CHAPTER 13

"Bubble Beam. Spread it wide."

Azumarill sprayed a wave of fast-moving bubbles in a long arc upon my command, but none of them hit his target. Mr. Puff weaved back and forth with Minimize.

"Defense Roll!" Dad barked. On the opposite side of the field, Mr. Puff glowed white as he ricocheted forward in a spinning ball of fur.

"Match it!" I countered. I was proud to see Azumarill moving almost before I finished. He was getting better at reacting faster during a battle. A second later, both Pokemon rolled into each other so hard that they went spinning backwards from the impact.

"Flip into Bounce!"

"Drop fast with Gyro Ball!"

Dad and I both had similar ideas as we commanded our Pokemon. Azumarill backflipped into the ground and slammed his tail against it, rocketing forward. At the same time, Mr. Puff used the Steel type energy from Gyro Ball to make himself heavier and drop instantly to the ground before spinning towards us. The pink and blue Pokemon met once again in a head-on collision.

I raised a hand as they hit the ground hard.

"Alright, we'll end the spar here! Great work both of you. You're reacting much faster to commands now," I called out to them. "Azumarill, you're really taking Zuzu's lessons to heart. That was a good backflip into Bounce. Mr. Puff, the power of your moves has increased a lot. You're hitting so much harder now."

Both Pokemon picked themselves up off the ground and turned toward me. Azumarill bowed shyly in thanks while Mr. Puff tried to hide a small smile. I grinned proudly at them before turning around. "Okay, next!"

Azumarill and Mr. Puff tottered off to go take a break as Tinkaton and Gardevoir took their places on the field. Today, I was helping the gym Pokemon get used to fighting under a trainer's command like we had done already for several past sessions.

A week had passed since my visit to the Ishimoto household. I'd busied myself with preparations for the upcoming promotion exam, carefully guiding everyone through training sessions each day. With Neil and dad's help, I had more time to focus on the higher tier Pokemon since the low tier Pokemon were easy enough for Neil and dad to manage on their own. Neil and dad were learning fast about Fairy type Pokemon, but they only knew the basics still.

I was very thorough with my preparations. I hadn't just spent time training the gym Pokemon and my Elite team but myself as well.

The exam proctors would obviously test my ability to field appropriate Pokemon for each badge tier, but I also brushed up on my reasoning skills in case they asked me to explain the rationale behind decisions I made. For example, why I chose to go with so-and-so strategy for a particular challenge instead of something else.

I had dad grill me each day with hypothetical battle situations as practice for that. Basically, he would give me a scenario of an example challenger and team before we verbally went through an imaginary Pokemon battle. Dad would ask me questions after each battle, and I would have to explain why I battled like I had. It was actually pretty fun. It reminded me of how I used to test my students with a similar game at Naranja-Uva Academy. The point of these exercises was to make sure I was giving the right kind of difficulty for each challenger depending on what badge level they were at.

As for the gym Pokemon, they were making good progress. A few of them had evolved thanks to their hard work, including a Marill and Snubbull from the first batch of Pokemon I'd caught on Route 30. Their evolutions had actually inspired their more battle enthusiastic peers to train harder which, needless to say, pleased me greatly.

I'd even begun teaching some simple combination moves to a small group of Pokemon that were ready for that step. For example, I'd taught Mr. Puff and Azumarill how to smoothly combine Defense Curl and Rollout in one motion. They wouldn't be ready for anything more advanced until after the promotion test, but that was fine. I'd helped them all learn a few new moves to add to their arsenals.

I had an idea already of which Pokemon I was going to bring with me as options for each tier, including the fifth badge level. Azumarill, Mr. Puff, Cally, a few others… and the two Pokemon currently on the field in front of me, Tinkaton and Gardevoir.

Tinkaton was still big on offense, but she had learned to weave in other kinds of attacks and not rush in blindly. After the promotion test, she'd probably be around the sixth badge tier if she kept up her current pace of training.

Gardevoir… well, actually, she was probably a little too strong for the test on this point. She was right on the edge of the sixth badge level because of the high level of technique she had. She'd already been crazy good with Psychic type attacks when I caught her, but after I'd helped her harness Fairy type energy more efficiently, she'd gotten even stronger.

I probably wouldn't bring her for the test, but that wasn't a bad thing. Gardevoir was definitely heading straight towards the eighth badge tier for my Gym if she continued working hard over the next few months.

"Tinkaton, you ready for this?" I asked. The Paldean Pokemon let out an eager scream, holding her hammer at the ready. She always loved a good fight and challenged my own Elite Pokemon frequently much to their amusement. To be honest, she was starting to grow on me, too, now that she no longer acted out.

Across from us, Gardevoir bowed slightly to me. I smiled and dipped my head in acknowledgement. She was always so polite.

The spar began as dad and I both yelled out commands.

"Calm Mind!"

"Fake Out!"

Gardevoir glowed as she began concentrating, but Tinkaton put a stop to it almost instantly by slamming her hammer against the ground. The resulting shockwave made Gardevoir flinch and snap out of her half-formed focused state, and I immediately swept my arm forward.

"Flash Cannon!" I ordered. Tinkaton's jaw dropped as she fired off a blinding beam of light.

"Get out with Teleport! Make copies!" Dad shouted, but Gardevoir was one step ahead of him already. She swiftly Teleported to the side of the beam as dozens of clones surrounded Tinkaton from the use of Double Team.

Since this was a spar, I decided to try out a move Tinkaton was still working on.

"Flatter."

Red waves shot outwards from Tinkaton in a distorted arc, but they didn't move as quickly as I would have liked. Dad immediately called for another Teleport. Gardevoir's clones all appeared in the air above the red waves, unleashing a blinding flash of light as a follow up. The Dazzling Gleam took Tinkaton by complete surprise and made her fly back with eyes squeezed shut.

"Come on, Tinkaton! Fairy Wind!" I urged.

Still with eyes closed, Tinkaton screamed as shimmering wind fueled by her fury blanketed the whole area. The clones vanished. Gardevoir had nowhere to Teleport to avoid the attack and stumbled, struggling to stay grounded.

I seized the opening.

"Play Rough! Ten o'clock!" I barked quickly.

Tinkaton's eyes snapped open as she leaped with surprising speed. Her jump was a bit off since she wasn't used to such precise directions yet, but her wide swing more than made up for it. A hammer with writhing Fairy energy slammed into Gardevoir. She tumbled backwards.

The spar lasted another five minutes. Tinkaton put up more than a good fight, but Gardevoir gradually wore her down at the end with constant Teleports and long range attacks. I ended it before either side got too tired.

I made sure to praise both Pokemon, especially the disappointed Tinkaton, at the end. Both of them went off to rest, and I called in the next set of Pokemon.

And the next, and the next.

Eventually, I called out loudly and announced the end of the session. Dad, Neil, and I distributed food for the Pokemon who hadn't eaten yet before training started, and everyone else dispersed to go rest or play.

After we finished, Neil went back home to eat with his family. Souta was still in the dumps, but apparently he came out of his room to sit quietly in the living room and watch TV sometimes. His parents considered that an improvement.

Back in the house, Dad and I made some eggs on toast for breakfast since we were feeling lazy. While dad sipped on his new favorite drink, which was brewed from none other than the coffee beans I'd gotten him from Mesagoza, I decided to check social media. I realized I hadn't looked at any since coming back to Johto, and I was curious how Kanto-Johto had reacted to my appearance.

There was just a small problem.

I only had social media accounts for apps used on the other side of the world. The ones used in the Kinjoh Area were completely different. For example, Frillbook and Farbook versus Indeegram and Chimegram. There were only a few social media accounts — such as Chatter or Teddit — that were universal but region locked depending on what side of the world you were in.

"Legendaries…" I muttered to myself. I stuffed a piece of toast in my mouth before I began making fresh accounts. It was a little annoying, but at least the process went fast. If only all the regions in the world just finally connected with each other… I idly wondered if that would ever happen during my lifetime.

I made accounts for the most well-known social media platforms and even one for Turtwitch, a live streaming app that had originated from Sinnoh (in the rest of the world, it was more popular to stream on PokeTube). Thankfully, I didn't have to make new ones for Chatter, Teddit, or PokeTube. After I verified my existing accounts to show that I had dual citizenship, I was allowed access past the regional block.

I leaned back in my chair and decided to check Chatter first. My finger tapped on the trending section. Lo and behold, practically the entire page was related to me somehow.

1. NEWS / TRENDING

Arin Watanuki

500K posts

2. POKEMON / TRENDING

Fairy Type

427K posts

TRENDING IN KANTO-JOHTO

#CherrygroveGym

312K posts

#CherrygroveGymLeader

398K posts

I went down the list. There was everything from #FairySpecialist to Johto Gym History to #FairiesVsDragons. Intrigued, I pulled up random trending Chats on my timeline.

Tuff Tuff King (Verified) • tufftuffking • 7d

We've never had a prominent Fairy Specialist before in the Kinjoh Area, so this is awesome. Rooting for the new Gym. Please just tell me the new Cherrygrove Gym Leader has a Wigglytuff on his team… Fingers crossed.

1K Comments / 1.8K ReChats / 3K Likes / 5.1K Views

Nika Chari • nikaacharii • 6d

[Video clip of highlights from Arin Watanuki's speech]

Here are the best moments from Arin Watanuki's press conference. I got chills from his last statement. I'm not sure he can back it up, though. Penny for your thoughts?

5K Comments / 7.4K ReChats / 8K Likes / 10K Views

Saras Kleeman • saraskleeman8 • 4d

new cherrygrove gym leader is CUTE. xoxo sign me up for a gym challenge right away, sir.

3K Comments / 10.2K ReChats / 23K Likes / 39K Views

One brow was arched delicately as I stared with a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment at the last post I read. Why the hell were people talking about my appearance of all things in the midst of an upheaval in the political landscape? I shook my head, deciding to keep scrolling.

The Chats ranged from the silliest of reactions to more important ones, but everyone was interested in who I was. The biggest question on everyone's minds was whether or not I'd even pass the promotion test in the first place. I saw a lot of posts where people either dismissed me as an overconfident fool or believed in a success story. The rest of the social media apps and news sites I checked showed a similar divide in public opinion.

Other than a brief twinge of annoyance, I didn't get worked up over all the posts and articles that said I was going to fail. It just wasn't worth it, and they had reason to doubt based on a history of previous failed attempts from numerous other minor gyms.

I was going to prove that I would be the exception in one week's time.

With my initial curiosity now satisfied, I was about to put my phone down when I saw an interesting video near the bottom of the site I was browsing. It had been posted about a week ago and had a thumbnail of the Blackthorn Gym Leader, Clair Ibuki. The title was simply Gym Leader Clair Speaks.

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I clicked on it, intrigued. The Blackthorn name still made me irritated every time I saw or heard it, but right now, I was more interested in Clair Ibuki. Once I passed the promotion test, we would be fellow Gym Leaders of major gyms for the Johto region. I wanted to know what kind of person she was and more importantly, if she shared her Clan's beliefs on Fairy type Pokemon.

The video loaded almost instantly.

A young woman with sharp features appeared on the screen. Her long turquoise hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and she wore a short black cape that fluttered in the passing breeze and instantly reminded me of Lance Wataru's own image. Bright blue eyes focused on the reporter standing next to her. From the ramrod straight posture to the poised hand on her hip, every part of Clair Ibuki screamed confidence and dignity.

"Gym Leader Clair, thank you for taking the time to speak with me in between gym challenges," the reporter began. "I understand you must be busy, so those of us at Olivine Daily truly appreciate it. I'm sure our viewers are thrilled, too."

Clair offered a small but polite smile in return. "It's my pleasure, but please understand that I can only stay for a few minutes before I must return."

The reporter nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Let's get right into it. Today we'd like to ask you about a certain individual everyone is talking about right now: Arin Watanuki, the new Gym Leader of Cherrygrove City! We would love to hear your thoughts about him as a fellow Gym Leader."

The moment my name left the reporter's mouth, I instantly became twice as attentive. I stared more closely at the screen, wondering what would be said about me.

"I'm afraid I can't form much of an opinion at the moment since we have never met in person," Clair easily replied. "I do not know what kind of person he is, but I have seen his press conference and acknowledge that he seems like a bright individual. I would be interested in meeting him someday should he pass the promotion test and enter the ranks of the major gyms."

My brows furrowed as I caught the slightest hint of movement. Clair's fingers had tightened a bit around her clothes… or had I just imagined that?

The reporter nodded. "That's reasonable. Do you believe he can pass the test?"

"It will be difficult, but he may yet triumph," Clair said simply. "The test is known to be difficult to ensure the highest level of standards for the Johto major gyms. I wish him luck."

The reporter nodded again, drawing the microphone closer. "I see, then what about— oh," the reporter broke off suddenly as he ducked his head, bringing his free hand up to the earpiece he wore. He was silent for a few brief seconds as something was relayed to him.

Whatever it was made his face light up with excitement, and he quickly turned back to Clair. "Gym Leader Clair, we've just received some very shocking news. Up until now, we had no idea of any of the Pokemon that Leader Arin possesses, but someone has just revealed with pictures on Chatter that he was seen in Cherrygrove with a Dragonite."

I blinked. Those pictures must have been taken by the daughter of Neil's neighbor that one time I went over to his house. I remembered her taking out a phone.

I snapped my attention back to the video and watched as Clair's composed expression actually fell for a moment as she stared with shock at the reporter. He didn't miss that.

"It's very unusual, isn't it? A Fairy Specialist with a Dragon! Do you have anything to say regarding this as a Dragon Specialist?"

The reporter stared at her expectantly, as did I. Clair's face quickly smoothed itself back out into a calm expression, but I paid more attention to the hand on her hip. She was clutching her uniform so tightly that I saw her knuckles starting to turn white.

"Very… unusual indeed," Clair finally said slowly. It was a bit hard to tell, but I was pretty sure I just saw Clair's eye twitch. "I would not have expected him to have a Dragonite as a Fairy Specialist. It speaks volumes about his skill as a trainer."

It was quite obvious to me from the slow and pronounced way she got out each word that Clair was not happy. I had no way of knowing for sure and could only hazard a guess. Was she annoyed that I had a Pokemon that was considered the symbol of the Blackthorns?

I didn't have time to think more as the reporter continued. "Truly! I can't help but wonder what other Pokemon he has now. But let's move onto the next question: what is your opinion on Fairy types, Leader Clair? It is widely known that Fairy types are immune to Dragon type moves. Our viewers are interested in hearing your thoughts as someone with an opposing type specialty."

This time, Clair's eyes flashed with emotion as she dropped the hand from her hip. "Immune they might be, but that is all. I have no doubt Dragons would overwhelm them," she said brusquely. The reporter hung onto her every word.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but Clair had already swept her cape back and stalked away. "If you'll excuse me, I must return to the Gym now. Thank you for the interview."

The video ended there.

I was left staring at the paused screen with narrowed eyes.

I have no doubt Dragons would overwhelm them. Not even could, but would. I hadn't missed the specific word choice.

It looked like my hopes of Clair being less like the rest of her Clan were dashed. She clearly shared their sentiments of Dragons being superior to Fairy types, yet I couldn't help but wonder what the extent of her beliefs were.

Clair Ibuki was a Gym Leader of Johto. She couldn't be that biased or terrible of a person… right?

I even vaguely wondered about Lance Wataru while I was on the topic of the Blackthorns. From the interviews and other public appearances I'd seen of him, he seemed to be a pretty decent guy who was trying to change Kanto-Johto for the better.

Now I worried that even the Champion of the Indigo League was personally against Fairy types.

Of course, there was no way to know. I had yet to actually meet either Clair or Lance, so maybe I could give them the benefit of the doubt for now. It was the rest of their Clan I was really worried about anyway since they had a — not — proven record of shady actions.

Even if Clair and Lance turned out to be against my new position and Gym, I doubted they would try anything against me publicly. That would be a death sentence to their reputations as people in high positions of power. If anything, I had to watch out for less subtle moves. Something like…

I stilled. There was no way… but what if the promotion test—

I quickly put a stop to that train of thought, clenching my jaw. No. What I was thinking was impossible. There was no way they could tamper with the test. It had to be conducted fairly or the public outrage would absolutely kill the Indigo League's authority and cause a point of no return.

I sighed, poking at an uneaten piece of toast on my plate. Out of sight, out of mind, I told myself firmly. The promotion test came first. I would think more about politics later.

I looked up when I realized how silent the table was. Dad had long since finished his cup of coffee and was watching me now with a concerned expression.

"Were you listening to the—"

"Yep," Dad said before I finished. He offered a wry smile as he leaned back in his chair. "The volume on your phone is set to much louder than you think, son."

"Ah… sorry," I murmured. I poked at my toast again, but my eyes stayed on dad as he spoke again.

"Are you worried about the Blackthorns again, Arin?" he asked.

I shrugged tiredly. "Kind of. But don't worry, I'm focusing on the promotion test first and foremost," I replied.

Dad studied me carefully. "About Clair Ibuki…" he began. I perked up, staring at him with more interest. "I've met her a couple times before at the bi-annual Johto Gym Leader meetings. She's a very… headstrong individual, and there were a few times where she was a bit rude towards me—" I bristled at that, but dad went on, unaffected. "—but I didn't think she was a bad person. Clair cares a lot about Johto and maintaining its prestige. She's similar to Pryce in that regard."

I nodded slowly, deep in thought. "Hmm…"

Dad didn't seem to think Clair was much of a threat. Maybe I was overthinking when it came to Clair Ibuki. Maybe she would turn out to be a better person than I thought…

I snapped out of my musings when dad cleared his throat, looking pointedly at me. "Why don't you take a break, Arin? You've been working pretty hard this last week without rest. How about you come with me for a walk through the city? We could stop by the Cherrygrove Mall, too, and pick up some more Pokemon food before we start running out. What do you say?"

I paused. Dad wasn't… wrong per se. I really had been a workaholic for the last week, constantly training either the Pokemon or myself in between sessions. I did feel a bit stressed out.

I also came to the terrible realization that I actually hadn't seen the city much at all since I arrived. I'd been so busy with everything else that taking a long-awaited tour of the hometown I hadn't seen in years had completely slipped my mind.

Like dad had suggested, it was time for a break.

"Sure. Let's go," I easily agreed, and dad beamed.

We finished up breakfast, cleaned all the dishes and said goodbye to Klefki before exiting the house. Since this was supposed to be a break, we decided to walk to the city ourselves instead of flying.

We followed the short trail from our house out of the forest and to the Gym, where construction was in full swing. I'd hired some security guards as insurance for any potential reporters who came back, but luckily we had only had to deal with two or three pesky ones so far. Everyone else had been satisfied by the previous press conference and were too busy writing up a storm of articles. That meant the Blossom Hall workers were free to work without interruption. I waved at Eric in the distance before following dad down the trail again.

It was about ten minutes from the Gym to the city at a moderate walking pace given that we were located in the northwestern outskirts. The whole way, pink flowering trees lined the sides of the road. I had to constantly brush falling petals out of my hair lest they accumulate enough to become a small pillow. The blooming season was going strong in Cherrygrove, and boy, did it smell good.

Eventually, the buildings on the city's edge came into view between a row of cherry trees, and I felt a huge smile split my face. Dad noticed and donned a smile of his own.

"Welcome back, Arin," he said softly right as we finally stepped foot on cobbled stone.

Being in the city was so much more different compared to flying high above it. I was immediately hit with nostalgia as I looked left and right on our way through the streets. There were so many old stores that still remained, but there were new ones too that I had never seen before. The city was smaller than I remembered, but that was because I'd perceived all the buildings as being so incomparably tall when I was a young child.

I still felt as comfortable as I had back then. If I had to use one word to describe Cherrygrove City, then it had to be idyllic.

Blossoms fluttered through the air around us as we walked, filling the streets with splashes of pink. There were couples strolling around happily, children playing with small Pokemon while their parents carefully watched, and some elderly citizens talking in quiet voices as they played chess in the nearby park. All of this was just so… calming.

I'd really missed this sense of comfort and security. Paldea and its wilds were nice, but this was where I'd grown up. New buildings and residents aside, I basically knew this place like the back of my hand.

I was in a much better mood than before. Happily, I could admit that Dad had been right about taking a break. My shoulders felt less stiff than they had in days, and my steps felt lighter as I walked alongside dad.

Not even the stares from people passing by us could affect my good mood.

People pointed and whispered fervently to each other when they noticed me and dad walking past, but surprisingly nobody came up to talk to me. I wondered if they were intimidated somehow. My first interaction turned out to come from a kid who actually yelled out an exuberant hi. His mother blanched, but I just laughed and humored the kid by yelling hi right back.

That made everyone nearby break out in smiles as they realized that yeah, I was just an ordinary person like the rest of them out on an ordinary walk.

Dad and I were about two blocks from the Cherrygrove Mall when someone else shouted out to me.

"Arin! Arin! Over here!" I heard, and dad and I turned around. Instead of a fan or a reporter like I was half-expecting to see, an old man selling taiyaki at a stall was the one who had called out to me excitedly. My eyes widened. He'd definitely gotten older, but…

"Old Man Toma!" I greeted energetically, walking over with Dad at my heels. Toma grinned at me, flashing a missing tooth. He was famous in the city for selling taiyaki at the same stall for over fifty years, and he was one of the locals I knew by name. I used to buy taiyaki from him a lot when I was younger, and he also frequently gave me and dad ones on the house.

It made me incredibly happy to know he was still alive and well.

"Look who finally showed up in town! Everyone was starting to say you had disappeared like a ghost with how you never came to the city at all," he said with a shake of his head, and I scratched my cheek with a sheepish smile. I felt a sense of deja vu as this was eerily similar to how Neil had reacted when he saw me again.

"Sorry, I've been busy," I apologized. "I— mfypmh!"

I half-choked as Toma stuffed a warm taiyaki into my mouth, effectively shutting me up. He attempted to do the same to dad, but dad had learned from my fate and neatly intercepted the incoming treat with his hands instead.

"No excuses!" Toma mock glared at me before bursting into raucous laughter. "Now eat this taiyaki, it's on the house as a welcome back gift."

I could only respond with a nod because I was too busy chewing the taiyaki that had been forcefully given to me. It had a strawberry cream cheese filling and tasted damn good, even better than I remembered it.

While dad and I were busy eating, Toma waved his hands around energetically. "Anyway, now that you're here…" He hobbled towards the alley behind his stall and cupped his hands around his mouth in the beginning of a scream. "OI! GUYS! ARIN'S IN TOWN! HE'S RIGHT HERE!"

I almost choked on my taiyaki again in surprise as doors and windows flew open for the houses closest to Toma's stall. People stuck their heads out and stared at me, but that wasn't all. A small horde of people, both old and young alike, had begun pouring out of the alley Toma had yelled into. I didn't know all of them by name, but I did recognize the entire sea of faces that crowded around us.

These were all locals I'd interacted with as a child in some way, shape, or form. I saw people from the local market, others from the fisher's association on the next street over, owners of restaurants dad had taken me to in the past, and more from all parts of the city.

I remembered every single one of these people, and my mouth gaped as I stared at all of them in shock. They all clamored over each other, calling out excitedly to me.

"Hey! Long time no see!"

"Bring your dad with you to our restaurant sometime, I'll give you a meal on the house!"

"Arin, good to see you again! You're looking well!"

I continued gaping like a Magikarp. Ten years later, and these people still remembered and were fond of that little kid who ran through the streets of Cherrygrove without a care in the world.

It was honestly really touching. Cherrygrove had the best damn community in Johto, and I didn't want to hear otherwise.

"Wow…" I finally said with a dazed expression. "I can't believe you're all so happy to see me…" Toma grinned from where he stood proudly next to me.

"Hey, you brat! We take care of our own!" he scolded. He was about to say something else when someone caught his attention from the crowd, and he beckoned them over impatiently. "Oh, there he is. HEY, FINN! Get over here! Didn't you say you wanted to see Arin?"

An elderly man with a cane made his way out of the crowd and walked up to us with a sour expression. Old Man Finn. I definitely remembered him. He could be a bit harsh when speaking sometimes, but he was also one of the Cherrygrove Gym's biggest supporters and had come to watch practically every match he could. Even if he was a bit of a grump, I was glad to see him still alive as well.

"It's good to see you again, Finn," I said sincerely.

He nodded. "Yes. Good to see you again, too," he muttered, and then he looked me in the eyes with a frown. "Look, I'm just going to come out and say it, Arin. I don't approve of you changing the Gym type."

The crowd of locals instantly quieted as they all stared at Finn, me included.

"Finn, it's his right. I entrusted the Gym to him—" Dad began to say, but I calmly held up a hand.

"It's fine, dad," I told him quietly with a shake of my head, eyes never leaving Finn's.

I'd known there was going to be opposition to me and the Gym. There was no way there wasn't going to be. Furthermore, I'd known some of the locals wouldn't be happy.

Here I stood now in front of one such individual.

"The Cherrygrove Gym was and always has been a Grass type gym. It's the very symbol of this city that has endured for generations. Now you're changing that symbol to some new Fairy type thing and mistakenly believing you can turn it into a major gym?" Finn paused in his rant to look at me with disdain. "It's a complete mockery, and I think you're in over your head."

"Oi, Finn, that's going too far!"

"What are you talking about, Finn?!"

More than a few of the locals began yelling at him, but Finn ignored them and stared at me expectantly. I raised a hand and waited for the yelling to die down. When it finally did, I looked at Finn with a firm gaze.

"I understand you aren't happy about the change, but I'm not going to change my mind."

Everyone looked at me now with bated breath as I continued. "It's true that the Cherrygrove Gym has always been a Grass type. That's the way it's been for generations, but I'm changing it now. I'm NOT doing it on a mere whim, and I'm NOT in over my head."

I paused, looking out at the crowd around me. I spoke louder so they all could all hear how deadly serious I was. All these words? They were coming from my heart.

"I didn't come to this decision lightly. I'm a Fairy Specialist. The only gym I know I can lead well is a Fairy one, and that's why I changed the gym type. I am determined to make the Cherrygrove Gym the best it can be, and this is the only way I know how."

I raised my head defiantly, staring Finn in the eye. "I won't settle for being a minor gym," I told him. "I also believe that the symbol of Cherrygrove City is its Gym, and it's high time that symbol became known not just in our city but across all of Johto. I am serious when I say I believe I'm taking the Cherrygrove Gym in the right direction, and I'll prove it to you when I pass the promotion test."

The whole street was quiet when I finished. Nobody spoke a word as Finn and I stared at each other.

I would not bend. This was my dream, and I believed in it.

After what seemed like forever, Finn finally tore his gaze away with a grunt. "We'll see," was all he said before he quietly limped away. I stared after him with a clenched fist. Old Man Toma apologized to me for Finn's stubbornness, but I was only half-listening.

I wasn't mad at Finn. He loved the Gym and had a right to his own beliefs, but I would not give up on mine.

Dad and I ended up talking to the locals for a bit more before finally saying goodbye and heading towards the mall again. In all that time, I could only think of one thing.

One week couldn't come fast enough.