From Trainer to Beast Tamer Pokémon Trainer! Reader x Twisted Wonderland

Lost in Briar Valley Pt 4

Visit 2 people. Probably gonna be shorter than visit one...maybe.
Lost In Briar Valley AU Pt 4

"Get back here, you little troublemaker!" A young teen jokingly warned as she chased after the laughing Noibat, her cap firmly between his teeth.
The now thirteen year old (Y/N) Stone ran through Reflection Cave, tailing the flying Pokémon, her nimbleness serving her well as she ducked and weaved around the stalagmites and rock formations.
"(Y/N), slow down!" The voice of Diantha, champion of the Kalos region, echoed from behind her. "I don't want you to wander off with all of those strange reports."
"I'll be fine!" (Y/N) yelled back, not taking her eyes off the Sound Wave Pokémon. "But I'm not letting this little guy get away with my favorite hat!"
Diantha sighed, shaking her head. "Where on earth does she get all that energy?"
"Oh, leave her be." Professor Sycamore said with a laugh as he followed behind her. "Her partner isn't going to let anything happen to her. Besides, you remember what being a trainer was like at that age: the world begging to be explored, feeling ready to take on any challenge that comes, getting into all kinds of trouble. At least that's how I remember it, and I wasn't even a strict battler."
The champion smiled. "I suppose you're right, Professor. And a good trainer can't be lacking for passion. The Hoenn region will be in good hands, though I can't take much credit for it."
"You're doing a fine job. I wouldn't have guessed (Y/N) was your first student, but I guess it helps when your student makes it easy for you."
"She's a good kid." Diantha then made her expression serious. "Back to the mission at hand. You're certain the strange readings are coming from in here?"
The Professor nodded. "Yes, though it took me a bit of time to pinpoint due to Reflection Cave's natural oddities. At first, I thought it was an anomaly related to Mega Evolution, but then we started receiving reports of Pokémon disappearing then reappearing, and people having visions of other worlds."
"Ultra Wormholes?" Diantha offered, only for Sycamore to shake his head.
"I've spoken to Professor Kukui on the matter. According to him, it's similar to Ultra Wormholes, but too distinct to be the same phenomenon. It does make me feel concerned. That's not all though. A rumor has circulated that Xerneas was spotted near here."
Diantha's eyes widened. "Xerneas? Why would the legendary guardian life be drawn here?"
"I don't know, but something tells me something is very wrong if Xerneas felt the need to interfere."
"Then we should hurry. (Y/N)!"
Deeper in the cave, Noibat seemed to have finally shaken the trainer. Before he could do a victory spin though, the girl leapt from one of the protruding crystal formations and snatched the little Pokémon from the air. The two were laughing as they landed.
"I win." (Y/N) declared in a sing-song voice, taking her cap back. "And I'll take this back, thank you very much."
She placed her cap firmly back on her head and then released Noibat. The little bat circled around her, wanting to continue their game.
"Hey, I know you want to keep playing, but I've got to go back and help Diantha and Professor Sycamore figure out what's going on here. If whatever's happening isn't stopped, people and Pokémon could start getting hurt. I don't suppose you know where to start searching?"
"Noi!"
The little bat flew off deeper into the cave, stopping only to make sure the human was following. Deciding to trust the little Pokémon, (Y/N) ran after him, passing the many reflective walls that gave the cave its name.
"Noi!" Noibat yelped, landing and pointing his wing at a particular spot along the wall.
Unlike the rest of the cave, this wall wasn't reflective, but glowing, so much so (Y/N) couldn't see anything. As she crept closer, Noibat hopped onto her shoulder and wrapped his wings around her neck. Against her better judgment, (Y/N) reached out to touch the wall. The second her fingers brushed the surface, there was a blinding light, forcing her to close her eyes. The air around her turned chilled and a moment later, she opened her eyes to see she was surrounded by a wintery forest. Her first thought was a mischievous psychic type had decided to teleport them outside of Reflection Cave given it was winter time in the Kalos region, but something in (Y/N)'s gut told her this was something else. The layout and flora of the area was all wrong and the temperature was much more frigid than it should be, making the girl grateful she had bundled up so much for the expedition. Noibat yipped as an icy wind swept through and he immediately dove into the girl's jacket, shivering.
(Y/N) chuckled, patting the Pokémon when he peeked his head back out. "Yeah, I don't like the cold either. Tell you what: you can stay in there and we can keep each other warm. That sound fair?"
"Noi-bat!" The Sound Wave Pokémon agreed, nuzzling under her chin.
"Glad you're on board. Now, first thing's first: where the heck are we?"
Given the cold weather and the terrain, (Y/N) almost believed she was back in the Sinnoh region, but something told her that wasn't the case. The forest didn't feel right for the region, and something about this unfamiliarity actually felt...familiar.
She sighed. "Guess we're walking. What a day to leave Starraptor and Flygon behind..."
For a long time, the two hiked up the road. When the sun began to dip a little too low for her liking, (Y/N) let out Houndour, picking him up so she could conserve more heat.
"Sorry about this Houndour."
The dark type licked her cheek, showing there were no hard feelings. In contrast, (Y/N) could feel poor Noibat shivering under her jacket and adjusted it more to try to mitigate the cold.
"We've got to get out of- hm?"
Something caught the girl's eye up the road: a short body crumpled up, likely unconscious due to how little they seemed prepared for the cold. The girl immediately ran for them, rubbing their arms as she urged her fire type to lie on top of them to try to warm them up.
"Hey! Are you okay!? Listen, you've got to wake up! Come on, wake up!"
(Y/N) shook the individual hard, and felt something stir in them. Quickly she turned them over to their side to keep talking to them, but froze as she met a familiar pair of red eyes. Their face was youthful, almost as much as her own and despite the bitter cold, they were smiling at her with a distant look.
"Funny...freezing to death, and it's your face I see again...(Y/N)..."
The stranger lost consciousness again, and the girl began to panic, shaking them again.
"No, no, no! You've gotta stay awake! If you fall asleep, you'll die! Talk to me, please! How do you know my name!? Why do I know you!?"
The stranger did not respond and with few options, (Y/N) ran around the trees, gathering tinder. Fortunately, Cynthia had taught her several tips about surviving in the snow, so she knew where to gather it. Getting as much as she could carry, she quickly had Houndour dig out a pit and light the kindling. A small fire began to burn, and though it was weak, it should be enough to wake up the stranger. (Y/N) looked at him from across the flames, digging into her memories as she tried to remember who this person was. He knew her, she knew him. His face felt fuzzy in her mind, like something from a dream from long ago.
A dream...
"Keep that joy and that kindness and the drive in your heart, and I believe that same force that brought us together will let us meet again someday."
Her eyes widened as she felt a tear slip down her cheek, the memories rushing back to her.
"Lilia?"
A loud bark cut her off as Noibat hid his face in her jacket and Houndour bore his teeth, hackles raised. A large, fluffy canine came barreling up the road, attached to a sled, immediately running to the girl, wagging its tail. (Y/N) signaled Houndour to back off as she greeted the hound with pets.
"HEY OVER THERE! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT!?"
An older gentleman came into view, and (Y/N) sighed in relief.
"Please help! My friend's unconscious and I can't wake him up! He doesn't have anything for the cold!"
The old man had a kind look to him, his hair a faded shade of lavender and his eyes set for action.
"Oh dear, what are you children doing up on the mountain at this hour?"
"We..." (Y/N) didn't really know how to explain this situation, especially since she had no clue what Lilia was doing here. "We're lost?"
The man quickly gave her a once over before checking up on Lilia.
"I better take you kids back home on the sled. Though, I don't know if Teddy here can handle all three of us."
"Houndour can help!" (Y/N) said as the dark type barked in agreement.
The old man looked a bit hesitant. "You sure? He's a bit small for sled pulling."
(Y/N) nodded. "Trust me, he's a lot stronger than he looks!"
The old man took her word for it and with her assistance, loaded Lilia into the sled and hooked up Houndour. Just as she insisted, Houndour gave Teddy a run for his money, and mercifully quick, the man whistled as they came to a stop in front of a sturdy looking cottage.
"You weren't kidding about that little guy! You ever considered sledding as a career, young lady?"
She laughed as she jumped off the sled. "We don't get enough snow where I'm from for that, sir."
He waved her off. "Just call me Pops. So, what brings you and your friend to our neck of the woods this time of year? It's mighty dangerous up on those mountain."
"Um, well...I don't know how I ended up on those mountains. I was exploring a cave, and the next thing I know I was out there."
"Huh, well I'll be darned if I've ever heard something like that happening. I heard some stories from well beyond here about people appearing from thin air, but I always chalk that up to fairy tales."
"It's not even the first time it's happened to me." (Y/N) muttered under her breath as she and Pops pulled Lilia from the sled and began to drag him to the house.
"What about this fellow? You just happened to come across him when you did?"
She nodded. "Yeah, we were looking for a way off the mountain, and I found him on the trail."
Pops smiled. "Well, I'll say he's a lucky duck a kind stranger came when they did. I don't know if me or Teddy would've spotted him without that fire."
"Thanks, Pops, but we're not actually strangers. Lilia and I have met before."
"Well, ain't that something. Where'd you meet?"
"Funny enough, this has happened to me before, appearing in different locations out of nowhere. The last time it happened, Lilia and I met and we had this crazy adventure." She smiled at the fae, but it slipped into a frown. "But, then I had to say goodbye. It hurt, because he's a really good friend of mine, and then on top of that, I almost forgot about him."
"I reckon maybe that's why you showed up here." Pops suggested, visibly confusing the girl. "See, I've heard tales of people being sent where they're needed. Your friend here needed help and then you showed up. I'd say that counts for something."
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, yeah you're right!"
"Though I'd recommend getting that magic under control, young lady. You don't want to keep popping up in strange places all by yourself."
"Oh, I'm never alone." (Y/N) assured, smiling down at Houndour who walked beside her. "I've got my friends like Houndour."
"Dour!" The Dark Pokemon barked.
She then looked down at the bundle hiding in her jacket. "And I even have a new friend with me. Wanna come out and say hi to Pops, Noibat?"
Cautiously, Noibat peaked his head out from the jacket, looking up curiously, which caused Pops to laugh.
"Well look at that! I've seen my fair share of fruit bats but never one that big. Real cutie though! Swear, my wife's gonna love you kids."
(Y/N) laughed as they stepped on the porch. "Thanks for bringing us here, Pops. Let me know if I can do any-,"
"Nonsense." The old gentleman cut her off. "We've got grandkids your age. I know I'd want this kindness shown to them if they were in your shoes." He then unlocked the door, leading the group inside. "Senna! We've got company!"
An older woman in an apron stepped out of what seemed like a kitchen if the smell was to be believed. She immediately became shocked at the sight of them.
"Oh dear! All of you inside before you catch your deaths!" Pops closed the door behind them as Senna began to examine the still unconscious Lilia. "Poor thing. Milo, take him upstairs to the beds so we can get him warmed up. Sweetie, you come with me and I'll fix you up some tea."
"Thank you, Mrs. Senna." (Y/N) responded, trusting Houndour to help Pops get Lilia upstairs.
The older woman smiled fondly, ushering her into the kitchen. "What a polite girl, but call me Ma, dearie."
Ma luckily already had a pot of tea boiling on the wood stove, smelling faintly of apples. Actually, everything around here smelled like apples, not that (Y/N) was complaining. She quickly fixed a cup for the girl and for Noibat once the little guy crawled out of his hiding spot to roost by the fire. She then asked the girl to explain everything.
"What an adorable thing." Ma said fondly as she watched Noibat happily sip the tea. "But I have to say, that was quite a story, (Y/N). It was good luck Pops and Teddy found you when they did."
"Yeah." She agreed, looking out the window to peer at the worsening storm. "I don't think we would've lasted that long out there, and I don't think I would've been able to find this place in time."
"Well, the important thing is Pops found you both, though you two outta stay and wait out the winter with us."
"Are you sure?" (Y/N) asked. "I don't want to be a burden."
Ma waved her off. "Don't give it another thought, dearie. I couldn't live with myself sending two kids and their gaggle of adorable critters out into the cold! Besides, us old folk love the company when we can get it."
(Y/N) laughed as Pops entered the kitchen, being met with a warm cup of tea from his wife.
"Your friend's all settled upstairs, but that pup of your insisted on staying put with him."
"Houndour will make sure he's warm." (Y/N) assured. "If Lilia wakes up, he'll tell us."
"Smart thing then, ain't he?" Pops noted before getting a serious look. "I'm sure my wife has already insisted you bunk with us until the winter's over, (Y/N). Winters here are something fierce. I know you said you come from far off, but is there any way to reach your folks? A letter or a magic doohickey?"
(Y/N) set her tea down, shaking her head. "I don't think that's possible, even without the storm. My guardians are just too far away. As for Lilia..." The memory of Lilia's exile came back to her, along with the emotions of pain, sadness, and rage as her fists clenched. "I don't think there's anyone to reach for him."
"Oh my." Ma said before placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't you worry dear. Your friend's lucky to have someone like you to look after him. Now, why don't we get some food into all of ya?"