"It's good to see you, Lyra dear."

Lyra took a careful look at the woman in front of her. She hadn't visited Ethan's mother in a while, and now she regretted the omission. She'd visited a couple of times after wrapping up her gym challenge; but with Ethan gone, it had felt awkward, and even intrusive. His departure had taken place under less than ideal circumstances, and had roused conflicting emotions in everyone who cared about him. The older woman seemed genuinely happy to see Lyra now, but there was an underlying melancholy in her manner.

"Thank you for having me", Lyra said. "It's a little soon… day after he arrived and all. I hope it's not too much of a bother for you."

"No, not at all. Thank you for coming, really." She pressed Lyra's hand. "Ethan will be very happy to see you."

"Hey, Lyra."

He stood in front of her, holding the door to his room open for her. She returned his hesitant smile and walked in, taking a chair while Ethan sat across her on his bed.

He was even thinner than she remembered, if that was possible. The backpack that had taken him through Kanto was tossed carelessly next to his bed, half-open: it didn't seem to contain anything more than his pokeballs and a change of clothes. The room was otherwise spotless, robotically tidy, in the way that indicated that it had not been lived in for a long while. Ethan's manuals on battling, that he had studied so religiously in his earlier days, were collecting dust on a shelf: he had left them behind.

"How have you been?"

The question took her by surprise, and it took her a moment to realize why. It wasn't an unusual question; it didn't even necessarily indicate real interest. It was just a thing people said to be polite. And yet, it had taken her by surprise coming from Ethan. It dawned on her that, historically, she had always been the one to ask him first.

"Oh, you know", she said. "Traveling. Taking on the gyms. Needed a couple of retries for Pryce and Clair. Wasn't as efficient as it could have been… But, um, you know about some of that already."

He did know about some of that, though only superficially. They'd been exchanging messages throughout his journey to Kanto and her wrap-up of Johto's gym challenge. They were brief messages, more formal than they used to be, more awkward and stilted. Never got into anything deeper - any of the stuff that had happened before he left. But they were a consistent indication of care, that Ethan needed and Lyra was willing to provide.

To tell him something new, Lyra continued. "I did take on the league, but nothing came of it. I couldn't get to Kris. The elite four were very nice, though. Encouraging. And Kris gave me a battle anyway, off the record. I lost, of course, but it was fun. She said I'd improved a lot and gave me some tips. She's a wonderful friend and a really good champion: you should see how well she manages everything-"

She stopped, suddenly conscious of the painful memories she was probably awakening in Ethan. His league challenge hadn't gone anywhere near as smoothly. Lyra may have gotten close to Kris, but Ethan had lost her friendship. And even though it had been his own doing, Lyra didn't want to rub her happier experience in his face.

But he just gave her a warm smile and congratulated her. "It sounds like you did great. Most people don't even get to the league. And there's no shame in losing to Kris." Then, his expression turned more serious. "But I meant, how have you been? Are you… happy? Did you have fun in your journey, seeing all the towns and everything? Are you getting along okay with your Pokemon? Your parents probably missed you, too. Are they doing alright?"

Lyra blinked.

He was asking about things… other than battling?

He didn't want a report of her achievements. He wanted her to really talk to him.

So she did. She told him about her favorite places to eat in every city she'd visited, and all the fun things she'd been doing with her Pokemon. She told him about the beautiful hikes she'd discovered in Johto that she still loved to take now and then. She told him about the times she'd thought of giving up after a particularly tough loss, but Kris and Silver showed up to cheer her up and help her train. She told him stories about all the shenanigans her newly caught Pokemon had gotten into, and how she'd gotten them to warm up to her. He laughed and asked questions that showed he was listening. But he didn't share anything about his own journey, and she didn't ask, sensing it was premature.

"And what now?" he asked in the end. "Got any plans for the future?"

She shook her head. "I barely have plans for next month", she replied, laughing a little. "The gym challenge gave me an aim. It made me feel like I was working towards something. And now it's over." She paused, looking wistfully into the distance. "Don't get me wrong: I don't regret taking it. I wouldn't change a thing about it. But now that it ended, I don't quite know what to do with myself."

Ethan nodded. "The whole Pokemon journey thing is really sold to you, isn't it? It's presented as this big deal, romanticized in every aspect. Every young trainer starts out dreaming of becoming the champion - and if you don't, they push the dream on you. But there is only one champion seat. So what happens to everyone else?" He stopped, seeing that Lyra was now watching him with some concern. "But hey, don't mind me. I'm rambling. I think you'll figure it out. You collected eight badges, so you definitely have the skills to go pro if that's what you decide."

"That's the thing", Lyra replied. "I'm not sure if that's what I want. Don't get me wrong: it's not some false modesty or insecurity thing. I know how strong I've gotten. Hell, I gave Kris a run for her money, and she wasn't going easy on me. I'll never stop being a trainer… but I'm not sure battling is what I want to do professionally. It's a big decision. Growing up really slaps you in the face with all the big questions, doesn't it? Who you are. What you want. How you're gonna shape your life to be, now that it's in your hands."

Ethan nodded vigorously. "Yeah." His agreement sounded very sincere, but he didn't seem to be able to think of anything to add. He was in the same boat as her, just as aimless; perhaps even more so. He didn't have a magical solution to give her.

But then he grinned. "Hey, maybe you'll meet another legendary and that'll give you a sign", he teased. "You've done that before, right? Maybe your fate will present itself to you, o chosen one."

Lyra chuckled. "No, I don't think so. Celebi was a one time thing."

She thought of the time she'd been transferred to the past, brought to Giovanni to stop him from trying to bring back Team Rocket. It was one of the very few major and personal things she'd shared with Ethan, after he'd left for his own journey.

"I don't even think I was chosen, per se", she continued. "Celebi knew I had stopped Giovanni in the past, so it brought me back to do it again. Or, uh… do it for the first time, I guess? Since I had not done it yet at the time. But the timeline I was in only existed because my other self had done it, so Celebi knew I could do it… or something." She scratched her head. "I'll never make sense of time travel. Anyway, I just talked to Giovanni. I tried to persuade him to stop what he was doing, and somehow it worked." Celebi had told her there was something special about her, but… "Honestly, Celebi did most of the work. I just did the natural thing, you know? Talked the crazy guy down. Anyone could have done the same in my place, really."

Ethan frowned. "I don't think that's true", he started.

But Lyra held up a hand to silence him. She didn't want to hear him being polite about this. Her contribution had been a sidestory to Kris's accomplishments… and that was okay. She was satisfied with herself, but harbored no delusions she'd done anything that no one else could do. Not everyone had a special gift: people like Kris were one in a generation.

"Ethan… thank you, really. But I don't want to talk about serious stuff anymore. I just wanna get out of my own head a little, you know? Maybe do something fun."

Ethan seemed reluctant, but he dropped it. "Okay. What do you want to do, then?"

"I don't know. Something fun", she repeated. Her face lit up, as an idea occurred to her. "There's a new amusement park in Goldenrod. Wanna go?" It was a spontaneous invitation. She'd only planned to catch up with him, see how he was doing. But their conversation had gone better than she expected, and - it just felt right, after all that time. Just some careless fun.

"An amusement park, huh?"

"Yeah! With a ferris wheel and everything. It's next to the Pokeathlon."

"... The what?"

"Man, you've been away a long time. It's okay, though! I'll give you a tour."

He smiled. "Thanks, Lyra." He rubbed the back of his neck. "My mom told me some of it, though. Said there was an earthquake or something in Goldenrod, a while ago, and part of the underground tunnel was sealed for safety. She said there's a new daycare there now as well."

Lyra made a face. "Not exactly, the old one changed ownership. That was a while ago. But they renovated so much, it might as well be a new place. They're really snooty though."

"Really?"

"Yeah, every time I've tried to leave a Pokemon there, they always tell me they're full. With such a snobby attitude too, like they can't be bothered. Disorganized, if you ask me. All that space they added with their renovations, you'd think they'd use it more efficiently."

"Well, never mind them", Ethan said. "They can keep their royal nursery or whatever it is. We're going to the amusement park! Do you wanna leave now? I don't have any other plans today."

She gave him a genuine smile. "Let's go!"

They flew to Azalea, then landed before the entrance to Ilex Forest. Lyra had felt a sudden urge to see it. She'd always like strolling through it: it was a peaceful, beautiful place. So she didn't think much of her sudden whim to walk through it, and Ethan made no objection.

But when they reached the shrine, Lyra realized she was wrong. It had not been a whim, but a call.

Beside her, Ethan gasped. She didn't blame him. It had been a big deal to her the first time, too. But now, her feeling was simply one of recognition. A familiar presence in the shrine. A familiar voice in her head.

"We need to talk", Celebi said.