For this one, I was toying with the idea of a Memory Link flashback involving Skyla and Hilbert. Also as a side note, my old tumblr account was called vogelimkafig120, but I'm now nacho0120. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Current Unova Pokémon League Champion and the Hero from Aspertia City, Nate, decided to pay a visit to the Celestial Tower due to a tip from Bianca about the whereabouts of Mesprit, the Emotion Pokémon from the Sinnoh region. According to Bianca, Mesprit would show up in places that emanate boundless emotions, and the Celestial Tower was the prime candidate for Nate's search. It was not the first time that Nate has ventured into the gravesite, because when he arrived at Mistralton City, he was curious about the tower looming in the distance. He remembered something about a bell which sat at the apex of the Celestial Tower, one that is said to test out the character of a person. The atmosphere was always filled with melancholy; it was saddening to witness those conversing with the gravestones of their deceased Pokémon, but Nate felt reassured when the conversations ended with hope and promise for the future.
Soon, Nate reached the top of the tower, and as he made a few steps on the small staircase, there was a figure standing close to the bell with their head downcast. "Uh, hello?" Nate asked as he was a few feet from the person. Said person turned around and responded to Nate.
"Oh! Hey, Nate!" Skyla greeted, turning back to her usual self, which raised a bit of suspicion on the boy.
"If I may ask, what are you doing here, Skyla?" Nate questioned tentatively, it wasn't like him to press on about someone's intentions but his curiosity got the best of him.
"Well, the Celestial Tower happens to be a place where I can muse. I guess you can say it's like my hangout spot." She explained casually. Without hesitating, Nate pressed on even further.
"I see, but you looked troubled when I saw you. Is everything fine?" He persisted.
"Ah, you do not give up, do you? Don't worry, I mean it in a good way." She chuckled, admiring Nate's spunk since it reminded her of someone she knew back then. "Well, alright, I'll tell you since I consider you a good friend."
Skyla's demeanor changed from a jubilant to one of utmost seriousness. "Before I go explaining one of my life stories to you, can you ring the bell, please? I want to know what kind of soul resonates within you." She requested as she pointed a finger to the bell. Nate nodded and walked towards the bell. He felt intimidated by the object, and for some reason expressed doubt that he would pass such a small and simple test. Nate pulled on the ropes and the bell began to chime, the sound reverberating through the area. Afterwards, the boy anticipated the pilot's reaction.
"A mixture of pure kindness and strength, just like his..." Skyla concluded by ending the last part quietly, which puzzled Nate. Just who did she refer to by "his"?
"Now then, where to begin?" She composed herself. Skyla rarely ever talked about her personal life, save for Elesa and the person she knew a while back, but she gave an exception to Nate as his qualities were quite similar to the latter. "You see, it was around 2 years ago, our final meeting since then."
"As a side note, there was a reason why I kept side glancing at you back when I flew you to Lentimas Town." The pilot went on, referring to when Nate needed to get to Opelucid City but Twist Mountain was closed down at the time, so flying was the last alternative.
"Just like with Elesa, can you keep this a secret?" She requested to Nate because a while back she revealed some information to him about her best friend. Nate nodded in agreement, knowing that it was going to be serious and wanted to be as respectful as possible.
"Good..." Skyla concluded as she explained to Nate the events of 2 years ago.
2 years ago
"Hehe, today was fun, Hilbert!" Skyla began happily as she and Hilbert were at the top of the Celestial Tower, staring at the clouds.
"Hanging out with you and Elesa was a blast! Even if we caused too much trouble around the amusement park." She continued, remembering their antics at the Nimbasa City amusement park.
"I guess you can put it that way. By that, I mean ticking off Elesa when you threw those Pikachu-shaped water balloons at her." Hilbert agreed, even if he did take part of the water balloon incident by at least throwing one water balloon at the Shining Beauty.
"Ah, don't worry about it! She was a little irritated at our prank, but she knows it was all fun and games." Skyla assured to Hilbert. In the end, Elesa knew that it wasn't something to fret about, though she didn't like having her outfit all soaked up. "Despite her serious attitude, Elesa is high-spirited just like me."
"Oh, and thank you for watching me and Elesa battle, even if she won, though you took over and won in a cinch. You really are an amazing Trainer, Hilbert!" She complimented to the brunet, as he was the Unova Pokémon League Champion. As Skyla recalled the events of the match, Serperior took out most of Elesa's team without even breaking a sweat. No wonder the Regal Pokémon stood out as Hilbert's ace Pokémon.
"Thanks, Skyla. Though you didn't do too bad yourself." He replied back, feeling flustered from her praise. They sat down on the staircase as they continued to look at the clouds, mesmerized by the motions.
"The sky above Celestial Tower looks beautiful, doesn't it?" Skyla mentioned, hoping to start off another conversation.
"It has its stark beauty, I'll admit that much. Which is why it's one of my most favorite places to visit in Unova. Mainly because we get to spend time together." He admitted, especially the last part because he genuinely enjoyed having Skyla's company.
"Oh, really?! You're too sweet, Hilbert." She replied, feeling joyous about him confessing that he didn't mind having her around. The pilot valued their friendship much like how it was with Elesa. However, Skyla noticed that Hilbert gripped his jeans, notifying to her that something was amiss, but remembered that he was going to tell her what was wrong. "What was it that you were going to tell me, Hilbert? Because you sure looked tense back in Nimbasa City, so it must be something important."
With a sigh, Hilbert began with the question, "Have ever had a dream, Skyla?"
"If I ever had a dream?" Skyla said, confused by his question. Thinking it through, she remembered of the aftermath in N's Castle, where she witnessed N and Hilbert's conversation after the latter defeated Ghetsis. Before N left to parts unknown, he asked Hilbert to follow his dream and make it a reality. After some pondering, she decided on what to say.
"Well, I'll answer either way. Besides, it feels right telling you this." She responded as she made herself comfortable.
"You already know that I'm passionate about flying and Flying-Type Pokémon. It all started when I was young." Skyla started, but she felt funny inside because it was a sensitive topic that she was going to reveal to Hilbert.
"My parents were both pilots, though my father exceeded far beyond my mother in terms of skills; all thanks to my Grandfather. I wanted to be just like them, being able to soar the skies just like how a Bagon wishes to one day take flight." She remarked, looking back at the story that her grandfather read to her as a child.
"But one day, 7 years ago, my parents decided to go to the Kanto region by flight. I couldn't go with them but before they left, my mother gave me her most prized possession, the hairpin which I wear to this day. She told me that my father handed it to her as a marriage proposal." Skyla rarely ever took off her hairpin due to how much it meant to her, and now Hilbert realized why. The pilot now had a somber look on her face.
"However, on their way, they got caught up in a storm. I didn't know about it until a day after they left. My grandfather woke me up, and told me what happened to them. Their plane crashed near Cinnibar Island, and there were n-no survivors." Her voiced broke as tears rolled down her eyes. Hilbert put his hand on her arm, giving it a light squeeze to assure her to continue despite how much it pained her.
"That day, I c-completely lost it! I distanced myself from my friends and my grandfather; it also took my aspirations to become a pilot! I s-swore to never ride on a plane ever again!" She sniffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"But 2 years after the incident, I received a letter from a person who I would never expect from, a Gym Leader from the Hoenn region, Winona. From the letter, it read that my grandfather contacted her, and he asked her about my struggles. The letter went on that while it was painful and daunting to ever forget the incident, I was to remember that by doing nothing, their memory would've been in vain. It made me realized that by letting my fear get the best of me, it would be the equivalent of spitting on their graves. With the inspiration from my grandfather and Winona's letter. I started to fly again, and soon I was able to conquer my fear. At the age of 14, I flew a plane to and back from the Kanto region, all by myself. My grandfather told me that I not only surpassed my parents and him in terms of flying, but I honored their memories as well. So all the stories of me being a child prodigy are true." Skyla said as a small smile formed on her face, which relieved Hilbert.
"By the time I reached 16, I applied to be a Gym Leader, and that's how I met Elesa and the rest, though she was somewhat difficult to get along with, but we became the best of friends. Now, 2 years later after becoming a Gym Leader, here we are. I was also able to meet another great friend, and that is you, Hilbert. So yeah, my dream is to never forget and carry on the memory of my parents through flying and my duties as a Gym Leader. It's still ongoing so long as I breath on this earth." Skyla concluded as she smiled at Hilbert.
"Wow, thank you for sharing that kind of information to me, Skyla. I know it was difficult for you to do so, but I'm proud of you, really." Hilbert commented as he gave the same facial gesture at her. But then, he took a deep breath as he was going to break the news to her. "Reason why I asked is because... well." He paused himself as he was unable to continue.
"You can tell me, Hilbert. So, please go on." Skyla implored him.
"You see, I'm going to leave the Unova region for a while." He finished as he awaited her response.
"I see. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You want to find N, right?" She responded, though deep down she felt a tug within herself. The thought of Hilbert leaving his friends and family was something that she couldn't imagine, but based on what he revealed, it was going to become a reality.
"Yeah, but not only that, I want to see things outside of Unova. It's a feeling that has been eating me up after the fall of Team Plasma." Hilbert added. Not only did Hilbert want to find his friend, he also wanted to explore the far reaches of the world, the countless regions, and meet countless individuals.
"It must be thrilling for you to be able to see the world for yourself, Hilbert. The people, the places, and the Pokémon. I know that feeling." Skyla mused as she looked down to her lap. She understood the feeling of visiting other parts of the world, especially since she had to fly Mr. Juniper to regions such as Kanto and Sinnoh, despite her chagrin with the Pokémon Professor.
"Exactly, and that is why this journey is the best for me." He said while fixing up his hat. Hilbert felt scared of leaving Unova where all of his friends and family resided in, but he couldn't let that sway him from his decision. As his mother said, he was practically an adult now, and so he was able to make his own choices in life.
"Who have you told of your plan?." She asked.
"Just you, Cheren, Bianca, Prof. Juniper, Alder, and my mother." He revealed to her. "Though, it took a while for my mother to accept my decision."
"Regardless, your mother will always support you. Just try not to worry her a bunch, especially me." Skyla encouraged to Hilbert, but she pointed out something. "What about your position as the Pokémon League Champion? Who's going to take your spot?"
"I've relinquished the position back to Alder. Though he was confused by my action, he understood in the end. And before you ask, I will be leaving in a couple of days." Hilbert replied.
"You will depart in a couple days? That soon?" She burst out. It seemed that Hilbert had this planned out from the start.
"You're not against any of this, right?" He asked.
"No, I'm not against your choice, I support you to the fullest, Hilbert." Skyla assured him as she didn't mean any offense. The pilot got up from the staircase, gesturing Hilbert to do the same. "Since who knows how long your journey will take, can we ring the bell together?" She pleaded.
"Of course we can." Hilbert happily agreed as he got up and walked alongside Skyla to the bell. The two pulled on the rope, and then the bell began to chime, the sound echoing though the area.
"That sound will never get old to me." Skyla commented as she faced Hilbert. "The months we've spent, Hilbert, I'll cherish every single moment we had. Whether you find N or not, please... find your way home."
"I promise, Skyla." Hilbert assured to Skyla. Though he felt that he couldn't hold on to his promise.
"I'll be waiting for you, Hilbert." Skyla said.
Present
Skyla finished her explanation to Nate as she tried to hold the tears at bay.
"So, that's the end of it. Once again, please keep it to yourself. I've only told this to you and Elesa." She reminded Nate as she turned around to face the bell.
"When will he come back?" Skyla asked to the bell, knowing that she wouldn't get a response. "Just where are you?"
"I miss you, Hilbert." She remarked sorrowfully. "Sorry, but I must take my leave, Nate. Please, don't follow." With that, Skyla walked toward the exit of the tower.
"Skyla." Nate whispered. It must've been hard for Skyla to cope with Hilbert's departure. The Unova Champion wondered just how much did Hilbert's influence spread on to others. Suddenly, he heard a sound booming in the air.
Kyauun!
Nate turned around to figure out what caused that sound but found nothing.
"What was that? No, it couldn't be?" He remembered his original intentions of visiting the Celestial Tower, and concluded that it might've been Mesprit. Which brought another question, did Mesprit bring out the emotions within Skyla? Shaking his head, Nate pressed on in his search for the elusive Pokémon.