CHAPTER 1

Something cool nudged my hand. I mumbled unintelligibly and shifted away from it, drawing the blanket closer to my chin with my other hand. Immediately, my hand was nudged again, this time more insistently. With a sigh, I opened my eyes. I had to blink a few times before I felt awake enough to sit up in bed.

Off to the side of the bed were Vel, my Sylveon, and Yuno, my Milotic. The latter chided me gently as he gestured with his tail to the bright sunlight streaming in through the bedroom windows. Vel just looked amused.

I fought back a yawn as I nodded sleepily, already peeling back the covers and swinging myself out of bed. My Pokemon moved away to make space for me. "I know, I know. I slept in a little too late today. Blame Hassel, okay? I had way too much to eat at his barbeque party and it made me tired," I muttered, thinking back to the gathering that had stretched on until nearly midnight. Hassel had hosted it to celebrate one of his students winning an art competition. I'd stuffed myself on a delicious selection of various meats until I'd stumbled home with a stomach the size of a balloon. The rest was history.

Yuno rolled his eyes but let out a lilting laugh. With a smile, he conceded that the food had indeed been unusually tasty. Vel piped up and said the marinated beef kabobs had been his favorite, to which Yuno gave him a look of astonishment. I left the two of them to banter about which foods they had liked best while I plodded towards the bathroom.

I took one look at myself in the mirror and tried not to blanch. My light pink hair was extremely messy, probably the result of shifting many times in my sleep, and my pale blue eyes were slightly bloodshot. Again, I blamed the late night party.

Ten minutes later, after I'd washed my face and changed into some light sportswear, I headed outside the house for my morning workout. Vel and Yuno followed me.

It was 11 AM, four hours past the time I usually woke up at, so all of my other Pokemon were already up. They'd already gone through their morning training routines on their own and even eaten breakfast while I'd been asleep. They were now milling around outside and either socializing or resting.

I smiled proudly, turning to give Vel and Yuno a thumbs up. As they were my starter and first caught Pokemon, they usually led the rest of my Pokemon as the leader and vice-leader respectively.

I greeted the rest of my Pokemon with smiles and waves before breaking into a jog. It was nice breathing in the crisp air of the outdoors as I ran laps around the property. I was already feeling much more awake.

The house and small piece of land I owned were located in Area Five of the South Province in Paldea. I'd bought them a couple months after coming to the region, which was almost four years ago. I'd never expected to stay so long, but what could I say? Paldea's climate and diverse Pokemon population were wonderful, and I had made lots of friends here. Not to mention I technically had not one, not two, but three jobs: one as an Advisor to the Top Champion and the Paldean Council, another as a special Assistant of the Area Zero Research Society, and yet another as a part-time Battle and Fairy type lecturer at Naranja-Uva Academy.

They certainly kept me busy, that was for sure.

I continued jogging while mentally going through the list of things I needed to get done for the day. Some small chores around the house, picking up groceries at the nearest supermarket, making a quick visit to Area Zero—

I skidded to a halt when I realized I'd almost forgotten I had a lunch commitment with Geeta and the Elite Four. Since it was the off-season for the Paldea League Circuit, and also summer break for the Academy, I and the rest of the League had a lot more downtime. Geeta and the E4 usually took this time to unwind and drag me into hanging out with them.

Not that I minded, of course. They had become some of my closest friends since coming here to Paldea.

A quick check of my phone revealed that I needed to finish up my morning routine now and start getting ready to go, lest I risk being late to the Treasure Eatery (and make Poppy very sad, which was something I wanted to avoid). I finished one more lap and then jogged back into the house. Yuno decided to bask in the nearby pond while Vel padded after me.

I was in and out of the shower in record time. A tidy outfit consisting of a short-sleeve shirt that matched my hair color, white shorts and matching sneakers was thrown on, and then I was making my way toward the entryway when my phone buzzed in my hand.

I held it up immediately thinking it was a message from Rika or someone asking if I was on the way. My mind was already drawing up a reply when I angled the phone towards my face.

I froze in shock, staring at the screen of my phone. There was a new notification there. A text message.

While I wasn't a social butterfly, I did keep in contact regularly with the acquaintances and friends I'd made over the course of my journey… but this message was from the last person I'd ever expected to get one from.

My dad.

I hadn't seen or spoken to him in nearly a decade. The bitter words and terms on which we had parted were still as clear as day in my memories.

For a long time, I just stared at my phone screen, unmoving. Vel quickly caught on to the fact that something was wrong and mewed softly, looking up at me with a concerned expression.

I finally tore my gaze away from my phone and offered a forced smile for one of my best friends. "I got a message… from him."

Vel knew immediately who I was talking about. There had only ever been one person in my life who I detested so strongly. As I sighed and sat down ungracefully on one of the dining room chairs, Vel jumped up onto my lap and lightly curled a feeler around my left arm. A familiar comforting sensation washed over me. I smiled again, this time more genuinely.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Thanks, bud." Vel smiled, but he continued watching me intently as I returned my attention to the device in my hand.

I had no idea why my dad had contacted me after years and years of radio silence, but I had no way of knowing unless I actually opened the message.

And I did just that.

It read: "I would like to talk to you in person. Would you be willing to come back?"

The message was extremely short, just two lines long, yet it filled me with a cacophony of emotions.

Why now? Why after so many years?

We'd practically cut ourselves out of each other's lives on that day ten years ago. And the message itself was rather… foreboding. What did he want to talk about? Why couldn't he just say it over text or through a call?

Just… why?

This text message was basically a bolt from the blue. It felt so surreal, like none of this was actually happening. I might have been overreacting a bit, but ten-year-old me had been scarred by terrible, hurtful words at that time. I was twenty years old now and a seasoned, powerful Pokemon Trainer in my own right, but those scars still remained with me.

I was still reeling from the shock of it all, the lunch outing all but forgotten until my phone vibrated again, this time with an incoming video call. I saw the name and picture of a familiar green-haired individual light up the screen. Rika.

I considered leaving it on silent but knew that would be impolite to my friends who were waiting for me. I took a shaky breath and picked up the call.

Rika's face appeared on the screen. She was holding the phone far enough away from her that he could make out Larry and Hassel sitting on either side of her. "Hey," I said quietly.

"Arin, buddy! Are you getting here soon? We're getting hungry— wait," Rika's voice stopped suddenly as she narrowed her eyes at me, brows furrowing. "Is something wrong? You don't look so good."

Trust Rika to instantly be able to read another person, I chuckled to myself internally. I wasn't sure what expression I had on my face, but before I could answer, Rika spoke up again.

"Seriously, are you okay? What happened?" Rika continued, all seriousness now as she stared at me in concern. Her tone of voice caught the attention of Larry and Hassel who were sitting next to her, and they leaned in to peer at the screen with concerned faces of their own.

"Oh my, you definitely look unwell, Arin. What's wrong?" Hassel noted with a frown. Larry nodded in agreement. I heard Poppy's voice in the background asking if 'big brother Arin was okay,' which almost made me chuckle out loud.

It felt nice to have friends who worried for me. I tried to smile only to realize it came out more like a grimace. My shoulders drooped in resignation.

"Something did happen," I confirmed. I repressed a sigh, sinking back in my chair a little. "I don't think I'm up for a lunch outing today guys. But uh, can you distract Poppy first before I get into it?"

Rika immediately looked at Hassel. The professor nodded, leaving the frame to talk to Poppy. Geeta took Hassel's seat, having heard the commotion her Elites were kicking up. She was looking at me now with an inscrutable expression.

With that out of the way, I decided to just rip the bandaid off.

"My dad contacted me for the first time in ten years, asking me to go back to Johto to talk to him about something."

There was absolute pindrop silence as Rika, Larry, and Geeta stared at me, absorbing the information I'd just dropped on them. They were well aware of the history between me and my dad. I'd opened up to them about it about a year after we'd all become close friends.

They also knew I absolutely hated talking about him and practically never did.

Rika spoke first. "That slimy bastard contacted you?" she asked with disgust. "He never even contacted you once all this time, and now he suddenly is? It's suspicious."

"..." Larry was silent as he fiddled with his tie, mulling over what to say. "It seems like it's something important."

I nodded slowly. Both of them had good points that I had been considering.

Then, Geeta spoke up. "What do you want to do?" the woman asked, watching me with glittering eyes.

I paused, thinking. What did I want to do?

I had no obligation to go and see him. I could just refuse him outright or just not reply and pretend I never saw it. I could just go on with the life I'd found for myself here in Paldea, peacefully living my days out with my friends and Pokemon.

But I knew, then and there, that I couldn't.

I was curious. As much as I hated my dad, my curiosity for what and why won out over my resentment.

I needed to know why he had sought me out, and I needed closure on the conflict with my dad once and for all.

I would never be able to move on otherwise.

"I think…" I began, but I quickly shook my head. "No. I will go back to Johto to visit my dad and hear what he has to say. I need this."

On the other side of the screen, my friends showed their reactions. Rika looked conflicted while Larry's eyes held the faintest traces of approval, and Geeta just gave a small, knowing smile.

"When are you leaving?" Geeta asked.

"Now," I shot back instantly, more sure of myself than I had ever been. I had decided on this, and I was going to get it taken care of sooner rather than later if only to put my mind and heart to rest. "Sorry about the, er, extremely short notice, but I'll be gone for a few days at most."

Geeta didn't look surprised at all. "That's fine. It's the off-season anyway, not much work to be done. I'll inform the Research Society of your temporary absence and send someone to watch over your house while you're gone."

I nodded, relieved. "Thanks so much, Geeta, Rika, Larry. Please explain to Hassel and Poppy about what happened. I need to get going now and prepare for this trip."

"Take care of yourself!" Rika said sternly before he could cut the call. "I'll be here if you need someone to talk to before or after the meeting."

"It'll be okay," Larry added quietly. "Just keep a calm head."

"We'll see you soon. I hope you achieve everything you want," Geeta told him sincerely.

I smiled. "See you soon," I said before finally ending the call.

Throughout the entire call, Vel had been sitting on my lap with a feeler wrapped around my arm. As I put my phone away, I gave him a wry smile.

"Well… You heard all that. Looks like we're going back to Johto for a bit. You're going to go with me, right?" I said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Vel gave me an indignant look and told me of course he was coming, giving my arm a light squeeze with his feeler. I laughed, waiting for him to jump down before getting up.

The next ten minutes were a blur as I hurriedly got everything in order. I explained the situation to my other Pokemon and recalled everyone except Zuri to their Pokeballs. Then I did a sweep through the house, locking everything down. I didn't have to pack much considering this was going to be a short visit, so soon enough, I found myself locking the front door behind me.

Walking out into the yard, I approached the Dragonite waiting for me with anticipation. She crooned at me and wouldn't let me onto her back until she got a hug, getting a laugh out of me.

I pulled out my phone and figured out the flight path to Johto, explaining it to Zuri carefully before I made myself comfortable on her back.

The reality of the situation was finally dawning on me. I had made the most spontaneous decision of my life. I was really doing this. I was really going back to where it all began.

I took a deep breath, patting the side of Zuri's neck gently.

"Alright. Let's go."

There was a brief tickling sensation as Zuri wrapped a complex layer of Dragon and Flying type energy around her, both for my protection and to increase her flying speed. Then, with a powerful cry, Zuri launched herself into the skies.

I was on my way back to Johto at long last.