Normal.
Life went back to normal. At least, the kind of normal Layla so desperately craved after everything that happened. Getting up early, making breakfast and biking, or flying, to her internship at the center in Olivine. On the weekends, she and Morty trade visiting each other and go on dates or just relax at home. He's been more confident since Cinnabar, his outer shell fully cracked and his truly lax self shines through. She feels more at peace with herself and happy to give her all to him.
The life she worked hard to get and she can't believe she gets to live.
On the other side, she has continued training with Sabrina to get a better hold on her powers. When she was younger her life had partially centered on her powers. Her mother ensured training controlled them. Then she left for Kanto and it fell to the back of her mind.
Her first mistake as she leans against the cool wall of Sabrina's gym. Some sweat trickles down her forehead to her brow. Her vision wavers as she chugs some cold water and waits. Being in the gym and feeling the psychic energy around her helps ease the backlash of pushing too hard.
It feels nice to be back, though.
It's hard to believe there's few psychic training schools in the regions. This feeling of control and safety should be felt, all over. Yet, psychics still deal with criticism despite hundreds of studies and countless live performances. Pokemon exist but heaven forbid humans do cool stuff too.
"It's a slow process, but you're getting there," Sabrina returns from taking a phone call. "We can call it for today."
"Oh, thank Arceus," Layla huffs. "You busy now?"
"A little. You can join me in my office while we wait for your sight to return."
Layla smiles her thanks and follows the gym leader through the empty gym, towards the back. There's an archway door at the back, next to it, Sabrina turns a dial and restores the gym lights to their normal setting. A neutral lighting to offer a mysterious atmosphere opposed to the brightness it was before for their training.
The psychic energy in the gym swirls as they exit the main part, as if there's a gentle push and pull of ocean waves in her head. Unlike the discomfort felt when those pikachu were overcharged, this is soothing.
Like a massage of the mind.
"Feel free to look around. I just have a few emails to attend to," Sabrina gestures to her office with a wave of her hand.
Layla glances around, the edges of her vision still blurry but still able to grasp the office. In contrast to the rest of her gym, swimming in blues, silvers and black, her office is a mix of purple and pinks. It's easy on the eyes, despite the colors and Layla suspects it's from before the last renovation. While Layla wasn't best friends with Sabrina, the soft colors make her seem younger, probably the age she picked it out.
As Layla's eyes heal, she finds herself scanning the bookshelf while standing close to them with no specific intent. Her eyes trace history books, thick science books and photos of Sabrina, with her family, gym trainers and other students.
Layla's lips form a single smile seeing the varying years of her friend and her family, plus the many students they know. Despite the backlash, Sabrina and her family have done wonders for the world. These pictures just scratch the surface.
As her eyes continue on, she comes to a picture of Sabrina's parents with a man, their smiles familiar. The photo seems old and faded; the edges scuffed and some of the color washed out. Their faces are still pretty clear, except for the man's. His face looks as though they wiped it off, not intentionally. Layla pulls the frame off the shelf to examine it, thinking it's her eyes making it seem blurred and that the slightest of mysteries always pique her curiosity.
Though the blur doesn't change.
"Why does this look so old?" Layla blurts without thought. "Sorry."
Sabrina glances up from the computer to see what she means and gets up to get a better look. Layla hands the frame over in her outstretched hand, feeling like a child caught in the act.
"It's not that old, though Dad will claim it's much more recent than reality," she grins.
"I just meant because their faces are faded," she tries to chuckle.
Sabrina frowns. "Are your eyes getting worse?"
"What?"
She turns the photo around. "Their faces are clear."
Layla's heart drops. "Oh, no." Her legs wobble as she stumbles to a chair. "Please tell me what you know about that man."
Sabrina does so, her patience endless, knowing she'll get to her answers if she gives Layla her own. "I remember little. Dad called him Dom, he was a shapeshifter. We never taught him, but he came by to find others like him."
Dom. Dom. Dom.
Layla chanted the name as if there's any chance she'd forget it. Her heart pounds in her chest, blood roaring in her ears as she pictures his blurry face again and again. In the presence and in the past, then both of them blurred together.
"What are his features in the photo?"
"Dark hair, buzz cut with hazel eyes and a scar down his cheek."
"That's not his actual face," Layla finally breathes. "At least, I doubt it."
Sabrina stiffens. "You can see through illusions."
Not a question. A statement. A realization.
"The man that attacked my house also had a blurry face," Layla nods, sitting back in her chair. "I'm not sure of the chances, but it's an odd coincidence."
"I understand," Sabrina holds the picture out to her. "Take it. My father would want you to get your answers. When he's back from his trip, I'll ask him for details."
Warmth floods her chest at the gesture, and she carefully stuffs the frame into her bag. "Thank you."
"Of course."
A half hour later, Layla's sight returns, and she's free to go. They agree to meet again in two weeks, allowing Layla to focus on her studies and breathing after today's discovery. Sabrina's father won't be home for a while yet and it would be best for Layla to put this thought on hold.
There are a couple methods to get home, flying, teleporting or the train. Usually, Layla calls for teleporting. Either Eusine or the pokemon center service. Today, however, she takes the train and stews in her thoughts. The motions at the train station keeps her grounded as she thinks about her photo.
Dom.
Kind of fitting, if that's his real name.
The thought makes Layla feel pity for him. Despite how cool it sounds, shape shifting must be lonely. She wonders if he shed his identity long ago. Does he know his own original face?
A shiver runs down her spine at the thought and she huddles closer to Aves' feathered back. His muscles just under her hands move as he flaps his wings in the late afternoon light. Her pokemon senses her mood shift and chirps back at her. She smooths his feather and pats his back in reassurance, smiling at how much of a momma's boy he is.
Warm air kisses her face as Olivine slowly rolls into view. Her heart warms at the thought of living there. A dream she first strives towards in her pre-teen years now her reality. Today's hiccup only feels like a blip as they descend towards their home.
Golden light illuminates a few windows despite the sun not fully set yet. Jasmine has long since finished her battle, though she keeps her schedule for any stragglers and to keep busy in the anticipation for the Championship Cup. There will be a time where she gets to battle against her peers and she's intent on making it far into the competition.
Morty has been doing his own preparation as well, working later and later to train his pokemon up to see how far he can make it. The fire in his eyes, no matter how quiet or in the background he tries to be, burns the brightest when he's battling. Layla absolutely loves seeing him fight.
At the door, Layla pauses with her hand on the doorknob; she should tell Morty about the photo. It's still early enough for her to get to Ecruteak at a semi-decent time, not like he'd care if she was super late. And her parents should know too...
"Hey, Jas?" Layla steps inside to find Jasmine and Eusine standing close together in the living room as if they had been about to...
"Hey!" Jasmine pulls away, a flush burning her face as she approaches Layla. "What's up?"
Layla grins, looking between them. "Um, well first-"
"No," Eusine glares at her. "Don't."
"Excuse me, but you did when Morty and I started dating," she points out. "So, I'm sorry if you don't enjoy me catching you and my best friend in the middle of a moment."
He holds her gaze and then sighs, a rosy tinge on his cheeks as well. "Fine."
"So, were you two learning mouth to mouth?"
"Layla!"
The brunette bursts into a fit of laughter, looking at the horrified look on Jasmine's face while Eusine fights a smile. "I'm kidding... Kind of. Anyway, I'm gonna go stay with Morty tonight. It's practically the weekend, and I want to see him."
"Oh," Jasmine perks at that. "Will you bring back more of the matcha tea he gets from the market?"
"Yes," Layla grins.
Ecruteak has a year round market, outdoor in the late spring and entirety of summer to partial fall and indoor the rest of the time. They have an array of goods from food to trinkets all shoved into a building not far from the gym. It's not as sprawling as the Olivine market, but it's definitely a place to hit for those rare goodies you can hardly find anywhere else.
"Do you need a teleport?" Eusine holds out a pokeball.
"I'd love one," Layla grins, and then her smile turns mischievous. "And if you need condoms, they're in my room in the top drawer next to my bed."
"Layla!"
Eusine sends her off with his own smile at her laughter, her head thrown back and chest heaving while Jasmine covers her face. The image keeps Layla giggling as Morty's house fills her view and she bids Eusine's pokemon goodbye. Her chest warms at the sight of the house as she walks up, the cold of autumn slowly turning to early winter chill as she makes it to the door. The lights inside the pool on the deck, welcoming her back, and she easily turns the knob and enters.
The smell of tea, lavender, and honey hits her as she leans against the closed door. She kicks off her shoes and goes to find Morty; the picture relaxing to the back of her mind. Due to Nox's vigilant nature, she doesn't have to worry about scaring Morty as she saunters into the kitchen and wraps her arms around his midsection. The sweet smell of tea and honey fills her nostrils as she squeezes him tight.
"Hello," she mumbles into his back, smiling when one hand finds hers and laces their fingers together.
"Well, hello," he hums, his gentle voice vibrating in his chest. "This is a pleasant surprise."
"Yeah," she shrugs. "I want to have dinner first."
He understands the meaning behind the statement, 'eat first, talk later', and resumes monitoring his dumplings. Along the counter, Layla can see the remnants of flour, some specks of seasoned meat and drips of oil missed in his cleanup. Usually she would take over dinner, either to help or just have control over something. She glances back up at him, noting the lines under his eyes and the slight slump in his shoulders. The usual signs he had a rough day of training. She refrains from asking him about it, partly to give him his relief cooking and partly so they can have a conversation over their food.
While he does his work, Layla sets up the table with ease, her mind buzzing as she grabs the plates, mugs and silverware. Every drawer in the house, every cabinet, already memorized in her head.
"Can you grab the salad from the fridge?"
Layla pivots on her feet and does so, smiling at the familiar chill of Nox's presence hanging around her. Knowing what the ghost type wants, she flits a dumpling into the air and watches it disappear in a matter of seconds. The pokemon's ghostly laugh fades as he wisps away from his trainer's scolding glare.
She smiles innocently as they take a seat at the table. They load their plates up and start their meal in comfortable silence, the usual sign Morty had a long day of training. It took her a while to understand his furrowed brows and silence wasn't annoyance at her presence but his nitpicking his training session that day.
Thinking about what he could have done differently.
Constantly trying to improve and learn, he had told her that was his favorite part of the job and he relished the opportunity to push his pokemon to their full potential. On the other side of it, outside of the gym, he enjoyed being able to work with the communities in Ecruteak. Meeting with the citizens and seeing what the city needs and how he can improve their economy, their infrastructure.
Layla could listen to him for days about what he had planned for the city, the gym and even their relationship. Since Cinnabar, it was like a flick of a switch and he was suddenly wanting to know what more they could do date-wise or what they could improve between them. It was... a relief as Layla didn't want to be the one shouldering all the hard work.
The picture falls to the back of their mind as they eat and talk. The food is warm and comforting, and the conversation is much the same. It isn't until the dishes are cleaned and Morty is heating some water for tea does he finally ask about what she wanted to talk about.
"So," he starts. "What did you want to talk about?"
Layla takes a breath and fishes the photo out of her pocket and slides it down the counter to him. As he picks it up, she turns to grip the counter until her knuckles are white, her eyes gazing out the window over the sink to the yard beyond.
"I found this at the gym today," she explains. "The man in the hat is Sabrina's father, and the other is... Dom."
She didn't falter at his name as much as she thought she was going to, though she felt a ball of ice fall into the pit of her stomach.
Morty's brows furrow, staring at the photo, as if thinking he should know that name.
"You can see his face, I can't. He's a shapeshifter."
At that, his purple eyes raise to find her staring out the window. He moves to stand next to her. His fingers brush over her knuckles, his normally cool touch warm on her hand as she forces herself to relax and face him. "Do you think...?"
"I'm not sure," she replies, turning to lean against the counter and cross her arms. "It could be a coincidence. I'm gonna show my mom, but the chances of him using the same face twice could be low. But, I have a name."
"This is big," he agrees, placing the photo back on the counter. He turns to the kettle, now whistling as pours the water into each mug. "So, what's your plan?"
She chews on the inside of her cheek, thinking of all the different paths chasing this lead could take. It could be risky, or it could embarrass to find this man and realize he's just some dude that she latched on to. "I should leave it alone. That's the safest option. But, I should give my parents a chance to look at it. Mom could find him in the G-men database."
"Which will lead to more," he finishes. He squeezes some honey into her mug and passes it to her with a grin. "So, again, what's the plan?"
She smiles while accepting the mug, glad to know he is prepared for the different ways this will turn out. A waft of sweet citrus steam unfurls from the mug, welcoming her to take her first drink. She does so and hums in appreciation. "I'll tell my parents and see what they say."
He accepts that with his own smile, wrapping an arm around her middle to pull her close. His lips press against her temple, and her heart jumps at the feel of his lips on her skin. They're always so soft, she wants to feel them in other places...
"I wasn't prepared for you to be over tonight, what would you like to do?"
You... She flushes at the thought, racing by and shudders. "I'm not sure. I just wanted to show you this. Oh, did you know Eusine and Jasmine are-"
"Talking?" He raises a brow. "I did. I'm not sure if he wants to date her, but I'm sure that's what they're trying to figure out."
Layla falters a bit. She knows Eusine's past with his parents causes him to have trust issues and other relationship dilemmas. She just wished Jasmine's patience and good nature would help ease him along moving forward in his life. Hearing he's still struggling, while it sucks, she understands things aren't always so smooth sailing.
"How about a movie?"
Cuddled up in the dark next to Morty, toes a dangerous line, but Layla doesn't want to go back home. So she nods, opting to change into pajamas and wrap herself in a blanket next to him, her head on his shoulder and legs intertwined on the chaise. Despite the warmth in her body begging for more, the night is relaxing and blissful even as they head to bed and whisper little things to each other in the darkness of their room.
"That's not the same man from that night," Juniper's voice sounds so alert when Layla calls her mother the next morning.
She woke up well before dawn to get home to shower and change for her day at the center. Morty was asleep still and looked so cute, with his hair strewn everywhere and his brows slightly furrowed. It was hard to leave him, but she can't let this internship tank.
"I'll save the name and photo though," her mother continues. There's some furious typing in the background. "It will take a minute to see what I can dig through on the computer. With just a first name though, it makes it difficult."
"Sabrina said her father could provide more when he gets back from traveling," she supplies, pulling on her scrubs. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if this leads somewhere, the only issue is if it does."
"That's right," her mother replies in a tight voice. "Are you prepared for that?"
Layla takes a moment to breathe and really considers the question. So far, Archer has a vendetta against her. One that could very well put her life at stake if she runs into him yet again. Even with all that's happened, she's learned so little about what really transpired that day, barely worth the trouble she put herself through... But if this is something, a big something, it could be the breakthrough she's searching for.
Plus, it could lead to something bigger for Lance and Serena. The latter is still out there searching for answers. It would be cool to have some waiting for her when she comes back.
If... The more pessimistic part of Layla whispers, but she shakes it off. She'll come home.
"I think so," she responds. "I'm not sure what will happen, but this feels right. Trying to figure everything out."
Juniper falls silent, clearly not appreciating the answer, but she's never been one to squash Layla's ambitions. "Okay, Mija. I will look into it after work today and whatever happens you have me, your father and the G-men to help."
"I know, mom," Layla smiles into the phone. "Thanks. I'll talk to you later then. Love you, bye."
"Love you too."
After hanging up, Layla puts on the rest of her stuff and pulls her hair back into a quick, loose braid, and heads to the kitchen. Jasmine doesn't wake for several more hours, and Layla doesn't want to barge in and demand details about their talk last night for fear it went bad. Instead, she makes her breakfast, packs her lunch and heads off.
As soon as she leaves the door, the salty, humid air of Olivine greets her. The crash of waves soothes her nerves as she sets her bag in the basket of her bike and her bottle in the holder before heading off to town. The asphalt turns to cobblestone streets and busy sidewalks full of the morning commute.
The path is simple to get to the pokemon center across from the harbor in the southern part of the city. It's actually fun for her to race down the streets, the smell of fresh baked goods, and flowers greeting her as she goes by. That combined with the scent of the ocean has become the smell of home to her, something to keep the smile on her face as she pulls up to the center and locks her bike into place.
She takes a moment to think about Dom and the picture, her mind reeling at the thought of this going somewhere. There's a slight chance with the little information they have, so she has to prepare for that when her mother confirms it later. It doesn't mean she's given up, though, it just means there's more work to do.