Darkest Day (Pokémon Sw/Sh fanfic - rewrite available and in progress)

Hello, Galar

Eight years later...

It was a beautiful day to go on a cruise. The sun was shining, and there were no clouds in the sky. Once in a while, one could catch a group of Starly fly by. But those pokémon soon changed into various Rookidee the farther along the ship went.

Eliana was shook out of her content state when something splashed water over the railing, getting her prized Garchomp wet. The dragon's eyes immediately shot open, and it stood up to see who had disturbed its peaceful slumber.

A Wailmer had approached the ship, grinning mischeivously. Eliana laughed when Garchomp merely huffed and laid back down. It must not have been enough competition for his taste.

Next to Garchomp lay her Luxray. Its glossy black fur glistened in the sunlight, which was probably making it uncomfortable in all this heat. Lucario and Intelleon were next to their Trainer, intently soaking up the rays.

Eliana looked over the horizon, hoping to see some sort of sign that she was closer to Galar. But there was nothing but more ocean ahead. She sighed, resting her chin in her palm.

"Tell?"

Intelleon tilted her head, wondering why her Trainer was so down in the dumps even when they were going back home.

"Oh, I'm just exited," Eliana explained. "After all, it's been years. Eight, to be exact. I wonder how Leon's doing."

Intelleon nodded curtly in understanding. She was normally very understanding, but not much of one to talk.

Eliana tried to remember the last time she and Leon had spoken to each other. It had been a year ago over the phone. Even though she promised to call him again, things in Sinnoh had gotten a little out of hand. With Team Galactic running rampant in the streets and summoning gods out of thin air, she had gotten pretty busy.

She subconsciously clutched the one pokéball around her waist that hadn't been emptied for the trip. Memories of her encounter with Palkia were still fresh, and it still surprised her to this day that it had chosen to remain with her. The only reason she never let it out of its ball was because she was worried about hunters and, most importantly, social media. The pokéball quivered, establishing Palkia's presence. Even though it was a literal god, it was still very kind towards her and her teammates. That, and it towered over everyone without even trying.

She knew she could had used Palkia's powers to get herself to Galar, but she decided it was too selfish. So she decided to take a cruise instead, hoping to get the fresh air that she had been longing for since she had become Champion of Sinnoh.

The next Gym Challenge was in six months, so she didn't have to worry about being challenged anytime soon. She had to take a break from her duties sometime, right? Even Leon had said that he had to walk away from the buzz of the crowd after a while, and he was easily the most renowned Champion of all time. Hiding from the press was almost impossible.

Eliana decided that perhaps the limelight wasn't really for her. Leon had been more of the social kind. And it was good for him, too, as it would be harder for him to get lost on his way to somewhere important.

She sighed again, becoming more impatient the more she thought about returning home. So to take her mind off of things, she went to address her team.

"Alright, guys. And gal."

Intelleon rolled her eyes playfully.

"I know it's a long way from Sinnoh, but this is my home. I'm sure some of you aren't from Galar, so some people will want to take a good look at you." Eliana glanced at Luxray purposely, earning herself a smug grin from the lion-like pokémon. "Our first priority when we get there is to go to Hammerlocke, where we're supposed to meet up with a friend of Leon's. So please, don't go running off to sightsee."