Secrets of Galar (Ash x reader)

Chapter Thirty Six: The L/N Mansion

As her foot left the plane's last step, it took off in a flash, leaving Y/N back in the beautiful city of Wedgehurst. As Espeon teleported back to where she now was, she felt a somewhat dawning apprehension. It was one thing to confront her dreaded past, but another altogether to return to the mansion, the one she hated with a passion. 

But time waited for no one.

With a halt, she stepped in front of the door, which was coated in a thick layer of dust. The house seemed to be in fine condition, although there were some parts falling off like doors and windows. She didn't seem at all surprised at the house, choosing to ignore its appearance and rush into the middle of it.

"Cinderace, light the torches." she said.

All at once, about four dozen torches lit up in the dim hallway. Upon closer examination, Y/N saw that Zacian and Zamazenta were carved into the bases. She remembered that her family had always had a fascination for the two Legendary Pokemon of Galar, and she also researched them herself. However, she despised her family methods of capturing the Pokemon and simply treating them like worthless objects.

But now her family was gone.

So what was she to do now? Technically, as the last member of the House of L/N, she was the heir to all the remaining things that her family possessed, if she could even find them, that was. She supposed that her parents wouldn't have left their most treasured possessions at their mansion, as it would be too risky, but...

Maybe it was there...

She ran up a spiral staircase and into the Great Library. Despite her love for books, her parents had forbidden her from coming in there, much to her suspicion. She didn't think there was anything that was remotely secretive in there that needed to be hidden from her. On the day her parents returned to Aether Paradise to organise funding for one of their plans, Y/N purposefully strayed away from their trip and returned home via teleportation. There, she picked the lock for the library door with a hairpin and pushed it open. At first glance, it seemed like a normal library, the kind you would see at a university. Books covered the entirety of the floor, some pristine, some ragged with wear.

'Home sweet home, huh?' she said quietly to Cinderace. 'Except the "sweet" part isn't really present.'

Cinderace knew just as well as she did that this mansion had once been their home. Of course it was against the rules for Y/N to have a Pokemon of her own, so she had to find a way to hide Cinderace. Since Y/N was supposed to be a scientist, her parents found no need for her to have a Pokemon, and so spent their days making use of her in the laboratory. 

'Well... Let's search, shall we?'

And those words brought about days of searching, to no avail, until they finally gave up on their search.

'It's not there,' muttered Y/N. 'I was a fool for believing it could be. Of course my parents wouldn't leave it there.'

Carefully making her way outside the mansion so no one could see her, she looked back on the aged mansion. What did she feel towards it exactly? Was it even contempt she felt? Or was it...something else?

She saw to her surprise that the door was coated in a thick layer of snow, and as was the rest of Wedgehurst. Looking around quickly, she realised what day it was.

'It's Christmas.' she whispered.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm back! (Well, kind of, since I was already updating some of my other books before this. I was really busy, so I didn't have time to update, but I figured, "Hey, it's Christmas!" So let this chapter (and the next) be a present from me to you. I'm really looking forward to New Year's Eve too ^^