Chapter 5: Santalune Town and ???

"Finally, we got a tad bit sidetracked, but it looks like we've made it to Santalune. Hmm, it seems pretty homely now that I see it, and seeing the benches over by the fountain over there makes me want to pull out a book to read." Taking the time to take in the view of the town, I can say it'd be a nice place to take a rest day and just relax without a care in the world. The fountain of Roselia in the middle of the square also paints quite a picturesque scene.

"Mmm, now that we're here, we should take a bit of time to do some last-minute shopping if we need anything. We should also go to the Pokemon Center to check in on our Pokemon to make sure that they're in top condition." Tierno suggests that it will be too late to think about it when we journey into the forest proper, so agreeing, we begin to make our way over to the town's center and are greeted by Nurse Joy.

"Good Afternoon how may i help you?" The nurse in charge of the reception desk asks There's always been a bit of speculation regarding the Nurse Joys and Officer Jenny's being multiple identical sisters and even whackier theories like they're clones, but I've never honestly thought about it at length, but I do recall overhearing some children playing a game called Flame Sigil that had a merchant named Hanna that apparently was also multiple identical sisters, so maybe the concept isn't as crazy as I'd thought?

"Hello, we'd like to have our Pokemon checked up and possibly rent a room for the night as we'll be heading into Santalune Forest later on and would like a place to rest before we need to depart." Trevor informs the nurse of the reason for our visit while Tierno and I head over to an empty table to sit at after handing our Pokemon over for their examination.

"So we will probably have a couple hours to do what we have while she checks out our Pokemon, so did you guys have anything you wanted to do?" I'm trying to find a way to kill time until we can get our Pokemon back, so I ask both boys, who I assume are more familiar with the area given how close it is to Lumiose.

"I'm going to go find a place to work on a couple dance moves and maybe get some ideas of a Pokemon to catch on Route 22." Tierno immediately responds with his idea of how to kill the time.

"I'm going to check the pokemart for any deals on potions and possibly antidotes just in case we run into a bunch of Beedrill. even though the rangers have been patrolling and clearing them out from the shallow areas of the forest it doesn't hurt to be prepared." I'm inclined to agree with him that when out on a journey, you can't always expect things to go exactly as planned, and overlooking a potential danger just because it seems small could potentially come back to bite you.

"Well then, I guess I'll go explore the town a little bit then. It's my first time coming out this way, so I kind of want to take a look around and see what all the place has to offer. Who knows? I may just find a quiet place to read while we wait. The fountain with the Roselia statue in the plaza looked like it'd be rather peaceful." Due to how much Dratini likes to swim in pools, I find myself almost unconsciously drawn to water every now and then, so the fact that there is such a serene locale so close would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

With our individual plans in sorted we head to our respective activities. True to my words, I went to tour the town to see all that it has to offer. at cursoury glance it doesn't have much to offer when you look at it. there's a few cafes with outdoor seating, the plaza with benches to lounge on, an area marked off as a practice field for mock battles, the center we just came from, the Santalune gym, and a clothing shop. I guess due to the proximity to Lumiose, there's no need for an inn, and trainers can simply rent rooms at the Pokemon Center, so I guess the planning wasn't for extended stays and more pass-throughs. such a shame.

"Uhh, if I recall correctly from the forums on the holocaster, there is supposed to be a girl with a dragon-type that's been doing battles in the field around here. I wonder if I can get a glimpse of her and her Pokemon. There aren't many people who can control a dragon for their first pokemon after all." With my destination set in mind, I make my way over leisurely to the practice fields set off to the side of the town in order not to disturb the local businesses and scour the fields. In one of the fields, I see two trainers having a battle with Pikachu and Eevee. In another field, I see someone facing a Pidgey against a Pansear, and in another, there's a boy. fighting an Axew with a... shiny Caterpie? "What even is an exodia, and why'd he just pull out a jar of pickles? He doesn't seem to particularly enjoy them.'

Having seen the conclusion to a rather strange battle and an even stranger event, I find my attention drawn to something at my feet, or rather, to something currently tugging at my sleeve. Looking down, I can't help but be met by the happy eyes of the very same Axew that I saw battling. Seeing this child, I can't help but feel a wave of nostalgia as I bend down and pick them up, studying the excited dragon even closer.

"Do I know you, little one? You seem rather happy to see me, yet I don't know anyone who lives in this town." Of course I do recall someone who has the same Pokemon, but last I knew, she was still in Unova." Feeling an ever-nagging feeling building inside me, I'm brought out of my musings by a voice that I haven't heard in years. Turning around, I'm met with the eyes of a girl with dark skin and purple hair wearing a cream-colored shirt with white capris.

"I-iris?" I stutter out, not believing my eyes as my childhood friend stands in front of me.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" As the girl takes a closer look at me with eyes that bespeak her confusion, they slowly and then suddenly spark with realization. "Saya?"

"M-mm." I numbly nod my head, neither of us completely believing the scene right in front of the other. Without even realizing it, both of us have tears streaming down our cheeks. the last time we saw eachother face to face we had been saying our goodbyes at the village gates all those years ago. before either of us realizes we're running to eachother and hugging. It's been 10 years since we've last seen each other, and so many suppressed emotions of loneliness, as if a dam that I didn't even know was built up, broke loose, that the two of us merely stood there crying for what felt like a lifetime, even if it'd only been ten minutes. I really missed her.

"W- What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Unova with Mr. Drayden. Is he also here with you? I don't recall seeing him around town. How're you doing? Have you been well? You're sleeping correctly, right?" Still not able to completely believe that my best friend is standing in front of me, I begin bombarding her with questions about her wellbeing.

"Well if you'd let me get a word in i'd be able to answer your questions you know!" just like that i'm chided spectacularly by the very girl i was having an emotional reunion with. Well, I can't exactly blame her. Over the years, I've picked up a lot of habits from my mom, and one of them just so happens to be how I'm overly doting or worrying, which Iris just so happens to be the victim of at the moment.

"Ahh, um, sorry about that! I got a bit carried away there. I'm just really happy to see you again after all this time." I mean, who wouldn't? In Dragon Valley, the two of us did everything together to the point where we might as well have been sisters in all but blood. We even shared the same dream of becoming dragon masters, which is why we made the decision to separate and do our respective apprenticeships.

"Sheesh, let's sit down and talk somewhere, okay? We're drawing a bit of a crowd here with our little display just now, and I'm not really keen on so many prying eyes listening in." She has a point, but it's not exactly a big secret dragon valley, and the clans aren't widely known to outsiders, so we don't typically bring them up outside of conversations with other members.

Deciding to take our conversation elsewhere, we decide to make our way back to the room I rented at the Pokemon Center, which also gives me the chance to see if my little ones are ready to pick up. Walking in, I see that both Trevor and Tierno are standing at the desk to pick up their own Pokemon and call us over to where they are.

"Hey Saya, what's up? Wow, have you two been crying? Both of your eyes are a bit puffy." Trevor with all the tack of a Tauros in a china shop questions.us on our less than presentable appearances. "I was hoping that you'd have the manners to ignore the obvious, but boys will be boys, I suppose." I think while mentally rolling my eyes at his inappropriately timed question.

"Hey guys, this is an old friend from my home town in Johto; her name is Iris, and we were pretty close back then, so we got a bit emotional at the sudden encounter." I introduce the two boys to my surrogate sister, who gives them a friendly wave.

"Iris these two are Tierno and Trevor the three of us are here because we are supposed to be making a delivery in the next town over in Aquacorde town so we stopped here for a while to get some last minute preparations for the trip through Santalune Forest." After introducing the three to each other, I also told Iris why we were here.

"It's nice to meet you guys, and thanks for taking care of Saya for the little bit that you've been together. She typically keeps to herself, so a lot of people tend to misunderstand her and won't know how to interact with her because she gets pretty self-conscious of the way she speaks." "I've never really managed to get out of my habit of sounding 'older," and after a while I just kind of gave up on trying to change that about me, but every now and then I do have my slight moment of worry over my speech, so she isn't incorrect.

"Iris the two of them DON'T need to know that kind of information so could you please not say more about me than i have please?" Though I requested with my most 'charming' smile I could muster, judging by how the pallor from the three teens in front of me and even the Nurse Joy behind them drains, I think I may have scared them a tiny bit. strange.

"Uhhh y-yea s-s-sure Saya." Iris stutters while hugging Axew closer to herself while inching away from me. "You don't need to be that scared of me, you know? Seeing you so afraid makes me sad, you know? Should I punish you a bit?' Not truly realizing the danger that the three of them are in, they instead just rapidly nod their heads before standing stalk still, with me tilting my head at their actions, missing the shared look and communication that went unspoken.

'''Saya is scary.'''