A/N: Thank you so much for picking up this story! I hope it brings you joy! Enjoy!
Summary: Flint has just been crowned as one of the newest members of Sinnoh's Elite Four. Through his journey, Flint becomes closer to the rest of the members, especially Lucian. As Lucian supports Flint during his transition into the Elite, Flint also supports Lucian. And through it all, their friendship grows.
Ten years ago, Flint would have never believed that he could become a member of the Elite Four.
Sinnoh's Elite Four.
But ten years ago, there had never been a person of indigenous descent on the Warring Council, which consisted of the eight major gym leaders, the Elite Four, and the Champion.
However, now, there were two.
The first being Naranbaatar "Volkner" Bayar of the Mahali Tribe, who was the Gym Leader of the Sunnyshore City Gym located in the Neptune Prefecture. Volkner was the first Sinnohvian Gym Leader of indigenous descent.
The second being Lucian Mentari of the Lunite and Eclispite peoples, also known as the Children of the Moon, who was a member of the Elite Four. Lucian was the first member of the Sinnohvian Elite to be of indigenous descent.
Flint was a member of the indigenous group known as the Vulcanites, or the Children of the Flame. They were native to the island to the northeast of Sinnoh's mainland. The island was once known as the Empire of Aztlan. When they were colonized by Paldea, they were known as the Volcan Provence under them. Eventually, after many years of Paldean rule, the Paldeans sold the island to the Sinnohvian government, who now recognized them as the Highland Prefecture and was known more colloquially as the "Battle Zone."
After seeing Elite Lucian make it and being encouraged by his best friend Volkner, Flint was inspired to apply.
Two years ago, a member of Sinnoh's Elite announced that they were retiring and were looking for an apprentice to take their place. However, there was a list of requirements that needed to be met before the "changing of the guard" took place.
There were academic requirements that needed to be met in order to ensure that members of the Elite, as well as the Champion, had a good base of knowledge, were cultured, and competent. This was due to the fact that while members of the Elite were supposed to protect the region at a moment's notice, they were also assigned the role of co-minister of many different ministries under the Sinnohvian government. The minister of a government department and a member of the Elite were required to be on the same page in order for work to be accomplished. The member of the Elite could even veto certain decisions made about certain topics. So, candidates of the Elite must have a high school diploma or a GED and have a bachelor's degree.
Currently, Flint was 23, and he obtained his degree from the University of Veilstone in both Business Economics and Social Work at the age of 21. Flint went to an elite boarding school for high school in Sunnyshore City known as the High Sun Boarding School. There, he was able to do dual enrollment as well as take Advanced Placement (AP) classes in order to earn college credits so that he was able to graduate from college early.
There were also mental health requirements that needed to be met as well. Before anyone was accepted into an apprenticeship, they must pass a psych evaluation. They must prove that they were mentally well and stable. This doesn't mean that if one had any mental health problems that one couldn't become a member, but one must send proof of stability from their psychiatrist and or their therapist. Flint passed the psych evaluation with flying colors.
There was also an interview that must be done before approval of an apprenticeship. The interview was conducted by the Prime Minister, the Champion, the Speaker of the House, and the Chief Justice. This interview was used to screen for any personality red flags as well as to see where the candidate aligns politically on many topics. Differences in political topics were not used to deny entry into the Elite. After the interview, if one was rejected, the rejection letter would state the reason for rejection. Flint passed his interview.
For battling requirements, in order to even be considered for a position as a member of the Elite in Sinnoh, one must make the top 8 in the Lily of the Valley Conference. Flint took a year off of high school in order to take on the league challenge, like most students in Sinnoh. During that year, he made the top 4 in the Lily of the Valley Conference. He re-entered the conference again during his freshman year of college, and gained first place. Since then, he had been able to retain the strength of his team.
Once all requirements were met, the next step would be to defeat the member of the Elite whose position one would be replacing and those that ranked below them in battle. The origins of this came from an older version of government that used to exist where nations were ruled by Shoguns and warlords. At that time, anyone could challenge them to "honorable combat" for their positions in society. In Flint's case, he had to win the battle from the member he was replacing as well as the two members of the Elite that were below him.
In Sinnoh, there wasn't an immediate "changing of the guard" like there was in other regions. For example, in regions such as Kanto and Unova, when someone won the challenge for a spot to become a gym leader, member of the Elite, or the champion, there was a very quick turnover and only one month to transition. However, because of this, there were very specific times where members of the Warring Council could be challenged for their positions. This was to help make the transfer of power less volatile.
However in Sinnoh, once someone won the challenge for a position on the Warring Council, there was an automatic one year apprenticeship that would take place before the transfer of power. During this year-long apprenticeship, the new member of the council would learn of all the duties of the previous member as well as train with them.
Now that Flint's year-long apprenticeship was over, the time for his Swearing-In Ceremony and Inauguration had arrived.
In Sinnoh, these two events took place as each individual member finished their apprenticeship. In other regions such as Kalos and Galar, they conduct them in larger groups because they want as many new members as possible to transition at one time; so they have ceremonies every so many years and whoever's apprenticeships are completed by then will be sworn in.
For Flint, his ceremony was obviously smaller than one that would be for a Champion, but it was still a large affair and broadcasted all over the region. No expense was spared for the ceremony. All of Flint's family was there and as well as some prominent members of his community. Members of the government, the Champion, the rest of the Elite, and all of the gym leaders were present as well.
It was such a surreal moment for Flint. The last words of the ceremony with him kneeling before all who came, still rung in his ears.
"We now crown our new warlord Flint Reyes Tlachinolli de Tlacopan, as the third ranking member of the Elite. May you serve our people well."
Because there was so much going on at the time of Flint's appointment, his congratulatory dinner with the Elite and the Champion was pushed back by a week.
So, after the inauguration was over with, Flint went to move into his residence at the League.
Members of the Elite and the Champion gained two residencies with their appointments. The League was located in Nike City on an island in the Victoria Prefecture. Nike City was also where all major government buildings were located. In the League, each member of the Elite and the Champion were given a residential suite for immediate access. They were also given a manor with staff in Nike City, where they could host more personal functions and have more privacy.
As Flint was putting together his room in the League, he saw a letter on his bed addressed to him. It read:
Dear Elite Flint Reyes Tlachinolli de Tlacopan,
Congratulations on becoming a member of Hisui's Elite Four. It will truly be an honor to serve with you.
It is such a pity that we are not able to celebrate with you tonight. Unfortunately business cannot wait. In place of such, I would like to invite you out to dinner sometime before the official League dinner with you.
I would love to be able to help you in your transition if need be and answer any questions that you may have. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time for any reason. I have left my contact information below.
Have a wonderful evening.
Elite Lucian Mentari
Hisui Elite Four
When Flint found out he would be going out to dinner with Lucian of the Elite 4, he figured they would be going out to some type of high brow, five star restaurant. He didn't for the life of him believe that he would be standing in front of a small, hole-in-the-wall place.
If Flint knew they were going to a place like this, he wouldn't have dressed up so much. Flint spent hours picking out an outfit just to wear a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt. He even wore closed toed shoes! And he hated wearing them. Sandals were always so much more comfortable. But, he guessed he's on the mainland (so to speak) now and things are different here.
When Flint walked through the front door to the place, he noticed that no one was there except for a sweet old lady that was waiting out front to take him to where Lucian was sitting.
When Flint saw Lucian for the first time, he was a bit shocked.
Lucian was wearing a t-shirt tucked into a pair of blue jeans with a nice cardigan on top. His shoulder length hair was tied up into a ponytail, and his shades were replaced with a pair of glasses.
This was the most casual Flint's ever seen Lucian. The dude practically lived in a suit. He wore one for every battle and every press picture taken of him. Even his more casual paparazzi photos had him dressed up and polished.
Seeing him like this went against everything he read online about the guy. Which, yeah, not everything you read online was real, but could you blame a guy for wanting to know a little bit about who he would be working with before he met them.
A lot of articles and forums had said that Lucian was cold, an Ice Prince, reserved, stuck up, snobbish, a liar, cunning, etcetera etcetera. And yeah, Flint knew that many of those adjectives were probably rooted in stereotypes and made up by people who didn't know the psychic user that well; however, he always figured there could be a little bit of truth to them.
When Lucian looked up from the menu he was reading, he looked Flint in the eyes and gave him a smile and a wave. As Flint got closer to the table, Lucian got up to greet him. Flint moved in closer to give Lucian a handshake, but when Lucian gave him a funny look, Flint retracted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sorry," Flint said bashfully, "I'm not used to how you guys do things here on the mainland."
Lucian chuckled, "It's quite alright. Most people here usually greet with a bow at initial greetings. After we become more acquainted with one another, then we can think about moving to handshakes and other things."
Flint nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Why don't we just sit down first though," said Lucian gesturing for the two of them to sit down.
As they got settled into their seats, the old woman from before came to take their drink orders.
"Did you rent out this entire place for us or is it always this empty?" asked Flint gesturing to all of the empty tables in the restaurant.
"I rented the place out for us. I thought it would make things more comfortable. We get to have a lovely chat without having to worry about people listening in on our conversation."
"That's really sweet of you," beamed Flint, "But we could have just ordered takeout and ate it at the League."
Lucian just shrugged.
"I wanted to get out for a bit. And this place sells some of the best food that I'm actually able to eat."
"Are you vegan or something? I could have sworn that the Children of the Moon eat meat."
Lucian chuckled, "You're correct in that we do eat meat, but it has to be prepared in a specific way in order for us to eat it. So essentially, I'm vegetarian."
"Noted."
The nice old woman came back to their table with their drinks and took their orders for their meals.
Flint and Lucian started to make a bit of small talk with one another.
"What are the other members of the Elite like?" asked Flint, "Are they nice? I've been trying to look up information about them online, but I keep getting mixed reviews."
Lucian chuckles, "Yeah, not everything you read online is accurate. But I'll be happy to tell you a little bit about each member."
Flint smiled. He was finding that Lucian was really easy to talk to and so open too. He's glad he's found someone he could click with and become friends with. Flint was honestly a little worried meeting up with Lucian. Sometimes when indies find themselves in high positions of power, they start to be hostile and compete with each other. He was afraid that Lucian could have potentially invited him to tell him off, but he's glad that he was wrong.
"Let's start with Leer Hiashi. He's the first ranking member of the Elite and a bug type user. He's quite stoic and serious. But he's a good man. He's really helped me out a few times before. Other than that, we don't really hang out much. I mostly see him at our meetings. He's considering retiring soon as he gets closer to eighty. He's been keeping an eye out for good trainers that he may find potential in to be an apprentice."
Flint nodded along, "So would you say he is someone that you would befriend?"
Lucian raised a brow, "Well, I guess. Though he sees the Elite more as co-workers than as friends. But I don't doubt he would put his life on the line for each of us."
"Good to know."
"Why?" questioned Lucian, "Do you plan to befriend everyone you come in contact with?"
Flint gave a dazzling smile, "Why not? I think it would be better to be in everybody's good graces than to make any enemies."
Lucian hummed, "I see your point. But I prefer to keep a respectful distance."
Flint leaned in confused, "Do you expect to have a respectful distance with me? Sorry to be blunt, but I thought this could be the start to a good friendship. If you tell me now, I can minimize my expectations."
Lucian sighed, "I'm not sure to be honest. I sort of thought I would take a more of a mentor role with you. I really wanted to make sure you felt supported during your transition with us."
Flint's heart warmed at Lucian's words. For a second he thought he mis-read the situation, but who knew Lucian could be so sweet.
"My transition was . . . rocky to say the least. The entire process was really hard on me. And I knew that if there was another indy who decided to become a member of the Elite, that I would take on a more proactive role and help them. But talking to you feels very natural. I'm sure we will become friends in time."
Flint smiled, "Awesome, tell me about the others."
Lucian nodded, "For our second ranked member, we have Bertha Nagoya, who specializes in ground types. She's the closest person that I would call a friend. She's very sweet and polite and always willing to lend a hand. She works in the Ministry of the Interior which houses the Bureau of Indigenous Affairs; so she's very knowledgeable about a lot of indy issues. She was really helpful to me when I became a member of the Elite. Out of everyone, I would say to befriend her."
"Good to know," Flint nodded, "I'm glad you had someone to help you even a little bit though. I hear some of the government officials can be a little . . . not nice."
Lucian groaned, "You don't even know the half of it. Some of them even make really snide remarks towards me in public. It's so humiliating, but you definitely learn to grow a thicker skin."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Flint couldn't even imagine being alone as the only indy in the Elite. It sounded so scary, alone, and isolating. The idea of others not thinking he or Lucian were worthy enough to be members of the Elite even though they jumped through all the hoops infuriated him. But what could he do? Flint could only hope that his presence would help to breed even a little change.
"It's fine."
No it's not.
"I knew what I was getting into when I decided to apply. At the time, I was the only indy on the Warring Council. Anyway, let's talk about our last person. Not a member of the Elite, but the Champion, Cynthia Shirona. She's very intelligent and fierce. Don't get on her bad side. I would say out of everyone, to stay away from her the most."
"Why?"
"Well… Champion Cynthia does a lot of archeology and anthropology research. She's especially interested in the many different 'ancient' Hisuian civilizations."
"Are you saying that if I become close to her, she'll want to start researching my people?"
Lucian shrugged, "Possibly. I would just be careful around her."
Flint nodded in response.
Much of the conversation started to revolve around lighter subjects for a while. Once their food came out, there wasn't much talking. Both parties savored all the delicious food that was ordered.
As they were both finishing up with their meals, Lucian picked up the conversation again.
"Why did you decide to become a member of the Elite?" asked Lucian.
Flint looked up at him in surprise as he was slurping up the remainder of his soba noodles.
"I've been following your career for a while now. You've always been really good. When I was doing my apprenticeship, I considered reaching out to you. I first started by reaching out to some of those around you to see how receptive you would have been. But everyone told me that you would have rejected all of my advances. They said you never would have wanted to work for the League. So what changed your mind?"
Flint paused for a moment, contemplating how much he wanted to tell Lucian. While Lucian seemed fine, Flint really didn't know him all that well. But instead of deflecting, he decided to tell the truth.
"I guess I really had three reasons for it," said Flint, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, "You, my best friend Volkner, and most importantly my mentor."
Lucian nodded at the response, encouraging Flint to say more.
"When you became a member of the Warring Council, it was really a huge wake up call for me. While I've always been a good battler, I never thought I could ever reach that level; so why try? But you making it, really put things in perspective. I thought maybe this could be possible."
"That's really touching. Thank you. This is exactly why I decided to join. I really wanted to show others like us that we could make it too."
"You're welcome. I was really appreciative of you. And you're right, at the time I wasn't that receptive to joining the League. But my friend Volkner gave me another push in this direction."
"He's the Sunnyshore City Gym Leader, right?"
"Yeah," Flint smiled, "He's amazing. He's excellent with his 'mons and is really powerful. He decided to try and become a gym leader after seeing your ascent to the Warring Council."
Lucian smiled, "I'm glad."
"Anyways, we've been friends since high school, and Volkner knows how well I battle. He's always thought I was good enough to make it this far, but he really started pestering me once you made it. He always saw a lot of potential in me and has really pushed me hard to fulfill it."
"I'm glad you have a friend like that. It's always nice to be around people who push you to be your best."
"It really is. Sometimes, just having someone cheer you on can make you go harder times one thousand. And while I definitely give Volkner a lot of credit, I really owe this opportunity a lot to my mentor."
Lucian nodded along, taking a sip of his drink.
"I never had any plans to take on the League when I was younger. I didn't really feel like there was a place for people like us, you know? But because I went to an elite boarding school for high school, everyone had to participate in the gym challenge. So, I really did it because I had to if I wanted to graduate.
In my culture, we have this position called a Guerrero or a Guerrera. Every family has one. Being a Guerrero is to be the strongest warrior in your family as well as being the spiritual leader representing them in spiritual affairs. I've always wanted to be the Guerrero of my family for as long as I can imagine. Just as I was graduating from high school, my family's Guerrero had made an announcement that he was looking for a potential apprentice to one day succeed him. It wouldn't have been for a long time, like decades even, but most Guerreros like to have their line of succession in order. I was in a group of a hundred others who also wanted the same chance. Over time, the number dwindled down until it was just me, and I was announced as the apprentice to the Guerrero.
Fast forward to college, I competed in this tournament that my people have where all the apprentices of the Guerreros and Guerreras compete in to see where we all rank. I won that tournament, and then won it for the next two years in a row. My Guerrero was really proud of me and told me that I should try to join the Warring Council. He told me I was really skilled and that my talents shouldn't just stop me here."
"I agree with him," Lucian nodded, "There are so many indies who are incredible battlers, but because they don't go down the traditional route, their skills are never seen."
"I know right! So my Guerrero kept pushing and pushing until I decided to apply."
"I'm glad you did."
"Me too," smiled Flint, "Why did you decide to apply? I can't imagine how hard it was to make that decision since there was no one there before you."
"You're right, it was a difficult decision to make, but I actually became decisive on it after a fit of rage."
"Oh," Flint said surprised, "Do tell."
Lucian rolled his eyes.
"Much like you, I also had no desire to become a member of the League or take on the gym challenge. I didn't really travel in the traditional way either for the gym challenge. I just traveled to each of the gyms during my summer breaks in high school. I had no real plans to pursue the League conference.
In my culture, each of our patron deities, High Almegan Cresselia and High Almegan Darkrai, calls on five of the most powerful warriors from their people to defend our people in the real world and take down threats in the Dream World. I have had an anointing from both deities since birth and have won many traditional tournaments, the same as yourself. So, logically, I saw that as where my future would align. However, I ended up going to Titan University in Canalave City, and it was the best and worst decision of my life. I learned so much and even reached a new level in my battling abilities, but the people there were abhorrent. Never in my life had my character been called into question so many times and was called slurs almost everyday.
Anyways, I found a little slice of home in the city at this cafe run by two Children of the Moon. One day I was eating there after an exam, when I noticed a little girl, no more than eight, with her mother. They were both watching one of the exhibition battles at the beginning of the season. The little girl was so adorable; she was smiling in awe the entire time. At the end of the battle, the little girl told her mother that she wants to be a member of the Elite one day. And I will never forget what the mother told her daughter. She told her that it was a beautiful dream, but to be careful because many people wouldn't want or accept people like them in positions that high. And at that, the little girl's face just fell. I was so angry and so livid, not at the mother but at the system at large. Why could every child in Hisui dream of becoming a member of the Warring Council, but we can't. There are plenty of indies who are just as good if not better than many of the current members of the Warring Council, but who won't apply because they truly believe they would never succeed. From that moment on, I vowed to become the highest ranking member of the Elite, if not the Champion, and show everyone just how worthy indies could be."
Flint was really grateful for the dinner he had with Lucian last week. It really helped to prepare him for the one tonight with the Elite, the Champion, and other prominent government officials.
But just before that dinner, Flint was able to meet up with the remaining members of the Elite and the Champion before the big dinner.
Everyone was just as Lucian said they were. They all seemed really chill and like people Flint would want to get along with, even Cynthia. They all hung out for a while while waiting for the big dinner.
The congratulations dinner was set to take place in one of the secondary ballrooms in the League. It was big enough to host everyone that would be coming, but small enough not to warrant the use of the larger ballroom used for state dinners.
Flint decided to dress in a suit for this party since many high ranking members of the state would be there. He also managed to tame his hair by braiding the front part of his hair to his scalp while having the rest free in the back.
At the dinner, Flint was set across from Lucian while two government officials were sitting to his right and left. He was mostly making conversation with them all night and the occasional person who came up to introduce themselves to him. However his eyes couldn't help but continue to stray to Lucian.
Lucian was a lot more social than he expected him to be. Though maybe he has to be or he saved up his energy all day to pour out into the event.
But the most important thing that he kept noticing was that Lucian wasn't eating, or at least eating that much. It was odd, considering how much he saw Lucian could put away when they went out to dinner the night before. But maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing. For all he knew, Lucian may just not be that hungry.
However, that didn't end up being the last time that Flint noticed Lucian's lack of an appetite.
Over the past month, they had been having many meetings with the Prime Minister, other ministers of the state, or just those amongst themselves. At almost every meeting, Lucian barely ate any of his food. He played around with it for a while, making it appear to any outsider that he was eating, but to Flint, he could look past the facade.
Flint decided to confront Lucian about it after a long day of meetings. They had met from eight in the morning until seven in the evening. All three meals were catered, but Lucian barely ate any of his.
Later that evening, while Lucian was in his office, Flint knocked on his door before coming in.
"Good evening Flint," said Lucian pushing up his glasses with his finger, "What can I do for you?"
Flint stalked all the way towards Lucian's desk and put both hands on top of it. Flint looked Lucian straight in the eyes and asked what he wanted to know.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Lucian frowned, "I don't understand?"
"Don't play coy with me Lucian."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are. You haven't eaten all day. In fact, in most of our meetings, which are catered, you don't eat anything. You play around with your food to make people think you are eating it, but you aren't."
"You don't understand," Lucian's voice wobbled.
"I'm sorry, but I just want to make sure you're okay," said Flint softy, "Are you not eating on purpose?"
A few tears fell from Lucian's eyes. He quickly wiped away his tears and took a deep steadying breath before he spoke.
"I'm so frustrated."
Flint frowned and motioned for Lucian to continue speaking.
"I don't have an eating disorder or anything like that, and I'm definitely not starving myself as any sort of self punishment if that's what you think."
Flint let out a big sigh of relief at those words. He was glad that Lucian seemed to be in a relatively stable mental space.
"I'm hungry all of the time."
"Then why are you not eating?"
"Because none of the food is for me!"
Flint took a step back at Lucian's outburst. He'd never seen Lucian lose his composure like this before. It was a bit unsettling. All he wanted to do was to help his friend get through this hard time.
"Even with the one vegetarian option on our menu, it's so bland and disgusting that I would rather wait to go home and eat."
"I'm sorry," said Flint awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his hands and body.
Normally, if his friend was crying, he would immediately swoop in and give them the biggest hug ever, but Lucian was so sparing with his physical contact. He rarely gave people hugs, let alone handshakes or pats on the back. Even after being friends with him for a month, Flint still didn't know where the line was. So, he just stayed back.
"I didn't know the menu was so limiting for you. I thought that if something was a problem, you would have told them about it already."
Lucian huffed, "I can't tell anyone. That's the most frustrating part."
Lucian got up from his desk and started pacing back and forth in the middle of his office floor.
"I can't give anyone a reason to think I'm more trouble than I'm worth. If I start demanding changes to anything, people will start to label me as difficult. I've only been in this position for a year. I need to be here for a much longer time before I can do anything of the sort."
Flint's heart broke at what Lucian said. He hated that it had to be like that, but he could understand completely. Being labeled as difficult to work with or demanding would surely limit many of the opportunities that came with being a member of the Elite. But it felt so stupid to be pegged like that because of food. They had to eat! But he guessed that the League assumed it would be enough to have at least one vegetarian option and call it a day. Flint wanted to cry as much as he wanted to scream. It was all so unfair.
And Flint couldn't take it anymore, he had to comfort his friend; he needed to. So he did the one thing he could think of doing.
"Lucian, can I give you a hug?" Flint whispered.
Lucian stilled at the request. His gaze searched all over Flint's face for any sign of deceit or deception. When he found none, he went into Flint's open arms. Flint curled his arms around Lucian's body while his hands rubbed his back. They stood like that for a while, just seeking comfort with each other.
"How about I start bringing you food whenever we have these types of meetings? I don't know a lot of Lunite or Eclipsite dishes, but there are plenty of vegetarian meals of my people I can make for you."
"I can't allow you to do that. Everyone would criticize you for not being grateful for the catered food."
"I think I can handle it. They don't know me well enough to expect a certain type of behavior from me. Let me cook for you. Please."
Lucian sighed, "Okay, but if anyone says anything to you about it, you quit immediately."
"I'll think about it," Flint said cheekily. He already knew he'd won.
Lucian rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile too.
From then on, Flint started making food for Lucian and him to eat whenever they had League meetings. He's even offered to cook for their big monthly meetings, which everyone took him up on since he's so good at grilling meat. The only complaints he's gotten are that his food could be a little too spicy. But what are you to expect from Vulcanite cuisine?
Flint had been a member of the Warring Council for a couple of months now, and though his transition had been smooth, he had been putting off some of his duties until the last minute.
Which is why he and Lucian were flying out on the first flight towards Pastoria City in the Mars Prefecture.
Every quarter, the Elite had a meeting with the Champion in order to update her on what's been going on with the Gym Leaders and the Prefectures they were assigned to.
Flint was assigned to be responsible for the gym leader of Pastoria City, Crasher Wake (whose real name was Dwyane Lee, and the gym leader of Canalave City, Byron Migashi. Crasher Wake was responsible for the Mars and Kancien Prefectures; Byron was responsible for the Mercury and Steelbed Prefectures. This in turn made Flint responsible for the Mars, Kancien, Mercury, and Steelbed Prefectures.
Members of the Elite were supposed to meet with their assigned gym leaders often in order to stay updated and give feedback. They could either meet in person or have virtual calls; however, for the first meeting, they were heavily advised to meet in person.
At the bare minimum, members of the Elite were supposed to meet with their assigned leaders every quarter either in person of virtually. As well as hold town halls in each of their assigned prefectures twice a year.
There's a variety of ways to do things and every Elite does them differently. Lucian meets with each of his leaders by video chat every month; while also receiving written reports from them each week. Lucian then went to meet with each leader in person every quarter. He even conducted town halls in each of his prefectures every quarter and did extra ones that focused on his rural and indigenous communities.
Comparing that to Bertha, even in her old age, she still went to meet up with each of her assigned leaders in person every month. Bertha wasn't used to all the virtual stuff; so she just continued to meet up in person like they used to do back in the day. She even conducted town halls every other month.
Flint held off as long as he could, but when Lucian confronted him one day about not meeting up with Crasher Wake and Byron, Flint knew he could not procrastinate any longer.
But Flint was so nervous. While his apprenticeship with his predecessor went well, he rarely went with him to meet up with the leaders he was over. He never offered and Flint never asked to come. Now, he was in this weird situation where he had to meet them for the first time.
And while Flint loved meeting new people and making friends, this was an entirely different thing all together. For starters, Crasher Wake and Byron were both significantly older than him. His predecessor was older than the both of them. How would the two leaders feel about being led by someone younger than them? He also seriously needed to brush up on his formal language. Living in the Highland Prefecture, he was at home. He spoke informally most of the time. And when he wasn't speaking the common tongue, he was speaking in his other native tongues which didn't have the different language degrees of formal and informal. He was worried he would offend one of them by not knowing enough.
Thankfully, Lucian was helping him to brush up on his formal speech.
He's honestly thankful to Lucian for a lot of things. He doesn't even know if he could have done this without him. Lucian has his own thing going on and still made the time to help Flint out. Truly a great friend.
When they arrived in Pastoria City, it was raining. He's told it rains here 70% of the year, which is mindblowing to him. The Highland Prefecture as a whole only received rain 20-30% of the year. They rely heavily on their freshwater lakes and rivers that dot the land.
As they left the airport, they got in an SUV that was waiting for them. Their chauffeur drove them to their hotel where they would stay for the next few days.
On the first day of their stay, they went to the Gym, which was hosting a major tournament. Crasher Wake was mc-ing the event. Flint knew Crasher Wake was a character but he could really see how he sold it when he was on stage. It was the last day of the tournament, so it was the final battle between the last two contestants. Whoever was crowned the winner would get to face off in a powerful double battle against the Gym Leader. If Flint thought he was larger than life on stage, nothing could prepare him for the Gym Leader's battle. Crasher Wake battled with so much enthusiasm that it was electrifying. He could really feel the gym leader bring out the best in his pokémon.
After the tournament was over, the three of them went out to eat at one of Leader Wake's favorite seafood restaurants, which surprisingly had a lot of vegetarian options.
The dinner really helped to loosen a lot of the nerves that Flint had against Crasher Wake. The man was fun and really cool, and he was so passionate about his citizens. He was hoping tomorrow would go just as well.
The next day, Flint went to meet up with Crasher Wake at his gym. While Lucian did come to support Flint, he wasn't going to intrude on a meeting only meant for the two of them.
At Flint's meeting with Crasher Wake, or Dwayne as he asked to be called, he gave the man a ninety degree bow and spoke to the man in formal language until Crasher Wake burst out laughing at him. Eventually, Crasher Wake calmed down enough and told Flint to speak informally to him.
After that, their meeting didn't have any more hiccups. Crasher Wake was really receptive and respectful to Flint. He seemed to be really excited too and happy that they would be working together.
Flint was relieved. He's glad that all his worries were unfounded.
The two talked about many different issues that were going on throughout the Mars and Kancien Prefectures, but two of them were the most important. Leader Wake stated that they needed to hire and train more rangers to work the Great Marsh National Park, which housed the Safari Zone. There were a lot of trainers that were staying after hours and trying to catch pokémon (even though it's against the park's rules). Leader Wake wants to nip this problem in the bud sooner rather than later.
Leader Wake also brought up the issue of securing the area around the old ruins in Solaceon Town. There have been a lot of kids lately who have gone missing in and around the ruins. There wasn't a lot of protection around them before because people thought that the ruins were so isolated, who would even be able to get to them. But now, a lot of young people have been getting hurt and going missing near there, and they want to start walling off the area and hiring security.
Overall, the meeting with Leader Wake went well. Flint was happy with what was discussed and hoped to get back to the leader as soon as possible with comments from Champion Cynthia.
After spending their last night in Pastoria City, they took a flight to Canalave City to meet with Leader Byron.
They actually weren't meeting with Byron in Canalave City but on Iron Island in the Steelbed Prefecture. So they took a boat from Canalave City to Iron Island. When they got off the boat, a car was waiting for them to take them to an inn that they would be staying at.
After resting for the day in the inn, Byron came to fetch them the next morning.
He came and took Flint and Lucian around AliAli Bay, which was the capital city of Iron Island. Leader Byron even introduced the two to many different members of the community.
Byron could be very staunch and serious, but he had many moments where he had an outburst of exuberance. He spoke to the two in informal language the entire time except when he was around the community members.
At the end of the day, Leader Byron took the two of them out to eat and even paid for their meals since he was the oldest and it was his responsibility to take care of them. Though Flint did complain about it and told Byron that he would pay for their next meal (though Byron won't make it easy for him).
The next day, the two got down to business. Byron came to the inn and drove Flint to a small home that he owned on the island. He brought out snacks and even poured them out a few drinks. Byron stated that he would prefer to meet in his own home instead of anywhere else because of the sensitive topics they were going to talk about.
Byron first started talking about some lighter topics first before easing into the darker ones. Bryon first started out by saying that Titan University in Canalave City would like for Flint to host a town hall at their university as soon as possible. They would really like for Flint to talk to their students and get a feel for them. Byron also stated that he really should hurry with the task. Titan University is very spoiled. They've been known to always get what they want, especially since they have so many prestigious people who have graduated from there. Even their current Prime Minister, Champion, and fourth ranking Elite have graduated from the university.
After chatting for a bit longer, Byron decided to descend into a deeper topic.
Leader Byron was really happy that Flint came to visit him in person. Byron was meaning to contact him about helping him investigate violations of child labor laws here in the Steelbed Prefecture. The Steelbed Prefecture was known for being rich in precious metals and had many mining towns. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of child laborers.
Byron had been conducting an investigation for a few months and gaining some ground, but every time he was about to have a breakthrough, the trail went cold. He knew he needed more help if he was going to solve this issue. Many people didn't care about the people of this prefecture since the majority of those living there were indigenous. Byron wanted to show people that their lives mattered too.
Flint was really touched by Byron's words. It was hard to meet a lot of Hisuians who cared about indigenous communities as much as they cared about themselves. He's grateful that there seems to be so many allies in high places.
The next day, Byron took Flint around some of the mining spots and had Flint meet with some of the directors. Before Flint left for the day, Leader Byron had Flint promise to come back and help with the issue. Flint gladly promised to come back.
Overall, Flint was happy he did this. Looking back on it, he didn't know why he was so scared. But he's glad that Lucian helped him to push through and boosted his confidence.
It was now time to get to work.
It had been over six months since Flint joined the Elite, and things had been going really well for him. It was a lot of work, especially balancing training his pokémon and completing his duties to his Champion, gym leaders, and ministries. But he thinks he's got it down now.
He's especially glad because he believes he made a new friend in Lucian Mentari.
They've been hanging out a lot since they had that first dinner together. They regularly went to eat together, went shopping together, and have been on a few hikes. There have even been a few sleepovers scattered through there too.
But even though they seem to be getting closer than ever, Flint still felt like Lucian was keeping some distance between them.
Ever since they hugged for the first time in Lucian's office, Flint has felt a bit more comfortable asking for physical affection from Lucian. But Lucian still never initiated any physical contact between them; not even hand shakes or hugs when they meet up.
Flint was confused. He hoped that he was not putting Lucian in a bad spot. He didn't want to make the other uncomfortable. So, he decided that he would be blunt about it and ask Lucian how he's really feeling.
Tonight, they were having movie night at Lucian's manor in the city. They've been planning it for a few weeks now. It's been really hectic with the start of the new League season. Both of them were fighting different exhibition matches in different cities throughout the region as well as participating in many speaking engagements. They were both exhausted and needed some time to relax.
They ordered some pizzas and watched a couple of movies before there was a quiet lull where they were just drinking a few glasses of wine.
Flint loved to see Lucian like this, so relaxed and smiley and happy. Lucian liked to keep up a thin veil of a facade at the League. He didn't want anyone to see him as weak. He wanted others to know that he was worthy enough to be there.
But here, in this room, they were just Flint and Lucian, not two members of the Elite. They were two men in their twenties who were just hanging out and having fun. And that was enough for them.
Flint really didn't want to bring it up now, especially with Lucian looking so relaxed, but he didn't know when he would get a better chance. Better to rip the bandage off quickly.
"Hey Lucian?"
"Hmm," hummed Lucian, turning to look at Flint.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"You kind of already have," smirked Lucian, "But I'll allow another question."
Flint just rolled his eyes before dropping his gaze to his lap.
"You don't have to answer the question if it makes you uncomfortable, but I just wanted to know where we stood with something."
Lucian raised a brow at that.
"We've been friends for a while, but I've noticed that you're not the biggest fan of physical affection."
Lucian flinched at that. He didn't think that Flint would have noticed; he never made a big deal out of it before.
"And I'm fine with that," Flint said, holding his hands up to appease Lucian, "But I just wanted to make sure that you weren't uncomfortable. I know I've been more vocal lately about asking for physical affection, but you've never initiated. Not even once. I just wanted to make sure I've not been pushing you to do something you don't want to do."
Lucian's heart melted at that. Flint really was the sweetest.
"Thank you for asking. But I never would have hugged you if I didn't want to or felt uncomfortable with it."
Flint let out a breath, "Good; I'm really glad."
"But I guess I am keeping something from you that does relate to it."
Flint went to look back up at Lucian, giving him a soft gaze.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he whispered.
"It's fine. I … I trust you a lot. I don't think you will judge me for it either."
"I won't. I promise I won't."
Lucian smiled, "I don't doubt it. Well it's like this. Remember when I told you that I was anointed by High Almegans Cresselia and Darkrai?"
Flint nodded.
"Well, they aren't the only almegans that anointed me. I've also been anointed by Supreme Almegan Mesprit whose touch gave me the gift of psychometry. Psychometry is one of the psychic gifts where anything I touch, I gain information from. Whether it's a person, an object, or a Pokémon, I always gain a vision from physical contact. Even just a brushing of shoulders in a hallway will give me a vision."
"Wow," said Flint, "That sounds like a lot."
"Yeah, it can definitely be sensory overload at some times. But I really try to limit physical contact so that I can give people as much privacy as possible."
"That's really sweet of you. If that was me, I don't think I could help myself," Flint pouted, "I love physical contact a little too much to let that go."
Lucian chuckled, "That really is true. I've never had someone need to hug me every time we meet. Even if we just saw each other hours before."
"I just miss you sometimes okay," whined Flint, giving Lucian some of the saddest puppy eyes ever.
Lucian just laughed at his antics.
"Do you have to distance yourself from your family too? I can't even imagine."
"Thankfully not," said Lucian, taking a sip of his drink, "Once you're in physical contact with someone so many times, you won't get a vision every time you touch. Just every once in a while. Plus, my family says they have nothing to hide, so they don't care if I have visions from them. Eventually everyone in the family will know anyway."
"That's really great. I'm glad you were able to have them like that."
Lucian beamed at Flint. His family really was the best, and he couldn't imagine having anyone else.
Hopefully, one day in the future, as they grow closer to each other, Lucian could lean on Flint just as much.
Word Count: 8,641
Date Uploaded: Saturday, November 25, 2023
Status: 1 / 5
Footnotes:
*Indy - Is a shortening of the word indigenous. Most younger indigenous people refer to themselves as such. I'm not sure if this word was racially insensitive or not. I tried to find some information on it to make sure, but nothing said anything of the sort. So please let me know down below if it is insensitive.
*Almegan - A word that I made up by combining 'alpha' and 'omega.' It is a title used in the Arceusite Pantheon to refer to their deities. Both Lucian and Flint were raised in Arceusite religions
*So, you may have noticed that I have used the old name for Sinnoh, Hisui, in a strange way. Well, in my headcanon, the Coronites (who consist of the Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, and Arcane Clans) found it offensive that the region was named after a personal epithet that they had given to the ruler of the Arceusite Pantheon (the Original One). So they don't use Sinnoh as the name for the region. Many other indigenous groups stand in solidarity with them and prefer to call Sinnoh Hisui instead. However, Hisui was never a name that the indigenous groups gave to the peninsula. The name was given by the outsiders that ended up uniting the peninsula under one sovereign ruler. Also, when indigenous people say 'Hisuians,' they are referring to all those who are not indigenous
A/N: Thank you for all who read this chapter all the way through. I'm truly grateful. I knew that I wanted to write more of Flint and Lucian's dynamic / friendship when I wrote that first scene at the beginning of my story "Gaze of the Moon." But no where else in the story did it make sense to have more time between the two of them. That's when I started to write down ideas for a story about how they became friends and became to support each other. This is the first of a five chapter story. Though the first chapter will be the longest (hopefully) and sort of be the most important. The other four chapters continue it, but this first chapter really solidifies their start.
But thank you so much for all of your support! I hope to continue to write cool stories.