Hello everyone to the new sort of reboot of my profile. After over two weeks I have closed the poll as there were not much activity anymore. I am happy to say Longing Heart, Seeking Comfort won. But after a second thought I changed the title now to Fall From Grace: Pained Love because I believed it was a better reflection of the story.
Well here goes the first chapter and I hope you guys enjoy seeing familiar faces again in this story. I have also begun working on chapter 2 as well as chapter chapter 9 of KST so hopefully I can update again soon!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any other characters to do with the show or the company at all.
Chapter 1 - We Meet Again Friends!
"Here we are! Finally we have made it to Wyndon!", exclaimed Brock as he stepped off the train and led the way for his friends. He was dressed in clothes similar to his Hoenn outfit, made up of his familiar colors including a green top, brown bomber jacket and grey pants. Over the years whilst studying to be a doctor, he has also been hitting the gym with his top showing hints of his muscles in the hope that it will land him more girls.
Shortly after his exit, stepped out Misty dressed in her classic denim short shorts and a white tank top which showcased her flat midriff with a matching white hair tie to keep her side ponytail in place. She completed her look with a pair of white trainers. Misty looked up at the sun beaming down on them and stretched her arms out in delight soaking it all in after their long train ride. Slowly one by one the group disembarked off the train and headed towards the exit and towards their goal. Tracey was dressed in a short-sleeved, green shirt with a darker green border on it identical to the one we wore in his journey with Ash and Misty. But instead of his dark red shorts, he was now wearing orange shorts to match his orange headband and tennis shoes colored purple and bright orange. After he stepped out he held a hand out for Delia as he said, "Careful Mrs Ketchum."
"Thank you dear" replied the woman with a kind smile as she got off carefully with the help of Tracey and Professor Oak behind her, "But I have told you a million times to call me Delia".
The current group consisted of Brock, Misty, Max, May, Delia Ketchum, Professor Oak and Tracey, and whilst they were all happy to be here there were two things that stopped the entire group from enjoying this trip. One was the constant reminders and repetitive signs they have seen and come to live with for the last 3 months which was also the purpose for their travels to the Galar region. Not one step out of the station, they could see large banners and billboards advertising 'The Search - an invitational exhibition tournament to showcase the world's best Trainers and their Pokemon from all fields'.
Whilst the group were excited for the tournament and happy to use this as an excuse to meet up with everyone, deep down they all knew they needed this chance to reunite. Especially for a certain honey blonde girl who was currently not part of the travelling group… with what happened 5 years ago still fresh in everyone's minds and hearts. Moving along the path that has been especially made for participants, they were surprised when the streets were lined with thousands of people, to which Max voiced, "WOW all these people are already here but the tournament doesn't start until tomorrow!".
The now 17 year old boy was in awe of the crowd that had gathered and quickly became self conscious about his appearance. He straightened up his black framed half-moon glasses and smoothed out his dark green hoodie which he wore with his black capri pants and grey trainers. The trainer was slightly struggling as he wheeled behind him his suitcase and adjusted his heavy backpack as well. Max quickly thought to himself, "I better ask Brock for some workout ideas, these bags are heavy!".
"Goodness me", commented Delia as she eyed the crowds too, dressed in a light pink summer dress resembling her Alola dress and brown hat with matching brown sandals. She had a pair of sunglasses resting on her hat and completed her outfit with a large white handbag and wheeled along a medium sized purple suitcase.
"Yes Max I am quite surprised too. Usually for the Pokemon League everyone gets riled up but this is on another scale", commented Professor Oak dressed in his classic outfit of a maroon polo shirt and beige pants with a brown belt minus the white coat.
May ruffled her brother's hair even though he was now taller than the girl and said, "Well you better not let this get to you! Remember they invited all the strong trainers they could for this and they have been advertising it non-stop for so long. Just don't be disappointed if you have to face me early and get beat."
Max shrugged off his annoying sister's hand away and stuck his tongue out and said, "You wish May. I have been preparing for this ever since we got the invitation. Besides you are my annoying sister and I know all your tricks so be prepared."
May simply rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the road ahead as they passed the people living either side of the way. She was currently wearing an untucked white shirt which highlighted her slender glass hour figure and well endowed chest which had grown slightly bigger in the last few years. With the shirt she wore a pair of deep blue capri pants and matching blue ballet shoes. She no longer wore a bandana though her hairstyle was still the same but with the back now longer and reaching the midpoint of the back of her neck. Additionally she had a pair of yellow sunglasses nestled at the top of her head. She could hear loads of people cheering and in multiple languages as well with people having travelled in from all over the world for this tournament. Her smile briefly dropped as she taught to herself, "If only he was still with us. He would have loved this tournament especially if it meant he could face all the top trainers in the world including Max. I know little Maxy is still hurt from it and having never gotten to battle Ash as they had promised each other…" She shook her head clear as this was not the time to be thinking about things such as that and instead looked forward to the tournament and more importantly, towards seeing everyone again.
It did not take much longer until they were at their destination, the iconic Wyndon Stadium. The massive bright pink looking stadium which resembled a flower blossoming was a spectacle to behold as they all looked at it with open mouths. They were snapped out of it when they heard the familiar voice of Gary Oak speak in a friendly but teasing tone, "Hey are you guys just gonna stare at the stadium or do you plan on registering for tomorrow's tournament!"
They all turned to their right and saw Gary Oak in his trademark spiky brown hair. He was dressed in a black leather jacket with his amethyst rain-drop shaped pendant still visible, a black belt around his khaki cargo pants and black shoes. He ran his hands through his hands and smirked at the group as they approached him. As they got closer they could see that he was not alone and had Paul and Dawn at his side. Dawn smiled at the group before she rushed forward enveloping everyone one by one into tight hugs. Pulling back from the last hug which was to Max, she took a step back to look at her friends with a happy smile widely etched into her face. Max briefly blushed at the contact as he admired the girl dressed in a v-neck pink sleeveless top, black yoga pants and white boots. His blush intensified when his eyes were drawn towards her cleavage which was highlighted quite a bit by her top. Trying to distract himself, he looked up at the girl and noticed she no longer wore her trademark scarf and beanie, instead tying her long blue hair in a ponytail.
"It's so good to see you guys again after so long!", exclaimed the ecstatic Sinnoh native before she turned to the last one of the trio who so far made no effort to greet their friends. Narrowing her eyes she huffed and said, "Hey Paul, don't just stand there!"
The purple haired man dressed in a black jacket with a purple undershirt and leather pants and black shoes. Paul only clenched his teeth as he stepped forward making sure to utter in a still audible way as he passed Dawn, "Annoying girl".
Dawn tried to ignore the comment as well as Gary's not so secret chuckle, as she watched Paul step towards their friends as he offered a hand to each of them in greeting. She figured as much that this was all he would do - this was Paul after all. But even she couldn't hide a small smile at the scene given how Paul was now compared to when she first met him all those years ago. He had changed and everyone welcomed the changes too, but even she was shocked when he made an appearance 5 years ago, a few days after she had received the news on that horrible day. She saw as Paul and Brock shook hands they both had a small but sad smile as they greeted each other.
The two men had grown closer in the last 5 years, and while Paul had always respected Brock even when they first met, his respect for the former Gym Leader had grown in the last 5 years. Brock too was proud of Paul seeing how he had improved as a person and is now treating people and Pokemon alike with respect and kindness. Sure he was still not the most open person and to many he still seemed cold, but what mattered to Brock was the genuine change in him and how he had become closer and a key member of their group. Dawn watched the pair and still remembered when Brock filled her in when she was surprised by Paul's appearance that day.
5 years ago…
"So you called Paul to let him know? What did he say?" asked a curious but tear stained Dawn.
Brock with a lifeless look on his face grabbed the two mugs from the table and walked towards the girl and handed one to her. He stood next to her and facing her said, "Well not much. In fact after I broke the news I could hear just silence. I wanted to give him some time to process it all but suddenly I heard the call end."
Blowing into her mug of hot chocolate, the Pokemon Coordinator simply said, "I see."
"It must have been hard for him too Dawn, which is not surprising. He may have never seen us as his friends, but we always did. I am sure deep down he knew this too and this news must have shocked him completely." said Brock sadly as he briefly looked up at the ceiling.
Dawn turned to her older brother-like figure and asked, "How do you know?"
Brock turned to her and said, "Well I wanted to make sure he was okay so I tried calling again but his PokeDex was switched off. I tried a few times before giving up for the day. But later in the evening I got a call from Reggie. He noticed Paul's behavior being different after a phone call but each time he asked, Paul ignored him and would leave the room. So he noted the number from his PokeDex and wanted to see what happened and called back."
"Did...did you… tell him too?", asked the girl.
Sighing, Brock nodded his head and said, "I did. He was devastated and I could hear the change in his voice. He wanted to be here now but said he needed to find someone to take care of his Pokemon and the breeding centre he runs. He mentioned that now it makes sense why he saw Paul pack his bag rather quickly and saw tears coming out of his eyes as he left a short while ago."
"Paul was crying?!" asked Dawn not believing that Paul was capable of crying or feeling anything for anyone.
Brock took a sip of his coffee and said, "Yes".
Dawn felt even worse right now, she was shocked and confused when Paul arrived but at the same time she was surprised not believing Paul could feel emotions at all. She didn't think he deserved to be here, this was after all for Ash's friends, not someone who used to belittle him and see him as nothing other than a rival even when Ash was trying to see the positives in Paul. She wanted to confront him at the door but she did not want to make a scene especially given why they had all gathered here. Besides she too was out of energy, and had been ever since Brock called her a few days ago.
Dawn felt fresh tears run down her cheeks and fall into her hot chocolate and after a while felt Brock's large hands around hers and her mug. He gently took it away from her and she followed his movement and saw he had placed it next to his mug on the shelf behind them. She turned to Brock who looked at her with a gentle, sympathetic smile and brought his hands up to cup her cheeks. She looked up at her older-brother-like figure and could see sadness and pain in his eyes, but as usual he was more worried about others. She felt his thumbs brushed over her cheeks to wipe her tears away before the pair embraced each other in a tight hug - something which both needed right now.
Snapping out of her trip down memory lane Dawn shook her head and turned to face the gang. It suddenly dawned on her that the group was smaller than expected and not everyone had arrived yet which she voiced and asked, "Hey guys where is everyone else?"
Delia decided to answer as she said, "Well dear, apart from you three who were already in Galar, we did plan to all meet up and travel together. But when we all began planning we realized everyone happened to be separated quite far apart with differing distances. So we decided the most sensible thing was to group up in smaller groups and reunite here."
"Hmpf, well the others better get here quick. The tournament opening ceremony is tomorrow evening and registration closes tonight", said Paul as he looked at the entrance of the stadium.
Gary smacked Paul's shoulders jokingly and said, "Well good thing we already registered. At least this way you can still lose to me!"
Paul chuckled at this and shrugged Gary's hand off his shoulder and retorted, "That's cute. I will remember this when I beat you. I might even show some mercy."
The group smiled at the friendly rivalry before they all headed into the stadium to register Brock, Max and May ahead of tomorrow's opening ceremony and the tournament itself.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it is just introductions and I hope to wrap up all the character introductions with the next chapter and from chapter 3 the tournament as well as lemon actions will begin to start.
Stay tuned for the next update!
