~ A Promise ~

It was a cold and quiet night in the Galar region, where a rainstorm was pouring over the small town of Postwick. One house was still awake, and the reason was tragic.

(Picture it at night and raining)

In the attic room, a doctor and a nurse tried their best to help nurse a woman back to health. However, their efforts were in vain, for she was slowly fading.

"Doctor, isn't there anything we can do?" the nurse asked, hoping she'd receive a positive answer.

The said doctor shook his head, "We did everything we could to cure her illness, much less slow it down. But. . ."

"Not even the remedies she's created helped?" The nurse looked back to the ailed woman who lay in bed.

The said, ailed woman was well-known in Galar, the kind and wise herbalist and former songstress back in Ballonlea. Kaitlynn 'Cosmo Magus, otherwise known as Galar's Angel. She was a well-known singer who amazed many souls with her angel-like voice. Her gentle nature and loving attitude added more to her beauty, especially in her work as an herbalist. She made remedies and tonics that helped both people and Pokémon alike.

She later settled down from fame as a singer and soon married and had a child. No one knows much of her husband or of his origins; however, he was as kind and good-hearted as Kaitlynn. But, after six years, he suddenly disappeared.

Kaitlynn didn't seem to mind; in her words, "He comes and goes as he pleases to provide for us and our daughter. And I know he'll come back in the most unexpected way." all with a smile.

As loving and pleasant as that sounded, the doctor and the nurse wondered, where in the name of Arceus is the husband now?

The sound of splashing footsteps echoed through the town streets. A small girl and two young boys dashed through the dreary rain with a shiny Pikachu perched on the girl's shoulder. The girl and the boy were both ten years old, but the girl was older by a year. The other young man was fourteen, and all three rushed to the cottage.

"Pika! Pikachu!" (Slow down, Lia! You'll fall!) Pikachu cried out, worried.

"I can't Pikachu! I have to hurry! I need to be there for her!" the girl cried out, with heart-braking tears falling from her eyes.

"We're going to make it Lia. Don't worry, Aunt Kait will still be there!" The young teen, Leon, assured her. But even he had a deep sense of dread inside him.

The minute they made it to the front steps of the door. They busted through and rushed up the stairs to the attic bedroom.

"Mommy!" Lia cried out, rushing to her mother's bedside.

The said woman, who took shakingly but rough breaths, slowly opened her eyes and turned to the child, who looked at her with such sadness and pain as tears kept falling from her beautiful indigo-violet eyes. But all the woman could do was smile at her to make her feel better.

"My Lianara, did you have a good time in Kanto? I bet you caught many Pokémon there; did you make some friends there, too?"

Lia couldn't take it. It had been only a few months since her tenth birthday and starting her journey in the Kanto region, but after hearing that her mother was deathly ill and wouldn't live much longer. She hurried back as fast as she could and seeing her mother now, she couldn't hold it in anymore. The poor child was only ten years old and was now losing yet another parent.

She burst into sobs and latched onto her mother as she lay in bed. "Mommy! *sniff* Please, *wheeze* Please hold on! We'll find the medicine for you! You'll get better! You have to!" she cried harder as she held on.

"Pika," Pikachu whimpered as he patted Lia's back in his own tears.

Her mother smiled sadly at her and reached out to stroke her daughter's head.

"My sweet Lianara, I don't have much time left for you to find me any medicine. Not even my herbal remedies could help."

Lia felt sick to her stomach; it was just too painful to bear. "But! *sniff* You can't go! I don't want to lose you! *sniff* I don't want to go anywhere without you here! I don't want to be alone. . ."

"But sweetie, you're not alone. You have Leon, Hop, our neighbors, our Pokémon, and our stars. And as long as the stars still shine, I will always be with you."

At that point, everyone in the room except Kaitlynn was in tears. Never should a child go through the pain of losing a parent, let alone the only one she has right now. "I know you might think your father is an uncaring man right now, but he was here while you were away."

"He *sniff* was?"

'He was?' both the doctor and the nurse questioned. They've been there since they've been assigned.

"Indeed, he says he's sorry for not being there for us and not seeing you off at the start of your journey. But believe me, he does love us with all of his heart and will continue to do so. He has a lot of responsibilities back in his homeland, and he tries to make time for us."

"What's so special about his homeland that he'll abandon his wife and child!? Is getting ill to death all he needs to come back!?" Leon shouted. For some time, Kaitlynn has been friends with his and his brother's parents for as long as he can remember, to the point where she's practically family to him. The thought that she married a man with no background or origin to where he came from made him skeptical, but he never questioned her decisions since they've always been making her and Lia happy. That is until now.

"Leon, I understand that you are frustrated. But Brandel's job in his homeland is no different than a champion's here. He carries a great weight on his shoulders that he doesn't want us to be involved in, so he won't bear the guilt of losing us. I'm the one who's leaving so suddenly. But at least I can see you all one last time."

Kaitlynn then turned to her daughter and smiled the best she could. "Lianara, you're an exceptional and talented girl and will do great things in the future, I'm sure. But I still haven't been able to tell you or show you some things. And I don't know if your father will either."

She suddenly started coughing violently, spooking everyone. "Mommy!"

"Pika!"

"Aunt Kait!"

"Madame!"

"There's not much time," Kaitlynn looked back to Lia and her Pikachu, "Lianara, there will be a time when you will have to face things that are different and difficult to understand. But will pull through with the bonds you've made."

Using her other hand, Kaitlynn took off the jade bracelet she had always worn and gave it to Lia. "Your father gave me this on our first anniversary, said it will always protect me and give me luck. Now I give it to you," she slipped the bracelet onto Lia's wrist.

"I'll never take it off,"

Then Kaitlynn turned to Pikachu, "Little one, promise me you'll look after my daughter and keep her safe. Same to all your fellow Pokémon she'll befriend."

Pikachu whipped away his tears and nose and nodded to the dying woman. "Pi," (I will.)

"Thank you. Lianara, you must promise me that no matter what struggles or hardships you'll face. You'll never lose sight of yourself or question who you are. You are more special than you realize, and that's what matters. Never forget that."

Saying that, she promises. Lia sniffed and nodded vigorously to her mother.

"Good. Could one of you open the window? The rain seems to have stopped, and I would love to see the starry night sky, please."

The nurse hurried over to the window and opened it, and sure enough, the rain had stopped. Revealing the beautiful, star-filled night sky. Kaitlynn hummed happily as she held onto her daughter's hand. "Breathtaking. No matter how much the clouds cover, the shining, twinkling stars will always be there chasing the darkness away for us."

She started to sing as she looked up at the twinkling sky one last time.

________________________________________________________________________________

Once, as my heart remembers.

All the stars were fallen embers.

Once, when night seemed forever.

I was with you ~

Once, in the care of morning

In the air was all belongin'

Once, when that day was dawning

I was with you ~

How ~ far we are from morning?

How ~ far we are?

And the stars ~ shining through the darkness.

Falling in the air ~

Once, as the night was leaving.

Into us, our dreams were weaving.

Once, all dreams were worth keeping.

I was with you, Once, when our hearts were singing

I was with, you ~

________________________________________________________________________________

On that last note, Kaitlynn closed her eyes and lay utterly still.

"Mommy? Mommy?! MOMMY!!" Lia cried her heart out as she hugged her resting mother for the last time.

Leon and his brother went up and hugged her as well. They tried to comfort her, but their tears could not be held back.

The doctor and the nurse held their heads down, not baring to look at the weeping children. Kaitlynn Magus, Galar's Angel, was now gone.

________________________________________________________________________________

Four days later, a funeral was being held on the outskirts of Postwick. Many people from Galar came to pay their respects and say their final goodbyes. Some were old fans of the late songstress; others were her former patients. The rest were dear friends of hers. There were even various Pokémon that Kait treated that were present, also wanting to give their final goodbyes.

On her last day, it was raining as if the sky was morning for the resting women and many others. But no one was as grief-stricken as the woman's daughter. She stood before the memorial with Leon and his little brother Hop by her side. Pikachu remained perched on her shoulder with his ears down.

In memory of Galar's Angle, some stone sculptures and their rock-type Pokémon made a grave statue of her as an angel with a flower-decorated harp in her hands. Lia was very grateful to them for making such a lovely sculpture for her mother. But she couldn't look at it now as her gaze was on the grave plate at the bottom of the statue.

~Here lies Kaitlynn Laila 'Cosmo Magus~

~Galar's Angel~

~Beloved Trainer, Singer, Healer, Friend, Wife, and Mother~

~May she rest in peace~

Everyone stayed for some time, but soon. Everyone slowly left the memorial to go home. Numbers dropped till it was only Lia, Pikachu, and the boys. Leon walked up and hugged Lia, bringing her close to him. "I promise Lia, you won't go through this alone."

Suddenly, the sound of a car horn went off. Leon's and Hop's parents were signaling it was time to go. "Come on, guys."

"Yeah," Hop replied.

"I'm staying with Mommy. Just a bit longer." Lia said, not taking her eyes off her mother's grave.

"But Lia. It's getting dark now." Hop urged her, but she didn't budge.

Instead of spending time attempting to convince her, Leon removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. He also handed her his cell phone, "When you're ready, call us. Okay?"

Lia nodded and took the phone from him. And with that, the boys sadly walked away to their parent's car. "Leon, is Lia gonna be alright?"

Leon glanced over his shoulder one last time before entering his car. "I don't know, Hop. But I know that, hopefully, she'll get through this."

Lia and Pikachu stood by her mother's grave for at least an hour or two before falling asleep right at the base of the grave statue. They shook from the cold air till a hooded figure appeared and walked up to her and her Pikachu. They picked the two up and walked away, but not before pulling out a strange staff and waving it over the grave statue.

In an instant, pink and white flowers grew all around the grave.

Stargazer Lilies, Kaitlynn's favorite flower. They then placed a small box down in front of the grave plate. "Goodbye, my darling. I'll join you in the stars someday. Wait for me; until then, please watch over the both of us. And bless us with your light like our stars above."

Then, they left with Lia and Pikachu in their arms. At the cottage, Lia and Pikachu were tucked in bed, all cuddled together as they rested in the warm bed. The figure that brought them back removed their cloak and sat at the foot of the bed, watching the two sleep peacefully.

They were a white-haired man with a bejeweled monocle on the right side of their face. He was none other than the man of mystery in the Galar region, Lia's father. Brandel Edward Chadd Magus.

He reached over and tucked a strand of hair from Lia's face. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I truly am; I never meant to leave you alone like this. But if anyone were to learn of your existence in my home world. I'd never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you." he tried his absolute best not to break down at that moment.

Then, gently opening the door, came two other figures. They both took off the hoods of their cloaks, revealing their faces. One was a woman with bright, wild, curly-red hair and blue eyes; the other was a man with his hair split in two colors: white and black.

"Brandel lad, it's time tae go now." The woman spoke with a thick accent.

"Just a bit longer, Mac," Brandel replied while he stroked Lia's head.

"With all that's happened, wouldn't it be best to bring her with us? You'll be able to stay with her this time."

"And have this region noticed her sudden disappearance and risked my enemies learning that I have a child from a whole other world entirely? Absolutely not; she just started her Pokémon trainer's journey and is already in the care of the Dande family." Brandel argued.

"Then why not just stay here so you can be with your daughter?!"

"Divus, you know why. As head of the Magus family, it's my job to keep the balance of magic in order and ensure that all magic users are in their place in our world. If I had a choice to stay, I'd do so in a heartbeat. But even this world's great deity knows how risky it is. It was difficult enough to wield the power of crossing worlds and keeping it a secret. With Lia holding that ability as well and the powers of the two worlds, my hands are tied."

"Then hows about this, when the moment is right. Have the lass come tae the school when she's of age. That way, we'll be there for her when she needs it."

The two men thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "That's actually a brilliant idea, Mac." Brandel smiled.

"That's why A'm here, lad, that's why A'm here."

"Alright then, with that settled. Let's go; the little pups need their sleep." Divus said, walking out with Mac following.

"I'll be right with you soon," Brandel assured them as he got up and put on his cloak. Just before he left, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box similar to the one he left at his wife's grave.

"This was meant for your birthday; I hope you like it. My little starlight." he bent down and kissed the temple of Lia's head. Then, he was gone.

In the morning, Lia and Pikachu woke to the first light of day. As the little girl yawned and stretched, she realized she was at home, in her bed, when she was sure she and her partner were asleep at her mother's grave.

"Pikachu, do you know how we got here?"

Pikachu shrugged. "Pika, Pi." (Beats me.) Then he noticed something on her nightstand.

Lia found a wrapped with a small string of twine and a little flower.

She picked it up and untied the rope. Inside, she found a beautiful rose gold leaf hairpin inside.

There was also a note with it; she took it out and read it out loud.

________________________________________________________________________________

"My dear starlight,

I'm genuinely sorry I couldn't make it and see you off at the start of your journey. And I'm deeply sorry for not being there for you when you needed me the most. Please understand that the events that occurred in my homeland cannot be ignored. There will be a time when you'll have to take my place in the responsibility I play, but until then, please be patient with me and know that I love you with all of my heart. We'll see each other someday, and when that day comes, I will do everything I can to make up all the time I missed with you. I hope you'll like the gift I got for you; I had it especially for you. Be safe on your travels, and know that your mother and I will always look out for you no matter where you are, whether with the light of the sun by day or the light of the stars by night.

With all the love in the word, your father."

________________________________________________________________________________

Lia set the note down and looked at the pin; she picked it up and placed it in her hair. Then she looked at her partner with a determined look on her face. "Make sure we do them both proud," Pikachu nodded in confirmation.