Pokémon Obsidian | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 115: The Future

Yan's work visa was approved. He left Cypress in charge of Team Magma in Hoenn. A part of him felt like he was abandoning Maxie's legacy that he worked so hard to preserve, but the Cipher experience made him realise that he couldn't dedicate his heart and soul to someone else's memory at the cost of neglecting himself.

He wasn't just moving to be with Aiko. Cypress had already lived while Yan took on the majority of Team Magma's workload. Now it was his turn. He knew he would learn much more about the world and life in Orre than he would in a cave in Jagged Pass.

Aiko waited in the arrivals hall. Hurtling at Yan as soon as she saw his face, she almost knocked him to the floor.

'Yan-Yan! You're hooooooome!'

She yelled loud enough for the entire airport to hear. People stared, but Yan only smiled. He indeed felt like he was home. Aiko's Swampert took his suitcase. He only brought clothes, notepads and his favourite books, mostly on languages. He didn't own much. Any scientific equipment they needed was already at the lab. Courtney and her kids kept everything up to date.

Swampert sat with Houndoom and Yan's Mightyena in the back of the company car Aiko drove. She switched the stereo on. While he was away, Yan listened to all of Aiko's favourite albums from ebullient pop to heavy metal, which he found he also enjoyed. They sang all the way to Quartz Town.

Holly suggested that they moved in with her, since the house was so big. Aiko refused.

'Yan-Yan's moved out of a cave and I've finally achieved world domination! We haven't come this far to move into a granny annex! Besides, we need our own big house to hold all our babies!'

That didn't mean Holly and Toru were free of Aiko's noise. Yan wasn't rich, but he wasn't poor either and Aiko inherited enough from Courtney for their combined funds to buy a house on the same street. There was no doubt about who lived there. Aiko painted Team Magma logos on the gates and mailbox. One of their buses was on the drive.

'You can live in our granny annex,' Aiko offered Lyndon, who she invited to dinner, 'I mean, we don't have one, but we could build one!'

'Er...'

Lyndon looked up at the modern house. Its long windows overflowed with light as the sun set.

'I was going to say you make too much noise, but... this seems like a waste of space. Maybe I'll take you up on that.'

Inside, deep red Team Magma flags clashed with pastel walls and furniture. Aiko didn't need the photos she hid in the microwave anymore. She covered the walls in photos of her and Yan together, along with her bandmates and family.

Kazuki and Clover were invited to dinner, too. He grimaced as he looked around.

'This place is way too bright...'

'Your place is way too creepy.'

The haunted house that Clover hoped to turn into a Ghost-type Gym was supposedly the scariest place in Orre, but the house they bought to live in was rumoured to be haunted, too. It was the first time it sold in over 70 years. The previous owner disappeared. Aiko hadn't actually seen any ghosts there, despite Clover's insistence they were 'hanging out' with them, but it still creeped her out. Kazuki seemed to be more unsettled by his sister's colourful home.

It was the following morning when Yan finally met Jamie at the lab. Kazuki was teaching him the Team Magma pose. Jamie felt awkward, because Yan had actually met him before as GoD, but that didn't show in his warm handshake. He still sensed that Jamie was uncomfortable.

'My grandfather almost ended the world. He fully intended to wipe out Pokémon. I still believe he was an admirable person. Please do not feel uncomfortable in my presence.'