"Skwo! Skwo!"
"Rooki! Rooki!"
"Greedent Gree!"
Many watching pokemon cheered as Victor stood on top of a small boulder on only one foot. He had his arms stretched out in the shape of a T but with one knee raised up. In both of his palms and on top of his head, the boy was balancing cups of water. His clothes showed signs of being soaked already, yet he kept an earnest look of determination as he struggled to keep balance.
Greninja was on another boulder beside him, effortlessly keeping balance on one foot with his eyes closed and arms crossed. He just remained silent as Victor showed shaky movement, only waiting for when the boy would lose his balance... again.
They were in the foggy forest that was the Slumbering Weald once more, right beside a river that they used to fill the cups whenever Victor would fall. It was night time, as they had agreed to teach Victor mostly at night since he was always awake at that time anyway.
"Gre." Greninja cued a few Rookidees waiting on the side.
"Rooki!" Two of them flapped their wings and flew up to each of Victor's arms.
The moment both landed on both arms, the boy's balance tipped over.
"GYAH!"
The Rookidees flew up as Victor fell off the rock and onto the grass while the water he was holding spilled onto him in the process.
"Gre. Greninja-"
"I know, I know, find my 'core' position that I can stay in without struggling to balance!" Victor said as he got back up.
"Grenin-"
"And spread out my toes, so it's easier to stand on one leg..." He muttered as he picked up the cups.
Greninja nodded as Victor went back to the river and filled the cups to use again.
"This is harder than I thought..."
"Ninja. Greninja."
Victor climbed back up the boulder while holding the cups but raised an eyebrow at what Greninja said. "Keep my spine straight when balancing so I don't shift forward or back?"
"Ja."
"Don't you think you should've told me that sooner?"
"..." Greninja turned away. "Ninja."
"You forgot!?"
"Um, Victor. Why are you balancing a cup on your head?" Hop asked with a question mark over his head.
Hop and Victor were sitting beside each other on the couch as the TV showed a pokemon stadium battle.
Victor turned to Hop, the plastic cup on his head balanced perfectly.
"I'm learning to keep my body balanced. I'm actually getting pretty good at it."
"...But why though?" Hop asked.
"So, I don't fall over."
"..." Hop confusingly turned back to the television screen before forming an ear to ear grin. "Look! It's Lee! That's my brother!"
Victor turned back to the screen and saw an older boy who seemed to be only around the age of ten. On the screen was his name displayed, Leon.
"He's the Galar champion!" Hop bragged proudly.
Victor was surprised. "But he's not even a grown-up."
"That just shows how strong he and his pokemon are!" Hop jumped on the couch excitingly, to which Victor had trouble keeping his cup balanced on his head from the bouncy movement.
He stared at the older boy on the screen as he sent out a powerful looking Charizard.
Victor then turned back to Hop. "Hey, where's Gloria?"
"Hm? Oh, she's studying at the Pokemon Research Lab right now." Hop said as he sat back down.
Now that was new. "Studying? Studying for what?"
"To go with you when you travel Galar." Hop smiled.
"Eh? Why does she need to study? What does she even need to study? I thought you guys knew a lot about pokemon already."
"She told me before that she's not studying Pokemon right now. Her mum said that she has to learn things like cooking and searching for food outside if she wants to be able to leave one day. She needs to know how to live outside if she wants to leave."
Victor blinked and realized that indeed living outside would be an issue if he went traveling. He jumped off the couch and somehow still kept the cup of water balanced on his head.
"Mama!"
"Yes?" His mother peaked from the kitchen.
"Teach me how to live outside!"
~{Six Years Old}~
"OWOWOWOWOWOW!"
Victor's voice caused dozens of Rookidee to soar out of the trees startled.
Greninja was holding the boy's shoulders as he slowly pushed him down closer to the ground. Victor had one leg forward and the other back, slowly sliding both feet farther and farther away so that his pelvis area lowered closer to the ground.
"Greninja."
"But it hurts!" Victor whined as his arms shook from keeping himself up.
"Gre, Greninja!"
"A-All right... N-Nice and easy..."
After what felt like minutes of excruciating pain, Victor found himself doing the splits.
His face brightened.
"I did it! I did it! !"
Greninja let go of the boy's shoulders and nodded that he indeed accomplished the intended task.
"Ninja. Greninja."
Victor turned nervously blue.
"Wh-What do you mean now I have to go all the way down in one go?"
People ended up reporting haunting cries coming from the Slumbering Weald.
As more future days came across, Victor spent more time imitating Greninja's punching and kicking movement while they trained beside a river.
Greninja swiped the air, Victor followed. He precisely waved his arms while spinning his body, Victor did the same. When Greninja did the splits in one fall, Victor did the same.
He regretted doing the splits like that each time.
~{Eight Years Old}~
"I'm so happy that your mum actually let us go here!" Gloria happily smiled as she and Victor explored the inside of a large windmill. The sun was setting as they entered an area in the windmill where the gears turned.
"She only let me come here because it was close and you were with me, but it a good start! But why isn't Hop with us though?" Victor curiously asked as he admired the turning gears.
"Hop went to the arena with his folks to watch his brother Leon in the stadium. So... it's just us here." Gloria answered, although seeming somewhat nervous when she mentioned that last part.
"Oh well, I'll just come here again with him next time." Victor remarked as he turned back to Gloria with a smile.
"I guess so." Gloria smiled back. "Oo! Follow me!"
Victor looked curious as he followed a running Gloria to a ladder.
"Up here!" Gloria was so excited when she climbed up the ladder. Victor followed her afterward and the two ended up right beside the main gears of the windmill. Victor stared curiously at the gears and wondered if this was what Gloria was excited to show him.
"Come here before it turns dark!" She rushed him to a window.
The boy ran over as Gloria opened a small window and presented the awe-inspiring view.
Victor's eyes widened as he got a broad view of Postwick and the small town of Wedgehurst. He saw the sunset's beautiful colors on the horizon and even saw the colors reflecting off of the river in the area. He saw many Wooloo grazing the fields, Butterfree and Rookidee flying in the sky, and many people walking along with their pokemon.
"It's so pretty..."
Victor was stunned; he had never seen such a large site like this ever since coming to Galar. Being isolated, he had never seen much of what the world had to offer, but this view made him excited to see many others like it. Traveling the region, appreciating the sights, meeting new pokemon, he was excited about it all.
Gloria smiled in a satisfied manner, "I know, right!? It's my favorite spot! I took Hop here once, but he didn't seem to care how pretty it was. He just kept pointing out the pokemon..."
"The pokemon are part of the reason why I think it's so pretty..." Victor answered with a small smile.
Gloria looked outside at the world, feeling glad that she brought Victor there.
"I'm glad you like it..."
They both remained in momentary silence.
"Hey, Victor..." Gloria looked down somewhat nervously, even forming a red tint in her cheeks.
"Yeah?" Victor's gaze remained on the view.
"When you leave to explore Galar... We'll go together, right?"
Victor turned to her with a bright smile. "Of course! We'll all go together! You, me, and Hop!"
Gloria was visibly happy and relieved as Victor turned his head back to appreciate the view.
She turned and watched as the orange and red colors slowly darkened behind the horizon. Then, out of a sudden urge, she leaned her head and rested on the boy's shoulder.
Victor curiously glanced at her by the sudden contact, but didn't think too much of it as he used a hand to gently stroke the back of her head.
~{10-Years Old}~
"Hup! Hup!" Victor uttered as he ran and jumped from branch to branch high in the trees. By now, his body was clearly healthy and fit for a 10-year-old boy exercising nearly every night. He followed Greninja as the pokemon leaped over multiple branches rather than running across multiple ones.
"He's getting farther!" Victor was feeling frustrated as he saw Greninja starting to disappear into the fog. "I have to catch up! Come on! Come on!"
Victor jumped up and used a branch to swing himself forward, then sliding down a diagonal branch and leaping to another.
"Faster! Faster!"
Victor started to glow white.
"Faster!"
He suddenly blasted forward as a blur, basically bouncing off of branch to branch and heading for Greninja.
Greninja turned back just as the white blur passed him, making him stop in surprise.
He had seen Victor use Quick Attack.
Greninja narrowed its eyes and put its hands together, then vanishing on the spot.
At the same time, Victor struggled to keep track of his own speed and footing.
"I passed him! I passed him! But now I can't stop!? How do I even stop!?"
He nearly tripped on a branch before leaping forward.
"I'm in trouble!"
He leaped forward again.
Before someone yanked him by his collar and pulled him up.
Victor blinked as he processed what happened. He was hanging in the air and looked up to see Greninja holding him up while the pokemon was somehow upside down on a branch.
"Eh?"
Greninja used his free hand to point ahead in the path Victor had been running. The boy turned to see a large opening ahead without any trees, one where the boy would've fallen if he had kept going.
He glanced back up at Greninja, "Y-You caught up?"
"Ninja."
"..."
Victor hung his head in defeat.
"Even though I passed you, I still lost..."
Greninja patted him.
"Gre... Ninja."
"Huh?" Victor looked up with a new feeling of excitement growing. "I-It's finally time?"
Greninja nodded.
The two stared across each other while standing in a clear area of grass. Well, clear besides the fog that always remained in the area, that is. The sounds of the rushing river beside them, many chirps and skittering from Skwovets and Rookidees from above, and the breeze blew against their skin as they kept eye contact with each other.
"Before we start, can you tell me something?"
"Ninja?"
"Why did you only wait until now to teach me to use pokemon moves? Could've I had learned them earlier?"
"Ninja, ninja."
"You were getting... my body ready?"
"Greninja. Ninja."
Victor looked surprised.
"Pokemon attacks could hurt me even though I'm the one using them?"
"Wait, but mom told me that they changed my body to be able to use any pokemon type without it hurting my body?"
"Greninja. Grenin, Ja."
"Huh? The recoil and adjusting to it?"
"Ja. Greninja. Gre, Greninja."
Victor punched his own palm with a look of realization.
"Oooooh! I see! Some attacks of pokemon require a lot of force to perform, and because of that, there is a large recoil to them too. But since I'm a just a human, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle the recoil of many strong moves. Pokemon's bodies are usually suited to do those attacks without hurting themselves, right?"
Greninja nodded with his eyes closed. "Greninja. Ja."
"So that's why pokemon with one or two typings can only do certain moves that aren't in their typings. Their bodies actually allow them to perform the moves without hurting themselves... but others they literally can't perform. But in my case, my body can perform those moves, or more like was forced to be able to perform them, so..."
"Ninja."
"So because it was like a forced evolution for me, not every part of me had adjusted to that evolution... So that's why I had to build up my muscles and my flexibility with you, so that my body can handle any backlash of any pokemon move."
Greninja nodded again. "Ninja. Ninja."
"Oh, thanks! Yeah, I got really smart ever since Mom taught me!" Victor smiled at the praise.
Greninja's eyes then opened up into a more serious look. "Ninja."
Victor looked serious too, "Okay... But which one do I even try first?"
"Greninja."
Victor put a hand on his chin, "Protect?"
"Ninja."
"I guess it would be the safest..." He removed his hand from his chin. "Wait, how do I use a pokemon move?"
Greninja put a hand over its heart, "Greninja!"
"With feeling!?" Victor deadpanned.
"Greninja. Gren. Greninja!" Greninja clapped its webbed paws together.
Victor still had a blank look on his face.
"So let me get this straight... You want me to just focus, stick out my hands, clench my buttocks, and yell 'Protect?'"
His master was nodding, "Ninja. Greninja."
"Pokemon always yell the attacks they're using!? Seriously!?"
Greninja tilted his head. "Gren?"
"Of course people don't know that! They can't understand you!"
Greninja let out a small chuckle.
"Ninja."
"You were only kidding!?"
Greninja pointed a finger up, looking more serious than before.
"Greninja."
"But... saying the move may help me perform it? I'd rather not..." Victor sighed.
"Greninja. Greninja."
"Just picture the move, think what I want it to do, and focus... You should've just said that in the beginning." Victor looked somewhat annoyed.
He then closed his eyes and stuck his arms up. And, despite thinking it was foolish, did indeed clench his buttocks.
He pictured the barrier appearing in front of him, he thought only about protecting himself, and let the warm energy that came up flow through him.
Sure enough, in front of the boy, a transparent but visible barrier emerged.
The audience of small wild pokemon cheered.
Hearing their cheers, Victor opened his eyes and felt his excitement growing.
"I did it! Look Sensei! I did it!"
Greninja stared rather curiously at the barrier, then getting close to it and placing a hand upon it.
He noticed the density.
"How was I Sensei?" Victor asked proudly as he kept up the barrier.
He swore he heard Greninja sigh right before the pokemon started forming a water shuriken in his hand.
"Eh?"
He didn't even get to ask anything before Greninja slammed the shuriken into the barrier, shattering it upon contact.
"WAH!?" Victor flew back and tumbled along the ground before coming to a stop on his back.
"Ninja..."
The boy got up with bulging eyes. "Too weak!? B-But it was able to take a Corviknight's charge!"
Greninja rolled his eyes.
"Greninja. Greninja. Ja."
"O-Okay, maybe he wasn't actually using a real pokemon attack when he charged the first time... But still! It took a heavy hit!"
Greninja suddenly appeared in front of him and started to poke his head.
"Gre-Nin-Ja!"
"Put more feeling?!"
"Ninja!"
Victor thought about it.
"A pokemon's attack is stronger the more feeling and emotion are put behind the attack? That's why trainers are usually important for pokemon to grow stronger? Because they share bonds to help them grow in strength and feelings behind their attacks?"
Victor blinked.
"That's how that works!? So he wasn't kidding when he said that you perform a pokemon move BY feeling."
"Greninja. Gre, greninja. Ja. Gre, ninja!" Greninja continued to lecture.
"I need to put more feeling into it..." Victor concluded with a serious look, then glancing back up at Greninja.
"Let's do it again Sensei!"
Greninja saw the fiery determination in the boy's eyes and nodded, then performing a large backflip to land several yards away.
"Greninja!" His Sensei shouted as he positioned both hands behind him.
"Funny, I was going to ask that too! Don't hold back!" Victor agreed.
Greninja for some reason looked forward to this.
"Gre..." He put on a glare as a much larger and more intense spinning water shuriken emerged between his hands.
Victor stuck his arms up, but didn't close his eyes this time. He just kept staring ahead at the intense-looking attack.
"-Ninja!"
Greninja blasted the rapidly spinning water shuriken forward.
Victor's eyes seemed to glow in a light grayish color.
Another barrier formed in front of him and Greninja's attack slammed into it. Sparks flew as the spinning blades grinded against the barrier with loud, eerie screeching.
"Nnngh!" Victor felt his feet getting forcefully dragged back in the dirt. His barrier was much denser than before, but Greninja's ninja star had a lot of force to push him back and was starting to cause cracks in said barrier.
"Keep it up! Keep it up! You want to be stronger, don't you!? You wanna protect people and pokemon right!?"
His eyes completely filled in with light gray as he took one breath.
"NGAAAAAH!" The transparent barrier visibly solidified harder and the cracks suddenly vanished.
Despite this, it wasn't entirely enough to break the shuriken first, so Victor did the next best thing and angled the barrier in front of him, causing the water shuriken to fly upward and into the sky. The fog of the forest seemed to swirl around the star as sliced apart branches and the tips of some trees before then finally disappearing into the denser fog.
The barrier then faded and Victor fell to his knees with a dramatic sigh of relief.
"I did it..."
Greninja walked over to him proudly.
"Greninja. Ninja. Ja."
Victor weakly smiled. "Thanks, Sensei..."
Greninja offered his hand and pulled the boy to his feet.
"Ninja, Greninja?"
Victor blinked in shock.
"Wait..."
He started to shiver.
"H-He's right! Protect has a chance of failing by HALF on the second time in a row that it's used!"
Victor fell to the ground again and curled up into a somewhat comedically traumatized ball.
"I could've died, I could've died..."
Greninja sweatdropped and felt somewhat guilty because he had forgotten about that too until after he had fired his shuriken.
~{Eleven Years Old}~
"Um, Gloria?" Victor uncomfortably spoke.
"Ye, mate?" A girl's voice cheerfully rang.
"Aren't you... a little too close?"
"Don't I have to be close to help ya?"
"I don't think this close..."
Victor was sitting on the couch of his house with Gloria sitting beside him. She had a bottle of rubbing alcohol in one hand and had a cotton swab in the other that she was currently rubbing against Victor's bruised cheek. She was on her knees beside Victor on the couch and, for some reason, seemed to be leaning her head a little too close to his face as she rubbed the cotton ball on his small wound with a smile.
"How'd ya get this bruise anyhow?"
"Er..." Victor sweatdropped when he remembered getting hit by a swift kick by the one and only Greninja. "I kind of ran into a pokemon and it got mad at me..."
Hearing that, Gloria got visibly angry and backed up a bit.
"Ah? What kind of pokemon took a crack at ya?! Did ya talk to it?"
Victor quickly thought something up. "Yeah, but I wasn't really considerate of it, so I think it made it madder."
Gloria put down the alcohol and looked pissed. "Whatcha mean you made it madder!? You look like ya just took a Giga Impact to the face!"
"Actually, I don't think Greninja even used a move..." Victor thought but didn't say.
"Let me at the thing! I'll teach it a lesson!" She had her hands into fists and had them in front of her like a boxer.
"U-Um, don't do that... It's fine!" Victor sweatdropped while flailing his arms.
Gloria pouted. "Ye too nice Victor..."
"I'm pretty sure it's bad to hurt a pokemon though..." Victor sighed.
He took a moment to stare at some of Gloria's new changes. Her brown hair had gone down to her chin but had a long strand on it on her left side and her skin seemed to have become fairer and smoother than previous years.
Yet, she also noticeably changed personality-wise. Victor had seen her get a bit... 'aggressive' at times in both words and actions. Surprisingly, now she can throw a pretty good punch. Victor learned this when the girl told him that she knocked out a boy in one blow, a boy that was hittting on her. Victor himself actually had never been punched by her due to always being careful with how he acted around her, unlike Hop who seemed to take a lot of her punches daily. Victor didn't even know how the boy was even able to take them and still stay conscious with a smile. Gloria always seemed to punch Hop whenever Victor wasn't that close to them. Occasionally, he heard his name mentioned from the two and whenever he turned to them, he always saw Gloria with a red, angry face and Hop grinning in a teasing manner despite a bruise on his cheek.
Speaking of Hop, that boy honestly hadn't changed too much in Victor's eyes. He was always smiling and excited to talk about pokemon or his brother Leon, who Victor still hadn't even met. Hop's Wooloo was rather fond of Victor as much as Hop, mostly due to the pokemon actually having a human to talk to in a conversation.
"Oi! Victor!" Gloria snapped her fingers in front of his face.
Victor blinked and realized he got too deep in thought. "Ah, sorry. What was that?"
"I'm askin what ya want for dinner? I'm cookin."
Victor's face lit up with a big smile. "Curry please!"
That was another thing that had changed about Gloria. She can cook damn good food now.
Gloria smiled as she saw how excited Victor got when she mentioned she was gonna cook for him, then cheerfully walking to the kitchen with flowers around her.
Victor leaned his back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, wondering one thing.
"I wonder how much longer until I can leave...?"
~{Thirteen Years Old}~
"Shadow Claw!"
Victor leaped forward and had his hand up, to which it became coated in a dense, purple aura that extended his fingers into claws.
"Greninja!" Greninja jumped at him with his hand getting surrounded in a darker, more crimson-purple aura, which he slashed at Victor like a blade.
Both attacks clashed and created some sparks. Immediately after, both combatants leaped backward away from each other.
"Greninja!" The pokemon formed a water shuriken in each of its hands, to which he spun in place and flung both forward.
Victor dashed towards the incoming shurikens with both of his arms glowing green and forming a sharp-looking aura around them.
"Leaf Blade!"
He jumped and slashed one shuriken in half as it came at him, then spinning and slicing right through the other.
Seeing him coming, Greninja opened his mouth and took deep breath, before suddenly spraying a frighteningly large volume of high-pressure water.
"Hydro Pump!" Victor recognized the move.
As a response, Victor leaped into the air to avoid the blast of water. The green aura around his arms faded as he stuck his hands outward.
"Shadow Ball!"
A black ball of energy surrounded by black electricity formed in his left hand.
"Aura Sphere!"
A blue ball of energy formed on his right hand
Victor grinned, "Fighting attacks can't even touch ghost, so their moves shouldn't be able to collide..."
Victor suddenly moved the ball of blue fighting energy into the ball of ghost energy.
They combined into a violently vibrating, swirling ball of black and blue between Victor's hand with the addition of black electricity sparking.
"Shadow-!" He rapidly started spinning in the air.
He then threw the ball downward in blazing speed. "-Sphere!"
Greninja was looking up when Victor had thrown down the ball of danger, making his eyes widened.
Victor landed on his feet and watched as the ball directly slammed into Greninja, resulting in two black and blue combined explosions to occur.
But even though the attack hit, Victor knew something was off.
"He got hit too easily! He could've avoided it, yet I saw him standing there... So that must mean..."
Victor's eyes widened.
"He used Substitute to fake me out!
He turned around while heavily swing his fist, coursing a heap of electricity.
"And now he's coming from behind!"
As he predicted, Greninja came from right behind him while swinging a water shuriken.
"Ninja!"
An impact echoed in the forest.
Victor had his electric fist stuck out forward with his back facing Greninja. Greninja also had his back facing Victor while his water shuriken deteriorated from his hand. Both looked serious as they remained in place, waiting for the damage of one of their attacks to kick in.
"Gre-!" Greninja fell to one knee in visible pain.
But then Victor fell backward to the ground with a loud thud.
"Gre... Ninja..." The pokemon stood back up while holding its side, the area that Victor had managed to land part of a blow on.
Victor, on the other hand, had the front of his shirt cut from the slash, with a visible streak across his chest that was somewhat bleeding.
"Damn... it... That really hurt... I think we went overboard." Victor grunted.
Greninja limped over to him and glanced down at the wound.
"...Greninja."
"I wonder what would've happened if I got hit by that last attack without any enhanced pokemon genes." He chuckled.
Greninja sat down beside the boy laying down and the two watched the calm river in front of them.
"Ninja?" Greninja asked him curiously
"Hm? Oh yeah, I made my own pokemon move, did you like it?" Victor grinned proudly.
"Greninja, ja?"
"Actually, I didn't really know if that would work... Since Fighting-type attacks can't touch a ghost type but Ghost-type attacks can touch a fighting type. But by that same logic, I guessed that Aura Sphere can be shoved into Shadow Ball, but Shadow Ball can't be shoved into Aura Sphere or it'll cause the orbs to 'collide.'
"Gre... Greninja..."
"That's not how that should work? I mean, now that I'm saying this out loud, it kind of seemed like a stupid idea... But hey! It worked out, didn't it? They didn't explode when I shoved them together!"
Greninja facepalmed.
"I almost had you there." Victor smiled.
Greninja shook his head in disapproval. "Greninja."
"What do you mean 'not really'?! You're limping!"
"Ninja. Greninja."
"Hey, at least I'm getting stronger now..." Victor grunted as he forced himself to sit up, then looking down at himself to stare at his well-built muscles.
"They're not like anything too special, but they're pretty nice if I do say so myself."
He turned to Greninja and smiled.
"Hey Sensei, am I really strong now?"
"Greninja."
"Wow, no hesitation too. Thank you." Victor grinned.
Greninja nodded.
They both remained in an awkward silence before Victor suddenly thought of something.
"Sensei... When I do leave to explore Galar, are you gonna come with me?"
"Gre."
"An immediate no!?" Victor's eyes comedically bulged.
"Ninja. Greninja."
"My own journey...? But didn't you say you came here to watch me in the first place?"
Greninja closed his eyes.
"Greninja, ja."
"You know I'm not gonna do anything bad?" Victor repeated.
"Ja. Ninja."
A smile formed on the boy.
"I'm glad you're confident in me and all, but... What are you gonna do while I'm gone?"
"Ninja."
"Watch Mom for me?" Victor raised an eyebrow.
"Greninja. Ninja."
Victor looked somewhat worried now. "Do you really think there are more bad people out there trying to find me?"
"Ja. Greninja."
"But you haven't even told me who 'he' is yet? The white pokemon that told you to watch me?"
"Ninja."
"You said that already, but when am I gonna understand!?"
"Gren..."
Victor looked annoyed but sighed. "Fine... I'll wait. After all, I've already been waiting for nine years... I think so at least."
Greninja pat him on the back. "Greninja. Gren... Ninja."
"Hey, I'm not leaving yet. But... thanks. Now I can be a cool human Greninja." Victor smiled.
"Greninja." The pokemon scoffed.
"What do you mean!? I could so pull off the upside-down branch thing you do!"
They kept on arguing.
~{15 Years Of Age}~
A large audience roared in an arena as they waited for the main event to go underway. A skin-tanned man with trimmed facial hair wearing a gray suit with pointed red and black shoes walked around in the middle of the arena as he waved at the audience with a calm smile.
He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Welcome, one and all! Welcome to the wonderful world of pokemon!" He started to pace around. "Our beloved Galar region is a wonderful place, with thriving nature, beautiful cities, and so many pokemon with which we share our lives!"
He pulled out a pokeball.
"As you know, our society is able to thrive-" He casually tossed it forward, to which an elephant-like pokemon emerged from it. "-thanks to help from these mysterious creatures that we call pokemon!"
He waved a hand as if to present everything around him.
"Yes, pokemon are all around us-in the sea, in the sky, and even with us in our towns!"
He pulled out another pokeball.
"And those of us who choose to raise and train pokemon to do battle and compete-"
He raised both arms in the air and shouted.
"-we call pokemon trainers!"
Many people cheered.
The man suddenly realized: "Oh! But I'm getting carried away! Please allow me to introduce myself!" He stuck a hand out as if to reach out to his audience. "My name is, Rose and it is a pleasure to be here!"
He started turning in a circle with his hands out.
"Now turn your gaze to the Galar region's greatest pokemon trainer! Your undefeated champion..."
Rose stuck a fist in the air with a grin, "It's time for Champion Leon's exhibition match!"
Bursts of fog and confetti blasted up in the sky as people burst out in cheers.
Out of the fog came out a man with long, purple hair and amber eyes. He wore a black baseball cap tilted upwards, a red fur-lined cape with sponsors on the back, and wore both pants and shoes of black and white colors.
Besides him was a Charizard that breathed fire into the sky to show off.
Leon grinned before striking a pose that involved him thrusting a hand into the air while looking down dramatically with his eyes closed.
Ahead of him was a tall man with light brown skin and light blue eyes. He wore an odd outfit resembling a dragon of the sort, wearing a gold hoodie, blue shorts, and black shoes, all of which had some form of orange on them.
Next to him was a Duraludon, a somewhat shining and oddly stanced pokemon on its two feet, but was a powerful dragon/steel type.
The man wearing the dragon uniform shouted with a point at Leon.
"Exhibition or not, Leon, your pristine title is about to end... when I beat you here today!"
Leon just chuckled and seemed to show off his cape. "You know I don't lose battles, Raihan!" He turned to his trusty partner.
"Charizard, Dynamax!"
So many people gasped in awe as they saw the Charizard get a little too large.
"Let's do this!"
~{Victor's Residence- 10:40AM}~
"I wonder if I can Dynamax or Gigantamax?" Victor mumbled to himself as he watched both Charizard and Duraludon Gigantimax on his new phone.
In truth, the only reason he had chosen to watch the current battle was to calm himself down. He was nervous about what was going to happen today after all. His mother knew of her son's successful training with Greninja and learned that her boy had his powers under check, so she was finally going to let him explore Postwick all the way to the small town of Wedgehurst. And maybe even past that.
But for now, he had to meet someone first.
After somehow holding it off for so long, Victor was finally going to meet Hop's older brother, Leon. The current champion of Galar.
On cue at that thought, the door opened and Hop's voice rang.
"Hello! Hello! Victor, you here!?"
Hop ran into the room with Wooloo on his side. His style of clothing hadn't changed that much compared to the past. He was wearing matching black shirt and pants, a blue-fur rimmed jacket, and purple sneakers along with a green duffle bag on his back. His amber eyes glimmered with excitement.
"Are you ready!? Are you!?"
"Geez, calm down Hop..." Victor laughed as he stood up from his couch. "I'll be over there, just let me put something else on real quick."
Wooloo waddled up to Victor and got on its two back feet while raising its arms as if trying to reach him.
"Baaaa!" It smiled.
"Hey there Wooloo." Victor pet the pokemon.
Victor's mother came into the living room with a smile, "Oh, Hop! I didn't expect to see you here so soon Shouldn't you be over at your house waiting for your brother?"
"I just came to get Victor to make sure he comes!" Hop grinned.
He turned back to Victor, "Lee always brings presents Victor! And I'm sure he'll bring you one too! He loves anyone that's a friend of mine after all!"
Hop then turned around and blasted away so fast that he left a dusty silhouette of himself behind, only an "I'll see you later!" echoed as he left.
"Baa!?" Wooloo looked shocked. "Baa! Baaaaaa!"
"Better go catch up with him..." Victor sweatdropped.
"Baaaaa!" Wooloo waddled out the door.
"His brother doesn't visit too much, you know? Are you excited to meet him?" His mother asked.
"I wouldn't say excited... But I am rather curious about him." Victor answered as he walked passed mother. "I should get ready."
The woman smiled, "Get changed real quick and let me bring you something." She then rushed to her room.
Victor listened and went to his room and quickly chose a set of clothes.
He put on a red shirt, dark blue jeans with some small tears in them, and brown running shoes. He pulled up his sleeves and put on the gray beanie that Hop had given him so many years ago. He slipped his phone into his pocket and then waited by the front door for his mother.
She came out of her room with a small, sad smile and holding a brown, leather suitcase/backpack in her arms.
Victor raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"This..." She reached it out for him to take it. "This was your father's."
Victor's eyes dilated in shock.
"What...?" He gazed down at it. It was rather old, but looked to be in a really good condition.
"B-But... I thought you only carried me out of there... How did you-?"
"It was being auctioned online... But I knew it was your father's the moment I saw it... He made it himself after all. It's one of a kind..." His mother cut him off.
Victor somewhat panicked. "But what if it was a trap!? What if they knew you would-?!"
"I didn't order it myself Victor." His mother chuckled. "Hop's mother ordered it for me when I asked her... Although I feel like I'm in a large debt no matter how much they insist that I don't have to pay them back. When the backpack came, I made sure she kept it and looked like it was using it. People did come, but seeing that it was an ordinary family, they didn't think too much of it."
"B-But that was still too risky!"
"I know but..." His mother reached a hand and rubbed his cheek. "I knew that you just had to have it." She smiled with a tear going down her eye.
Victor couldn't argue against that.
He forced a smile of his own. "Thanks mom..."
His mother wrapped her arms tightly around him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You're welcome, sweetie..." She whispered.
They stayed this way until Victor broke the hug and put on the backpack, then turning back to her one last time.
"How do I look?"
She chuckled.
"Just like your father."
He guessed that was a compliment.
"See ya mom..." He gave her one last genuine smile before opening the door and going outside.
"Don't go too far! Be very careful!" she called after him.
"I will!"
When he left his house, the first thing he heard was a slam.
"Hm?" He glanced down to the right and saw a Wooloo rolling into a fence at the bottom of the steps down to the path. Next to the Wooloo was a very confused Hop.
He stepped over to him, "Hop, didn't you head back to your house? And what's your Wooloo doing?"
Hop turned to him in confusion, "This one's not mine! My Wooloo is right there!"
Victor glanced at the Wooloo behind hop.
"So..." Victor turned confusingly at the other. "What's this one doing?"
"Just here tackling the fence."
Victor raised an eyebrow and crouched down to the same level as the Wooloo right before it bashed the fence again.
"What are you doing little fella?"
The Wooloo stopped for a moment and turned its head to him. "Baaa!"
"What'd it say?" Hop asked.
Victor stood up. "He says he wants to go into the forest..."
Hop chuckled, "Silly Wooloo! Stop using Tackle on that fence. Everyone knows that they're scary pokemon in that forest!"
Victor looked up in thought, "I wonder if Sensei would be considered a 'scary' pokemon in there?"
"Hey, Victor! Race ya to my place! Gloria should be there by now!"
Victor had barely turned to him before he had bolted off again.
"Baaa!?" Hop's Wooloo cried from being left behind again. It tucked its arms and legs into a ball before suddenly rolling down the hill to catch up.
"So kawaii..." Victor thought with a close-eyed smile and a flowery aroma surrounding him.
It didn't bother running off after Hop. He knew he'd win because of his enhanced speed from the Slaking DNA, which was surprisingly somewhat fast, and the training he received from Greninja. He didn't want Hop asking him how could he move so fast.
He took the time to appreciate walking down the path without worrying about being seen too much. Today was the day he was actually going to talk to people after all. Unless his social anxiety from being limited outside caught up to him.
He glanced at the herds of Wooloo cheerfully prancing around and could already see Hop's obnoxiously large house compared to his, even included was a small battlefield for pokemon battles.
"I want a big house like this someday..." He thought as he reached Hop's doorstep.
He opened the door without knocking and went in.
Hop's mother saw him from the kitchen.
"Oh! Victor! It's finally good to see you roam around on your own."
"For now at least." He laughed.
"Mum! Where's Lee?" Hop came running down the stairs with Gloria following from behind.
"Hop! I've been trying to tell ya that your mum said Leon was just arriving at the station!" Gloria said annoyingly.
Victor's eyes widened when he saw the girl. She wore a gray-hoodie over a magenta button-up dress, tartan green socks, and brown boots. On her back was a brown backpack and, on her head, she donned the same dark green and white Scottish bonnet that she had been wearing for years. Compared to the previous t-shirts and skirts she had worn before, this new look was rather... unfamiliar to Victor, and therefore looked 'off' to him.
But he didn't let that bother him as he smiled and wave. "Hey Gloria, so you're here already."
When the girl saw him, her face somewhat lit up and she comedically threw Hop out of the way, sending him back upstairs with a crash.
"Baaa!?" Hop's Wooloo was shocked.
Gloria rushed down the stairs and got to Victor.
"Oi! Victor! You're finally walking around without ya mum holding your hand? Who's a big boy now?" She teased as she reached up and pat his head.
"Haha, very funny... Um, is Hop okay?" Victor asked as he glanced passed her and up the stairs.
Gloria didn't even look back, she just kept smiling and patting his head.
"He's fine!"
Hop's mother chuckled, "Gloria dearie, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't throw my son."
Gloria flinched and turned to her with a light blush, "Er, sorry about that."
Hop then came down the stairs with a comedic red bump on his forehead, yet still smiling like nothing happened.
"Gloria, you said that Lee was already at the station, right!? Then let's go! You know that Lee's hopeless with directions! We gotta make sure he won't get lost!"
Victor raised an eyebrow, "Lost? But don't you just have to go straight down the path? There's no way he could get los-"
"You'd be surprised." Both Gloria and Hop cut him off with deadpanned expressions.
Victor sweatdropped.
"Let's go! Victor! This'll be the first time you meet Lee! You don't wanna miss the chance to meet the undefeated champion!"
"I'll start preparing a barbecue for when you guys come back." Hop's mother smiled.
"Let's-a-go!" Hop jumped before running out of his own house.
Victor blinked, "Why did he seem to change his accent when he shouted like that?"
Gloria rolled her eyes, "Who knows at this point? Let's just get going before he does something stupid again?"
Both rushed out of the house and started to jog on the five-minute path over towards Wedgehurst.
They could see a crowd by the station as they passed through Route 1.
"You know, I think I know where he is."
"Wow, ain't ya a great detective?" Gloria rolled her eyes.
They met up with Hop and watched as the champion of Galar appeased the crowd.
Leon was grinning as his Charizard proudly stood beside him. You see him radiant an aura of power just by standing in front of everyone. He dramatically stuck his arm up while his head pointed diagonally down with his eyes closed.
The small crowd of people cheered as they recognized this pose.
"His signature Charizard pose!" Hop squealed excitingly.
"You've seen him do that a million times Hop!" Gloria snapped at him.
Leon then stood back up straight, waving his cape as he did so.
"Hello, hello! Wedgehurst! Your champion, Leon, has returned!" He crossed his arms as if trying to look cooler. "I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"
As the crowd cheered on and Leon continued to hype them up, Victor stared over at the Charizard standing near him, who seemed to have been somewhat forgotten at the moment. Victor crept around the crowd and managed to make his way to Charizard.
The pokemon noticed him and turned rather curiously as Victor came up to him with a berry.
"Hey there big guy. How's fighting for Leon?"
The Charizard made a few grunts as Victor fed him the berry.
Victor's eye twitched, "He forgets to feed you guys sometimes?"
Charizard looked shocked that he understood.
"Isn't that terrible!? Is he starving you guys?!" Victor worried.
"Graawrr!" Charizard corrected quickly.
"Oh." Victor deadpanned, then glancing over at a grinning Leon.
"He's just an idiot?"
Charizard sweatdropped with a nod.
"Noted."
Hop jumped from the back of the crowd. "Lee!"
Leon froze for a moment as he recognized that voice, then grinning when he caught sight of purple hair in the back.
"Hop!" he gleamed as the crowd made room for him to go through. He saw his little brother and both walked up to each other.
"So, my number one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up!" He rustled through the boy's hair.
"Cut that out!" Hop laughed.
Leon then took the time to appreciate how his brother looked. "Look at you Hop! I reckon you grew an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you!"
"Heya Lee!" Gloria also referred to Leon by the nickname Hop had given him.
Leon turned to her, "Oh! Gloria! It's been a while since I've last seen ya! You've grown a tad prettier and even changed your clothes!"
Gloria smirked rather satisfied, "I guess those are the sharp eyes of the champion."
Leon glanced around the crowd. "Hey Hop, ya told me that I'd meet a special friend of yours today. Is he here?"
"Yeah! Victor is right-!" Hop and Gloria turned around to show him the boy, but he wasn't standing behind them like before. "Hey, where'd he go?!"
Leon curiously glanced around to see if he could catch someone that had the potential of being as 'interesting' as Hop had always made him out to be, which was when he saw a boy sitting beside his Charizard by the station entrance.
Leon grinned, "Well would ya look at that..."
Hop and Gloria stared passed him to see Victor petting Charizard while two seemed to be conversing.
"I've never seen anyone get that close to Charizard immediately. He only gets along with people who can understand him."
Hop and Gloria awkwardly stared at each other.
"In this case, Victor can LITERALLY understand Charizard..." Both thought in unison.
Leon marched over to him with a wave.
"You must be Victor! I heard loads about you from my little brother!"
Victor glanced up at the champion, to which Charizard walked back to his partner's side.
"Um... yeah." Victor stood up nervously and adjusted his gray beanie, to which Leon was shocked to see.
"Wait a minute..." He turned back to Hop with a smile. "So this is where the beanie I gave you went."
Hop looked embarrassed, "Er, yeah. Sorry, Lee! It was my favorite, but I just thought... Well, I-!"
Lee rustled his hair, "No sweat Hop! If you gave him your beanie, then it shows he must be quite a great person!"
"I never knew this beanie was Leon's..." Victor thought in surprise.
"Let's head back to my mum! Then I could learn a little more about Victor!" Leon beamed with a smile.
"Race you there!" Hop suddenly bolted down the path.
"Hop!? Stop making everything into a competition ya dunce!" Gloria shouted as she ran after him.
Leon turned to the crowd of people, "Well everyone! I bid you farewell today! But don't you fret... I'll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have a champion time!"
The crowd cheered as Leon turned and bolted over the bridge after the two kids.
Victor just kind of awkwardly stood next to Charizard.
"They sure get excited..."
Charizard puffed smoke out of its nostrils as if having chuckled.
"I suppose we should get going too."
Right as Victor took a step forward, he felt his feet get raised off the ground.
"Eh?"
He glanced up at a grinning Charizard.
"Hey! Wait a-WHOA!"
Charizard flapped its wings as he as he could and soared towards Hop's house, carrying a screaming Victor.
Gloria and Hop had deadpanned expressions as Charizard placed down a comedically black and white Victor to the ground, his soul visibly leaving his body.
"I... thought I was gonna die... Wh-Why did we go so high?" Victor forced out.
Leon started laughing, "That means he likes you! The higher he flies you up, the more he likes you!"
Victor robotically turned his head to Charizard, who just smiled and let out a growl of agreement.
"G-Good to know..."
"He even threw you in the air too... I remember when he did that to me." Hop awkwardly laughed with a sympathetic look.
"Don't remind me..." Gloria shivered as she recalled her experience.
Hop's mother came out from the front door.
"Ah, Leon. It's so nice to see you again dear."
"Hi Mum!" Leon wrapped her arms around the woman and lifted her up in a big hug. "It's great to see you too!"
Victor shakily got back to his feet with the help of Gloria holding his arm.
"Dinner will be ready in a while. So you four do something in the meantime." Hop's mother let them know before going back into the house.
"OOO!" Hop rushed close to Leon. "Lee! You promised us presents! So out with it!"
Gloria knocked him on the back of the head, "That's rude Hop!"
"It's all right Gloria. I think now's a good time to give all of you your presents!" Leon reassured her.
"All of us?" Victor questioned as if he didn't hear that right.
"That's right! You'll all be getting the greatest gifts from the greatest champion!"
He reached somewhere behind him and brought out three red pokeballs.
"It's showtime everyone!" As he yelled this, he tossed all three pokeballs into the air, where each one burst open to reveal a different pokemon.
"Take a good look you three!" Leon told them as three different pokemon landed on the ground.
The green, monkey grass-type pokemon Grookey immediately jumped to a tree and climbed it. The water-type blue lizard, Sobble, dived into the water. And the fire type orange and white rabbit Scorbunny started sprinting around the small pokemon battlefield.
Victor was surprised that they would be getting pokemon as 'gifts'.
He watched as Sobble spit water from his mouth, but accidentally splashed it onto the Scorbunny, who panicked and started jumping around until it jumped too high and hit its head on the branch Grookey was on, to which then caused a berry to fall in the pond and startle Sobble out of it.
To which the water pokemon started to, well... sob.
"At least I know why his name is Sobble..." Victor smiled.
Both other pokemon saw the distress of their companion and rushed to his side, calming him down and prompting Sobble to form a smile.
"All right! Line up everyone!" Leon called as he saw them calm down.
All three pokemon jumped forward and stood in a proud line.
"Which one will each of you choose?" Leon asked them.
Hop turned to Gloria and Victor. "You guys can choose first! I've already got Wooloo after all. I'd be happy with any of these guys." he smiled.
"Let Victor go first. He's been cooped up at his mums so long that I think he deserves this at least." Gloria smiled.
"Alright! What'll it be Victor?" Leon asked the boy.
Victor actually wasn't smiling in excitement like the others were, for a certain thought came into mind.
He stepped forward and crouched down to get better looks at all three pokemon.
He saw Scorbunny's outgoing and jumpy personality, Sobble's timid but caring looks, and Grookey's cheerful yet determined stance.
Victor formed a small smile as he got back to his feet.
"To choose, huh?"
He glanced from his two friends to the three pokemon.
"..."
He turned to Leon, the champion seeing the look in Victor's eyes.
"Looks like you made your choice." He said as he adjusted his cap.
Victor nodded.
"So, then who'll it be?"
Victor gave them all a close-eyed smile.
"I'm not choosing anyone."
