ONESHOT - TRUST
"The Battle Palace..."
"... Trust your pokémon and claim victory."
"Salamence is unable to battle! Dragon Tamer Brody is out of usable pokémon!"
"..." The trainer had said nothing. He merely smirked at his opponent while he recalled his Kingdra.
"I QUESTION YOUR FASHION SENSE SERIOUSLY." It was the last thing that Brody had uttered before making his dramatic exit. He even flung his cape to add to the effect. The trainer was effectively stunned by this display, but he quickly brushed it off. I, too, was stunned, but I quickly brushed it off becau-
*CHIME*
*CHIME*
*CHIME*
*CHIME*
The room was suddenly filled with the sound of the chimes. The challenger was taken aback. As for me, I knew what those chimes meant.
"Challenger, with the trust that you have with your partners, you have successfully defeated your 20th opponent. The sound of the chimes signifies that the Palace Maven is on his way to meet you. Are you ready to meet him?"
The challenger nodded.
"Very well. Let us await the arrival of the Palace Maven."
A moment later, we started hearing several tapping noises coming from the corridor in the other end of the arena. The tapping got louder until it reached doorway. That was when the Palace Maven made his appearance. With a swing of his cane, he invited his friends, an Azurill and a Dusclops, into the arena. The Palace Maven proceeded to take his place on the other side of the stadium. His companions, who were there as spectators, stood on either side of him. All three of them proceeded to bow before us.
"Greetings, Challenger! I am Spenser, the Palace Maven of the Battle Palace and the Keeper of the Spirits Symbol."
The Palace Maven paused for a brief moment.
"My physical being is with pokémon always! My heart beats as one with pokémon always! Young one of a trainer, the trust that you have in your pokémon has led you this far. Can you keep on believing in them until the end? If your bonds of trust are frail, you will never beat my brethren!"
... Another brief pause...
"Challenger, I will test your trust here and now. Are you ready?"
"..."
"Are you ready?"
"... No..."
It was clear that neither of the Palace Maven's companions were expecting a reply like that. At that, Spenser was compelled to ask, "Whatever is the matter? Do you not trust your pokémon enough?"
"... I don't know... I don't think it's about my pokémon..."
"Hm? Tell me more."
"... All this talk about trust," the challenger began.
"Yes. Go on."
"... With the way things have gone for me recently, I sometimes wonder if I could trust myself?"
Author's Notes:
Open-ended? Purposely.
Disclaimer:
Pokémon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri.