Summer's Gym battle at Ecruteak City was interrupted when she got news that her grandmother, Lan, was doing poorly. She saw Grandma Lan and received a pouch with a special item inside. Afterwards, Summer attends her grandmother's funeral and is overcome with sadness. Unfortunately, her cousin, Sorin, makes things worse. What does he do, and what is the special item Summer received?

Chapter 22- An Outburst of Suppressed Feelings

It was all a blur. Entering the Ecruteak City Temple for the funeral, seeing everyone dressed in black, the words of those who fondly remembered Grandma Lan. I was surprised I was able to stand up and see her lying peacefully in her dark wood coffin. She was dressed in her red kimono, and an assortment of yellow orchids, white chrysanthemums, and pink roses were placed around her body.

I held back tears as I placed a red rose into her crossed arms. I returned to my seat, and after everyone finished placing their flowers inside, the elderly head monk of the Tin Tower lowered the lid of the coffin. Uncle Cuyler, my dad, and two other monks approached the wooden box and carefully lifted the wooden poles attached to the sides. As they carried the coffin outside, the rest of us followed them to the plot of land covered with stone lanterns, the temple's cemetery.

We stopped at the northwest corner, where a large hole was already dug. The head monk let out his Alakazam, who levitated the coffin into the depths of the earth. Each of us scooped a handful of loose dirt sitting on a mound by the hole and tossed it onto the casket. After everyone took their turn, Alakazam covered the hole with the remaining soil and mounted a stone lantern with gold and silver etchings of the Legendary Beasts and Ho-oh. The head monk uttered some last words, then dismissed us.

I followed my family to the temple courtyard, where a pine tree grew in the center of the Zen garden.

My dad hugged me. "It's okay, Summer… She's in a better place now..." Despite the steadiness in his voice, I knew he was hurting as much as I was.

Uncle Cuyler said, "We should have one last dinner before we return home."

"Sounds good, Cuyler," Auntie Windy responded. "How about Slashing Sushi?"

My dad nodded. "That's fine with us. Let's get changed first and meet up around 7?"

"All right."

We left the temple and headed to the hotel where they were all staying. After entering the modest lobby, we split up and I followed my parents to their room on the first floor.

My mom said, "Summer, you can change first then head downstairs to the mochi shop for your sweet snack."

"Okay." I headed into the granite bathroom, closed the door, and changed back into my regular clothes. The gold bag fell onto the sink countertop as I put my capris on.

The funeral is over, so I guess it's okay to see what's inside.

I placed my left hand inside and took out an old gold necklace. A bright yellow stone, a dark red stone, and an aqua blue stone were strung from left to right. The gold chains pierced through the stones at the tops and bottoms, leaving gaps in between them. This formed a crescent shape that pointed towards the neck. It looked heavy but felt light, and there was a hint of nostalgia and history coming from it.

I unfastened the latch holding the necklace together and attached it around my neck. A vision of Renge flashed in front of my eyes, and I started to realize the importance of the item. This in an accessory of a Legend Guardian... Does she believe I can actually become one?

I left the bathroom, but my parents were faced towards the window and didn't seem to notice the door opening. My dad was sobbing, something I hadn't seen since I left for Kanto, and my mom was comforting him. Not wanting to disturb them, I left for the mochi shop.

It was a small place near the reception desk, with four round wooden tables and four chairs per table. There were displays of various colors and flavors of mochi, ice cream, and sorbet. A chalkboard displayed over the counter the prices for these items.

Hm...what should I get? I'm not a fan of mochi…

I walked to the counter and ordered five Pokédollars worth of ice cream. I sat down to eat the scoops of chocolate, lychee, and mango from the paper cup. They were delicious, but I still felt a little empty.

Sorin entered the shop and ordered his sweet food. He saw me and chuckled. "You're having ice cream? Come on, mochi is so much better!"

I rolled my eyes. "Can we not do this now, Sorin?"

Suddenly, his expression became angry. "Where did you get that?" He was looking at the necklace.

"I got it from Grandma Lan yesterday."

"No! That shouldn't belong to you!"

I was taken aback. "Why are you so upset? Grandma Lan has the right to choose who can have this."

He crossed his arms turned away. "So what? You're not worthy to wear it."

I realized the meaning of his words and stood up. "Do you know the significance of this necklace?"

He sneered, "Of course I do. It's the accessory for the Legend Guardian of the Legendary Beasts."

"You...You know about the Legend Guardians?"

His face grew red. "Of course I know! Everyone in our family does, but apparently you don't."

"How would I know?! My parents never told me, and I haven't been here in six years!"

He smirked. "So, Summer. What makes you qualified to be a candidate? You don't meet any of the current requirements."

I bit my lip. "The Legendary Pokémon say otherwise."

He held back a laugh. "Oh please. Teeni's way more qualified than you."

"You know her and the requirements? How do you know so much about the Legend Guardians?"

"A lot more than you apparently. I bet you learned about them when you started your journey."

I was getting tired of this. "What do you want from me, Sorin? A victory in a Pokémon battle over me? Satisfaction from the family? What?!"

He finished his strawberry mochi, then said, "I want to you suffer the pain I felt growing up here."

"What are you talking about?"

"I learned about the legends and the Guardianship from Grandma Lan and Teeni. I saw Teeni study and train so hard to earn that." He pointed at the necklace. "And now...you. Someone who doesn't have any qualification of being a Guardian just comes here and takes the candidacy from someone who truly earns it?!"

I sadly looked at the necklace, then at Sorin. "Sorin. I know I don't meet the traditional requirements of being this Legend Guardian. But... I've been tested by each of the Legendary Beasts, and the Kimono Girls I've met seem fine with it. I've been through a lot. Doesn't that count?"

He glared at me, piercing my soul. "Oh please. If you're talking about your sister, that doesn't prove anything. I bet she'll never come back!"

In a burst of anger, I shoved him to the ground. My body shook and tears streamed down my cheeks. "H-How could you...say that! That was a low blow, even from you, Sorin!"

I ran from the hotel area, not caring where I was going. Lily… Even though I accepted what happened, I still can't forgive myself. I let you down, I let Mommy and Daddy down, and now, I'm letting Grandma Lan down…

Suddenly my foot hit something hard. I opened my eyes and saw I was falling into the basement of Burned Tower. I quickly grabbed Blaze's Pokéball, but before I could let him out, a blue energy surrounded me and lowered me safely onto the ground.

"My goodness, you really know how to make an entrance, Summer."

At the center of the room, Naoko, Kuni, Zuki, and a Kimono Girl with orange trim on her robe waited in front of a large pedestal.

I wiped my eyes and put the Pokéball away. "Naoko...what are you doing here?"

She smiled. "We were going to see you as soon as we finished here."

Zuki nodded. "We could not attend the funeral due to religious practices. So we paid our respects here instead."

"It is where Lady Renge and the Beasts were born, so this is the most appropriate location to respect the last Guardian," Kuni added. "But I sense that is not what you are most concerned about, yes?"

I sighed. "Yeah… I don't know if I'm ready to keep wearing this."

"Ah…the Seishin Nekkuresu, or as it is most commonly known as the Spirit Necklace," Zuki remarked. "If Lady Lan gave that to you, she must know you are ready."

"As we may have suggested to you before, we have no objections to you not meeting the traditional candidate requirements," Naoko reassured. "Although Kuni was not at first."

The Vaporeon Kimono Girl gave her fellow Kimono Girl a dirty look. "That was because I have did not know her well enough." Then she slyly smiled. "But when we battled in Goldenrod City, I saw you have the potential to become the Guardian."

I felt a little better. "So...will you be able to teach me?"

The Espeon Kimono Girl giggled. "Of course!"

"Then...maybe I should postpone my League challenge to catch up on the lessons. If I want to fulfill the rest of the requirements to become the Legend Guardian, I should devote all of my time to learning the legends."

The Kimono Girls giggled, confusing me. Kuni shook her head. "You do not have to resort to that to achieve the same results. We have anticipated for this kind of education."

Zuki added, "After all, we do not want to keep you from the Silver League."

The Kimono Girl I haven't met handed me some scrolls. "Here, Summer," she whispered. "These contain information about the legends of Johto. Go ahead and read them."

"Thank you, um…"

"Miki."

"Thank you, Miki."

"Miki has always been pretty quiet," Naoko remarked as the girl rejoined her group. "But that is what makes her an excellent dancer. Now, as for the scrolls. Read them at your own pace. We will test you when you return to Ecruteak City."

"Oh...but the Gym battle."

"I am afraid Morty needs more time to recover from Lady Lan's passing," Kuni replied. "It may be best to wait. I am sure you will benefit from that as well."

I nodded. Then I looked at the rubble. "I should probably get the Rainbow Scroll here."

"Oh, do not worry about that. It is very well hidden. Only a Legend Guardian can find it."

I gave them a soft smile. "I see."

Naoko looked at the setting sun. "We must leave. I am sure you have to be somewhere as well."

"Oh yeah, the dinner." I put the scrolls in my backpack and headed to the ladder. "Can I contact you if I have any questions?"

"Of course. We may represent the past culture, but we have some technology."

I exchanged Pokégear numbers with all of the Kimono Girls. "Wait, if there are five Eeveelutions, where is the fifth Kimono Girl?"

Naoko chuckled. "Actually, there are more Eeveelutions, but I digress. I believe Sayo is still traveling the eastern part of the region. But she should be back soon. In the meantime, study and protect the necklace. I worry that some suspicious people may be after it."

"I understand. Goodbye."

The girls bowed. "Farewell, Summer."

Summer's Pokémon:

Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Air Slash

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Psychic, Ice Punch

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Slide, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Yuki's Pokémon:

Momo (Wartortle, male): Quiet Nature, moves: Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Blizzard, Aqua Tail

Ume (Swellow, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Roost, Wing Attack, Quick Attack, Swift

Ichigo (Minun, male): Sassy Nature, moves: Discharge, Hidden Power, Helping Hand, Spark

Kiui (Hoppip, female): Jolly Nature, moves: Bullet Seed, Synthesis, Tackle, Sleep Powder

Questions for the Chapter:

What do you think of the Spirit Necklace?

Did you expect this kind of behavior from Sorin and Summer?

Will Summer be able to learn everything in time?