I can't say I've ever had someone come so close to beating me. Clearly, I am not as strong as I need to be."
She picked up the pokéball the girl had dropped, worn and scratched in some places, but shining as if it was cleaned recently. Definitely the pokéball of a starter.
Returning Meganium for her junior, Leaf picked up the yellow bag alongside the young girl, placing the pokéball inside. Digging around a little bit, she pulled out a pokéball that emitted a particular warmth. Letting out that pokémon, her tired Arcanine growled menacingly at her, clearly disturbed about being awoken from his rest.
"Calm yourself." Leaf muttered under her breath, pulling out a full restore and spraying it over the pokémon. "Your trainer has fallen, I would like you to keep her warm until I feel it is safe to move."
Upon mention of his trainer, the Arcanine perked up. At this, he allowed Leaf to drape Lyra over him, then lead him into the cave. Once she got her settled against him, his big bushy tail draping over her, she went back out to retrieve her bag and hat. Thankfully, the latter had not been lost in the winds.
With nothing better to do but wait until Lyra gained some semblance of consciousness, Leaf began to stew slightly. It was quite the shame Lyra had to pass out, now the speech she had planned for her wasn't nearly as dramatic.
Leaf could feel her eyes widen at that, dropping the bag in shock. Since when had she cared about drama? By Arceus, Gary was rubbing off on her.
The thought of the shaymin-headed, arrogant fool made her smile, only slightly. Perhaps she would visit Pallet…
Sighing, she reached down and began picking up the contents that rolled freely from the bag. She had foolishly forgotten to zip it up.
Her hand brushed a journal, and she blinked in surprise at the familiar signatures on the front. Of course, there were the three of her other journals, as well as artistically written phrase Lyra's Journal on the front. Underneath were the signatures of Dayna, Fire, and Gary.
"...Ah." Leaf said slowly, recalling Gary mentioning Lyra was a fan of them. No doubt she had asked for these signatures because of that admiration. An idea hit her like a thunder from her Pikachu. If she could not say what she had intended towards Lyra, could she not write it? As she opened the front of the journal, there was a low growl. She glanced up at Arcanine. He was staring intently at her. "You do not want me to read what is written."
It was not a question, but a statement.
"I will not, then." Leaf said with a nod of respect. "But…" she dug out a pen from her own bag, and held up both items. "Would she mind terribly if I wrote something down in this journal?"
Arcanine seemed to study her for a moment, then lowered his head. Leaf took that as a sign of permission, and flipped open the journal to the latest entry. Careful not to read anything, Leaf turned the page to a blank, fresh one, then clicked her pen and began to write.
o.0.o.0.o
But listen to what I have to say,
Having met them has changed you in some way.
So take a look at who you are right now,
Have you improved from the "me" from today?
o.0.o.0.o
Dear Lyra,
I want to congratulate you first and foremost on the fact you managed to give me a decent run for my money. It has been quite some time since I had trouble staying even a step ahead of my opponent. And though you lost, know that you have gained something that very few people have gained.
I told you before I had words I wanted to share with you, if you proved your worth. This was not a matter of winning or loosing, you see, but rather, a matter of whether or not you have gained my respect. And that… That you have.
Lyra Kotone, there is a reason that I'm concerned about you. Because you have a light that I have seen before, a hope. You have a bright, unwavering, optimistic smile that reminded me so much of a man I once knew. You see, my father was very much like you. Though they are but fleeting memories at this point, you smile just as brightly as he did, treated the people around him as kindly as he did, and his pokémon were his extended family, similarly to yours. But on that note, something about you almost reminded me of myself, three years ago.
Fame and fortune has affected me in a negative aspect, as you know. Naturally, I worry for my juniors. Not only you and Silver and Ethan and Krystal, but the juniors to come, and even those who are a part of the 'Primary Dexholders' alongside me. Because one wrong move we make, one wrong thing taken by a reporter… And we loose everything. We suddenly go from public heroes to public heathens in a fraction of a heartbeat. And it takes months upon months to rebuild even a fraction of that respect.
So in retrospect, I see a girl who's situation was similar to my own, but I also see a girl who's outlook on life reminded me so much like my fathers. And I wish for you to know that you are loved and respected and needed, if not by myself, then by your friends, and if not by your friends, then by your pokémon.
I want to be the support for you that I did not have. I want to see that. I want you to know that. And maybe, selfishly, I want this as well. Because I know I've let people down with my reclusive actions. I've upset those I held closest because I did not want to drag them into the stress of the media and government. That is what I've told myself, but in hindsight, it was because I'm unable to handle the constant breathing down my neck. Perhaps, I now find myself wondering, is it possible for me to help you now?
Lyra, since meeting you, the lyrics to a song not well-known song have been playing over and over in my head. I have decided to share these lyrics with you, because the meaning towards these lyrics are something I think you could best connect with.
When you are feeling sad or depressed, Lyra, I hope you can think of these lyrics and, perhaps think of them ten years from now with a smile.
The places I had gone with the one who I dearly loved
the scenery surrounding the two of us…
o.0.o.0.o
Lyra slowly closed the journal as she read the last verse of the song, the one that had always struck the biggest cord with her. She opened the small drawer in her nightstand and slid the journal inside. Memories of Johto and Kanto deserved to be left in Johto, with her cousin until she could come and retrieve them.
"Ready to go?"
She looked up at Silver and smiled, then nodded. Sliding the drawer shut, she stood. Today, they were going to leave, having received the okay from Looker.
She hugged her aunt goodbye. Ethan and Krystal wished them good luck, promising to hold down the fort in Johto while they were gone.
Once on the outskirts of New Bark, the two let out their means of transportation, and began to journey to Olivine, where they would catch a boat to their newest target.
To Unova.
o.0.o.0.o
Dearest me in ten years from now,
If you're happy with your life right now,
Please don't forget the person you once were,
Think back to me every then and now.
Because there have been hard times for me
And times when I cried a bit too easily,
But surely those tears had meant something…
So keep me safely within your memories.
o.0.o.0.o
Whelp, the end to Enlightening the Soul! The song is Letter Song, by Doriko. Look out for the next part of the saga, The Adventure Saga; The Truth Behind Us!
Amy47101 signing off! ^.^