CHAPTER 21

The arena was still deafeningly silent when I recalled Yuno. I made sure to whisper praises to his Pokeball before I placed it back onto my belt, and then I looked across the field. From the way Clair's expression was shifting rapidly between different states, she seemed to be having trouble coming to terms with the match's outcome. She hadn't even returned her unconscious Kingdra yet.

It was only when I began walking toward her that Clair finally snapped back to attention and hurriedly recalled her Pokemon. We both made our way around the field of craters and met each other halfway. From up close, I could see just how tired Clair was from her Salamence's earlier transformation. Her face was as white as a sheet while she drew sharp, ragged breaths.

Even if a part of me found her suffering to be rightly deserved for all the ill will and arrogance she had shown, I still felt concerned for her as a fellow human being. Mega Evolution was not to be taken lightly.

"You should probably rest after this," I advised. My voice came out at a normal volume. It seemed the microphones had been turned off as soon as the match verdict was given.

Even through her obvious exhaustion, Clair still found the energy to glare at me.

"Don't tell me what to do," she snapped back irritably. "I'm fine." While she said that, she swayed a bit to one side.

It was not a very convincing display of strength. Not at all.

I refrained from scoffing and inclined my head instead. "Best to wipe that glare off your face then. The camera's still rolling."

Clair's eyes darted sideways to said cameraman and his equipment on the other side of the field. Realizing I was right, she quickly smoothed out her features into a more neutral look.

I regarded her with less than pleasant feelings, but I smiled politely and stuck out my hand first. Clair took it with a strained smile of her own. We needed to keep up pretenses for the public.

At the sight of us shaking hands, the audience finally unfroze and began clapping. It was a very mixed crowd, though. Some of the spectators were cheering reluctantly and others more energetically, but they all wore dazed looks at the very least.

I supposed they didn't often see their Gym Leader be on the receiving end of a clean 6-0 sweep.

"What was it you said again? 'Dragons have always reigned superior in Johto?'" I quoted out loud in a musing tone. My smile was almost cruel as I looked at Clair. "I do believe I've disproved that point today with my Fairies beyond a shadow of a doubt. And, just to make it clear, the Mega Altaria I used today to beat five of your Pokemon? She's part Fairy type."

Out of all the Dragon Specialists I'd ever faced in my life, Clair was the absolute worst.

Clair said nothing in response, but her grip on my hand tightened into that of iron. Or at least, she tried to. She was so tired right now that all I felt was like a light squeeze. Her hand fell limply back to her side when we finished our handshake. Without further ado, I followed her out of the arena.

As soon as we were backstage, Clair turned around and looked at me.

"As per our agreement, I will grant you one favor since I lost," Clair ground out. Ah, so she hadn't forgotten the bet after all. I'd been wondering which of us would bring it up first.

With a very reluctant tone, she continued. "I won't go back on my words. Just spit it out and tell me what you want. You want me to apologize in public? Crawl in the mud and beg? Or will you save the favor for the future?"

I stared at her calmly even after she rattled off several guesses about what I would ask for.

I opened my mouth.

"What I want is—"

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

The Dragon Shrine was not quiet today as well.

The Clan had gathered for a meeting once again after the match at the Gym ended. This time, the subject was focused on her. Fifteen painstakingly long minutes had passed already.

"Absolutely ridiculous, how could you do something so foolish—"

"Perhaps we might have turned a blind eye if you had won, but to lose like that—?"

"A pathetic showing! You overestimated yourself, Clair!"

Clair sat on a silk cushion directly in front of a row of Elders, silently enduring screams and insults hurled her way for the stupidity and ineptitude she'd shown. Sitting along the sides of the room were the rest of the Clan members. Most of them either gave her angry looks of their own or pitying expressions, but she didn't want any of those.

She was still struggling to do so, but she was starting to finally accept the reality.

Lance had been right in warning her about Arin's strength. As much as it killed her to admit it, Arin and his Pokemon were truly Champion-level.

Clair had lost to them. Terribly.

Her loss wasn't even to older, stronger Dragons but to a bunch of newly minted Fairies.

More than the insults from the Elders, it was her own shame and humiliation that consumed Clair the most. She had brought embarrassment to her beloved Clan and to the reverent Dragons they cherished and worshiped. Her own reputation was no doubt going to take a hit from the terrible performance she had displayed. Clair was known for never losing any public Elite tier matches. She'd of course lost in private matches to Lance and some of the Elders before they and their Pokemon retired from battling, but aside from them, she'd never lost to anyone else before.

Today, that pristine record had a fresh and permanent stain.

A wretched 6-0 sweep of her entire team by just two of Arin's Pokemon, and one of them had taken on five of hers by itself. Neither of Arin's Pokemon had been wounded very much either. It was the embarrassment of the century for her.

Clair wanted to close her eyes and gnash her teeth together with frustration just from thinking about what had happened, but she couldn't do that with the Elders sitting literally right in front. She could only play back the match over and over again in her head in a numbing daze.

What could she have done better? Should she have utilized some of her three switches? But she'd only brought out her most powerful Pokemon for that accursed Altaria, each with a specific plan of action in mind for taking it down. No switches would have mattered, and her Dragons would have been furious with her if she withdrew them in the middle of a match.

Could she have even taken down one of Arin's Pokemon?

Clair immediately bit her lip.

No, she would not doubt herself and her Dragons. The second she did, that was when everything would truly come crumbling down—

A single weathered hand raised itself into the air at that moment. All of the Blackthorn Elders immediately ceased their arguing and turned their heads. Together, they looked expectantly at the Eldest among them.

Hiromasa Naobu.

A long scar ran down the left side of his face from eye to lips, only one of dozens that also marked his arms and legs. They were all courtesies of wars and conflicts he had participated in throughout Johto's history. At ninety-four years old, he was currently the oldest living member of the Blackthorn Clan. There had been a few representatives older than him, but they had all perished in the War of Ashes or the Rocket War. Had they been alive still, one of them would have enjoyed his position today instead of him.

The Eldest now fixed his cold gaze upon Clair and raised his chin. She stiffened, preparing herself for the inevitable scolding.

"Clair Ibuki," the Eldest began in a quiet but harsh voice that sent shivers down Clair's spine. "You've greatly dishonored our noble Clan. Not only did you make a foolish move without first consulting the Elders, you also suffered a humiliating 6-0 loss in a public, televised battle against another Gym Leader, that despicable Arin Watanuki no less."

He leaned forward ever so slightly in his seat, fingers tightening around the embellished cane lying next to him. "Do you understand the magnitude of your actions? The consequences they had and the gravity of the Ho-Oh forsaken situation now upon us?" he asked rhetorically.

Clair already knew, but she correctly remained silent.

"You allowed yourself to lose to filthy Fairies," the Eldest spat out with as much venom as he could muster. "You allowed the nation to see weakness in our almighty Dragons, weakness that people now see in OUR ancient Clan. People are already getting damned ideas now that we are no longer to be feared and respected. The Blackthorn Gym's reputation has fallen. The Clan's reputation has also been tarnished!"

The Eldest spoke the last phrase in a loud, booming voice that made a few of the youngest members jump a bit. Clair merely clenched her jaw as the Eldest gave her a withering glare.

"Clair's actions were truly the height of folly; however, we need to move onto the next topic," a new voice spoke. Clair knew who it was even without turning: Lance. He'd been sitting silently somewhere to her left this whole time, but now he apparently deemed it time to speak.

"I'm referring to the stupid bet you made, Clair. What did Arin ask for? Did he ask for a public apology? For you to expose your hypocrisy to the world? I swear, if it was anything ridiculous—"

"No," Clair said in a voice so small she almost went unheard. Her voice still carried through the Shrine's venerable chambers.

"What he asked for was—"

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

"—for you to treat me like a fellow Gym Leader."

Clair stared at Arin Watanuki with utter disbelief.

"Excuse me?" she finally said, and there was a bit of anger rising in her as she glared at him. "Is this a joke? I can't tell if you're looking down on the weight of the bet. I said you could ask for any favor within reason, and that's what you ask for? Not an apology?"

Arin stared back at her with an expression so cold that it could have put any from Pryce or Lance to shame.

"It's not a joke. I don't want or need an Arceus damned apology from you. It wouldn't be genuine, and it wouldn't benefit me in any way," he said in a very firm tone that left no room for refusal. "An apology is too weak. I already obtained something even better from beating you today on live television. I reminded everyone that Fairies are not weak, and more importantly, that Dragons are NOT absolute."

Clair flinched at the reminder of her humiliation, but Arin just went on uncaringly.

"You and your Clan need to understand that the world is bigger than you think, that there are truths out there that cannot be ignored or denied simply because you are content to rule from the safety of your little territory," he said with blazing eyes. "You supposedly care deeply about Johto's prestige to the point that you'd get on my case about it, but you're the ones who are preventing our nation from reaching greater heights by clinging to traditions and misguided beliefs. As Gym Leaders, you and I should be acting as role models for the country. It's astounding that I, a new Gym Leader, understand this better than you, someone who's had her post for years now."

"So no, I don't want a fucking apology from you," Arin repeated. "I want you to treat me with respect as a Gym Leader so that we can both do our jobs without drama. Don't ignore me at meetings, don't try to sabotage plans I make, etcetera, etcetera. I want you to be a professional and not let your emotions and beliefs get in the way. I highly dislike you as a person, but it can't be denied that you've done good work as a Gym Leader over the years."

He stared at her intently, disdain clearly visible in his blue eyes. "We're pillars of Kanto-Johto. That means we must appear unified to reassure the public. If you care as much about our nation as I do, then you'll agree with me on this. I can put up with you, so I'll need you to at least try to do the same. I don't doubt that your Clan will try something in the future, and I WILL deal with whatever comes, but I hope this is the last time I have to deal with Tauros shit from you specifically."

"If not, well…" Arin shrugged his shoulders in a mocking, exaggerated fashion. "I'm more than happy to do this again and humiliate you a second, third, fourth, or however many times it takes for you to understand that you're a small fish in a big pond. Just keep that in mind."

He walked off without another word.

Clair didn't watch him go. She looked at the wooden floors of her Gym and hung her head low, furiously fighting back a scream that threatened to burst out.

She was weak.

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

While the Elders screamed about Arin's insolence, Lance had a far different reaction. He sat there in shocked silence.

Lance simply couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

From the moment he had witnessed Clair propose such a foolish bet to the moment where she lost against Arin, his mind had come up with what had to be a hundred different terrible scenarios about what Arin would ask for and the subsequent consequences. He'd already been preparing ways to clean up whatever mess came out and soften the blows to Clair's and the Blackthorn Clan's reputations. Demanding an immense public apology or exposing Clair's hypocrisy had been near the top of his list for most likely things Arin would do.

Lance had not ever expected Arin to just give his cousin a slap on the wrist.

He could not wrap his head around the fact that Arin simply wanted Clair to do her damn job as a Gym Leader. If he had been in Arin's position, he would have been pissed off by Clair to the point that he desired retribution. He would have made sure to expose his opponent's faults to the world and ruin their reputation so as to boost his own. Lance's pride would not allow him to just calmly look the other way if someone bared such insolence in his face.

Arin? He had taken the higher road. Instead of retribution, he had been thinking about the greater picture. He had been thinking about how this could impact their country if it became publicly known that two Gym Leaders had bad blood between them. Needless to say, it would have stirred the whole country into a panic, and they didn't need more unrest added to the pile in such currently tense times.

Putting aside the clear threats Arin had made to his cousin and the Clan as a whole, his character was a whole lot more apparent to Lance now.

Just like Arin had promised in his swearing-in ceremony, he was looking out for Kanto-Johto. He was truly intending to serve Indigo for the greater good and to the best of his ability.

This realization was incredibly sobering.

Arin was… admirable. There was no other way to put it. Lance had already respected his prowess as a trainer, but now he could also respect his strength of character. During his time in the Elite Four and now as Champion, Lance had grown too used to the filthy underbelly of politics. There were too many people looking out for themselves and their own interests. They backstabbed, lied, and constantly looked for ways to tear their opponents down. It honestly got very tiring.

To have someone like Arin around who could put the interests of the country first was very refreshing. It wasn't just Arin's character that was sobering, but everything else he had told Clair, too, that resonated with Lance.

The world is bigger than you think.

You're the ones who are preventing our nation from reaching greater heights by clinging to traditions and misguided beliefs.

Lance snapped out of his thoughts when he realized the Eldest was speaking again.

"—and let us all not forget that blasted abomination either, that so-called… Mega Altaria," the Eldest hissed.

Mega Altaria. Yes… Arin's reveal had shocked Lance greatly. He never could have imagined Altaria was capable of Mega Evolution nor that it could transform into a… Dragon and Fairy type of all things. He had extremely conflicted emotions over it.

The Eldest continued on. "Blasphemous to the old teachings and a Pokemon corrupted by unknown evil. An atrocious being that should not even exist, yet Ho-Oh has not struck it down with its radiant flames. I do not and will not ever recognize it as being a Dragon."

He snatched his cane from where it lay on the floor and held it up threateningly. In a loud and furious voice, he proclaimed, "Heed my words now as law, members of the Blackthorn Clan: we will not ever Mega Evolve the Altaria in our possession even if we someday come into possession of their Stones. Do not even entertain the thought. We must remain faithful to the old and practiced ways. Should a member violate this decree, they will be punished severely."

The rest of the Elders immediately agreed in loud, enthusiastic voices. Across the room, all lower-ranking members of the Clan, including Clair, bowed their heads silently in acknowledgement.

Only one person did not follow. Just one.

"No."

The Eldest's head snapped forward. He stared with an incredulous expression at the person who had just defied his will in front of the entire Clan.

"Excuse me?" he asked with barely contained fury.

Lance stared back at him unflinchingly.

Arceus, he could not believe what he'd just heard the Eldest announce. His mouth had nearly dropped open in an undignified display of astonishment before he caught himself.

Banning a Mega Evolution just because it did not align with their Clan's beliefs?

They were denying a Pokemon — a Dragon — a right to the full and unbridled power it could possess. It did not matter that the new power in question came from the Fairy type. Lance may have had reservations about Fairies, but this was where he drew the line.

He was a Pokemon trainer and Dragon Tamer first and foremost, and it was unthinkable to cut off a Pokemon's potential just like that. He respected Pokemon, and he respected his Dragons. He would always give them the choice to choose their paths, and he would help them walk it.

"You may follow that law, but I will never acknowledge it," he said tersely. "It is a ridiculous decree and one that should not be implemented."

Furious outbursts came from the Elders all at the same time, but the Eldest was the loudest.

"LANCE WATARU!" he thundered. Dark eyes were wide with anger as they glared with all their might at Lance. "YOU DARE GO AGAINST THE CLAN—"

"I DO!" Lance bellowed right back, and all eyes were on him as he rose slowly to his feet. Now that he was actually speaking up, all the fury and shame he'd been feeling until now was surging up within him like a colossal wave. "Do you even hear yourselves?! You are denying a Pokemon a right to its full potential! Is that not despicable? We are a Clan of Dragons. We walk with them, for Ho-Oh's sake! We have no right to tell them what they can and cannot do!"

"You are naive, Lance—"

"Listen to me! There are truths out there that cannot be ignored or denied. Fairy types are not blasphemous, they exist and are a match for us—"

"Do not even suggest they could be equals to our invincible Dragons!"

"DRAGONS ARE NOT ABSOLUTE!" Lance roared. Everybody in the room flinched from the sheer volume and content of the statement, but he went on without a care. "We CANNOT ignore the truth in front of our eyes. Fairies are not weak. They are as strong as any other Pokemon. To continue denying this will only spell our downfall. The world is bigger than we think! It is moving and changing in ways we cannot hope to stop, so we must learn to change with it!"

It pained him to admit it. It really did.

But this was a truth he should have realized sooner. Like Arin had told Clair, Lance and his Clan had been living in an isolated bubble this whole time. They — he — had been trying to convince themselves they were untouchable.

No longer.

"It's time to stop," Lance continued with a clenched fist. "We must learn to live with this new reality and adapt to the emergence of a new Pokemon type. Even before Arin Watanuki and his Fairies came along, we'd slowly been losing sight of ourselves in the face of the news. We are taking steps back instead of forward."

"You dare suggest we let Fairies live and let live? Never," the Eldest hissed. With some effort, he rose to his own feet and slammed his cane against the ground. "So long as we are Blackthorns, we will stand firm by our long-held beliefs. We will never accept Fairies, and we will never accept that blasted Arin Watanuki. They are poisoning the nation with their presence."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Lance looked at the scowling Eldest. Without a word, he slowly turned his head. Everywhere he looked, he saw a sea of similar expressions. Obstinacy, fury, denial, the list went on and on. Clair looked back at him with a displeased expression of her own. It didn't matter if the Clan members truly sided with the Elders or if they had been intimidated into agreement.

Every single one of them was choosing to remain ignorant, and it was a terrible moment of realization for Lance.

With a pang in his heart, he realized the Clan had truly begun to lose its way. Nothing he said was having any effect. They were willing to stay stuck in the past. Their misguided hatred for Fairies was blinding their judgment for everything else to the point where they were willing to tie their hands and feet just to prove themselves noble.

Lance suddenly felt so very, very ashamed.

He had been just like them. He'd been letting his own tinted beliefs about Arin and Fairies cloud his vision. He had thought they were below him, that they were weak and had nothing good to offer Kanto-Johto. But that wasn't right.

He'd seen with his own eyes how Fairies could beat Dragons. Even if Clair's Pokemon were not as strong as his own, it had still been shocking to witness Dragons falling so helplessly. He had believed Dragons were absolute his whole life. Now, he had seen for himself a different truth, and Lance felt like his world was collapsing in on itself.

It was truly a bitter pill to swallow, but he knew he had to accept it in order to grow. He could not remain stagnant like the rest of his Clan. He had to accept change, accept Fairies, and accept Arin as part of new winds blowing in Kanto-Johto.

Lance was the Champion of their nation, and he had to guide it to the future.

He said as much now.

"I may be a proud Blackthorn, but I am also Lance Wataru, the Champion of the Indigo League," he said. His voice was quiet but firm, and in his eyes conviction burned. "I will always look out for Indigo first and foremost. Today… I have never been more disappointed in our Clan. This is where I draw the line. Do not expect to see me at any more meetings related to Fairies or Arin Watanuki. My only courtesy to the Clan will be turning a blind eye to any ridiculous schemes you might try and pull from here on out regarding the new Gym Leader. I will have nothing to do with them for they will all fail anyway."

"LANCE WATARU! YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE—"

The Elders all screamed obscenities at him, but he merely ignored them and swept his cape outwards. Lance only spared one passing, meaningful glance to his cousin before he walked out of the Dragon Shrine.

He walked away from the Clan that was only hurting itself from its own poisoned beliefs and away from the sheer absurdity of it all.

Lunch was in order. Then, after…

Lance had a certain destination in mind.

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

"Hyper Song!"

On the phone screen, a Mega Altaria sang a heart-wrenching, beautiful song. Tears filled her eyes, and she had to furiously blink them away so she could see what was going on. The video shifted as new sounds filled her ears, choral notes from a sea of glowing orbs.

She'd replayed this highlight reel for what had to be at least a hundred times by now.

How could such a Pokemon exist? She didn't know what she found more beautiful, its appearance or its voice. Both were absolutely divine. And it was a Mega Altaria! She still couldn't get over that.

She wanted so badly for an Altarianite now. From now on, all of her admittedly meager savings were going to go towards getting one someday should a Stone ever be discovered and put on the market. It didn't matter if it took a decade or more. This was her new goal.

She grinned as she played the highlight reel again. As soon as her shift ended for the day, she'd show Nimbus this video, too. She just knew her Altaria would love it as much as she did. Maybe it would give him some ideas for how to improve his own singing—

"GUYS, BIG NEWS!"

She nearly slammed her knees into the table from the way she jumped in her seat. With a still racing heartbeat, she tore her earbuds out and stared at the door to the break room. Naete had barrelled in. He closed the door behind him now and looked at her and the other Blackthorn Clan trainees with wide eyes.

"Naete, what—" one of the other trainees started to ask, but Naete shut him up by criss-crossing his arms in an emphatic 'X' shape.

"Like I said, big news. I just heard it from Yoshi. He was at the Clan meeting in his father's stead just now and—" Naete stopped suddenly, gaze focused on the still playing device in her hands. There was no sound since the output was set to her ripped out earbuds, but the screen was shifting constantly with frames of Mega Altaria.

Naete let out a strangled gasp.

"Are you crazy?! Put that away before anyone sees!" he hissed frantically at her. Naete even went as far as to run back to the door and press an ear against it as if he was listening for a hidden presence. His odd behavior instantly made her and the other trainees cautious. She held her phone to her chest defensively, eyes widening further as she stared at Naete.

"Why? What's wrong?" she demanded. "I'm on break right now, I'm allowed to be on my freaking phone—"

"It's not that!" Naete interrupted. He stayed still with one ear pressed against the door. When he was satisfied, he quickly walked back to where she and the other trainees were sitting. He stood at the edge of their table with an anxious expression. "New decree from the upper echelons of the Clan. They're banning Mega Evolution for Altaria. Forever. You're not allowed to acquire a Stone for it if they're made available in the future. They're freaking pissed, guys. They don't even want people to think about Altaria's Mega Evolution. It's taboo now, which is why…"

Naete trailed off to stare pointedly at her phone. "To be on the safe side, you should probably NOT watch that here in the Gym of all places. Someone could walk in and catch you with it. You could get fired or worse, permanently kicked out of the Clan's trainee program."

All the trainees stared at him with shock over the news, but none more so than her.

Yurie Irazuki sat there in utter disbelief.

"What… the actual fuck?" she finally said. She was so out of it that the words didn't even feel like they'd come out of her own mouth. "They're banning Mega Evolution for Altaria… for the whole Clan? Even non-blood related trainees?"

"Yep," Naete said quietly, popping the 'p.'

That helped bring back some of her focus. Yurie felt anger washing over her as she slowly put her phone in her pocket. "That's so stupid!" she retorted, but she made sure to keep her voice down. Her eyes briefly darted to the door before they went back to the bringer of bad news. "Look, I get that the Blackthorns don't like Fairies, but didn't Clair tell us after the match that the new Mega was a Dragon AND Fairy type? It's still part Dragon for Arceus's sake—"

"They don't care, Yurie," Naete replied firmly. "It's part Fairy. That's all they know and care about. Anyway, guys, just make sure you do not say anything about Mega Altaria from now on if you want to stay in the Clan's good graces…"

Yurie sat there in silence while her fellow trainees talked among themselves. Her previous good mood from watching the video had all but evaporated in the wind.

She had not come here all the way from Hoenn, had not passed — after multiple failed attempts no less — the grueling test to enter the Clan's ranks as a mere trainee, and had not suffered through years of personal training just to sit here and be told there was something she and Nimbus could not do.

Yurie Irazuki fumed to herself.

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

Dad couldn't stop being worried on the flight back and long after we were actually home.

"It was a magnificent match, Arin, but I don't think the Blackthorns will be happy—"

"I'll take care of it, dad. They needed to be knocked down a peg anyway."

"What about Clair? You're going to be working with her from now on—"

"We came to an… agreement. We'll see if it holds."

"But the Clan might—"

"Dad!" I said calmly but firmly. I looked up from the work I was trying to do on my laptop and raised a brow at the man hovering near me. He'd changed out of his formal wear already for a more casual outfit, but I had only shed my stuffy suit jacket and vest.

"I appreciate and understand that you're worried, but what I did today had to be done," I told him. "I needed to make a statement to the Blackthorns and the country. I have no doubt they aren't gonna be too pleased with me after today, but I'll deal with whatever happens without fail. And besides…"

I smirked, drumming a finger against my leg. "It was free and pretty damn good advertising, if I say so myself. If people weren't already talking about me and the Cherrygrove Gym before, now they definitely will."

Dad gaped at me. After what seemed like forever, he finally shook his head slowly with an incredulous smile.

"Only you would consider the advertising aspect of today's events, goodness…" A few chuckles escaped him as he sat down on the couch across from me. "Very well. I'll stop bringing this up then since you don't seem to be worried."

I nodded gratefully. I understood where dad's concern was coming from, but I really didn't care too much.

I didn't have any lingering feelings regarding my match with Clair. I hadn't been expecting much from her at all, but the fight had truly been a disappointment from start to end. What needed to be done had been done, and now it was time to think about the future.

I was the Gym Leader of a major gym now, the ninth in Johto even. Not to toot my own horn, but it was a pretty big deal. I was confident we were going to get lots of challengers in the following League Circuit season. Of course, I wasn't going to rest on my laurels until then.

It was finally time to upgrade the Cherrygrove Gym's social media presence and, more importantly, recruit gym trainers. Humming to myself, I pulled up the URLs for the Cherrygrove Gym's website and social media platforms. Both my brows immediately flew up to my hairline.

"Er… Dad, did you hire anyone to help with these?" I trailed off, flipping the laptop around so dad could view it. He winced when he saw the split tabs on the screen. The Gym's website design looked like something from a bygone era, and its Chatter and Chimegram timelines were very… sparse.

Heck, the last post for each of them was from two years ago! Two!

"No…" Dad slowly admitted. He wore an embarrassed smile as he avoided my gaze. "I did everything on my own. I'm not the best with technology though. For the website, I just used a free template I found online. And the social media apps were kind of forgotten as time went on…"

I stared at him half in disbelief and half in amazement.

To think he had somehow managed to obtain the qualifications to apply for the promotion exam in spite of a lack of heavy advertising… it was astounding, that was for sure.

I cleared my throat and swiftly turned the laptop back around. "Well, first things first. I'm going to archive all these old posts on the Gym's social media pages."

That was easy enough. Soon enough, there were blank timelines in front of me just begging to be updated. I would get back to them in a moment.

Right now, I stared at the website with furrowed brows. Now this would be a little tougher. I knew my way around social media, but I had zero experience dealing with website management. Before I began accepting applications for anything, I needed to make sure the website was both one, presentable enough, and two, able to handle what was probably going to be a Tauros load of incoming traffic.

A small idea popped up in my mind. Before I knew it, I had called out softly.

"Porygon family."

Dad let out a startled yelp when six different heads popped up out of the computers or my phone, staring at me attentively. These were the Porygon, Porygon 2, and the one Porygon-Z Geeta had gifted me before. I'd talked to them a bit in the last two weeks and learned they were surprisingly chatty.

I also knew they'd been feeling kind of restless so far since they didn't have a lot of work to do.

"How good are you guys with web design?" I asked hopefully. The Porygon family members all stared at each other and communicated silently. Porygon-Z ducked back into my phone, and an electronic voice blared out a second later.

"Our specialty lies in data security and management. We do not possess any skills related to web design; however, we are capable of learning such skills right now. Shall we download information regarding this?" Porygon-Z's chosen voice asked.

"How is it doing that?" Dad silently mouthed at me with wide eyes, and I had to refrain from snorting with laughter.

"Yes please, I'd like it if you could, er… spruce this website up a bit? To a more modern look at least. Doesn't need to be anything too fancy, I just need something better than what we have right now for the time being. I'll hire people with suitable skill sets for this later," I said vaguely, hoping that was enough for the Porygon family. I looked at dad now. "Did you use a free hosting service for this?"

He stared at me blankly, and that was all I needed to know.

I turned back to the Porygon family and nodded sagely. "Please find and switch the hosting service to the best possible one, too. I don't want to deal with crashes later. Here's my card number…"

While the Porygon family zipped back into the computer and got to work, I started making drafts for hiring ads and application forms with dad's input. Right now, I only planned on hiring gym trainers and some people to help manage the Gym's online platforms. All other positions — janitors, receptionists, security guards, and the like — would be hired after construction on the Cherrygrove Gym finished in one and a half months.

That was when the ball would really get rolling. I couldn't wait for that day.

The website's new look was completed before long. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw how much more in line with modern times it looked. The design was a bit simplistic and didn't truly fit the theme of the Gym, but that was fine. This was just temporary. I quickly got all the forms and posts ready for submission on my laptop and pulled out my phone.

It was time for the last step before everything went live and hit the Pokenet.

Dad watched curiously as I held a finger to my lips in a shushing gesture. I angled my phone carefully in front of me, navigated to my Chimegram page, and hit the 'livestream' button.

Thousands of people flooded into the room within seconds, and I mean thousands.

I was up to over a hundred thousand viewers by the time half a minute passed. Across my phone screen, comments and reactive emojis zoomed past. I had expected to get some attention because of the swearing-in ceremony, my match with Clair, and all the new followers on my social medias, but this was more than satisfactory.

I finally spoke when the viewers breached one hundred fifty thousand.

"Hi guys. I hope you all enjoyed my friendly match with Leader Clair," I began conversationally. People instantly responded with waves of comments, and I picked one out at random to react to.

"'Mega Altaria is Dragon/Fairy type?!'" I read out loud. "That's exactly right."

Upon my verbal confirmation, the screen became flooded with emojis to the point that I almost couldn't see my own face.

I smiled. "As much as I'd like to keep chatting, that's not why I started this abrupt livestream. I've got some big news I'd like to share," I revealed with a sly smile. "I'm looking to hire gym trainers and some social media managers for the Cherrygrove Gym. Applications will be open for the next five days. You can apply at the Gym's website starting… now."

At a discreet nod from me, the Porygon family made the forms live on the website. All social media timelines were updated with colorful hiring ads and informational posts. As for my livestream?

It had ballooned to over three hundred thousand viewers now.

I didn't need to spread the word so much that others would be spreading the news for me. This livestream was just minimal advertising on my part to poke the curious masses.

"That's all I wanted to say. Please apply for the positions if you're interested," I said with one last smile. I'm pretty sure I looked almost ecstatic as I ended the call and hurriedly refreshed all the tabs on my laptop.

There were hundreds of comments under the hiring ad posts already. People were talking about it, and they were sharing and spreading it to the rest of the country like wildfire. I knew if I looked in another hour, the website would probably have tons of applications already as well.

It was going to be a pain in the butt later to go through all the forms after the deadline, but it would be worth it. I had grand ambitions for my Gym, and I only wanted the most suitable trainers to work for me.

If I had to comb through the entire country to make that happen, I would.

I had to explain to dad what that was all about since he wasn't too familiar with Chimegram. We were in the middle of discussing what other advertising we could do when Silque's voice spoke urgently in my head.

Intruders heading—

I was up and running before she even got the second word out.

An assortment of growls and cries rang out from the front yard long before I reached the entryway and flung the door open, expecting the worst.

What I saw instead made me blink about five times in rapid succession.

Some of my Pokemon had made an enclosure already as more ran to the scene from the back including Dad's own Elites. Peri had a fully formed Moonblast ready to go from his position in the sky, and Fizz was stationed on the roof with one wing spread wide as poison coalesced around it.

On the ground, Vel hissed threateningly with his feelers lashing the air around him. Silque had already woven a barrier around the whole front yard preventing escape, and Zuri's fangs were bared as she snarled, tensing in preparation for a fight. In front of her were the so-called intruders.

A Dragonite that was distinctly not my own had landed in the front yard. Just from the intense aura it radiated, I knew that this was a true Dragon that had seen and won many fights. It bared its own fangs as it looked left and right. And standing in front of it was—

"Champion Lance?" I asked with no small amount of confusion. My initial anger and adrenaline subsided once I realized the intruder was just him and what was presumably his famed starter.

Lance's gaze flickered first to all the Pokemon that had surrounded him, then to Zuri with particular interest, and then finally to me.

"Greetings, Leader Arin. I apologize for my sudden and unannounced visit. It would have been more proper to call you in advance, but it slipped my mind with everything going on," he said with an apologetic dip of his head. "May we have a chat?"

I stared at him for several long seconds. Why had the Champion of the Indigo League decided to make a personal house visit to me? I wasn't sure, but I did have a small guess.

"Is everything alright, Arin?!" Dad asked, finally appearing behind me at the door. His eyes followed my gaze and widened when they caught sight of Lance. He did not say anything, but dad's gaze darted back and forth between us.

"Yeah," I said quietly to dad. In a louder voice, I turned back to Lance and nodded. "Sure. Would you like to come inside to talk or…?"

Lance neatly folded his hands behind his back. "Outside is alright. I wouldn't want to intrude more than I already have."

I nodded slowly. It was the unspoken signal for all my Pokemon to relax and let go of their moves or battle positions. Most of them returned to the backyard, but a few of them — Vel and Zuri in particular — stayed in the front yard off to the sides and fixed Lance and his Pokemon with intense stares. Lance's Dragonite stared back at them with a mixture of interest and caution.

Dad drifted back inside to give us privacy, and I closed the door as I gestured to the chairs on the front porch. Lance walked up with dignified steps. He carefully swept his cape back and sat himself in a chair, and I sank into the one across from him.

"So," I immediately began, eyeing Lance carefully. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

He took a deep breath. "I came here not as the Champion but as Lance Wataru. I want to apologize for my cousin's actions."

I leaned back in my chair with a slow nod. I'd figured his visit probably had something to do with Clair, but I hadn't expected an apology of all things.

"That's not necessary. It was a friendly battle that we both agreed to—" I began politely, but Lance held up a hand.

"I'm aware of what she said to you at the ceremony, Leader Arin, and the true context of the match," he explained. "I also know of the conversation that occurred afterwards."

If I was wary before, now I was doubly alert as I stared at him with narrowed eyes. He'd just blatantly admitted that he knew everything including the threats I'd made to Clair and his Clan.

He wasn't here looking for trouble, was he?

As if he sensed my apprehension, Lance quickly shook his head. "I didn't come here to start a fight," he reassured. "I meant what I said before. I really did come here to apologize on behalf of Clair. She's… a very headstrong individual. What she did today was terribly foolish and could have caused public unrest had you not chosen to look the other way. I'd like to thank you for that. I know you haven't had your post for long, but you're an exemplary Gym Leader of Kanto-Johto."

That… was nice of him, but I still stared at him with suspicion.

"I did choose not to escalate things, yes, for the sake of showing a unified appearance," I said slowly. "But… you do realize I threatened your cousin, right? I haven't forgiven her. I don't exactly have fond feelings towards your Clan either. Whatever they try, I will deal with it, and if it crosses the line…"

I trailed off, eyes hardening. "Then you'll have to forgive me if troubles arise on your hands, Champion."

Lance merely inclined his head. "I will admit I hope that does not come to pass. Clair should hopefully settle down after this, and my Clan… well, I don't think they'd do anything too drastic, but perhaps that's just my wishful thinking. Regardless, you would be justified in taking actions against them, and I would not hold you against it so long as what you do is reasonable."

My eyes widened. Did Lance just… Did he just give me permission to fight his family? I had expected him to take an issue with it, and not just… be so nonchalant about the fact that I was potentially going to ruin his Clan's reputation in the future to some degree.

This was weird. Very weird, and definitely way out of my range of expectations.

There was a brief period of silence between us as we took in the conversation so far. I was idly fiddling with my hands when Lance spoke again, and I wrenched my focus back.

"I'd also like to offer my own apology," Lance added. I raised a brow, but he merely continued on after a moment's hesitation. "I'll be honest: like the rest of my Clan, I did not think… highly of you or Fairy type Pokemon before. I thought Fairies to be beneath Dragons."

I barely avoided hissing through my teeth. My previous paranoid wonderings about the Champion's beliefs turned out to have some substance after all. Even Lance had apparently been firmly entrenched in his Clan's ideologies. It was one thing to wonder if the Champion of your League perhaps secretly disliked you and another to actually hear it from their mouth.

I had, however, not missed the 'before.'

"You didn't have to tell me this. You could have just gone on pretending to tolerate me and I wouldn't have known any better," I pointed out with narrowed eyes. "So… why bring this up?"

Lance hummed softly as he looked off into the distance over my shoulder.

"I could have, yes," he easily agreed. "But I don't enjoy putting up pretenses, even if I have to often do so for political reasons. I prefer speaking my mind freely and facing things head-on."

He turned his gaze back to me and looked me in the eyes with a serious expression.

"I have lived my whole life believing Dragons were absolute, but I saw a different truth today. It's shocking, really, to have your world upended in the span of just a little over an hour, but I'm grateful for this splash of cold water you gave so to speak. I know now that the world is bigger than I think and that there are truths I must face if I wish to grow," Lance said solemnly. "I still have some reservations about the Fairy type, admittedly, but I will no longer look upon them with such misguided hatred like the rest of my Clan does. I respect your strength, Arin, and the strength your Fairies have shown."

Lance actually dipped his head low in acknowledgement, and I almost gaped at him. It was obvious he was being very genuine about all this if he was even willing to bow his head to me. Lance was famous for his unbending pride.

Any suspicions I'd had towards Lance flew away as I threw my hands up. Compared to Clair, now here was someone who was actually noble.

"Thank you," I quickly said, and I meant it. I don't think I ever could have imagined something like this happening. Not just any Blackthorn but the Champion himself was acknowledging my strength and that of my team. It was certainly gratifying. "But you can raise your head, I don't feel comfortable having the Champion bow his head to me like this!"

Lance actually barked out a short laugh as he raised his head, staring at me with amusement.

"I can see you have strength of character as well," he mused out loud. "Most people would relish the sight of having the Champion bow to them in acknowledgement."

I smiled awkwardly. "Well… not me. I do respect you, Champion Lance, and even more after the honesty you showed me today. It's much appreciated."

"I'm glad my sincerity reached you," Lance replied. He smiled a bit as he clasped his hands together on his lap. "To go back to what you asked before… why did I bring this up now? I felt humbled by your actions today and the words you shared with Clair. What you told my cousin may not have affected her or the rest of my Clan, but it has resonated deeply with me. I felt the need to reach out to you and start anew."

Lance gave me a serious nod. "I am still a new Champion, Leader Arin. I'm only half a year into my tenure, but I have many visions for the future. When I took up my post, I swore to help make Indigo the best it could be, and I meant it. There is much work to be done in Kanto-Johto. I need allies who will work with me both to improve it and keep it safe, and I would be honored if you could join me in this pursuit."

He looked at me with a hopeful yet resolute gaze. Then and there, I realized Lance was a greater person than I ever could have thought him to be. He was willing to acknowledge his past faults and grow from his mistakes.

If it was a person like this, I could agree to follow them.

"You don't even need to ask, Champion Lance," I smiled. "That's what I was planning to do anyway. I swore as much during my own ceremony, so… I'm looking forward to working together with you from now on."

A very pleased smile stretched across Lance's face. He offered a hand, and I shook it heartily.

"Me too. To the future," he said softly, and I nodded.

"To the future."

Lance studied me as we let go of each other's hands. "Would it be alright if we addressed each other by first names outside of official settings? I always thought titles got a tad… stuffy."

"Oh sure—"

"Excellent! Then Arin, before I leave, might I ask about your Dragonite? She looks incredibly well-trained, and the size of her wings is simply marvelous…" Lance continued rambling on and on excitedly, and I stared at him with amusement. It almost felt like our previous conversation had never taken place.

The dignified Champion of the Indigo League had been replaced by an enthusiast who geeked out over Dragon Pokemon.

I ended up introducing Zuri to Lance and his own Dragonite. Once I made it clear that they were allies now, she relaxed and treated them much more amicably. Lance had endless compliments for me about how Zuri had been raised, and I admit, it did feel great having a literal expert on Dragons pass you with flying colors. Zuri also chatted with Lance's Dragonite a bit, more than happy to talk to a fellow dragon once caution was no longer required.

I think we were all feeling a little closer to each other when Lance finally got on his Dragonite's back and zipped away in the sky. Before he left, we had exchanged contact details.

There were enemies and obstacles ahead, but at least now I knew the Champion of the Indigo League would not interfere with me. Our overarching goals were the same: to serve Kanto-Johto to the best of our abilities.

That was a load off my mind.

I hummed to myself as I re-entered the house. It had been a fairly crazy day so far, and I couldn't wait to relax a bit during lunch. Delicious scents were wafting from the kitchen already. Some sort of soup maybe?

Then my phone rang, and I paused in the living room to fish it out of my pocket.

I frowned at the screen. There was no name or picture, just a phone number. Someone not on my admittedly long contacts list was calling me.

That in itself was a bit alarming. My personal phone number wasn't known to the public. The Porygon-Z in my phone didn't seem to think it was an issue, though, so I held the device up to my ear and accepted the call. I couldn't help but feel a bit wary still.

"Hello?" I asked cautiously.

"Hello! Good afternoon, Leader Arin. I apologize for the sudden call to your private number. I actually phoned the Cherrygrove Gym first but didn't realize the Gym was under construction, so I called up the League to inquire about your contact details instead," the voice on the other end explained. It was a deep, slightly gravelly voice that sounded like it belonged to an elderly man, but it was full of cheer and vitality. I even thought I detected some excitement leaking through.

For some reason, the voice also kind of sounded vaguely familiar.

"I was hoping to speak with you regarding your Pokemon. This is Professor Samuel Oak calling from the Oak Lab."

My mouth dropped open like a Magikarp's.

I almost thought I was dreaming. I even quickly Zoogled the other person's number on my phone to make sure it was authentic, and it was.

Samuel Oak, the legendary Hero of the War of Ashes and the most esteemed Professor on this side of the world, was on the phone with me.