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Chapter 2 - The Debate

The outward appearance of the Unova Pokémon League echoed the ruins of the Relic Castle in terms of age. Its stone was weathered by the sands of time, yet it stood tall and proud above the entire Unova region. It was a place to represent how far one had come collecting Gym Badges to fight the Elite Four, dignified, capable, and a show of willpower of both Trainers and Pokémon.

And it was made all the more disappointing that it hid the boring standard government building on the inside. The walls of the room she had been directed to had a processed, hardwood like appearance that reflected the harsh lights above. The wall’s texture matched the round table she, and others, had been seated at for the past… two? Possibly two and a half hours?

Lena took solace in the fact that at least the chairs were comfortable to sit in during this clusterfuck of a meeting, glancing around the room to note the occupants one more time.

Across from her were two people that, in hindsight, Lena shouldn’t have been surprised were involved. The recently-crowned Champion Iris sat at the middle of the table on the opposite side of Lena, with Elite Four Shauntal sitting to her right. Iris, in a purple business dress with pink and white accents, wore a combination of slight exhaustion and worry etched into her face. It reminded Lena that Iris was only thirteen; she wasn’t the youngest Champion in world history, but she was certainly the youngest in Unovan history.

Shauntal, meanwhile, displayed none of the excitement that Lena assumed would normally come from the discovery of a lost Ghost Type. No, Shauntal seemed resigned and anxious, with her eyebrows pinched faintly, and her fingers twirled a pen she was using to take notes.

And where in the world was Alder?

Meanwhile, to Lena’s right at one head of the table—

“What you’re suggesting is completely, and utterly outrageous, and an insult against every child protection law I’ve ever read!” Clare’s voice cut through the room with righteous fury. She wore her summer dress from earlier that morning, but it was noticeably more rumpled than before as she stood up. In front of her was an even larger pile of files than what Lena had first met Clare, leaving the Ranger slightly intimidated at how quickly she grabbed them all….

Lena rubbed her forehead and schooled her expression, forcing herself to not nod along with her in agreement. Instead, she looked across the room to who Clare was rebuffing.

On the other end was an International Police representative for the Unova Region. He only introduced himself as ‘Jake’, wearing a smile that matched his tone, but not his words. He was wearing a pristine suit and tie with a communication device in his ears. Even without a pair of sunglasses, he looked like a stereotypical special agent. His expression was perfectly level, though Lena could tell his black hair was clearly just combed before he got into this meeting.

Despite that, there was not a hint of him being ruffled or concerned by the outburst, as if he didn’t just suggest forcefully reading a minor’s mind with an Elite Psychic Pokémon on the faint possibility that his family may have been involved in smuggling. Lena wished Arthur and Rina’s Poké Balls were on her hip instead of being looked over by the on-site staff at the Pokémon League. At least then she could feel their calming presences on her.

Lena was glad that the kid wasn’t in the room; William refused to leave the Hisuian Typhlosion’s side when both of them were moved aside by the Pokemon League nurses for a health inspection. The Ranger, however, did not miss how the Typhlosion’s eyes flared protectively when the International Police agent suggested separating them for a full inspection. The nurses, thankfully, rebuked his ‘suggestion’, and directed him to this very conference room… that Lena was now stuck in, listening to his dribble.

“In light of all the circumstances, we need to consider every available option. We have someone — no, a child more specifically, whose background is at best, questionable, and has an ancient, thought to be extinct Starter. That starter, being not only a national icon of Johto and historically significant in the Sinnoh region, is also protective of them like an adult would a child. Ms. Ranton, with the lack of evidence, assumptions can and will be made about the situation.” The agent said in a demeaning tone.

Iris stood up, glaring at Jake with frustration that burned away the exhaustion from before. “And how would you feel if you had your mind forcibly opened by a bunch of adults you didn’t know? Fear makes those things hurt you know, and you wanna do it to a kid?” Iris accused with a tone fitting for a Dragon Trainer — no, a Champion. The room felt an intensifying oppressive Aura directed entirely at the agent for just a moment. Lena was sure if she had Arthur out and was viewing the Aura, it would look like a snarling dragon with flames breathing out of its maw; it was honestly awe-inspiring, if intimidating, to just feel the Aura of a Champion level Trainer so close.

However, a hand raised caused that Aura choking the room to snap suddenly to the hand like a Frosmoth to a Flamethrower. Shauntal sent Iris an unwavering look, a silence falling that eventually prompted the Champion to sit back down after a moment and take a breath. The sheer oppressiveness of Iris’ Aura lifted, but the presence of the dragon remained lingering over them all like a warning. Lena felt a bit of pity for the thirteen-year-old to be thrust into such a situation, but also grateful that she had allies in her corner.

‘ Or at least there should be. Seriously, where is Alder?’

“The Unova League will sanction no such act. Groups from both Johto and Sinnoh are already inquiring about the existence of William’s Hisuian Typhlosion.” Shauntal said with an ironclad tone, stressing William’s name as she stood up and leveled Jake with a firm stare.

“What do you think the reaction would be if they found out that you violated a child’s mind forcefully to get answers on a hypothetical?” She asked pointedly, the agent staring back without a change to his expression before she shook her head. “Unova’s League refuses to let you do such a thing. While William may or may not originally be from Unova, it doesn't matter. We must, and will, protect our people.”

Shauntal then pressed on, not giving anyone else a chance to jump in. “If I may continue, you, and even myself, haven’t even been able to separate William and Typhlosion apart long enough to do individual tests. According to what limited things we know about a Hisuian Typhlosion, they assist lost souls… it’s possible they see William as a sort of ward. And we all know about what an angry Kangaskhan will do if her child is injured, or worse.” Everyone at the table winced at the scene she was writing.

“At the same time…” Shauntal sighed deeply, “This Typhlosion is old. Powerful. Chandelure, my ace, flinched when she saw them….” Shauntal trailed off, looking conflicted before continuing. “...The Unova Pokémon League doesn’t feel comfortable leaving William alone with the Typhlosion.”

Iris sighed and crossed her arms, frowning with a confused look on her face. “I don’t get it... from what has been said, William has no indication of wanting to go on a Journey and get Badges, which makes no sense. It would be the easiest way out of this mess for him….”

Shauntal tried not to wince at the bluntness. It was clear she didn’t disagree, but probably was hoping for a… more polite way to say it. “...It’s true. Badges are a measure of a Trainer’s ability to handle Pokémon. William is too young to prove himself on a Journey, nor have any recognized third-party Pokémon authorities provided evidence of his ability.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to take away what he may consider the only family he has!” Clare shouted, glaring now at the Champion who held firm. Lena could tell that Iris was agreeing with Clare based on how her eyes were looking back.

Another voice, who had stayed silent up till now and that Lena had almost forgotten, spoke up. “A person’s first Pokémon imprints both ways. I, as well as other professors, would consider it cruel and unusual punishment to remove either of them from the other. Especially, given his… background.” Professor Juniper said softly, then leaning forward with her hand crossed in front of her. The red earrings she wore swung as she looked at both Clare and the Champion. “That was not what you were suggesting, was it, Elite Shauntal and Champion Iris?” Juniper asked, extending the olive branch to both of them. A relieved sigh left Iris as she nodded quickly, while Shauntal simply nodded without showing her expression. Clare still glared, but as her eyes flicked between the two, the tension stayed high as neither party seemed to move forward with any other idea.

“My, my… what a meeting to walk into.” A sudden voice came from the doorway, opening up to reveal someone Lena did not expect at all, and almost made her stand at attention on instinct alone.

“C-Chairperson Erma! W-What are you doing here?” She asked, unable to hide her shock. The chairperson of the entire Ranger Union — and technically her boss — chuckled and gave a teasing smile to Lena.

The Chairperson was wearing her usual outfit, the upper section reminiscent of the standard Area Ranger uniform with a white section under it. While not for outside work, the long dress section looked to be made of a study, if comfortable material. The rib cuffs had a yellow section around the end of the sleeves, where her wrinkled hand grasped a cane with an equally yellow top for her to help her walk.

“Come now Lena, I heard that one of our Rangers was in a meeting with an International Police agent and the Champion of a Region. And I couldn’t just leave her alone to have all the fun in that meeting, now could I?” She said playfully, her cane making a wooden tapping sound as she stepped forward. Lena pulled out a chair for her; Erma said a quick “thank you, dear” before she sat down and pulled herself forward.

“Now, what a day this has turned into… governmental representatives from Johto and Sinnoh are already inquiring us about details concerning the Hisuian Typhlosion, a lone child being the one who discovered him as well? Oh, what a story this’ll be at the end of it all.” Chairperson Erma chuckled haughtily as she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

Iris flinched slightly and bit her cheek, but nodded in affirmation. “We know that. This meeting is an… attempt to figure out what to do now…” She sighed in frustration, albeit undercut by a panicked undertone at the thought of this becoming more of an international incident than it already was.

Shauntal glanced at Iris for a moment before she shifted two papers in front of her, one with an insignia of a Lugia and Ho-oh wing to form a heart, and another that had a light pink and dark blue wax icon on the top of the letter. “Conservation groups in Johto insist that Typhlosion should be immediately given up to find out the reason their branch originally stopped evolving. Sinnoh's historians, archivists, and remnants of the Diamond and Pearl Clans also request that Typhlosion be researched in their region, as Hisuian Typhlosion were only documented to be found in Hisui… until now.”

Chairperson Erma’s brows furred for a moment, and hummed. “Quite. Yes, we don’t want this to cause anyone else more stress, let alone that poor child without any family.” Erma said pointedly, the grip on her cane shifting in a way that made the International Police agent flinch ever so slightly.

Erma’s eyes swept across the table before she turned to Lena. “Ranger Lena, if you would be so kind, can you please give your own findings on how the Typhlosion and William interacted?”

Lena took a moment, flustered by the sudden attention on her, but nodded, quickly standing up. “Y-Yes Ma’am, of course.” She cleared her throat for a moment and attempted to clear her nerves before she spoke.

‘It’s just like doing a Mission Report or Summary back at a Ranger Base. No big deal that you’re doing one for the chairperson of the entire Ranger Union, no big deal at all!’

“When first interacting with the Typhlosion, they were protective of William, nearly identical to my own partners. When they, ah… approached me from behind and forced me into the clearing, they took William’s signal to stand down despite us technically being… invaders, so to speak. It was clear they valued and followed William’s opinion on the situation.” She said carefully, purposely leaving out the part where Typhlosion surprised and caught all three of them completely off guard.

Chairperson Erma nodded and hummed at the statement. Even Professor Juniper looked pleased by that statement. “I see, and afterwards, once all of the needed channels were notified, how did they respond when you informed the two of them of what was to happen?”

“The entire time, Typhlosion would stand close to William, almost touching him. William seemed… resigned to his fate, but was clearly anxious, like he was expecting this to happen. Typhlosion was defensive and growled occasionally, but did nothing further, seemingly understanding that any further action might… endanger them both.” Lena said carefully, though she didn’t miss how Jake paid specific attention now.

“I can say, despite William refusing to speak any further about any specific details, Typhlosion trusted him, and William trusted Typhlosion akin to a Trainer or Ranger who had been with their Pokémon for years.” She summarized. Chairperson Erma stared for a moment before smiling and nodding, clearly pleased with the summary.

“Thank you. As you can see, young William and Typhlosion have a bond…. A bond that should not be torn apart, not only for concerns for their well-being, but also to avoid any retribution from an old ghost.” Erma said with a hum and an almost sage-like nod. Shauntal nodded in agreement.

“Due to the nature of this case, the International Police are open to taking official custody of both, to keep their established bond firm without undue stress.” The agent said with a soft wave of his hand, as if that would assuage the earlier fears.

Clare stood up instantly, and slammed her fist so hard into the table that Lena worried that she broke her hand. “You bastard — you’d just use that as an excuse to do a complete psychic evaluation!”

“All wards of the international police regularly go through psychological examinations with Elite Psychic Types because of their cases. All questions are voluntarily, and comply with every region’s law on psychological evaluations, and with minors—”

“Oh, don’t give me that bouffalantshit! His previous therapy and psychological evaluations with emotion-sensing Pokémon suggested that reading anything beyond surface-level thoughts is traumatic for him!” She shouted back.

Jake merely crossed his arms and leveled Clare with an unimpressed look. “And that doesn’t raise questions for you? Concerns?”

Clare grit her teeth. “Of course it does! He’s a kid! He has memories of his family and clearly loves them still, and had something force them apart across what we can only assume is over multiple Regions!” Clare incensed with a passion. Lena wondered if Clare's Aura had an affinity for Fire Types.

“So, this would be a case of international kidnapping? Which falls in our jurisdiction?” Jake spoke with a hint of a smug tone. Clare didn’t let up, however, grabbing a file from the stack she had brought and slapping its contents on the table.

“I would admit that, if your own organization didn’t say, and I quote: ‘the evidence provided neither confirms, nor denies, that this could be an international psychic kidnapping incident. Local departments within Unova will need to provide more evidence before such a case can be reopened at an international level’ .” She hissed out, hitting the paper as if to punctuate her statement. Jake looked nonplussed, simply shrugging.

“Given the circumstances, we can easily reopen the case and go through the proper process in accordance with our agreement with Unova.” He said as Clare turned red with rage and gritted her teeth.

“Oh, how convenient for you to do it now with a thought-to-be-extinct Pokémon on the table now, and not when I asked…” Clare trailed off as she grabbed another folder in her pile, opening it and rifling through it for a moment before she pulled out a couple print outs, glancing at the date before speaking. “...four months ago.”

She slid the copy to Jake for him to stare at. Clare didn’t stop there, reaching back into the folder again to grab another three email chains, and even a mailed letter that had thick red ink saying ‘return to sender’ . “ And in multiple emails. And a written letter.” She threw them on the table as if they disgusted her. Jake didn’t react verbally, but the subtle twitch of his lips showed it got a reaction of some kind.

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Clare continued, however, and pulled out more documents. “And don’t think I don’t know how your inter-regional agreement works. Section C.122 on the International Police’s policy on acquiring custody: ‘ if someone is found or suspected to be involved in some sort of international incident and Interpol wishes to claim custody of said individual, the Region’s presiding Champion must agree in writing in accordance with that Region’s established laws.’ However, in the Unovan Individual Rights Act, 15 U.C. § 1791: ‘ a majority vote of Unovan representatives must also agree to any act that moves an individual with a Unovan Citizenship, or in the care of the state outside the region.’ ” She said while sitting down, glaring at him. The room fell silent as Lena couldn’t help but blurt out what was on her mind as she looked at Clare with an impressed expression.

“Dragons above, you were ready for that.”

Lena instantly regretted the words leaving her mouth, but the faint smile and side eye from Chairperson Erma told her she was amused as well.

Meanwhile, Clare was blushing at the reaction, faintly embarrassed, but still smiling at the praise. “After the ah… Giovanni Case in Indigo, I reviewed every law that may or may not have come up with certain people… William did not have any documented Region before Unova, which uh… brought it to the forefront of my mind.” She explained quickly, before turning to the Champion with an almost desperate look.

“Champion Iris, I know that the standard age for Trainers in Unova is fourteen. However, you yourself went on a journey at a young age with approval from Mayor Drayden, and even took his position for a time as Opelucid City’s Gym Leader afterwards.”

With a breath, as if to prepare herself for what she was about to ask, Clare continued and looked at Iris desperately. “What you did is inspiring, and I want to ask if you’ll consider extending the same opportunity for William that you yourself got.”

Iris nodded for Clare to continue even as Shauntal tried to subtly interject with a hand. Clare either didn’t notice or ignored her, and started grabbing more files out, passing them out around the table.

“Are these… academic records?” Lena asked curiously as she glanced at the lettering and the subjects… full marks for Galarian… even beyond just the elementary level.

‘Algebra and Discrete Math? Calculus?! Granted, they’re lower than Galarian, but I didn’t take Calculus until college! Except for History, which is his lowest score, they’re all better than what I got…’ Lena grumbled as she continued down the list.

Iris however, looked a bit embarrassed and tried to lead discreetly within Shauntal’s earshot, though everyone could still hear her. “ Pst… What's Discrete Math? ”

Lena couldn’t help but be slightly distracted by Shauntal looking a bit embarrassed herself, and whispering to Iris in a tone that was not as quiet as it should have been. “ I don’t know, I was a Galarian Major. ”

Clare motioned in Iris’ direction. “See? William’s academics show he’s insightful and intelligent enough to surpass a champion who was allowed to leave early on a Journey as well!” She said with a grin that could only be described as the Purrloin that ate the Pidove as Jake just grunted in response.

Lena hid her snort with a breath, instead looking down the list once again. The aforementioned subjects and grades were eyebrow raising for someone who’s age wouldn’t place them in a class higher than an Elementary School level.

Jake recovered and raised his eyebrows. “While I can see the argument for his maturity… that doesn’t explain why his Pokémon Care classes are marked to contact the instructor.”

Lena blinked before looking down the report card again in finer detail. His Pokémon Care classes were indeed listed, but had a ‘N/A’ next to them. The legend indicated the reader to reach out to the instructor for more information, with their contact info below.

Lena and Clare locked eyes for a moment, seeming to share the same idea, before Clare turned back and addressed the room. “When we first found him, William’s hands-on experience with Pokémon appeared to be lacking. His home region apparently had no Pokémon, and none of his family, neighbors, or community members raised Pokémon either. However—!”

Clare put her hand up to pause Jake’s incoming objection. “His teacher, Mr. Davidson, says that he showed better control and care for the school’s Pokémon than most children, but didn’t feel comfortable giving a letter grade as he didn’t have a Pokémon at home. And, as he refused to be assigned a permanent partner, he felt it would be better for him to be contacted to explain his performance.”

“And why would William do that?” Jake said with a raised eyebrow, clearly not buying the explanation.

Clare snorted, and waved her hand to the wall where a photo of William and the Hisuian Typhlosion had been blown up on a projector. William was close to the Fire Ghost Type in the photo, posing for the photograph with the same ingenuine closed-mouth smile. “It’s obvious now in hindsight, I’d say.” She said with a defiant look in her eye. Jake grunted slightly, giving in to that answer.

“While this documentation helps… it wouldn’t be enough of a case for the groups outside Unova. That’s not even considering letting him off on his own with a thought to be extinct Typhlosion.” Shauntal sighed deeply. Iris looked uncomfortable, but clearly felt compelled to agree. Lena silently cursed Alder again for leaving Iris on such politically unstable ground.

“Well, this is quite the conundrum then, isn’t it?” Chairperson Erma said with her characteristic faux-playfulness. The room stood still again as she spoke. “The International Police do not wish to leave such a person with a curious past, even if they are just a child, unsupervised? Am I correct in that understanding?” She phrased carefully. Jake looked away for a moment, before turning to Erma and nodding.

“Yes, Chairperson Erma. If I can speak freely, given the last couple years, with children handling Region wide incidents, the International Police had taken a policy to get ahead on such events. Especially given the disappearances of Red years ago, and now Hilbert — who has the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom, might I add.” He said with a smirk. Lena noticed how Professor Juniper narrowed her eyes at the mention of the former Champion’s name.

"Team Rocket, Teams Aqua and Magma, Team Galactic, and now Team Plasma less than two years ago right here in Unova. Every time a child had to step in to dismantle a criminal organization — two, in Hoenn’s case — all while the government, law enforcement, and league twiddle their thumbs and overlook this repeating pattern. On top of William’s actions of clearly hiding the existence of this Hisuian Typhlosion, he’s exceeded standard expectations in school, is from an unknown region who nobody has provided any information about, is adept at handling Pokémon despite his also alleged background, but he also doesn’t desire to be in the public eye like normal Trainers from his protests about Gym Challenges. Would you not agree that this is a set of suspicious circumstances that is grounds for another international crisis?” He continued, letting an uncomfortable silence fall over the room.

An uncomfortable chill ran down Lena’s spine as she considered Jake’s words… they weren’t wrong technically. No, all of them were technically correct, but she knew he was punctuating this to distract from the fact he was talking about a child . Not a criminal or even an adult. This was a child.

Clare looked to make the same connection. Her eyes glared like an Arbok through her glasses at Jake, and she was looking about ready to leap across the table and throttle the man; Champion, Elite Four, and Pokémon Ranger in the same room as her be damned.

Iris and Shauntal had grimaces on their faces instead, most likely having flashbacks to the day of the Pokémon League Siege from the scene that Jake was painting… the invisible threat of possible inaction.

Professor Juniper had a barely flicker of expression, slightly clenching her jaw, but it was just as quickly smoothed out to give nothing away as she simply stared at Jake.

Chairperson Erma only hummed and nodded slightly, seemingly unperturbed. “I see, and if he was supervised by a trusted figure, that would lay such fears to rest?”

Jake smiled, seemingly thinking that the Chairperson was on his side. “Yes, that would allow the International Police to—”

“Perfect. Shauntal, dear, correct me if I am wrong, but that’s similar to the Unova League’s concern, is it not? Would there be any objections to an independent third party traveling with young William and the Typhlosion, and monitoring him throughout a Journey?” Chairperson Erma said with a hint of a smirk as she turned to Iris and Shauntal, cutting the agent off who jolted at the sudden change in focus.

“Yes…? That would be… a… solution….” Shauntal trailed off, nervous as to what Erma was suggesting. “While every Gym Leader is a mandatory reporter, not every Journey involves Gym Leaders. And… Clare has shown at the beginning of this meeting that he has no interest in, or intention of even going to Gyms, which would at least provide support that he can handle this Pokémon to other outside Regions and groups.”

Jake, recovering from losing control of the conversation, took the opportunity to interject. “Interpol could fill this role, and we would be more than happy to offer an experienced agent to do so. We could even inquire one of our more specialized agents who battles freq—”

“We already have a perfectly suitable Top Ranger in this room who can do so, and would have the authority as a strong Trainer as well.” Chairperson Erma cut Jake off again with a fully formed smile that Lena felt was manipulative and downright evil.

‘Wait, doesn’t Chairperson Erma work with a Gardevoir? I’ll have to ask Arthur if her Aura has a Fairy bias next time….’

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Lena looked around to gauge the reactions of everyone else. Shauntal, Iris, Juniper, and Clare all seemed to slump a bit in relief, whereas Jake looked shell shocked at being cut off again. It took Lena a minute before she realized everyone’s eyes had turned to her.

The realization hit her like Arthur’s Focus Punch.

“M-Me?” Lena said with a confused, surprised squeak. Slowly turning towards Chairperson Erma, she was greeted with that horrifying smile she just used against Jake, before Erma turned back to address the other members of the table.

“Ranger Lena has known her Partner Pokémon, now a Floatzel, from even before she graduated from Ranger School. On top of that, her absolute dedication to helping others gained her the respect of a Riolu, now Lucario.” Chairperson Erma said with a proud tone to her smile, a hint of a teasing tone also entering her voice as she spoke further. “Why, both of them love to battle if reports from other Rangers are any indication, which would be perfect for a Journey.”

Lena couldn’t help but glance and notice the intrigued look on Shauntal, and more intimidatingly, Iris’s face. She had a hungry gaze to her eyes that made Lena suppress a gulp at the thought of fighting a Champion.

Chairperson Erma continued on, thankfully. “She also assisted during the siege of the Pokémon League, and evacuation of Route 10 and Victory Road, saving many lives. She’s also been in Unova for five years now, so she's experienced with this Region's geography.”

Her words caused Lena to feel a swirl of emotions in her chest, feeling both warm from the sudden praise… but that warmth was constricted and muffled by a tightness that she had to shove down lest it distracted her further as Chairperson Erma continued to speak.

“Finally, the Ranger Union is an independent organization separate from any Region. Meaning, if you have any requests or conditions you’d like to meet, we can follow such requests provided they do not go against our purpose.” Chairperson Erma stated before glancing at every party at the table. Silence fell over them all, with no one verbally agreeing or disagreeing yet.

Jake, however, frowned, seemingly resigned to losing his position. “While I cannot speak about my superior's comments, a condition if Ranger Lena acted as a sort of… mandatory reporter to resolve the concerns about his background would suffice.”

He crossed his fingers together and leaned forward on the table. “It’s clear he is not revealing everything he knows, and the situation about how he came to be in Unova is suspect. If Top Ranger Lena could find answers to such questions and concerns, the International Police would have no reason to take him in.” Clare glared at him but Jake said nothing else.

The lack of a verbal response prompted Chairperson Erma to nod slowly, but she kept eye contact with him as she did so.

“We can look into arranging that, yes. What about the Unovan government? Do you have any requests?” Chairperson Erma asked Iris and Shauntal.

The two whispered for a moment as they discussed something, before turning to the head of the Ranger Union suddenly. “A-Ah, yes. We would like ah… any Pokémon of note to be reported to the League, just in case such an event like this happens again…” Iris stated, biting her lip anxiously, but relaxed as Erma nodded. “And we would like to encourage William to take on some gyms. He doesn’t need to do all eight, but the words and Badges of our Gym Leader’s would help… politically.” Iris winced, as if admitting it hurt her. Shauntal glanced at her, probably disagreeing with her phrasing, but Chairperson Erma nodded as well to that request.

“That is more than perfectly understandable given the situation.” She said gently before closing her eyes with a hum from her throat, then opening and turning to Clare and Professor Juniper. “You both have voices here as well. What do you request?”

Professor Juniper closed her eyes and took a deep breath but stayed silent as she seemed to consider something. Clare noticed and took the floor instead. “Yes, I would like to make sure the physical health and mental well-being of William and Typhlosion are maintained above all else.”

“Of course, that aligns exactly with the Ranger Union’s mission statement… anything about research or studying, Professor Juniper?” Chairperson Erma asked.

Juniper’s eyes were still closed, silent for a moment before she finally responded. “I would like to do a physical of the Typhlosion myself before they head out, just to have a baseline. In terms of research, however…” She paused for a moment as a barely noticeable frown formed on her face.

“I will need to speak to Professor Rowan and Professor Elm concerning specifics first. This is a Starter Pokémon technically from their Regions, so I would like to speak with them before making any specific requests. They may have comments about what they’d like to have looked into with their Region’s ‘Starter’.” She said, moving her hand forward as if presenting it as a request.

Chairperson Erma stared at the professor for a moment before tilting her head in acknowledgement. “I see, yes, that's understandable… granted that William provides permission for you to do such an exam.”

“Yes, of course.”

The Chairperson looked around the room for a moment before nodding. “Seems we’ve reached a consensus. Well, I suppose we should—”

“Hold on, o-one moment, If I may…” Iris said while standing up, getting everyone's attention.

“I want to ask William what he would like first. While he is a minor, he should be able to say what he wants.” She declared firmly. The faint feeling of her Dragon Aura seemed to flare out, empowering her statement. Despite her age and demeanor before, there was no room for objections.

With no one speaking, Iris turned to Shauntal, asking for her to bring in William. The Elite Four member frowned, but nodded with a bow and walked out of the room to grab him. This left the remaining six to sit and awkwardly wait in silence.

Lena glanced at Chairperson Erma during then with a faint questioning look over what just happened, but she only smiled with the same playfully evil grin back.

Shauntal returned a few minutes later, William and Typhlosion following behind her. He was standing close to William protectively, but the ghostly flames that Lena had seen before were gone. The Typhlosion’s red eyes scanned across every person in the room. They flicked from Iris to Shauntal, to Clare and Professor Juniper, to Lena, who got a narrowed look for half a moment, and then to Chairperson Erma. Curiously, Typhlosion seemed to relax a bit looking at Erma.

Upon looking at Jake, however, The Fire Ghost Type's eyes narrowed sharply with a soft rumble, and Lena’s breath caught in her throat by a sudden, overwhelming force surrounding the air. Typhlosion’s red eyes glowed a fiery red, and faint wisps of ghostly energy appeared around its collar.

Iris and Shauntal had already started to reach for their Poké Balls, and Lena had tried to reach for her Capture Styler out of reflex; however it was like her very being was on strings, just barely being held back as her mouth went dry.

William raised his left hand and looked at Typhlosion. Like before, his expression commanded the old ghost without a verbal word. For a minute that dragged on like an hour, the Typhlosion held firm, maintaining a tense pressure throughout the room.

Suddenly, the tension was cut just as instantly; the lights above seemingly returned to their normal output as Typhlosion’s red eyes seemed to stop glowing. Everyone at the table let out a breath… and also seemed impressed at the clear display of control. Though Lena noticed that Jake was sweating just barely, she couldn’t help but smirk behind her hand.

‘ Good, he deserves it for all the bouffalantshit he tried to pull. ’

Speaking of, William was still wearing the bright yellow sweatshirt, with his right hand in his sweatshirt pocket, clenched tight in clear nervousness despite the even look on his face. His eyes flicked around the room to everyone analytically, as if scanning for threats, only finally stopping once they met Iris’s eyes.

It's said that a Trainer’s eyes are the window to who they are, much akin to Aura in a way, and Lena wondered what each of them saw; given Iris’ draconic Aura, and William’s faint, barely flickering wisp of one.

William's own eyes were a green-blue tint, but Lena barely noticed the faint ring of hazel around the pupil, just barely noticeable. They didn’t twitch or so much as react to Iris staring at him with her brown, or even red, eyes. A dragon faced with a mouse in its den was one way to describe it.

“William… I want to just ask one question, for me, and for everyone.” Iris started. “What do you want? Not Unova, not the International Police. What do you, William, want?”

A silence followed, with William the first to blink, surprised by that question as he opened his mouth for a moment, before closing it again.

He glanced down at the table and floor as he thought. Typhlosion rumbled deeply from their chest in concern, leaned forward, and gently placed their paws on his ward’s shoulder. William smiled briefly before his expression fell again and he finally spoke.

“I’d… l’d like to go home, and see my family… but we don’t always get what we want.” He brutally said with a hint of bitterness as he sighed and looked back up with a sad smile at Iris. “So I… don’t know. I don’t know what I want, beyond that.”

Iris stared at him for a long moment, closing her eyes as she contemplated his answer before nodding. She opened her eyes, a soft gaze in them as she stared at the table for a moment, but her smile had a conflicting tightness to it as she replied. “And that’s perfectly okay, to not know what you want to do, or know what you are doing. It’s something everyone is still trying to figure out through their life.” Iris chucked as she said this but Lena could hear the sadness and pain behind it.

She moved past it, however, looking up at William with a sudden determination in her eyes. “William, if you are to go on a Journey with someone else in person because of your age and circumstances, with your Typhlosion, would you be okay with that?”

William frowned but said nothing, instead glancing up at Typhlosion who let out a small noise. The smaller kid hummed and nodded back at the gentle giant, as if understanding the intent, and turned back to Iris, albeit looking a bit more hesitant than before. “I… am open to such an idea, yes.” He said carefully, measured.

Iris said nothing for a moment, as if gauging his expression, but eventually nodded back with a smile. Shauntal saw this as an opportunity to take over.

“I see no reason for the Unova League to object to such a plan then. Ms. Clare, can you please take William and Typhlosion back to his current residence for now? The League will send the authorization for a Trainer Kit, and funds for other supplies directly to you tomorrow morning; but if he needs to gather any belongings…” Shauntal asked gently.

Clare finally let out a relieved sigh; all the tension built up from the meeting left her shoulders while nodding gratefully.

“Yes, I will do that now… Thank you, Champion Iris and Elite Shauntal for this.” She said with a shaky voice before she turned to Lena and Erma, giving a polite smile and bow. “And thank you both for this plan.” She added before shaking Professor Juniper’s hand and giving a nod as well.

Lena noticed Jake was left out of her goodbyes, though the two did glare at each other on the way out.

William followed behind, his eyes scanning the room one final time before he halted for a moment as if to say something. Shaking his head slightly, he left the room, Typhlosion following close beside him as the doors swung closed.

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Beta Readers:

David “TheBlizWiz” R

Garmfild

Multiple Anonymous Readers