1,434Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Harry Potter
Epilogue
Two years tonight marked the Vali's exit of the pokemon battling world with nary a whisper, the only contact anyone seemed to have with her was a scattering of ash scarred letters delivered randomly to show she lived. Lance felt frustrated as he looked across the mountains stretched out around him. Despite the small efforts he'd started up after the first two months of no-contact, he hadn't been able to go looking for her. Diaval hugged him lightly and let out a soft croon. Lance reached up and rubbed his cheek, "We'll find her, Bud."
"Find who, Dragon-Boy?" A familiar voice aged a bit came from beside him.
Lance swung around and found Vali standing there. She'd grown her hair out a bit more and there were a few more white patches than before. A scar sat underneath her left eye. She had a few feathers from some kind of bird-pokemon braided into her hair on the left side. She was taller though still shorter than him by a head. Diaval let out a joy-filled coo and went to grab her, "Vali?"
"The one and only," Vali replied as she hugged Diaval with a grin and snuggled into the dragon, "Miss me?"
"Of course," Lance wondered how she snuck up on him, "Where have you been?"
"Somewhere I can't relay on orders of a Legend," Vali told him seriously and Lance jolted a bit at the look on her face, "But I'm back now,"
"You're finished training?" Lance asked as Diaval released her.
Vali nodded as she held out a hand and a fireball formed above it, "I've got a bunch of new tricks. We all do," She gestured behind herself and he looked to see Empress settled on the rocky ground as a Salamence, "So shall we spend some time catching up for a bit or is the darling dragon champion too busy for an old friend?"
"Of course!" Lance agreed quickly earning a grin, "So it was a legend?"
"Try an ancient Moltres far bigger than anything you could imagine," Vali answered and launched into her story.
"You know trying to giving a girl an Ice-type when she was heading into what could be described as a hellscape isn't considered a good idea," Steven gasped softly and swung around towards the window of his new office where Vali's voice was coming from, "But considering the magic aspect, you didn't make too bad a choice," Vali grinned at him, "Pretty big office, Champion Steven Stone,"
"Vali!" Steven couldn't stop himself from shouting and rushing towards her.
Vali let out a laugh and got off the windowsill to meet him in a hug, "Been awhile, Steven. I missed you a lot."
"I missed you too," Steven hugged her tightly, "What happened to you?"
"A lot," Vali didn't let him pull away when he started to, "The last two years took almost everything we had just to survive. We nearly lost everyone, Steven," She shook against him and he felt the heat of her tears on his jacket, "Smaug almost lost his tail. Balto nearly got gutted three fucking times. Everyone...He...He wanted us to be strong..."
"Vali..." He hugged her tight.
"But we survived, we're stronger now," Vali shuddered softly, "But it feels like it won't be enough,"
"It'll be enough," Steven didn't know what exactly to say, "It'll be enough, Vali,"
Vali nodded slowly after a few moment and pulled away sniffing softly, "S-sorry."
"It's okay," Steven said eyeing her for a moment, "Now since you came all the way to Hoenn and I've got some time, I think it's time for a tour,"
Vali brightened and nodded, "I'd like that."
Looking out over Pallet Town after two years and a month of spending time with her various friends, Vali smiled softly with Balto and Smaug on either side of her. Elrond spoke from her shoulder, "So your Elite trial is in two months per Lance's message this morning, are we going to train?"
"Soon," Vali replied as she watched a familiar Pidgeotto fly over the town, "For now, it's time for us to relax and actually go home for once. After all, we've put it off for a month,"
"Hey, we deserved that month," Smaug chimed in, "I needed that rematch with Diaval,"
"You still lost," Balto retorted earning snickers through their connection and a growl from Smaug, "But let's go see everyone. It's time to go see Delia and the pups,"
Vali nodded as she began to walk slowly down towards Pallet Town remembering a familiar walk in the opposite direction. Back then she'd been young and just a bit stupider and naiver, the pokemon beside her a bit different and she now lacked the travel companion she'd had back then.