CHAPTER 27

"Bye, Arin! It was nice meeting you!" Whitney hollered enthusiastically. The pink-haired girl waved at me one last time from the entryway before disappearing, leaving me to stare after her with a faintly amused expression.

She'd come and gone like a hurricane after chatting my ears off and exchanging contact details.

I stared thoughtfully at my phone. The group chat I had been added to really did have a lot of new Gym Leaders who had taken up office within the last year. Whitney, Bugsy, Janine, Brock, Erika… There were more than I expected, and most of them were much younger than me.

Falkner was not in it. Apparently Whitney had tried inviting him before, but he refused.

I was pretty sure Kanto-Johto had not experienced such a massive shift in their gym hierarchy in a while. So many Gym Leaders being sworn in around the same time… it was certainly interesting.

Something, or in this case someone, gently poked me in the arm. I wrenched my gaze away from my phone and found Jasmine smiling at me. She and Morty were the only other people left in the room at this point.

"Do you have time to hang out with us?" she asked softly.

"We both have a few hours before we need to get started on gym paperwork," Morty piped up, and he spread his hands wide. "I could show you around Ecruteak a bit! We can even enjoy lunch somewhere."

I didn't have to think about it very hard. There weren't any pressing matters to attend to, so I could afford to spare a few hours hanging out with the first friends I'd made in Johto.

A huge grin split my face. "Let's go!"

While Morty led us outside of the Gym and into the city, I shot a quick text to dad letting him know to eat lunch without me. I stuffed my phone into my pocket right as we entered the main streets.

Ecruteak was beautiful.

Dad had brought me here a couple times when I was a child for various festivals, but getting to walk through the roads on an ordinary day like this was just as neat. The streets and buildings were charming and spoke of so much history that I felt like I'd been transported back to the past. Morty gave me and Jasmine a tour of some popular spots in the city. These included historical buildings that he rambled on about for minutes at a time.

The tour was interesting, but I also had fun seeing how much the locals adored Morty.

Everybody recognized our group — it was impossible not to considering how eye-catching a trio of Gym Leaders was — but it was Morty that everybody went crazy for. They all offered waves or exuberant greetings when we passed. More than a few elderly citizens actually came up to Morty to ask for help finding things, and Morty apologized to us every time he stopped and used his clairvoyance to search. Here in Ecruteak, he had the best results with his powers because he was so familiar with its people and layout.

It was quite amazing actually. Morty was obviously no match for Sabrina or the esteemed psychic Clans in Kanto, but he was probably one of the best psychics Johto had.

"You're so popular, Morty," I commented out loud. We'd just waved goodbye to an old woman Morty had helped reunite with her Meowth, and now Jasmine and I were following him down the path to a restaurant he had in mind.

Morty merely chuckled, waving a hand in the air without turning. "I don't know if popular is the right word," he said humbly. "They're all used to me because I've been their Gym Leader for so long now. Plus, everyone is close to each other in Ecruteak. It's mostly a lot of families and older folks who live here. Is it not like that for you and Jas as well?"

Jasmine smiled in embarrassment and ducked her head. "It is. Olivine's community is very lively. We all support each other," she admitted. "I just wish they'd stop with the embarrassing nicknames they give me…"

I snorted with laughter. It came at the cost of a mock glare from the young woman next to me. "Ah, yes, the Iron Thorn," I teased, and Jasmine pouted. "But yeah, Cherrygrove's community is pretty tight-knit as well. A lot of nice folks."

"Don't laugh, Arin," Jasmine grumbled quietly. "Just wait until they give you an embarrassing nickname of your own."

That shut me up real quick. Arceus, I hoped they never did.

Eventually, Morty led us to the Dancing Aipom. Apparently it was a new and trending restaurant that had opened a few months back. I could understand why when we stepped inside. The store mascots, a quartet of energetic Aipom, were putting on a show for the patrons on the ground level while a popular song played from the speakers.

I smiled without even realizing it.

It also turned out Morty was already a well-established regular here and one of their best patrons. The host at the front smiled when he saw the Ecruteak Gym Leader and ushered us to a private room on the second floor.

After we sat down, he took orders for drinks and left us to go over the menus. I just about salivated when I saw their selection. It seemed this place specialized in noodle and rice bowl dishes. What was I in the mood for? Tempura soba? Katsudon?

A quick glance to my right revealed that Jasmine seemed to be having a similar problem as she stared with furrowed brows at her own menu. I wondered if this was her first time here, too.

I blinked back to attention when someone coughed. Looking up, I saw Morty staring at me with a raised brow. Was he done looking at the menu already?

"So…" Morty clasped his hands under his chin. "It was a bit tense in the meeting. Is everything alright between you and Clair? And the Blackthorns by extension?"

Oh, he'd wanted to ask about that. Jasmine had stopped perusing the menu to stare at me as well. I offered them both a wry smile.

"Clair and I have come to an agreement," I said simply so as to not worry them. Based on what I'd seen today, Clair appeared to be keeping to her word of giving me a very minimal level of respect. Her pride had some use after all. "As for the rest of her Clan… I'll be honest, I can't believe they deemed me enough of a threat to send spies after me. Flattering, I suppose?"

Morty's other brow rose delicately.

"If it's any consolation, they tried the same with me when I took up office almost a decade ago," Morty remarked casually, and it was my turn to stare at him now as he went on. "They tried to get more information on my powers of clairvoyance to see how I compared to the psychics of Kanto. I kicked them all out, of course. My point is, the Blackthorns are a cautious bunch. They keep close tabs on the flow of power in Kanto-Johto. Tread carefully, Arin."

I nodded firmly. "I know," I assured him. "I'll be ready for whatever they might try next."

"Good," Morty smiled as he leaned back in his seat. One hand went up to tug lightly at his signature purple scarf. "Let me know if you need help with anything that comes up. I've always believed the Blackthorns and their scheming ways are ridiculous. I respect tradition, but there comes a point when Johto must learn to move forward and progress."

"A-And me, too!" Jasmine added hastily. I turned to her and saw light brown eyes lit up with unusually fierce determination. She wore a smile as she raised both her hands and clenched them into fists. "Olivine's slightly further away, but… if you need help, I'll come to Cherrygrove! I've got your back, Arin."

My chest felt warm as I looked back and forth between Morty and Jasmine. We hadn't known each other for very long, but I was very appreciative that they supported me as both friends and fellow Gym Leaders.

If only every Johto Gym Leader was as friendly or open-minded as these two were.

"Thank you, Morty, Jas. I really appreciate it," I said sincerely with a smile. That same smile became tinged with mirth as I held up my menu and waved it a bit. "Now, uh, can I get some help choosing what to order? I can't decide."

Morty and Jasmine looked at each other and burst into laughter at the same time.

I ended up settling on oyakodon, a chicken and egg rice bowl. Morty got cold soba noodles with dipping sauce, and Jasmine ordered spicy hot soba noodles with fish cake.

She didn't just order it spicy. She got the maximum spicy level the restaurant offered.

After the food arrived and we began digging in, I stared at her with absolute astonishment as she ate her dish with a perfectly composed expression.

I learned Jasmine Mikan was not to be messed with when it came to spice tolerance.

The three of us traded portions of our meals to each other so we could try everything. They all tasted great. I did blanch a bit at the sheer spiciness from Jasmine's dish, though. Morty made a face that looked like he was dying after he tried it as well. He all but snatched his cup of water off the table to gulp it down, and I almost choked on rice from laughing so hard.

We chatted while we ate and long after we finished. Morty and Jasmine had plenty of fun stories for me, everything from gossip about the other Gym Leaders — apparently Chuck had been seen getting dragged by the ear by his irate wife the other day — to challengers they'd fought in the current League Circuit.

"Could we train together sometime?" Jasmine surprisingly asked me at one point. She actually looked a bit excited as she fiddled with her hands. "I realize it may not be that useful sparring against my Pokemon considering they're nowhere near your level, but… I'd like to get stronger. I don't want my personal team to get rusty and fall behind the other Gym Leaders. Er, pun not intended."

My eyes widened. "Of course! But give yourself more credit, Jas."

Jasmine was not as weak as she had made herself seem. Every Gym Leader of Kanto-Johto was a powerful trainer in their own right, and so was Jasmine. Her Pokemon were capable of switching between absolute defense to offense and right back in an instant.

I was more than happy to accept her request. This would be great for my own team, too. Self-training and spars against dad's Elite Pokemon helped keep them in shape, but they needed to switch up training partners every so often so they wouldn't stagnate. This hadn't been a problem in Paldea since I regularly got to fight against Geeta and the Elite Four when we all weren't busy working, but now I was all the way in Johto.

I wondered how Lance would react if I asked him to train together. Fighting other Champion-level Pokemon would be the most ideal plan of action for my team, and I was sure they'd look forward to maybe, maybe not totally pummeling Lance's Dragons.

Morty smiled, leaning in with a glint in his eyes. "I hope I'm invited. I need to keep my skills sharp, too," he said cheerfully. "Gengar and my other Ghosts have been getting bored lately, and I have no plans to ask Clair for another match anytime soon. For lack of a better description, she always gets a big head afterwards."

I almost snorted into my drink while Jasmine giggled next to me.

"Morty's fought Clair six-on-six a few times before. He always loses 6-5, but it's still really impressive," she explained softly. "He's the third strongest out of the Johto Gym Leaders— er, fourth now actually since you've joined."

"Oh?" I turned toward her with interest. "How do the Gym Leaders stack up against each other then?"

"Well… it'd be you, then Pryce, then Clair and Morty are sort of tied in my opinion," Jasmine began. When Morty gave her a look of disbelief, she quickly waved her hands in front of her face. "I mean it! You're always so close to beating her. Anyway, then it'd be me and Chuck. The other three are about the same in terms of strength."

"Interesting…" I hummed to myself. "Well, feel free to let me know whenever you guys want to train and spar together. My Pokemon would love the chance to fight your teams."

"Great!" Morty beamed. "We can start next month then, when Jas and I are no longer slaves to the Circuit."

Jasmine and I both laughed so hard that our stomachs hurt.

Morty merely smiled as he waited for our laughter to subside. Once it had, he turned to me with an eager expression. "While we still have some time, I'd love to discuss our Abilities."

I perked up at this, nodding vigorously. I hadn't forgotten Morty's promise from last time we met in person, and I was glad he hadn't either.

"When did yours manifest?" I asked curiously.

"I was around four or five years old. It's hard to remember the exact time, but it did fully manifest for me by age nine," Morty mused out loud. "What about you?

"Huh. Same here. My Ability didn't fully develop until I was ten, though."

"Fascinating! I wonder if these rates are similar for other Ability Holders as well."

"What about the others in Kanto-Johto you mentioned before? What kind of Abilities do they have?"

"One of them is a Ranger over in Kanto with the Ability to feel and share the emotions of Pokemon. We have one more who works for the League and is able to link senses between her and her Pokemon…"

We chatted on for a bit and shared memories, both good and bad, that had to do with our Abilities. Jasmine was vastly interested and frequently asked questions or commented on our stories.

When I let it slip that I had a few Ghost and Fairy type Pokemon on my team, Morty grew understandably excited and asked if he could see them. There was enough space in the room, so I let out Mem and Fia.

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Morty fawned over them.

"Wow!" the Ghost Specialist exclaimed, eyes darting back and forth between the Mimikyu on my shoulder and the Flutter Mane hovering off to the side of the table. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! Hello to you both, I'm Morty!"

He, and surprisingly Jasmine as well, were unfazed when they got an otherworldly string of cries in response.

Morty just nodded his head sagely, beaming. "Thank you for your compliment about my scarf. The little hearts on your cloth are quite charming."

Mem and Fia both seemed astonished at this and turned to me questioningly. I just pointed back at Morty with a grin. "He's like me, but he can understand Ghost types," I explained.

With renewed understanding, my Pokemon proceeded to humor Morty's curiosity and chatted with him. Mem in particular got very attached to Morty and Jasmine in the span of ten minutes and made a game of hopping between all of our shoulders. Out of all my Pokemon, he tended to enjoy making new friends the most.

I didn't want Jasmine to feel left out, so I told her about how I had a Mawile. She revealed she'd gotten one of her own from Hoenn a year after becoming Gym Leader. I also ended up showing Jasmine some pictures of the Tinkatink family and other Steel types I had back home.

The smile Jasmine had was so blinding it threatened to dazzle the room itself.

All of this led to a discussion of my journey and the kinds of places and Pokemon I'd seen over the last decade. I barely got to talk about anything at all before Morty and Jasmine checked the time and realized they had to go.

Immense paperwork awaited them even on a weekend.

I waved goodbye to both Leaders as they disappeared, Morty down the streets and Jasmine off into the skies on the back of her Skarmory. That had been a lot more fun than I ever expected it to be, and I reminded myself to set aside more time for socializing and hanging out with friends down the road.

Seeing how excited Morty and Jasmine had been earlier also gave me some ideas for the future. Maybe in the future I could give them some gifts… I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I walked down the street. I had a feeling they would be really happy.

I ducked into an empty alleyway and let out Silque. She would memorize Ecruteak for the future, and then I'd Teleport home—

I jerked my head back when I saw a familiar figure with blue hair walking in the distance.

"I'll be back, Silque!" I yelled over my shoulder before I jogged away. Back onto the main street I went, and I walked hurriedly through the crowd to catch up to the figure I'd seen.

"Falkner!" I called out once I got within distance. A person wearing very distinct traditional clothing turned around at the sound of his name. I knew I couldn't have seen wrong. Falkner's appearance was just too recognizable. I stopped just a few feet in front of him, smiling. "I didn't expect to see you in the city still. Are you heading back to your Gym now?"

"Yes," came a single word of confirmation from Falkner's mouth. He stared at me as if he couldn't understand why I was even talking to him. I pressed on.

"Would you like to exchange contact details? I was hoping we could keep in touch seeing as our respective Cities are close to each other," I explained, pulling out my phone. "A lot of trainers pass back and forth between Violet and Cherrygrove, and I expect this to increase further with the next League Circuit. Challengers will probably visit our Gyms one after the other. I thought it'd be nice if we could exchange information."

Falkner eyed me with undisguised wariness. I thought he would just reject me on the spot, but after several long moments, he silently pulled his phone out and handed it to me.

I took that as my cue to enter my phone number. As soon as I had given the phone back to him, Falkner gave a curt nod and marched off.

He hadn't even given me his own phone number!

I stared after him with dismay. There was a part of me that wanted to run up to him and ask what his problem was. It wasn't like I had personally done anything to him, but I couldn't do anything about it. Falkner was entitled to his own opinions and feelings.

Sighing, I turned and headed back to Silque. It was time to head home.

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Pidgeot sped through the skies back to Violet City. On the gigantic bird's back, Falkner listened to the familiar, comforting sound of wind rushing past. His eyes were trained on the new contact card on his phone.

Arin Watanuki.

He hadn't expected to see the other Gym Leader still hanging around in Ecruteak either. Falkner had just finished running some errands when Arin called out to him. He hadn't felt like talking to him at all, but… there was the risk of someone seeing him give the cold shoulder to the Cherrygrove Gym Leader. So, he showed the bare minimum of courtesy and stayed long enough to hear him out.

Arin was a strong trainer. There was no denying that, but he still had mixed emotions about Arin and the Cherrygrove Gym.

His father's last hopeful words echoed in his head.

Falkner, always remember to respect Johto and the old ways. I know you'll be a great Gym Leader.

Of course he respected Johto's history. When you grew up in a household as traditional as that of the famous Hayato family or a city as old as Violet City, there was no way a person wouldn't. He'd been trying his best to live up to his father's expectations, but the second part was proving difficult.

He was so far behind in experience and battle prowess compared to the other Gym Leaders. His first year as Gym Leader had not been a perfectly smooth ride, and Falkner was aware some trainers had complained about the way he ran things. He would iron everything out by the next League Circuit and display a more flawless performance in his second year of duty.

That's what he sincerely hoped at least.

Everything Arin had said to Falkner earlier made sense, but… it was unnecessary. He was capable of handling everything by himself. He was the son of Walker Hayato and a proud Gym Leader of Johto.

Falkner looked at the unfamiliar phone number one last time before putting his phone away.

He was never going to use it.

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The days passed peacefully.

My gym trainers settled into their daily routines of showing up each day to feed and get accustomed to the gym Pokemon, and they took turns patrolling the town and surrounding routes. Souta and especially Haru were always accompanied by at least one senior trainer due to their inexperience.

By the end of the first week, I deemed them ready to begin commanding the gym Pokemon in actual spars and training sessions.

"But!" I said to the excited group in front of me, and I held a finger up with a vicious smile. "You need to pass the written test I'll hand out in two days."

Everybody's faces morphed into different states of emotion. Murata looked amused, Haru looked nervous, Souta and Hazel seemed confident, and Yurie…

She wore a comically horrified expression, and I barely refrained from snickering out loud.

"Hey, you all did great whenever I pop quizzed you this week," I said reassuringly. "Anyway, tomorrow's Memorial Day, so enjoy the day off. I'll see you all in two days. Be prepared for that test!"

I got a chorus of yeses in return before everyone left for their respective lodgings. I was about to head into the house myself when Oak came up to me with an unusually serious expression.

"I thought I should give you a heads-up. Daisy and I will be absent tomorrow," Oak said with a sad smile. He tried to hide it, but I could see the pain clouding his normally bright eyes and features. "We'll be back in two days."

I understood immediately.

There wasn't anybody in all of Indigo who did not know what had happened to Oak and his family during the Rocket War. It had made national headlines at the time.

"We'll see you later then, Professor," I said softly. Oak only offered a small nod before walking away.

His retreating back looked so terribly sad and frail.

When I went back into the house, I found dad in a similar state of melancholy. He was sitting at the kitchen table by himself. He didn't turn when I entered, but he did speak.

"Would you like to come with me tomorrow to the Indigo Plateau?" Dad asked. His eyes stared out the window at something unknown while his fist clenched on the kitchen table.

I put a hand over his comfortingly.

"Of course."

We sat in silence for a long time.

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The morning came, and the world seemed quieter than normal.

April 24th. Memorial Day.

Businesses, schools, and gyms alike were closed everywhere. All of my gym trainers had the day off. I woke up, put on some appropriate dark clothing, and went downstairs to find dad. He was already waiting for me in the living room. We went out and fed the gym Pokemon in silence before returning to the house.

Breakfast was a somber affair. We watched Lance make a serious speech on TV about the significance of today, and when the clock struck ten o'clock…

Dad and I both paused in what we were doing to close our eyes and pray. Around the country, all other citizens were doing the same. The Moment of Remembrance was only a minute long, but it was a heavy one where we honored those who had fallen in years past.

This day held more meaning for dad than it did for me. He had participated in the Rocket War and suffered losses.

I was five years old when Team Rocket waged war on Indigo. I was young at the time, but that week had been frightening enough that I remembered the memories more clearly than other ones from my childhood.

I had been in the front yard playing with Vel when dad slammed the front door open and ran out with a panicked expression. He'd yelled for us to come inside right away.

The urgency in his voice and the fear in his eyes had scared me immensely.

As soon as I was in the house, dad had locked the door and shut all the windows and blinds properly. Under no condition was I to leave the house until he came back, he told me. When I asked where he was going, he had just given a small, shaky smile.

Just a quick trip to town, he said.

Dad had further scared me by giving me bags full of the gym Pokemon's Pokeballs 'in case I needed them for protection' and left me with two of his Elite tier Pokemon. Then he'd Teleported away with his Exeggutor, and that's when I really knew something was wrong.

He always walked to town. He hated Teleporting.

I learned why when I turned on the TV. Child me wasn't able to fully comprehend what the emergency broadcast warnings said at the time, but when I saw the letter 'R' flash across the screen I knew the bad guys had done something. Every kid in Kanto-Johto back then had grown up with warnings from their parents about 'bad guys with uniforms that had the letter R' and to run away and call the police if they ever saw them.

I had been so scared that I turned off the TV and waited in tense silence for dad to come back. When I heard distant explosions coming from the town, that's when I couldn't take it anymore and cried into Vel's fur.

Dad didn't come back until that evening, and he came back with bruises and small cuts. Neil, his wife, and their baby son were all with him. They wore very serious expressions.

Dad told me about a dozen times that everything was okay, but he'd be back after a short trip. Neil and his family would be staying with me. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye before dad Teleported away again.

I didn't sleep very well while dad was gone. I'd been so afraid for him that I even had nightmares.

It was only later that I found out dad had been called up to the frontlines at the Mt. Silver Range. They'd been losing ground and needed all the help they could get, so they called in Gym Leaders from their respective cities and towns once they'd gotten rid of any invading Rockets.

Dad came back alive a week later, but… he'd seen friends of his die. Not all of his Pokemon had survived either.

He'd lost two team members who'd been with him since he was a kid.

I was going with dad today to pay tribute to them.

We were Teleporting to the Indigo Plateau today since we were bringing lots of stuff with us. In our bags and arms were incense sticks, some food offerings, and stunning bouquets of lilies, chrysanthemums, and hydrangeas. Each flower had been personally grown and selected by dad for the occasion.

"You ready?" I asked quietly. Silque stood tall near us. Next to me, dad gripped his bouquets just a bit tighter. His reply came as a barely audible whisper.

"Yeah."

I only had to nod at Silque before the world around us shifted. One moment we were in our living room and the next, we were at the familiar grounds of the Indigo Plateau. I hadn't even had time to blink. Dad looked a bit pale, but he still thanked Silque with a smile before I recalled her.

The Indigo Plateau was crowded today. Steady streams of people walked in the distance, all heading for the same destination we were.

Amaranth National Cemetery.

Many distinguished League officials, war veterans, and their Pokemon were buried there. Dad had chosen the National Cemetery over the ones in Cherrygrove for his own Pokemon due to how extensively well-maintained it was. The League had a dedicated team of groundskeepers who worked twenty-four seven to care for the site.

Together, we moved onto a trail that led northwest and followed the people. It curved far away from the League Headquarters and the Pokemon League Village in the opposite direction. Eventually, we made it past the trees and out into a vast clearing dotted with trees. Hundreds of rows of gravestones lay before us. There were people gathered in front of several large obsidian monuments near the front, war memorials engraved with the names of the fallen. Other visitors were spread out across the cemetery.

Dad and I headed further in.

We passed by many other people visiting graves. There was a an old man holding flowers, a woman with two teary-eyed teenagers, a man with a distinct black suit—

I cast a brief glance over my shoulder as I kept following dad. I hadn't seen wrong.

That was Giovanni Sakaki back there.

He had been the Viridian Gym Leader for almost twenty-five years now, and he was one of Indigo's most well-known and beloved public figures. Giovanni was not just a powerful trainer but one of the wealthiest individuals out there thanks to his many investments in companies like Silph Co. or ventures in the stock market.

What had truly endeared him to the public was his endless generosity. Every year, he donated a good portion of his money to charities, orphanages, and nonprofit organizations without fail. He had also donated almost all his excess wealth following the Rocket War to help rebuild the country.

That wasn't all. He was the son of Orsino Sakaki, a hero who had greatly contributed to both the War of Ashes and the Rocket War. Orsino had ultimately perished in the latter. As for Giovanni himself, he had participated in the Rocket War and earned a medal of recognition for his feats. He'd been invited to join the Elite Four twice, once by Pryce and another time by Lance, but he'd politely declined both times saying that the Gym was where he needed to be.

"My dream is simply to guide trainers onto the right paths," he'd said in an interview that went viral.

Truly an exemplary Gym Leader.

I assumed he was here to visit and honor his late father. I would have liked to speak with such a respected figure, but this was definitely not the time or place for that. I faced forward again and followed dad further into the cemetery. Eventually, we stopped in front of the grave we were looking for.

Dad's Victreebel and Vileplume were buried here.

I took dad's stuff for him while he went off to rent a bucket of water and ladle from the nearest groundskeeper. When he came back, we began the visitation rite. We carefully poured water over the gravestone to clean it. I placed and lit incense sticks while dad meticulously arranged the bouquets and food offerings we'd brought.

When we finished, we stood back with somber faces and prayed. I didn't miss dad's awful expression before I closed my eyes.

I couldn't even begin to understand the pain he still felt years later. I had not experienced what it was like to lose a Pokemon in a tragic, untimely way, and I hoped I never, ever would.

Dad's hoarse voice broke the silence.

"Sorry… could you give me some time alone? I'll meet you back at the entrance when I'm done."

I nodded solemnly even before he finished speaking.

"Take your time, dad."

Quietly, with small and careful steps, I walked away.

I did not look back even when I heard the first sound of grief tear itself from dad's throat.

Heading back to the cemetery's entrance took a lot longer than heading in had. There were more visitors now. I actually caught sight of Oak, Daisy, and a male teenager I assumed to be Blue in one corner. In another row of gravestones, I unexpectedly saw Kari and Yulian. I did not go and say something to any of them of course.

They were mourning, the same as everybody else around us.

Eventually, I made it back to the entrance. Even now there were throngs of people heading in this direction, so I moved far off to the sides to get out of their way. I picked a spot under an oak tree's shade to stand in and pulled my phone out to keep myself busy.

I had just flipped it open when someone called out to me.

"Leader Arin."

That was an unfamiliar voice. I snapped my phone shut and looked up. Right away, my eyes widened a miniscule amount.

Giovanni Sakaki stood in front of me. From up close, he was a lot taller than I realized. A dignified and formidable aura emanated from him.

"Leader Giovanni," I greeted with no small amount of surprise. I'd wanted to talk to him earlier, but I hadn't expected him to still be around or find me. "Um, it's nice to meet you, sir."

He smiled, shaking his head. "Please, no need to call me sir. We're both Gym Leaders of Indigo," he chuckled, and he held out a hand to me which I quickly took. His grip was strong. "I thought I saw you earlier in the cemetery, and it seems I was right."

"Ah, yes. I came with my father today," I quietly explained. I wasn't sure what else to say, so I just settled for a very hesitant, "I hope your Memorial Day is meaningful."

Giovanni smiled sadly as he stepped back to join me next to the tree.

"It was," he said softly. He looked back at the cemetery with a pained expression, one hand clenched into a fist at his side. "I'd like to think it gets a little easier every year when I visit my late parents here, but it never does."

I had known about his father but not about his mother. Had she served in the army, too? What I did know is that I had inadvertently stepped on a sensitive topic.

"My condolences," I murmured immediately.

The man next to me did not say anything for several long seconds. Eventually, he turned back and smiled reassuringly at me.

"I appreciate it," Giovanni said. He wore an apologetic expression as he dipped his head at me. "I should get going. I've got a lot of work to do before the Circuit ends, but I truly enjoyed meeting you today. Many people are talking about you these days. I personally sense a bright future ahead of you, Leader Arin."

"I… Thank you," I finally said with a mixture of emotions.

Giovanni smiled one last time. I watched as he reached into his pocket for something and took his hand back out. A business card with contact information was offered to me. "I'd love to stay in touch. Perhaps I could invite you to a charity gala or a similar event in the future if you're interested."

I barely got to accept the thin paper or thank him before Giovanni disappeared into the crowd. Then it was just me under the oak tree.

I was left to stare at the card in my hands with a look of wonder. Today's meeting had been a very unexpected one, but…

Another connection had been obtained.