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She was a hero that no one acknowledged, and a girl not many would bother to look at.
~ 🏵️ ~
It's as if nothing ever happened. Not after the near destruction of Kalos, not after the scandal of Team Flare and their connections to the media. When it ended, life returned to normal. Y wasn't exactly bitter about that, though. Sure, she encountered lots of jerks who didn't know how to say thanks right after she was done with the orange haired goons, but it wasn't all gloomy rainy days. It means she doesn't have to adjust to sudden changes in her life. She can go at her own pace, serene and calm, now that her hometown wasn't threatened by the whims of an organization and its idealist leader.
Speaking of her hometown, Y was sitting in front of the town, observing the daily activities of Laverre Town's residents. She sees Shauna with her pokemon, playing, while Tierno watches while dancing along with the pokemon's movements. X was probably being a shut in again and Trevor couldn't be spotted within her vision. Guess he wasn't nearby, or maybe he was at home? It's not like he's gonna get kidnapped by a scientist with fiery goggles.
The Flyer looks at the town itself. After its destruction, it was slowly rebuilt by the people that was left alone to suffer the consequences, the victims of the fall itself. They made it quite the same, as same as it could possibly be, but to Yvonne it didn't feel quite right. Like something was different, as if this was an alternate reality. She felt that way since a long time ago, but she never shrugged off that feeling.
She sighs. It's probably better to not think about that. Besides, she has other things to pay attention to, like changing her outfit, for example. She can't wear her flying suit forever.
After each practice session she holds for herself, Y likes to cool down and sit outside of her house. Catch her breath. Look at what other people are doing. Admire the view of the hometown she was born and raised in. Think about stuff that happened recently. Get up when she's done, or get too lost in thought to actually get up. Usually when that happens, her mom or one of her own friends and neighbors would come and ask what she's doing, staring into nothingness.
She stood up, stepping back into her house. Her mom greeted her, looking away from the television screen to greet her daughter. "Welcome back! I hope you had fun practicing today, dear," she says with a smile. The girl answers with a nod, smiling back at the woman. It feels as though yesterday her mother was so thorough in making her a ryhorn racer. Back then, she'd never consider gaining the full approval of her mom, but life has a way of surprising her, it seems.
"You're home quite early," Grace points out. "You usually stay out to practice for much longer."
"Oh, it's nothing. I got tired more than usual today," she tells her. As melancholic she may be during practice, she did enjoy being a sky trainer, and practicing is one part of the job. Every trainer trains, and they train in their own way, whatever fits them most. They cannot be forced to do what they don't want to do.
"I'm going to change and rest for a while, if... that's okay with you of course!"
Heavy breathes, heavy sighs. When the young girl stepped up to enter her private room, her eyes fall on the window, and she looked down at the people of Laverre. Taking off her current robes and replacing it with her typical outfit, she continues to gaze at the rest. To think she was joining them in the ground minutes ago. She opens the window, letting in a much clearer perspective. Perhaps it's more enjoyable for her to stare at the scene from up above, in the comfort of her own room.
She looked, and the town was the same as it was when she observed them downstairs.
However, even with the festivity, in Laverre someone still felt lonely.
Blonde hair faltering, perhaps blowing whenever the wind came in, she rests her head on both her hands, listening to the sounds of the blissful chatters from everyone- everyone but herself.
She stared blankly, eyes watching nothing in particular yet at the same time, everything.
During these days, people would usually make their own arrangements to celebrate. It was a few week til the change of year. A new year's is the time to make resolutions, to start anew, to forget about the troubling past.
She too is no different, that is, not until this year. She finds herself contemplating, her heart deep in melancholy, only being a witness to those who cherish the days. The mark of a new year is supposed to symbolize change, and it's easy to say she did- but what's to say if there's nothing to be talked about? At least... in her mind it's very much absent.
Sometimes it hurts. The silence she felt with none other than her own thoughts hurt to feel. Perhaps now would be a good time to seek something, anything, because surely something's out there for her to appreciate.
Her lone thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a crash nearby. From the source, she knew it came from none either than her neighbor. She looked down to find the perpetrator of the crash, head turning left and right to find a certain flyer who had crashed just seconds ago. Curly hair dirtied, the perpetrator rubs her head slightly on where it hit the ground.
"Y- Yvette? You okay down there?" she asks the other sky trainer.
It took a while for the curly haired girl to turn her attention to her, let alone answer. "Yeah yeah, I'm good, don't worry. Actually, please pretend it didn't happen. Moving on~"
Still self persevering as ever. It was typical for Yvette, and some things didn't change. And yet, some things in the other did change. Like how she talked to her, or how her condescending smile turned into a more welcoming one.
“Well, if you say so…” the dexholder quitely replied, closing the windows and returned to the privacy of her room. She proceeded to lie down on the bed, her focus shfited back to her lingering thoughts once more. It’s such an uneventful day, and yet maybe that’s why it’s so unnerving to the girl. Lost in her own mind, she fades into black before she knew it.
When her eyes jolted back open again, it was night time. The moon shines bright, light reflecting from the sun as it reaches the tiles of the small room she’s in. Did she accidentally fall asleep? Yikes. Perhaps she overtired herself this day.
She stood upright, rubbing her eyes. Her gaze immediately fell to the light source that’s the brightest available- outside. Despite the hour, some people are still out there in their backyards and even in the streets, preparing for a feastful time. She thought it wouldn’t hurt to go outside. After all, from the looks of it she’s not gonna fall asleep soon. What she needs to do, though, is to be careful. She wouldn’t want to wake her mom up, nu uh. Just because she’s awake, doesn’t mean she will make other people wake up for no reason.
Perhaps it was the instinct of the sky trainer, but her body urged her to open the windows and glide down in swift motion. And she did just that. The young girl pushes back the glass panels, grabbing the pokeballs that rest nicely on her desk, before taking a step outside of the indoor walls. She holds her stance with precise carfulness- she wouldn’t risk a fall, let alone a dangerous one.
Her feet rests nicely on the ground, arms outstreched as she bends her needs to make for a good fall. She stood back up again, looking at her surroundings as she slightly stretched her body. A nighttime ambience, beautiful, yet ridden with melancholia- or was it just her? Nevertheless, it was a pleasurable sight to see. She decided to take a walk for a few minutes before returning to the safety of her house.
Rows of short grass hit her ankles, soft ground pressing against her feet as she turns her head left and right looking at the people surrounding her. It’s night, yet people were full of energy- or at least acted like it- indulgent in their happiness of the future they had hoped about.
“Y? What are you doing out here?” a voice interrupts her introspection, grounding her back in reality.
“Oh- oh?”
She returns her focus. In front of her is a young boy around her age, round fluffy hair colored orange framing his face, camera in hand. Her best friend, Trevor. What a coincidence, she didn’t know he was out here too.
“Well, nothing much really. I woke up in the middle of the night and you could tell what I decided to do,” she promptly explains. “I didn’t expect you to be out here too, Trevor”.
“Mhm, yeah… I’m just looking for photographs, that’s all.”
The girl raises an eyebrow, folding her arms. “What for?” she asks.
“Oh, just a magazine photoshoot. New year’s edition, see? Gotta collect it soon, just in case I need more time to choose.”
“I see. Well then, good luck. What are the photos about anyway?”
“Well, the guide said that I had to take photos that inspire resonance and nostalgia. Something that… uhm, gives off a beautiful ambience that’s grounded in reality,” the boy taps his finger on his lips as he speaks. “Fun, don’t you think?”
Y smiled slightly at the description he gave. Now, normally, she would tell him good luck and hope he will have fun and take pretty pictures with his camera before contuing to mind her business. After all, that’s what a good friend does. However, what came out was something else. She prodded more.
“What do you plan to take?” she blurted. A spike of curiosity gave her the impulse to ask the question. Frankly, she doesn’t know why she was inquired to ask about it, but here she is.
“Well, good question. But I don’t really know. Uh… I’m just gonna wander around for a few minutes until midnight and hopefully come across something eye-catching.”
The Flyer was rather unsatisfied with that answer. “Really, you’re just gonna wing it?” she retorted. Trevor only nodded in response. “I mean, I don’t really know what to do and I haven’t got the best idea. What gives you… what gives people that feeling of familiarity that rushes a flood of emotions towards your brain… or whatever it’s described as?” he said.
“Well…”
Now that she thinks about it, that was a question she had the answer to. She had been thinking about it for quite a while, because that’s all she’s been thinking in the last few days. She couldn’t name the feelings that came with it, but no matter how estranged it made her feel she knew it was there.
She knew she had that feeling whenever she got lost in thought, whenever she thinks about her past and how it used to be and how it is now. She drowned herself in a long stream of nostalgia, yet seemingly without a trace of where exactly it led.
“I think you should worry less about the people in general. I’d say you should think about what makes you relive the old days, what represents your experiencea. You know, things you’ve been to, things we went through… reminiscent about your own past,” she explains.
“Because you can’t go through the future if you just drop the past behind,” she added to herself, a lesson learned, though not speaking it outright.
“You mean…?”
“No one we’re more familiar with than ourselves, right? It’s sweet to take a look at the past. It never truly leaves you… and sometimes you gotta let yourself reminisce about it.”
“That.. sounds pretty good ,actually! Hey, why don’t you come with me? I think we should visit places we set our foot in during our adventures, as unwanted as it may be back then. Errr, tomorrow of course. It’s getting late...”
Yvonne replied with a confident smile.
“Tomorrow, yeah? Let’s remind ourselves of our journey and what we’ve been through, so that we can appreciate the time we spent together.”