What Time Is It When a Volcano Destroys Your Gym?

by Besprizornye

After an eruption devastates Cinnabar Island and its gym, Blaine is in Fuchsia City trying to figure out what happens next.

"What time is it when a volcano destroys your gym?"

"I hardly think that now is the time for jokes," Koga said. He and his daughter Janine were sitting at a small table wedged in the corner of their home's modest kitchen with their guest, and Koga's fellow gym leader, Blaine. The small home with its mismatched furniture and tacky wallpaper with patterns of pink flowers and green vines crisscrossing a cream-colored background was a sharp contrast to Koga's reputation as the aloof ninja master of the Indigo Pokémon League. Of course, Blaine had seen this side of Koga's life many times over many years. But those visits had been under much happier circumstances.

Blaine dismissed Koga's reprimand with an imperious wave of his hand. "I hardly think that your melancholy is appropriate. The evacuation efforts were a complete success. My fellow islanders and I all made it here or to Pallet Town before the big show. So, again, I ask you-"

But Koga refused to let the older man start his joke again. "People and pokémon are one thing, but everything else is gone. Not just your gym but people's homes, the pokémon center, the lab. They aren't even sure whether it's worth it to try and rebuild."

"Who's saying that? Who are 'they?'" Even behind the dark glasses which Blaine wore due to his photokeratitis, Koga and Hanine could sense that his beady eyes were flashing with anger. "No one has bothered to share any of these so-called plans with me. A whole week since the eruption and no one has approached me one way or the other about rebuilding. It used to be that a gym leader got some respect, but not anymore. Or, perhaps," Blaine's voice dropped, "it's only this gym leader who's being tossed aside."

Koga's already drawn face grew even more dour. "No one is trying to disrespect you, Blaine. It's only that, with the disaster and the other changes to the League, some are saying-"

"Some are saying 'time to push out the old fogey!'" Blaine interrupted with relish. "I have ears! I know that Lance and his little friends are looking to get some fresher faces involved in the league! All because those two boys beat him! I heard one of them, Oak's grandson, has been approached about becoming the gym leader of Viridian City! Disgraceful! He's a child!"

"He's an accomplished young trainer," said Koga evenly. "He beat Lance, after all, and you."

But Blaine was not listening, instead he was grumbling, "The boy doesn't even specialize in one type of pokémon! How can you be a gym leader without a specialty? Are we the Orange Islands now? He could catch some more flying or psychic pokémon, I suppose, but it's the attitude that's missing."

"Didn't they need a new gym leader because the last one was in Team Rocket or something?" Janine asked from the sidelines.

"Well, that was," Blaine cleared his throat, "certainly a factor. No doubt about that." The older gym leader looked embarrassed for all of thirty seconds before he started picking up steam again. Ticking off his fingers, Blaine listed off, "Giovanni, Lorelai, Agatha, not to mention what they're doing over the falls in Johto. Putting young Falkner in his father's gym? Absurd! He's a child, too!"

Janine started to say something, but she let her voice fall away as Koga said instead, "No one's trying to push you out, Blaine. What, do you think the league made a volcano erupt just to get you to retire?"

"Of course not!" Blaine shot back. "And even if they did, it's not going to work! I'll rebuild, even if no one else will!"

"I don't think anyone else will," Koga said coolly over his warm beverage. "There's hardly anything left of the island. Haven't you seen the footage they they've gotten from flying helicopters and pokémon over the island?"

"What do you think?" Blaine snapped, but now his anger was brittle and evidence of his hurt escaped into his voice. "I can't turn on the news without seeing what's left of my home. All of them talk about taking care of the islanders, but no one has the guts to say that they'll go back and rebuild! Well, like I already said, I won't give up on Cinnabar Island, even if I'm all by myself!"

Koga waited for Blaine to regain his composure before he asked carefully, "If it's just you out there, will enough trainers come to see you to make it worthwhile? The league has talked about moving a gym to Lavender Town. It would be a lot easier for trainers to get to, after all."

"So, Fuji is still trying to pull one over on me after all of these years. He hasn't changed a bit." Blaine snorted. "'Easier to get to!' That's the problem with you young people," that the remark was directed at her dad made Janine grin, "you only care about how easy something is! What happened to sacrifice and dedication? That Falkner, and now the Oak boy, too," Blaine griped, "they're just getting handed a gym like it's their right instead of a privilege. Tell me you won't do something so foolish when you're choosing your successor, Koga."

"Um, actually," Janine said, and Blaine turned to look at the young woman through his dark glasses as though he was only just now realizing that she was sitting at the table with him and Koga. "Actually," Janine started again with a soft, embarrassed smile, "my dad's going to pass his gym leader title onto me, if the league's okay with it, of course."

"Of course," echoed Blaine.

"And, you know, I actually think that I'll be able to do a good job!" Janine said, her voice rising in volume the more that she talked. "I've been helping my dad out at the gym for a few years now, not just training with him and refereeing battles, but also going with him and watching him do all of the, what do you call it, community outreach stuff that a gym leader has to do, too!"

"That's great," Blaine said automatically and his mouth moved soundlessly before he found his voice again and repeated, "that's great, really great, Janine." His smile was not quite a grimace, but it was at least an effort.

"Janine will do a good job," Koga said, "I've made sure of that."

Blaine's hands twisted in the air until he found the mug in front of him. "You're just so young. I remember when you were born. It was the happiest I've ever seen you, Koga. That doesn't feel like it was so long ago, but now you're going to be a gym leader?" Blaine shook his bald head so that the light from the overhead light was reflected this way and that. "Maybe I am getting too old."

Koga hazarded to ask, "But not too old to retire?"

"Of course not! Who'd take my place? If they moved my gym to Lavender Town, the league would probably try to find some ghost pokémon specialist to take my place. Agatha was able to pull it off, but it was always a hard sell, if you ask me. We only have a few ghost pokémon in the whole region. That's why I don't trust that Falkner boy. Lack of imagination, if you ask me." Janine giggled and Blaine looked over and told her, "I hope you aren't going to do anything as foolish as only having pokémon from one family on your team when challengers come to your gym."

"No, sir!" Janine said brightly. "I've got lots of great poison pokémon on my team to show off! I'm excited to show them off at next month's exhibition match for the new gym leaders!"

Blaine and Koga both nodded their heads approvingly. "I'll be looking forward to that," Blaine said, "and I hope you can put Oak's grandson in his place."

Janine smiled eagerly, and then Koga stepped in to try and head off Blaine before he could resume complaining about the league's other new gym leader. "What would you want your successor to specialize in," Koga asked, "if ghost pokémon are out of the question?"

"Why, fire pokémon, of course!" chortled Blaine. "I can't understand how you can have a pokémon league without at least one expert in fire pokémon! They're one of the basic building blocks that new trainers are exposed to first. Along with grass and water pokémon," Blaine admitted grudgingly. His voice rose again as he noted, "Even Sinnoh managed to find a fire pokémon expert, and look at what they have to work with!"

"So, then, who would you want to take your place?" asked Koga with a knowing glint in his dark eyes.

"No one could take my place!" Blaine crowed immediately, but his face grew more reflective as he acknowledged, "I may have had a hand in that. Did I ever tell you that Karen used to be my protégé as well? This was back when she was first trying to break into the league."

Koga took a sip of his drink before he answered, "She and I talked about it while we were both being considered for membership in the Elite Four. Both of us had plenty of stories about you to share."

That made Blaine grin. "I think I did a good job for mentoring you kids. Two Elite Four members, I bet old man Pryce can't say that he ever pulled that off!"

Leaning back in his chair, Blaine looked up at the ceiling and chuckled to himself before continuing, "Did Karen tell you the piece of advice I gave her when she was just starting out?" As Koga shook his head, Blaine told him and Janine, "When she was just starting out, Karen had it in her head to try and specialize in fire pokémon. Why not? She had her houndoom, and a few other pokémon that fit the bill. But I told her to focus on dark pokémon instead. I told her that was the way to set herself apart as an up-and-coming professional pokémon trainer." Blaine laughed until he was wheezing. "Now she's the best expert on those pokémon in two regions and there's no one for the league to replace me with when it comes to fire pokémon!"

"Truly devious," said Koga with a wan smile. "And does Karen know how you manipulated her, Blaine?"

"Manipulated her? She called me to say thank you when she got her letter from Lance!" Blaine laughed again. "Let that be a lesson to you, young lady!"

Janine's grin widened, but Koga said, "I hope that my daughter isn't going to try and sabotage other pokémon trainers for her own professional benefit."

"No, of course not," Blaine agreed readily before he undermined this by raising his sunglasses to give Janine an obvious wink, which set her to giggling. After he had replaced his glasses, Blaine told the girl, "But in all seriousness, Janine, never let anyone push you around, no matter if he's from the league or if it's even your old man there. If you're going to be a gym leader, do the job right and do it in a way that you can hold your head up high. No one will respect you if you don't respect yourself."

"Yes, sir," Janine replied at once. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Well, I think that's enough advice for one night, Blaine," Koga said. "It's getting late and Janine has school tomorrow."

Janine started to complain, "But, dad," only to settle for a silent pout when Koga reproached he with only his eyes.

"That's all right," said Blaine as he rose stiffly from his chair. "I'd better get my rest, too, or at least as much rest as I can get in the motel the league is putting me up in while they decide my fate and the fate of my gym." He inched along the edge of the table to get his hat and pea coat from off of the hook on the side of the overhang cabinets. "Thank you for having me, Koga, and for all you and your city have done for my people."

"Of course," Koga said as he rose from his own chair. "I know you would do the same for me." For a moment, it looked to Janine as though her father might share a handshake or even an embrace with the other gym leader, but instead the two men pulled away from any display of vulnerability. "Come on then, I'll drive you back to your motel."

Koga grabbed his own coat from the closet while Janine and Blaine said their goodbyes. He returned to the small kitchen and held the side door open for Blaine.

Before they left, Janine called out, "Wait! You didn't finish telling your joke, Blaine!"

"Hm? Oh, right! Now, what time is it when a volcano destroys your gym?" Blaine waited long enough for Janine's grin to widen and Koga's frown to deepen, then he answered, "Time to get a new gym!"