Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well. It's been a hot summer for me but I'm still doing my best to keep in top of these chapters :P Let's find out what Anistar City has in stor for our travelers.
Hey all! Let's give a big thank you to my beta reader KaraKozakov ( /users/KaraKozakov). They were so kind to reach out and help with beta read for me from now on. If you have time please stop by their page and take a look at their stuff. Also, let's give them a big thankyou 3
Any artwork you may see associated with this fic (on AO3, or Tumblr) has all been created by my good friend SlothyClaws. That is their instagram also have a website ( .com). They do commissions and their commissions are open to anyone that is interested. Go and give their page a look if you are interested.
Chapter 117, I choose you!
Anistar Gym
It wasn't long before everyone found themselves well in the city limits and checked into the hotel. Once again, Yamaguchi and Tsukki had scored themselves a private room from the others. Hinata had somehow convinced Kenma to room with him, leaving Kuroo to room with Kageyama and Yachi opted to room alone this time. Just the idea of Kuroo and Kageyama alone in a room trying to coexist set Yamaguchi and Tsukki to giggling. With the way Kuroo teased and how dense Kageyama was they wondered how long the two would last rooming together.
Yamaguchi and Tsukki's room was on the 8th floor, the top floor of the hotel. Yamaguchi stood at their window taking in the city. Their view overlooked the large lake the city bordered. The giant pink crystal sundial, the city's main tourist attraction, sat adjacent to them. Currently its large shadow reached out over the calm lake. From their viewpoint he wasn't able to see the gym but they had passed it on their way to the hotel.
"Are you ready to head to the gym?" Tsukishima asked.
"Yeah, I can finish unpacking tonight," Yamaguchi nodded, doing his best to keep his nerves in check.
"Kuroo said he'd meet us at the gym so as to not clue in the others," Tsukishima explained as he and Yamaguchi headed out the door.
"It was really nice of him and Kenma to help us out," Yamaguchi sighed. "I don't know if we'd have been able to sneak past Hinata if Kenma hadn't agreed to room with him."
"I just hope Kuroo is able to keep unwanted baggage back at his hotel room," Tsukishima grumbled, his mind turning to Kageyama. He wasn't a fool. He knew Kageyama was up to date with their plans.
"Well, hopefully soon all of this can be behind us," Yamaguchi laughed, not sounding too convinced.
The two quietly walked through Anistar City to the gym. Yamaguchi was far too nervous to really say much and Tsukki didn't really know if there was anything he could say to calm Yamaguchi down. All he could do was be there for him.
The walk to the gym was short and Tsukishima didn't hide his grimace when Kuroo, who was accompanied by Kageyama, waved them over. Yamaguchi smiled brightly at the two as he picked up his speed. Tsukishima, on the other hand, dragged his feet as he followed behind his boyfriend.
"Hey, guys. Sorry to make you wait," Yamgaucih greeted. He was a bit surprised to see that Kageyama had tagged along.
"What is he doing here?" Tsukishima growled, his sharp eyes on Kageyama.
"What does it matter to you?" Kageyama snapped back. "I can come to the gym if I want to."
"Hey, please don't fight," Yamaguchi cut in. The last thing he needed was for their arguing to get them in trouble.
Kageyama and Tsukishima shared one last glare before turing their eyes away from each other.
"Sorry, but he called me out almost right away," Kuroo shrugged. "For someone whose mind is always on Pokemon I thought you'd never figure it out," he joked, giving Kageyama a slap on the back.
"M-My mind isn't always just on Pokemon," Kageyama blushed, peeking over at Yamaguchi. "I think of other things, too."
"Oh-ho-ho?" Kuroo hummed, not missing the soft way Kageyama looked at Yamaguchi.
"What?" Yamaguchi asked, surprised at how interested Kuroo was in Kageyama all of a sudden.
"I just never knew Kageyama and you were such good friends," Kuroo explained, sending Tsukki a smile. It explained why Tsukki hated Kageyama so viscerally.
"Let's just head inside and see if the gym leader is around," Tsukishima growled, taking Yamaguchi by the hand and dragging him in.
Yamaguchi had no clue why Tsukki was so flustered but he assumed it had to do with Kuroo. His mind was too focused on talking with the gym leader to read too much into it. As they entered the building Yamaguchi felt his stomach do a strange lurch.
Yamaguchi found himself entranced upon entering the gym. Its lighting was much darker than any other gym he'd been in and the ceiling was dotted with stars and galaxies. The way the stars twinkled helped calm Yamaguchi. "Does this place double as a planetarium?" Yamaguchi asked.
"The gym leader is run by a family of psychics," Kuroo explained. "They sometimes use the stars to read the future… I think."
"The gym leader is psychic, too?" Yamaguchi gasped. "This place really is the number one place for psychics in Kalos then."
"It's not uncommon for psychic gym leaders to dabble in psychic activities themselves," Kageyama said.
"I never knew," Yamaguchi hummed. He felt a bit more positive that this might not be such a bust after all.
The gym lobby was quite empty. There was one lone female trainer with a stack of tarot cards in the far corner doing a reading. Other than her the only other person was the man behind the front desk.
The man looked quite friendly. He had short light brown hair, short round eyebrows and a very inviting smile. He smiled welcomingly as they approached the desk. His kind demeanor helped settle Yamaguchi's nerves even more.
"Welcome to the Anistar City gym," the man behind the counter greeted. "My name is Komori, how may I help you today?"
"Hey, Komori. How's it going?" Kuroo greeted with one of his relaxed smiles.
"Oh, Kuroo, I barely recognised you in the dark," Komori smiled. "You've already collected your badge from us. Are you here for a psychic reading?"
"Sort of. I guess you could say we are here for both," Kuroo replied with a small shrug. "Is Sakusa around today?"
"Sakusa is currently in a gym battle with another trainer," Komori replied, looking at the screen of his computer. "He is booked solid for today."
"How about a psychic reading?" Kuroo asked.
"We have plenty of reading slots open today," Komori smiled pleasantly, looking up at the group. "I thought you considered psychic reading hokey nonsense," he teased, his eyes on Kuroo.
"Did I say that?" Kuroo replied, acting innocent. "Listen, I want a reading from Sakusa directly."
Komori's smile dropped a bit. "Sakusa isn't giving psychic readings anymore."
"It has to be him," Kuroo insisted.
"Why? If you think psychic reading is mumbo jumbo then what does it matter?" Komori asked.
"Listen, it's a little complicated," Kuroo replied. He seemed uncharacteristically flustered.
"It's for me," Yamaguchi cut in. "I need the psychic reading. I've been having strange dreams."
Komori didn't seem to pick up on their distress so much. He looked skeptically at the four. "I can talk with Sakusa and get back to you."
"It's kind of urgent," Yamaguchi blurted out.
"We can't wait!" Kageyama said at the same time.
Tsukishima glared menacingly from behind Yamaguchi.
Komori looked a bit shocked at the outburst. "Well, I can schedule you with someone else-"
"It had to be Sakusa!" Kuroo cut in, he wasn't looking as friendly as he had been.
The girl with the tarot cards looked up at the four, sending them a very peeved frown.
"Like I said I'll talk to him and get back to you guys," Komori replied, doing his best to keep the atmosphere peaceful. "You can take a seat over there and I'll be back soon."
"Wait, I'm coming with you, Komori," Kuroo insisted. "I'll tell him myself."
Komori looked like he wanted to argue but only sighed deeply. Sakusa hated unexpected visitors but saying no wouldn't stop Kuroo. "If you insist."
"You guys wait here," Kuroo said, pointing for Yamaguchi and the others to sit. "I'll be back soon."
"Should we come with you?" Yamaguchi offered.
"No. He is more likely to listen if I come alone," Kuroo replied. "He is a weird guy like that."
Yamaguchi, Tsukki and Kageyama reluctantly took a seat at a large cushioned couch in the lobby. Yamaguchi sat between Kageyama and Tsukki. He leaned back, looking up at the starry ceiling. He hadn't expected seeing the gym leader to be such a hassle. Why Kuroo insisted on it being the Gym leader and not any other psychic was odd but Yamaguchi trusted Kuroo. This Sakusa guy sounded like a pain. He just hoped Kuroo was able to convince him to see them.
Yamaguchi tried not to fidget too much as they waited for Kuroo's return. He couldn't shake off how nervous he felt and he kept trying to tell himself that if the gym leader refused them then maybe another person at the gym could help them. Kageyama and Tsukishima both sat stewing on either side of him. Neither seemed happy to have been left behind and given the runaround for a simple request.
How much time passed, none of them knew but when Kuroo and Komori returned all three stood from the couch in anticipation. Kruoo had a large smile on his face. Komori, on the other hand, didn't seem as content as Kuroo.
"What did he say?" Yamaguchi and Kageyama asked at the same time. Both trainers quickly.
Tsukishima was still able to keep his cool. "Is he going to see Yamaguchi?" he calmly asked.
"Well, sort of?" Kuroo smiled.
"Sort of!? What do you mean?" Yamaguchi asked, trying not to whine too much.
"Sakusa has agreed to help if either Tsukki and Kageyama here are able to beat him in their gym battles - first try," Kuroo explained, looking quite proud. "He said no but I gave him an offer he couldn't refuse."
"What? How did you get him to come around?" Yamaguchi asked. With the way Komori had been talking Yamaguchi was certain this Sakusa guy would have said no.
"He threatened to sneeze on him," Komori sighed, looking disappointed at Kuroo and most likely his cousin as well.
"Sneeze?" Yamaguchi asked, his mouth agape.
"Sakusa is the biggest germaphobe," Kuroo laughed.
Everyone looked at Kuroo in disbelief. Yamaguchi wondered if this was really okay?
"So all we have to do is win him in gym battle?" Kageyama asked. "Both Tsukishima and I?"
"That's the agreement," Kuroo nodded.
"Then let's get this over with!" Kageyama said trying to Komori. "Tell him I'm ready to battle now."
"Well, the thing is," Komori sighed. "He is booked up for the next day or so."
"What?" Kageyama and Tsuksihima snapped in unison.
"I mean I can always try to help Yamaguchi out too, you know," Komori offered in an attempt to calm them.
"Like I said before, it has to be Sakusa," Kuroo cut in before the others could reply. "We will be back in three days."
Komori looked at Kuroo in uncertainty. "Do you really think these two are going to be able to defeat him in battle?"
"With my help everything will be fine," Kuroo insisted.
"Well, my offer is still up if things don't go well for you guys," Komori sighed before heading off to the computer to schedule their battle.
As they left the gym Yamaguchi felt nothing but disappointment. He had hoped they'd have left today with answers but all they encountered was another hurdle. Kuroo seemed to know this gym leader to an extent so why hadn't he mentioned this might happen?
The four walked mostly in silence. Tsukishima seemed quite annoyed by the outcome and Yamaguchi was far too worried to say much. Kageyama seemed to be in deep thought about something. Kuroo was the only one with a smile.
"Hey, it went better than I thought," Kuroo finally said with a long sigh. "It's a good thing Sakusa came around."
"So you did know he was going to resist seeing us?" Yamaguchi asked, not meaning to sound as accusatory as he came off.
"Maybe, a little," Kuroo admitted.
"What would we have done if he said no?" Tsukishima grumbled.
"Probably break into his room at night and make him do it," Kuroo shrugged.
"That was your plan B?" Yamaguchi spat, almost tripping in his shock.
"Well, he didn't say no so everything is fine," Kuroo calmly replied. "All you two have to do is win your gym badges."
Yamaguchi released a deep sigh trying his best to stay positive. Both Tsukki and Kageyama were strong trainers after all. He just hated waiting.
"Kuroo…" Kageayam said, catching everyone's attention. He seemed to have not been paying much attained to the prior conversation.
"Something on your mind, Kageayam?" Kuroo replied.
"Is this the same Sakusa from the Elite Four?" Kageyama asked.
All four stopped in their tracks. Kuroo looked rather guilty as he avoided eye contact with the other three.
"I was hoping you wouldn't notice," Kuroo laughed nervously.
Tsukishima's face turned red. "You're joking, right?"
"C-Can an Elite Four member also be a gym leader?" Yamaguchi asked, his voice quite weak from disbelief.
Kuroo smiled once more, still looking quite nervous. "Well, in most cases Elite Four members can't be gym leaders. Sakusa is more of a temporary gym leader. His great aunt, the normal gym leader, is in the hospital due to a fall and he is filling in for her."
"Kuroo, there is no way we are going to be able to win against an Elite Four member," Tsukishima snapped. He looked about ready to pop with anger.
"It's not as bad as you might think," Kuroo argued back, doing his best to keep them all calm. "He still has to follow the rules of being a gym leader. It's not like he is going to use his normal team on you guys. Besides, I can train you two up a bit before the battle so it's going to be okay."
Yamaguchi didn't feel like things were going to be okay and from the look on Tsukki's face he felt the same. Kageyama, on the other hand, looked almost invigorated.
"Yamaguchi," Kageyama said, taking both of Yamaguchi's hands in his own and holding them to his heart. "I promise to win my battle against Sakusa no matter what it takes."
"K-Kageyama…" Yamaguchi whispered, his cheek spink. "Th-Thank you."
A moment of silence hung between the two and the next thing Yamaguchi knew Tsukki was between himself and Kageyama.
"I'll be the one to beat Sakusa first," Tsukishima declared. "So you can back off!"
"T-Tsukki!" Yamaguchi cried in joy, seeing his boyfriend fired up about the battle now.
"Like you've ever gone up against an Elite Four member before and won," Kageyama challenged. "I'll be the one to win Yamaguchi that meeting with Sakusa."
"I am scheduled to battle him first so if I win then yours won't matter," Tsukishima cooly replied.
The two entered a fierce glaring context. Sometimes Yamaguchi forgot just how competitive Tsukki could be.
"Hey guys, a win is a win so lets calm down," Yamaguchi gently said upon realizing just how heated they were
"That's what I like to hear," Kuroo cut in, taking them in his arms and holding them close. "With this sort of attitude we are bound to win over Sakusa."
"I believe in you both!" Yamaguchi cheered, his bright smile striking the hearts of both Kageyama and Tsukishima. "So there is no need to fight."
It was obvious their bickering was only going to stress Yamaguchi out more. The two gave up the argument... for now.
Once back at the hotel Yamaguchi unpacked his bag and headed to the communal kitchen to meet with Yachi and Hinata. They had decided to use the zap mushrooms they collected for dinner that night. Neither were aware of the challenge set upon Kageyama and Tsukki and Yamaguchi wasn't so sure if he should bring it up.
"I've never made a risotto before," Hinata said as they prepared their ingredients. "Let alone eaten a risotto."
"Risotto can take quite some time to prepare but it's really not that had once you've made it a few times," Yamaguchi said as he unpacked his cooking utensils.
"Risotto is one of my mom's favorite meals," Yachi hummed, helping Hinata with preparing some veggies for their side salad. "She was the one who usually made it."
Yamaguchi gave a relaxing sigh as the two carried on with their conversation. Being with Hinata and Yachi was always calming. He had been tasked to prepare the mushroom as the other two starred on the salad. Yamaguchi took a mushroom from his bag and sliced it into thin strips. They were fragrant and just by the smell he knew they were going to make an amazing meal. Despite almost losing his life collecting this he could see why they were so sought after.
He took a mushroom from the bag, sliced it up and then repeated the process with another mushroom. It was when he was reaching for his sixth mushroom that he felt it. Something strange in his bag that didn't feel like a mushroom but like a sheet of paper. With a curious humm he pulled the mystery paper from his bag.
"What's this?" Yamaguchi mumbled to himself as he examined the paper. His eyes scanned over the sheet of paper. There were paragraph upon paragraph of small writing. Many of the words made little sense to him but it looked like some sort of research paper. He got about halfway through the first paragraph when Hinata popped up behind him.
"What's that?" Hinata asked, grabbing at the paper.
Yamaguchi was somehow able to keep it out of Hinata's reach. "I don't know. I found it in my bag of mushrooms. It looks to be a research paper of some sort."
"Is it Kenma's?" Hinata asked, getting a good look at the paper. From the grimace on his face it didn't seem like he understood a word he read.
"Maybe…?" Yamaguchi hummed, giving the paper one more good look. Then it caught his eye. In the footer of the paper in the bottom right corner it said 'Aether Foundation'. Yamaguchi's stomach sank.
Author Note:
It looks like another hurdle has blocked Yamaguchi from finding his answers. Will Tsukki or Kageyama be able to win against Elite Four member Sakusa? Will Yamaguchi be able to find answers to this mystery pokemon? What about the paper found in his bag of mushrooms. Stay tuned to find out that and more.
As always thank you everyone for taking the time to read this fic. I appreciate the comments and reviews as well as the bookmarks, follows and Kudos. I hope to hear from you all down bellow in the comment section.
Also, happy birthday to Reki from sk8. I am also a fan of that show so think of this as my way to celebrate. He would definitely ship TsukkYama :P
See you all next chapter!