CHAPTER 14

"Fairy Wind, 50%."

Shimmering sparkles blew across the training field and uprooted branches I'd placed in advance. I nodded approvingly.

"Give me full power now."

Cally buzzed as another Fairy Wind blasted across the field, but this one was so intense that I grinned as I actually felt myself flying backwards. Vel's feelers shot forward to support my back before I could actually fall. I quickly mouthed my thanks to him. Probably should have set up a barrier beforehand for my own safety, but it didn't matter now.

Turning to my Cutiefly, I shot her a thumbs up. "Great job, Cally! Your other moves are also in good shape. I'm really proud of you," I beamed. The little bee buzzed happily, zooming forward to nuzzle my face. I chuckled and reached up to gently pet her with the side of my finger.

One day remained until the promotion test.

I'd spent the last six days drilling everything I could into my Pokemon and my own head. I hadn't forgotten to take more breaks in between all the training either. Both dad and Neil had pestered me to take naps and walks so that I didn't overwork myself.

Attacks had been polished, new moves and abilities were mastered, and tactics and strategies were learned well. The gym Pokemon, my own Elite team, and I were all prepared.

I clapped my hands together loudly, shouting for everyone's attention. "Practice is over! Gather up please!"

It took a minute, but every single Pokemon in our backyard eventually gathered in a loose circle. Neil and dad stood on either side of me. I stared back at the sea of sweaty Pokemon and expectant faces, and I couldn't help but feel proud. This group of Pokemon had grown by leaps and bounds compared to where they were two weeks ago, and everyone had grown pretty close to each other after living and training together everyday.

"There won't be training later since I want everyone to take the afternoon off, especially those of you I've told will be coming with me tomorrow for the promotion test," I informed the group of Pokemon. "Similarly, there won't be training all day tomorrow either since it's a special day, so rest up well. Those of you coming with me tomorrow will only do light running and stretches to warm up in the morning before we leave. Everyone understand?"

The Pokemon all nodded. I smiled sadly when I noticed more than a few disappointed faces in the crowd. I could only bring so many gym Pokemon with me for the tier challenges, and those who had wanted to go but didn't get to because of the limit were still feeling down.

"Everyone, thank you so much for your hard work these last two weeks. I'm sorry I can't bring all of you with me tomorrow, but I hope you can cheer on your peers who worked hard alongside you this whole time," I said sincerely. I held a fist out to them with a determined smile. "We won't just be representing the Cherrygrove Gym tomorrow, after all, but all of you."

This cheered up the Pokemon immensely. A cacophony of sounds — everything from buzzes to chirps to screams to musical cries — rang out as the Pokemon turned to each other, offering encouraging words to the ones I had chosen for the exam. I smiled, watching them talk until long after they dispersed to go rest. Only then did I turn to where Neil and dad were waiting for me.

"You ready for tomorrow, kiddo?" Neil asked brightly, but I could detect the faint tremor in his voice. Dad didn't even try to hide how nervous he was. He couldn't stop tapping his foot on the floor as he voiced a similar question.

I nodded. "I am. I'm fully prepared," I confirmed. To lighten the mood, I tacked on playfully, "It's not even tomorrow yet, but you two look more nervous than I do for Ho-Oh's sake. Seriously, you two resemble shaking Oddish right now."

Neil's eyes widened comically as he pointed to himself. "Nervous? Me? Nuh uh. No way. I don't know what you're talking about," he fibbed, shifting on his feet.

Dad had a similar reaction, sheepishly forcing his foot to stay still only to pick nervously at the edge of his shirt sleeve. "We're not nervous," he denied while blinking rapidly. "Maybe just a tad… worried?" He cringed right after saying that, and I laughed at him.

"It's going to be just fine. Believe in me," I said seriously with a smile. Neil and dad both peered at me with dubious expressions, but they soon realized I had meant what I said about not being nervous at all and nodded.

I told Neil he could take the afternoon off, but he refused. I think we argued for about five minutes before he finally relented and agreed to come in the following morning. Dad's gaze was still on me as I watched Neil head down the trail. I turned to him now with an amused expression.

"Dad, I'm seriously going to be fine tomorrow. Come on, let's go have breakfast," I urged, and I had to pull dad by the arm to drag him inside and eat. Breakfast was not the nice, calm affair I thought it would be. I had to deal with dad staring at me all throughout breakfast before I finally had enough.

I set down my empty plate and looked at him with a pointed look. He averted his gaze immediately.

"Listen," I began patiently. "You told me before that you would believe in me and support me all the way, right? Then do that for me now. I am a hundred percent ready for tomorrow's test."

Dad looked at me with flickering emotions in his eyes for several long seconds. Finally, he gave a small nod.

"Okay," he promised. "I'll be cheering for you."

I smiled in relief. "Thanks."

Dad smiled back, shoulders dropping as the tension finally left them. He gestured to the kitchen. "How about I make you a nice breakfast tomorrow before you go? What do you want me to make?"

I chuckled as I rose to my feet, carrying my dirty plate and utensils with me to the sink. "Can I ask for your chocolate chip pancakes? I haven't had them in a while."

"Done deal. I'll even cut up your favorite fruits for you to go with them."

"Strawberries?!"

"Yeah, and blueberries…"

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After breakfast, I went outside and sat on the front porch. Vel lay curled up at my side in a half-asleep state as he groomed himself. I pressed the call button on my phone and held it out in front of me expectantly. Not even two rings later, the first person entered the group video call.

I smiled at the woman on the screen, waving with my free hand. "Hey. Nice to see you again, Geeta."

"You too, Arin," she greeted back. She studied me carefully. "You look satisfied."

"That's because I am," I responded with a grin. "I've done everything I possibly could do these last two weeks for the promotion test, and I feel great about tomorrow."

Geeta chuckled, folding her hands neatly in front of her. I assumed she had her phone set up on a stand. "Then I suppose I should offer congratulations in advance."

I laughed at that. While I did, Larry, Rika, and Hassel finally joined the call. Poppy joined a split second later with her mom watching curiously from far away in the background.

"Arin, Arin! Big brother! Hi!" Poppy said excitedly, putting her face so close to the screen that I only saw a gigantic blurry eye for several seconds.

I laughed even harder than before, and the other Elites couldn't stop amused smiles from crossing their own faces. "Hi, Poppy, how have you been?" I finally got out with some difficulty.

The young girl finally pulled her face away from the screen and smiled toothily. "Good! I have a new Orthworm buddy!" she announced proudly, but then she wilted a bit as she frowned. "Oh, but um, I miss you lots."

I smiled fondly. "I miss you, too."

Hassel took this opportunity to jump into the conversation. His eyes were teary as he stared at me appraisingly. "Arin, have you been well? Look at you! I can't tell if you've been eating enough…"

"I have, Hassel," I promised, barely refraining from rolling my eyes at his theatrics. "Oh! Thanks for the painting again by the way. I hung it up in the living room at home, and my dad and I both love it. He even sits in the living room just to look at it sometimes. He's a huge art lover."

He beamed. "Oh my, really?! Perhaps I should send you more in the future, hmm hmm."

"Make it a series of Arin and his Pokemon," Rika piped up slyly.

"Draw Yuno!" Poppy demanded. "And Taffy! And Mem! And, and, uh, everyone else!"

"What about one of Arin and his father?" Larry suggested calmly, and Hassel let out a loud gasp.

"Oh, that's actually an amazing idea… Arin! What do you think? If you send me a picture of you and your dad, I could do it."

I paused in surprise. That was… "Yeah," I finally said after a moment of thought. "That would actually be really nice."

Dad would love it for sure. And, well… I just realized we hadn't taken any pictures together or anything after I got back. There were only decade old pictures of me and dad around the house, too. Nothing to commemorate our reunion. I vowed to rectify that tomorrow after the promotion test.

For a short while, I caught up with my friends from Paldea. We each talked about what we'd been up to in the last two weeks, and I laughed at a funny story Rika told about some wild Squawkabilly using her Clodsire as a bed.

We had to start wrapping up the conversation about thirty minutes in. Everyone had to leave soon either to eat or run errands.

"By the way, is your promotion test going to be televised?" Rika asked with gleaming eyes. "I was talking with the others the other day and we wanted to get together to watch it live."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Yes," I answered, recalling an express mail I'd received from the League several days ago. In it was a repeat of the information they'd told me in advance on the day of my appointment as well as some additional info.

One of the lines mentioned that for the final portion of the test (which they did not specify, but I'd long had a strong suspicion what it would cover), I had the option to have it broadcasted live to the nation. Otherwise, they would just keep a private recording for their own purposes. I had immediately penned back a reply saying I wanted it televised.

I wanted all of Kanto-Johto and the Kinjoh Area to bear witness to the culmination of my efforts.

It also made more sense now why dad and I had never found recordings before of past minor gyms who attempted the test. I think they hadn't been brave enough to take the plunge and have the last part broadcasted for the world to see because they had thought they might fail, and they ultimately had.

Not me.

I cleared my throat, bringing myself out of my thoughts and back to the current conversation. "I don't think you'll be able to watch it though? I'm pretty sure the League is going to broadcast it in the Kinjoh Area only."

Geeta laughed, and I had to force my eyes not to widen. Yeah… I was never getting used to that. "Oh, we have our ways of getting information, Arin," she said with much amusement. "Every regional League both known and unknown to your side of the world keeps tabs on the Kinjoh Area. It's not always easy, but we are able to get past the regional internet blocks to see what's going on over there."

Now my eyes widened as I stared at her. I was pretty sure she had just told me something major akin to espionage, but then again, even the governments here in the Kinjoh Area did the same to each other. Fingers couldn't really be pointed if everyone did it.

I gulped. Geeta was truly a terrifying woman.

We ended the call after I told them the time of my test, and they promised that they would watch it live together. I found myself grinning as I closed my eyes, leaning back in my chair.

Having such great friends was a wonderful thing.

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I awoke with a start when I felt something wet on my cheek. My surprise turned into laughter when I realized it was just Vel giving me affectionate licks. Apparently we'd both fallen asleep for a little over two hours.

Yawning, I followed the Sylveon out back. It wasn't time for lunch yet, so I had a bit of time to spare. I decided I wanted to laze around with the Pokemon for a bit. Today wasn't just about letting my Pokemon rest but myself as well.

I chose the closest tree with shade and settled myself on the ground against it, gazing out at the rest of the backyard. Vel wandered off to go converse with dad's Pokemon while some of my own approached me.

Yuno slithered up to me, curling up and laying his head on my lap. Choux jumped onto my outstretched legs to claim them as his spot, and Cally and Mem took their spots on my shoulders. Silque silently floated closer and gently rubbed my hair with her tentacle, and Fizz and Arya perched on the branches above, greeting us before speaking to each other in a quiet conversation. The rest of my team was either spread out across the backyard sleeping or interacting with the gym Pokemon.

I was almost covered head to toe with Pokemon, but I smiled. This was nice. A bit of calm before the storm tomorrow, so to speak. I chatted with my Pokemon for a bit, asking them what they thought about Johto so far. Granted, we hadn't really had the chance to explore other parts of the region yet, but my Pokemon liked how peaceful Cherrygrove was.

Choux asked me if I could buy more taiyaki for them after the test, and I instantly agreed. I had brought home taiyaki a couple times already from Old Man Toma's stall for my team to try, and they were practically obsessed with the food now. Heck, they'd even had a full blown argument the other day over which flavor was the best that lasted an entire hour and a half.

Strawberry and matcha cream cheese filling narrowly won.

I tuned out of the conversation briefly as my Pokemon talked about their thoughts on the gym Pokemon, pulling my phone out of my pocket instead. I was surprised to see that I had gotten not just several but dozens of text messages during the time I'd been napping.

I went through them first with curiosity then warmth that bloomed through my chest. They were good luck messages from my friends across the world. They'd all heard the news about my upcoming match and sent me thoughtful little messages.

Mina, Valerie, and Opal, my fellow Fairy Specialists, had written the longest messages, rooting for me to show off my skills. I had messages from the Paldea Gym Leaders, too, and even a few from other regions I'd been to.

My eyes widened when I saw one from Wallace. He was ten years my senior and had been a newly appointed Gym Leader when I first went through Hoenn. I had impressed him enough with Yuno during my gym challenge that he actually offered to teach me and Yuno for a week. We obviously accepted. I was pretty sure that Yuno and I had now surpassed him and his own Milotic, but they could still give us a run for our money. Wallace wasn't one of the leading Water Specialists for nothing.

At any rate, he had sent me a good luck message of his own.

Wallace [2:29 PM]

Good afternoon, Arin! Long time no talk! News of your promotion test is even trending in Hoenn now. I just wanted to wish you good luck tomorrow, though I doubt you'll need it. Also, please accept my follow requests on Chatter and Chimegram when you have time? I hadn't realized you had accounts for those and would love to stay connected there, too.

My brows rose as I read the last two lines. How did Wallace find out about my social media accounts? They should have been private and region blocked—

I almost slapped a hand to my forehead as I remembered what I'd done a week ago during breakfast. I'd gotten the region blocks on my long-existing accounts removed after verifying, so now people on this side of the world could find me online.

I hurriedly opened Chatter first, and my eyes bulged as I saw over a thousand follow requests for my account. It was completely maxed out. I was sure that if there wasn't a limit, there would probably be thousands more judging by how my DM box was overflooded too. I mass deleted all DM requests, then turned off DMs and stared at the follower requests.

After a moment of thinking, I ignored them for a moment and scrolled through my Chatter timeline. I didn't actually Chat a lot on the app, but the ones I did post were about simple, ordinary stuff, so I was safe. I decided to mass accept all existing follower requests and turn off the request approval feature.

Might as well start amassing followers online to help boost both my and the Gym's reputation in the future.

Wallace wasn't the only one who had sent me a follow request. For some reason, I also had follow requests from other prominent individuals like the new Lavaridge Gym Leader in Hoenn, Flannery, and the Canalave Gym Leader in Sinnoh, Byron. I had never met Flannery before, and I had barely talked to Byron. I had no idea why they wanted to follow me, but I followed them back anyway and did so for Wallace as well.

When I went to Chimegram, the situation there was pretty much the same. Thousands of follow requests and DMs. I hadn't checked on any social media since last week, but I guess I should have expected people to find out quickly that I had made a new account. I followed the same procedures as I'd done on Chatter.

Somehow feeling exhausted even though I'd done nothing but briefly check my social media, I looked at Mem sitting on my left shoulder.

"Social media is scary, Mem," I told the Mimikyu seriously.

He tilted his head at me.

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After I had lunch with dad, I spent some more time interacting with the Pokemon out back. I brushed the fur of the Alolan Vulpix and the manes of the Galarian Ponyta. I played hide-and-seek with Mr. Puff and the other Jigglypuff, and I chased the energetic Snubbull around in a game of tag.

As the sun began to set, I decided there was somewhere I wanted to visit with my team. I collected my team and headed into the city.

I walked through the streets without a care in the world. The locals had gotten more used to seeing me around by this point and offered various greetings as I passed. I returned all of them.

Multiple times, I had to stop walking when locals swarmed me to offer good luck prayers for the upcoming exam. Old Man Toma was among them and promised to give me taiyaki on the house after I passed.

Arthur even flagged me down from the third floor balcony of City Hall when I passed by, yelling out his own encouragement.

Truly, so many people were looking out for me. I knew many others expected me to fail, but as long as I had myself, my Pokemon, friends and family, and what supporters I did have, then I could take on the world.

My destination was not located in the city itself but beyond. I followed the trail out of the city's other exit and began trekking up a spiraling hill. Eventually, I stood atop a cliff overlooking all of Cherrygrove and its surroundings.

The entire city was cast in a golden glow from the rays of the setting sun. It looked stunning.

I smiled to myself. This was a spot I'd come to often as a child. From here, you could see all of the city and the beach and Gym in the distance. It was the perfect little viewing spot and hideout.

I released all my Pokemon from their Pokeballs so they could admire the view with me. They immediately let out sounds of appreciation. Together, we gazed down at the city below in comfortable silence.

Eventually, I pointed to the sky, turning back briefly to look at my Pokemon.

"Let's Weave," I said softly. My Pokemon understood immediately.

They shuffled closer to each other, shifting into comfortable sitting positions. I did the same, taking a seat on the ground between Vel and Yuno. We all looked up at the sky.

The moon wasn't visible, but it didn't need to be.

We knew it was there anyway. It always was.

Silence descended upon the clearing as we concentrated. The air around us thrummed with the song of life, whispering of things unseen but never forgotten. Beneath, the earth vibrated softly in response to the shift of the world. And above, the unseen Moon and Stars beckoned to us with their grace and glory.

I was not an Aura user, so I could not harness the power, but I could still sense and feel it after so many years. Feel the Pull.

The best Specialists were able to become attuned with their chosen type specialty and energy after enough years spent with their Pokemon. It simply became a part of them. Some even adopted characteristics related to their element such as Water Specialists learning to think more flexibly.

I focused on myself, diving deeper and deeper until I reached the part of me that held all my beliefs and dreams, everything that made up my very being and gave me meaning in life. I let that part of me swell in response to the ever growing Pull of the world around us.

Above each of my Pokemon's heads, they began to Weave. Delicate strands of shimmering energy were made visible from nothing and willed into existence. They intertwined with each other as slowly as a feather might drift through the air, interlocking and snapping into place without a sound. Each of my Pokemon Weaved differently for they all Believed differently, but ultimately, they all Believed just as strongly.

Fairies did not just draw power from the moon and stars or the world around them, but from themselves. The strength of their emotions and beliefs was what empowered them.

They had to believe they could manipulate the world to their liking. They had to believe that they could make their own rules, that they didn't have to live bound by the shackles called reality, that they were capable of more and being more.

They could forge their own place and future in the world.

So long as they Believed, there was nothing a Fairy could not do and nothing the world could deny them.

I watched in silence as my Pokemon finished crafting their Beliefs and giving them tangible forms. Everyone had shaped theirs differently, but I found every single one of them just as beautiful as the other. They glistened with a thousand different lights, pulsated with a myriad of thoughts, and thrummed with unspeakable power.

I smiled, rising slowly from the ground.

"I mentioned it before, but I'll say it again. Tomorrow, I know there's going to be a fight. One where I will call on you guys for help," I said softly. My voice was quiet, but it seemed to be amplified by the air still singing of older times around us. It carried throughout the whole clearing.

I made eye contact with each of my Pokemon in turn. Everyone wore the same serious look of determination, myself included. "We've been in a lot of fights before. Some were life-threatening, some important, and others simply casual. But this next fight will be the most important one of all. It's not just about passing and changing the status of the Cherrygrove Gym."

I raised a fist above my head. "I want to show the world my family. I want to show them you guys. I want to change the status of Fairy types not just in Johto, but across all of the Kinjoh Area. People seem to think that Fairies are weak. That we don't belong."

"They're wrong."

"We do belong," I said firmly. "We are strong, and we're going to prove it tomorrow to the world. No holding back."

I lowered my arm and smiled almost ferally.

"Let's show them the might of Fairies."

There was no cheering, but my Pokemon agreed unanimously. They rose up from the ground as one and turned their heads to the sky. I watched as they let their tangible Beliefs lift a few inches higher in the air.

Then, together, they released them.

The Beliefs flew up like countless reverse shooting stars. They rose higher and higher into the sky leaving trails of pink and white dust in their wake. Eventually, they drifted closer and converged into one.

It burst silently.

A shower of fine, almost translucent sparkles rained down from the skies without end. The wind carried them to every corner of the land and over the city, creating ripples in the air as the world felt itself being changed.

The remnants kissed the earth and our skin with promises of the future, our future.

My chest was still warm as I turned my gaze to the horizon.

Tomorrow, we would greet the world.