CHAPTER 18

I came back home to an admittedly pretty funny but also very heartwarming sight.

Streamers and Pokemon shaped balloons decorated the back porch in eye popping colors. From columns, little strings of star and moon-shaped fairy lights had been tied and wrapped around. Pinned across the windows of the house was a huge pink banner with the words CONGRATULATIONS ARIN in bold letters and what looked like little drawings Dad had made of me and my Pokemon (he wasn't a great artist, but he was better than me at least).

That wasn't even the best part, though.

Dad, his Elite Pokemon, and even some of the gym Pokemon were still adding more decorations when we arrived. Zuri landed in the backyard at the exact same moment that dad's Venusaur, Ivy, accidentally stepped on a pile of confetti poppers.

It went flying everywhere, and suddenly dad and all the Pokemon were covered head to toe with tiny pieces of confetti in every shade of the rainbow. They all stared at me with wide eyes as I slid down from Zuri's back. I took one look at their oh no faces and their new makeovers, and I really couldn't help it.

I laughed so hard.

The sound of my laughter was what finally caused everyone to unfreeze as they welcomed me back home.

"A-Arin, you came back so quickly! We were still setting up," Dad stammered. He hurriedly slapped some confetti pieces out of his hair and ran up to me with the biggest smile I'd seen from him as of yet. His eyes were suspiciously shiny.

"Congratulations, Arin. I'm so, so incredibly proud of you," he told me hoarsely. I'd already been feeling a bit emotional on the flight over, but seeing dad like this made my eyes sting a bit with tears of my own.

What a wonderful feeling it was to have your family support you.

"Thanks, dad," I whispered. With some hesitation, I held up my arms and outstretched them a bit. Dad understood immediately and leaned in, wrapping his own arms around me in a brief but tight hug. I felt like we'd been transported back to older and happier times for a moment.

When we let go of each other, dad beamed at me. "I'm going to go and brag about you to the townspeople later!" he said excitedly. "Imagine having a son who defeated the former Champion in a Pokemon battle and rewrote Johto's history all in the same day. I get so restless every time I even think about it."

An image of dad running through the streets of Cherrygrove like a madman and bragging about me at the top of his lungs filled my head. I snorted with laughter. "I AM pretty cool, aren't I?" I said cheekily. My stomach chose that moment to growl and made me flush with embarrassment.

Not even someone who'd just made history could defy hunger.

"I don't suppose we could eat an early lunch, could we?" I asked meekly.

It was dad's turn to laugh now as he whipped out his phone. "Of course! I was planning on ordering delivery from some restaurants in town actually."

I perked up instantly. "Charizard Palace and Super Mantine Sushi," I rattled off quickly. "I really want to eat their pork gyoza and king avocado rolls. Oh! And taiyaki from Old Man Toma's stall please, I promised my Pokemon I'd get some for them."

"Anything for the man of the hour. I'll call them right now…"

While dad turned away and made phone calls, all the while boasting to the restaurant owners about me, I sent out my Pokemon and passed all the injured ones to our on-hand team of medical Pokemon. This consisted of my own Elite, Audi, two Chansey, and a trained Comfey Mina had gifted me. One of the Chansey used to work at the Cherrygrove Gym before dad closed it this season, and the other was one that I had acquired recently to stay around the house and help dad. I wanted someone to be there to look after him in case of a medical emergency, Ho-Oh forbid.

The gym Pokemon who had stayed behind made sure to give their injured peers space as the medical team looked them over, but they couldn't stop throwing questions at them excitedly. Apparently dad had dragged a spare TV outside so the gym Pokemon could watch the match, but they wanted to hear all about it still.

My own Elites were much the same. I laughed as I watched them pester Vel and the others for details. They were more than happy to oblige. Vel in particular looked very smug as he sat down, one ribbon carefully smoothing out his ruffled fur while he recounted how he'd taken down Mamoswine. Dad's own Pokemon joined mine for the storytelling.

While we waited for the food to arrive, I sat down with dad on the back porch and chatted with him about the test. He waved his arms around animatedly as he went on and on about his reactions.

"—still can't believe you took down Pryce's Jynx like that, son!" he exclaimed at one point. "Your Azumarill is so strong—"

"HELLO!" a loud voice rang out from somewhere near the front of the house. Dad and I both put a pause on our conversation. "Delivery from Charizard Palace!"

"From Super Mantine Sushi, too!" another voice piped up.

"And don't forget me! I brought taiyaki!" Old Man Toma's distinct voice added.

The instant the word 'taiyaki' came out of his mouth, some of my Pokemon — particularly Choux — went running to the source. Dad and I quickly got up to join them at the front door, and I laughed when I saw Choux jumping around Old Man Toma and his Machoke in excitement.

Then I saw how many boxes of taiyaki there actually were, and I stopped laughing as my mouth dropped open.

"I thought we only ordered three boxes?!" I exclaimed, eyeing what had to be at least a dozen containers in Machoke's arms. Old Man Toma just laughed boisterously.

"I promised taiyaki on the house after you passed the test, remember?" he reminded me with twinkling eyes, and he strode forward to clap me on the shoulder heartily. "You really did it, Arin! Congratulations! The whole city's celebrating. Arthur even said he was considering making today's date an official holiday from now on!"

I continued gaping. "A-An official holiday?" My shock just made Toma laugh harder.

"It's not every day we get a new major gym in Johto, Arin, and in our city no less! You bet your ass people are gonna celebrate," Toma guffawed. "Heck, all the stores are closing for the day to set up stalls in the streets for a day-long festival. I need to get back and set up, too!"

I was still processing Toma's words as I followed everybody to the backyard. Toma's Machoke carefully placed all the taiyaki boxes on a table as the other delivery couriers and their Pokemon did the same. They all gave me congratulatory remarks and cheers before they left.

I only snapped out of my dazed state when Dad placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Why so surprised, Arin?" he asked gently. As I watched my Pokemon dive for the boxes of taiyaki, I struggled to put what I was feeling into words.

"It's just…" I trailed off. In the background, Willow swiped a strawberry fish away from Fizz and caused a mini squabble to break out. "I guess I didn't expect so many of the locals to be happy. I thought there would be more resistance, more people like… Old Man Finn who wouldn't accept the change."

Dad hummed as we watched the Pokemon continue to eat and mock fight. "Well… I'm sure there are still going to be locals who aren't happy about it," he admitted. He quickly held up a finger. "But, Arin, that's just a small minority. I'm sure you've probably even managed to sway some of those locals after today. Cherrygrove's one of the smaller cities in Johto, son. It's a bit sad to say, but people don't really know anything about us beyond our namesake. The gym, despite its minor status before, was the biggest thing locals could boast about. Now though? Everyone's gonna know Cherrygrove. This is the city that's home to the ninth major gym of Johto. Of course locals would be happy about that. They have something to take pride in."

Dad turned to look at me, eyes crinkling with joy. "I know I do."

A lump formed in my throat. Everything dad just said had reminded me of something.

I will put Cherrygrove City on the map.

That was one of the goals I'd written in my journal.

Growing up, I'd realized quickly that we were different from other cities. We didn't get a lot of tourists, nor were we ever talked about on the news. We had no major attractions unless you counted the minor Cherrygrove Gym. Even the city's beautiful, blossoming trees went largely unnoticed in favor of the glittering beaches and ports of Olivine or the centuries old buildings of Ectruteak. Back then and even now, it had frustrated me greatly.

The rest of the nation didn't care for us. To them, we were just a sleepy little city in the southern corner of Johto.

Until now at least.

Like dad had mentioned, we were home to the ninth major gym of Johto. Any town or city with a major gym usually saw a huge uptick in business and visitors. I sincerely hoped we would see the same soon. I was proud of our city and community, and I wanted us to prosper.

Today, I'd managed to take my first step towards truly putting Cherrygrove City on the map.

"I'm going to keep going further from here," I finally said with a grin. I clenched my fists, feeling more fired up than I had been in ages. "I'm going to help the Gym and the city become the best they can be."

I'd passed the promotion test, but this was just the beginning. There was so much to do and so much more that I could become.

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder once more, patting it ever so gently.

"I know you will. Now let's eat some food before the Pokemon finish everything," Dad said with no small amount of amusement, and I shook my head fondly.

"Right."

My grand ambitions would have to be set aside momentarily. Right now, I had a feast to eat and an achievement to celebrate.

Dad and I finally sat down and dug into our freshly delivered food. Arceus, was Kanto-Johto cuisine good. I'd had a lot of foods from many different regions over the years, but nothing could beat the taste of home. Roll after roll of sushi disappeared into my mouth after I'd snacked on fried dumplings and edamame. For dessert, I had some strawberry matcha cream cheese taiyaki that Vel had thankfully hid from the others for me. All the boxes were gone already.

As I sipped on soda, I remembered a promise I'd made to myself, something I had vowed to do after the test. I swiveled in my seat to look at dad. He was in the middle of eating some sushi with chopsticks.

"Dad."

"Hmm?"

"Let's take some pictures together."

A piece of sushi froze halfway to dad's mouth as he turned to look at me.

"I… What?" he asked. I raised a brow at him, smiling.

"Why? Is it that weird that I want to take pictures with you?" I asked playfully, but I turned serious as I spread my hands out in front of me. "I just wanted to commemorate today. And, uh… I'd like it if we took more pictures in general from now on. Make memories, you know?"

Dad stared at me as he slowly put his chopsticks down. I suddenly felt a bit nervous. Did he not want to? I don't think I remembered dad ever being averse to taking pictures, but maybe that had changed in the last ten years—

"Yeah! Yeah, of course. That's a great idea. Let's take some pictures," Dad finally said, interrupting my train of thoughts. I smiled in relief when I saw how enthusiastic he looked. Perhaps I'd just caught him off guard with the sudden question.

Since we were the only two humans around, I ended up asking my Pokemon to take pictures for us. Silque volunteered immediately since she liked this sort of thing. She kept my phone floating in front of her face with psychic powers while dad and I got into position.

"Arin, is this fine?"

"No, we need to move back a bit, Silque said she wants to get the perfect ratio of trees to flowers…"

"Here?"

"I think so— oh, never mind, Silque said to move up just a hair."

"She told me that as well, I didn't think she would speak telepathically to me. First time hearing someone else in my head aside from Ein…"

Eventually, Silque was satisfied enough that she began counting down with her claws. Dad and I slung arms over each other's shoulders and smiled for the camera. We did a few more poses before dad and I took turns being the photographer, taking pictures of each other with our respective teams and the gym Pokemon.

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We pored over the camera roll afterwards, pleased with how the pictures had turned out.

"Let's print some out for the house later," Dad suggested. I nodded eagerly. That was exactly what I'd been planning.

"By the way, do you mind if I send some pictures of us to my friend Hassel? He was the one who drew that painting of me and Vel, and he said he could paint a picture of us if we wanted—"

"YES! Definitely yes, your friend is an absolute genius. I can't wait to see the finished painting," Dad interrupted excitedly. He babbled on for a bit, and I just smiled to myself as I sent pictures to Hassel. I'd already guessed dad would love the idea.

It was also at this moment that I realized I had over dozens of messages from friends. I'd had my phone turned off because of the test, but I could see all the notifications now. Dad plodded off to eat some more yakisoba while I went through each message with a smile, sending back thank you notes and various stickers. It was heartwarming to know so many friends and acquaintances I'd made over the years had been watching the match and rooting for me.

I checked up on my social media accounts afterwards. Unsurprisingly, there were hundreds of thousands of more followers on each platform. I was in the spotlight now, and I would be for a long time. What did surprise me a bit, however, was the fact that there was a verified Arin Fan Club account on Chatter. I felt both embarrassed and happy about it. Apparently it had been made by some Cherrygrove locals, and I only knew that because they said as much in a private DM to me.

It helpfully reminded me that I needed to get started on expanding the Cherrygrove Gym's social media presence soon. There were already existing social media accounts and even a website from dad's days of running the Gym, but those needed to be updated for obvious reasons. It was important to attract both prospective challengers for the next League Circuit season and fans who would come support matches.

Not to mention, I needed to send out hiring ads soon. I'd do that tomorrow after my swearing-in ceremony.

I was about to put my phone back into my pocket when it rang. Neil was calling me. My thumb pressed the accept button before I held my phone up.

"Hi Neil—"

"CONGRATULATIONS, KIDDO! Do you know how proud I am?" Neil practically roared into the phone, and I immediately jerked the device away from my ear with a wince. Wow, okay, that was loud. I slowly brought it back.

"Thanks, Neil," I said with a slight cough. If I listened closely, I could hear a lot of commotion in the background. "Huh, what's all the noise I'm hearing?"

"That's the festival, Arin! It's part of why I called you! Come into the city. We can't have a party without the main star!" Neil explained excitedly. "I'm hanging up now, but come to the City Hall plaza, okay?!"

He really did hang up after that before I could say anything.

I blinked rapidly several times as I slowly lowered my arm and stared at the black screen of my phone. I guess there was somewhere I needed to visit now. My Pokemon were all engrossed in partying and chatting among themselves, so I quietly walked over to dad and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm going to go visit the city. Neil called and wanted me to join the festival going on. Do you want to come with me?" I asked.

"You go ahead first son, I think I'm gonna need to sit here a bit and rest. Ate a bit too much, urgh…" Dad groaned, patting his stomach. I laughed and held up a hand in a wave, already walking away.

"Alright, see you later!" I called over my shoulder. I began heading down the trail from our house.

It was time to see this so-called festival.

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I gaped as I entered the city, half out of shock and half out of embarrassment.

Banners with various congratulatory messages for me were hung across buildings everywhere I looked, and there were balloons and festival lanterns tied to every lamppost. Every single store had closed up for the day with makeshift stalls and outdoor dining areas lining the sidewalks. The tantalizing scents of freshly-cooked foods wafted through the air. Even though I'd just eaten, I already felt hungry again. I wondered how in the name of Arceus they'd gotten all of this ready so soon after the match ended.

And everybody, everybody, was out in the streets.

There were hordes of Cherrygrove locals as far as the eye could see. Everybody was eating and chatting happily. The first person to notice me enter the city gave out a loud cheer that spread like wildfire as more and more people realized I'd showed up.

"It's Arin! Look, he's here!"

"CONGRATULATIONS, ARIN!"

"Pride of our city!"

"Leader Arin, the match was so cool!"

People of all ages and backgrounds came up and congratulated me. I almost felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that crowded around me, but more than anything, I felt happy. The townspeople — my townspeople — were happy. That was enough for me. There was a huge smile on my face as I thanked them and continued on my way.

It was a whole darn parade as people followed me through the streets or hollered congratulations to me as I passed by. It slowed me down a bit as I stopped to say thank you to the locals, but I eventually made it to my destination.

The City Hall plaza was in party mode.

Much like the rest of the city, there were stalls set up but in a circular ring around the edges of the plaza. The middle section was set aside for live musicians and people to dance along to their upbeat songs. I even saw some city officials looking over boxes of fireworks to be set off later in the far corner.

I took a step forward to begin my search for Neil and paused mid-way. Someone stood in front of me.

Old Man Finn.

We hadn't exactly parted on the happiest of notes the last time we met, so we stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments.

I eventually spoke first after clearing my throat. "Good afternoon, Finn. Enjoying the festival?"

"Yeah," he muttered with a stiff nod of his head. I nodded slowly as silence filled the air again. Around us, the townspeople continued partying.

I was about to give a polite goodbye and leave when Finn limped a bit closer. He stopped just a few feet away and looked me in the eye. Was this about to turn ugly? In front of City Hall no less?

"You really did it," he said instead in a quiet voice. "You made the Cherrygrove Gym the ninth major gym in Johto… congratulations, Arin."

"I… Thank you, Finn," I finally settled on. I had initially braced myself for scathing words from him, so this was nice.

Finn stuck out a weathered hand to me, and I stared at it. "I'm sorry about what I said last time about you not knowing what you were doing. You clearly do, and I'm proud to be a local of Cherrygrove City today," he apologized. His face was twisted in a weird expression of embarrassment, but his words were genuine. "I don't know how to feel about Fairy type Pokemon yet, but I'll keep supporting the Gym."

Finn's apology shocked me, but it also made me realize dad had been right. I'd been so worried about locals resisting the change, but here I was now looking at someone whose opinion I had swayed.

I shook Finn's hand firmly, more than happy to be back on better terms with him. "It's alright, Finn. I understood where you were coming from last time," I told him. "The Cherrygrove Gym wouldn't be the same without one of its biggest supporters. We're gonna need you around."

Finn clicked his tongue but couldn't hide a smile as he turned around. "Hmph. Count me to be there for lots of matches in the fall. See you around town, Arin." And with that, Finn disappeared into the crowd.

I was left to reflect on the conversation that had just occurred with a small smile of my own. So long as I kept up my current success, I had no doubt more people would change their minds about me and everything I stood for. I hummed happily to myself as I walked forward into the mass of people.

It took a bit, but I eventually found Neil. He was sitting at a table with his son, Souta, and Arthur with plates of food in between them. Arthur saw me coming up first and waved energetically, nearly knocking a bottle by his elbow to the ground.

"Arin, my dear boy!" Arthur yelled. "Congratulations! Truly the pride of our fair city!" His face had the slightest flush to it. On closer inspection, the bottle next to him turned out to be Shyera Sora, one of the better-known wines from Johto made with the help of Shuckle.

In any other place, drinking in broad daylight would not be a good look for anyone, much less the mayor, but this was Cherrygrove. We were a city with a tight-knit community, and especially today of all days, people wouldn't care because they were all celebrating.

Neil's face was also rosy as he twisted in his seat to look at me. "Hey, you finally made it!" he grinned. "Party's in full swing across the whole city!"

I rolled my eyes but smiled as I sat down in the empty chair next to him. "Yeah, I kind of noticed on my way here," I chortled.

Apparently that was enough to send Neil and Arthur into an entire fit of laughter. I chatted with them for a bit before they got up. Neil left to kidnap his wife from her housewife friends for a dance while Arthur went to go and brag about me to some random locals.

That left me sitting alone at the table with Souta. He had only said a single 'hi' when I initially sat down and hadn't said anything else. He looked rather nervous for some reason, but I was glad to see he didn't look as depressed as he had the last time I saw him.

I smiled at him, hoping to ease off some of the tension. "So, how are you doing lately—"

"I'M SORRY!" Souta blurted out, cutting me off. I blinked as he stared at me with wide eyes, looking profusely apologetic. "I was, um, kind of rude the last time you came by, and I wanted to apologize."

I hurriedly waved a hand through the air. "No, it's fine, you weren't really—"

"Wait, please let me finish!" Souta interrupted again, and I snapped my mouth shut as he bowed his head a bit. "I've… been thinking a lot about what you said in these last two weeks. It took me a long time, all the way up until this morning even, to realize that you were right. I need to keep moving forward. I've got a whole future ahead of me, and I'm not going to let one failure set me back. And ever since I realized that, my chest has felt a lot lighter."

He peeked up at me with a small but very genuine smile. "I'm… really thankful you came and talked to me, Arin. Thank you. I made up with my parents and Pokemon already, including Snubbull."

"Really?!" I beamed at him, very pleased by what I'd just heard. I was already touched by Souta's gratitude, but more than anything, I was happy that he had repaired his strained relationships with his family and team. I wondered if that was why Neil had seemed even more cheerful than usual. I didn't think my visit to the Ishimoto household would do much, but I guess it had more of an impact than I could have ever hoped for.

Souta nodded, looking very happy himself. "Yeah. I've also decided what I want to do next," he said excitedly, and he suddenly looked nervous again as he looked at me. "I, um, would like to be a gym trainer for you. What I really want to do now is learn from you and understand more about Fairy type Pokemon. Would you be willing to accept me as part of your staff?"

I had to stop myself from gaping for the nth time that day. Souta wanted to be a gym trainer for me? I wondered if Neil and his wife knew already. I honestly couldn't say that I had expected this in any shape or form. I had thought Souta might try for a different academy.

But this was a welcome development, and I adopted a serious expression. Souta gulped as he noticed the change in my demeanor.

"I'm happy to hear you're interested in becoming a gym trainer at the Cherrygrove Gym. You would be a welcome addition, however, I cannot just accept you into the staff," I said sternly, and Souta's face fell. Alright, that was enough for messing around. I dropped my serious expression instantly and grinned as I continued. "You'll need to apply for the job like everyone else and beat the competition if you want to join. Hiring ads and applications open tomorrow, so look sharp."

Souta's expression instantly morphed into one of understanding and joy as he nodded vigorously, eyes blazing with newfound determination. "Got it! Look out for my application!" he said seriously, and I watched in amusement as he jumped up from his seat and dashed away somewhere. Was he going to start preparing now?

I hadn't been lying when I said Souta would be a welcome addition to my Gym. He was very intelligent for his age, and I liked his hardworking personality and the fact that he was seriously striving to achieve a new goal. I planned on reviewing his future application very carefully.

My good mood practically soared to the skies as thoughts and hopes about the future swirled around in my head. I shifted in my seat to view my surroundings. Everywhere I looked, people were happy.

As I watched everyone dance and laugh and cheer, my heart threatened to burst from all the positive emotions I was feeling. I wouldn't have traded this instant in time for the world.

Quietly, I renewed my vow to myself. I wasn't going to stop here. I might have put Cherrygrove City on the map, but this wasn't enough.

"Arin, come over here!" Neil yelled. He, his wife, and a bunch of locals waved eagerly at me to join them in the festivities.

I smiled and got up from my seat.

Yes, this was just the beginning of my — our — tale.

"Coming!"

We sang and danced for the rest of the day and long into the night.

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OMAKE

And?! What did you do next? Choux demanded. The rest of the Pokemon nodded and leaned in.

Vel flashed a proud smile at his audience as he raised two feelers above him in the shape of a moon. I felled the ugly thing with one last Moonblast. Silent version, if I might add. The look the beast's elderly trainer had was priceless. He never saw it coming, he said smugly.

There were roars and cries of appreciation from his fellow family members as they leaned back, chatting excitedly amongst one another.

Congratulations, Vel, and to everyone who fought, Yuno said with a proud expression. Although we could not witness it, it sounds like it was a marvelous battle.

Gahhh, I wish I could have fought in the match too! The enemies you all described don't sound terribly strong, but they would have made decent opponents I think, Willow sighed. He threw his hands up as the jaws behind his head snapped wildly at thin air. I could have shown them my might! I could have even gone Mega!

You wouldn't have been able to Mega Evolve, Willow, Freya quipped back. She moved to lick at her fur only to pause. Best not to aggravate wounds in the process of healing. There was no Mega Evolution allowed for the match. Did you not hear what that voice said in the beginning?

Willow instantly deflated. Ah… I may have ignored the match introduction. I was too excited at the thought of battling.

Cally buzzed happily. I'm sorry you didn't get to fight, Willow. I had lots of fun participating. Hehe, the judges were so surprised when they saw me!

Yeah, it was fun! Taffy chimed in. He jumped up and down with a joyful smile as he waved his short arms around. You guys should have seen how I took down TWO Pokemon! Especially that blasted bird, it was quite annoying hiding up in the air, but I laughed when I hit it in the face with its own combination move. I—

Taffy! Stop jumping please! Audi interrupted, and everyone instantly shut their mouths as the Audino marched forward with a frown marring her usually smiling features. Just because the medical team and I treated you does not mean you're back to one hundred percent right away. You're going to need to rest, am I understood?

Taffy smiled sheepishly as he sat back down. No one wanted to deal with a pissed off Audi. Sorry, Audi. Thanks for the healing again.

Goodness, Audi said with a fond shake of her head. The frown was quickly replaced with a smile as she clapped her hands together. Everyone sighed in relief to see her return to normal. Well, I'm always happy to help. I will say I wish I could have fought in the match, though. I would have liked to show off.

Right? Right?! Willow exclaimed. He sighed again, clutching his head tightly. Well, I'm happy for you guys at least. It's good we won.

As we always should, Fizz piped up. He fluffed himself up a bit and spread his wings. The world shall know the might of Fairies.

Brie cocked a nonexistent brow at him. Perhaps so, but I'm guessing you just wanted to show off personally, too?

Er… Fizz looked abashed, and everyone rolled their eyes. They all knew he was fond of strutting his stuff. Fizz looked around at the sea of reactions and squawked indignantly. Okay, so I did want to show off, but that's not the whole reason, guys! I owe Arin for a lot of things. I wanted to personally contribute to the battle and pay him back, you know…? He trailed off, sulking.

One of their resident ghosts floated over to him. Fia's expression was one of understanding as she brushed a feathered appendage against Fizz's side. I can understand that, Fizz. Arin means a lot to me, too. I'll always jump at the chance to help him. I'm confident I could have shown the strongest performance out of all of us in the match today.

A touching silence fell upon the clearing. Each of them had joined at different times throughout the years from different walks of life, but they all cared for each other and Arin deeply. They'd been through hell and back together. For a few moments, the team of Pokemon ruminated on old and nostalgic memories.

Then chaos descended as more than a few of them finally processed the last sentence Fia had said.

Hold on a second! Grima exclaimed. He was about to wave an injured arm in the air when Audi glared at him, and he quickly put it back down. My dear Fia, please tell me you did not just say that you think you could have outdone us?

Golden eyes gleamed mischievously in response. Perhaps?

No, no, no. You simply cannot say that to someone who fought up close and personal with a brute! Grima complained. I put on a rather riveting performance if I do say so myself.

If we're talking about performance, then I believe I outshone everyone today, Freya interjected proudly. I led that filthy Weavile around by its nose.

Huh? But I defeated two Pokemon by myself—

Yes, and Vel defeated the Mamoswine—

Nah, I could have done better than all of you if Arin put me in for the match!

As everyone devolved into friendly squabbling, Vel could not help an amused smile from crossing his face. His eyes went to where Arin was sitting and eating with his father, and his smile grew even bigger.

The two of them had come so far from their humble beginnings. Now they had an entire family to share joys and troubles with, and a brand new future ahead of them.

Vel couldn't be happier.