What the Wind Carries [Pokémon Black and White 2 fanfiction]

End| What the Gales Brought

Four years later...

The sun hung low in the sky, dappling the roofs of the weathered mountaintop buildings with patterns of orange and yellow light. The breeze blew low and steady, bringing with it several stray flower petals and the renewing scent of a beginning spring.

   A young man, no older than eighteen, stood alone in the highest building watching the sun approach the horizon. Some may have thought being alone all the time would get boring quickly, but it was his job to wait for challengers to arrive. After all, he was the Champion of the Unova region. At any moment he could be presented with a fierce battle, and he reveled in every second of anticipation.

   Once the hour struck four in the afternoon, the young Champion silently left the building and made his way down the massive flight of stairs that was the Champion's Approach. He took his time, aware of the possibility that he could trip. After spending an excruciating amount of time descending the staircase, he reached the bottom.

   He then placed his hands on a small panel mounted on a pillar at the Approach's base and closed his eyes, waiting for the warp tile to bring him back to the Elite building's entrance. He had never fully gotten used to the transportation and the stomach-churning sensation it gave him whenever he used it. All he could do was grit his teeth and wait for it to be over. The spiraling stopped and he found himself in front of the statue built in the center of the Elite building. The young man took a moment to compose himself and left the building.

   The outside air was a lot cooler than he expected and he knew that his journey would be a chilly one. He removed an Ultra Ball from his belt and let out the bird Pokémon that resided within it. Traveling by foot was always so time-consuming, and the Champion thought it would be best that he procured himself a Pokémon capable of using Fly. He stroked the bird's red and navy blue feathers and asked, "Paitra, could you Fly me to Aspertia City?" Paitra crowed happily and allowed the Trainer to climb onto his back. "Okay, let's Fly!" the Trainer said. Paitra took off into the air and began flying south.

   The journey that usually took most Flying Pokémon at least three hours, Paitra made in half the amount of time. The southwestern portion of Unova came into view much faster than the Champion had expected, and he clung to Paitra's feathers for dear life when the bird dove towards the ground. Paitra abruptly pulled up and the pair landed in the Champion's hometown: Aspertia City, which had since become a bustling metropolis.

   The teen swiftly made his way through the busy city streets, amazed at how quickly the city had grown. He wasn't focused on any of the new attractions that had been built in the city, his goal was to get to the city's lookout.

   After getting to the steep hill's base and climbing two short flights of stairs, the teen made it up to the lookout point. He was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia. Four, nearly five years ago, he and two other people had received their first Pokemon at this exact spot. He could still remember the moment when he chose his starter, who was but a tiny Oshawott. That very same starter rested in his Poké Ball on his Trainer's belt, but the Samurott he had become was a far cry from the simple Pokémon he used to be. It was on that fateful day when both the Trainer and the Oshawott's lives truly began. And here they were, right back where it had all started.

The teen scanned the mostly-empty viewing platform with hopeful eyes and saw the two people he had come all the way out here to see.

   "Rosa! Hugh!" he called out, waving to them as he did so. The other teens heard their names being called, and they turned to see the young Champion.

   "Nate, it's so good to see you," Rosa said welcomingly.

   "It's been ages, how've ya been?" Hugh asked.

   Nate smiled at his twin sister and his best friend. "I'm doing great! What have you two been up to?"

   "It's been getting kind of crazy around the lab. The professor wants me to investigate the Relic Castle next week. Apparently, the archeological team based there discovered some murals depicting Volcarona and she wanted me to check them out," Rosa said, brushing her short-cut hair out of her eyes. Once she had completed the Unova Pokédex, Professor Juniper was more than happy to accept Rosa as her newest assistant. A few weeks into her job, Rosa figured that having her hair shorter would be more practical, and the hair she had kept down to her hips for most of her life was turned into the well-fitting pixie-cut she now sported.

   "What about Bianca? Why isn't she going with you?" Nate asked.

   "Hilbert surprised her with a vacation to Humilau City, and they won't be back until next month," Rosa said.

   "At least it sounds like they're doing well," Nate remarked. "How 'bout you, Hugh? What's it like being on the force?" After what had happened in the Giant Chasm, every remaining member of Neo Plasma had been found except for the Shadow Triad, which had mysteriously vanished. Soon after Nate became Champion, Hugh was approached by a man in a brown trench coat who claimed to be working for the International Police. He asked for Hugh's assistance in tracking down the Triad since he knew so much about them and Ghetsis refused to talk when interrogated. Hugh took this as a sign that it was his task to track the rouge Triad down and bring them to justice, so he accepted the job and became a member of the International Police force.

"We tracked them to Twist Mountain but we lost their trail in the mountain range itself. It doesn't matter though, I won't give up until I find them," Hugh replied with confidence. He was nothing like the fourteen year-old who was previously scared of Kage and the others, and definitely not the terrified nine year-old he had been nearly ten years ago. Seeing that Hugh was now more than happy to accept help from others at his new job filled Nate with a kind of happiness he couldn't describe. Even four years after he had first promised, Hugh was letting other people help him with his problems. Hugh then smiled brightly, as if he was remembering something. "Oh yeah, on a lighter note, I got a call from a certain Trainer the other day telling me that she had won her second badge."

   "Who?" Rosa asked.

   "Lily, obviously!" Hugh replied with a hint of pride. "I can't believe how strong she and Pearls are already. You better watch out, Nate. You might have some competition in the upcoming months!"

   "We'll have to see about that," Nate laughed, leaning up against the lookout railing. The three continued chatting until the sun had almost fully set. They talked about their lives, their new jobs, and reminisced about the days they had spent traveling together when they were fourteen. They spoke of anything that came to mind. The three never seemed to run out of things to talk about. The time they could spend together nowadays was sadly limited and they wanted to savor whatever precious time they had. The end of the day came about all too quickly, and the three friends had to part ways.

   "When's the next time we can meet up? I might be free two weeks from now," Hugh said hopefully.

   "I'll have to check my schedule, but I think I'll be available," Rosa responded.

   Nate was about to respond when something caught his eye. In the sky above the last bit of sun that peeked over the horizon, traveling at a near blinding speed, was a white silhouette trailing a line of orange behind it. The line faded into the encroaching darkness, almost like sparks from a fierce fire dying out.

   "That sounds like a plan," he said, not taking his eyes off the silhouette. "And even if we can't meet up then, we'll do it soon enough." Rosa and Hugh noticed that Nate wasn't looking at them, and they searched the sky for what had caught his attention. They both noticed the being and stared at it in disbelief.

   "Is that..?" Rosa stopped halfway through her sentence, too shocked to continue. She didn't need to finish, all three of them were thinking the same thing.

   The trio watched until it was gone, fading into the night like a dream upon awakening. Nate felt a small smile creep across his face and he said, "As for for somebody else... it looks like their wait is finally over."