Veilstone was a city nestled in mountains, and when they got a good look at it Dawn sighed.

"It's funny to see it like this," she said. "With a city here, I mean… last time I was in this area, it was all still wild land."

"You seem upset," Latias observed.

"Yeah, you don't seem happy," Ash agreed. "Did something happen the last time you were here?"

Dawn nodded.

"Really, it's one of those times where being upset about it is almost… odd?" she admitted. "But I think it's okay to feel sad about it, because that's a feeling and feelings don't have to make sense."

She pointed, off into the distance. "It's about… there, I think – when I arrived in Hisui, the previous Lord Arcanine had died a short time ago and his heir hadn't yet evolved. And his warden was still mourning him."

"I guess I get what you mean," Ash said. "You mean that… thinking about it, you were in Hisui so long ago that almost everyone from then isn't around any more, but they lived good long lives and it'd be weird to just expect everyone to live forever. And it feels weird to focus on just one of them."

"Right," Dawn agreed. "You've been thinking about that kind of thing too, right?"

"With how old Dad is, I've been… trying to," Ash answered. "A bit at a time, that is… trying not to think too hard about it, but I know I need to think about it some time."

He sighed. "It's awkward, isn't it?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dawn said. "But I guess…"

She considered for a long moment, then nodded.

"I guess the important thing is to remember people, without making it so that's all you think about," she decided. "Anyway… it is nice to see Veilstone as a city now. And I already knew that the Hisui I saw at the time turned into the Sinnoh I knew, but seeing somewhere like this is a great reminder – life carries on."

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "It does."

Cynthia hadn't said anything during their conversation, but now she stepped forwards.

"You said Lord Arcanine," she checked. "That's a Hisuian Arcanine?"

"Yep," Dawn agreed.

"Hmm," Cynthia said. "And we know from what Unown has told Ash in the past that Noble empowerment is for the most closely related Pokémon of the same exact species, and with certain other parameters in the case of things like the Gigantamax Factor… I wonder if there's a Lord Arcanine out there right now, or if some Hisuian Growlithe in the wilderness evolving into an Arcanine would suddenly be given the power."

"Actually, I wonder if there's something that means it doesn't happen immediately," Dawn wondered. "At least, not if there's a better option… there were other Arcanine in Hisui, but the previous Lord's son became Lord Arcanine as soon as he evolved."

"Perhaps there's a latent Nobility, then," Cynthia said, considering. "Actually, now I think about it… where did you get your Sneasel from?"

"Her mother was the Lady Sneasler of the time," Dawn answered.

"Oh, I'd say that was going to cause problems with the Noble inheritance, except that I'm sure Walking Wake and Iron Leaves will have already been sorting it out," Pikachu said.

Not far from the viewing spot, heading down towards Veilstone, the crash of attacks drew everyone's attention.

"I wonder what that is?" Ash asked, then began rummaging for Winona's badge. "Maybe we should go and have a look…"

Cynthia sent out her Garchomp, who took off in a whoosh, then banked around and came back down to land.

"Don't worry," the Dragon-type said. "It's the local Gym Leader training with a Lucario."

"That sounds like we need to go there anyway, right?" Ash asked. "I would like to have a Gym Battle, and if she's not in the gym then going there would be kind of a waste."

"Yeah, true," Garchomp agreed. "This way."

Garchomp's description, short as it was, turned out to be completely correct.

What Ash hadn't expected was that training with should really have been training against. She was battling her Lucario in a clearing, ducking back and somersaulting and kicking back one of Lucario's Aura Spheres.

"Wow," he said. "That's like something Lucario said about Sir Aaron."

"It's really cool," Pikachu agreed.

Then an Aura Sphere came a bit too close to them, and Garchomp swiped it in half with Breaking Swipe.

Both the Gym Leader – Maylene – and her Lucario turned towards the sound of the impact, then the two of them did a simultaneous double-take.

"Oh no, not you," Maylene said. "Champion, I didn't expect to see you – I'm not ready for a battle – I've got to improve my team, I don't think-"

"You look exactly like our stories of Lady Akari," Lucario said, speaking at the same time as Maylene so it was quite hard to tell what they were both saying. "We only have stories, but still – I don't suppose – do you have a Samurott?"

Latias put both paws over her muzzle, and her feathers shimmered blue as she tried desperately to stifle a fit of the giggles and her stealth failed.

"I'm sorry," she said, making a sort of mrrrf noise as she did her very best not to explode. "But they're both surprised by a different person and neither of them is Ash!"

Maylene's mild panic and Lucario's incredulous questions both slowed to a halt, trainer and Pokémon equally engaged in staring at the Legendary losing the battle against giggles.

"...um," Maylene said, eventually. "What's going on?"

Dawn's Samurott came out of her Pokéball.

"There's stories about us, huh?" she asked. "Lucario Kingdom?"

Maylene's Lucario stared for a moment, then raised a paw.

"Um," he began. "What?"

Samurott was tapping her forepaw against the ground. "So there's a few places it could have come from, but I'm going to guess… you got the stories from Volo's Lucario, right? Tough Pokémon."

"Is something wrong, Gym Leader?" a voice asked, and someone who looked a bit like an older Paul came into the clearing. "I heard your training stop… is… is that Ash Ketchum?"

He waved. "I'm Reggie! So, what was it like beating Pyramid King Brandon? I've only got experience of losing to him."

"I think that completes the set," Latias said, hiccuping. "Unless I disguise myself as Bianca and someone compliments me on my paintings."

Reggie turned out to be Paul's brother, a Pokémon caretaker who took care of Paul's Pokémon while the younger trainer wasn't using them for battling, and he bestowed a smile on all of them.

"I think you've all been good for my brother," he said. "And I mean that sincerely. Paul's mellowed out in the last few months, and I think you've all helped with that."

"He has?" Maylene asked. "What was he like before?"

She swallowed. "He challenged me not long ago, and I knew he was your brother, Reggie, but… he called me the weakest leader he ever fought."

"That's Paul after mellowing out?" Dawn asked. "Wow…"

"I am new to being a gym leader, but even if I still have a lot to learn…" Maylene shook her head. "Part of me thinks he could have been a lot kinder about it."

"But what you and Lucario were just doing was amazing!" Ash said. "It reminded me of what Sir Aaron's Lucario said about Sir Aaron!"

"I'm sorry but what," Maylene's Lucario asked, thrown. "You say that like you've actually heard what he said."

"That's because I did!" Ash replied. "I helped free him from… I guess it was a kind of space and time compression capsule thing in Sir Aaron's staff, last year in Kanto. He lives at my mom's house now."

"What is with you three?" Lucario said, shaking his head. "Is the Champion of Sinnoh the most normal one among you?"

Cynthia's own Lucario came out, and translated that for his trainer.

"Honesty, just think of me as a freelance historian," Cynthia advised. "I'm enjoying every minute of my time with the group!"

"Sir Aaron is… that ancient Aura Guardian, right?" Maylene asked. "I guess I do learn from Lucario, but – that doesn't mean I'm a good gym leader."

"Actually…" Ash said, thinking about it, then turned to Reggie. "How many gyms has Paul done?"

"Three full regions, and he's got some Sinnoh badges, too," Reggie replied. "So between twenty-five and thirty."

"Ah, that might be it," Pikachu said. "Yeah, a trainer with that kind of experience is not a normal challenger."

"I was actually wondering if Paul had done many gyms at all, but I guess that's a good point too," Ash said. "But – wait, which regions did he do? I kind of wonder if he did the Cascade Badge."

"Why?" Pikachu asked.

"He did Kanto, I think that included the Cascade Badge," Reggie replied, thinking. "I can't remember every badge he got off the top of my head, though."

"Because I know the Cascade Badge wasn't very hard for a while," Ash explained. "My friend Misty is a good gym leader, but when her sisters were in charge they just gave me the badge without a fight… I did battle her though, that was a proper gym battle."

He shook his head. "I'm getting all mixed up, I have way too many things to say… uh, Maylene, you know what makes a good Gym Leader, right?"

"Winning battles," Maylene replied, glumly. "And I couldn't beat-"

"No," Ash interrupted. "That's not what makes a good gym leader."

Maylene looked confused.

So did her Lucario.

"Are you going to tell us that it's something completely different?" Lucario asked, then sat down pre-emptively in case there were more shocks today. "I don't see how that could work but right now I have no idea what you're going to say."

"Gym Leaders are meant to test trainers," Ash answered. "That's why – I travelled with Brock and Misty for a long time, Brock more than Misty, and I've met loads of other gym leaders too, and that's how it's meant to work out. If someone's a good enough trainer, then, yes, they should win your badge easily – because you've set the challenge you're supposed to, and they've beaten it."

"Now I think about it…" Reggie said. "Paul did make sure he brought along Magmar and Honchkrow."

"And it seems like he… really doesn't have much patience for anyone who isn't strong in the way he thinks is right," Dawn contributed. "Like with Chimchar. Chimchar's a really talented Pokémon, but Paul's standards were impossible."

"So what should I do?" Maylene asked. "I still feel like I'm doing something wrong here."

"Maybe you are," Ash said, thinking out loud. "And maybe you're not. I guess… what matters is that you can give a challenge for someone who's maybe good enough to get into the Pokémon League. If you can do better than that, that's great, but it's not required."

He looked at Cynthia. "Right?"

"That's a good summary, yes," Cynthia agreed. "The place of a Gym Leader is as a challenge for aspiring trainers, to see if they can overcome the challenge… and a gym leader who won all their battles would be a bigger problem than one who didn't win any, oddly enough."

Maylene thought about that.

"I've been wondering about this," her Lucario said, while his trainer was thinking. "What kind of Pokémon are you? You're clearly wise."

"I'm an Arceus," Ash explained. "And… I guess my powers are about creating things, but I've spent a lot of time thinking about when they should be used and when they shouldn't."

He looked embarrassed. "Though I bet Misty would have a lot to say about the idea I was wise…"

"I don't know about wise, but I think you're thoughtful," Latias told him. "From knowing you like I do, it seems like – if you're reacting in a crisis, you usually react the right way, and you think about things in case you might do the wrong thing. And…"

She shook her head. "I don't think anyone can be perfect at things like that, but you're… really good."

"Thanks, Latias," Ash said, touched. "That's… good to hear."

"So how do I tell if I really am doing something wrong?" Maylene asked.

"Well, it's… I guess, if you keep either not getting the challenge right, or if you often can't give a good challenge to a strong trainer?" Ash suggested. "But I mean a strong trainer who might or might not be able to challenge the Pokémon League. They'll have the advantage of knowing you're a Fighting type trainer, but…"

He shook his head. "Paul's got strong Pokémon, and when he's not trying to push his own Pokémon way past what they could be expected to do… he's capable, which is why he's got so many badges. He's someone you shouldn't measure against, right?"

Maylene nodded, slowly.

"I think I get that," she said. "Being a Gym Leader is a lot more complicated than just trying to win every battle."

"Given how Ash got a lot of his badges in Kanto, I think he'd have to know that," Pikachu said.

AN:

Imposter Syndrome can be a real bugger to deal with.

Or a fake bugger, I suppose.