I want to thank Dokokashira for helping me editing and correcting this fanfic.
I hope that you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Part One
Although I've lived in a Pokémon Gym for years, I've never seen a battle as stunning as that one. Her battle style was captivating and very unique, Infernape imitated everything she did. When she threw an arm in the air, he knew that he had to use a Fire Punch. When she jumped, he instantly did the same. That trick was useful to avoid fast attacks, since it's faster to show your Pokémon what you want them to do instead of saying it. It was the first time in my life that I saw that technique. In the beginning of the battle, I thought she was just messing around, but after watching her for a half-hour, I noticed the pattern.
My grandpa looked at the scoreboard from time to time, and smiled with every look at it. He loved challenges. The tougher the opponent, the better the battle. And I swear that I didn't want the battle to finish either.
It was a long battle, and the Pokémon gave all they got. After almost an hour of battling, the score was 2-1, her favor. Winning was going to be difficult for Grandpa. Even if he defeated Infernape, Chloe had two more Pokémon ready to fight.
"We can do this, Sylvie!" he exclaimed.
Sylveon never lost sight of her opponent, who was quickly running towards her. Grandpa was silent. As Infernape was getting closer, she bent her knees, preparing to jump.
"Flame Wheel!" Chloe shouted, punching a fist in the air.
Sylveon jumped as soon as she saw Infernape, dressed up in scorching flames and about to hit her.
"Sylvie, are you okay?" Grandpa asked right away. His Pokémon nodded when she landed on the ground. That was close.
My grandma entered the room, and sat next to me.
"Haru, how's the battle going?" she asked.
Sometimes Grandma cheered on the challengers, because she enjoyed being around passionate Pokémon Trainers. The dazzling spirit of youth, she would say.
"It's going great, actually," I replied. I couldn't stop looking at the battle. I noticed I had been biting my bottom lip for a while without even realizing it.
"Your grandfather looks like he's enjoying himself," she said. "I'm glad!"
"Moonblast!" Grandpa shouted. I held on to my seat.
"Flare Blitz!" Chloe exclaimed.
Once again, Infernape's body was surrounded by flames. He roared as he became one with the fire. Sylveon stayed still and closed her eyes as he ran towards her. Hurry up, Sylveon! Infernape jumped, determined to hit her, but she opened her eyes and threw a radiant ball of light at him.
"Infernape!" Chloe screamed. Her Pokémon was hit midair and fell in the ground.
The ape's flames vanished. He tried to stand up, but he ended up falling again. She ran towards him, kneeled down, and hugged him.
"You did a great job, but it's time to rest, huh?" Infernape hugged her as she spoke.
"Sylvie! You did it again!" Grandpa said. He rubbed her head. "Let's win this battle!"
"Yeah! I knew they could win!" I exclaimed.
My grandmother started laughing. So loud that even my grandpa noticed her. He looked at us and waved his hand. I showed him a thumb up.
"Why are you laughing?" I asked.
"I love when you cheer your grandfather so much," she said. I looked away from her.
What she said was true. But it was embarrassing to confess that. I didn't understand why, but it felt awkward listening to what Grandma said. I didn't want to accept it or deny it.
"So, um, what are we having for dinner tonight?" I wanted to change the topic. Smooth move, I know.
"I prepared a lot of food. Tonight is a special occasion, isn't it?" she replied. I didn't know why it was a special occasion, but I was glad my distraction technique worked.
Infernape returned to his Poké Ball and Chloe chose her next Pokémon.
"Drifblim, you can do this!" she yelled.
The two Pokémon approached each other in the center of the arena. Sylveon stared at her opponent. Drifblim's eyes were void of emotion.
"Sylvie! Use Light Screen!"
"He knows a lot," I said.
"Why do you think so?" Grandma asked, grinning. She seemed to love that I noticed and understood everything Grandpa did.
"Since Sylveon is low on HP, Grandpa used Light Screen. I'm sure you figured out why, didn't you? Drifblim is a Ghost-type Pokémon, and most of the time, they attack with special moves," I explained. "So he's trying to protect Sylveon."
"Oh! You always impress me! And yes, Light Screen protects from special damage. You know as much as your grandpa," she said. I blushed a little. Why did she always have to say the most embarrassing things?
"I understand what they're doing, but only the theory," I said. I spent a lot of time studying and reading Pokémon books, but I never started my training. I didn't even have my first Pokémon yet. "And you also know quite a lot about Pokémon, Grandma."
Sylveon created a pink Light Screen as the Shadow Ball flew towards her. It crashed into the screen and burst into dark fragments. Chloe gasped.
"Drifblim, fly higher!" she shouted.
Her Pokémon flew away from Sylveon, and when the Light Screen vanished, Chloe pointed at Sylveon.
"Shadow Ball again!"
Drifblim threw a huge ball made out of darkness to the unaware Sylveon. It darted towards her, exploding as it hit.
"Sylvie!" Grandpa shouted. "Are you okay?" His Pokémon appeared from the dust of the explosion. Her ribbons were floating in the air with grace.
"Sylvie! You can do this!" I yelled. I stood up and ran. I wanted to be closer to the arena. "This isn't over!" Chloe and my grandpa looked at me. My intervention seemed to surprise them. I just didn't want the battle to end.
Sylveon and I smiled at each other.
"I believe in you!"
"Let's do this together. Sylvie! You and me! As we always did," Grandpa said while punching a fist in the air. "And now, for the last time… Dazzling Gleam!"
Sylveon ran near Drifblim. I rubbed my hands against my jeans several times, I couldn't stop the sweating. Several screams filled the arena. I couldn't move my eyes from Sylveon, who was charging her power. Drifblim looked confused. Maybe he hadn't faced that move before, because Chloe also seemed puzzled. She frowned.
"Drifblim! You have to avoid that move!" she commanded.
But little did she know about that move, or why it was the emblematic attack of our Gym. She finally pointed at Drifblim and shouted, "Phantom Force!"
Drifblim vanished. Sylveon stayed in the same place, trying to concentrate on her energy. Phantom Force… It could be an intelligent strategy for finishing the battle right there. But Chloe and Drifblim would need to be completely aware of their surroundings for their move to be successful.
"Sylvie! To the left!" Grandpa pointed. I looked right there. A faint shadow emerged from a misty void and charged towards Sylveon. She was ready to unleash her power, and her ribbons rattled.
A dark mist covered all the gym. I couldn't see what was going on until a pink light consumed the shadows.
Chloe and my grandpa ran towards their Pokémon, both of them fainted and lying on the ground. Chloe rubbed Drifblim. Her Pokémon couldn't move. She returned him to his Poké Ball and smiled. My grandpa was about to cry — I could see how his eyes got wet. He hugged Sylveon. She moved and tried to open her eyes, but she was too tired to keep fighting.
"You were… incredible. But... that's it. Sylvie… We've lost," he said with a soft voice. He was trying to hide his tears while he spoke.
I entered the battle arena and hugged my grandpa and Sylveon. They did an excellent job. I was sad, but at the same time, I was excited because of their amazing battle. My grandpa dropped a couple of tears, but they didn't carry sadness, only pure emotion. I felt the same way.
My grandpa stood up, and let Sylveon rest in her Poké Ball.
"You have another Pokémon ready to fight, don't you?" he asked Chloe.
"Yes, I do," she answered.
"You have to show us the Pokémon you have left. That's required to recognize your victory," he said.
"It's not a problem," she replied with a huge smile on her face. "I need you, Froslass!" she exclaimed as she took the Poké Ball out. Her Froslass looked happy, too.
"Chloe... You win!" he exclaimed. "You deserve this badge!"
She ran towards him biting her lower lip. "It was an amazing battle," she said.
"That's why I'm happy to give you the Whimsy Badge," he replied, handing her our Gym's badge.
"It's adorable! I like it a lot," she said.
"And don't forget that you are staying here for dinner." My grandmother suddenly appeared. I hadn't realized that she was walking towards us until she spoke. "I made a delicious dinner for tonight."
"I'm glad to stay! Thanks," Chloe answered.
We left the gym and headed towards the house. Both buildings were united by a long corridor. Through the many windows, you could see our garden. Some of our Pokémon were still there. Spritzee and the Swirlix twins loved to play outside up until dinner time. The pleasant smell of food flooded the house. I knew what my Grandma had prepared for us thanks to the distinctive aroma of garlic and the fresh scent of oregano. Grandpa went to the kitchen while I, Chloe, and Grandma waited in the dining room, already sitting at the table. I could already imagine the taste of Grandma's lasagna and I started to wonder if she had prepared baked potatoes too, as she usually did.
"Oh, I don't think I know your name," she said to Grandma. "I know Haru's and your husband's names, but not yours."
"I'm Setsuko," my grandma replied.
"I'm Chloe, and I'm pleased to meet you!" she replied, smiling.
"I wanted to ask you something," I said. Chloe looked at me. That was our first interaction.
"What's the matter, Haru?"
"I'm curious about why you waited until today to get your last badge."
That Friday was the last day in which you could battle against a Gym Leader to earn a Badge. The tournament was going to start next Monday, so the weekend was dedicated to preparing for the event.
"I planned on coming here last month... But—" She stopped there. Maybe she was trying to figure out how to reply. She blushed and looked at the floor.
"But?" I asked.
"My last Gym battle was in Snowpoint, so I came from there, and I may or may not have gotten lost inside Mt. Coronet," she replied. Without even looking at me, she crossed her arms. "And then, maybe I also got lost in Faye Forest. But I don't know, it's just… It's just a possibility!" She burst out laughing.
"So you're not precisely a compass," Grandma giggled. Chloe's cheeks were burning red. "Everything is fine now, though. You have your Badges and you can't get lost on the way to the Pokémon League."
"I've already bought the ticket for the ship that goes from Canalave City to Lily of the Valley Island. The tournament is held there," she replied.
"Do you know how to get to Canalave City?" I asked. She said that the first time she tried to get to our city, she got lost. And Faye City isn't so far from Canalave. It's just a walk in the forest. She must be somewhat bad with orientation.
"I do! Of course I do!" she said. She stared at us for a moment. And we stared at her. Then she decided to break the silence. "Of course I don't… Sorry. I don't know how to get back there".
Grandpa came back from the kitchen, carrying some dishes. I was right! Lasagna for dinner. My heart was pumping. I felt like a schoolgirl under a cherry blossom tree about to confess to my beloved. But it was a lasagna. And I felt no shame. He put the dishes in the table and sat with us.
"I overheard you from the kitchen," he said. "I can go with you tomorrow morning to Canalave City. The Gym will be closed anyway".
"You would do that for me?" Chloe asked. "Thank you! Really, I'm so grateful!"
"It was an honor battling against you. So I don't mind guiding you to the city," he said. "And I want to thank you for making my last battle as the Gym Leader so special!"
...Last battle?
"I'm retiring," he announced.
My jaw dropped, almost touching the floor. Metaphorically, of course. I couldn't believe what my grandfather just said. My feelings were like a glass, broken apart by his tough, sudden words.
"What's the matter, Haru?" he said.
"How can you do this to me?" I almost shouted. He didn't reply to me. He looked at Grandma and kept quiet. "Why didn't you tell me this before? I assume you decided this a long time ago."
"Not exactly… I wanted to be the Gym Leader, at least, until the next season. But I think this is the perfect time to retire. I'm old, and I'm not as energetic as I used to be," he replied.
"I understand your point, but it's not something that you decide overnight! Why didn't you talk about this with me?" I exclaimed.
My face was getting red. I hated when people hid things from me.
"I can't tell you how or why I decided to retire tonight… At least for now," he replied.
I kept quiet. I honestly didn't know what to say. And I didn't want to shout at my grandpa in front of Chloe again. Once was enough.
"And you know what this means? You are going to be the Gym Leader next September!" he said.
I kept staring at him.
"Congratulations!" Chloe exclaimed. I looked at her and blinked once. Maybe she thought I was being rude, not that I cared.
"Haru…" my grandmother said to me. I looked at her. "Don't be too hard on your grandpa. He tried to tell you but he didn't want to upset you."
"Actually, if he had told me before I wouldn't be as upset as I am right now," I replied. The gears started moving and I suddenly realized the truth. "Wait. Grandma. So you knew? You knew that he was going to retire?"
"Yes. I knew it, but we didn't want to tell you yet".
Changing the leader of a gym is not something you decide by yourself in just one day. There's a long process behind it, and some rules. One of them is that if someone starts the season in charge of a Gym, the same person has to end the season being the leader. So, I understood why I didn't start being the leader for the current season. My grandfather had to be in charge until the tournament started.
The Pokémon League season started in September and ended in June of the next year. So I didn't understand why I wasn't appointed leader ten months before. That was the reason I had to believe that he decided everything overnight.
When my grandfather announced his retirement, I knew a couple of things about Gyms. But, since I never actually battled, I wasn't prepared in that moment either. I spent almost two years studying Pokémon battles. And maybe my grandfather thought I would do fine with that, but just reading doesn't make you a good Trainer. The timing was perfect, though, the gym leader changes were made during summer. But contrary of what he thought, I wasn't ready.
My stomach ached during the conversation, and after her words, I felt dizzy. They betrayed me. They hid things from me. That's not how a family behaves. That's not what they're supposed to do.
"I'm not prepared," I said to them.
"You can train with your grandfather during the summer," my grandma replied.
"But, even if I train every day of the summer, I won't..." I was speechless. I rested my hands on the table and took a deep breath. "This is too soon!"
My grandfather stood up and glared at me. He had a serious face, a shiver ran down my spine. He never looked at me like that before.
"Stop being a child!" he shouted as he clenched his fists.
"No!" I rose to my feet so quickly that the chair almost fell behind me. His eyes had a spark to them, a spark that only shined when he was passionate about something. "You're trying to leave all your responsibilities to me, and that's not fair!"
"What? Do you actually think I'm going to disappear and leave all the hard work to you? I could. Of course I could leave you alone and go with Grandma to some tropical island and stop worrying about this place. But I won't. Haru, for God's sake. I'm going to be around you until you can manage this place alone."
"I can accept this. Maybe it can work out. But, if you wanted to retire now, why didn't we start training before?"
"You are going to be even better than me, I know that. But please, don't be afraid now!" he exclaimed. I tried to object but when I opened my mouth he rose his finger and hushed me. "Remember all those nights you spent reading Pokémon theory books. You've read all the books in our library."
He was right. I read a lot of books, and I always watched him battle.
"It's true, Grandpa. But I spent almost two years living here and you never actually trained with me."
"I was busy with my chores."
"Is that your only argument?" I shouted.
"I couldn't take care of so many things. I felt overwhelmed." He rolled his eyes. Sometimes he behaved like a child.
"Can you stop avoiding my questions? I want to know the truth," I replied. I wasn't going to stop insisting until he told me the real reason for not training, or for his sudden retirement. "If you wanted to retire this year, and I happened to be here, waiting to be trained, why we didn't train at all?"
He sat again on his chair. His eyes looked tired and he sighed.
"I can't tell you right now," he replied. "But I feel this is the right moment for you to start."
"You can be the Leader until next season, and we can spent a whole year training," I said. That was the reasonable thing to do.
He looked at Grandma. He smiled and I was totally confused. His smile wasn't exactly a happy or cheerful smile. While he smiled with his mouth, his eyes told a complete different story. Grandma shook her head softly. I didn't spoke their personal language but I could guess she was trying to say 'We tried, but there's no way'. Seeing Grandpa, who was confident and a source of strength, so downhearted made me realize that I wasn't thinking about his needs. Or even their needs. Maybe Grandma needed him to retire too. Maybe I was being too selfish.
"I am the only child of your daughter, after all," I said. He looked at me again. "I was waiting to be your successor, so I shouldn't care about when to start. And I am the only one who can be even better than you were."
"I dare you to be," he said.
When I came to the Gym two years ago, I had already accepted that sometime in the future I would be the next Leader. I was just angry because he didn't decide with me when to appoint me as the new Leader. That was an important decision and I should've been involved in it.
"I know you'll make me proud!" he replied to me. This scene is all so much better! Great job.
"That was it, you two," my grandma said. "You have given Chloe a good show. Now sit and eat the dinner, please." She was trying to hide her smile. Gladly, she was happy with the decision too. Her opinion was important to me.
Chloe clapped. "I enjoyed your show!" she said to us. "It's obvious that you two have a close relationship." I blushed a little.
"They are always like that," my grandma said. "They've got a lot in common. After living together all those years Haru has copied everything his grandfather does." She laughed and covered her mouth with a hand.
"Hey! That's not true!"
"Now that you point it out… They look really similar," she stared at me without blinking. Maybe she was trying to analyze me. "Even their eyes… That's so strange!" She and Grandma were laughing so joyfully, that I did too.
"And my husband had the same hair color as Haru. When he was in his twenties, he looked like Haru looks today. Maybe I can try to find one picture…" Grandma stood up and look into a drawer. "I have some pictures of Hideki here in a little box… I wonder where it is."
"It's on the left drawer!" Grandpa said.
"Indeed, here it is," she brought it to the table. "Look at this!" She showed a black and white picture of my Grandpa to Chloe. I wanted to see it too, since I had never seen those old pictures before.
"Whoa! He looks exactly like Haru!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Can I look at it?" I asked. My Grandma handed it to me. It was true. We could've been twins. Only if I was born fifty years ago.
"I think the only real difference is that Hideki never had his hair wavy. He always had it short," Grandma said.
"I like Haru's hair," Chloe replied. She smiled at me.
I was silent for a moment.
"Thank you," I finally said, stammering. I didn't enjoy being the center of attention. I felt exposed. My knee was bouncing and I tried to stop it before anyone could notice it. "I also, um, like your hair. It's very—"I stopped for a moment, trying to think about something to say. "Er, red? Yeah, it's very red and straight."
"That's the only straight thing on me," she replied, starting to laugh. I chuckled. Nothing on my body was bouncing anymore, and my always-sweating hands were dry. Maybe I wasn't as socially awkward as I pictured myself to be, after all.
"So… Haru, are you ready for the Five Ancient Labors?" my grandmother said.
"Not exactly," I replied. "I don't even know when they are starting."
"Next Monday," my grandpa added.
"This is another thing you should've told me before," I said.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but what are the Five Ancient Labors?" Chloe asked.
"They are also known as the Labors," my grandmother said. "And they are five tasks that an aspiring Gym Leader has to go through. They have been around since the city's foundation. And the Faye Association are the ones who judge the aspiring Leader's performance".
"The Faye Association is the Pokémon Association's subgroup of this city," I said.
"I figured that out," Chloe replied. "There's one subgroup in my city too, the Sunyshore Association".
The Pokémon Association ruled the Pokémon League and sponsored the gyms. Every city had a subgroup of the association, even if there wasn't a Pokémon gym. Each council was formed by five people. They governed the city together and took important decisions.
"We'll have to be around them for some weeks." My grandfather rolled his eyes. "Unluckily."
"But once I become the Gym Leader, you'll be able to stop meeting with them!" I said, trying to cheer him up. He smiled at me.
I didn't know he needed to retire so badly. But anyway, it was my turn to work hard for our family.
After having dinner, my grandmother took Chloe to our guest room, and I went directly to my bed. That night I was too tired. I had an exciting day, but I couldn't sleep at all. I couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen next. My life was going to change completely.
During my childhood, my family had offered me two possible future career paths. The worst part is that they made me choose one of them when I was only sixteen. My mother's family had run the Pokémon Gym for generations, and I was the only descendant of the current leader, so I was the obvious successor. But, my father had a career opportunity for me too, and although I ended up rejecting it, I liked that job. However, the story of how I rejected my father's family business... It's a story for another moment. The point is that I felt too much pressure to choose between those jobs. I was only sixteen and they wanted me to decide all my life in that moment.
So, up until my teenage years, I lived with my parents and my father's family in Hearthome City. But this didn't stop me from getting to know my mother's family and discover Pokémon training. I spent every summer with my grandparents in Faye City. And finally, when I was sixteen, I decided to move there and start my Gym Leader training.
Even though I never received a proper training, I could learn a lot about Pokémon by being surrounded by them. I took care of a Dedenne and a Cottonee that weren't ready to battle with Grandpa. They weren't even my own Pokémon, but they were comfortable with me. We would stay outside in our garden for hours. I carried a book all the time that explained what moves they were able to learn and how to teach them to do it. I really enjoyed helping them to become better Pokémon. And when they finally were able to battle properly, I felt a great satisfaction. I guess it's similar to raising children? I don't know, but that feeling of happiness was not comparable to anything I felt before. Once I felt it, I knew that I had made the right choice.
"Haru, are you awake?" My grandma entered my room, after knocking the door gently. "Chloe and your grandfather are about to leave. Do you want to say goodbye to them?"
It was early in the morning, but I wanted to talk with them, so I woke up. I went out with my pajamas. It was really early in the morning and the streets were empty. It's not exactly like we lived in a huge city with crowded streets, so I didn't care about what clothes I was wearing. Faye City was a small city inside a forest, and our Gym was a bit separated from the main areas of the city. I could easily go around with my pajamas and it would still be difficult for someone to see me.
When I went out, my grandfather and Chloe were in front of the door, and my grandmother was talking with her.
"I know you can win the tournament," she said.
"Oh, come on, Setsuko, you are going to make me blush!" Chloe replied.
"I've seen a lot of Pokémon battles, and you were amazing. I'm sure you'll do great." Chloe actually started to blush.
"Thank you! I hope I can make it at least to a good position. Maybe to top sixteen?"
"Don't you dare not to win! You can do it, and if you don't, I'll go there to slap everyone, including you, of course," my grandma added, laughing loudly.
"I'll come to visit after the tournament," Chloe finally said. "Thanks for everything!" She hugged my grandmother.
"And we will be watching you on the TV" she replied while they were still hugging.
"Have you already packed everything?" my grandpa said. "I don't want you to forget something important here."
"I have everything. I checked twice!" she replied, smiling.
"Chloe… Good luck," I said to her. I really wanted to be more open with her… But her and me didn't really flow. Grandma and Chloe got along well, but I wasn't surprised. Grandma got along with everyone. She was extra nice, someone that enjoys hugging and inviting people over. I wished I could be more like her.
"Oh, thank you Haru. I also wish you luck with your training. You'll be a great Leader!" she replied, with a huge smile on her radiant face.
They finally left. My grandfather said he would be back in the afternoon. So I went to bed again because I didn't have too much to do that morning.
Feel free to leave any comment or critique about this chapter!
