Chapter Text
Through the square frame of the train car window, the Kalosian countryside flew by in a blur. Julie sat back in her seat and admired the view. The reds and oranges of the early morning sky had faded into a brilliant blue. A blanket of thick snow covered the trees and fields as far as the eye could see. A small village dusted with white was nestled into distant hills. From here, the cottages looked to be the size of Himiko’s dollhouse back home.
I wonder who lives there, Julie thought. Maybe between the conference events, she and Kieran could take Himiko there for a visit. It wasn’t every day they got to take their daughter on an adventure outside of Paldea.
In spite of the cold, the wild Pokemon were happily going about their daily routines. A flock of Fletchlings glided by on a gust of winter air, sending embers into the air with every flap of their wings. The firebirds twirled and sang without a care; the frigid temperatures didn’t bother them in the slightest. A Bibarel and two young Bidoofs played in the snow together near the tree line. A colony of Bunnelby and Diggersby watched curiously as the train car passed by. This sight especially delighted one of the youngest passengers.
“Mama, bunbun!” exclaimed Himiko, pointing a chubby finger at the Pokemon outside. “There!”
“You’re right. Let’s count how many there are.” Julie pointed at the Pokemon out the window. “One, two, three, four, five. Five of them.”
“Five of ‘em,” repeated Himiko, eyes wide with delight. That was a lot of bunbuns.
The largest Diggersby extended an ear upwards, and the rest followed suit.
“Look!” exclaimed Julie. “They’re saying hello!”
Himiko waved excitedly from her mother’s lap. “Hello, bunbuns!”
A gust of winter wind came rushing through the field. The group of Pokemon turned and scampered back into their burrow, eager to escape the cold.
Himiko sulked. “Bye, bunbuns...”
Kieran ruffled his daughter’s hair. “It’s ok, itty bitty. Maybe we’ll see some more bunbuns in Lumiose. I hear there are Wild Zones with lots of Pokemon there.”
Himiko looked up at her Papa curiously. “Loo-most?”
Kieran laughed softly. “Close! Lumiose is where we’re goin’.”
Himiko furrowed her little brow in concentration. “Loo-mee-ohs.”
“Right!” Julie kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Good job, Himiko.”
“You learned a new word today!” Kieran was grateful today’s word was one that was repeatable in public. He’d uttered a word worthy of a bar of soap after stubbing his toe yesterday. Unfortunately for him, Himiko had gotten that pronunciation right on the first try.
Himiko rested her head on her mother’s chest. “We there yet?”
“No sweetheart, just a little while longer.” She rubbed Himiko’s back. “Be patient.”
“Pay-shuns,” mumbled Himiko. Her eyes were already drooping shut. It was only morning, but she’d already been on quite the adventure.
Himiko, her Mama, and her Papa had left the house before the sun woke up today. They had gone to the airport, but to the little girl’s dismay, they weren’t going to visit Baasan and Jiisan in Kitakami. That fact had caused her immense distress in the middle of the concourse, but Mama and Papa calmed her down in record time. They’d boarded the plane, landed somewhere new, left the airport, got in a yellow car, and arrived at another place with lots of people. Now they were in this big thing called a ‘train’ with lots of new people, going to a new place to meet Mama’s friends from work. It was a lot for one little girl to process.
Himiko closed her eyes, comforted by the warm presence of her mother and the sound of her Papa’s voice. She might not know what Loo-mee-ohs was like just yet, but she knew she’d be safe with her Mama and Papa.
“She’s out like a light,” Kieran said softly. He tucked a stray strand of wild hair behind her ear. “Wish I could sleep in here like that.”
“Me too,” agreed Julie. The train and its passengers were just noisy enough to keep her from nodding off. “I can’t blame her, though. We woke her up pretty early today.”
“Yeah.” Kieran yawned. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been up at 3 AM on purpose.”
Julie smiled. “Might as well get some practice in before the summer, right?”
“Right.” Kieran put his arm around Julie’s shoulders and kissed her forehead. “How’re you feelin’?”
“Way better, now that we’re on the ground.” Julie sighed tiredly, recalling the plane ride from Paldea. “I’m just glad the train hasn’t been as shaky as the flight.”
Kieran grimaced. “Yeah, no kiddin’. I felt like we were on a roller coaster with all that turbulence.”
Julie looked out the window. In the distance loomed a giant walled city. “I’ll be so happy to see the hotel. Gloria said Harmony runs it with some friends of hers.” She pursed her lips, doing her best to recall the name. “Hotel Z, I think?”
Kieran arched an eyebrow. “That’s a weird name for a hotel. What’s the Z stand for?”
“Not sure, but I think there’s a story there. Something about the former owner, if I remember correctly.”
“Hm. Interestin’.” Kieran saw the city in the distance grow closer. “Is everybody in the conference stayin’ at this hotel? That’s a lot of people to put in one place.”
“I think so. Harmony said we got the last room.” She could hardly wait to sleep in a real bed.
“Wowzers, that’ll be somethin’ to see,” Kieran said admiringly. “A whole hotel full of the world’s strongest trainers.”
“And a whole weekend of battling and catching up with everyone. I’m really excited.”
“Your cousin’s comin’ too, right?”
“Yep!” She smiled warmly. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen Gloria. She can’t wait to meet you and Himiko.”
“Same here. Is Hop comin’ too?”
“He is, and he’s excited to meet you, too.”
Kieran’s eyes lit up with excitement, reminding Julie of their younger days. “Way cool!”
“Are you gonna make him sign your copy of the Journal of Pokemon Research?” Julie teased. “You’ve read his new article a dozen times.”
“Maybe.” Kieran grinned sheepishly. “Is that too dorky?”
“Not at all. I think it’s sweet.” Julie kissed his cheek. “I love you just the way you are.”
He returned the kiss. “I love you, too. Hey, while we’re here, you wanna do a date night?”
Julie nodded excitedly. “Absolutely! There are so many cafes I want to try. Harmony’s told me how good the food is here.”
“But no coffee,” Kieran reminded her. “No caffeine, no sushi, and nothin’ with raw eggs, remember?”
“I know, I know.” She pouted playfully. “You could have waited until after this trip, y’know.”
Kieran laughed, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers. An embarrassed blush colored his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself.”
She took his anxious hand in hers. “I’m just teasing you.”
“I know.” His smile wavered ever so slightly. “But if I’m bein’ too much, please tell me, ok? I know I worry a lot about you.”
“You’re not being too much, my love. You’re being a good husband.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for watching over us.”
He hugged her gently. His whole world fit comfortably in his arms. “Always.”
The train’s PA system chimed to life. “Our next stop will be Lumiose Station. Please prepare to disembark.”
Kieran glanced out the window. The sprawling old city grew closer every minute. “Looks like we’re almost there.”
Himiko blinked drowsily. “We there, Mama?”
“Almost!” Julie said cheerily. “Are you ready?”
Himiko buried her face into her mother’s chest. “No.”
Kieran laughed. “At least she’s honest.”
“She gets that from you,” Julie teased. She’d witnessed a similar reaction trying to wake him up this morning.
“True,” Kieran admitted. “But she gets everythin’ else from you.”
“Think so?” Julie studied her sleeping daughter’s face. She looked unmistakably like Kieran to her.
“I know so.” He rested his hand atop Julie’s. “I see you in her every day. The way she loves Midori, the way she loves to try new things, and how fired up she gets about helpin’ people – that’s all you.”
Julie smiled softly. “Is that so?”
Kieran nodded, a confident smile on his face. “It’s the absolute truth.”
“Who you think the new baby will take after?” Julie wondered aloud. “You or me?”
Kieran pursed his lips in thought. “Dunno. Maybe they’ll be a happy balance of both of us.” The thought of a little boy with Julie’s eyes and his hair came to mind. Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, but the idea felt wonderfully right to him.
“Do you think they’ll be a boy or a girl?” he asked curiously.
Julie shrugged. “Dunno yet. They’ve not given me any hints yet.”
“Maybe they will while we’re here.” Kieran hadn’t known what to think of the old wives’ tales his grandma and Carmine espoused during Julie’s first pregnancy. Hideko had predicted their first child would be a girl based on Julie’s cravings for sweet things. He’d rolled his eyes then, but had been stunned when she’d been proven correct. Maybe there was something to the old stories, after all.
“Either way, I know they’ll be the best of both of us.” Julie smiled serenely. “That much I know for sure.”
Kieran couldn’t ask for anything more. “That sounds perfect to me.”
The train rolled to a stop in Lumiose Station. The automatic doors slid open, and the passengers began to exit the car. The station filled with travelers eager to reach their destination. A crowd of tourists stopped to snap a picture of their surroundings, much to the annoyance of the native Kalosians. Tourists were a common sight in Lumiose, and they’d become a vital part of the city’s landscape in the years after the great disaster. It made them no less annoying.
Julie, Kieran, and Himiko huddled together in the crowd, slowly making their way to the exit. An impressive wrought-iron gate marked the entrance to the city. A uniformed man hustled from his post to unlock the gate, muttering apologies in Kalosian the whole time. He tucked his ring of keys into his pocket and swung the gate open with a smile.
“Bienvenue!” the man said cheerily. He outstretched an arm towards the archway behind him. “Merci de votre patience. Vous pouves maintenant entrer.”
The Koshou family followed the crowd through the stone archway. It was a tight fit for all the travelers to pass through the narrow pathway to the city. Kieran put an arm protectively around Julie’s shoulders, and Julie gripped the bar of Himiko’s stroller tightly. The last thing they needed was to get separated before their trip had even begun.
The crowd filed through the gate as one, but quickly dispersed. The locals dashed away in the direction of the business district, while the tourists made beelines toward the various restaurants and cafes. Julie and Kieran looked around in wonder at the bustling city around them. This place was a world apart from Mezagoza.
Lumiose City was a shining example of the past coexisting with the present. Tall buildings built from brick and iron loomed overhead, their windows glinting in the winter sun. The streets were paved with stone, arranged in intricate patterns that pedestrians had admired for centuries. If one ignored the taxis, Rotomphones, and holograms, they might believe they’d been sent back in time.
The people and Pokemon all seemed unbothered by the snow, Julie noted. Where her friends at home in Paldea would have paused to admire the beautiful sight, the citizens of Lumiose were going about as if it were just another day.
This place really is different, she thought. It reminded her a little bit of Motostoke, from the people’s mindset right down to the gated entrance.
Kieran was wide eyed. He felt more than a little out of place in a big city like this. “Wowzers, this place is huge!”
“Big,” agreed Himiko. She clutched her plush Applin tightly. Everything here was very big and very loud. It was nothing like home.
Julie leaned down to take her daughter’s tiny hand. “It’s ok,” she assured her. “We won’t get lost here, I promise. We’ll stay together, ok?”
“Ok,” said Himiko. This place was a little scary, but if Mama said they’d be safe, she’d be just fine.
Kieran took his Rotomphone from his pocket. “Did Harmony give you an address?”
“Yeah, it’s in my phone somewhere.” Julie looked around, hoping to find some signage that would point them in the right direction. “We might do better just looking up Hotel Z in Fetch Maps.”
Kieran typed the name into the search bar. In a matter of seconds, a result popped up onscreen. “Huh, look at that, it’s not far from here at all.”
Julie peered at the screen. “Looks like it’s in a nice quiet part of town, too. Even better.”
“Me see!” said Himiko. She stretched her arms upward towards her father’s phone.
He held the phone in front of her, pointing to a picture of a tall building covered in ivy. “Look Himiko, this is where we’ll be stayin’. Isn’t it pretty?”
The little girl studied the picture intently. After much consideration, she shared her sage opinion. “It’s old.”
“You’re right, it is old,” Julie admitted with a laugh. “But I think we’ll like it very much.”
Himiko huffed impatiently. She’d be the judge of that.
Suddenly, a cheerful electronic jingle filled the air. Julie, Kieran, and Himiko looked up, as did the citizens of Lumiose. A golden logo appeared on a giant screen mounted on a building up ahead. The logo sparkled, then disappeared in a burst of white light. In its place appeared a well-dressed man with pink-blond hair and a winning smile.
“Hello everyone!” the man began. “My name is Urbain Gaillard, and as the president of Quasartico Inc., I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the Pokemon League and all of our visiting champions. Lumiose City is proud to host this year’s Conference of Champions. We hope you enjoy your time here in our beautiful home.”
Urbain extended his arms, as if to embrace the city and everyone in it.
“Welcome, Champions, to Lumiose City!”
A majestic fanfare followed the grand gesture as the video changed to an aerial view of the city. The sun sunk into the west, and the city lights began to glow. Red holograms formed barriers around various locations. A message in bright red text appeared onscreen: Battle Zones activate at sunset every night!
“Battle Zones?” Kieran furrowed his brow. “Do they not have battle courts here?”
“No. They’re really strict about Pokemon battles here.” Julie recalled the list of rules Harmony had given her over the phone. “You can catch Pokemon whenever you want, but you can only fight trainers here at night.”
“Wowzers,” Kieran said. “It really is different here.”
Himiko stared in wonder at the flickering city on the big screen above. It was bigger and brighter than anything she’d ever seen. “Wowzers.”
Julie giggled. Himiko’s resemblance to her father went more than skin deep. Like father, like daughter. “C’mon you two, let’s get going. Harmony’s waiting for us.”
The family followed the map on Kieran’s Rotomphone, strolling through winding cobblestone streets. The sounds of the city slowly faded as they approached their destination. At the end of a quiet street, they came upon a time-worn brick archway. They passed under it and soon arrived in a small courtyard. Just ahead of them was an old brick building covered in vines. In spite of the cold, the ivy leaves were somehow green and glossy. The snow on the ground and windowsills sparkled in the sunlight. The old building looked downright magical.
“We made it,” said Julie reverently. Hotel Z looked even better in person than it did online.
“Pretty,” said Himiko. It reminded her of the castles in her storybooks.
“Yeah, real pretty,” agreed Kieran. He pocketed his phone and rubbed his gloved hands together. “Y’all ready to check in? It’s gettin’ cold out here.”
“Absolutely.” Julie winced against the cold breeze. “I need to unthaw.”
Julie took Himiko from her stroller while Kieran folded it up. She looked up at the building before her. The rooms above her were filled with the best trainers in the world, all gathered for a weekend of battling, socializing, and reconnecting. The conference was something she’d grown to look forward to in the years since she’d become the Light of Paldea. There was something about meeting others who had survived the champion’s challenge that made her feel less alone in the world. Having her family with her this time made the experience even more special.
She smiled. This weekend would be one to remember.
Together, the family ascended the stone steps. They passed through the doors of Hotel Z, and took their first steps towards a new adventure.
**