Chapter 17

Lorelei wasn't coming to the meeting today.

She didn't explain why. She simply said she was busy with something. Normally, Leaf wouldn't have thought twice about it, but she couldn't help it now. At her birthday party, she'd walked in on the Ice Queen making a clearly important phone call. Leaf wondered if that had anything to do with her absence.

Whatever the reason was, Leaf hoped it didn't prevent Lorelei from attending future meetings. The moment she stepped into the room, Leaf knew this meeting would be even more awkward than usual.

"Wow, Lorelei is late for once!" Bruno commented smugly. "Let's make bets on why. I bet––"

"She's not joining us today," Leaf interrupted. Bruno generally meant well, but some of his jokes made her uncomfortable, and her gut told her this would be one of them. "She had a conflict."

To her surprise and relief, Bruno and Agatha didn't question it. Did they have an idea what Lorelei was up to? Despite working with them for several months, Leaf couldn't tell how close the Elite Four members actually were to each other. It didn't quite feel right to call them colleagues, but friends seemed too strong of a word.

"This summer is going to be busy for us," Leaf began, skimming the notes Tasha handed her. One of the perks of having a workaholic PR manager was that Leaf never had to create her own meeting agenda. "We're already seeing an uptick in league challengers, which is only going to increase as the weather gets warmer."

"All these challengers, but how many of them are actually strong?" Bruno retorted. "My workout sessions are more intense than these battles."

Agatha scoffed. "You say that as if you didn't recently lose two battles."

Bruno glared at her. "Two battles out of how many? And your dementia has obviously kicked in, since you forgot you lost to Karen, too!"

"I can respect Karen as a trainer. I'd have to retire if I lost to that queer. Anyone who makes such a spectacle of themselves is an embarrassment."

"Anyways," Leaf quickly interjected. "I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that our schedules will be packed. In addition to battling, we'll have to appear at a bunch of different events. The events are…"

Leaf went through the list. It was mostly the usuals: fundraisers, talk shows, photoshoots. Her voice faltered at the one event that carried any sort of weight.

Her one-year anniversary.

Even though it was coming up in just a few weeks, Tasha only sprung it on her the other day. "It's hard to plan things like this far in advance, since you could lose the Championship any day. But at this rate, we feel confident enough that you'll make it to one year. We've started arranging the…celebration."

Leaf didn't like the way Tasha said celebration. "What do you mean?"

Tasha gave her a cryptic smile. "You'll be facing a challenger that day. It'll be a special one. I won't reveal who."

Since then, all Leaf could think about was who this mystery opponent was. Her mind jumped to Red, even though she knew it couldn't be him. Her next guess was Blue. Although it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, Leaf's gut told her it wasn't him either. She realized then that, despite her hating drama, she was a drama queen because the third suspect was Giovanni.

"Wow, one year," Bruno mused. "It's been that long already? Well, congrats for being the longest-reigning Champion so far! Long live the queen!" As usual, only he laughed at his joke.

Agatha and Lance had no visible reaction. Leaf was used to Lance's stoicism, but it did surprise her that Agatha was silent. Then, it dawned on her. What if her opponent was one of the Elite Four members? What if one of them decided they were tired of being under her? She wouldn't blame them if they were.

Everyone always said Lance deserved to be the Champion. What if it was him? The thought stung Leaf. Although they weren't exactly friends and she wasn't sure if Lance even really liked her, he'd been dedicating so much time into helping her and Dragonite. In a weird way, it would feel like a betrayal for him to go behind her back like this. Maybe she was idealizing Lance, but she didn't think he could do something like that.

Could Agatha? Leaf could certainly see it. But she could also see Agatha not caring about the Champion title enough to go after it. Judging from Bruno's reaction, it wasn't him either. Which left…

Leaf's gaze flitted over to Lorelei's empty seat for a second before returning to the list of events. No. It couldn't be. Right? Lorelei was always so accepting of her. She showed Leaf respect when the other Elite Four members didn't. Was all of that just an act? Did she secretly covet Leaf's position? There had to be a reason why Bruno and Agatha were unimpressed with Lorelei's acts of kindness.

And why she wasn't here today.

"I don't understand how I still have the energy to do anything," Leaf ranted as she took a bite of her salad. "I'm constantly going out and doing something. I can't remember the last time I slept in. I swear, CEOs have more free time than I do."

Blue snorted. "You know, I heard somewhere that CEOs aren't as hardworking as we think they are. A lot of them spend all their time playing golf."

"If that's the case, they're living the dream. They get to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and still make five life times' worth of money."

Leaf and Blue were friends now. It wasn't like how it was when they were kids. There was still a wall built from years of estrangement and more recently, rivalry. Leaf wasn't sure if that wall would ever be torn down enough to return to the way things were. But the two of them could get lunch now without hesitancy. Leaf could complain about her life as Champion without too much guilt. It was the best case scenario for them and Leaf was content with it.

"What would you do with that money though?" Blue asked. "You're loaded, but you rarely wear anything fancy. And this Chroma meal is basically free for you."

"Hey, my clothes are more expensive than yours," Leaf quipped. "Tasha said it's called quiet luxury. People know I'm rich, but I can't flaunt it. And we're only at Chroma because it's one of the few places where we won't be bothered."

"Fair, but let's be real, Leaf. You were never into the finer things in life. I always had better taste than you."

Leaf rolled her eyes, even though she knew it was true. Blue always paid more attention to his appearance than she or Red ever did. When he was Champion, his wardrobe naturally leveled up and it wasn't solely at Tasha's insistence. For an interview at a men's magazine, Blue shared his excitement over accessing brands he couldn't before. It was probably the only interview where Blue was being genuine.

Blue wasn't Champion anymore, of course, but he still dressed like one. Today, he was wearing a white linen shirt. It seemed plain, but Leaf now understood fashion enough to recognize its high quality. Blue was the embodiment of quiet luxury.

"How's everything at the Viridian Gym?" Leaf inquired.

"It's fine. I wipe the floor with opponents."

"Aren't you supposed to go a little easy on them?"

Blue smirked. "I am."

Some things were never going to change. "Well, you're lucky the league has a never-ending supply of repeat challengers. It'd be problematic if we didn't have any battles because no trainer can get past you."

"Think of me as a filter. If they can't beat me, they don't deserve to be Champion. Wouldn't you want to battle someone actually worthy of the title?"

Yes. Leaf heard the answer so clearly in her head, but couldn't get it out. How many good battles had she fought since becoming Champion? Marian was the only notable opponent that came to mind, but considering how that battle had ended, Leaf didn't receive any sense of fulfillment.

It was strange. A year ago, all of Leaf's fantasies consisted of her crushing every opponent like a bug. They were so epic. Her and her team just looked so freaking cool. But now, all Leaf wanted was to struggle in a battle. She understood how boring it was to never be challenged.

Her Pokemon felt it, too. The only one who was still motivated was Dragonite, and that was because his life basically depended on it. For everyone else, training became more of an excuse to move around. Recently, if they weren't at some press event, they were spending a lot of time loafing in the apartment.

Leaf must've been silent for too long, because Blue let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Hey, I'm just playing around."

"It's fine," Leaf finally said. "You're right. I'm sick of these meaningless battles. I get why Red ran away now."

Leaf nearly put her hand over her mouth. She'd blurted out that last line without thinking. Even if it was true––it was no mystery to her why Red hated being Champion––she made a point not to talk about Red with anyone. It was bad enough that Red even crossed her mind at all.

Something stirred in Blue's eyes. "Ironic, isn't it? The best Pokemon trainer in all of history was the worst at being Champion."

Leaf couldn't tell if there was any resentment in Blue's voice. "Yeah, well, battling other trainers requires a completely different skill set from battling Tasha."

It was a stupid joke and poorly delivered; she practically mumbled it. But Blue snorted. "They were for sure each other's worst nightmares."

Leaf smiled, despite herself. "I can't really blame them. Red's terrible at PR. And Tasha is one of my worst nightmares, so of course Red would find her even scarier."

"You have to give Tasha credit, though," Blue admitted. "The devil works hard, but Tasha works harder."

Leaf laughed. Blue was right about that. She didn't think she knew anyone else who was so dedicated to their job. "You'd think she was the president, but all she does is try to make me look nice."

"She has a point, though. Image is everything if you're a public figure. Even President Ken has to make sure his approval rating is high."

Leaf wasn't in the mood to joke anymore. She cast her gaze down, moving a piece of lettuce around with her fork. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Did you work with President Ken a lot when you were Champion?"

In Leaf's mind, it was a risky question. Even though she no longer had qualms discussing her life as Champion, she still hadn't quite brought herself to ask Blue about his. Blue was settling into his new role as the Viridian Gym Leader, but she couldn't tell how happy he was with it. She couldn't tell if he still felt any sort of way over losing the Champion title not once, but twice. Especially since whenever Blue referenced his short terms, he never seemed inclined to delve into more details.

If Leaf were in his shoes, she probably wouldn't be able to completely move on.

"Yeah, sort of," Blue answered, his usual nonchalance returned. "We met regularly, but we never collaborated on anything, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, I don't work with President Ken in that way, either. I mean, he was the one who told me to help out with the Cinnabar evacuation, but otherwise, we just meet to catch up." Or when he threatens me for breaking one of his rules.

Blue nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I can't imagine he'd need our help running the region."

A silence fell over them as Blue ate the last of his burger. Leaf wanted to ask Blue what he thought of their president, but her intuition––or maybe it was something else––stopped her. She didn't want Blue asking what she thought of President Ken. Opening that can of worms was the very last thing she wanted.

"You still have a lot of salad left," Blue remarked. "Are you not hungry?"

"I think I'm going to take this to-go," Leaf decided out loud. "I'll call the waiter over."

When they stepped out of Chroma, Leaf was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. Not that she and Blue ever hung out after their meals, but she was relieved they didn't have any further plans.

"I'll smell ya later," Blue said.

"Yup, see you." Leaf waved and turned.

"Hey, Leaf."

Leaf looked back.

Blue's face was impossible to read. After a split second, he said, "Say hi to your Pokemon for me."

It was definitely not what he originally intended to say. Leaf had no idea what it could've been. She gave him a small smile. "I will. Say hi to yours for me."

There was a pit in Leaf's stomach on her way back to her unit. It was as if the salad didn't quite agree with her, but she knew it wasn't that. When she arrived, she saw her Pokemon were all lying around the living room. Their heads perked up.

"Blue says hi," Leaf said as she placed the salad in the fridge.

Leaf went to her room, shut the door, and flopped onto her bed. Normally, she would've joined her Pokemon, but she really just needed to be alone now. The heaviness in her stomach was now on her chest. It made her restless, even though she was tired and her bed was so soft.

The annoying part was that she didn't even have any specific thoughts on her mind. She knew she was feeling this way because Red and President Ken came up earlier. But she didn't have anything to sort these feelings through with. All she knew was that any whiff of Red or President Ken never failed to kill her mood.

The door opened. Ninetales slunk in. Leaf doubted Ninetales was capable of opening the door herself. Someone else probably helped her. She imagined her Pokemon communicating amongst themselves who should be the one to check in on her.

Ninetales leaped onto the bed and snuggled against her. Her warmth was welcomed. Leaf buried her face in her soft fur.

Guilt crept under Leaf's skin. Today was a rare day-off and it was so nice outside. She should take everyone to a park or beach. They hadn't done that in a while. Then again, that was partially because Leaf didn't want Dragonite to feel left out. He still wasn't allowed to appear in public spaces. But that wasn't fair to everyone else, right? In a way, they were being punished because Dragonite was. And Dragonite was being punished because Leaf had failed him as a trainer.

Leaf squeezed her eyes to block the tears from spilling out. She really wasn't in the mood to cry. She held onto Ninetales tighter.

Suddenly, a strange idea entered Leaf's mind. She knew logically it wasn't actually that weird. It was just something she never really did before.

Leaf pulled out her cell phone and called Blue.

"What's up? Miss me already?"

Leaf rolled her eyes. "Just have a quick question to ask." She paused. "What do you and your Pokemon do for fun?"

"Huh?"

Why was this so embarrassing? "I'm just in my apartment now. I can't bring everyone out because…anyways, I wanna do something with them, but I'm not sure what."

"Well, what're your options? Do they have toys? Do you have a TV?"

"Yeah, they have toys. There isn't really space to run around, though. I guess we could watch TV? I don't know if anything good's on."

"Leaf." Blue said matter-of-factly. "It really doesn't matter what you do with them. It's about being with them."

Leaf felt as if she'd been struck by something. "Yeah…yeah, you're right. Thanks, Blue."

"When am I not right? Well, take care."

When Leaf hung up, she noticed Ninetales gazing at her with sparkling eyes. Leaf smiled. "Let's go to the living room."

Like a puppy, Ninetales jumped off the bed, spun around excitedly, and rushed out. When Leaf stepped out into the living room, everyone was already sitting in a circle, watching her with anticipation. As Blue said, they just wanted to be with her.

Leaf sat down and gazed at each of them. "I'm sorry I haven't been as present lately. And I'm sorry this isn't my first time apologizing for this. I promise it's not because of you guys. I've just been really out of it recently."

"Actually, not recently," Leaf corrected herself. "Since becoming Champion. Maybe it even started before then, but it definitely got worse after. Things are just so chaotic, and I'm struggling with it. My dream came true, and I'm not as happy as I thought I'd be."

Leaf froze. It was like when she brought up Red at Chroma. She hadn't meant to say what she'd just said; her stream of consciousness was just flowing out of her mouth. Except this time, she'd said something she hadn't even admitted to herself before.

Leaf thought she'd be the happiest girl in the world once she became Champion. She wasn't. She was far from it.

A lightbulb had turned on. Leaf finally understood why, even though she was exactly where she wanted to be, she felt like garbage. She had so many hopes for what being Champion would look like and none of them came to fruition. Life as Champion was nowhere near as glorious as she'd expected. And she was really struggling to reconcile her expectations with reality.

Leaf's Pokemon gazed at her intently. She could tell they understood her. They always did. Maybe they felt exactly the same way.

Red and Blue definitely did. Leaf wondered what Red had hoped for. He was never interested in fame or glory. He'd simply wanted to prove himself as a trainer. And he more than just proved himself. He was the trainer that everyone else could only dream of being. Why stick around then? What could he have possibly gained from staying in the Indigo League? He didn't belong there. He was in his own league.

To be in a league that no one else could ever reach. That had to be the loneliest feeling in the world.

Leaf spread her arms out. Her Pokemon moved in, adjusting themselves as best they could so everyone could fit into the group hug.

Leaf didn't know what she was supposed to do with her epiphany just yet. That was fine. She didn't need to figure out her entire life right then and there.

All she needed was to be with her Pokemon.

Belated happy new year to everyone! I hope people had a good start to 2025.

Writing this chapter was weirdly therapeutic for me. I think we've all been in positions where things didn't turn out as expected.

Thanks for reading!