14 years ago…
"Salamence, Dragon Rush!"
"Hariyama, meet it with an Arm Thrust!"
As the two Pokémon charged at each other, Satomi Niiyama and her close friend Chihiro looked on at Noboru Taki and Masahiro Hashimoto's intense battle, their two friends throwing themselves into the fight wholeheartedly.
While the quartet had only formed a year ago after Satomi had entered college and became friends with the existing trio, the bonds they had forged during their short time together were already unbreakable, with Noboru and Chihiro even striking up a relationship shortly after Satomi became acquainted with them.
A gust of wind whipped up on the battlefield as the inevitable collision happened, sending a massive shock wave outwards when Salamence's head-on blitz was completely stopped in its tracks by Hariyama's two outstretched palms. The deadlock was only broken when Noboru's Salamence managed to force its way past the hands of Masahiro's Hariyama and directly rammed into it.
Sent flying backwards, Hariyama eventually came to a stop and steadied itself, but that was followed by it collapsing to the ground. Recalling his fainted Pokémon, Masahiro went over and squeezed Noboru's hand, before the two embraced each other in a friendly hug.
"Man, that was a close battle there." Masahiro commented. "But no matter how close it comes to the wire, you still find a way to beat me every time. What's our score now? 30 to 0?"
"Actually, it's 31 to 0." Noboru corrected his friend. "Though that one time we were both completely drunk and battling outside in a thunderstorm, so it doesn't really count. Maybe a 30.5 if you're being pedantic."
"Ahh, whatever the case, I really need to find a way to win one of these days." Masahiro lamented. "Maybe I should catch and train up a Crabominable, or teach my Pokémon more super-effective moves? Man, even if I tried all of those ideas, I still think you would come out on top."
"Don't worry, you're still one of the best Trainers I've met." Taki tried his best to console Masahiro. "Remember that time where we fought off that rampaging horde of Galarian Darmanitan? You did most of the heavy lifting there."
"Yeah, but that was because Ice-types are weak to Fighting-types, while Dragon-types are weak to Ice-types." Masahiro replied. "If they were Pokémon of any other type except Fairy, I'm sure you could've easily stopped them all."
"Fair enough." While Noboru still wanted to reassure Masahiro about his competency as a Trainer, he still had his girlfriend to worry about. "I've got a date with Chihiro, so I need to get going. Can't leave her hanging, you know?"
"Uh, I'm right here." Chihiro pointed out. "Besides, don't you have that meeting you needed to attend? Or didn't you reschedule it like you promised me? You said that it was quite important."
"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I did manage to shift it to a later date." Noboru apologized, not wanting to let his girlfriend down. "Come on, let's go. I've already got a reservation for two waiting, so we'd better get a move on."
"Where to?" Chihiro asked as Noboru climbed up on his Salamence, before her eyes widened. "Don't tell me… you actually managed to pull that off? I thought you were only joking when I asked you about it!"
"Well, I know the right people in the right places, so getting that reservation was only a matter of time." Noboru replied, then outstretched his arm. "Care to join me for a night to remember?"
"Gladly." Taking Noboru's hand, Chihiro stepped onto the back of her boyfriend's Salamence as it beat its wings and took off into the sky, leaving Masahiro and Satomi behind quite abruptly.
"They're perfect for each other." Satomi commented. "Though you'd never expect it from how different their instrument and type specialties are, Noboru and Chihiro somehow found a way to blend their clashing styles through how contrasting they were, making them stronger together than on their own. That's the best Dragon and Ice-type Trainers in Octiva for you."
"Now that you put it that way, it makes sense." Masahiro added. "With how well they fit each other, I think they're going to accomplish a lot together no matter what path they choose."
"Well then, let's do our best to not fall behind." Satomi replied. "After all, someone needs to support our friends, right? They may get a lot done on their own, but they're still human, and no person is an island unto of themself. If we can't keep up, then how can we catch them when they fall?"
3 years later…
"Satomi? I can't believe you got called here as well! What a surprise!"
Turning to look at who was calling her, Satomi turned around to see Masahiro along with Noboru and Chihiro. Standing in an underground room beneath the stadium being constructed above, the quartet had somehow been reunited at the Pokémon League headquarters shortly after Satomi had graduated, all of them called here for some reason.
"Oh! Masahiro! And Noboru and Chihiro as well! Didn't really get to see you two after your wedding!" Satomi exclaimed. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"Well, if three months is a long time for you, then that may count." Chihiro laughed. "But Noboru and I actually have been quite busy. Going on our honeymoon, moving into our new home, those sorts of things. We've been so busy that our Pokémon are starting to get bored!"
"Still, I can't say this enough times, but congratulations on your marriage." Even after everything, Satomi still felt her heart twist a little when she said those words out loud. "May you two spend the rest of your lives together in bliss."
"Aww, there's no need to say it that formally, Satomi." Chihiro smiled. "I know I didn't feel the same way towards you that you did for me, but I'm still happy that you managed to find love after that. By the way, how's your boyfriend? Treating you well?"
"He's actually got some things on his plate right now, so we've kind of drifted apart." There was an undercurrent of slight dejection in Satomi's voice, but she quickly brushed that away. "Don't worry, we're going to get back close as soon as he's finished, and we plan to keep it that way."
"Good to hear! Make sure to treat him well too!" Chihiro gave her friend a pat on the shoulder before they all heard an 'ahem' fill the room. The four friends turned to look at who arrived, and Noboru quickly recognized the newcomer as his father's assistant/advisor, Michie Matsumoto.
"Pardon my sudden interruption, but the co-Champions will see you now." Matsumoto addressed the quartet, then led them to a conference room before opening the door.
Inside the meeting room, Noboru saw his father and his close friend Mr. Kousaka sitting on one end of the long table filling up most of the room. After Matsumoto closed the door and the four friends took their seats, the elder Taki began to speak.
"Since we already know each other, there is no need for any introductions, so let us get straight to the point." Tohru Taki spoke. "The reason I called you four here quite suddenly is due to a grave and impromptu emergency. Three out of the four Elite Four members have abruptly resigned due to various reasons. Even Shindou, the only one who stayed behind initially, had to take an indefinite leave after a tumultuous divorce with his wife."
"So what you're saying is that all four of the Elite Four positions are vacant." Satomi noted. "But how about the Gym Leaders? Aren't some of them close to the Elite Four's strength? Why not promote some of them?"
"That is another problem we have been facing." Kousaka answered. "All of the Gym Leaders have sided with the ex-Elite Four members over the conditions of their resignations, meaning that none of them have accepted the League's offers to step up to the position."
"Which is why we have no other options left." Taki continued. "You four are among the strongest Trainers Octiva has ever seen, which is why we'd like to give you the offer of bypassing the Gym Leader trials and directly becoming members of the Elite Four. As we still have a shortlist of other Trainers we can request to take on the role, please remember that this is not mandatory."
"Since we don't have to become Gym Leaders first, what are the conditions of the fast-track to Elite Four status?" Masahiro asked. "Are there any changes in what we have to do?"
"Not much, and from our continued observations of your performances of Trainers, all of you have fulfilled much of the requirements of becoming members of the Elite Four over your careers." Kousaka answered. "However, there are two challenges that none of you have managed to undertake: finding and battling a Legendary Pokémon which your chosen type specialty is weak against, and doing the same for a second Legendary Pokémon which your type specialty is strong against."
"This offer will remain standing for one year." Taki stated. "If any of you manage to accomplish these two tasks within that timespan, you will become a member of the Elite Four following a series of battles to evaluate your strength and skill against either Mr. Kousaka or myself."
"Thank you very much for your time." With those words, both Taki and Kousaka stood up, bowed, and left the room along with Matsumoto, leaving the four friends alone in there.
"Oh great, now where are we gonna go to find Legendary Pokémon?" Masahiro sighed. "They don't go on trees, you know? They're called Legendary Pokémon for a reason!"
Noboru was about to answer Masahiro with a list of known locations where Legendary Pokémon resided when he heard a knock on the conference room's door. Opening it, he couldn't see anyone there until he looked down and saw a young girl of about three or four years of age.
"Excuse me, have you seen my father?" she asked. Noboru quickly deduced that she must have been Mr. Kousaka's daughter Reina, whose baby shower he remembered going to shortly after he entered college. "My mother said that he should be here, and that I should tell him we're going to be late for our vacation in Sinnoh."
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you where your father is." Noboru apologetically answered. "He just left with my father a moment ago, so try searching the hallways until you find him."
"Really? My father knows your father?" the younger Kousaka perked up at that comment. "Then are you friends with me?"
"Well, I'd say so." Noboru laughed at Kousaka Jr's bluntness. She did resemble her father in that way, speaking her mind in a straightforward manner without worrying about the consequences. "But you've got to get going now. Your family's trip to Sinnoh isn't going to wait."
"Before I go, can I have your name?" the younger Kousaka asked. "My name's Reina. Reina Kousaka."
"Reina. That's a beautiful name." Noboru noted, before answering the question at hand. "Well then, my name's Taki. Noboru Taki. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, but I need to go now. See you later." Waving goodbye at Noboru, he then also waved at Kousaka before she closed the door and left, off to find her parents. Turning to Chihiro, an idea on what Legendary Pokémon they should face for their challenges started to form in Noboru's mind.
"Dear, what do you say about us taking a trip to Sinnoh?"
9 months later…
Trekking through Turnback Cave, Noboru and Chihiro were starting to lose track of time in the dark underground tunnels. After nearly a year of travelling throughout Sinnoh, Chihiro had already faced a Heatran in Stark Mountain and narrowly lost, while she had eked out a win against a Shaymin living in the Flower Paradise.
Meanwhile, Noboru had challenged an Articuno roaming near the Flower Paradise while Chihiro was battling against Shaymin. While he didn't intend to win that battle owing to natural type disadvantages, the Articuno had somehow walked into more of his traps than he expected, which allowed him to cinch a victory.
Now, he and his wife were trying to navigate the daunting Turnback Cave, home to the Legendary Pokémon Giratina, revered and confirmed as a creation deity in multiple mythologies and scientific papers. While he could have gone to Mount Coronet and faced Dialga or Palkia instead, Noboru felt that Giratina would be a more unorthodox challenge instead, giving him the opportunity to develop his fighting style further.
"When are we going to reach Giratina?" Chihiro asked. "I know that it would be hard to find, but I'd never expected to walk through near-identical caves over and over again. Is there a particular direction we need to go in?"
"Not exactly." Noboru answered. "From what I've read up on, the caves seem to change their location every time a person enters, so no one has been able to chart a path through. However, some recurring caves have been recorded with pillars in them. We can find Giratina if we pass through less than 30 of those pillar caves. Otherwise, we'll need to start all over."
"And how many have we passed through now?" Chihiro was curious at how much more they had to walk before they reached their goal. "Going through all this already eats up so much time. What if we have to do it again?"
"Don't worry. We've only passed through 15 pillar caves so far, so we've still got a while before we need to try again." Noboru reassured his wife. As the couple continued trudging further into the underground network, Noboru heard a low growl coming from the other side of the tunnel they were in.
"That must be it!" he exclaimed, causing him and Chihiro to pick up the pace. As the tunnel widened into another cave, what Noboru saw was indeed the Legendary Pokémon Giratina, its two gigantic spectral wings framing its gray body, which was adorned with red, black, and gold.
Not wasting a single moment, Noboru sent out all of his team to combat the Renegade Pokémon, giving all of them orders without skipping a beat. "Salamence, Dragon Pulse! Hydreigon, Dark Pulse! Dragapult, Dragon Darts! Haxorus, Outrage! Noivern, Draco Meteor! Flygon, Dragon Claw!"
As all his Pokémon began charging up their attacks, Noboru tapped the Key Stone embedded in the side of his glasses, causing his Salamence to undergo Mega Evolution. Once the transformation was finished, Salamence let loose with its powered-up move, followed by the attacks of Noboru's other Pokémon.
While Giratina was certainly caught off guard by the first few attacks, it simply phased through the rest before completely disappearing into the shadows. Looking at all the shaded crevices in the cave's walls to deduce where his opponent would strike from, Noboru was still caught off-guard when Giratina's shadow appeared behind his Dragapult, knocking the Stealth Pokémon back with a powerful blow.
"Dragapult, Lock-On! Everyone else, attack again!" After Dragapult had recovered and flown back closer to where Giratina was, targeting reticles appeared on its eyes as it dedicated itself to pinpointing where Giratina was. As another barrage struck at Giratina, it simply phased and dove back into the shadows again. However, Noboru had shifted his tactics to counter this exploitable move.
"Dragapult, Dragon Darts! Dreepy, Bite!" Still tracking where Giratina was, Noboru's Dragapult fired out the Dreepy in its launchers at the Legendary Pokémon's exact position, directly hitting at where Giratina was hiding.
Once they collided with Giratina, the two Dreepy then bit onto the Legendary Pokémon, causing it to roar out in pain. Seizing this opportunity, Noboru decided to overwhelm Giratina once more. "Attack again!"
As his Pokémon used their most powerful attacks, Noboru was starting to realize that the cave they were in was beginning to get distorted, its walls constantly shifting and the laws of physics getting ignored whenever an attack impacted the environment.
Noboru also noticed that instead of phasing through attacks or disappearing, Giratina was taking them head-on, as if it was saving its energy for something else. Slowly, he could see that Giratina's form was shifting, its legs being tucked back into its body as its wings morphed from two large ones to six thinner tendrils.
"Look out! Giratina's shifting back into its Origin Forme!" Noboru warned his Pokémon as they withdrew back to his side. As soon as Giratina's transformation was finished, it then fired out multiple Dark Pulses at Noboru's Pokémon from its wings, though all of them managed to dodge.
"It's not long until Giratina needs to retreat!" Noboru informed his Pokémon. "Everyone, keep it distracted! Hydreigon, let's use that combo we've been practicing! Railgun!"
As most of Noboru's Pokémon leapt back into the fray to buy time for their teammate, Hydreigon began using its two arm-heads to create weak trails of Thunderbolts towards Giratina's direction, while its central head began charging up a Flash Cannon parallel towards the Thunderbolts.
"Fire!" Right when Giratina was preoccupied with fending off the two Dreepy, Noboru's Hydreigon powered up its Thunderbolts, following up by launching the Flash Cannon from its mouth. The spherical Steel-type attack was accelerated by the magnetic field generated by the parallel Thunderbolts, causing it to travel at much greater speeds than usual.
The strengthened Flash Cannon hit Giratina directly in the abdomen, knocking it back for the first time in the entire battle. Howling in pain, the distortions around the room seemed to retract back into Giratina as it completely enveloped itself in shadows, completely disappearing a moment later.
"Well, unless Giratina suddenly appears again after sustaining that much damage, that should be it." Noboru told his Pokémon and Chihiro, who had been recording the entire battle. "We've finally defeated Giratina. Let's not waste time and find a way out of here."
And so, Noboru and Chihiro Taki fulfilled their requirements to become part of the Elite Four, joining their friends Masahiro Hashimoto and Satomi Niiyama as the new generation of Octiva's top Trainers after their return from Sinnoh.
For five years, the four friends stood at the summit of what every aspiring Trainer was striving to achieve, lending their support to rising stars and protecting the region from threats within and without, all under the watchful eyes of the co-Champions.
However, all that changed one fateful day when Chihiro contracted an illness abruptly, throwing the power dynamics of the Pokémon League off-guard. Though the Elite Four regarded each other as equals in the field, there was a silent mutual agreement that Chihiro served as the glue holding the group together, helping them weather through many crises that could have split them like their predecessors.
Despite fighting against her sudden illness valiantly and Noboru's best efforts to find treatment for her, Chihiro passed away a little over a year after she contracted the unknown disease. With his main pillar of support gone, Noboru couldn't hold himself together, completely disappearing after Chihiro's funeral despite Masahiro and Satomi's best efforts to console his grief while bearing their own.
Noboru had not given anyone a single clue as to where he went, with all his Pokémon even being left behind along with Chihiro's at the Perto City Day Care. Worried about their friend, Masahiro and Satomi took indefinite leaves of absence from the Elite Four to search for him across the world, only coming back to Octiva again to face challengers, with the elder Taki and Kousaka pulling double duty as members of both the Elite Four and co-Champions.
Just like that, the Pokémon League of Octiva had entered its second dark age in 10 years.
4 years and 9 months later…
"Are you sure this is where we could find him, Masahiro?" Satomi asked.
"Beats me. We've been chasing enough dead ends for almost half a decade already." Masahiro lamented. "Though I swear that he was back in Octiva for several days a few months ago, considering how Kousaka mentioned that his daughter appears to have had a conversation with him."
"Even if we wanted to, we couldn't approach him then considering we were halfway across the world in Unova during that time." Satomi replied. "And we didn't have a reason for convincing him to come back to Octiva for good, when we now do."
"Right. About that reason…" Masahiro pondered. "Do you think he'll accept it? I mean, it's from his dad, and you know the relationship those two have with each other. Would he really want to do that? Accept such a prestigious offer?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Satomi declared. Following a lead from Matsumoto, who had vacationed in the area some time before, the two were now in Dendemille Town, Kalos, where Noboru was rumored to have been sighted.
Walking around the stairway-filled town, Masahiro and Satomi found themselves getting exhausted rather quickly, so they went to a nearby café that Matsumoto recommended to rest and plan out where to search next. Upon entering, they heard a familiar voice ring through their ears. "Masahiro, Satomi, it's been a long time. I've been expecting you."
Turning around to face the café's in-built outdoors terrace, Masahiro and Satomi saw their old friend Noboru sitting at a table along with a young college-aged woman with light brown hair.
"Noboru!" Masahiro exclaimed, then his face shifted to one of confusion upon realizing who his long-lost friend was sitting with. "And who might this lovely young lady be? Don't tell me-"
"She's not who you think she is, Masahiro." Noboru sighed. "This is Mamiko Oumae, an acquaintance of mine who I met here under conditions not in my favour. She's from Octiva as well, and she currently works at Friseur Furfrou in Lumiose City as a Pokémon stylist."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hashimoto, Ms. Niiyama." Oumae began. "Taki-sensei has told me a lot about you two during his time here, though he forgot to mention that those 'conditions not in his favour' when we first met means that I found him blackout drunk at night in a Lumiose City alleyway crying his lights out."
"Your lack of tact hurts, Ms. Oumae." Noboru rubbed his side in mock pain. "But what she said is correct on every level. After I recovered from my unfortunate circumstances, she constantly kept in touch with me until she confirmed that I wouldn't get into that sort of situation again, and she still checks up on me from time to time. That's how I was able to arrange this meeting today."
"But that still doesn't explain how you knew that we would be here at this exact moment." Satomi thought. "Either you have a Psychic-type Pokémon with you or you have extreme planning skills, both of which don't fit you."
"I met with Matsumoto during her vacation here." Noboru answered. "It was still an extreme coincidence that we managed to encounter each other, but she filled me in on what I missed during my time away. I also gave Matsumoto the address of this café in case someone needed to meet me urgently."
"A few days back, she told me that you two would be coming here with a request, so I've been waiting here for the past few days for you to arrive." Noboru continued. "Miss Oumae also decided to join me during this time period, as these are not her peak hours."
"I use my Wigglytuff to Teleport between here and Lumiose City." Oumae added. "Saves me a lot of time and travel fees, though I needed to have a special TM imported from Kanto. That cost a lot."
"But enough about us." Noboru changed the topic. "I'm intrigued as to why Matsumoto decided to let slip my location to you two. She's not the sort of person to do this so casually, so I suspect that whatever request you two have is extremely important."
"...We'd like you to take on the role of Champion." Masahiro quickly spoke before his nerves took over.
"...I see." Noboru noted. "But what about my father and Mr. Kousaka? Surely they are more than competent enough to continue in their current duties. Or maybe one of you two could do it. I have complete faith in your abilities."
"That's the problem." Satomi commented. "Mr. Kousaka retired from his position a year ago back to focus on his musical career and family, while your father started to grow tired of his role after so many years of performing it, so he is also on indefinite hiatus."
"We also partially retired from the Elite Four more than a year ago to not only search for you, but to focus on our musical careers as well." Masahiro explained, eliciting a reaction of shock on Noboru's face. "Thankfully, we managed to find three high-potential Trainers undergoing Gym Leader trials during that time period and asked if they would like to be part of the Elite Four."
"All three of them accepted, and passed their modified challenges with flying colors. A fourth Trainer is currently being inducted through special circumstances, which involved saving an entire region." Masahiro continued on. "They really are a special bunch, considering all the impossible feats they pulled off. You'd certainly be impressed with what they've done."
"Now all that's left is for someone capable to lead them." Satomi concluded. "As everything was arranged in less than a year, it's a complete mess back in Octiva. Remember our college days? You were the most organized out of all four of us. Besides, isn't this what Chihiro would want? She'd hate to see you moping around like this with no direction."
At the mention of his deceased wife's name, Noboru immediately stood up. "Forgive me, but may I have some time for myself to consider this further? This is a heavy decision, and I don't want to take this lightly at all."
After Noboru abruptly departed the table they were sitting at, Oumae smiled. "He'll be back. I'm sure of it."
"How do you know, Miss Oumae?" Satomi was reticent. "Don't tell me it's because you know him better than us."
"As he once said to me, any Trainer worth their salt can't turn down an offer as lucrative as this." Oumae replied. "Besides, I bet he's itching to have a good challenge after so long. Who wouldn't?"
Half a month later…
"Leavanny, Leaf Blade!"
"Ferrothorn, Leech Seed!"
"Golisopod, Liquidation!"
"Banette, Phantom Force!"
"Marowak, Flare Blitz! Spiritomb, Shadow Ball!"
As Aoi Saitou's Mega Banette surfaced from the shadows, it was quickly intercepted by Noboru's Alolan Marowak, wreathed in flames. However, those were quickly extinguished by Haruka Ogasawara's Golisopod slamming its water-drenched claws down.
Nearby, Noboru's Spiritomb was on the receiving end of a Leech Seed from Kaori Nakaseko's Ferrothorn, and its Shadow Ball had just been cleaved in two by Asuka Tanaka's Leavanny, which then landed a clean cleave on it. Combined with the strength being drained away by Leech Seed, Spiritomb disappeared back into its Odd Keystone, followed by Marowak collapsing to the floor in exhaustion.
"All right, that's enough." Noboru told the Elite Four. After getting back and meeting his successors, he had been continually training them for the past couple of weeks, judging and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. This proved to be a more complicated endeavour than he thought, as he had been out of practice for nearly five years, and was using the Pokémon who joined him on his journey.
Though he still had the option to use his regular Pokémon or Chihiro's Pokémon, Noboru declined to do so until after these training regimens were over. He had heard they were well from the Day Care caretakers, and had even produced a lot of Eggs, but he couldn't bear to see them after they were left all alone for nearly five years.
For the Elite Four, these four-versus-two matches had proven to be some of the most challenging they had ever faced, even with the numerical advantage on their side. Though they often managed to win, it was still by a ever-shortening margin they managed to do so, despite their opponent's numerous handicaps.
"Ms. Nakaseko, I've noticed that you've used very few attacking moves across all our battles. It may be an effective strategy, but any good defense still requires a good offense to reinforce it." Noboru began to comment. "Ms. Tanaka, you've got the opposite problem. You're attacking quite a lot, but it seems that you're doing so without anything to back it up. Someone skilled enough can still see through your weaknesses."
"Ms. Ogasawara, your attacks do have power in them, but you seem to be hesitating when executing them. If you want to take effective command of the battlefield, you need to be more assertive." Noboru continued. "Ms. Saitou, though you're on par with everyone else, you seemed to have the least presence in the battle, which could lead to you not being as engaged."
"I understand." all Elite Four members replied. After Noboru dismissed them from today's practice session, Masahiro and Satomi approached him, along with the elder Taki.
"Wow, I can't believe that you haven't gotten rusty at all during the past five years." Masahiro praised his old friend. "In fact, I'd say that your style seems to have changed a lot. It's now more wild, but it doesn't stray from your normal methodical nature at all."
"Is it really?" Noboru replied. "I was going under the assumption that my skills had dulled somewhat from the time I was away, so I was actually fighting with my full strength against the Elite Four. They're quite powerful indeed."
"Either way, it feels like everything is finally back in place after everything we've been through." Satomi commented. "No matter how much we've distanced ourselves from our problems, we've all come back here one way or another."
"You've grown into a fine Trainer, Noboru." his father commended. "Despite our… differences in the past, I have the utmost confidence that you will be a splendid Champion indeed."
The elder Taki took out a Pokéball and gave it to his son, who seemed puzzled at his father's present. "Being a Champion requires you to have mastery over Pokémon of different types. I know that you will be using Alolan Marowak, Spiritomb, and three of your regular Dragon-type Pokémon in your duties, but I think that Chihiro would not want you to feel alone, so I decided to give you one of the Pokémon she helped raise in her role."
Opening the Pokéball, Noboru was surprised to see the Pokémon inside. "This is…"
After Taki quickly introduced himself as a friend of Reina's family and her mentor back when she was in middle school, Kumiko now had a much clearer idea of why Reina held the Champion in such high regard personally. Being the person who taught Reina the basics of battle and gave her a goal to strive towards would both score high in Reina's book, Kumiko thought.
"So how much do you know about HTT, sensei?" Reina asked. "Are they really not a threat like you said?"
"Well, all of them are weaker than the Elite Four in terms of battling strength, so there's that." Taki explained. "However, there are many factors outside of Pokémon battling that need to be considered, so we cannot rule them out yet."
"I see," Reina noted. "Though I do have one more question for you. It's a short one, given how busy you must be, but how did you know my friend's name?"
"I once met her and gave her directions in Onic City, when she was searching for the Gym there with two other acquaintances." Taki answered, causing Kumiko to recall that strange encounter. "However, I was friends with her elder sister before that, so I already had an image of her even prior to our unexpected first meeting."
"Wait, what?!" Kumiko exclaimed, shocked at the hidden connection she had with the Champion. "You met my sister? When did this happen?"
"Well, I guess she'll tell you that story if you ask her the next time you two meet." Taki shied away from the topic. "Which should be quite soon, given the path you're traversing across the region. It's not a tale I would tell you personally."
Realizing what Taki was hinting at, Kumiko clammed up as Reina and Taki bid farewell to each other, and the Champion returned to where his friends were waiting. However, just before the trio left, Kumiko suddenly recognized one of them from all the way back to the start of her journey.
"Miss Niiyama!" Approaching Niiyama, Kumiko was even more surprised at how the woman who helped her choose her first Pokémon was somehow friends with the Champion. At the same time, it was now Reina's turn to be rendered completely inert, her brain being jammed at the sight of her sensei being with another woman. Only she had the right to learn from him.
"Oh, Miss Oumae. It's quite unexpected to see you here." Niiyama was also caught off-guard by this reunion. While she and her friends had agreed to meet at this restaurant once Deoxys had been defeated, nothing could prepare her for seeing this young Trainer again, especially during this point in her journey.
Thinking about what she could discuss with Niiyama now that an opportunity had presented itself, Kumiko racked her mind before coming up with something that had been bugging her, and she did not like Bugs. "Um, may I ask where the Professor was when I got my starter Pokémon?"
At the laboratory in Relude Town, it had been Niiyama supervising the day when Kumiko had first met Marcato. Even at this point in her journey, Kumiko still couldn't figure out why Niiyama was the only person in the lab that day, without even a message from the Professor explaining the absence.
As her friends were still in the vicinity, Niiyama decided to address Kumiko in a hushed voice. "The truth is, Taki's wife had the position of Relude Town's Professor along with her role as an Elite Four member. She was extremely enthusiastic in her role, creating the modern system of accepting rejected Day Care Eggs single-handedly and raising many of the initial Pokémon that hatched herself."
"Had?" Kumiko was curious. Did something happen to Taki's wife?
Niiyama's face doured at the memory of her friend's passing. "Unfortunately, she left this world five years ago, so Relude Town has been without a Professor for that period of time."
After hearing the cruel and twisted truth, Kumiko didn't know how to process it.
A/N: As of writing this author's note, the world is currently in unprecedented times, so please observe proper hygiene and stay safe alongside the people you care about.
