Thank you all for reading this far! Here's the fifth chapter, the first one over 5K words. We'll see how long the rest of the chapters get, but until then, enjoy this one!
Current music: 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
"Well? You should be happy, Katt!"
Katt had been brooding at the knowledge that August had done the impossible. Of course, it wasn't truly impossible - somebody had to win. But he'd been so sure he would be the champion, and he was.
"I'm not, Jesse," Katt responded bitterly.
"Why not? You've got the honor of having interviewed the eventual champion. You'll be the talk of all of Alola!"
Yeah, and that means I'll have to deal with more shit from people like you.
But that's not what she said aloud. Instead, with a sigh, Katt told him the following: "I just don't know what to think, Jesse. Now that the tournament's over, it's about time to leave."
The press box was already slowly emptying of journalists. Now that the most exciting part of the tournament had finished, there really wasn't a reason for them to be there. Besides, Katt could hardly pretend that she wouldn't be relieved for some peace and quiet that night.
She stood up quickly from the sofa, feeling a bit of headrush upon getting up so fast. However, Katt was swiftly out of the room and back into the hallway.
I guess I'll have to be part of the crowd anyway. The crowd of reporters, that is, who will be pestering the kid for answers to all those questions.
While she'd been watching the final match, Katt had seen August struggle mightily to keep his team of Pokémon in play. Contrary to what some might think, this was almost a source of relief for her; it made it less likely that August had a secret to keep. He was merely a highly skilled trainer who had almost met his match.
Maybe I was wrong about him after all. He could just be socially awkward, and that's why he was so odd towards me. But that's enough about that.
As Katt stood there in the hallway, she heard footsteps on the floor. There were a number of people in front of her, of course, all milling about the corridor. But these steps were coming towards Katt, from behind.
Against her own better judgment, she swiveled around to find Jesse about fifteen feet away. A jolt of fury - not fear, just fury - rose within her.
"Are you planning something, Jesse? You do realize that there are a lot of witnesses if you try to approach me."
Jesse put both hands in the air as though he were being apprehended by police. His mop of black hair grew disheveled as a result of this motion.
"I'm not," he snapped. "Well, I am, but it has nothing to do with you."
Katt frowned, reluctant to trust the man who was annoying her so much. But, largely borne out of her own nature as a reporter, she couldn't resist the urge to ask questions.
"Come closer" she said through clenched teeth. "And whisper it in my ear. I promise I won't tell anyone."
"Are you sure?" Jesse responded with a wink. This too made Katt recoil - it wasn't middle school anymore, where note-passing was commonplace.
"Yes. Just tell me."
It made Katt's skin crawl to have the man so physically close to her, but she stood in place as Jesse spelled it out for her.
"I hate to break it to you", Jesse whispered, "but I think August Hemlock might have cheated in that match."
Uh…okay? I mean, I kind of already thought that.
As though reading her mind, Jesse continued. "There were all sorts of little things I noticed that raised some question marks."
"How did you know? We were two hundred feet above the arena, and I was hogging the binoculars."
"Well, the alerts kept coming in on my phone," Jesse said. "One of the other reporters - I forget their name - sent me a private message, basically saying that things seemed a bit too easy for August."
"You mean with his opponents dropping like flies?" Katt replied. "Because if so, I noticed that too. I mean, two of them just gave up."
"It's not just that, though. Anecdotally, many of those I talked to said that August communicated far too clearly with his Pokémon. Whenever he gave them a command in English, they would do it."
"Jesse, I don't know who neglected to tell you this, but the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data.'"
"I know, I know," Jesse responded. "I'm just saying that the harmony between a trainer and their Pokémon is never perfect, but in August's case it was too close to perfect."
Katt frowned, giving Jesse a glare at the same time. "I don't know if I should accuse August of anything without evidence. But for what it's worth, it did seem fishy to me as well. Maybe there's something to it, I guess."
"Then confront him," the man muttered. "Make him deny it in front of a live audience of millions."
A pit formed in Katt's stomach. "I don't think that's wise. He might get defensive."
"Are you telling me you're afraid of him? Because you have no reason to be. He's at the mercy of the law; if he did something wrong, that's his problem."
Katt sighed, then narrowed her eyes once more at Jesse. "Okay. I'll go and ask him what happened. Maybe he'll be totally blindsided, maybe not, but if he doesn't take the news well, that's on him."
"Precisely!" Jesse exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I know you can do it."
"You're not my father, Jesse. Please don't clap."
"Whatever. Anyway, if you're not going to confront August about his wrongdoing, then I'll do it for you!"
"What the -? I said I would!"
But she was too late, for Jesse sprinted past Katt down the hallway. And that guy could run. As though he were in a race (and in a way, you could argue that he was), the man raced past other journalists and other contestants in the tournament.
Before long, he was out of sight entirely.
None of this felt real.
August took a minute or two to bask in the euphoria of having done it. He'd succeeded where several hundred others had failed - he'd become the official Pokémon Champion of Alola, and had earned both the monetary prize and the reputational prize as a result.
"Well?" Darius snapped.
August snapped out of his reverie and stared at his defeated rival. "Yes?" he enquired gruffly. "What's going on?"
"You know exactly what's going on," the other young man replied. "I saw you during the match, you know."
"Is this related to what you bitched about earlier?" August said sharply. "Because you know I didn't cheat. I didn't do anything like what you're accusing me of."
The announcer appeared once more on the JumboTron. And she did not sound happy in the least.
"Gentlemen, the match is over. August Hemlock has been declared the winner. There is no need to bicker and relitigate what happened - it's over. Please, Champion August Hemlock, proceed to the winner's circle just outside the Colosseum."
August took one last glance at Darius. The dark-skinned man looked as though he hadn't gotten a preferred Christmas present; he was disappointed, sure, but he would accept the outcome of that round of gifts. There was always next year.
Darius didn't say anything, so August strode out of the stadium and towards the winner's circle.
He should have done so with far more confidence. After all, he'd just won the tournament - he ought not to have been worried about anything. The million-dollar prize was talking, too - he could help Jerry with that money. He should be ecstatic right now, but he wasn't.
Instead, August focused on trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty. He didn't want any unnecessary attention on himself - that would only raise more questions.
Of course, given his new status, August knew he was fighting a losing battle. As he walked through the main lobby of the Colosseum, almost everyone he saw gave him a reverential glance. Nobody said anything about illicit conduct, mainly because only Darius seemed to suspect him of it.
"Can I have your autograph, sir?" a boy of about twelve asked as August passed him. The champion ignored him, instead proceeding to leave the stadium and follow the signs to the winner's circle.
It was right next to the parking lot, nearly impossible to miss. As August came closer to it, he heard the cheers from people and Pokémon of all ages; some of them carried flower necklaces, whereas others were waving the Alolan flag. Spectating tournaments was a pastime shared by young and old, and August felt honored to have helped carry on this tradition - not just as a watcher, but as a doer.
Next to the carpet with the pattern of the Alolan flag on it, there stood an older, bespectacled man with a mustache. This was Mike Finch, the chairman of the Alolan Battling Association (ABA.) He wore a broad smile on his face and carried an elaborate flower necklace containing Alola's regional colors - dark red, navy blue, white, light blue, and yellow.
"Congratulations, Mr. Hemlock!" Mr. Finch exclaimed as August approached. "Allow me to adorn you in this beautiful necklace - you have exemplified the qualities that make Alola great!"
August blushed. He could barely string a sentence together, but he tried anyway.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Finch. It means a lot to me, it really does - I won!"
"Yes, you did" Mr. Finch replied, placing the flower necklace around August's neck. It fit loosely around the young man's shoulders and chest. And yet, in light of the accusations from earlier, it felt like a choker.
"What's wrong?" the man continued, seeing how visibly uncomfortable August was. "Did the Meowth get your tongue?"
"It's not that," the newly-crowned champion said, feeling tears form in his eyes. "It's not like that at all."
"I guess you're just emotional about winning? You're hardly alone in that case."
August nodded, shutting his eyes as he did so. "Yes. That's it."
"Well, would you look at that!" Mr. Finch exclaimed. "A young man who's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve! Quite frankly, all of you would do well to be so transparent with your emotions!"
The champion gulped; he could hardly believe how sappy this was all getting. And yet, sappiness was preferable to what could be happening instead; indeed, it might still happen.
"So August, how did you do it?"
"Huh?"
"I mean", Mr. Finch clarified, "how did you win the tournament? How did you focus on the match so intensely, when you knew that you really wanted to be successful? What was your strategy for that?"
August gulped. He couldn't tell them his actual strategy for a number of reasons, but the answer he'd prepared was believable enough.
"I just knew I needed to win today. I think that's what gave me the focus necessary to do well. Even though I told my interviewer I would win, I didn't actually believe it until that prize money was staring me right in the face."
"I see" Mr. Finch responded with a nod. "It seems the money motivated you. Nothing wrong with that; we all have different reasons for doing this. But what will you do with the money?"
Before August could answer that question, however, a mighty shout rang out from the entrance to the Colosseum.
"Fraud! Fraud! It was all fraud!"
"What on Nexus is he talking about?" Mr. Finch muttered. "Kid, you've earned this, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
August wanted to concur with Mr. Finch. He really did. But his stomach dropped faster than a freight elevator whose chains had been cut.
If Mr. Finch knew the truth, he may not have been so dismissive of that shout.
Anyway, August turned to find that a tall man of about thirty, with dark slicked-back hair, was dashing towards the champion. Although the man was holding a laptop and panting, he still had the energy to maintain a murderously angry expression in the champion's direction.
"Who are you?" Mr. Finch bellowed, turning up his nose at that last word. "And why would you interfere with the award ceremony?"
"I'm Jesse Perkins, a reporter for One Alola News Network. As to why I am here, I have my suspicions about what happened today."
"If you're going to voice suspicions", Mr. Finch replied, putting air quotes around the italicized words, "then screaming fraud as you run up to the flag carpet is hardly the proper way to do it."
"Well, sorry" Jesse responded, rolling his eyes. "Yelling was the only way I could get your attention."
"I'm afraid that's not going to work" Mr. Finch told Jesse. "The tournament has been conducted under the proper protocols, and as such, Mr. August Hemlock has been crowned our champion. Moreover, what sort of suspicions are you bringing up?"
Please, Mr. Finch, August silently pleaded, don't give him the light of day. It'll be a lot easier for all of us if you just ignore him.
"He's right, you know!" another voice, this one female, bellowed from the same direction. This time, upon turning his head, August recognized the face.
It was Katt Keller, the same woman who'd interviewed him yesterday. Against the evening sky, the fire in her eyes shone more brightly than the sun.
Oh no. Does she know?
"A moment, please" Mr. Finch said, raising a hand in the air. "I just want to get to the bottom of this - there appears to be a coordinated effort to delegitimize the champion's claim to the crown. I just want to know what's going on."
There were a number of jeers from the crowd, though August couldn't tell if they were directed at him or the journalists. He was afraid to know the truth.
Jesse and Katt stood on either side of August, making the champion feel trapped. The Pokéballs August carried in his tournament-provided knapsack felt like iron weights.
"Okay", Mr. Finch began in little more than a whisper. "I don't know what's happening, but if you two" - he pointed at the journalists - "are going to allege irregularities, you've got to provide evidence."
"I have evidence," Jesse asserted.
"As do I. And believe me, if I didn't have evidence I wouldn't be standing next to Jesse right now. But our concerns are legitimate."
August felt as though someone were pouring hot ash down his throat. It was slowly burning him up, as well as suffocating him - it was pouring out of his ears and nose as well.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about!" the champion exclaimed. In hindsight, this was probably an instance where it was better to remain silent.
"You know exactly what I am talking about," Jesse muttered. "Please, tell Mr. Finch. Tell him what you've been up to."
The smile that had once been plastered across Mike Finch's face was now completely gone, to be replaced by a scowl. As the man looked at August, the champion's heart sank to the middle of the planet.
Mr. Finch was this genial man who seemed to expect the best out of the champions. Forget not getting a desired Christmas present - the old man's expression was as though Christmas had been canceled entirely.
To know that he stood accused of breaking Mr. Finch's trust, which couldn't be easy to break at all, made August want to fall to his knees and beg for mercy. Of course, whatever the man did to him, it could never be as heartbreaking as the knowledge that he'd done something so wrong.
"I didn't do anything," August mumbled. Even uttering those words felt like throwing away his most prized possession, or slapping his brother in the face. It was a fundamental betrayal of his values.
But then, if I had consistent values like that, I wouldn't have done it in the first place.
"Well, you did do something" Mr. Finch replied. "You just won the tournament, even if these two are alleging that you didn't do so fairly."
"You know what I mean!" August exclaimed, trying not to cry. "I just…I just want to get this ceremony over with" he admitted.
Mr. Finch frowned at the champion. "Is there any particular reason for that, young man?"
Jesse, on the other hand, appeared triumphant. He stood to his absolute full height and hissed, "Yes! Please tell us, August, what was your secret for finishing first? I'm sure the world would love to know!"
"There was no secret," August asserted. "Other than being good at communicating with my Pokémon. But that's not something that comes naturally - it has to be learned."
"And at the ripe old age of nineteen, you've mastered it" Katt snapped sarcastically. "How convenient, right when you need it most."
"But-".
Jesse shook his head. "The law is very unforgiving of the Yes, but defense. You'll get what you deserve, kid, and not an iota less. Tell the crowd. Tell them what level you were willing to stoop to in order to earn a little fame and fortune."
August stuck his lower lip out at Jesse, intending to say It doesn't matter, and I don't care if you want to hear it. Truth be told, he was impressed by his own resolve under pressure, though he knew it absolutely, absolutely had to last.
For if he told the truth, he would be endangering not only himself, but the woman who had given him so much. And whatever walls came down on him, he needed to take these risks on his own, not saddle such a kind lady with them.
So he shook his head again. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm quite certain that a media circus is unnecessary."
"Fine" Jesse snarled. "If you won't be honest with the people of Alola, then I will."
Jesse snatched the microphone from Mr. Finch's hands and turned to face the crowd. They'd been cheering before, but now they just stood there in a land of confusion, clearly not knowing what to think or say.
"August Hemlock cheated in the tournament!" the reporter shouted. "Ladies and gentlemen, he is not your legitimate champion!"
Mr. Finch turned to face August, as if to say, You have some explaining to do. But August remained silent even though his face felt hotter than the surface of the sun.
I'm innocent. They all believe that, anyway. If they only knew the truth, they'd be on my side.
"You're lying, Jesse" August announced with as much confidence as he could muster. "I don't know why you think I cheated, but the audience can rest assured that I did no such thing."
Mr. Finch looked bewildered. "The question is, what are we going to do about it? I don't know who to believe. You, August, claim to have won the tournament legitimately. Jesse and Katt claim that you cheated. Who's telling the truth?"
"You can't just call it fifty-fifty without any evidence," the champion said caustically. "And these two haven't provided a shred of it."
"These are such serious allegations, though, that they have to at least be examined" Mr. Finch responded gravely.
"But why? What's to prevent anyone from making an accusation against someone they don't like, just for the hell of it? Look, you don't know this, but I need that money. Badly. And I earned it!"
"I'm glad you clarified that you earned it," Katt told him coolly. "Because if you leave out that last sentence, that sounds like an admission of guilt."
Steam billowed out of August's ears. Here they were, claiming that he'd broken the rules without a shred of proof. And even if his prize money was withheld, that would be far from the worst possible outcome - these journalists were determined to ruin his life by any means necessary.
"What can I say?" August asked rhetorically. "I won this tournament by a lot."
"Uh, what does that have to do with anything?" Katt replied quizzically. "If anything, that could be seen as evidence that you gained an upper hand through illicit means. Nobody should be winning this championship by 'a lot.'"
August put his head down. The flower necklace around his upper body looked a lot less beautiful.
"So what happens now?" Katt continued. "Are we going to get to the bottom of this? Or are we going to let a cheater prosper?"
"I'm…not…a cheater."
Mr. Finch scratched his mustache, looking between the other three people on the flag mat. Finally, he responded.
"We'll give you all your day in court" Mr. Finch told them. "And by day, I mean night, because we're heading to the Sele City Courthouse right now."
Dr. Haley Wexford was now ten years older. Despite being decidedly in the throes of middle age now, though, she still felt a primal exhilaration whenever she saw a Pokémon championship on TV, let alone one that took place in Alola.
With a bowl of cheddar popcorn, she sat on the couch in her apartment and watched the opening ceremony. She'd been allowed to take a day off from work, having told her supervisors that she felt under the weather.
She hadn't been able to provide any evidence of illness (since there was none), but nobody was going to challenge her on that either. After all, it wouldn't be good if she ended up giving one of the patients a cold in addition to whatever they were already dealing with.
So Haley had called in, careful not to sound too excited at the prospect of a day at home. Somehow, she managed to keep a poker face while on the phone, even though her heart leaped as her request was accepted.
Now, Haley had found the channel on which the Alolan Championship was taking place. Really, this was almost every channel, for such a major tournament was allowed to preempt most other programs. It only happened once a year, after all.
"There he is," Haley mouthed as the camera zoomed in on one of the first battles.
To many people, his physical appearance would have been unremarkable. He was a young man on the taller side, with auburn hair and glasses. His yellow tie-dye shirt made it even more unmistakable, for that was what he'd been wearing the last time Haley had seen this boy.
After the opening ceremony, there was a short break as the round robins were set up. Each contestant was placed in a pool of five trainers, and the winner of each pool would make the main bracket. Most wouldn't have been on the edge of their seat just yet - this was the least exciting part of the event. But Haley's eyes were glued to the screen nonetheless.
Honestly, a lot of people probably wanted to take today off as well. I'd be surprised if I'm the only one who called in today.
Once the matches began, the tournament became very difficult to follow. If you were only paying attention to one contestant, it would be even harder, for the camera switched between all sixty-four pools every few seconds. And since only a few seconds were spent on each pool, you might not know when the person you rooted for was on air.
"Here we go," Haley whispered as the auburn-haired boy appeared on screen again.
Really, she didn't need to whisper anymore. She and Francis were no longer married, their divorce having been finalized several years prior. Since they no longer lived together, Haley didn't have to worry about being overheard while cheering for a given contestant.
She didn't have any regrets, either. Her wedding ring, meant to be a symbol of everlasting love, had been thrown away. It was likely nothing more than scrap metal now. And with that wedding ring, any concern for Francis was gone too. Perhaps he'd married again, perhaps not, but it was none of her business anymore.
Haley rarely thought about her ex-husband anymore, but today she felt grateful that he could not hear her exclaim happily whenever that particular trainer won a match. That would only give him more reason to be suspicious.
August Hemlock won the first pool, having been successful in all four matches. Thus far, he was undefeated, but since the 64-man bracket was single-elimination, he no longer had any room for error. If he lost now, that was it.
Haley didn't even try to hide her exhilaration as the main bracket appeared on TV. August's name materialized on one of the outermost branches, and the woman smiled at the sight.
The round-robins continued until all sixty-four contestants for the main event were determined. This took some time, so Haley ordered a pizza just to have something to do. Only one contestant mattered right now, and he wouldn't be appearing again for some time.
During this period of limbo, the phone rang. However, Haley did not get up to answer the call; she was just too comfortable on the couch. Besides, she didn't recognize the caller ID given, meaning that it probably wasn't important. Just a telemarketer or someone with the wrong number, most likely.
Still, there was a lingering sense of unease present. Haley couldn't quite place why that was.
Anyway, back to the TV. At first, Haley allowed herself very little excitement about August's prospects; after all, even if he'd won the right to play in the main bracket, that didn't mean much. He still had several chances to lose.
But he didn't lose. He won his first match quite handily; at least, that's what Haley was able to gather from the limited airtime August got. Not long after that first victory, the camera cut to August again, where his opponent, a girl about the same age as him, threw down her knapsack.
"It's over" the girl could be heard saying. "I'm not going to beat you."
August looked as though he were going to object, but he eventually gave a slight smile. "Okay then" he said.
And that was that. Without even an attempt to win the match and stay in the hunt, August's opponent simply dropped out. Haley had never seen anything like it - perhaps that girl had heard rumors about August's abilities and had decided not to chance it.
She preferred a certain defeat. Let that sink in for a minute.
A little under an hour later, the camera cut to August's next opponent, a boy this time, having what appeared to be an emotional breakdown. This boy had his head in his hands and sat, legs crossed, on the floor of the stadium.
"Just have it!" the boy yelled. "It's yours! This bracket wasn't seeded properly, this is fraud!"
If you think it's fraud, Haley thought to herself, why wouldn't that motivate you to try harder to ensure he doesn't win.
Even as she had that inkling, however, Haley's throat felt tight. The boy who was breaking down didn't have as much information as she did.
The reality is that August did have an advantage. Whether it was earned or not, of course, was up for debate, but after the young man had told Haley his story, she'd agreed with him that the ends justified the means.
To make a long story short, the bye August received in the third round allowed him to make it to the final round against Darius Gilmore. By the fifth round, there had been no more suspense; Haley was certain August would survive the match, and he did. But the final round, the game point, wasn't going to be a layup.
After August and Darius shook hands, the final battle began. As Haley watched the arena transform from one type of terrain to another, she found herself practically bouncing in her seat. She could hardly believe what she was watching, and she'd seen plenty of tournaments on TV before.
August seemed to have the advantage at first, being the first one to take down one of his opponent's Pokémon. But then the suspense truly started, as Darius was able to knock August's Bidoof out soon afterwards.
Since one of August's withdrawn opponents had cried fraud, Haley decided to pay special attention to the boy in the final round. The match was close, but he seemed to know exactly what to do at all times. His Pokémon appeared to understand him perfectly.
There were several points at which Haley believed August's final Pokémon, the Sylveon, would fall. But let there be no doubt: Until the bitter end, Haley kept her fingers and toes crossed, hoping her chosen one would succeed, but also not knowing what she should want.
In the end, August's greater ability to communicate with his team led to his victory. Haley let out a triumphant laugh at that, but it didn't last long.
The award ceremony could be tuned out; it was just a formality. Haley didn't watch it, instead switching the channel to one of her favorite soap operas. That show had the perfect level of cheesiness to distract her from reality.
The reality of what she'd done. What she'd enabled August to do. Yes, he would more likely than not be completely fine, and both he and Haley would take the secret to their graves, where it would be lost forever.
But that didn't happen.
Instead, Haley's cell phone buzzed next to her on the couch. By this time she was half-asleep, a slight smile on her face. She'd seen enough, or so she'd thought.
However, a nagging voice in her head told her that she should at least make sure nobody needed anything. When you were a pediatrician, you had to be on alert at all times, even on your "sick days." You never knew when you'd have to come in to cover a shift.
She picked up the phone, upon which she was greeted with good news and bad news.
The good news: She wasn't being called in. The alert wasn't from the hospital at which she worked, nor from any hospital for that matter.
The bad news: The alert came directly from Vulpix News. And the words were clear as day:
DID AUGUST HEMLOCK CHEAT IN THE ALOLAN CHAMPIONSHIP? AS CHAMPION IS CROWNED, ALLEGATIONS SURFACE.
My headcanon is that the Alolan flag looks like a cross between the flags of Palau and the Philippines in real life. So if you want to picture said flag, that's how I imagine it. If there's an official canon Alolan flag, feel free to state so in the review box.
Additionally, I think I'll try to space the updates out by a week each from here. I feel bad for overwhelming you guys, though email notifications can now be opted out of. So there's that. I still appreciate favorites and follows, they're a great way to show one's support. I'll see you guys next week (November 21, 2022.)