- Soul of Steel -

Chapter 30: Crossbred Legacies

Note: Artwork provided by https://twitter.com/Octobola

Syra shook herself awake. A part of her forgot where she was for a moment, but the weight of a remote and bowl of popcorn near her waist reminded her. It was nearly the end of her trip to Sinnoh, and Dawn had invited herself to a night of relaxation and hanging out at the hotel room Syra stayed at. It was pretty easy: the Sinnoh Champion had done her research on her before arrival and was able to bring a cheesy action flick that she hadn't seen in awhile. The promise of this plus a treated dinner after spending what felt like an arduous time in a land far away from her abode was enough to sway her. An empty DVD case, an Ultra Ball, Master Ball, opened bag of Shrimp Flavored Chips, small bowl of dip, lightly opened box of Sinnohian Cookies, and a half-drank bottle of Golden Razzberry Liquor lay on a small coffee table in front of the TV. For a moment, she wondered how long it had been since Dawn wasn't on the couch with her anymore. Dawn lay snoring in the other portion of the penthouse suite where another bed lay. The lavish hotel room that was booked for Syra would be so hard to walk away from once the trip was over.

She tried to stay quiet as she got her bearings. /What time is it..? I must have napped pretty hard. I feel so awake now./ Glancing at the clock next to her own bed, she saw the red digital numbers say '11:08'. /Damn, only napped for an hour and a half? To the pissing news channel?/ Thinking on that, she thought in her head of the time differences between herself there in Sinnoh, and home, Galar. /It's the afternoon back home. I should check in with someone at least before I get back on a plane.../

Stepping out onto the balcony, Syra felt the cool air hit her immediately. "Okay wow, I'm even more awake. Phew." Placing both hands on the railing, she looked over Veilstone City before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "It's going to suck leaving such nice sights...but I have responsibilities." Turning away for a moment, she brought her Rotom Phone out, dialed a number, then sat down on the chair that was on the balcony with her.

After a few rings, she heard the familiar click of the call being picked up. "Syra, hey!"

Syra's cheeks flushed red and smiled bright. "Holly, hi! I'm not calling at a bad time, am I?"

The longtime friend to Syra chuckled, and could be inferred that she was shaking her head. "No, not really. I welcome the call. For the moment I'm helping Nessa and Haru with their wedding planning as well as Haru's upcoming sanctuary."

"Oh right, he did tell me about that; how's that going for you? What exactly has to be done?" Reclining in her seat, Syra propped her feet up via a stool.

Holly was heard taking a breath, scratching her chin. "Well...for one thing a lot of what needs to be done for the location of the actual ceremony is almost set in stone. I think. Nessa and I are coordinating with some folks who can make sure the whole thing is privately isolated with no chances of paparazzi getting wind of the event. They know the two of them are getting married; they don't need nor want to deal with crowds of stupid journalists looking for a scoop on the most special day. As for Haru's sanctuary, we're getting some help not just from applicants in Galar...but nearby locales.." the sounds of Holly flipping through papers is heard. "...Kalos and Hoenn. Specialists coming from those areas are going to be a big help for him and the conservation efforts."

Syra hummed. "Hoenn had to deal with nearly getting wiped off the map, and Kalos had some dumbass who tried to kill everybody by summoning some old 'weapon', right? That's what you told me, anyways."

"Right you are, sis." Holly said, agreeing. "So tell me, how was the trip to Sinnoh? Your final day is tomorrow."

Feeling what Holly was going to be asking, Syra stood up, walked back into the hotel room for a brief moment, then returned outside, carrying the Master Ball. She sat back down and lightly examined it by rolling it in the palm of her hand. "Pretty surreal that it's already almost over." She would say as her eyes lovingly looked at the purple ball with a sense of accomplishment. "A whole lot happened here that I never imagined I'd experience in my lifetime. I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get back home."