Notes: How quickly an update timeframe of "a few days" becomes "a few years"...

Happy Daiharu Day 2021! I am so, so deeply sorry that this chapter was so long in coming. It was a bit uncomfortable to write in parts—which was precisely the point when I chose to explore this particular dynamic, but I guess I just underestimated how frequently I would have to step away from this for months at a time before being able to approach writing/editing again with a clear head.

But now I think I am finally satisfied with how this has turned out, and I hope that those of you who have been waiting for this are happy with it as well. (I've seen all your comments and reviews and messages and appreciate them greatly, even if I didn't get around to answering!)

And now, finally, after four years... the conclusion.

Proof of You
Part 2

The age of ten was a huge turning point, when compulsory schooling came to an end and children could instead choose Pokemon training, joining the workforce, or pursuing higher education.

Most of Daigo's schoolmates began leaving on Pokemon journeys, with the added bonus of organizing meetups with their soulmates while on the road. For many of them, it was their first opportunity to meet their soulmate face-to-face.

Not that that would have been an option for Daigo in the first place, even if he could meet his soulmate. He still wasn't completely sure of what he wanted to do with his life, but as long as the possibility remained that he might inherit his father's company, he needed to continue to high school and college.

All things considered, though, it was somewhat of a relief that he wouldn't be making his soulmate wait for him in doing so—he was the one doing the waiting, after all.

Daigo did have an interest in Pokemon training, of course, but remaining stagnant in Rustboro for classes didn't exactly lend itself to traveling. The most he could manage was stopping by the Trainers' School to study training theory on days when he didn't have homework, and hanging around the surrounding routes on weekends and holidays to put those studies to practical use.

He found that, on the occasion that he did battle, it came rather easily to him—and above all, he enjoyed it. He started making tentative plans to, once he completed his schooling, take his favorite Pokemon on a journey and see how far they could get together.

In the meantime, Daigo got little communication from his soulmate—which was to be expected, of course. As a young teen, the only indication he had that she existed were the occasional colored splotches appearing on his hands, as if he had tripped into a preschooler's box of arts-and-crafts supplies.

He didn't want to think that he was susceptible to the same awkward preoccupation with appearances as his peers, but he found himself often hiding his hands in his pockets, anyway.

So, keeping thoughts of soulmates and multi-colored fingertips from his mind, Daigo busied himself with studying business administration (with a geology minor on the side—just because). Put simply, Daigo spent his first years of higher education pretending that he didn't have a soulmate at all.

That was until one day at the age of fifteen, during a macroeconomics class, when he was staring boredly at his notes and the date in the corner of the page caught his attention.

His soulmate's birthday was soon.

His idle pen-tapping paused as he let that information sink in. He wasn't sure when his soulmate's birthday was precisely, but when he had exchanged messages with her parents they had said she was a week old. Counting backwards from that date, he reasoned that his soulmate would be turning five within the next few days.

He stared down at his left wrist. He had promised her parents that he wouldn't seek out any contact, which would of course include any message for the occasion. But they had also asked him to not let her feel lonely. He could remember how he had felt at her age, perhaps the first time in his life that he had ever experienced distress, and it was precisely because he had never received any communication from his soulmate. Shouldn't he try to reach out to her, just a little bit?

Which promise was better to break?

His professor's voice droned on the edge of his consciousness, but he pushed that to the side, focusing instead on the dilemma before him. Why had they asked him to stay silent, anyway? They had said they didn't want her to be focused on soulmates before she was ready. They said it would be best if he didn't say anything to her—both for her sake, and also for his, for some reason.

But soulmates were just a part of life. What was the point of continually shielding her from that?

She was old enough now for a little birthday greeting, surely?

Without letting himself doubt for another moment, he put his pen to his forearm and wrote a short message in careful lettering.

Happy birthday!

He thought for a moment longer and decided to try drawing a Pokemon underneath the letters. He wasn't sure where she lived, nor what kind of Pokemon she'd be familiar with, but Pikachu were endemic to nearly the entire world. She should be able to recognize that one—his doodle wasn't too terrible, either.

He stared at his arm for a few minutes, the familiar feeling of trepidation pooling in his stomach that he had experienced so many times until he was ten. He wanted to tell himself that she would answer—it wasn't like before. This time, his soulmate existed.

And finally, he did get a response.

In red marker ink, a drawing slowly materialized on his arm.

It was an awkward, lopsided smiley face.

Daigo's stomach churned for an entirely different reason, and he quickly hid the underside of his arm against the desk, keeping it out of view of others—and also from himself.

He felt disgusting.

Receiving a response directly from his soulmate should have made him feel happy, or satisfied, some sort of positive emotion. But it didn't; instead, he felt like he had done something horribly, horribly wrong.

Her response had done nothing but drive home the fact that she was so, so much younger than him. Seeing her clumsy drawing next to his practiced handwriting, it had only accentuated the cognitive difference between them.

He felt like a predator.

He sat impatiently through the rest of the class, his leg bouncing anxiously, note taking completely forgotten, and as soon as he was dismissed he ran to the bathroom and scrubbed the ink from his arm. He hoped it wouldn't hurt her feelings that he washed it off, but he couldn't bear to leave it there any longer.

Her parents had been right. He shouldn't have said anything. And they had been trying to protect him as well—from the nauseating truth that his soulmate wouldn't be his equal for a long, long time.

Breathing heavily, he stared at his arm again, smudged with the last residue of ink, but otherwise devoid of any hint of what had just happened.

The only evidence that the exchange had ever taken place remained firmly in his memories, unable to be shaken.

Haruka's soulmate was very quiet. It wasn't lonely, though, because she knew there was someone on the other end.

Her soulmate had reached out to her once—only once, but it had been enough to assure her of his existence. Around her fifth birthday, a message had appeared on her arm wishing her a good one, and she had been so excited to see the words that she tripped over her own feet running over to the arts-and-crafts table at school to retrieve a marker.

After school that day, she cheerfully mentioned the message to her parents—though it had already long disappeared from her arm by that point. They acted happy, but for some reason their reaction also made her feel like she did something wrong.

"Did he say anything else?" her father asked—she wasn't sure what made him think her soulmate was a boy, but she didn't give it much thought at the time.

"No," she confirmed.

Her mother whispered to him, "I think it's fine, then." Haruka thought that she probably wasn't supposed to have heard that, so she never brought up the birthday message again.

In the three years since then, her soulmate hadn't said a word to her. Every once in a while, light traces of ink would show up on her hands, creating characters that at first glance were unintelligible, until she realized that they were backwards. Holding her hands up to a mirror did little to clear up the confusion, though—there were tons of unfamiliar terms, like "anthracite" and "hypothecation" and "siliciclastic."

Either way, the words didn't seem to be meant for her. They had probably rubbed off from some other piece of paper her soulmate was writing on.

It didn't bother her too much that he didn't contact her, though—she knew he was there, and maybe he was just shy or something. She didn't want to push him to talk if he didn't want to.

Still, though... would it be bad of her to try sending a message? The idea lingered at the back of her mind, ever-present even if it wasn't at the forefront of her thoughts. She wanted to at least say hi to him, even if he didn't answer (though she would be thrilled if he did). Would that make him upset?

The idea of putting her soulmate in an uncomfortable position was enough to deter her from the idea for a long while, until one day when her curiosity finally got the better of her. School was over for the day, it was raining outside, and nothing interesting was on television, so with her options for amusement depleted she found a pen and, without another thought, wrote a short greeting.

Hello!

She paused then, wondering if it was too short and sudden—should she introduce herself? Should she clarify that he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to? She was just about to write something else when she noticed a tiny dot appear that she hadn't put there. Her soulmate had put his pen to his skin instead.

For a while, nothing more appeared—was he hesitating? Haruka began to worry that maybe he really was too shy to speak to her. Finally, though, the dot expanded into a line, which grew into a letter, which multiplied to form a word.

Hello.

Haruka couldn't keep from grinning. He was talking to her! She tried not to tremble in excitement as she wrote another message.

Hi! My name's Haruka! What's yours?

For a while, there was no answer. Haruka stared at her arm for so long and so hard that she feared she might very well burn a hole through it. That shouldn't have been a difficult question, was it? All she asked was his name. Why would it take so long for him to answer?

When he did write a message in return, it wasn't exactly what Haruka had expected.

You can call me D.

D? That was it? She was pretty sure that people weren't named single letters... So was he using some sort of code name? She was his soulmate, though!

Are you too shy to say your real name? she asked bluntly.

The answer came much quicker this time. Something like that, he said.

Oh... well, she didn't want to upset him by pushing the issue! She'd just call him "D" for the time being, then. Instead, she wanted to sate her curiosity on another point. That's okay! Are you a boy? She stared at the letters for a moment after she wrote them, wishing that she were better at writing; she had watched her mother pen much longer messages to her father, but Haruka still wasn't that good at writing letters yet.

In the meantime, D had responded. I am a boy, he confirmed.

So her parents had been right! She sort of wondered how they knew, but so many soulmates were of the opposite gender, maybe they just made a good guess.

Okay! she wrote, then paused before continuing. Is it okay if I write you messages sometimes even if you're shy? She hoped he'd say yes.

Of course, he answered, thrilling Haruka to her core. You can write to me anytime, but I might not answer if I'm busy.

Haruka couldn't really put her finger on it, but there was something about the way he wrote that was kind of weird. It was like... well, she wasn't sure. But he didn't talk like the boys at school.

That was quickly pushed from her mind, however, when she realized she had forgotten to mention something important.

OK, thank you! she wrote. Also I'm 8!

Somehow, Haruka felt a twinge of amusement in the next message that appeared. Yes, I know.

She didn't even think to wonder how he knew.

Senri came home from work one day and, without a word, dropped an open newspaper onto the sitting-room table.

"You realize that I just cleared that off," Mitsuko sighed.

"Look at it."

Curious, Mitsuko stepped over to the table and looked at the page the newspaper was open to. At the top corner was a short story piece, accompanied by a photograph of a young man with silvery hair standing alongside a Skarmory. "My, he's rather handsome, isn't he? 'A New Hoenn League Champion is Crowned: Daigo Tsuwabuki (19)'..." Instantly recognizing the name, her eyes widened and she looked up at her husband. "Hold on, are you saying...?"

Senri nodded. "He's the right age, at least."

"Hmm..." Mitsuko stood back up, but didn't take her eyes off the newspaper. "He's in Hoenn, though... what do you think, dear? You've talked about possibly opening a gym in another region when Haruka is older, but is that still on the table?"

"It is, and if you don't have a problem with it, I'm going to open up talks with the League Association." He leaned over to fold up the paper and put it somewhere more appropriate, to Mitsuko's relief. "I have a student who I think will be ready to take over for me in a year or two, as long as she quits crying when she loses."

Mitsuko smiled gently. "If you're sure, then I don't have a problem with it. The weather in Hoenn is gorgeous, I hear. But I'm surprised you're so eager for them to meet."

Senri cocked an eyebrow at her. "I think you misunderstand. I can't stop them from meeting eventually, nor would I want to."

Mitsuko could tell that there was more her husband wanted to say. "But?"

"...But if we're in the same League I can at least evaluate him a bit before Haruka finds him for herself."

"There it is."

Are you a Pokemon Trainer? Haruka asked one day, a few months before her tenth birthday.

It took a few hours before she received an answer from D. I am.

So he was older than her... well, she had suspected as much. Though she hadn't had the wherewithal to consider it at the time, the fact that her soulmate had been skilled enough at writing to send her a birthday message when she could only send an awkward doodle in response implied that he had at least a couple of years on her. To say nothing of the fact that he just sounded older and more sophisticated in his messages... so maybe he was already a teenager? It made her feel a little self-conscious sometimes, wondering if she seemed childish and silly to him, but on the other hand, he was her destined person, right? That meant he couldn't think too badly of her!

While she had been lost in thought, he had added on to his message. Your tenth birthday is coming up, isn't it? Do you plan to go on a Pokemon Journey?

Haruka had to stop and think for a bit before responding. She had been debating just that for a while, but she still was undecided... I don't know. My dad plans to transfer to another region in a year or two, so I think I might stay home and help Mom out while he's busy instead of going on a journey right away. Maybe after we move and are settled in. A thought then occurred to her. Can I ask where you are? I live in Johto.

There was a long pause, and after a few minutes the beginning of her previous message was wiped clean to make room for his answer. I'm in Hoenn right now.

Haruka instantly brightened. That's where Dad's transferring! she scrawled after hurriedly cleaning off the rest of her previous message. Okay, I've decided! I'll wait and start my journey there in Hoenn! Do you think we might meet up sometime while I'm training?

There was an even longer pause this time, before D slowly began writing a response. Are you planning to try the Gym challenge?

Honestly Haruka hadn't really thought about what kind of trainer she wanted to be—was she going to collect Gym Badges, or would she try Pokemon Contests? Not entirely sure of why he would be asking, she carefully answered, I'll probably give it a shot, at least.

Then I think there's a good chance we'll meet at some point.

D must be collecting Gym Badges too! Encouraged, Haruka suggested, Then it should be pretty easy to set up a meeting for us when I start traveling, right?

When it arrived, D's answer wasn't as conclusive as Haruka would have hoped. That probably won't be necessary.

Haruka wrote a message back asking what he meant, but for some reason, D maintained a position of silence on the matter.

When Haruka first left on her journey, she called home whenever she stopped at a Pokemon Center, but without a more convenient mode of communication between Center visits, her calls became less frequent without her even noticing.

Once she was on the boat with Mr. Hagi, it occurred to Haruka that it had been nearly two weeks since she last called her mother—and given that she had just received a PokeNav from President Tsuwabuki, it was the perfect opportunity to check in. So, trying to protect her new device from the salty sea spray, she opened up the PokeNav and dialed home.

After a few rings, her mother picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi Mom!" she greeted cheerfully. "I'm sorry I haven't called you in a while..."

"Haruka! No, don't worry," her mother assured gently. "You're twelve now! You're growing up, and finding your own way in life. That makes me happy! You don't have anything to apologize for."

Haruka smiled softly. "Yeah, but... you probably feel a little lonely too, right?"

"Well, I can't deny that," her mother admitted. "But that's partly your father's fault for spending so much time at the Gym!"

Giggling, Haruka shifted the PokeNav to her other ear. "Well, I have a PokeNav now, so I'll be able to call more often!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! But don't worry yourself so much about that. I want you to have fun traveling with your Pokemon friends." Haruka couldn't help but smile at the warmth in her mother's voice. "While I have you here, though, how about you catch me up? What are you up to right now?"

"Oh, yeah!" Haruka patted her fanny-pack containing the subject of her new errand. "I have to deliver a letter to a man named Daigo in Dewford, so I'm sailing there now. There's a Gym there too, so I think I'll try challenging it afterward!"

Her mother was silent for a while, long enough for Haruka to wonder if their connection had dropped. "Mom?" she tried curiously.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry!" Her mother giggled before continuing. "Haruka, do you know who this Daigo is?"

Haruka was a bit puzzled by her mother's tone—on its surface, the question was light and casual, but she detected an undertone of worry. "No..." she admitted. "Why? Should I know who he is? President Tsuwabuki said he knew him, and he wouldn't send me to see someone dangerous... would he?"

"No, no, don't worry!" her mother hurriedly said. "You shouldn't have anything to worry about, just ignore me! Mama's just being a bit of a ditz."

"Okay, then..." Haruka wasn't completely convinced; was Daigo a person she should already know about? Maybe he was a celebrity? She hadn't been in Hoenn long enough to pick up on much local pop culture. "Anyway, I think we're supposed to be landing in Dewford really soon, so I should probably hang up. But I'll call you again soon, okay, Mom?"

"Whenever you get the chance!" her mother said dismissively. "Don't worry about me, just enjoy your journey! Be safe, and make good choices, all right?"

"I will, Mom," Haruka assured her, smiling. "Thanks. I'll talk to you later!"

After saying their goodbyes, Haruka hung up the PokeNav and stared at it for a moment, then put it away to turn her attention to her left wrist. She had communicated with D only sporadically since starting her journey, keeping him updated on her new captures and occasionally asking for advice that a senior trainer could provide. Other than that, she didn't talk to him about much.

But she wondered...

Digging through her fanny pack, she took out a felt-tip pen and began writing on her forearm.

Have you ever heard of a man called Daigo? I'm going to meet him right now.

Granite Cave was such a fascinating place; there were so many rooms and caverns hiding so many beautiful rare stones and other specimens, Daigo found it easy to get lost in there, despite knowing the layout like the back of his own hand. Particularly mesmerizing was the room of wall art, depicting ancient Pokemon and long-lost history. Some days he would gaze up at the wall in admiration, hours going by before he even realized it.

Standing at the base of the wall, he reached out a hand to gently trace the outline of one of the primal beasts; in doing so, his cuff shifted, revealing the tail end of letters on his wrist.

A message from Haruka. How long had that been there? He pulled his hand back and began pushing up his sleeve to see what had been written there.

...Daigo? I'm going to meet him right now.

He dropped his sleeve before revealing the entire message, shock settling in the pit of his stomach. Now? Haruka was coming to see him right now? He hadn't expected to see his soulmate face-to-face so soon; she only had one badge, last he heard, and she was still so young. She had only just started her journey and had so little real world experience. There was no way he could face her as anything but a mentor, the same as he had for so many other young Trainers.

But judging from what he saw of her message, she hadn't made the connection between "D" and "Daigo." If that were the case... was there really the need to identify himself as her soulmate yet?

"Um, excuse me? Are you Daigo-san?"

Quickly gathering his composure, Daigo turned, looking down the ancient staircase at the young girl standing there, chestnut-colored hair framing her youthful face.

A single glance told him that this girl would someday become the woman he would love.

She nervously looked away when she got his attention; then, steeling her nerves, she began to climb the stairs, clutching an envelope in her hands. "U-um, my name is Haruka. I have a letter to give you from President Tsuwabuki..."

Smiling gently, he extended a hand to take the letter, and silently decided that he would just have to follow the same advice he had gotten so many years earlier: let Haruka determine the pace of their relationship. Meet her halfway, but offer no more than she initiated herself. Everything about him, beyond the surface, would be in her hands to someday discover—son of Mukuge Tsuwabuki, heir of Devon Corporation, Champion of Hoenn, and soulmate of Haruka.

"Nice to meet you, Haruka-chan. My name is Daigo."

Notes: And that's the end.

A huge, huge thank you to anyone who still came back to read this after waiting so many years.

I said that this is the conclusion, and that's because this was always planned to be the point where I ended this particular AU—even though there are still open ends, namely Haruka not knowing her soulmate's identity. I won't rule out the possibility of revisiting this universe ever, but I have so many other planned writing projects that will take me years to get through, and a continuation of this is not one of them.

But I guess from this point, you can assume that the story proceeds as in games canon, and ideally Daigo would keep the fact that they're soulmates a secret until Haruka is old enough to have more agency, maybe around age 16? (Though now that I'm in my thirties, that seems so much younger than it did when I started shipping them as a teenager myself...! I'm actively trying to convince myself that Pokemon humans are just Built Different, given that they're apparently mentally and socially developed enough at age ten to take on adult responsibilities...) (Do ten-year-olds pay taxes in the Pokemon world?!)

For now, and for the next very long while, at least, that's where this story ends. Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you enjoyed!