She is officially twenty-three. The thought doesn't feel as heavy as she imagines it might have, like it really just is a number. She knows it isn't.
It means that she has lived through almost two dozen journeys around the sun, traveled almost twenty billion kilometers on the swirl of the earth. She smiles, deciding she likes that metaphor. Maybe someday she'll write it down.
That she has visited every place in the regions. Seen every kind of creature under the sun, and caught them all. Even the gods of Sinnoh, she recalls. Broken many bones, been bitten, slashed, stabbed, burned, electrocuted and whatever else, until everything that was soft was beaten out of her.
And for all the pain, there isn't a single thing she wants to change about the journey.
As is typical, her birthday is a quiet affair. No surprise parties like they know she doesn't like, just them making visits.
Green's visit is first, close to eleven in the morning. As always, he's a pleasure to hang out with. They discuss a number of things - how Samuel is doing in retirement (to her relief, well), what sorts of trouble are brewing (to her relief, none), and how things have been going at his Gym being the big three. They have a quick sparring match, partly for fun, partly because she hasn't recently.
Sapphire and Ruby arrive about an hour after Green. With her, the conversation topic is what the Hoenn Champion's been up - they exhaust that topic quickly; just challenges once in a blue moon, and trying Wattson's successor out. They don't have a gift because she doesn't have any wishes, nothing material that she wants anymore.
When Blue and Red arrives, about half an hour in Sapphire's and Ruby's visit, the first thing Crystal notices is that she's starting to show. She doesn't comment on it, because there's no need. With them, the conversation topic soon becomes how their Gym is doing.
Her next visitor is, surprisingly, Lydia, who wants to thank her for the help and support she got from her during the years at the orphanage. Lydia breaks down crying half-way through the rambling speech, and Crystal can't help but hug the young woman, who leaves.
Emerald checks a while later after he's made sure he can afford the absence from the Castle, Yellow with him. In lieu of a gift, he brings a few pizzas to lunch on, all different.
Before the clock hits three in the afternoon, they've almost all come and gone for the day. That they're all doing well is the best birthday gift she can ask for.