*If you have read all my previous chapters I thank you for your sticking with me. I started this story as way to practice my writing skills. It is my goal to apply those skills in writing my very own epic stories. I have more than a few cool ideas in my head but lack the experience of seasoned writers.
Having said that I do not plan on giving up and I want to ask you, the reader, for feedback on how I am doing so far as a writer. All constructive feedback is welcome whether they are technical tips, things about character development, plot development, pacing of the story, etc. I am willing to learn and generate nice stories for you to enjoy.
Thank you all for reading,
Chris Arsajan
P.s. I've had this cool idea to make the story more interactive. So, if you want to have an influence on the story, send me your idea or writing challenge and I will try my best to get it into the story as soon as possible ;) *
Chapter 9 Family matters
Across the sea that divided the Johto and Kanto region from the Hoenn region a familiar character was sitting at a table outside of a restaurant in the impoverished part of the port. He was reading from a worn-out book. Just moments before Tageki had just finished dinner and now he was killing some time. He was thinking back on the brief conversation he had with his, for lack of a better word, father. He played the entire conversation back in his mind.
"Devoid of ambition as you may seem, you are my son. And I want you to find a worthy place in the world. Clearly your academic interests have not sparked your interests enough. Know that the only reason I do not dismiss your fancy outright is that you have thus far managed to keep your identity hidden while you chase whatever fantasy you have dreamed up. In that aspect you have done far better than your brother Daichi." His father's sneer was unmistakable. He had never liked his impulsive brother who was older by just a few minutes. "I ask you to reconsider Hayato. I'm sure we can find you a position within one of our … ventures."
"I'm grateful that you would trust me with a position sir. However I hope that by seeing the world I may find my passion. And in doing so, I hope to find my place in the family ranks."
"So you wish to travel the world as a Pokémon trainer. You know my thoughts on that career path."
"Please consider my humble request father. I promise that I will not slander the family name as Daichi has. I will keep my identity hidden. I promise to fly under the radar. And furthermore I swear that I will find my purpose. Once I have I will raise an empire worthy of the family name."
Once he uttered those words his father's looks had softened a bit. "You remind me of her. She was also full of dreams, passion and ambition, but the world of business was not kind to her. I'll think about it. In the meantime I want you to travel to Olivine city. There is some business there that needs taking care of and I trust it to no one but family. Daichi is out of the question and your older brothers are currently occupied. And Hayato, while you are in Olivine I want you to rethink my offer."
He had completed his father's mission just a few hours earlier. It had left a slightly sick feeling in his stomach. It had not been actually legal and was morally questionable to say the least. He knew his father though. He was always testing him for disobedience and rebellion. Daichi had failed those tests and apart from a severance pay was for all intents and purposes cut off from the family. He had had no choice. He was far from ready to expose his quiet machinations. After he had completed his father's mission as emissary of the family he underwent his transformation to Tageki and went out for a night on the town. He had gone karaoke singing and now he was sitting at a table outside of 'Amphi's light', a pub and restaurant. The cheerful restaurant sign of an ampharos with a glowing tail dressed in a classical waiter's outfit holding a tray had spoken to him and his sense of whimsy. Also, having just experienced the darker side of his family's impact on the world, he was in need of some light. Since he had been the responsible party he was feverishly going through his coded plans to see if he could not speed up his plans. He was anxious to start undoing all the darkness corporations like his father's had brought into the world. He did not see a way. He sighed. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Tall shadows fell across his table. Two tall men dressed in black stood in front of him. One of them cleared his throat. Tageki beat him to the punch. "Good evening gentlemen. How may I be of assistance?" His voice was loud and sounded cheery.
The men exchanged a look before the one who had cleared his throat spoke softly but with confidence. "We have been asked to escort the little falcon to the victor."
Tageki quickly surveyed his surroundings and discovered the expensive looking car on the opposite side of the street. "I see. Can I have some desert before we leave?"
"I am sorry sir, you may not."
"How rude of him." Tageki pursed his lips. "Oh well. No sense in delaying the inevitable. Let me take care of my bill and then you may escort me into the dark night."
A few minutes later Tageki was exiting the shop with the tall men on his side. They walked towards the car on the opposite side of the street. Once they got there one of the doors opened. They nodded towards the door opening. Tageki got in and the door closed.
"Was it that urgent Katsu? And what's with the theatrics?" He looked at the man sitting in front of him dressed in an immaculate expensive looking suit. Comparing him to old photographs he was the spitting image of their father in his younger years. As the eldest son he had been groomed as successor from a very young age. Fast forward two decades and he was a ruthless businessman through and through; their father's pride and joy. He made sure to look the part.
"Well met, little brother. I have heard of your success on dad's little errand. Well done. He sent me to pick you up. He wishes to discuss a proposition with you. As for the theatrics…" He shrugged. "You know me."
"A proposition from dad?" Tageki got slightly nervous. Had his father decided to dismiss his wishes? Would his grand plan be demolished while still in its early stages? Had he underestimated his father's wish to have his entire family play a role in the business empire he had expanded since his ascension to power?
"No need for worry little brother. Dad has lined out some form of contract. You will be allowed your little journey under a few conditions. It's fairly standard stuff though. You'll stay incognito at all costs for one. As for the rest, that's between dad and you. Why you want to go on such a journey is beyond me though. The dream of being a master; so plebeian. Soul searching? Whatever for? I guess some people need it, but being part of our family you can be whatever you could want without limitations. What's there to think about?"
Sarachi tried not to smile. And that is exactly why you and dad will never understand brother.
"Now why don't you tell me a bit about your academic years? You've made a few friends I've heard."
"How…"
Katsu, chuckled. "Do I know? Please brother. You know the family keeps an eye on its own."
Tageki kept his face schooled in a mask of surprise and slight indignation. Of course I have been aware of them. I just don't want you to think that I am aware of your spying. "Wow and I thought I was finally on my own for once."
"Oh, you were. We never interfered, did we? So tell me about Sarachi Hyashi and … Alessa O'Connel was it? Did you know she's the daughter of Kathryn Hyashi? Interesting connections you keep little brother. Go on, tell me about your friends."
As the car sped into the night Tageki started talking.
On the Hyashi grounds earlier that day the younger generation of Musashi's heirs were holding their own little pow-wow. They wanted to discuss the happenings of the past days amongst themselves. They wanted complete privacy and had hiked to one of their secret places in the hills near the farm where they had often played as kids.
"I can't believe he just left like that," Kasuto said in a soft voice. He was looking at his feet. "I know he loved grandpa, but he said he was feeling better about that. I thought he would stay."
Xuyon placed his hand on his little brother's shoulder. "That's not why he left kid. And it's not that he doesn't want to be home with us. He just feels like he can't do what he is supposed to do here. He felt purposeless."
"But he was working on the farm like before and he was helping mom with all kinds of stuff. I always thought he liked that."
Alessa and Xuyon exchanged glances. "It's not like he completely hated it, but he wanted to do things a different way and dad… Well dad did not want to change things too quickly. So he decided to do something different, chase a different dream in the meantime."
"But I thought he had left his dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer behind." Grace chimed in. "I mean as kids we dreamt about going on our journey together, but I thought he had … moved on or… grown up or … you know," she stumbled a bit.
"I think the dream never left, sis," Alessa said. "He may have found a new ambition; during his academic career he got this big dream of changing agriculture in Hoenn and afterwards the world. But underneath it all he never forgot his first dream."
"But why did he leave so abruptly? We could have left together."
Once more the older kids exchanged a few glances. This time it was Hiro who spoke up after Xuyon nodded slightly. "Remember the meeting for the family farm yesterday? A small argument broke out between Sarachi and his father."
"Big brother and dad had a fight?"
Xuyon looked away for a moment and clasped his hands before he responded. "I guess you could say that, yes. Dad wanted Sarachi to stay and work on the farm as before. But Sarachi had different plans. He wanted to start changing the farm. Dad argued we are not ready for that yet. I agree. But when our brother told him he wanted to travel until he could start his project dad got a bit cross. He wanted everyone to help on the farm like old times I think."
"A bit cross?" Hiro looked incredulously. "My dad told me that…"
"Yeah, well I was there, so…" Xuyon shot Hiro a pointed look. "Dad can be really intense at times. Sarachi is the same. When they work together I don't think anything could stop them. However, when they differ of opinion things heat up pretty quickly. Don't worry though. They'll get through it and Sarachi will return to the farm. I don't know when, but he loves this place. And he loves our family."
"Let's talk about some other stuff," Moira said. "Something less serious."
Alessa grinned slyly before saying, "Now that Sarachi is also shooting for a career as a Pokémon trainer alongside Grace you will have competition Hiro." She winked in Grace's direction who seemed surprised.
Wow, her sister had changed a lot while she was away.
"Pfff, please. I'm already in the triple threat league. It will take them some time before they reach my level. Besides I plan on finishing the gym challenge next year and then I'm going to take on the elite 4. And after that I think I am going to compete in worldwide competitions."
"What no career in the elite division for you Hiro? Afraid you can't handle it." Grace took Alessa's set up and continued trying to goad Hiro into reactions they could tease him with.
"There is no shame in knowing where your limitations are." Hiro shot back.
"He's right guys," Xuyon said. Hiro looked at him, a mixture of surprise and thankfulness evident on his face. However, that was before he continued. "Besides, we all know the fiercest combatants are the sons of Yasushi. Sarachi will be the greatest trainer our family has ever seen. He will go beyond his limitations."
Kasuto cheered at this.
"Don't be surprised if I show you all up!" Grace exclaimed.
"You tell them Grace!" Moira cheered. "O'Connel sisters all the way!"
Alessa smiled. "Since we are talking about future plans… If you guys can keep a secret I'll tell you mine." She looked expectantly at everyone.
Hiro and Xuyon were quick to swear secrecy. "We hereby swear to uphold Alessa's secrets for now and all days to come." They said with a serious tone. The glint in their eyes though, was evidence of their barely contained laughter. Kasuto and the sisters were quick to follow suit. They all knew that Alessa was the family genius and since their teens they had wondered what she planned to do with her life.
"All right, I'll accept your oaths of secrecy," Alessa said in mock secrecy. "Mom and I plan to revolutionize Pokémon battling through new inventions."
"Like new trainer items? Don't they create things like that all over the world," Hiro interjected.
"They innovate," Alessa said making air quotes, "on relatively useless things like special pokéballs or hp and status healing items and improvers. No. Mom and I are working on something huge. Our first project is based on the research I have done at the University. We started working on that while I was still researching and the prototype is nearly finished. Grace and Sarachi will be allowed to test if they want to." Grace looked positively hyped.
"Why not me?" Hiro asked.
"Well Hiro, since you are so far ahead and plan to complete the triple threat division the coming year don't you think Sarachi and Grace need a way to catch up?"
Hiro grumbled a bit at that. "I don't need any item given advantages anyway."
"Don't worry. Once we get it working you'll get one too Hiro. We just figured you didn't want the distraction of testing a new project in the coming year. After all, the triple threat is a big threat." Alessa tried to placate her cousin. "But that is the small project. The big project is actually for the elite league. So whoever gets there first gets the honour of being our Buneary, as mom would say. Why one would compare testers to rodents is beyond me, though."
"Sounds interesting. If the inventions have the power to upset the status quo of battling, the inventions may spark the industry. Any chance you guys need a major in tinkering?" Xuyon asked hopefully.
Alessa looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, I think that might actually be very welcome. I'll pitch it with mom."
Silence fell after everyone had gotten the chance to digest Alessa's reveal. Most of them were fantasizing about what the inventions might do.
"I'm hungry." Kasuto suddenly said. Everyone started laughing. "Well, it is nearly dinner time." Kasuto defended himself.
"You're right bro. It just came a bit sudden after all we talked about. Why don't we start heading back. I'm sure our parents might be waiting for us to join them at the dinner table."
As the little group made their way back to the main farm building Yasushi and Imari were discussing their viewpoints on their son's departure while Imari was cooking.
"But could you please see it from his side for a change?"
"His side? What's there to see? Why could he not simply be patient? In just a few years' time we could have been ready for an overhaul with his help. But no! He had to start right away."
"He is young and enthusiastic; of course he wants to start right away. I remember someone who, a couple of decades ago, was in the exact same situation he is in now."
"Well, my father was right back then. I was young and reckless. Things turned out great by following his direction. The same will happen now. But he's too stubborn to see that experience, patience and planning are necessary. His great plan isn't just deciding to plant some new type of crops and see what works and what doesn't. You need to plan and generate ample reserves before you start a grand undertaking such as his. And it takes time to do both. Still, instead of helping us with that he runs off. And then there's that nonsense about being a Pokémon trainer. That was his teen dream. I thought he had grown out of it."
Imari sighed. Sometimes her husband could be so short-sighted. She looked at him. His straight up posture, stiff shoulders and clenched jaw. He still seemed to be seething even though their son had left yesterday. "You mean you thought you had talked him out of it." She looked at Yasushi pointedly. "Don't try to deny it." She searched his eyes for a moment before she continued putting ingredients in the vegetable stew she was making stirring all the while.
"You know that there is no future for most trainers Imari. Only the top 2 percent ever make it to the point they can actually live from their match winnings. He can't support a family on a trainer's salary. And you know as well as I do that the elite league is corrupt. It is a gambling ground for the elite snobs that started that competition as a grand show to distract the public from reality and to give trainers a dream to chase. I want better for our son."
Imari carefully tasted the stew and added some spices before she replied. "But it is his life to live, honey. If he dreams of becoming the best trainer out there and change the world that way he deserves our support. Besides you know how hard he has worked all those years at Avignon and these past few days at home. He would give his all for the sake of the family. But he wants to do it his way. He wants to live his own life."
"But he is too young to understand that…"
"He is an adult now, dear. He has lived an independent life for nearly 5 years and you think he knows nothing of the world?"
Slowly the tension seemed to fade a bit from Yasushi's frame. "Maybe you're right. But I don't like it. Besides you're never too old to learn from your elders who have more experience."
"I'm sure you'll come to terms with it eventually dear. Now why don't you take the pot of rice to the table and go wash up. The kids will probably soon be back from their little hiking excursion."
"All right mistress. I'll carry your pot to the table. Anything else you want me to carry?" Yasushi subtly manoeuvred himself behind his wife. Suddenly he threw her over his shoulder. "How about you? You look good enough to eat."
"Eeep! Yasu! Put me down!"
"At the table? Good idea." Yasushi started walking towards the dining room.
"No, you Tauros. Here! Put me down, right here!"
Yasushi dropped her and kissed her softly on her lips. "Sorry for being so angry honey."
Imari huffed.
"I'll try seeing things from Sarachi's perspective. Maybe … maybe I was a bit too harsh."
"That's all I'm asking of you honey. Now let's get ready for dinner." Yasushi left the kitchen. His wife's voice followed him. "When are you going to talk to him?" she asked as if it was an afterthought.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Not yet Imari. I think we both need some more time to cool down. I'll call in a few days."
Imari smiled. Truly, what would they do without her to keep the harmony in the family. She tasted the stew again. Hmm, it could use a bit more bite to it. Maybe some more Rindo berries. She wondered how far her son had gotten on his journey.
*Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-made written work of fiction made for my own amusement and that of others. It is nothing more than fanfiction. I do not, nor do I claim to; own any of the content of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon (including but not limited to the characters, the creatures and the fictional world of the tv-series, game series, films and manga) is owned by the Pokémon company, a consortium between Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Please support the official release*
