#Amara ambermight

[nimbasa-librarian]

You did It, (Old) Friend

Anya could not believe what she was seeing. 

But there he was. Leon. From last Summer. Her “Summer Best Friend” from back in Postwick. 

The Galarian Champion. Just like he said he would be. 

“... Mum!! Mum come look! Look at the TV!!!” 

“What?” 

“Mum, look who the champion is! Come in here!” 

“Yamah!” Drew agreed with the urgency, looking absolutely bewildered in his own, funny way. 

When her mother popped her head in, she stared at the screen and gasped “Well I’ll be!” She exclaimed “Its the boy you befriended in Postwick! Wow, wouldya look at tha’” 

“Yeah…” Anya trailed off, seeing Leon holding the championship trophy with his big, doofy grin on his face, his guardians and little brother in the background, the toddler grinning and laughing excitedly. 

Though Anya’s mother had returned to whatever she’d been doing, Anya sat on the couch of their rental apartment in Wyndon, and stared at the Television 

“.. I wish he had a phone” Anya lamented “I wanna congratulate him. He did it!” She partially lamented to her Yamask. “And I wanna introduce him to Irene. Do you think he’d like ‘er?” 

“Yamah!” Drew nodded affirmatively. 

Anya contemplated it “But… he did it. Before me!!!” Anya suddenly jumped up “Do ya know what that means, Drew?” 

“Yah?” 

“That means I gotta work even harder!!! He may be the youngest Galarian champ, but Ah’ll be the youngest rest’rationist! I’ll work on the Book Ah The Wolves before ya know it!” 

Amused at her sheer enthusiasm, Drew gave an enthusiastic “Yah!” in response, and Anya cheered in repetition right after. 

“That way, when we meet again, I can tell ‘im that we both made it!” 

Drew nodded in agreement with the statement, seeing the enthusiasm for her passion - and perhaps just a hint of honest competitiveness burn in her eyes. 

The old pokemon had no doubt she’d accomplish that dream - though “how soon” was debatable. 

But he wasn’t about to snuff out such promising ambition

-

“Leon?” 

“Hm?” 

Hop poked his head into the kitchen of his brother’s apartment “Did you used to know someone named Anya? You did, right?” 

Leon paused, the microwave going off as he let himself think “Ah, yes! Yes, I did, way back when you were a baby! Anya Ambermight”  he laughed “Hard to forget a girl with a Yamask. Why?” 

“I was reading the Newsletter for International Battle Club, and her name came up” Hop held up the little magazine, open to a single-page article “its from the Nimbasa Battle Boss Newsletter” 

“Nimbasa? As in Unova?” Leon turned around, after opening the microwave, holding out his hand 

“Yeah, look” Hop handed it over. 

“NIMBASA CITY WELCOMES NEWEST MASTER LIBRARIAN AND BATTLE BOSS” he reads aloud “Galarian Native Anya Ambermight Takes Over As the First Immigrant to Run A Battle Challenge in Nimbasa City - We’ll I’ll be damned!!” Leon suddenly grinned, as if giddy 

“Huh?” 

Leon quickly read the short article, and spotted a particular phrase

“Head preservationist” 

“Aha! She did it! She really did it!” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“She works with books!” 

Hop gave a confused look “Yeah…?” 

“No that's - that's what she wanted to do! She wanted to restore books when we were kids - and she is!” 

“Oooh… that’s cool!” Hop commented “Her teams interesting though” 

Leon looked at the color photo just above the article, showing a now grown-up Anya with her team

“... She has two yamasks now” he can’t stop himself from laughing “with a Frosslass… and a Hatterene? Good for her. Hatterene are notoriously hard to train!” 

“Did you read it? Apparently her challenge is really hard. I kinda wanna go and try” Hop grinned

“Hah! Perhaps one day we will! I’ve never been to Unova!” 

The conversation died off after that, and Leon couldn’t stop smiling. 

To think, just one summer together, sharing adventures and dreams, and there they were as adults - accomplishing those dreams. 

He really did need to get himself to Unova sometime. 

[nimbasa-librarian]

Near-Death-Adjacent

The call Piers got had nearly given him a heart attack. 

I mean, he was still worried - he never got calls from Misses Ambermight. 

He thought something had happened to Anya, but that wasn’t the case. 

“Misses Ambermight?”

“Oh, Piers, thank goodness I got the right number on mah phone. I’m callin ya cause Anya won’t” 

“What?” Piers put down his songbook “Why wouldn’t she call me?” 

“Oh, well.. My husband, ‘e’s,he’s been in an accident.” Anya’s mother states “He’s - he’s in the hospital here in Wyndon.” 

Piers was understandably startled “Is - is he okay?” 

“We’re… not sure. But… Anya rushed from college, and hasn’t said anything. I was wondering if you could just... Talk to her?” 

 “... Talk to her?”

“Yes. just, to distract her? We won’t hear about him for some time…” 

Ah…

Piers stood up “Okay. uh, hand her the phone?” 

There was the sound of shuffling, and some muted words. 

“...Anya?” 

There was no response. 

“... Tap the receiver if you can hear me, Anya” 

A moment… and then a tap. 

“.. Good. Your Mum lemme know what happened” he started, getting up and grabbing his coat. He was grateful that Marnie was spending the night with her friends at some birthday sleepover thing as he stepped outside. “She said ya needed someone ta talk with ya? I don’t mind rambling to ya if that’s what ya want. Tap twice for yes, three times for no” 

There was another lack of response for several seconds, but then he got two taps. He waited a few seconds for a third, but it never came

“Alllrightie then. Hope y’r ready to hear about the writin’ process for this song, cause it has ta do with that right ol’ cunt I dated last year- “

-

Anya was still listening to Piers prattling when he paused

“Hey, Anya… Do me a favor, won’tcha?” 

Anya furrowed her brow, but did not verbally respond

“Can ya look up for a moment?” 

A bit startled by the request, Anya looked up, her chair staring down a wide hallway, where Piers was standing by the reception desk

“Can ya write me in?” 

Anya did not much more than stare at him for a few seconds, before ending the call, shoving the phone back into her mother’s hands, and speed walking (No running in the hospital!) down the corridor and wrapping Piers in a tight, intense hug. 

Slightly alarmed at the initiation of physical contact from someone who he’d always asked first, he took the chance to return the hug for a moment, before she let go, showing her tired, red eyes. 

Piers sighed “Alrightie; sign me in?” 

Anya just nodded, looking at the sympathetic nurse behind the counter, who had placed the paperwork for her to sign right on the table with a pen at the ready. 

Piers watched as she signed the papers, before turning back to him, and signing 

[Denton had to stay home with his wife. She’s sick]

“Ah… well, are you keeping him in the loop then?” 

Anya nodded, and motioned for him to follow

Piers followed behind, and greeted Mrs Ambermight 

He was then finally told what actually happened. 

Someone released a non-native electric type (An ampharos) into the woods outside of Wyndon, and Mr Ambermight had gone into corral it and get it placed in a rescue so it could be relocated to a native habitat. It had been much more hostile than predicted 

His heart had stopped. 

Oh sweet Xerneas… 

He understood Anya’s state better now. 

Piers sat down next to her, hand in hers, and he just kept on talking, rambling and ranting about the song he was now working through with the conversation. A win-win to him. 

He had a feeling he was going to be here a while. But that’s alright

That’s what friends are for.