“How’d I know I’d find ya out here?”

Annais looked up from where she and her Golisopod had been staring down at the valley.  She’d been spending more and more nights up here, alone for the most part, where her parents couldn’t hear or walk in on her crying. She didn’t know what was wrong with her lately.  Nothing had changed.  Sure, she was bored, but being bored doesn’t warrant being this depressed and desperate. Loneliness nagged at her too, despite being a constant in her life.  She had been so deep in thought tonight; she didn’t even hear or see his truck pull up. Quesalupa seated in front of her did nothing to warn her either.  He was too busy getting his head rubbed…  Some guard bug.

“The car was probably a dead giveaway,” she flatly joked, wiping her eyes hopefully before her father could see the tears.

“More like y’always ‘ran away’ to up here when your mama made ya mad.”

“That too…” she mumbled, embarrassed that her father had found her.

“Mind if I sit?” Wyatt asked.

She scooted over to give him room, and he seated himself beside her on the tailgate of her Jeep.

“Alright.  What’s wrong, princess?” he asked.  

“Just… Needed some air,” Annais lied.  “I’m fine.”

“No, ya ain’t,” he said. “You’ve been miserable for a while now.”

She frowned, but did not elaborate on her mood.

“It hurts me seein’ ya hurtin’ like this.”

She sighed.  Hurting her father was the last thing in this world she wanted to do.  Though, telling the truth may hurt him more.

“If I tell you, you won’t scold me?  Or make a big deal?” she asked in a small voice.  “It feels silly.  Don’t tell Mama, either.  She would definitely make a huge deal.”

“Annie,” he said, reaching for her hand.  “When have I ever shared one of our secrets?  When do I scold ya for somethin’ ya can’t help?”

Annais shook her head and exhaled heavily as she held her father’s hand.

“Well…. I guess I’m… bored?” she said.  “That… Feels very stupid to say out loud.  But it’s true.  Nothing is fun anymore.  Nothing is exciting.  I’ve filled the Pokédex around here.  I win every match without a sweat.  And I… I’m lonely, too…  I mean, I have you and Mama.  But I don’t know… No one else around here has much to do with me.”  She was beginning to tear up again.  It wasn’t easy being the black sheep of the region.  “Do… Do I scare them off?  Because I’m not like them?  Do they think I’m stuck-up cos I won’t let them win?  All I have are you and my Pokémon… And Vicia if she comes to visit.  It’s so hard to keep…”  She swallowed, looking away from him as she continued, not wanting to see his face as she said this. “It’s hard to keep living like this, Daddy.”

Wyatt was silent for a moment.  He took a deep breath himself before saying his next words.

“Have ya… thought about movin’?”

Annais whipped her head up.

“Moving?” she asked in disbelief.  “Like… Leaving you?”

Her father nodded.

“I just said you’re all I have!  I don’t want to be even lonelier!”

“Whoa, whoa… Don’t think I’m up here to kick ya out!” Wyatt laughed.  “I’m just thinkin’…  You’d probably be more likely to find some excitement an’ people like ya if y’went to another region.  It’s natural for a girl your age to want to leave a constrictin’ place like this, ‘specially one as free-spirited as y’are.”

Annais grew quiet, staring down at her house in the distance below.  Her father was right again, and she knew it.  There was nothing for her here.  There hadn’t been for a while.  But she’d never been without her parents long term.  The thought was terrifying.  She wasn’t used to being on her own.  When she had taken trips without them over the past few years to try to grow up and get over it, she was so paralyzed by social anxiety at times that she could barely ask directions or order her own food.  It had gotten slightly better through her efforts, but she worried she’d actually die without them if she moved.

“Annais,” he said in her silence.  “I’ve always known you’re special.  I’m not just sayin’ that as your father.  You’re too good for this region.  Your mind and imagination have always been too big for us small town folk to grasp. Ya have talent and drive that are just bein’ wasted in a place like this.  I think the only thing that will make ya feel better is if you go somewhere where ya can spread your wings.  The only thing that will let ya grow is if ya find a place that gives ya room to do so.”

“But…”  Her voice cracked.  “I-I’ll miss you.  It was hard enough without you that summer I stayed in Alola.”

“Annie, I’ll miss you too,” he said, ruffling her hair.  “Y’know I will.  But you’re missin’ so much more by holdin’ yourself back like this.  As much as it pains me to accept it, I know you’ll never truly be happy as long as ya live here.  You’ll never thrive in a place like this.”

Annais began to openly weep. She wasn’t happy.  She hadn’t been happy in a long time.  She didn’t see happiness on the horizon.

“Remember?  Y’came back from Alola in such a good mood. I’ve never seen ya smile that much. Ya finally had somethin’ to talk about. Y’came back stronger, had a bit of confidence.  Got this rascal.”  He patted Quesalupa, who chittered in appreciation.  “Y’came back so tough that they had to ask ya to switch out your battle team because no trainers were gettin’ past ya.”

Annais nodded, fighting back a smile as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“Now, I know Alola is too hot for ya to live there,” he said.  “Have ya thought about going to Galar?”

Annais lifted her head. “Galar?”

Her father nodded. “Yeah.  Galar.  Ya always wanted to move to Galar when you were younger, right?  I’m not losing my memory in my old age, am I?”  He pinched Annais, who laughed and shook her head. “Pretty sure ya wanted to live in that forest town.  The one with the glowing mushrooms.  And ya cried for a week when I told ya your mama wouldn’t want to leave Carolus.”

“Ballonlea… God, that was forever ago,” she said, ducking her head in embarrassment.

“Why doncha give it a try? Start out like a vacation.  How about stay for a few months and see how ya like it?  I think it’d be good for ya.  Galar is big, but it’s also united.  Y’won’t be so isolated like y’are here.”

She bobbed her head, considering what he was saying.

“Not gonna lie… I looked into it for ya.  Felt like this conversation was gonna come up sooner or later,” he said.  “Galar has a league that really weeds out the best of the best.  One of the most fiercely competitive an’ high profile in the world.”

Annais’s eyes lit up. Carolus didn’t have a league. They had gyms, mainly to help the coming-of-age crowd get adapted to the basics of living and working with Pokémon. There were no rankings, no Elite Four, nothing competitive about it.

“I read the other day that they’re missin’ an electric gym at the moment,” Wyatt told her.  “An’ they do accept leaders from other regions.  Their Fire Type leader is from Hoenn.  If y’wanted it, it could be yours.”

She frowned and shook her head.  “I don’t think I want to go to another region to do the same thing I’ve been doing…  I don’t think being a gym leader is for me… I’m kind of tired of sticking to one type.”

“Nah, I completely understand that.  Honest? You’re better’n a gym leader.  I think you could take the crown.”

Annais blushed, rolling her eyes.  Her father firmly believed she could part the sea if she set her mind to it.

“Hear their current champion has been reigning for like 10 years.  I saw that boy battle one time on the TV.  I know ya could take him on, an’ that’s just not my bias.  Most of them Galar trainers depend on this regional gimmick.  Y’know how to battle without it, Annie, so you’re already at the advantage.  Y’want excitement.  Y’want to prove yourself.  I think Galar’s the place for ya to do that.  There’ll be plenty of people ya can compete against, befriend… Maybe even more?”

He nudged her with this last line, causing her to giggle.

“You’re just sayin’ that.”

“Am not.  You’re a hopeless romantic, Annie.  But I don’ see ya fallin’ in love with any of our neighbors,” he said.  “They ain’t good enough for ya.  They couldn’t handle ya.  I know I raised ya to have high standards.  I’m sure Galar has all sorts of guys an’ gals that would be clamorin’ over a sweet an’ sassy country girl like ya.  They probably don’t meet ‘em too often.  Your accent alone’ll leave ‘em meltin’.”

She rolled her eyes again as she folded her arms in front of her chest.  “They have accents in Galar, Daddy…  Cute ones, too.”

“But they don’t have one like ours.  You’ll woo someone with your Carolian charm before ya even realize it,” he told her. “Think I remember seein’ Galar has a big music scene too, yeah?  Y’might find some little punk that’ll have ya head over heels.  You’re never gonna find that here.  An’ ya don’t deserve to end up an old maid.  You’re too pretty for that.”

She sighed, lowered her head and held her hands between her knees. Galar…  She had to confess that she liked the thought of it.  She had always wanted to live there.  She used to be obsessed with the culture when she was younger, to an embarrassing degree.  There would be so much more to do and see, and so many more Pokémon.

“That does sound awesome,” Annais admitted.  “But Mama won’t like this idea.”

“Your mama doesn’t like a lot of things, but it’s not her life.  If ya live your whole life tryin’ to keep your mama happy, you’ll drive yourself as crazy as I am.  I love that woman, but she ain’t easy to please.  That’s my job, anyway.”

“Yeah,” she said.  Whatever she decided to do, she could rest easy knowing her father would have her back and would be able to sweet talk her mother into accepting it eventually.  “… What about the gym?”

“What about it?”

“Who will run the gym?” Annais asked.  “You’re way too busy.”

“Your cousin?” suggested Wyatt.  “She looks up to you; she’d be thrilled to be your successor.  She had so much fun when she filled in for you when you were in Alola. An’ her companion is Emolga.  C’mon, Annie… Vicia is the obvious choice.”

“Oh, duh.”  Annais wanted to smack herself.  Vicia would kill to lead the gym.  She’d say yes without a second thought.  “You’re right.”

“Y’get a pass, Annie.  I know you’re tired,” he laughed.  “How about we go on home?  I’m starvin’, an’ I didn’t want to eat without ya at the table.”

Annais nodded.  She looked over at him.  “Hey, um…”

“Don’t worry,” he said, holding a finger over his lips.  “Not a word of this has been or will be spoken to your mother. If she asks, y’were trainin’ with Queso an’ lost track of time.”

At times she wondered if he was part psychic type, seeing as he always seemed to read her mind.

“Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around him.  He returned the embrace.

“Of course,” he said.  Once she released him, he got up off the tailgate.  “Now, are ya wantin’ to race me back?  That might liven up your evenin’ a little, yeah?”

“You’re on!” she said.