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It had been so long since Moon had been in Kanto when she stepped off the ferry at the Vermillion city port that it almost didn't feel like home. She had made Alola her home the last few years, and while she had been born on Kantonian soil, it now felt foreign to her.
The people she had waved goodbye two as a wide-eyed 11-year-old as she boarded to boat to Alola no longer worked there, and none of the current staff looked familiar nor did they recognize her. She had to buy a town map to navigate to Cerulean City, which Lillie lived just north of. She didn't know how to get there from memory, like she could with the islands of Alola. And she didn't even have access to her ride Charizard, so she was going to have to walk. She didn't mind, she liked walking.
She made sure that she limited the team she brought with her to Pokémon that could be found in the wild in Kanto, with one notable exception, because she didn't want people to crowd around her wondering what kind of Pokémon she was using. She wanted to make a beeline for Cerulean. She wanted to see Lillie again.
She looked at the map, it looked like she would have to go through Saffron City to get to Cerulean. Not a problem, she thought as she started to walk north from the port. She had always begged her mom to take her to Saffron City, to let her tour the Silph Co., but it never happened. She was going to make a stop there now that she was an adult and could do whatever she wanted.
Route 6 wasn't that hard of a route at all, in fact she was able to avoid any wild encounters by sticking to the path and avoiding the tall grass, though she had done some training of the team she brought with her before she left Alola. The trainers didn't even bother her, most likely because she didn't look like a trainer anymore, now that she was grown up, and hadn't worn a hat in ages (hats were kind of a staple of your standard issue Pokémon trainer). She made it to Saffron City in record time. The city was bigger than she imagined, and it was a bit overwhelming, but Silph Co. was squarely in the middle. She walked in and asked for a tour.
The tour wasn't what she expected, in fact it was a bit short and by now didn't contain anything she didn't already know. It probably would have been more fun when she was a child, but she had ticked it off of her bucket list and she wouldn't have to wonder what could have been. She did get a cute little Poké Ball keychain out of it though. Maybe she'd give it to Lillie. Moon didn't need another keychain, she had about 50 from all the gift shops back home. She stopped for some food and made her way north again to Route 5. Route 5 was even easier than Route 6, because it was a straight shot up to Cerulean. She stopped momentarily to take in her surroundings before stepping foot in the city.
Cerulean City felt more at home to her than either Vermillion or Saffron did. Her mom had worked in the bike shop when Moon was really tiny, so she would come with her on many occasions. She should have stopped off at the Pokémon Day Care when she went through Route 5: Though it wasn't a day care for humans, the old couple had no qualms about letting her stay with them when her mom worked. She'll have to make a mental note to do so on the way back to Vermillion, to at least see if they were still there. Right now, she had to make it to Bill's house, where Lillie was still staying (Lusamine had long gone back to Alola). Just one route kept her from her best friend.
Route 24 proved to be the most difficult route for her. Not because it was treacherous, but because of the trainers. She had to go through a whole lineup of them right on the bridge that connected the route to Cerulean City. It was almost embarrassing for them, since she brought high leveled mons with her for added protection. She swept the whole lot with her Arcanine. She didn't even accept their prize money, it seemed unfair. Though after that distraction she made it to Bill's cottage easily. She was nervous suddenly, what if Lillie didn't recognize her, or what if Lillie did but wanted nothing to do with her (she was coming as a surprise). No, Lillie still sent her letters, still talked about how much she missed everyone… how much she missed Moon specifically. She would be thrilled. Moon knocked on the door.
A kind old man answered the door. That must be Bill. "Oh we weren't expecting any visitors. Who might you be?"
"My name is Moon, I'm here to see Lillie," Moon said with a slight smile, "Is she home?"
"Oh you're Moon!" Bill grinned as he let her in, "I've heard so much about you. Lillie can't seem to shut up about you, honestly. I don't mind though, it's cute to hear."
Moon's ears got pink and warm. Lillie talked about her nonstop? She wasn't expecting that. "Yeah, that's me. Good ol' Moon."
Bill called for Lillie. "She might be sleeping, she just got home from training in the cave. She goes there a lot, though I don't think she does much training." His guess was proven wrong as Lillie came into the room. "Yes Bill... you ca... Moon?"
"Hey Lillie," Moon grinned, "Surprise!" was all she was able to get out before she was tackle hugged to the ground.
Lillie realized what she had done and helped Moon up. "Sorry, I was just excited to see you. When did you get here?"
"About a day ago, I made a few detours on my way here. Oh, I have a gift for you!" she gave Lillie the keychain, "I got it at the Silph Co. and by Arceus I do not need anymore keychains."
"It's so cute, thank you, Moon!" Lillie took the keychain, "I will cherish it."
"Well, that's not all," Moon smiled, "Don't think I came all the way from Alola to just give you a silly keychain you could go one town south to get yourself. But, we need to be outside." She grabbed Lillie's hand and led her outside before pulling out her single Ultra Ball from her bag and tossing it in the air. Solgaleo came out of the ball and nuzzled Moon's neck. Moon smiled. "Nebby, look who's here with me!"
The beast turned its head and got almost kitten-like when it saw Lillie. It ran right to her and nuzzled her neck as well. Lillie wrapped her arms around it. "Nebby! Oh I missed you too!"
Moon smiled, watching them. "Wanna go for a walk?" She reached for Lillie's hand and they walked along Route 25. "I've been thinking about you a lot. You're my best friend, my confidant, and the most important person in my life. There's many reasons I came to see you. I didn't want to tell you in a letter. Lillie, I love you."
Lillie had been waiting to hear or read those words for years. "I love you too, Moon," she said with another hug.
Moon turned it into a kiss. First of many.