FAMILIAL FRACTURES AND UNVEILED HISTORIES (REVISED)
EDIT: This is a revised version of the chapter. I think I fell prey to a common mistake of trying to make the Pokemon world too realistic and ended up making it too dark. At the end of the day, Pokemon fanfics are an escape. Personally, I could never bring myself to ever leave my pet to die and Pokemon are so much more than pets so neither should the MC.
This is the first time I have had so many comments and reviews on a chapter in such a short period after release. I have never had so many people commenting and advocating for changing one aspect. I am just happy that so many others are also invested in this fic enough to point this out and share their opinion. Thank you for continuing to read this and Merry Christmas.
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“Did you lose your mind? What the hell were you thinking when you decided to confront a legendary?! The only thing I have ever asked of you is to run away if you encounter a legendary. You still chose to defy my one single request. No seriously! What would it possibly even cost you to set aside that damned useless pride of yours and stand aside or even get on your knees and beg Suicune for mercy?”
“It had absolutely nothing to do with pride. It would have cost me the life of one of my pokemon, a member of my family. Plus everything turned out fine in the end, didn't it? What would rather you have me do? Stand aside and let it kill Gardevoir.”
“Yes!! That's exactly what I would rather have you do. Let it kill the pokemon and then beg the Legendary to spare your life. Just because it spared you this time doesn't make what you did right.”
I couldn't believe the words coming out of my father’s mouth. Did he just tell me I should sacrifice my pokemon to save my own skin? Also, why was Uncle Max just standing there and not voicing his disagreement? Did he also agree with my father's inane perspective?
What happened to all those lessons about loving and respecting your pokemon? What happened to them being part of the pack, part of the family? When I decided to tell them about my fateful encounter, this was not the direction I was expecting the conversation to turn to. My father and uncle displayed no wonder or excitement at me coming face to face with a legendary water type. The fear palpable in their reaction made absolutely no sense.
Yes, I was also extremely scared during the encounter but upon further reflection, just the idea that I came face to face with a literal force of nature filled me with excitement. What did this encounter mean? What did she want from me? Many of the prominent trainers in the anime were also subject to this personal visit and attention from a legendary. Did it mean that now I was also a prominent trainer destined for greatness?
“Uncle Max, are you just going to stand there quietly? You approve of my actions, don't you? Say something at least.”
Uncle Max looked back and forth between my father and me in hesitation. Apparently, he was trying his level best to stay out of this difference of opinion. I needed him to choose a side. After all, his previous lessons should automatically mean that he agreed with my actions. He shouldn't just stand there while my father advocated this ruthless and unfeeling garbage about sacrificing my pokemon.
My father also chimed in: “Yes Maxwell, do give your take on the issue. He needs to understand the foolishness of his actions.” Uncle Max sent one last silent plea to each of us but seeing that neither of us were willing to budge, he gave in.
“Alex, you need to understand and look at the issue from your father’s perspective. Frankly, I was surprised by your actions. I mean I kind of expected you to have the same opinion.”
I cut him off before he could continue, “Now hold your Rapidashes, what do you mean by expecting me to be ready to trade my pokemon’s lives for my own safety. Is that what you really think of me?” I would be lying if I said that I wasn't the least bit hurt by this revelation.
“Wait a minute, let me explain. You know I will always love you regardless, right? It is just that you have always been so clinical when training your pokemon. Let me rephrase that.” His continued hesitation was not doing any favors to my opinion of him.
“As soon as you started training your pokemon, you always emphasized ruthless precision. Focusing on the vulnerable areas, showing no mercy, making sure your opponent was down and exploiting any advantage that your opponent presented. You never liked giving your enemies any chance to recover and well, you always went on and on about efficiency and capitalizing on any opportunity to exploit and secure the best advantage. You are completely obsessed with growing stronger. While other trainers sightsee and embrace the adventure, you were single mindedly focused on training your pokemon to become strong, efficient and deadly.”
I really don't understand where he was going with this. “You do realize that the operating word here is opponent or enemy. What does any of this have to do with my treatment of my pokemon? I have always treated them well and loved and taken care of them.”
“Will you let me finish? No one here is accusing you of not treating your pokemon well. It's just that if you looked at the situation from an outside perspective, the most logically sound option was to stand aside. It wasn't like there was really anything you could actually do. Begging was the option that would most likely ensure your continued survival. It's what most, including me, would have done in your shoes. Considering everything, I just expected you to take that cold logical route instead of emotionally challenging a legendary’s wishes.
Don't get me wrong. I am pleasantly surprised that”
My father cut him off before he could actually express his opinion and side with me. “He is right. You always go for the most efficient and logical choice. If a pokemon is killed, it can always be replaced. All you will lose out is the time cost associated with raising another one to its level. But you are irreplaceable. I thought you understood this. You should have known better. What drove you to the foolish decision?”
“My pokemon place their trust in me just as I place my trust in them. If I just stood aside and let Suicune kill one of my pokemon, they would lose that trust. They are also my family. If I abandoned one of them, what was stopping me from abandoning any of them in the future? So yes, that decision would have cost me more than just the associated time cost.
Have you considered that maybe Suicune left me alive because I stood defiant and risked certain death just to protect my pokemon? The action you are calling foolish may very well be the only reason I am alive right now.”
I really don't understand why I felt the need to logically justify my actions. Just the fact that emotionally I didn't want to stand aside should have been enough.
“This was not the same as abandoning them.”, uncle Max interjected, “All of the pokemon would have understood that you couldn't do anything in the face of an angry legendary.
As I was saying earlier, it is really good to know that you love your pokemon enough to stand by them in the face of insurmountable odds. Before this, I knew that you were a capable and determined person who I would follow without hesitation when he took charge of our family. You were efficient, ruthless, and strong. Hell, you are probably even stronger than me right now. But after this, I firmly believe that you also have the heart of a great leader. My uncle, your grandfather would have been extremely proud of you for this.”
This assessment did make me feel better but it had the completely opposite effect on my father.
“Stop filling his head with this Tauros dung.”, my father said, ”What good did all that compassion do for my father? To avenge his Kingdra, he faced the strongest trainer in Indigo head on and to no surprise he died. Instead of foolishly rushing headfirst, he should have used Kingdra’s death to retreat. If he did that, he would still be alive. He abandoned us for his precious pokemon and vengeance.”
Uncle Max shook his head. “You don’t really mean that. His brave sacrifice that day was a pivotal point in the war. He prevented Cinnabar Island from falling into Johto’s clutches and in the process saved hundreds of thousands of lives that would have been lost. He died a hero. You can't deny that.”
Through it all, I was completely lost. I knew that my grandfather died in the war but I didn't know any details. Before today, I didn’t even know he died on Cinnabar Island. This information embargo on this war was reaching my last nerve. I only got bits and pieces of information on this crucial event and I was fed up with being kept out of the loop.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Before my father could reply, I cut him off. “I have had enough of this. Every time you mention this war and clam up when I ask for any details. I believe I am mature enough and strong enough to finally know about this war. This war has basically shaped our current society and I am done being kept out of the loop.”
From uncle Max’s expression I knew he was going to give me the same legal excuse. But I was not having any of that. I deserved to know. “Don't even think about giving me the law excuse. What even is the penalty of breaking that law? How are they even going to know that you broke it? And even if they knew that you broke this, what could they possibly do? The law about disclosing details of the War to only Elite Rank trainers has absolutely no teeth.”
While I could see the hesitation in my uncle’s visage, my father was having none of that. He exploded in anger, “No you are absolutely not mature enough. If you were, you would have understood that this is not about sacrificing your pokemon or crossing some moral line in the sand. This is about ensuring that you return home to your family at all costs.
When you were stupidly standing defiant in the face of Suicune, did you even think about us for a single moment? Did you even stop to consider what would be the consequences if you died? How would it affect your cousin, uncle and me? I already lost my father to the damned war, I lost my wife to the birthing bed, now you expect me to lose my son too?
Did you even consider how this would have affected your sisters? What did you expect me to tell them? Should I tell them that sorry, you will not be able to see your brother anymore because he cared more about one stupid pokemon than his own actual family? How would they have felt to lose their only brother and never see him again? No, Answer me. Do you still think you made the right decision?”
An awkward silence filled the air after my father finished his rant. Were my actions really that selfish? I would never turn my back on one of my pokemon, but by putting myself at risk, every member of my family could potentially lose a loved one. My self reflection was broken at the soft sound of crying coming from the entry of the living room where we were having this discussion.
Misty was standing there with tears in her eyes, in her sleeping pajamas clutching her Horsea plush toy. My father rushed towards her position and scooped her up into his arms. After some coaxing, she finally looked up at me with watery eyes and asked a single question that broke my heart.
“Are you going to leave and never see me again?”
I never wanted to be the reason she was in tears. But here she was completely shaken by whatever snippet of the conversation she had heard. While I would love to place the blame on someone else for not securing the room, that would just be deflecting. If the mere idea had such an effect on her, how would she react to my actual death?
However, the answer to my dilemma earlier remained elusive. It may have been short sighted of me to just stand in the way of certain death. I could have got down on my knees and begged Suicune for mercy for both me and my pokemon. I was extremely fortunate that Suicune had spared me and allowed me to return to my family even after my defiance. It was irresponsible of me to not think about the effect my actions would have on the actual members of my family but despite this, deep in my heart I felt that I didn't regret my actions. If given the chance, I don't think I would do it differently.
This reflection could wait for later. So I looked into her eyes and tried to project as much reassurance and safety as I could when I answered my sister's question.
“I am not going anywhere. I will never leave you. I will always be there for you no matter what.”
Her lips quivered as her eyes searched my face. She held out the pinky on her left hand.
“Do you pinky promise?” Her face was absolutely adorable as it scrunched up to portray just how serious she was. I brought my hand up to reciprocate the gesture.
“I pinky promise.” She nodded her head in utmost solemnity satisfied by my sincerity. She then rested her head on my father’s chest still clutching her plush toy. As I looked up from her adorably peaceful face, I was met with the disappointed face of my father.
After looking at the situation from his perspective, I could see where he was coming from. If he was to decide between the continued survival of either me or one of my pokemon, he would choose me in a heartbeat. He expected me to do the same but I couldn't. My pokemon were also part of my family. My father carried Misty back to her room to tuck her in for the night and left me to my thoughts. Uncle Max tried to break the silence that had descended on the room once again.
“Your father took uncle’s death, uh your grandfather’s death, rather hard. With the war, none of us had any time to grieve till we were pushed back into the fray. I didn't know this is how he felt about his death but in hindsight his actions and constant refusal to broach the topic does make sense.
What I am trying to say is that you shouldn't take his criticism too hard. Your grandfather raised me like his own son and he always emphasized the importance of loving your pokemon and treating them like family. I wanted to share those lessons with you and your sisters. Your father will cool down and well your situation wasn't exactly one which had an ideal answer. We should just all be thankful that Suicune was in a forgiving mood.”
I shook my head as I processed his words. “There may not be any ideal answer but I can agree that I should have been more cautious. Dad is right in saying that there is no point in unnecessarily risking my life. But this was not unnecessary. No matter what, I don't think I can bring myself to ever abandon one of my pokemon just to save myself. Still, I can't even imagine how devastated my sisters would have been if I had not survived.”
The somber mood remained lingering as we waited for my father to return. All this silence was really awkward so I tried to change the topic.
“So where are Daisy, Violet, Lily or even Richard? I haven't seen any of them since I returned from the Lake of Rage.”
“Oh, they left for Celadon City yesterday. There is some fashion show or something going on there and they wanted to attend. I am surprised that you didn't join them.”
As I raised my eyebrow to show my skepticism, he quickly corrected his previous statement.
“Ok so I’m not really surprised. You probably didn't even know that there was some event happening. Now that you're back you should go and join them. Going by how excited Richard was, it should be fun.”
“Several of my pokemon are still at the Pokemon Center getting treatment. There is also the dilemma of what to do with the wild Elite Gyarados. I can’t just get up and leave on vacation.”
My uncle shook his head in exasperation, “Taking a break for a few days should not be so difficult. This is the time of your life you should spend enjoying. You will never get back these years. My generation spent these years embroiled in a war. You don't have that burden.”
Again with the mention of the war. I may be reconsidering my previous actions but that still doesn't alter my frustration with the lack of information about this war.
It is best that I use this time to try and needle my uncle for some information. He appeared to be on the fence earlier. Maybe a final push is what is required for him to cave in.
“Why is it so important that you keep this war a secret from the younger generation? Isn't history taught in schools to prevent the new generations from repeating the mistakes of the older ones? Restricting information on this war is a disservice to the younger generations.”
My uncle seemed to age a few years at the new direction this conversation was turning to.
“You don't get it, Alex. There is no point in spreading the information about the war. All it will do is reignite old hatred and rivalries. Taking into account that we will no longer have any armed conflict on that scale ever again, there is no purpose to this discussion.”
I was more confused now than before. “How can you be so sure that there will not be any large-scale conflicts in the future? If history has taught us anything, it is that humans love to fight. There will always be territorial disputes, economic imbalance, and so many more reasons for war.”
It was my father who answered this instead of my uncle as he reentered the living room. “Because if there is another large-scale war, there will be no more humanity left to inhabit this world.”
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I want to wish everyone reading this a Merry Christmas.
I wanted to delve into the family dynamics present and explore the characters more. In almost every story including this one, there are scenes where the MC stands bravely in the face of danger, completely unflinching and somehow survives against impossible odds. However, I wanted to explore the possible consequences as well as reaction and perspectives from those closest to the MC.
Will they support his completely reckless behavior or call him out on it? I wanted to showcase this often unexplored side. In a realistic world, every action has certain consequences. Is this something you want to read or is this better left unexplored?
I have also decided to change Suicune’s gender to female. This was one very popular opinion in the comments of the previous chapter and it does fit better with both Raikou and Entei being male. I will make changes to the previous chapter after I publish this. It's just a change in gender and doesn't really affect all that much.
I will also give a brief overview of the war in the next chapter. One of the main complaints about this fic was that the previous conversations and interactions were stiff and cut and dry. Is there some improvement? Please comment and give reviews.
EDIT: I think it is safe to say that the previous chapter wasn't up to the mark. I wanted to showcase the trauma of the war veterans and just how petrified they are of the legendaries. In this scenario, all the father cares about is the continued survival of his child at all costs, even if it is something as distasteful as abandoning your pokemon to die. He understands that there was nothing Alex could do but the fact that Alex was so ready to sacrifice himself for his pokemon, makes his mind become clouded by fear and grief.
Alex was basically gaslighted to reach this conclusion. The crying seven year old sister was supposed to be the final nail in imprinting this new mentality into him. But yeah, on rereading the chapter I can see how this part makes absolutely no sense. Maybe it's because I'm watching Dexter right now, but yeah I really liked this level of manipulation when writing this.
Alex was firm and determined enough to stand up to legendaries. He should be confident enough to stand up to his father. So I have rewritten some parts of the chapter. Personally, I could never bring myself to ever leave my pet to die and Pokemon are so much more than pets so neither should the MC.