Though Ryan Kingston no longer entered the worlds of fantasy and imagination as he had as a boy, his life in of itself had become something of a fantasy in the past ten years since his last meeting with Avery Frost. After all, he had gone from being a relatively unknown boy with a famous last name, to becoming Arcana's greatest sensation.
While most trainers took months and even years to hone their craft, Ryan had swept through the ranks of all of Arcana's finest trainers and emerged as the Champion of the entire region. Following in the footsteps of his late Grandfather, James Kingston, Ryan continued the legacy of the Kingston Family by protecting the region from a great evil. In this case, it had been an old thorn in his family's side in the generically created Pokémon Mewtwo and the wicked band of followers loyal to him named The Syndicate. With the entirety of Arcana needing a miracle to stop the ruthless ambitions of Mewtwo in his drive to wipe out mankind, Ryan stepped up and made the ultimate sacrifice by allowing Mewtwo to brand him with the Crimson Stone, getting him close enough to seal the all powerful Pokémon within a Master Ball prototype and bringing an end to the greatest crisis the region had seen in years. The added icing on the cake came from his conquering of the Pokémon League's best trainers, including Mark Lionel of Kanto, his father Robert Kingston, his cousin Cameron Kingston and the man he had idolized since he was a toddler, Michael Kingston. Defeating his cousin, who had never lost in battle before then, was the crowning achievement of his already illustrious career and began what many hoped would be the Golden Age of Arcana.
Two years later, and Ryan's life had both undergone great changes and remained the same from when he had taken up the throne of the Champion of Arcana. The most major tenants of his life were about as consistent as it could be. He was still the Hero of Arcana, with thousands of adoring fans still flocking wherever he went to cheer him on and celebrate his victories. He was still the Pokémon League Champion, after winning a second straight Championship, this time from Cameron Kingston. And, the fact that made him the most happy, he was still romantically entangled with the girl of his dreams, his best friend Addison Tenton.
What did change, however, was just as important as what didn't. With one of their sons currently in exile somewhere in the Johto Region and the other constantly away attending to the duties of being the Pokémon League Champion, Alison and Robert Kingston could not help but feel a sense of "empty nest syndrome". Therefore, despite the doctor's worries that they might be too old to have another child, Alison gave birth to a baby girl named Kayleigh. When Ryan found out he had a little sister, he immediately doted over her and spoiled her endlessly. Despite how their friendship and brotherhood and exploded on the slopes of Mt. Heatmor, Ryan could not help but admit he missed the companionship Matthew had brought to him and found in Kayleigh, someone to impart his most important life lessons onto.
While a new sister was certainly something for Ryan to celebrate, so too was the changes he made to his Pokémon team. At the suggestion of his cousin Christopher, who along with Cameron, Daniel Kingston and Giselle Odelia served on as Ryan's Elite Four, Ryan had decided to make minor adjustments to his team each time he took part in a battle, which given the highly competitive nature of his cousins, was quite often. He often rotated Pokémon in and out of the Computer Storage Systems. Only two Pokémon remained his constant close companions: his Gallade named Achilles and his Jolteon named Sparks. While Ryan cared deeply for all of his Pokémon, his bond with Achilles and Sparks were no doubt his strongest. On his person at this moment, alongside Sparks and Achilles, were his trusted Pyroar named Simba, his faithful Pidgeot named Marahute, a grouchy but formidable Rhydon named Dozer and a jolly and horrifically strong Walrein named Tusker. This team had aided Ryan in defending his title of Pokémon League Champion from his ambitious cousin Cameron, though their match had been far too close for Ryan to feel comfortable about his chances of repeating again. He knew he would have to tip the scales in his favor by training as hard as he had when the Syndicate was at large for him to ensure Cameron would not flatten him in their next matchup.
On top of having a new baby sister, he also had a new niece in Michael Kingston and Julia Pines's daughter named Arya. Though Ryan had not yet met the child, as Michael and Julia had relocated to the Kalos Region following Michael's defeat in the Pokémon League Title Match, the boy already knew how much he loved the girl and would do everything he could for her to replicate what it had been like to look up to Michael back in the day. While he missed his cousin and Professor Pines (or Professor Kingston at this rate) dearly, he knew that they needed the time off with one another, especially after all they had been through. And he knew so long as he held them in his heart, they were never too far away for him.
With the offseason nearly wrapped up and the Pokémon League beginning it's slow process of reopening, Ryan took the advice of his cousins to take some much needed time off for himself and spend his newly acquired free time with his sister Kayleigh and his friends that remained in Parlor Town. Addison had also taken time out of her own busy schedule of preparing herself for the upcoming Queen of Arcana Contests to spend some much needed time with her boyfriend and even the Queensburys, Holly and Tommy, both managed to get some free time for all of the friends to spend as much time together as possible. So, naturally, things should have been perfect for Ryan in his own little world about getting his friends back and spending the last few days he'd have off before the Pokémon League would reopen and he would have to defend his title.
But for Ryan, there was no room for normal in his life. And this time, he couldn't even blame his oddities on personal quirks or those of a hero. These were...well, to put it bluntly...bizarre.
For the past two weeks, Ryan's dreams have all ended in the exact same way. They could be as diverse as any random dream one has while trying to get some sleep. But no matter what part of the night he slept, when his time to sleep was coming to an end, he would hear the same thing in his dream. A voice. The melodic tunes of a Siren were calling to him in his slumber. And it was without a doubt the most beautiful tones he had ever heard. But no matter how much he appreciated hearing the songs, he would be woken up a moment later and would have to move about his daily life.
At first, Ryan just rolled with it. He would take it as a sign of things to come and would just get a move on with what he needed to do for the rest of the day. Then, the dreams started to get shorter and the singing more profound. He would find himself waking at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning and unable to get back to sleep as the tones of his siren were in his head. The lack of REM sleep combined with his secret obsession with this siren were driving the fourteen year old boy to the brink. Finally, when one of his dreams from start to finish was all about this siren and his desire to find the source of her angelic voice, he decided he could no longer sleep and would thus train himself until his body collapsed.
He rose from his bed one night at the crisp hour of 1:30 AM and stretched his back out. He looked out into the dreary and quiet streets of Parlor Town and yawned slightly. There was no life on the streets and thus, he knew he would be better off heading down to the beach to get some much needed training in. He quickly scanned through his Poké Gear to check and see if any of his training buddies were awake. Naturally, he was the only one still awake. Tommy Queensbury, who would be setting off on his own first solo journey through the Arcana Region, had not been awake in several hours. Holly's boyfriend and Ryan's friendly rival, Jeremy Lockhart, was last online at 11:00 the previous night. All of the Elite Four had been signed off for at least an hour as well, with his cousin Christopher ducking out fifteen minutes prior.
Guess I'm on my own, Ryan thought to himself. It made little difference. He was used to fighting his own battles anyway. He pushed himself out of his bedroom and quickly threw on some clothes to wear. He didn't care if they matched or if they looked good on him. What mattered was if he was clothed and wearing something in case there was a random summer breeze.
Ryan had grown a few inches since his first term as Champion, but he did not sport any of the famous Kingston facial hair that had been made popular by Jon, Christopher and even Michael the last time he spoke to his cousin over a Video Chat. He wondered if it was because his father didn't grow much facial hair. Nevertheless, his hair was still the same dirty brown it had been in his youth, as too were his soft brown eyes, which were only more profound when he wore his trusted emerald bandanna over his head as he trained.
With the tones of the siren still going off in his ears, Ryan quietly grabbed his belt with his Poké Balls strapped on and crept downstairs so as not to disturb his parents or his peacefully dreaming baby sister. As he made it for the door, he looked into the kitchen and saw that he was not the only one still awake. His mother was sitting at their kitchen table, feeding baby Kayleigh in her arms. Kayleigh was a sweet little thing with their mother's black hair and soft brown eyes. As he made it for the door, baby Kayleigh looked up to him and did her best to wave at her big brother, but appeared to be slapping her mother instead.
"Okay, okay" Alison responded. "I'll burp you." As Alison began to burp the baby, Ryan tried to be as discreet as possible as he unlocked the door, but the latch coming off the door naturally drew a giggle from Kayleigh and an immediate response from his mother. "What in the-RYAN?! What are you doing?"
"I need to train, Mom" Ryan insisted. He glared at Kayleigh. Traitor.
"This is the third night in a row that you're not sleeping, Ry" Alison reminded him. "You need to get some sleep."
"I'll sleep when I'm dead" Ryan declared.
"Don't be stubborn" his mother snapped. "Is it that same dream again?"
Ryan sighed. "I can't get that song out of my head."
"You're getting yourself worked up over this, sweetheart" Alison told her son as she cradled Kayleigh in her arms. "The less you think of this siren of yours, the better off you'll feel."
"How can I not think about something that's bugging me this much?" Ryan remarked, sitting beside his mother and teasing Kayleigh with his fingers. "I mean, this is huge, Mom. It's been haunting my dreams every night for two weeks. I can't take it anymore."
"Have you talked about it with Addison?" Alison asked.
"Yeah, what a wonderful topic to broach with your girlfriend, Mom" Ryan remarked sarcastically. "Hey, Addy. I just wanted to know if you were ready to talk about this girl's voice I've been hearing in my head that isn't yours."
"You're dreaming about another girl?" Alison inferred.
Ryan nearly fell out of his chair. "What? Of course not! Addy is the only one for me. right?"
"As long as I can remember" Alison explained. "You and your brother competing for her affection over the dumbest of things. But she might be able to help you get some sleep. Her and that Gardevoir of hers do have a strong connection to you and Achilles, right?"
Ryan shrugged. "It's possible, but I'm not going to wake her up just to help me sleep." Ryan rose from the table and headed for the door again. "I'm going to head to the beach to get some training in."
Alison shook her head. "Since when did you become the stubborn child, Ryan?" She rose to her feet with Kayleigh still clinging to her. "Alright, you can go. But I wish you would listen to your mother when she tells you that you need sleep. Arcana can't afford a Pokémon League Champion who can barely keep his eyes open." She carried her daughter up the stairs and out of sight as Ryan rolled his eyes and headed out the door.
{Meanwhile}
On the other side of town, another was still wide awake in these waning hours of the night. But while her boyfriend was awake for means he could not control, the fair Addison Tenton was awake entirely of her own volition. As the Hoenn Region was in a completely separate time zone from her home in Arcana, this was the only time she would be able to see the live performances at the Lilycove Pokémon Contests. With her ambitious dreams of becoming the next Queen of Arcana still in her head, she was determined to not let any potential rivals get the better of her.
Despite her world having changed drastically since she departed from Parlor Town with Ryan and Matthew Kingston two years earlier, Addison remained as kind, knowledgeable and cheerful as could be expected. Her eyes still haunted with the deepest shades of amethyst anyone had ever seen, complimented by her fair, peach-colored skin and her chestnut-colored hair that she had begun to grow out at the suggestion of her mother, former Queen of Arcana Deidre Tenton. But no matter how many boys and young men flocked to her house and sent her flowers and chocolates, there was only one person in the world for her: her best friend, Ryan.
It had been a tumultuous two years for Addison since she was rescued from the jaws of darkness by her boyfriend Ryan Kingston and her idol Michael Kingston. She could have coasted along as just the girlfriend of the Champion of the Arcana Pokémon League, but she chose instead to fully devote herself to reaching her own dream as Ryan had done his. Becoming something of an apprentice to the lovely Piper Pines, Addison learned the tricks and trades of the Queen of Arcana contests from it's previous winner of the past five seasons. The two had formed a healthy and competitive rivalry since then and competed for the affection and adulation of all of the region. After a series of highly creative and explosive confrontations, Piper had just barely managed to edge our Addison in her first Contests, but the margin for victory was so slim that some were already questioning if Arcana had not already found it's next Queen. Piper, despite some reservations of her own in rejoining the contests, was motitvated again by the thrill of competition and vowed to keep part in the Competitions until the day that Miss Tenton finally ousted her.
Upon learning that Piper would watch the Pokémon Contests from other regions to gain some ideas for her performances, Addison decided to do the same and stayed up all night to watch the Contests in the Hoenn Region. Curled up in a ball on her bed with her dear Vaporeon named Ariel beside her, Addison excitedly awaited the performance of the girl everyone was calling "The Kalos Queen".
They say she's supposed to be the most beautiful girl in the entirety of Kalos, Addison thought to herself. And she isn't that much older than me, so if someone her age can win, I see no reason why I can't. After all, Piper Pines had only been fourteen when she had been crowned the Queen of Arcana. Now, with her serving as Piper's greatest competition, combined with Piper being somewhat distracted by outside of Contest events, this was the golden opportunity for Addison to prove herself and take her place as Queen, governing alongside her beloved boyfriend the same way Lady Bonnie Kingston had governed beside James Kingston in Arcana's Golden Age.
She eagerly pet her Vaporeon, who could not have appeared less interested if she wanted to. Ariel yawned loudly, licked her trainer's fingers and then gently slapped away her hand with her mermaid's tail before going back to sleep.
"You buzzkill" Addions giggled as she gently lowered her head and kissed the brow of her first Pokémon. "At least Galatea wouldn't want to sleep and miss this." She called out her trusted Gardevoir, who had swiftly become her most accomplished Contest Pokémon. Galatea stretched out her body and politely sat beside her trainer as the two watched the contests commence on television.
"And that was another spectacular performance from May of Littleroot Town and her Beautifly" the female commentator acclaimed on the television. "I must say, that was exemplary use of contemporary music for her performances."
The male commentator nodded in agreement. "Naturally. May has the makings of being a future Contest Champion, or perhaps a Kalos Queen."
"Now, all we will be able to do is await the judges scores for her performance" the female commentator continued. "In the meantime, while they converse about their scores, perhaps we should look at some of the celebrity guests here in attendance." Addison watched as the camera panned to all of the guests that were taking in the views of the Hoenn Contests, including the newly named CEO of the Devon Corporation in Steven Stone and the current Hoenn Champion in Wallace. She noticed a chair beside Steven that was supposed to be filled was empty and wondered to herself who it could be. Thankfully, the television answered her questions for her.
"Isn't that chair supposed to have-"
"Lizzie West of the Mauville Day Care Center" the female commentator continued. "Unfortunately, Miss Lizzie had other obligations and could not attend."
Addison sighed. I guess even Lizzie is busy these days. She had seen very little, if any, of the former member of Michael's Elite Four since Ryan took over for his cousin. She had become something of a recluse in Hoenn, keeping mostly to operating her family business outside of Mauville City and generally staying out of the spotlight. But for her to miss something of such significance was very out of character for Lizzie. Perhaps something of serious import had befallen her. Or perhaps she simply just lacked the desire to be there. After all, Michael and Julia had given their blessings to his sister Tori's wedding to her long time fiance Greg Craft, but neither had come to the wedding, with Michael using the built in excuse of Julia's due date for Arya.
While she and her Gardevoir awaited the performance of the "Kalos Queen" Serena, she noticed Galatea's head rising at something, as if she had sensed something. She looked to her Pokémon. "What's wrong, Galatea?" The two had been mentally synced since meeting, but now the two were as close to being able to mentally communicate with one another as was possible with humans and Pokémon.
I can feel Achilles, Addison heard inside of her mind.
"Is something wrong with Achilles?" Addison asked her Pokémon.
He feels fatigue, Galatea continued. But he also feels determination. I fear he and his trainer have not slept in some time.
Addison sighed. "Another night without sleep is going to hurt them." She rose out of her bed and threw on her bathrobe to keep herself warm in the chilly nighttime air. "Come on, Galatea. We need to take care of our boyfriends."
Boy...friend? I'm afraid I don't follow. Achilles is just my mate.
"Well, we humans call it a boyfriend" Addison remarked.
An odd name, since we know Achilles is a male and already our friend.
"Human and Pokémon have different traits" Addison concluded. "Do you want to help him or not?"
Very well. Let us help them. Their minds could use some rest. They are at the place with sand and endless water.
'You mean the beach?" Addison asked as she made her way for the door of her bedroom.
Beach? I'm afraid I don't-
"You don't have to" Addison affirmed. "Let's just get to them before something happens." Addison and Galatea tiptoed quietly out of their room and downstairs, slipping silently out of the house so as not to wake her parents. Once they were out of the house, Addison and Galatea began to run as best as they can to find out what was going on with them. Naturally, as soon as the two approached the walkway down to Parlor Beach, they could hear the terrific action taking place between Ryan and his Pokémon. Blasts of Fire and the sound of swinging swords could only show that Simba and Achilles were sparring with one another. The two finally stopped walking when they saw the battle on display for themselves.
"Simba, you have to stand your ground" Ryan encouraged his Pokemon. "Achilles is strong, but you can just weaken his attacks by using your roars!" Simba, the Pyroar, growled at Achilles and planted his front paws on the ground and let out a thunderous roar, while Achilles blocked the blows by guarding with his arms in front of his body.
"Keep focused, Achilles!" Ryan insisted. "We can't get caught off guard by anything!"
"Since when did you become so paranoid?" Addison asked her boyfriend, causing Ryan to jump backwards. Seeing the arrival of Addison and Galatea, Achilles sighed to himself and went onto a knee to rest. Addison allowed her Gardevoir to head over to Achilles and tend to him while she herself made her way over towards her clearly exhausted boyfriend. "What's wrong, Ry?" She sat down on the sand beside Ryan as he tried to regain his breath.
"Aside from you trying to give me a heart attack?" Ryan replied rhetorically.
Addison put her hand on his head. "Well, fortunately you aren't burning up or anything. But I want you to talk to me, Ryan."
"Nothing is wrong" Ryan insisted.
"Come on, Ryan" Addison prodded. "You and I can't have any secrets between us. Not if you want our relationship to last." When Ryan continued to remain stubborn, she sighed. "Well, if that's the way you feel, I think it's time you and I end-"
"I've just been having a recurring bad dream" Ryan confessed. "That's all. And rather than deal with the dream again, I'm going to train until I pass out. It's the only way I can make it through this."
"When did you decide you couldn't face your problems?" Addison asked, gently rubbing his chest. "That's not something a hero does."
"I'm no hero" Ryan grumbled.
"You'd better wipe that off your future resumes then, Ry" she teased. She looked over towards Achilles and Galatea and saw the two were laying next to one another. Addison shrugged and did the same, laying in the sand beside Ryan. "What is this dream about?"
"I'd rather not say" Ryan told her. "It's kind of-"
"Do you seriously not trust me after all this time?" she accused.
"Of course I trust you, Addy. It's my own dreams I don't. Especially when I keep hearing that same voice over and over again!"
"A voice?"
"I hear the same melody every night in my dreams" Ryan explained, rubbing his head. "Nothing I've done has been able to get it out of my head."
"Who's voice is it?" Addison asked, almost afraid to learn who's it was.
"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't have any problems sleeping. It's unlike any voice I've ever heard before." Ryan turned away, ashamed of himself. "It's both haunting and beautiful. That's why I didn't want you to know."
Addison took a deep breath. "I see."
"Before you say anything" Ryan exclaimed, "I want you to know that you are the only person for me. And that's why it's bothering me so much. I know it's not your voice that I keep hearing."
Addison nodded. "I know you, Ryan. I know you wouldn't toy around with people's emotions. But this is something you and I have to work together to fix. We're a team, the same way Michael and Julia are. We do things together. No more of this solo work, okay?"
"Agreed" Ryan replied.
"Do you think it's because of what's coming up?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"The Pokémon League and the Contests are going to be starting up soon" she reminded him. "I know we're not going to see each other after I head to Alchemiburg to train with your Aunt Erin for the Contests with Piper and you running the Pokémon League with Chris and Cam."
"We did the same thing last year" Ryan recalled.
"But you weren't having these dreams last year" Addison pointed out. "And if you need me to be there for you, I won't hesitate to put aside some training time for you. I won't be leaving for The Chateau for a couple of days." She suddenly had a brilliant idea. "That's it! Why don't we have a day to ourselves? We could come here to the beach and let our Pokémon relax and have fun. We could even invite Holly and Tommy along too. It will be just like the old days, right?"
Ryan sighed. "Whatever you think will help me get sleep, I'm in favor of."
"Excellent" Addison replied, jumping to her feet. "Then let's get you home and get some sleep."
Ryan shook his head. "I don't know if I can."
"You have to" Addison replied. "No Champion can spend as much time without sleep as you've been." She held her hand out to him. "Come on, Ry." Ryan reached her hand and pulled himself up with the aid of his girlfriend. Addison pulled him to her side and kissed him on the cheek. "I've got you, Ryan." Ryan stumbled around until he grabbed onto Addison's arm and yawned loudly. Addison smiled and pulled him along. "Let's go home." She turned towards the Pokémon. "Simba. Achilles. Galatea. Come on. It's time for bed."
Galatea and Simba were up in a matter of seconds, but Achilles also needed to be helped back to his feet as his trainer had. Galatea looked towards her trainer in worry. Achilles feels Ryan's pain. He cannot sleep when his trainer isn't sleeping.
Addison looked from her Pokémon to her boyfriend who seemed barely able to keep his feet moving in pure exhaustion. "I hope this comes to an end soon. I don't know how much more you guys can take."
So long as you are there for him, Galatea spoke in her mind, he should recover well. Humans and Pokémon have strong bonds, Addison. Not just with each other's species, but with each other's hearts. Once everyone get's their needed sleep, we should all be better off.
"I agree" Addison replied, propping Ryan up as they made it to the walkway back towards Parlor Town. She looked down at Ryan, who clumsily stumbled along at her side and beamed at him. "I guess I'll be the strong one for a little bit." She kissed his head as his house appeared in the distance. It was then that she remembered that she was supposed to be watching Kalos Queen Serena's performance live in her bedroom. She simply shrugged it off. Some things were more important than personal desires. And Ryan was one of the most important things in her world, one of the few things she hoped wouldn't change anytime soon.
{Meanwhile}
For a domain located so close to the frigid and uninhabitable Ice Path, the Dragon's Den of Blackthorn City in the Johto Region was a surprisingly warm and humid place. The den itself was a cavernous gorge filled with stalagmites the size of tall buildings, a warm water lake filled with whirlpools and an abundance of powerful Dragon Type Pokémon. Access was restricted to only the members of Johto and Kanto's illustrious Dragon Clan and trainers who have proven themselves by challenging all eight of Johto's Gym Leaders and defeating them in battle. For only in the Johto Region was the approval of the Dragon Clan Elders necessary for one to be able to qualify for the Johto Pokémon League, which took place at the Indigo Plateau at the same time as the Kanto Pokémon League. And it was the approval of the Dragon Clan's Elders that was all young Matthew Kingston could think of as he continued on his long quest of exile from Arcana.
Matthew Kingston had once been on the top of the world, an up and coming Administrator for the Syndicate who had outmaneuvered some of the brightest and most powerful trainers in the Kingston Family and made a name for himself as one of the best trainers in all of Arcana. Had it not been for the interference of Tommy Queensbury and the ArcResistance team in rescuing Ryan and Holly from the Syndicate Compound in Titanio City, he would have had everything he had ever wanted in a brother who was beneath him and a girlfriend in Addison Tenton whom he had idolized since his youth. But now, Matthew Kingston was forced onto the run by the defeat of the Syndicate and the insistence of a former adversary in Jocelyn Aced. She had dragged Matthew to the other side of the world to hide in the Johto Region and lay low, something that did not sit well with a trainer who had once been the finest in the world. Forced to abandon his Pokémon team he had constructed in favor of a new team in Johto, the disgruntled and lost Arcanan Trainer was being forced by his traveling partner to rethink all that he had known about who he was. Now, two years later, he was supposed to be thinking differently and planning a return to Arcana as a triumphant and changed trainer.
But he hadn't changed. He was still deeply bitter at his family for their arrogance and deeply corrupted ways (as Elezar put it), emphatically jealous of Ryan and his successes in both the Arcana Pokémon League and with Addison and his grudge against his former allies in the Syndicate for failing to stop the Kingstons from defeating them simmered inside him like a pot of tea at it's boiling point. The only thing his opinion had changed on was his traveling partner. Jocelyn wasn't as obnoxious as he had previously thought. In fact, she was slowly starting to grow on him. She was still far too "goody goody" for himself to be comfortable with, but she was certainly a useful sparring partner and a surprisingly decent confidant with which he could dispense his frustrations and thoughts. Besides, it was far better to be in exile with someone than alone. He could only imagine what his cousin Michael had endured during his own exile twelve years earlier.
With his need to lay low in exile, Matthew had taken up an alteration in his appearance. Gone were most of his distinguishing Kingston traits. His dirty brown hair had been dyed jet black, with his eyes adjusting into an emerald shade to adjust. His clean clothing and Syndicate Armor was all tossed into the ocean and he had his wardrobe replaced with those of a traveling refugee, a tough pill to swallow for one who had once been a noble lord to the rest of Arcana. He now wore a plain and simple tunic of black and red, no doubt meant to inspire a sense of camaraderie with the Elders, with a pair of red fingerless gloves to go along with his newly donned wardrobe. He had initially thought a cape would look good on it, but when Jocelyn insisted it made him look a bit too much like her father, he relented.
Even his team had been drastically altered since he was forced to release the former members of his team, including the Flareon he had received as a gift from Julia and Michael. Professor Oak gifted him a Charmander to rebuild his team with and he has since done his best to rebuild his fallen attack force. His Charmander had evolved into a Charizard, all the while the disgraced Kingston Twin forged the rest of his team along the way by adding Magnezone, a Poliwrath, a Gengar, a Primeape and another Noivern to replace the one he had lost. While it wasn't as ruthless as his previous team had been, this team did have a reasonably decent space in his heart. They fought extra hard for him in battles and excelled in areas he had previously thought were unimportant in effort and versatility. This might just be the team that could punch his ticket to the Johto Pokémon League Tournament. All he needed now was the approval of the Dragon Clan Elders.
While Jocelyn waited outside of the Den, Matthew made his way through all of the trainers and guards of the Dragon Clan to reach those who would be the last who would dare to stand between him and his Pokémon Champion destiny. What's the point of having all of this security if they are so obsessed with being the gatekeepers for the Johto Pokémon League? Well, their secretive nature would soon be revealed to him. After all, not a single Johto Gym Leader stood a chance against him, not even Clair of Blackthorn City could stop him from achieving his goals.
Matthew pushed the doors of the Dragon Den opened and stood before the Elders at the other end of the building. He could feel the heat from the warm water coming up like steam through the wooden planks he walked across, but he understood all too well his sweat was from his nerves. His eyes locked with the five Elders in the Dragon Den as he came to a stop in the middle of their sacred domain.
The elderly man in the center of the group took a step forward and studied Matthew. "You are the boy I've heard much about from Lance, then? Matthew Kingston?"
Matthew nodded. "I'm here to humbly ask for your approval to take part in the Pokémon League Tournament." Though anyone with functioning eyes knew Matthew felt sickened to have to say the word "humbly".
"So you are" the man responded. "And I see no reason why you won't succeed in your endeavors, young one." He gestured for the elderly woman beside him and sent her forward. The old woman, much older than the man who led the proceedings, studied Matthew closely. She tapped at him with her cane, felt the muscles on his body and even plucked a hair off of his head in what Matthew could only figure was the most awkward moment of his life. Nevertheless, Matthew remained calm as she whispered to the other Elders.
Another elderly man, this one the one on the far right, cleared his throat. "Our Lady Elder has sized you up for the Johto Pokémon League, Matthew."
"I didn't think I needed to be, but I'll gladly accept the nomination" Matthew arrogantly replied.
"You do not understand" the elderly man continued. "You have been sized up, but we feel as though you are not quite fit to participate in the Pokémon League Championships."
Matthew was silent. Stunned by the bluntness of their response and the outright flat rejection he had received. Matthew shook for a moment, trying to let his bitterness slip off of his body, but it gripped onto him like a fierce and wicked python constricts it's victim. "Not fit? NOT FIT? There isn't a trainer in Johto more fit than ME for this Tournament! How can you say that I am unfit?"
"No one denies you have talent" one of the Dragon Elders on the left responded. "You have more latent talent than any trainer we have seen come through Johto in a very long time."
"But you lack the means with which to use your talents effectively" the last of the Elders spoke up.
"The means?" Matthew demanded. It sounded to him like they were making excuses. "Since when does that matter?"
"One would not put out a fire with gasoline" the first Elder spoke. You have immeasurably talent, Mr. Kingston. But you also need an outlet for the unfathomed levels of aggression in your heart."
Matthew clenched his fists. "Aggression?"
"You have a deep cloud of anger that hangs over you" the woman finally answered. "It holds you back and keeps you from getting stronger. You are burdened by the failures of your past, boy. To overcome them, you must let go of all the rage you hold so deep inside of you. Only then, will you be allowed to participate in the Johto Pokémon League."
"How can you let go of your past?" Matthew asked defiantly. "The past is what defines you!" He pointed at all of the Elders that stood before him. "The Past is why you all still gatekeep the Johto League! Only a place steeped in it's past would keep an ancient and pointless relic like these arbitrary demands to qualify for a League when the rest of the world just wants your eight crappy GYM BADGES!" He took the badge case out of his pocket and slammed it on the ground in front of the elders.
None of the elders moved at Matthew's actions, as if they had anticipated it. The Elder in the center merely shook his head. "There is always next time, young man. That is all we have to say on your matter." The five Elders turned their backs to Matthew.
Seeing nothing but red in his eyes, Matthew stormed out of the Dragon's Den and scaled the rocks back up to the top of Blackthorn City. When one of the trainers he had thrashed in battle tried to intervene, Matthew grabbed him by his jacket and threw him down a level on the cliff as he continued to make his way back out to the village. How dare they? HOW DARE THEY?! I'm the most powerful trainer in Johto and they can't handle me going to the Indigo Plateau and dethroning that witless oaf Lance. The Dragon Clan is just like the Kingstons in Arcana! I am sick and tired of these worthless roaches trying to act like they're better than me!
Jocelyn stood waiting for him outside of the entrance to the Dragon's Den. When Matthew brushed past her and climbed into the rowboat to continue off on his own, she grabbed the oar from his hands to stop him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"If I can't get past these worthless old relics" Matthew insisted, "I'll just have to become strong enough to blast past the security at the Indigo Plateau to challenge Lance!"
"That is a remarkably bad idea" she told him, keeping a firm grip on the oar as he tried to take it back from her. "What did they say to you?"
"What difference does it make? I'll just beat the honor out of Lance my own way!" He tried to reach for the oar, but Jocelyn kept it on land with her. "Come on, Jocelyn! Give me my oar back!"
"My oar, you mean?" Jocelyn reminded him. "Remember, you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me."
Matthew again reached for it angrily. "Just give me the stupid oar!"
"You're acting like a brat, Matt" Jocelyn snapped as she stepped out of range of his grasp. Matthew climbed out of the boat, only to faceplant on the dock. His frustration levels beyond his peak, Matthew continually pounded on the dock in anger and shame. Realizing what had transpired, Jocelyn sighed and threw the oar back onto the boat and climbed in before pulling him onto the boat. "Come on, Matt. Let's get some rest."
"Why am I still not good enough for anything?" Matthew cried out, before lowering his head in total defeat. Jocelyn sighed as she began to row the two back to town.