The Alolan Champion’s house was not what Cashe expected of a Champion's house. It was indistinguishable from the homes around it. Small, two-storied, and made entirely of sturdy wood, it was exactly what he expected from a young family just starting out, if that family did not have the Regional and World Champion at its head.
The neighborhood was nice, of course. Nearly all neighborhoods in this world were, from what Cashe had seen. The streets were narrow, but wide enough for anyone to walk or bike down without having to worry about bumping into others, and children played games in them with their pokemon.
Cashe spotted Annie playing with her Geodude as they approached. She was dressed up in a clean red dress for the dinner and was standing far away from Geodude, clearly trying to keep the dress from getting dirty. It was tossing discarded cans at a recycling bin with enthusiasm, spurred on by Annie's encouragement. Several other children appeared to be doing the same outside of their homes with various pokemon. Cashe took it for a common game parents gave their children in to encourage them to do the chores.
The evening sun was low in the sky, but it was still pleasant and warm as they approached the Oak’s home. Cashe could smell something barbequing from one of the homes. It reminded him of summers back on Earth, quiet, lazy, and relaxed. Except for his companions, that was.
Lindon was understandably apprehensive about meeting the World Champion and her family and was turning his head between the homes as if she would jump out from behind a trash bin to ambush them. He kept touching the pokeballs on his waist, as if he expected to need to use them for some reason, and little noises made him twitch violently in place.
Emilia was also visibly nervous, though her anxiety was less understandable to Cashe. She was meeting her sister, after all, and she had just seen her for a week only a few days ago. Still, she was fiddling with her hair unconsciously, even going so far as to chew on a strand. She had been like that all day - quietly fretting about something unknown. When Cashe inquired about it she pretended to not know what he was talking about.
Cashe waved to Annie as they approached the front of her home, but the little girl didn’t seem to notice them, too absorbed in her play. They stepped up to the front door instead and stopped.
“Well?” Cashe said, “Are you going to knock, or are we just standing here?”
Emilia spat the strand of hair out of her mouth, “I’ll knock.”
Cashe waited, but Emilia didn’t move. He knocked on the door instead, the hard wood of the door clacking loud under his knuckles.
“Come in!” A man called from inside the home, his voice muffled by the door.
Emilia still hadn’t moved, so Cashe leaned in front of her and opened the door. The interior of the house revealed itself to be much like the exterior: simply, comfortable, and well maintained.
Cashe kicked off his shoes and entered the home, prompting Emilia and Lindon to do the same, stepping onto a welcoming rug in the front of the house. The front hall led to a family room. It had an open space littered with toys, a TV, a love seat and a long couch. A hall ran off to the left, and Cashe could hear the sounds of cooking. Emilia let out a long breath of air when she looked into the living room, visibly relaxing.
“Hello?” Cashe called out.
“We’re in the kitchen!” The man, presumably Bruce, shouted down the hall, “Come on in!”
Cashe followed his nose, the fragrant aroma of spices and cooking food getting stronger as he moved down the hall. Emilia and Lindon followed behind, Emilia looking much more comfortable now while Lindon grew more and more nervous.
“Cashe!” Misty smiled at him as he entered the kitchen, standing to give him a brief hug of welcome. Cashe returned it, taking a look around the kitchen.
The kitchen was small, like the home in general, but with enough room to host guests comfortably. The floors were the same wood as the rest of the house, but the kitchen tops were granite or marble - something hard looking at least. A short, handsome man stood at the stove, stirring two pans simultaneously, steam billowing up from two more and into his face. He didn’t seem to mind, turning his head and flashing Cashe with a charming smile. Elise Oak sat at a round, wooden table. The World Champion was lounging on a chair, her feet propped up on another. She was munching on a carrot, glancing over at Cashe as he entered and giving him a relaxed smile. She looked just like Emilia and Selena, but more sure of herself, more comfortable in her own skin. Cashe knew she was about ten years Emilia’s senior, but she looked only two or three. Her confidence was palpable, even as she sat and chewed on her carrot.
Misty turned from him, and released him from the hug as Emilia entered the kitchen, “You didn’t say goodbye when you left,” Misty admonished.
“I was always coming back,” Emilia grumbled.
Misty took a step back and smiled down at Lindon, who had frozen in the entrance of the kitchen upon spotting Elise.
“Emilia, don’t be rude, introduce me to your friend,” Misty said.
Emilia rolled her eyes and pushed Lindon forward, “Mom, Elise, Bruce, this is Lindon Stroute. Lindon, meet my family.”
“Stroute?” Elise said, standing up from the table to walk over and shake Lindon’s hand, “Are you related to Jan?”
Lindon’s blue eyes widened, “You know my dad?”
“Most top trainers know each other,” Elise smiled, “There aren’t very many of us, so it’s easy to keep in touch.” She turned to Cashe, “And you must be Apollo. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Emilia wouldn’t stop talking about you when she visited last week.”
Cashe took her hand, “Sorry about that,” he chuckled, “I wasn’t planning on annoying you even before we met.”
Elise smiled, “Only after, right?”
Cashe laughed, “Exactly.”
Bruce stepped away from the stove and picked up his wife, causing her to yelp in surprise. He spun around, moving her out of the way so he could also greet the guests.
“Bruce!”
“Hey,” Bruce took Cashe’s hand and gave it a firm shake, ignoring his wife’s complaints, “I’m Bruce.”
“Cashe,” Cashe said, “Nice to meet you.”
“You as well,” Bruce grinned, “Congratulations on your tournament, by the way. Did you enjoy it?”
“It was stressful,” Cashe admitted.
“Really? I would have thought you had a great time,” Bruce said with a knowing grin.
Emilia, Elise, and Misty all shot Bruce a warning look.
“Because of the high finish,” Bruce continued, “Top four is pretty amazing.” He stepped aside and signaled for everyone to sit down.
Cashe stepped around to the far side of the table and sat in a chair. Emilia sat down beside him, while Lindon took the seat closest to where he was standing.
“I was aiming for the top two,” Cashe said with a sigh, “I made a dumb mistake or two in the semi final though.”
Bruce returned to the stove, “It happens to all of us,” he said with a shrug, “I beat Elise here in our very first match because she forgot Gengar could learn Venoshock.”
“How long was that?” Elise asked, looking around the kitchen as she sat down.
“Maybe two minutes?” Misty said, smiling, “Only about one after he actually started talking.”
“Sorry?” Cashe said, “What’s going on?”
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“Bruce can’t help but mention how he beat me once-” she narrowed her eyes at her husband, “-once, whenever we meet new people. He swears he doesn’t do it on purpose.”
“What? It came up naturally,” Bruce said with a laugh, “So Cashe, do you think you would have beat Emilia if you made it to the finals? Taken away her maiden-” Bruce paused to taste the food he was cooking, “victory?”
“I doubt it,” Cashe said honestly, “Emilia pulled several new moves and strategies out for the final match that caught me off guard as an observer. I don’t know what I would have done if those were thrown at me in the middle of the battle.”
“And that was just with Omanyte,” Emilia smirked.
“Don’t worry about it, we Oaks tend to have something up our sleeve,” Elise was frowning at her husband with disapproval for some reason. She turned away from him, “Even Annie- Oh! Have you met Annie?”
“I have,” Cashe said, “But-”
“Annie!” Bruce shouted, “Get in here! We have guests.” He looked over his shoulder and at the table, “That should get her in here.”
“Really, Bruce.” Elise sighed, “I’m sorry about him, he thinks he’s funny, but-”
“I am funny.”
“But,” Elise said more firmly, “He definitely is not.”
“I’m here, Daddy!” Annie ran around the corner of the hall and entered the kitchen, her Geodude in tow. It still had a few pieces of recycling in its hand. She had somehow managed to get mud and dirt over the front of her dress in the scant minutes since the last time Cashe saw her.
Elise sighed and put her head in her hands, “Annie, say hello to our guests please. Then go change that dress.”
“Hello!” Annie turned and waved at Lindon. “I’m Annie! This is Geodude!” She pointed to her pokemon, “And you are Auntie Emi’s new friend, Lindon.”
Lindon blinked, surprised at being addressed, “Hello.”
“Do you like pokemon, Lindon?”
“Yes?” Lindon said. He glanced at Cashe for support. Cashe grinned. The kid had no problem being surrounded by adults but got lost as soon as someone younger was around.
“”I do too. I have six pokemon!” Annie announced, “Geodude, Sentret, Mareep, Smoliv, and Weedle.”
“That’s only five,” Lindon pointed out.
A guilty look passed over Annie’s face. She scampered over to Lindon’s seat and whispered loudly in his ear, “The last one’s secret.”
Elise shook her head, “Annie, we told you Grimer isn’t yours. We gave him back to the waste disposal.”
Annie pouted, looking like she wanted to complain, but didn’t. She stepped away from Lindon, “I have to go change.” She ran off to do just that.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Bruce said, checking the oven as his daughter ran off, “Hope you’re all hungry, because I made way too much.”
***
Dinner was a pleasant affair. Bruce had prepared a medley of food and true to his word, there was much more than they could possibly eat. Elise and Bruce proved to be delightful hosts. Down to earth and easy conversationalists, they brought a relaxed atmosphere to the dinner. Bruce was upbeat and unfiltered on top of that, so the dinner never lagged or entered awkward silences, drifting from one topic to the next with ease.
Once the meal was finished, they gathered in the living room. Bruce and Elise curled up in the loveseat, with Cashe, Emilia, and Misty taking the couch. Annie, having decided Lindon was hers to entertain, took it upon herself to show him her collection of rocks. As far as Cashe could tell, there was nothing special about any of them, nor did they possess any particularly unique traits. They were just rocks Annie seemed quite fond of and wanted to show off to Lindon. Lindon was patient, nodding and making all the correct noises of appreciation when a new rock was brought out.
It wasn’t long, however, before the discussion turned back to pokemon. With four active trainers and two retired ones in the room, it was an inevitability.
“Where are you planning to start?” Misty said once the conversation had lulled for a moment, “Here on Melemele?”
Emilia nodded, sighing and leaning back on the sofa, “We are going to loop around the island, battling other trainers and exploring until we find our way back to Iki Town and challenge the gym there.”
“Are you challenging the Third Circuit or the Second?” Elise said from the loveseat.
“Third, for now,” Cashe said, “I think we all want more than one evolved pokemon before we start into the Second Circuit. Everyone keeps telling us how tough Alola is with its gyms, so we don’t want to take it for granted.”
“Wise,” Bruce said with a nod.
“We also want to fill out our teams,” Lindon said, looking up from one of Annie’s rocks, “Apollo and I have three pokemon each and Emilia only has two.”
Bruce and Elise exchanged a look, “So you do want to fill out your teams,” Elise said absently, “I wondered.”
Emilia rolled her eyes, “Please do not start. We just had a nice meal.”
“Start with what?” Annie said, loudly joining the conversation.
Bruce made a face, “You know what, Annie, It’s getting pretty late. Time to clean up your rocks and head off for a bath and bed.” He stood of from his seat, “Here, I’ll bring you up.” He scooped Annie into his arms with a slight grunt, barely giving her time to collect all her rocks and carried her up the stairs. It was not a particularly subtle exit.
Annie’s question left unanswered but hung in the room, at the forefront of the silence.
“Fine,” Cashe said since both Emilia and Elise refused to speak, “What are we talking about, Emilia?”
“Nothing,” Emilia pouted, “I want to go. Can we go now?”
“Emilia is refusing to take her prize for winning the True Rookie Tournament,” Misty said gently, “Elise thinks it’s a bad decision.”
“My prize was stolen,” Emilia said, “I’m refusing to benefit from nepotism any more than I already have.”
“What’s nepotism?” Lindon said.
“Nepotism is when you get benefits for being related to people in good positions,” Elise explained, “Which is not what is happening here.”
“You’re trying to give me something I didn’t earn.”
“What you did earn was stolen. This is what it is being replaced with.”
“Is it?” Emilia said, “So those pokemon are being put into the hands of the True Rookie Tournament after I choose one.”
Elise frowned, “Not as such, but-”
“Because they are yours,” Emilia snorted, “But you would have offered to replace the grand prize of the tournament anyway, right? It had nothing to do with the fact that your sister won. If Steven Stone III won, you would be making the same offer, right?”
Elise’s frown turned into a scowl, “Steven Stone didn’t win the tournament, Emi. You did. It doesn’t matter what I would have done in other circumstances. Reality is what exists right now. You won. I offered to replace the stolen grand prize, the tournament organizers and the League accepted. The grand prize is now a pokemon of your choice and you are refusing to choose.”
“I’m not refusing to choose, I’m telling you I don’t need your handouts.”
“Emilia,” Misty said, putting a gentle hand on her daughter’s shoulder, “Your sister isn’t trying to give you a handout. She is trying to make sure your effort is recognized.”
Emilia pulled her mother’s hand off of her and stood, “Come on Cashe, we’re leaving.”
Cashe stood, but signaled Lindon to sit back down when he made to get up as well. He followed Emilia out of the living room, but pulled her into the kitchen when she tried to head for the front door.
“Cashe, what are you doing?” She complained.
Cashe dragged her over to the kitchen table and sat her down, sitting down in the chair beside her.
“Two things,” Cashe said, “First, I think we had a conversation three months ago about listening when your family is concerned about you. You should listen to your sister, Emilia.”
“You took Selena’s side then, too.” Emilia scowled.
“I just pointed out that having a family to care for you is a luxury that not everyone has,” Cashe said.
Emilia’s scowl faded, “This is different, Cashe,” she said in a quiet voice, “I want to make my own way. I don’t want my hand held as I climb this mountain. I don’t want people to say I only got to the top because of my family.”
“People are going to say that no matter what. That’s how people are.” Cashe said, “But that brings me to my second point. When we walk back in there, I will support your choice no matter what, but if you turn down your prize, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.”
“And you know the right reasons?” Emilia snorted.
“I know it would be stupid to turn down an excellent pokemon just because you don’t want people to think your sister loves you,” Cashe said, “What pokemon were you offered, anyway?”
“Munchlax, Feebas, Jangmo-o, Mimikyu, and Kartana.” Emilia sighed, “All of them are bred well and ready to be trained. Except for Kartana. Ultra Beasts are kind of different.”
Cashe whistled in appreciation, “Those are some pokemon, alright.”
“I know. I would catch any of them if I had a chance.” Emilia sighed again, “And I could really use a grass type. But a Kartana would be useless for a long time.”
“Useless?”
“You need to break Ultra Beasts in,” Emilia explained, “They won’t respect you unless you can beat them. The problem is I can't right now. Kartana would be a long term investment.”
“Ah,” Cashe nodded, “So what are you going to do then?”
Emilia took a deep breath and played with her hair, “It doesn’t feel right, taking a pokemon like this.”
“You took other pokemon,” Cashe pointed out.
“That’s different. Charmander is a starter. And I found Omanyte’s fossil when I was a little kid.”
“I was given a pokemon. Heck, I kind of stole it. Lindon was given a pokemon. Both of them, in fact.”
“This is a personal decision, not a judgment,” Emilia said, “When I become Champion, I want to feel like I earned it myself. I don’t think that will happen if I accept gift pokemon.”
“Of course it will,” Cashe rolled his eyes, “Besides, wouldn’t it feel good to beat Elise with one of her own pokemon? One that she insisted you take? There’s a delicious irony in that.”
Emilia smirked and shook her head, “Tempting, but not worth it. I want to do this my own way.”
“Okay,” Cashe nodded, “Let’s go tell your sister that.”
*****