CHAPTER 11

Before we left the Indigo Plateau, I brought out Silque so she could memorize the location for future Teleportation. I didn't miss the way the entrance guards stared in shock at the strange Pokemon they'd never seen before.

Then dad and I were off and flying back to Cherrygrove.

I was officially the new Gym Leader of Cherrygrove City now. Excitement bubbled up inside me as my mind focused on a single date: March 30th. So close, and yet so far away. I would need to train everyone to the fullest until then.

At least ten minutes must have passed of me being lost in thoughts of training plans before I noticed how strangely quiet dad was. I looked over at where he and Peri were flying alongside me and Arya.

Dad had a faraway look in his eyes as he stared off into the distance. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"Something wrong?" I asked cautiously. Dad didn't react right away. When he eventually turned to glance at me, he gave me a careful, considering look.

"It's gonna start from here, Arin," he said so softly that I almost lost his words in the wind. Arya drifted a bit closer so I could hear better. I had to stop myself from flinching when I looked into dad's eyes and saw the serious intensity reflected in them. "You remember what I said before about Kanto-Johto being adverse to change, right? And those in the League wishing to uphold tradition? You've set the wheels in motion now, Arin."

Dad paused to sigh, idly running a hand over Peri's fur as he did. "You're not just going to have to fight the League but public opinion, too. I know you're a great trainer, and I doubt I've even seen a sliver of what you can do yet, but this is different from a Pokemon battle. I can't help but worry. I myself had to deal with dissenters who thought I was too young when I first took over the Gym, but it pales in comparison to what you're gonna have to face."

He fell silent, and I was left to ruminate on his words. The wind whistled in my ears as I looked ahead.

Of course I remembered. I remembered everything dad had warned me about back on that day I told him I wanted to take over the Gym. I had etched them deeply in my heart because I knew he was telling the truth, and that there would be many things I would have to face. The path I was taking was by no means a smooth road but a mountainous, uphill one. I hadn't forgotten in the midst of everything happening around me.

I just hadn't been scared. Not then, and not now.

I had already tasted a bit of oppression in the early days of my journey through Unova. People had pointed fingers at me then and condemned me for being an Ability Holder. I had soldiered on despite it all, and look where I was now.

It wasn't going to be quite the same situation here in Kanto-Johto, but I already knew what it felt like to have the world against you.

Nothing was going to stop me.

"I know, dad," I said quietly. I saw him look at me from the corner of my eye, and I turned to face him fully with a steady gaze. "I'm ready for it. I hope you can believe in me."

He studied my face, searching for signs of doubt. There weren't any.

A gentle smile graced dad's face as he finally replied, "I do."

We flew onwards in comfortable silence.

----------------------------------------

When the Cherrygrove Gym finally came into view, I found out exactly just how fast news could travel.

Construction on the Gym had come to a halt. There was a horde of reporters camped out at the edge of the construction site with everything from parked vans, transport Pokemon, and equipment in the process of being set up. Even now, more vans and Pokemon were pulling up from the road leading from town.

A huge group of workers from Blossom Hall, including Eric, stood at the edge of their tape barricade and gestured wildly at the reporters directly in front of them as their mouths moved. It wasn't hard to guess that they were having some sort of argument.

I frowned at the sight. I couldn't believe these reporters had shown up so quickly after my visit to the Indigo Plateau, or the nerve they had to literally dump themselves and their stuff on the grounds of an active construction site.

At the very least, I wasn't worried about any of them finding the house or getting close to it. I knew both my and dad's Pokemon wouldn't have let any intruder take even one step into the forest behind the Gym. That was all private property anyway, and we would have the grounds to charge for trespassing if anyone did.

Peri and Arya stopped flying to hover in the air, allowing me some time to think.

"I have to go down there," I finally declared, eyes shifting over to dad's figure. "The Blossom Hall workers can't get anything done with all these reporters camping out, and I'm the one they're looking for."

"Do you have a plan, Arin?" Dad asked me. "They're not going to just leave even if you tell them to. These reporters are here for the next big story."

I hummed to myself, thinking. Dad was right that the reporters wouldn't just up and leave because I asked them to. I could threaten to have them removed by the local police if they continued to stay and obstruct construction, but that would just encourage them to come back every day until they got a scoop. Plus, it would just waste time, precious time that Blossom Hall needed to finish the gym within the original schedule.

I needed a way to remove the reporters and fast, as well as hopefully get them off my back for a while. The workers needed to focus on construction, and I needed to focus on training gym Pokemon for the promotion test.

The only thing I could think of was talking to them like they wanted, which greatly irked me. I didn't want to give these incredibly intrusive reporters any information if I could help it, but it needed to be done. It was probably good to say at least something to the public before the promotion test anyway and make myself known to Kanto-Johto.

If I was going to do this, then I needed to set the terms. An idea popped into my mind for the location.

"I got it," I muttered as I fished out my phone and looked up a certain number. Dad watched me with a puzzled expression.

I waited patiently for the call to pick up.

"Hello, this is Cherrygrove City Hall. How can we help you today?" a woman's voice eventually answered.

"Hi, this is the Cherrygrove Gym Leader, Arin Watanuki. I'd like to speak with the mayor in person. Is he free right now?" I asked innocently.

"L-Let me check," the woman said quickly in response, clearly flustered. "Please hold!" I heard her dash off and waited patiently. Not even five seconds later, she came back and let out a shaky yes. I told them to expect me in five minutes.

When I ended the call and looked at dad, I saw he had one brow raised in confusion. "You're going to City Hall?" Dad asked with a tilt of his head.

I nodded firmly, smirking a bit. "Yeah. I'm going to give these reporters something to talk about."

Dad didn't probe further and simply nodded, trusting me. I told dad I would take care of everything and that he should wait for me back home. We swapped rides since I was in need of Peri's speed later, and then the Togekiss dove down towards the Gym.

More than a few reporters jumped back in fright as Peri appeared from out of nowhere and zoomed to a stop. I jumped off before he even fully landed.

"Arin!" Eric called out in relief when he saw me. I'd gotten him to drop the Gym Leader title since the last time we spoke. The rest of the workers around him looked just as relieved to see me. I felt bad already for all the trouble the journalists must have caused them.

The sound of my name immediately caused all the reporters to tense and turn towards me as one with gleams in their eyes. They resembled hungry Mightyena about to pounce on their prey. Now able to put a face to a name, they began taking pictures of me and shouting questions all over each other.

I stared back with an unflinching and unamused gaze.

For the time being, I ignored them and turned to Eric and his employees.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect them to swarm this place like this and disrupt the construction," I apologized loudly over the din. "I hope you didn't go through too much trouble."

Eric just shook his head vigorously, hands flailing back and forth. "No, no! It's not your fault, Arin," Eric assured me. Raising his voice, he turned his head to glare at the reporters behind us and yell at them. "It's because of these people that we can't work properly. Yes, all of YOU! Please leave already so we can work!"

The rest of the workers chimed in and yelled out their own words of agreement, shaking their fists in the air.

I took this moment to turn to the crowd of reporters and raise a brow.

"Well?" I said loudly to make myself heard. The strangers quieted down when they realized I was finally saying something to them. Unfortunately, they weren't the words they wanted to hear. I needed to make myself clear and show that this was unacceptable behavior. "What do you have to say for yourselves? You're obstructing these workers and their business. If you're decent people, you'll apologize to them."

I heard a few reporters scoff which made my eyes narrow slightly. To my pleasant surprise, some reporters did actually look a bit abashed when I pointed out their behavior, and they bowed slightly to the workers and muttered apologies. That was more than I had expected. I did a quick scan of the crowd to memorize the faces of the people who had bothered to apologize, and then I nodded curtly.

"You," I pointed to the first person I saw apologize to the workers. He looked a bit startled at having been singled out and pointed to himself.

"Me?" he asked just to be sure, and I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Yes. Which news company are you from?" I asked.

The man quickly straightened. "Goldenrod Post, Gym Leader Arin. Name's Wilfred Kemp," he answered instantly. I nodded.

"Well Wilfred, since you apologized first to the workers, I'll call on you for the first question in the press conference," I casually informed him. "Everyone else I just saw apologize will be called on early as well." This instantly caused the reporters around him to gasp and start apologizing to the workers, and I seriously had to refrain from rolling my eyes again. Too little, too late.

Meanwhile, Wilfred stared at me with a very interested expression. "Press conference?" he repeated. I nodded.

Raising my voice, I called out to the crowd. "Thirty minutes from now, in front of the Cherrygrove City Hall, I will answer some of your questions. It will have to be a short conference for now since I need to prepare for the promotion test, but I will hold a longer one at a later time."

I didn't wait to hear their reactions. I jumped onto Peri's back, and he left them in the dust as he sped away to our destination. It didn't take long before Peri dropped me off in front of a large white building in the city's center. A flag with the city's symbol, a cherry blossom, was hoisted above the red-tiled roof.

I didn't stop to take in more details and walked briskly inside.

"Arin Watanuki," I said simply but politely to the lady at the counter. Her eyes widened, and she quickly shot up out of her seat.

"Right this way!" The receptionist half-ran down the hallway to a set of double doors accented with gold. She knocked on the door and then scurried away. I took that as my cue to enter.

The mayor's office had a very comforting atmosphere. A large circular rug with the shape of a Hoppip embroidered on it took up most of the room's center. Large bookcases filled with tomes and scented candles lined the walls. I could have mistaken the place for a library.

At the back of the office was a familiar figure already waiting for me. He was a tall, plump elderly man with round glasses and a signature green bowtie.

"Mayor Sotheby," I said with a smile as I strode forward.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

He hadn't changed at all in a decade. Arthur Sotheby had been the presiding Mayor of Cherrygrove City long before I was even born. He was wildly popular with the locals for his selfless nature and devotion to the city. I had only met him a few times before as a child when he came to talk to dad occasionally at our house, but he always had a few kind words for me and handed me a peppermint candy every time.

The mayor greeted me now with a wide smile.

"If I hadn't known who you were in advance, I wouldn't have recognized you, Arin," he chuckled. We met in the middle of the room and shook hands. "Oh, I suppose I should say Gym Leader now, shouldn't I?"

I immediately shook my head. "Arin is fine. We'll be crossing paths quite often in the future from now on, so there's no need for formalities." I also respected the man too much that it felt weird hearing him address me by an official title.

He threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Ohoho, then you must call me Arthur in return," he said with twinkling eyes. After I readily agreed, Arthur pointed to the couch in the room. We both sat down.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw the TV special a little less than an hour ago about your new appointment. I almost thought I was dreaming. The little boy from back then suddenly came back as our city's Gym Leader," Arthur guffawed. "Some advance notice might have been nice, I admit. The phones have been ringing nonstop to the point where I had my secretaries just unplug them all for a bit. Everyone wants to know more about you."

I winced. "Sorry about that," I apologized. That had been a little careless of me to not inform my city's own mayor first. "What you said actually ties into a request I'd like to ask of you. I want to borrow the plaza in front of the City Hall for a little while in about… twenty-two minutes from now. I need to give some reporters that swarmed the Gym earlier something to chew on before I chase them away, and I thought the locals would want to hear what I have to say as well."

Arthur took everything I said in stride, looking the very picture of calm as he crossed one leg over the other. "Go right ahead," he said, easily granting me permission. I blinked twice. I must have looked surprised because Arthur guffawed again.

"What, you thought I was going to deny your request or something?" he teased. I nodded sheepishly.

Arthur looked beyond amused as he tugged at his bowtie. "My dear boy, I've always been a strong supporter of the Cherrygrove Gym. Your father and grandfather had always taken excellent care of our community during their terms and helped solve any problems that cropped up, both big and small. The least I can do now is offer my support to you now as the new Gym Leader."

"That's…" I trailed off. I hadn't expected such a strong source of support, honestly. I voiced as such now. "Thank you, but… are you not concerned about the Gym's new type?"

"Nonsense," Arthur instantly shot back. He waved his hand in dismissal. "What does changing the type have to do with anything? It's still the Cherrygrove Gym in my eyes." He paused to peer at me curiously, glasses slipping a bit down his nose as he did. "I don't really know much about the Fairy type, though, so I will say I'm eager for any information you might give me and the locals in the future."

"Of course." I nodded resolutely. This impromptu press conference was starting to seem like a better and better idea. While I needed to get my name out to Kanto-Johto as a whole, I also had to show the locals who their new Gym Leader was.

Arthur left me alone after that to go speak to some employees and set things up outside the building. Inside his office, I went over possible questions and answers in my head. I drifted towards the City Hall entrance half a minute before the conference.

It was time to get this show started.

I pushed the doors open and walked out, descending down the stairs into the plaza. Camera flashes immediately went off in a frenzy of movement as reporters took as many pictures as they could. Some were recording videos for live television. I could see more than a few locals had gathered behind the horde of reporters to see the event.

City Hall employees had set up some chairs outside, but many of the reporters had brought their own foldable chairs and laptops to take notes with. I stepped up to the microphone stand that had been set up for me already near the foot of the staircase. Just to be sure, I tested it lightly to see if it was working properly. It was.

Then I took a breath.

"Hello. I'm Arin Watanuki, the new Gym Leader of the Cherrygrove Gym," I said smoothly into the microphone. "Let's get started right away."

As previously promised, I pointed at the man who had apologized first to the Blossom Hall workers. Wilfred stood up from his chair and looked at me.

"Wilfred Kemp from Goldenrod Post. Gym Leader Arin, ever since the Cherrygrove Gym's founding, it's been a Grass type gym. I'd like to ask the following question: why have you changed the Gym to a Fairy type?" he asked in a loud but polite voice.

I wasn't surprised to get this question right off the bat. I knew it was probably what people were most curious about.

"It's simple. I'm a Fairy Specialist," I answered. Wilfred scrunched his brows together and looked like he was going to ask for more info, but I beat him to it. "I don't have the same passion for Grass type Pokemon as my father and predecessors. A Gym Leader cannot run a gym without that passion to drive them. So, I changed the Gym to Fairy type."

Wilfred still looked a bit unsatisfied, but he uttered his thanks before sitting down. I pointed at the next person.

"Where have you been for the last decade? According to our research, there are no records of you having participated in any Kanto-Johto Conferences."

I hummed to myself. It was expected that they would have tried to look up information about me beforehand. "I've been traveling the world while honing my skills as a trainer. It is correct that I have not participated in any Kanto-Johto Conferences; however, I have participated in Conferences in other regions such as Hoenn or Sinnoh before the emergence of the Kinjoh Area, as well as those outside of its influence."

This caused a huge stir among the reporters. There were plenty of regions out there either left undiscovered or inaccessible to the Kinjoh Area for a multitude of reasons. Most people never got to even learn their names, let alone see them.

The same reporter excitedly tried to follow up. "Where have you been exactly—"

"I apologize, but I would like to keep questions limited to me, the Gym, or about the Fairy type since we are short on time. I'd be happy to answer questions about other matters in a later press conference," I interrupted politely.

The journalist wore a disappointed expression as he slowly sat back down. Other people around him were frantically typing away on their laptops. I wondered if they were trying to dig up my Conference records from Hoenn and Sinnoh. If so, they weren't likely to find anything in the archives. Ten years ago, technology had not been nearly as advanced.

The next person stood up. "Gym Leader Arin, the Fairy type is still relatively new in the Kinjoh Area. As a Specialist, can you please give us a better idea of what the Fairy type is?"

I nodded in approval. That was a great question and one I had been hoping someone would ask, and I said as much. "Excellent question, and one with an answer that to this very day I'm still expanding upon," I said with a smile. I held my hands out as I continued speaking, gesturing with them occasionally.

"What are Fairy type Pokemon? They are as elusive as Dragon types, can rage as fiercely as Fire types, or be as gentle as Grass types. They encompass many aspects, and that's the point. Fairies are whimsical. They are loveable, playful, and ruthless all-in-one. They act and do what they want without the shackles of the world binding them. They make their own rules."

Reporters furiously scribbled down my speech word-for-word. I smiled, pausing to set my hands back down on the table. "If I had to use just one word to describe the Fairy type at its core, then I would use this: belief. It is with the powers of belief and perception that Fairies can shape the world around them."

I ended my explanation there for two reasons: one, we still needed to get to other questions, and two, I wasn't about to go full in-depth on the innermost secrets of a Fairy's powers and how they could manipulate reality. That was stuff that should only be learned by those with good intentions and serious aspiring Fairy Specialists who could handle it.

At least now people in Kanto-Johto would hopefully have a slightly broader understanding of what the Fairy type was about. In the future, I hoped to spread more teachings about Fairies across Kanto-Johto and eventually all of the Kinjoh Area. It was high time this part of the world caught up to the rest.

But those were ambitions for another day in the far off future. Right now, I had to chase after other goals.

The interview continued on for some time. Most of the questions were pretty simple and ones I expected, ranging from what my Elite team was like (which I answered was a secret for the time being, since I had some suspicions about the upcoming promotion test) to questions about the Gym's ongoing construction and even more personal ones about me such as my age. I answered all of them in stride.

At one point, someone brought up the age-old question.

"It's common knowledge now that Fairy type Pokemon are immune to Dragon type moves. Do you believe Fairies are superior to Dragons?" a reporter asked. I almost narrowed my eyes at his specific word choice but kept a calm expression.

"No Pokemon type is superior to another," I easily replied. "Any Specialist or other experienced trainer could and would tell you the same. Type weaknesses are not everything in a battle. There are numerous other factors to take into account."

The reporter pressed on. "Okay. May I ask another question then? Have you trained your team to be able to take on Dragon types?"

"I have."

Then came a half-expected curveball.

"Do you think you have the ability to take on a renowned trainer from the Blackthorn Clan, such as Gym Leader Clair?"

I paused as reporters everywhere adopted excited expressions.

I knew who the Blackthorns were. Basically everybody in Kanto-Johto did, even small children who'd barely learned to speak. They were the oldest and most noble family in Johto known for their Dragon Tamers. They'd ruled Blackthorn City for ages, and one of their own was always appointed as the Blackthorn City Gym Leader.

This generation, it was Clair Ibuki.

Clair was the next rising star of the Blackthorn Clan after Lance Wataru, the current Champion of the Indigo League himself. She hadn't been Gym Leader when I first left Johto, but I still knew who she was since I had kept up with news about my home region while traveling. She was the same age as me and had led the Blackthorn Gym for almost five years now. Her Gym was widely regarded as the hardest and the one that almost all trainers challenged last to qualify for the Silver Conference.

As to why this had suddenly come up in the interview, I had a pretty good feeling when I peered at the reporter's face and saw the glint in his eyes. He was looking for a specific story, and I wasn't going to give him this one.

"No comment. Your question strays away from the point of this conference," I said calmly. I started to point at the next person, but that same reporter kept standing.

"Does that mean you think you can defeat her but are just staying silent for courtesy's sake?" the man said with a sly smile.

I really did not like this guy now. I knew there were going to be bad apples in the bunch since this was an impromptu press conference where the attendees hadn't been vetted for integrity, but it still made me mad. I wanted to glare but that would not be a good look for live television, so I forced myself to stay indifferent. "Please refrain from making thoughtless remarks based on your own speculation."

"But am I right?" the man demanded eagerly. "I am, aren't I?!"

I said nothing and just gestured off to the side. Nearby security guards from City Hall marched over and escorted the disruptive reporter out of the plaza. The rest of the crowd stayed silent.

I stood there the entire time with a composed expression.

"I'd like to begin wrapping up this press conference since I need to prepare for the upcoming promotion test. Any last questions?"

A reporter raised their hand. "About the promotion test: how confident do you feel about it?"

"Very."

"It's a fact, though, that no minor gym has ever passed the promotion test before in the entire history of the Indigo League," another reporter piped up politely. "What makes you think you can be the first to do so?"

"Hard work," I said seriously, my gaze sweeping across the sea of faces. "I've dedicated the last decade of my life to learning everything there is to know about Fairy type Pokemon. I'm confident that I will be able to show off my understanding of them during the exam."

"But the same could be said of other Gym Leaders who failed in the past," someone else countered. "What makes you different? What if your decision to change the Gym type turns out to be a poor one?"

I stared at the crowd in front of me. Some just looked eager and others looked a bit bored, but most of them wore ravenous expressions as they looked back at me.

Their true natures were spilling out. As much as they wanted a success story, the same could be said of the opposite.

Platitudes were useless. I could spend an hour trying to convince these people that I was taking the Cherrygrove Gym in the right direction and going to succeed, but they wouldn't care. There would always be doubters. There would always be people who wanted to see me fall to the ground.

Even in the midst of all this, I somehow felt more sure of myself than I had ever been.

So what if people thought I couldn't make it? I just needed to prove them all wrong. This was a challenge I was not backing away from.

No more running away.

My grip on the mic tightened, and the crowd fell silent as they sensed that I was about to speak. A quiet fire of determination blazed in my heart.

I wore a proud, confident smile as I spoke my next words clearly.

"Just watch me. I'll show you how far I can go."

With that as my final declaration, I turned off the mic, ignored the stunned reporters, and flew away on Peri before they came back to their senses.

Actions spoke louder than words.

----------------------------------------

"Just watch me. I'll show you how far I can go."

Pryce Yanagi stared at the face of the new Cherrygrove Gym Leader on the TV screen in front of him. He continued staring long after the young man had left the frame and ads began playing.

Over an hour ago, he had been contacted by Lance Wataru of all people and been asked to step in for Clair Ibuki for the final part of the promotion test. He didn't have the option to refuse since it was his duty as a member of the League, but he rather enjoyed the fact that the Champion had sounded a bit strained asking for his help.

That was beside the point. Lance had told him he would be testing the new Cherrygrove Gym Leader.

Now he finally had a face to put to a name.

Oh, what a new and young Gym Leader Arin Watanuki was. He had presented himself as being polite and humble, but he had also bared his fangs at the end. He had declared to the world his intent to rise up in the ranks of the Indigo League.

Pryce would never allow it.

For once, he agreed with Lance on something needing to be done. The weed known as the new Fairy Gym of Cherrygrove needed to be rooted out before it could begin to spread and infect the rest of the League with its nonsense beliefs.

Pryce had lived a long, long time. He had seen things many others had not, experienced horrors during the war that could never be said out loud, and endured the scrutiny of gazes from within the country and beyond during his tenure as Champion. His whole life, he had been fighting for Johto and working to preserve its long-held traditions and glory.

Values and ways of life had been carried through the region's tumultuous history and passed down to descendants, creating a sense of identity that unified the people as one. It instilled pride in them as they followed the tried and true ways of their ancestors. The eight major gyms were looked up to as symbols of power and prosperity that had endured the tests of time and war. They helped raise young trainers into talents that boosted the region's prestige.

Tradition was what made Johto strong. Tradition was what kept Johto safe.

Now some upstart with only ten years of training experience under his belt had appeared, claiming to be a Fairy Specialist and threatening to upend the current hierarchy.

Pryce almost hated Arin more than Lance.

In two weeks' time, he would crush the young fool's dreams and make him learn his place.

----------------------------------------

When the reporter on her TV screen asked the question about Fairies and Dragons to the new Cherrygrove Gym Leader, Clair Ibuki sat very still in her gym's office.

Arin Watanuki never answered the heated questions, but that didn't matter to her.

She was furious.

How dare they even think to compare some unknown trainer to her or her noble Clan, much less a blasted Fairy type user? Had everybody forgotten the might of dragons? How the Blackthorns had ruled their city for generations?

Why was everyone so obsessed with the new Fairy type Gym and its Leader? They had nothing on the prestige of the existing eight major gyms, none of the glory or the reverent traditions. Clair wanted to do something, but Lance was watching her too closely at the moment.

Pryce Yanagi got exactly one chance. If he screwed up, she would take matters into her own hands, consequences be damned.

Nothing could exist above a Dragon, only below.