Pokémon Trainer Hero
Chapter 26: Old Memories Haunt the Strongest
If someone had told Ken Ishiyama that he would be a teacher at a school around 5 years ago, he properly would have ignored them in case it was a joke. But seeing it now, it's actually done some good. In fact, it's done even more good than he has a hero and as a person. In his youth he had been extremely distant due to his appearance; which inevitability carried on into his teen, adult years, and some time of his hero career. He looked like a solid block of stone and acted like one too.
So when he found himself in a financial bind, he had to branch out and get a secondary job for income purposes. Modeling and talk show hosting was definitely out of the picture due to his soft spoken nature and non photogenicness, so he had to find something else. It was then Nezu approached him about a spot in UA as the Literature Arts teacher. At first he was hessinate, but accepted since he exhausted all other options. And from there it was all history.
Ken got to work one-one-one with people directly. He could help one person in the way it truly counted, instead of helping multiple to ensure their safety. And through this time he finally came out of his shell and became a whole new person. So much so that old acquaintances and family noted his change of betterment. Since then he has gone from cold, quiet, and distant to a pleasant individual who is very careful of the well being of others. And that trait of his would come in handy for what he was about to deal with next.
Ken was stationed at one of the training gyms, fixing it up from yet another day of children making an absolute mess of it with their quirks. Ken had just finished with his work, making the last gym look good as new and ready to be decimated once again tomorrow. He was beyond exhausted at this point! So much so his vision was starting to dance around him due to lack of proper rest. He was ready to leave when he heard the sound of pattering paws running from behind him with an electric crackling and a smell of sulfur. He turned around and saw a streak of yellow zip straight towards him with a not as fast black spot bound in his direction!
Ken went on the defensive as the yellow streak bolted to the left and started to run circles around him, causing even more electricity to course around his body in a ring! The black spot bounded in an unstopping movement right at the ring of electricity where it ricocheted off by the exuberant force and was thrown back and slid across the ground!
The black thing rose from its spot on the floor and then barked. Ken was so surprised by the sound that he stopped paying attention to the yellow eclectic streak and rubbed his exhausted eyes fur oily to get a clearer picture. When his eyes adjusted to normal, he saw that the black spot was actually Houndoom, barking furiously at the yellow streak. Which he then noticed had stopped circling around him and turned out to be Boltund, who sat beside the hero, barking back at Houndoom.
"Pokemon?", Ken questioned with a tired tone.
Hearing the man acknowledge them, the two Pokemon ran towards the man and began to bark! Though instead of a bark of aggression It was a bark of calling, as if trying to get the man's attention.
Ken looked confused at the two Pokemon and asked, "What's wrong?"
Boltund then grabbed then grabbed at the man's pant leg with its mouth and tried pulling him forward. After a few moments of failure pulling bolts on, let go and started to bark at the man again. Ken saw what they were trying to do and decided to follow the two Pokemon.
After being led for five minutes, Ken found himself in front of one of the forms. More specifically, the one where Gar was housed.
Ken looked at the dorm and then at the pokémon where he asked, "Is something wrong with Gar?"
He got his answer when Houndoom came from behind him and began to shove him forward with its horn. Ken got the picture and went inside the dorm and straight towards Gar's room. He stopped right at the front where he turned around and saw the Pokemon sitting behind him with wide, anxious, pleading eyes. Ken placed an ear hole to the door and listened in. In most faint of sounds, Ken could just barely hear the slight gurgles of sobbing and shudders of sniffles.
Ken now knew why the Pokemon came to him. Gar was in some sort of emotional distress and since he was the only one at the school, the pokémon came to him. Ken beefily wondered if the two Pokemon would've come to someone else if he wasn't the only one on school grounds?
Ken pushed the thought out of his head, and focused on Gar. He takes a deep breath to ready and steady himself, and then firmly knocks on the door.
"GO AWAY!", Gar shouted immediately!
Ken backed away and decided to try again tomorrow when he would be in a better state of mind. But the two dog Pokemon sat in his path, preventing him from moving a full foot from the doorway. Ken saw the Pokemon ment business, this was now a thing and not a later or tomorrow thing. That and he really didn't want to know what the pokémon would do if he tried to leave.
So Ken turned around and knocked on the door while announcing his arrival. "Garfield. It's me, Ken. I'm coming in now.", Ken said as he opened the creaky door.
Once he poked his head in, he saw that all the lights were turned off and Gar had actually started to decorate-but that wasn't important right now-on the bed sat a humanoid figure wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, no doubt Gar. Small sniffling, that were trying to be stuffed away, could be heard from the pile as it turned away from the man. Ken walked in with the two pokemon following at his heels and stood at the foot of his bed where the older teen sat with his back turned and face covered in blankets.
Gar gave off a loud sniffle before saying in a small voice, had been crying for a while, "Go away Ken. I don't want you or anyone to see me like this. I dont wanna talk. So just go."
Ken looked back at the pokemon who were standing around the hero, sitting and staring up at him with pleading eyes.
He sighed and replied, "Normally I would head to your request, but your pokemon are very convincing in making me do the opposite."
Gar's head turns slightly to the pokemon, his face hasn't been shown yet. He turns back to the wall and says, "Just put them back in their pokeballs if they're bothering you. Then leave."
Ken looked at the dresser with several different pokeball all laid out on it, and he felt a sweat drop roll down his head in awkwardness. Ken honestly wondered how Gar kept track of each pokemon and knew which ball they went into. He looked back at the pokemon, who looked at him with the same pleading eyes and knew he had to do this now.
"You know, I think your pokemon are telling me this is a now thing and now a later thing.", Ken said to the teen.
No reply came from Gar.
"May I sit next to you?", he asked.
Still no reply.
Ken assumed he was indifferent and sat on the bed with his knees over the edge and his right side to the teens back. Houndoom and Boltund jumped on the bed with him, with Boltunds butt sitting near Gar's right side and Houndooms head placed on Ken's lap and body wrapped around his back, looking at Gar's direction.
Ken sighed a breath of peace as he asked, "Are you sure you dont wanna talk about it? I did say I'm alway here for you if you need to talk."
No reply came from Gar.
"Was it about today?", he asked.
No reply.
"Was it about the meeting?"
Still no reply.
"Was it….Was it about Bayo?", Ken asked as carefully as he could.
But that was the breaking point. Gar arched forward and made a sound like he sneezed. What followed was the sound of sobs trying to be held back. Ken looked at the teen and slowly raised a hand to the blanket covering his head. Oh so carefully he pushed the coverings off and revealed a buffy red eyed Gar with snot and tear marks running down his face. Gar made a face to hold back his tears, but he could and ended up breaking down in front of the man, burying him into the blanket covering his body!
Ken pulled the teen to his body, his head resting on his shoulder with one arm warped to his back and slowly patting it soothingly. The two pokemon got up from their spots and bagan to licked at Gars neck and head in an attempt to calm him down, while making whining sounds. Gar sat there in the man's embrace and sobbed loudly into his body for well over 20 minutes until he exhausted himself enough to a more calm state.
Gar pushed himself away from the man, along with the two pokemon, and blew his nose clean into a wad of tissues while drying his eyes. Gar breathed a few calming breaths before acknowledging the man with his face turned away from him.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this.", He said in a hoarse voice while giving off a few dry coughs.
"I'll get you some water.", Ken offered while making his way to the bathroom and filling a cup.
He came back and handed the glass to the teen, who slowly drank the glass down until it was empty. Ken placed the glass on the counter top and took a seat next to Gar once more, as the teen breathed calming breaths.
No words were said between them until Gar said in a small voice, "Thank you."
"Are you ready to talk now?", Ken asked gently.
"Don't you have to get home? I'm sure you're beyond exhausted after today."
"I think this is worth ruining my sleep schedule."
Gar sighed and said, "Yeah…..it is about….him."
"You're scared of him…. aren't you?", Ken asked.
Gar sniffled a few times and gave a smile with a dry laugh as he said, "I know it's ridiculous for a grown adult to be frightened by a child, especially after all the times I've fought him. But I…..I just….can't help it.", Gar trailed off as more tears welled up in his eyes. Gar wiped his face dry and with a shaky voice he said, "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."
Ken shook his head and replied, "You don't have to apologize. There's no need for it. We're all afraid of things, me included. It's how we tell danger."
"Yeah but…..", Gar trailed off and went silent for 2 minutes. Ken sat by and didn't notice himself learning close in suspense of what he was going to say. Then Gar suddenly ripped his arms free from his cocoon and slammed both fists onto the bed as he yelled, "IT JUST ANNOYS ME!"
Ken jumped in place and arched his life away as Gar angrily vented with new tears streaming down his face. "I mean….I've fought that guy, his admins, his goons, and everything else in-between that I should just be numb to the very thought of him! I thought…..I thought I'd be ready to face him again. I thought I healed. I guess I never did. I just….I just tried to push it away.", he finally calmed down while dropping his head.
Ken gave an understanding sigh and said in a low tone, "I know what you mean."
"And yet he's still terrifying everytime I think to….back then.", Gar continued on as Ken listened. "I thought he was just like any other 'Run of the Mill' villain boss and his group out to 'Change the world' or something. Just like all the other times, I met up with him in the midst of either a kidnapping, robbery, or taken over of some town or building. Then I'd fight through a wave of his goons, one of his admins, and sometimes even him.", he explained with a much calmer toe that divulged back into one of fear and regret. "I'd win every time obviously….but after I would. He'd...smile. It was the most confusing and creepy thing I'd see him do. It's like he thought he won. I never understood why….until the end."
Gar gave a shaky breath as Ken rested a hand on his back. "Everything he had done prior. Every plan or take over that I'd foiled over and over again…. were nothing more than red hearings. Things to keep me distracted as they put together their actual ultimate goal.", Gar then dropped his head, his arms went slack, and tears dripped off his nose as he cocked out in a small voice, "And….they did it. They won. And I lost."
"I understand what your-.", Ken began to say in a comforting tone until he was cut off.
"NO YOU DONT!", Gar shouted at the man while grabbing his shirt and pulling him to his face! Gar eyes held intense anger and his teeth ground so hard that Ken thought the force would cause them to shatter! Gar was grabbing at Ken's shirt so hard his knuckles turned white, while the two pokemon cowered away from him in the corner of the room! He then ranted off yelling into the man's face! "No one does! He played me like a fool! He brought down an entire society virtually overnight! He brought Chaos and change without even using a Legendary! He is responsible for the deaths and pain so so many! He won! He is responsible for my friend's death! Don't you get it!? Their dead, gone, caput, pushing up daisies! I can never see them again! I never even got to go through the elite four championship with them! I never…", Gar trailed off as his head slumped forward and his grip loosened to the point his arms dropped to his side. "I never got to tell them I'm sorry. Or that I care. Or that I love them. Or for failing them….I can't…..I can't do any of that."
Gar let loose another shaky breath that sounded like he was trying to hold back his emotions. But it broke too easily, and the teen broke down in a fit of tears in front of the hero! Ken gently took the teen and bright him into a hug. Gar garbed at the hero's shirt and weep into his shoulder as he patted his back soothingly. They sat there like that for over 30 minutes before Gar finally exhausted himself and calmed down enough to talk and not cough violently. After Gar was fully calmed down, he sat at the heroes side-avoiding eye contact-and fiddled with his fingers nervously. Ken waited until Gar was ready to talk on his own for an additional 10 minutes before Gar piped up.
Gar gave a shake breath as he finally said, "Im…..I'm sorry about…..before. For yelling at you like that. You...you were just trying to help me…..you didn't deserve that. I just…..", he trailed off before covering his face in his hands and muttering out in a moan, "I don't even know anymore."
"It's alright. Sometimes we just need to vent. I'm sorry we forced you to relive those memories. And from the looks of it, you had quite a lot pent up.", Ken said while patting his back.
Gar rolled his eyes as he said back sarcastically, "No kidding."
"Though I have to wonder one thing.", Ken jeered off topic as Gar looked to him inquisitive. "Why do you call him a hero, even after all you've told me he's done?"
"Don't get the wrong idea Ken. What he's done may have benefited everyone in the long run, but the cost of what it took to get that result is what made it evil. He's still very much a villain, but one who does evil things in the name of good.", Gar explained in a neutral tone.
He then put on a more somber face and tone of voice as he followed up saying, "But….it has helped. I feel...I feel like I've gotten a lot of my chest. Thanks."
"Of course, that's what I'm here for.", Ken said with a wave. "Though if you feel like you need to talk anymore-.", Ken began to offer until Gar cut him off.
"To be honest I think I'm perfectly emotionally exhausted. Maybe some other time, Ken.", Gar told the man.
Gar then positioned his body towards his pillows and fell face first into them while letting his body flop and splay all over the place.
"Well you know where to find me if you do.", Ken said while riding back up to his tired legs and aching feet with a groan. Ken expected to hear Gar say thanks or goodnight before he left, but no sounds came from the teen. "Garfield?", Ken called for the teen's attention.
He looked over to the still body, splayed over the bed, and upon closer inspection he found the peaceful face of Garfield sleeping with a content expression on him as he softly breathed. Ken couldn't help but smile at this, then took the blankets wrapped in a pile at Gar's feet, and laid them across his sleeping form. Houndoom in Bolton soon hopped onto the bed and gave the hero a thank you kiss, before bedding down next to the sleeping teen.
"Sleep well.", Ken spoke in a soft voice while patting the teens back before leaving the room quietly.