I don't own Pokémon.
home is where the heart is
- even for distant heroes and faraway champions.
She misses him.
Lyra likes to think that nothing's changed when her best friend becomes the Champion of both Johto and Kanto, but she knows it's not true. When Ethan first left New Bark to go explore the whole world, he was a friendly, impish small-town boy. He came back as a champion, a hero whose name was whispered throughout the two regions in awe and reverence.
And Lyra knows she can't measure up to that; she's just another girl in an inconspicious town, nothing special.
But Ethan's visiting New Bark Town today, probably showing his completed National Pokédex to Professor Elm. He had called Lyra about it earlier, his voice bursting with excitement. It was impressive, even to the brunette pigtailed girl, whose only experience with Pokémon was her faithful pet Marill.
As Lyra waits for her friend to arrive, she feels a nervous flutter in her stomach, a strange feeling. Nevertheless, she forces herself to sit down on the front steps of her house, straining her eyes into the sky to see the slightest speck of Skarmory's steel wings, which Ethan's familiar grinning face would appear behind. But after only ten minutes of gazing into the wide blue cloudless sky, she has to look away, blinking and rubbing her tired eyes.
Her eyes travel across the cozy New Bark, where she's grown up and lived all her life, unlike Ethan, who has always had a sense of adventure. It's on the border of the ocean between Kanto and Johto, waves splashing onto the shore near Lyra's house and cottages scattered here and there. She enjoys the slight breeze on her face. The town is always so peaceful and bucolic, and some people would think it's boring, but Lyra loves it here.
She wonders if Ethan still does, too.
They used to play together in the nostalgic days of their childhood, building sandcastles and going for swims in the ocean (with their parents nagging them not to go into the deeper parts), but what if Ethan has forgotten those memories? He's met so many new people and famous faces, Lyra will probably seem boring, mundane to him now. She surprises herself by feeling nervous, but she tries not to worry, assuring herself because they're best friends and she's missed him because he's visiting for the first time in months and...
Right? Right?
"Hey, Lyra!" A voice calls out to her, and she jumps to her feet instantly. She knows that voice.
Ethan!
Sure enough, there he is, soaring through the sky like a superhero riding on his Skarmory. Lyra's heart skips a beat. Despite that he's still in his well-worn red hoodie and backward cap, Ethan looks like a real Champion, not the ordinary boy she used to know. Gathering up her courage, she swallows her nervousness and waves to her best friend, calling out a greeting in return.
Ethan beams and snaps his fingers. "Skarmory!" The steel armor bird attempts a somersault in the air, aiming for the patch of soft green grass in front of Lyra's house. Skarmory lands easily, lightly on the grass with its wings outspread in a ta-da! expression, and Lyra realizes the whole display was almost effortless.
"Wow, nice!" Impressed, she claps for their little show. Ethan bows and hops off his Skarmory, running across the grass over to her.
As he arrives, he flashes Lyra a quick smile before throwing his arms around her in a friendly embrace, surprising both of them. For a second, she stays shock-still, but then finds the courage to hug him back. Skarmory comes over to watch the two, but all Lyra can do is breathe in Ethan's nice scent and think of how warm his hoodie is...
Lyra, get yourself together.
"Lyra, I've missed you so much," Ethan murmurs, drawing away.
Lyra can hardly contain her smile from spreading across her face at those last three words. They are what she's wanted to hear for a while now. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to come back, Ethan," she says in reply, nothing but affection for her best friend.
He laughs. "I have so much to tell you..."
A while later, she and Ethan are sitting on the porch and he's relaying all the stories of his adventures to her. When he gets to the part when he defeats Red, the former greatest Trainer of all time, Lyra nods calmly when really inside, her heart is bursting with pride and joy for him. The conversation continues like that for several minutes, but eventually Ethan runs out of things to say; so she asks him a question instead, which has bothered her the whole time.
"But aren't you going to show your completed National Dex to the professor? That's why you came, right?"
There's a pause, then Ethan laughs, his brown eyes warm and sparkling.
"No, Lyra, I came here to see you."
At this, she isn't sure she heard right. She sits dumbfounded for a few minutes, staring at him and his smiling eyes. A warm sensation creeps over her, and Lyra thinks she likes this new feeling.
"What's the matter?" Ethan's voice is tinged with amusement. "Is my visit really that surprising?"
Hesitation, then Lyra mutters, "Well...it's just that you're the Champion now, and you've met so many new people and..."
To her surprise, a beaming smile spreads over his face. Lyra loves his laugh; it's boyish and mischievous and everything that comes to mind when she thinks of her childhood friend. He leans forward and whispers in her ear:
"Lyra, to me, you're the best of them all."