It was the chance of a lifetime. Unforgettable. He almost never gave interviews and when he did, they were relatively simple affairs, his answers being a maddeningly few words or simply nonexistent. Nobody had any idea that he was going to be at this tournament, so she was in prime position to take advantage of it. Her producer had sent her here to get a good story to fire up the audience back home and the chance to interview the legend himself would be far beyond even what he would have hoped for.
That was what she had thought at first. It had not gone the way she expected it to. His answers were of the same vein he had given in the past. Nothing revealing or life-changing. The same monotone, the same disinterest. She was frustrated and it was probably visibly showing, but she didn't care. This was going to be her breakthrough and she wasn't going to give it up just because her target was uninterested. She glanced at her cameraman, who gave a small shrug. A sigh. 'Fine.' She steeled herself. Everyone had buttons that could be pushed and she was going to push them until she got what she wanted. A different angle then.
"What about others?"
"What about them?" A different tone than before. She had to stop from smiling. 'Gotcha!'
"Don't you care? Why shun everyone around you?"
A laugh. "Shun? Pity, you seemed okay before, I thought you would probably look past what others say."
She went to open her mouth, looking to defend herself, but he beat her to the punch with a harsh "No."
"You so desperately want to hear my opinion, well that's what I'm going to give you, so you'll shut your fetid hole and listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Do you understand?"
Her head swam with the sheer loathing he held in his voice, contrasted harshly with the monotone delivery. Her mouth opened and closed several times trying to find some kind of retort. He waited patiently, his crimson orbs boring a hole into her own. The confidence she had just held was nothing but a distant memory.
"I'm constantly painted in the media as some hermit, the tabloids constantly spinning tales on why I might shelter myself away from your endless prying eyes and pointless speculation. None of you stop to think and realize that every time you do that, you just answer your own questions. No, you never think about that, that would imply you were capable of self-reflection. Instead, You simply buy into the image already painted by those who can't understand why their supposed hero wants nothing to do with them."
This was not what she was expecting when she woke up today. She wanted to interrupt, stop this tirade from going any farther, but her voice seemed to be permanently stuck in her throat. He continued, unconcerned with her predicament.
"You may doll yourself up real nice, make sure that dress is tight and your chest juts out to put others off-guard, but at the end of the day, a vulture is still a vulture. Your type are a dime a dozen and while it would be satisfying to simply tell you off like I've done with so many others, you've caught me in a good mood. So I'm going to humor you. You want the truth? That oh-so-special exclusive? Fine, I'll tell you."
Her face heated up at his implications, a nervous cough echoing behind her.
"When I started on my journey all those years ago, all I wanted to do was make some friends, be a good trainer and maybe show my childhood friend turned rival that I can do just as well as him. Instead, I find those who are supposed to represent the best, the very pinnacle of what it means to be a trainer couldn't even slow me down. I find a criminal organization that constantly exploits both its human element and any pokemon they encounter solely for the pursuit of greed and the expansion of their own power and influence. I find a media that ignores them and a police force completely incapable of stopping them due to ineptitude. It's a good thing a thirteen year old boy with a growing chip on his shoulder was there to utterly crush them and their boss. A boss, who by the way was also part of the League itself."
He smirked at their expressions. "Yeah, you probably didn't know that, did you? They don't like to talk about it, of course. It's a good thing Green was there to pick up the pieces, rebuild and start representing a real challenge to these kids."
That last revelation shook both her and her cameraman. The league was the only true intercontinental authority in existence and if they could be infiltrated that thoroughly, especially in their homeland base of Kanto & Johto, then was anything truly safe?
"That wasn't enough though, no. Even after I go through the very top and take the crown from the champion, who by the way had also just blasted his way through them as if they were nothing, you just couldn't let things go. I couldn't have my peace and quiet. I suddenly needed to hold press conferences, I needed to divulge every detail of my personal life, I needed to be beholden to all your various causes and moral crusades. I needed to be an icon. When I make it quite clear I'm not interested, the hounding gets even worse. The late night visitors, the endless piles of mail and the phone calls..." He paused and shook his head with a smile. "Those constant phone calls..."
"Do you have any idea how many times I had to change my number from the constant anonymous rings I used to get? I'm pretty sure I've been threatened over the phone more times than the entire population of the region combined. Meaningless threats of course, but the intent is all the same. It was only after a long discussion with the Professor did we find an actual solution. Of course, at that point, I was already becoming hard to reach and elusive. I was withdrawing from the public eye. Nobody ever stopped to question that perhaps, just maybe I didn't give a shit about the public eye. That I didn't give a shit about them. No, who could ever shun them?"
The sarcasm in that final sentence was practically poisoning the very air it entered. Another chuckle. An adjustment of the eponymous hat.
"When I chose to move myself to an area that would let me have some semblance of normality, all of a sudden, I'm some bitter recluse. Dangerous, maybe even unstable. At that point, I had stopped caring entirely, they could all believe what they wanted as long as I could have some relative solitude. A little time passes and I begin to think that perhaps I could actually walk down from my hideout without being mobbed, but then the trainers start coming."
"They were few in number of course. The pokemon of my home tend to fall on the extremely dangerous side, so only the best of the best could get through without getting killed or simply disappearing into the wilderness. They were almost always nothing. A few gems with potential, but never an actual challenge. I almost started to look at it in a positive manner. Am I to be the final test? The final cliff face to surmount? Sounds fine to me. When I wasn't stomping on kids who had bitten off more than they could chew, I start to make way down from the mountain on a semi-regular basis when nobody's looking. Visit family, find old friends, have a few spars, get supplies. It was an existence I got used to. I was happy."
A minute smile made its way onto his face again. It disappeared almost immediately after.
"Then I start to hear the whispers. I had run them entirely out of my region, so they decided to take shelter and rebuild next door. Grow their forces, take advantage of the downtrodden and make their way back to the top. I had to make a choice, do I get involved? Do I put myself in that position again? I had crushed them before, but I knew if I was going to do it again this time, I would have to be more thorough. No mercy, no quarter. I couldn't just squash them. I would have to end every single one of them and burn every last remnant to the very ground. Then when I was done, I would have to piss on their ashes and salt the very earth they stood on just for good measure. Only then could I be sure they wouldn't show themselves ever again."
She visibly shuddered at the look in his eyes, knowing just how serious he was just by the tone.
"Before I can even make the choice, I hear of some kid, some punk from New Bark making waves, blowing his way past any and all who stood in his way. I decide to stay out of it and watch. I was there when he chased them from Azalea, I was there when he tore his way through their hideout in Mahogany and I was there when he made an utter mockery of them by finishing them off in Goldenrod. I watched him tear through every gym he walked through and I knew he would be the one. I went back home and waited patiently. It wasn't long before I heard he had finished his conquests at home and he was now in my territory. One day, I get a message on my phone. It was a simple one, but one I knew was inevitable. I didn't even need to see who it was from. Get ready. He's coming."
He wasn't looking at them anymore. Those sharp eyes were focused somewhere beyond them, reliving something unforgettable, a visible smile settling on his face.
"When he finally made his way to my home, I was waiting out in the cold. Ready for the greatest battle I would probably ever have. Ready to see if he was good enough." A long pause. "It was glorious..." he trails off in a whisper, eyes closed, lost in a memory.
She wanted to ask, desperate to know the answer to the most hotly-debated question ever asked in every single region. Not just in the league, but in the media, in the schools, even at the dinner table.
'Who won?'
No answer was forthcoming.
"I could see it in his eyes though. This wasn't the same kid who got his starter from Elm, this wasn't the same kid who overcame Falkner and Bugsy. Who used his righteous anger to put down those thugs mutilating Slowpokes for their own gain. No, this was someone much harder, ground down to a brutal edge and tempered into fine steel. He more than anyone else understood the truth of it all."
He paused to reach over and take a long sip from his glass.
"After it was over, he sat with me and I explained to him what was going to happen. Hell, it had already started happening to him long before he made his way to me. He was angry, desperate to tell me that he could handle it and that he wouldn't run away like I had. I could tell though; my words had hit home. From the sounds of it, he listened. He rejects you lot even more thoroughly than I do. Not a single public appearance since he was almost mobbed in Violet. Can you blame him? I sure don't."
Her cameraman coughed nervously again. If the atmosphere in the room had been cold before, it was downright frigid now.
"I still pay attention, you know. Keep an ear to the ground. I heard all about those Eco-terrorists in Hoenn causing havoc, murdering both each other and innocent bystanders for some vague and silly goal. Once again, only being stopped by some kid who had the guts to go out and put themselves in the crossfire. Heard she doesn't think too highly of the 'Public Eye' either."
"I also heard about that trio from your region putting a stop to those nut jobs with the bowl cuts. What did their leader want again? To remake the universe in his own image?" Another sardonic chuckle. "At least here, we only had to deal with criminals interested in money, you apparently got literal cultists willing to meddle with forces beyond them for incredibly stupid, childish reasons."
"I also saw that uh, hmm, 'interview' I guess you could call it in the aftermath of it all. What did the blonde one say again? Oh yeah, it was something along the lines of Go jump in a lake. The day I give an interview to you jackals is the day I bend over and take it from a Tauros. Maybe not as eloquent as I would have said it, but the thought was in the right place. I liked his spirit."
There was visible grinning now and she was glowing red in embarrassment yet again. She hadn't done that interview, but her network had definitely taken a lot of heat for it, especially for airing it uncensored.
"The truth is, the entire system is broken. The League does what it can, but they can't be everywhere at once and the local police seem incapable of handling things once they grow to any significant size. Despite what I may have implied before, I don't think it's entirely due to incompetence, just an unwillingness to go above and beyond and actually put themselves on the line. Why should they? They don't get paid nearly enough for that, easier to turn a blind eye."
He was looking reflective now. Not even judgmental, merely pensive.
"Instead, salvation only comes due to the goodwill of somebody strong enough to get involved. It's unfortunate that tends to almost always be kids. I'm not one to talk down too heavily on others for not doing their part, Arceus knows my moral compass is way too skewed to be normal at this point, but it's pretty depressing that the majority would rather their children become soldiers than try and make a difference themselves."
He took one of the balls hanging off of his belt, causing the other two in the room to visibly tense, but he simply held it, rolling it around in his palm, staring at it without expression. What felt like an eternity passed, while both the reporter and her cameraman shifted uncomfortably, both from the silence and his biting words. He made no effort to ease their discomfort. Finally, he spoke again.
"I suppose I got a bit carried away. My apologies. You asked why I shun all those around me. The simple answer is, I don't. I keep my distance from the public because I rather enjoy my sanity and don't feel like parting with it anytime soon. While you may not see it, I actually keep plenty of contact with those important to me. However, even if I didn't, I now ask you, is it really any of your business?"
He was staring at her again. "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps all the companionship I ever needed or wanted was right here in the palm of my hand?"
She didn't have a response, feeling a sense of overwhelming shame. It wasn't the first time she felt it in this encounter, but it was definitely strongest now. Another few uncomfortable minutes passed by in silence. He never took his eyes off her. Finally, he holstered the orb back on his hip and stood, straightening his jacket.
"Since this will probably the only interview I'll give for a long time, if ever again, I'll make my position quite clear right now so there's to be no confusion, either from you or anyone who ever sees this."
Before she could even finish a blink, it was there on his shoulder. She heard her cameraman start at the sudden appearance. As legendary as the trainer himself. Had it been in this room the whole time? Those coal black eyes stared at her inquisitively. A slight head tilt in curiosity. Most would initially think it cute, herself included, but if this entire situation had taught her anything, it was that appearances were very deceiving. She realized this was likely the one of the most dangerous creatures in existence and it was held back only by someone whose contempt for most others seemed to run rather deep.
Something shifted in the room and she felt her breath catch. He hadn't moved at all and despite the lack of expression on his face, his demeanor had suddenly become disturbingly sinister. Had he always been this tall? Something primal welled up in her, warning of the dangers of looking too deep into the abyss. It screamed at her that she should run and get as far away from this man as humanly possible.
"I hear the things they call me when they're not too busy mocking me for not caring about their meaningless pissing contests. I hear the words."
"Unstoppable. The Best. The Champion's Champion." A derisive snort.
"You should keep all those titles in mind because they are all still very much true, no matter how vacuous and silly they might be. I am always watching. I am always listening. Pray that I don't turn my eyes towards you. Pray that I don't come down from my mountain, because if I'm ever given another reason to descend that doesn't involve my personal life or some petty amusement at events like these, you will not believe what happens next."
She was frozen in place. He made no move towards her, but all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and shield herself from his gaze.
"There won't even be pieces to pick up afterward."
After another eternally long minute, he sneered slightly and walked out the door towards the awaiting stadium and the cheers of the crowd.