Both looked much more youthful than their real ages suggested.

Wallace’s face looked a little sharper and angular than I remembered, but he pretty much resembled his twenty-year-old self in my memories. He was pushing along two suitcases, one in each hand, and wore some casual but expensive-looking clothing.

Fantina walked next to him with a suitcase of her own. I didn’t know exactly how old she was as that was a secret she would never divulge, but she looked as young as a woman in her twenties. Like Wallace, she wasn’t wearing her typical Gym Leader outfit. She’d donned a simple sundress instead.

A smile split my face. Ten years had gone by, but these were more than welcome faces.

“Long time no see!” I greeted enthusiastically.

Both of my guests echoed similar sentiments as we exchanged brief handshakes or hugs. A wave of nostalgia washed over me in the process. Memories drifted through my mind of fighting these two in intense gym battles or being under their scrutinizing gazes during contests.

Now, we were no longer the challenger and the challenged but equals.

Friends.

“Je suis là, Arin! It’s been far too long,” Fantina beamed. Her heels clacked along the ground as she drew back from the hug she’d initiated. “Your gym is absolutely stunning if I might add.”

Fantina had always sprinkled her speech with Kalosian words and phrases, but eleven-year-old me had had no idea what she was saying. All I’d realized at the time was that it wasn’t the common tongue. It was widely known that Fantina had immigrated to Sinnoh from a far-off country when she was a young child with her grandparents, but the specifics weren’t known to the public.

Now that I had traveled to the Galovea Continent and back, I recognized the language the Hearthome Gym Leader used. I wondered where Fantina was truly from. My best guesses included the culturally rich and diverse Unova or Kalos regions. I was leaning towards Kalos because depending on what year Fantina and her family had left Kalos, the timing of her departure would line up with what had transpired in that region several decades ago: the Kalosian Revolution.

I almost wanted to outright ask her, but I decided on a different lead-in.

“Merci beaucoup,” I replied with a smile. It only grew bigger when Fantina’s brows flew up to her hairline.

“De rien. Goodness, I don’t think I ever expected you to respond in Kalosian,” the woman admitted.

I shrugged my shoulders playfully. “I picked up some conversational phrases during my travels in Kalos.”

It wasn’t just Kalosian either. I’d learned a handful of useful phrases and words in other languages as well during my journey. If I had more time, it would have been fun to learn even more vocabulary, but I was satisfied with what I already knew.

It wasn’t like I was actively traveling across the world anymore, either.

“Ohoho, how admirable!” Fantina hummed in appreciation. Her eyes misted over with a wistful sheen as she turned her gaze to the sky. “It’s been so long since I last returned to my home region. I wonder how the country has changed…”

Well, now I knew Fantina was a Kalos native.

This made me even more curious about the circumstances that had led her family to leave the country, but that wasn’t what we were here for today. There was also the issue of potentially digging up old wounds if I made a careless inquiry.

I snapped out of my contemplation when Wallace stepped forward.

“Good to see you, Arin. I trust you’ve been doing well?” Wallace asked, and he flashed his pearly whites in a trademark smile.

He wasn’t considered one of the most popular public figures in Hoenn for no reason.

“More than well,” I said in response, grinning. “How about you?”

I hadn’t heard anything from him, but I glanced at his left hand to be sure. More specifically, I looked at his empty ring finger and raised a brow. Wallace followed my gaze. Before I could so much as blink, he answered my unspoken question.

“Winona and I had a long discussion a couple months ago. Now that we’ve enjoyed time focusing on our careers, we feel ready for the next step,” Wallace explained with a soft smile. He patted his pocket and winked. “If you both could keep a secret… I’m going to propose in a few days actually.”

“Ah, sweet love. How romantic,” Fantina marveled out loud with a gentle sigh.

I nodded silently in agreement. Internally, I felt elated for Winona and Wallace’s shared future. I was genuinely fond of them as individuals and couldn’t think of a more perfect couple.

They hadn’t been dating at the time ten years ago, but it had been obvious to all of Hoenn’s populace that they had a thing with each other. A few months after I left Hoenn, they entered an official relationship and made it public.

I heard social media platforms temporarily crashed that day from how much fanfare their new statuses got. I imagined they would become overloaded again once Hoenn’s most famous celebrity couple announced their engagement. It had been a long time coming.

Right now, my eyes focused on the suitcases whose handles Wallace was gripping. I tilted my head.

“By the way,” I began, “are those all for the performance? I didn’t realize you were bringing so much luggage.”

“Oh no.” Wallace instantly shook his head with a laugh. “Since the Hoenn Circuit ended, Winona and I decided to go on vacation at the Resort Area in Sinnoh for a week. You should think about taking a vacation before the summer’s up, too. Rayquaza knows the League Circuit season can be tiring.”

I nodded fervently, filing away Wallace’s advice in a corner of my mind. A vacation did sound nice. Maybe I could take dad somewhere in the Galovea Continent…

“Wait,” I said, and I blinked right out of my thoughts. My brows furrowed. “Does that mean Winona came with you then?”

“Yes.”

“…? Where is she?”

Wallace chuckled. “She split up from us to—”

Fantina and I both jumped when a gigantic thing dropped down on the ground some yards away.

Once I’d calmed down, I realized the thing was a massive Swellow with immaculate plumage. I only knew one person in the world who owned what was probably the biggest Swellow known to man, so I wasn’t surprised when a familiar woman threw herself over the bird’s back and onto the ground. She flipped up the goggles she wore and smiled brightly at me.

“Hi Arin!” Winona called out with a casual wave of her hand. Her Swellow let out a greeting of its own before Winona recalled it. By then, she had already walked halfway to where we were.

I crossed my arms with an amused smile.

“Hey. Let me guess: you wanted to gauge the Johto winds?” I said, barely holding back a laugh.

Winona smiled in embarrassment. “Ah, was it that obvious? I couldn’t resist…”

I refrained from rolling my eyes.

Everyone both in and out of Hoenn knew Winona was fond of flying. When she wasn’t fighting gym challengers, she was flying and training. She and her team were also a big part of why the airspace around Hoenn was much safer compared to the rest of the Kinjoh Area. Thanks to Winona’s efforts, she’d either subdued or negotiated with enough wild birds that Hoenn’s aviation industry had plenty of room to breathe compared to ours.

I could hardly begin to count the number of times I’d heard her quote something or other about which times were best for soaring through the skies and feeling the wind caress your skin. She’d dragged me on plenty of flights before while I was in Hoenn.

“Well, how was the flight?” I prompted instead.

“Wonderful!” Winona beamed, and she took her place next to Wallace. I didn’t miss the way the two leaned into each other, shoulders brushing together ever so slightly. “The winds in this part of Johto are so calm and pleasant. I’m thinking about taking a longer flight later with all my Pokemon.”

“Just don’t leave me with all the luggage again,” Wallace joked. He raised the two suitcases he held a few inches above the ground to emphasize his point.

Winona rolled her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from smiling. “I got antsy after being on the plane for so long, alright? But thanks for carrying our stuff.”

The two chattered on a bit — apparently Winona had taken off the second they got out of the airport — and ended up lost in each other’s gazes at some point. Meanwhile, Fantina and I watched them with warm expressions.

It was cute that they were as in love with each other as they’d been ten years ago, but…

I cleared my throat, catching everyone’s attention. “I want to stay and chat more, but we’ve got a full day of rehearsals ahead of us. Let’s drop off your luggage first.”

I waved off apologies from Winona and Wallace and led everyone to the staff lodgings. They got their pick out of the finest guest rooms we had to offer. Winona and I waited patiently for Wallace and Fantina outside. When they emerged, they had smaller bags with them containing their performance costumes. I’d hired a group of makeup artists and stylists ahead of time, so they hadn’t needed to fly in dedicated teams of their own.

Of course, they wouldn’t need those costumes until the dress rehearsal later. We had plenty of rehearsing to do before then.

Many compliments were given regarding the gardens surrounding the Cherrygrove Gym as we drew closer to the building itself. I’d just promised to give everyone a proper tour later when we finally entered the air-conditioned lobby. I led everyone to the battle hall where the rest of the performers were waiting.

“Heavens…” Fantina breathed out loud once the arena came within sight. “Have we stepped into the ruins of a forgotten era?”

“It looks even better than you described it to me over the phone,” Wallace remarked in a hushed whisper.

Winona pulled out her phone to snap a few pictures. Next to her, Fantina and Wallace had both paused in place to admire the venue they would be performing in. Judging by the more than satisfied smiles on their faces, they were quite pleased.

Tomorrow’s evening show was as followed: after an opening act from me, performers from various troupes and backgrounds would follow up with acts of their own until it was time for the main performance. Wallace and Fantina would then make their highly anticipated appearances, and I would close the evening show with one last display.

My Pokemon were fairly excited, some more so than others. It wasn’t often we did Contest-like performances after all. I almost wished we had more time to practice, but it was fine.

I was going to treat tomorrow’s show as a trial run for future gym matches and how I wanted to present myself to challengers.

Once Fantina and Wallace had their fill of taking in the hall, we took the stairs down to the battlefield and joined the small crowd of people there. Winona went off to sit in the stands with my gym trainers. They were going to watch the rehearsals and offer feedback for us from the viewpoint of spectators. The rest of the hall was abuzz with excited murmurs at the sight of two famous Top Coordinators.

I clapped my hands together loudly. That was all it took for everyone to quiet down within an instant.

I only offered my hired performers a grin in return.

“Thank you for coming, everyone. Let’s get right into rehearsals.”

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

“Alas, if only you were a Coordinator…” Fantina mused out loud, staring at me with wonder. “The current Contest scene would become more interesting.”

It was already dinnertime.

I’d ordered delivery for all the performers, and we were enjoying our meals in the comfort of the gym’s dining hall now. The rest of the day had been spent rehearsing. There’d been a few hiccups regarding the timing of spotlights and such, but we’d enjoyed successful run-throughs for the most part. The performers and hired technicians alike were all confident about tomorrow, and I felt the same.

Fantina and Wallace only had compliments for my opening and closing acts, but I was more amazed by their own displays. Top Coordinators were truly a different breed altogether.

“I’ll stick to being a Gym Leader,” I replied with a cheeky smile. “I don’t have the brains nor patience to come up with an endless batch of new routines like you two can.”

“Why, thank you,” Wallace said with a wink as he raised his glass of water. Fantina and I broke into laughter while Winona just rolled her eyes.

“You all were wonderful,” the Fortree Gym Leader complimented sincerely. “I’m looking forward to the actual show.”

“Hear, hear!” Neil chimed in from a nearby table. It seemed he’d heard what Winona had said. All eyes turned to my Head Gym Trainer as he stood up with a cup in hand. “Let’s raise a toast to a successful grand opening and performance tomorrow!”

He looked at me with an expectant gaze. I stood up even before he finished speaking and raised my own glass, a smile on my lips.

“Let’s make tomorrow a smashing success,” I declared with a grin.

A wave of disjointed but jubilant cheers rose up in response. No matter how nervous people were, it couldn’t be denied there was a lot of excitement about the grand opening.

Conversations resumed across the room as I sat back down. Wallace cast his eyes upon me. “Tomorrow aside, how confident are you about your first year as Gym Leader? The next Johto League Circuit starts in two months right?”

“It does,” I happily confirmed. Butterfree seemed to flutter in my stomach as I said that. “I’m not too worried. I’ve got the summer to iron out my gym challenges and teach my gym trainers.”

“Oh right, your gym trainers,” Winona spoke up, head turning slightly in the direction of said people. She wore a thoughtful expression. “I was going to mention it earlier when I sat next to them in the stands, but I recognize two of them. They challenged my Gym before.”

“Yurie and Haze?”

Winona snapped her fingers. “Yes! Those two. They were fun challengers. I remember them all the more because they qualified for the Ever Grande Conference at the end of the year.”

“They left an impression on me as well,” Wallace agreed with a smile. “You’ve got some good gym trainers, Arin.”

I smiled proudly. What employer wouldn’t be pleased by people complimenting their staff?

“Will you be hiring more?” Winona politely inquired. “The first year on the job is usually pretty hectic. You can delegate more tasks when you have more people on board.”

“Maybe two or three more,” I admitted. It was something I’d actually been thinking about over the last few weeks. “I don’t want to teach too many new people at once.”

“Oh?” Fantina smiled mischievously. “Well, if you end up needing more gym trainers, there’s someone I can recommend.”

I stared at her with raised brows. It wasn’t every day someone got the recommendation of a Gym Leader, much less a renowned Specialist like Fantina.

“Who?”

“There’s someone I took under my wing about a year ago. Very promising Coordinator who also has experience as a trainer, I think they’d be a great fit at your gym…”

I couldn’t get many details out of Fantina as she didn’t want to blatantly show too much favoritism to this person, but she did mention they would probably approach me in the future in the hopes of securing a job.

I was definitely intrigued. Maybe I would send out new hiring ads sooner rather than later.

I ended up getting a lot of advice from my senior Gym Leader friends about things to do and prepare for the upcoming Circuit season. Considering they’d had their posts far longer than I had, I studiously took everything they said to heart.

More importantly, it was fun hanging out with them and reminiscing about old memories. (I wanted to bash my head against a wall whenever Winona brought up embarrassing moments of ten-year-old me, though.)

After we finished dinner, all the performers including Fantina and Wallace retreated back to the Gym to practice more on their own. I didn’t get the chance to follow them because Winona wanted to have a flying contest.

I didn’t refuse. It was a chance to blow off steam and anxiety.

One race turned into two, then three, then a dozen more. I lost track at one point, but I definitely lost more than ninety percent of them. I only had two fliers capable of breaking the sound barrier, Zuri and Peri, while almost all of Winona’s team was capable of doing so after years of intense training.

“I wonder who would be faster between you and Falkner,” I mused out loud. We’d given up on racing to sit on the front steps of the Gym.

“He’s the Flying type Gym Leader here in Johto, right?” Winona tilted her head curiously.

“Yeah. He’s hailed as the Second Master of Flying Pokemon around here.”

“Interesting… not to brag, but I don’t think my birds would lose to his in speed or grace. Will he be coming to the grand opening tomorrow?”

“Er… no.”

“That’s unfortunate. I would have liked to race him.”

(Somewhere in Violet City, a certain male dressed in traditional clothing sneezed.)

I said goodbye to Winona shortly after and walked back to the house. I was up until midnight double-checking patrol schedules and notes I’d made for the following day.

Right before I went to sleep, I received a good luck message from Lance along with a sticker of a laughing Dragonite. It seemed a bit out of character from him, but I sent back a thank you and sticker of my own.

I fell asleep while mentally reviewing my performance routine.

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

Saturday, May 13th. 6:18 AM. Living Room. Apartment 508, Defleura Apartment Complex. Cherrygrove City, Johto.

Today was the day the holy Cherrygrove Gym would be unveiled to the public.

There had been image and video teasers posted on the Cherrygrove Gym’s website over the course of the last few days, but those barely scratched the itch. As a new resident of Cherrygrove City and a diehard fan of its Gym, Luca had the civic duty of advertising it to the rest of the world.

And advertise it he would.

Shoelaces were deftly tied, multiple portable chargers and a backup phone were stuffed into his foldable-space bag… he even went as far as to dump extra blankets, cases, and other Egg-related gear in there.

For wherever he went, the Igglybuff Egg would go with him.

He could not, in good conscience, leave the unborn Pokemon at home even though it would be safer. What if the Egg got lonely without him around? It wasn’t like he had any other Pokemon around to keep it company, and he didn’t trust a babysitter. He was taking the instructions in Arin’s manual very seriously about keeping the Egg company.

Therefore, the Egg was coming with him.

Luca knew there was going to be a crowd of people. This was not a guess but a fact. Considering how much hype the grand opening had gotten from all the ads, posters, and discussion on online forums, it was obvious this was going to be the event of the decade. There was going to be a performance from Wallace and Fantina to boot. Regular citizens and trainers alike were sure to come and check out the ninth major gym of Johto.

Not all of them were going to be there for good intentions — in fact, he’d lost sleep the previous night battling trolls online who were shit talking Arin and the grand opening — but it didn’t matter. Luca and his loyal community of followers would just shut them up by livestreaming the Gym’s glory.

“Heh…” Luca couldn’t help but cackle out loud to himself as he stood in front of a mirror, posing proudly. “Don’t you worry, Egg. You’ll be perfectly safe with me!”

For today’s special occasion, he was dressed up in a mixture of Wigglytuff-themed and Cherrygrove Gym clothing. He’d managed to nab a pink T-shirt with a quote from Arin before it sold out on the gym’s website. He proudly wore it now along with Wigglytuff-patterned shorts and a comfortable pair of running sneakers. New stickers and pins featuring Arin’s team had been plastered all over his bag straps and phone case, but he wasn’t focused on those.

He was looking at his phone and Egg carrier setup.

His phone was held up to his face by an adjustable smartphone chest mount. In addition to that, Luca’s Igglybuff Egg was strapped to his front inside a sturdy baby carrier. He’d been so afraid of someone bumping into him and somehow breaking the glass case (a needless worry considering it was an incubator made from the almighty Silph Co.) that he’d placed the incubator inside a transparent case of its own for double the protection. Then, he’d wrapped blankets around the outermost case to soften impacts from anyone who dared bump into him. It was a little awkward, hopeless even, to try bending forward to grab something, yet that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

He might have gone a tad overboard with the Egg’s protection, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Luca grinned to himself as he headed out. There was no more time to waste; he didn’t want to dawdle too long and risk getting a terrible waiting spot in line. He wanted to be one of the first people to catch a glimpse of the new Cherrygrove Gym—

Those hopes were immediately dashed when he left his apartment building and saw townspeople coming out of their own houses by the dozens. It wasn’t just them either. There were tourists distinguishable by cheesy T-shirts and people leaving the hotel down the block.

All of them were heading in the same direction: the main road that led out of the city and towards the Cherrygrove Gym.

“Oh no…” Luca murmured to himself. A sense of dread settled in his chest as he hurried down the street and followed the stream of people. He felt like a Slowpoke following its herd from how slow and packed the streets were already.

These weren’t… all people heading for the grand opening, right? This early?

Five minutes later, Luca’s suspicions were woefully proven true when his feet finally carried him off cobbled streets and onto a dirt road.

There were people as far as the eye could see.

Luca wasn’t the tallest person around, so he struggled to see over the top of the crowd as he stood on tiptoe. The barricades were still in place further down the road. He even saw security guards standing in place to make sure people didn’t try scaling the walls to get on the other side.

Blast it all! What a failure of a fan and content creator he was! He should have camped out the night before to secure a better spot in line. He hadn’t expected so many people to be willing to wait hours in advance for the roads to open.

It was too late for regrets. All Luca could do now was wait.

At least the atmosphere was nice. Everyone around him was abuzz with excitement. He could make out snippets of individual conversation amidst all the noise.

“What do you think the Gym will look like? Ooh, I hope it’s pink all over.”

“No way, it’s gotta be something sleek and modern…”

“I want an autograph with Arin so bad. You think he’ll be out there greeting visitors?”

And so on and so forth. Luca found himself smiling with every word that drifted to his ears. Yes, this was nice. People of all ages and backgrounds had come together to celebrate Johto’s ninth major gym.

“Hey!”

Even when Team Rocket was out there, the people of Indigo weren’t afraid to live out their lives.

“Hey!”

He almost wanted to start his livestream early, but he wanted to conserve his phone’s battery for the tour of the Gym—

“Hey, Tuff Tuff King!”

Luca blinked. He turned slowly and found a group of people staring at him. They had headbands or hachimaki wrapped around their foreheads, each with varying messages like WE (HEART) ARIN or GO FAIRIES. There were teenagers and older people alike mixed into their group, and Luca didn’t recognize any of them at first glance.

“Uh… hi?” he ventured to say. He wondered if he should switch to his livestreamer persona.

One of the girls with a particularly bright headband walked up to him with a grin.

“I knew it was you! Hey, it’s us, the Arin Fan Club founders!” the girl chirped. “I’m MakaMaka. Cool seeing you here!”

Luca was wide-awake in a second. His eyes sparkled as he appraised the group of strangers with renewed appreciation. He’d talked to all of these people online before! He’d been one of the first people to follow their fan club on Chatter. Heck, he’d even helped them edit clips of Arin’s fights to post on their page one time.

“WOW!” he exclaimed loudly, hurrying forward to shake hands with them one by one. “I can’t believe we’re meeting here! It’s great getting to see you all in person. You all came so early!”

“Duh!” The girl known as MakaMaka playfully rolled her eyes. “We have to show our support to Arin as locals of Cherrygrove! Right, guys?”

Loud cheers rang out and startled people standing nearby.

“YEAH!”

Luca beamed. He wasn’t going to be bored while waiting for the grand opening now at least.

“By the way, is that the Igglybuff Egg you’ve been posting about on social media?”

“It is! Cute, right?”

“Aww…”

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

Just a short way down the road from Luca and the Arin Fan Club, two dozen figures stood around in a loose circle and stared at each other in silence. To any random stranger, they would have looked like ordinary students or citizens if not for the way their hands and facial features twitched every few moments. People around them gave a wide berth because of their strange expressions.

“So…” one of them began.

“So,” another followed up.

Silence followed again as everyone stared at each other.

“Argh, what’s wrong with all you guys?” a guy with freckles finally cried out. He threw his hands up into the air with a frustrated expression. “Are you all nervous or something? Come on, we finally met up for the first time in forever… not since the Wailmer Pop Con in Lilycove, right?”

The man standing next to him cleared his throat. “We can’t help it, Abrakadabra. I think we’re too excited right now to function as proper human beings. I mean, look at Wooper Blooper and Sleep Deprived Student G! They’re in shock!”

He who was known as Serperior Academic turned and jabbed a finger at said boys. The two individuals in question looked like they were one step away from hyperventilating.

“Fairies… New Pokemon… Fairies…” they chanted over and over like some sort of spell. Both wore grins that stretched from one end of their face to the other.

Abrakadabra slapped a hand to his forehead. “Oh Arceus. Someone snap them out of it, the Gym isn’t even open yet.”

The people standing closest to the spellbound boys began poking them gently in the shoulders while others shook their heads.

They were the one and only Pokenerds, and today…

They had assembled for an IRL meetup.

Yes, they were members of the Pokenerds community server on Duncord. Their purpose in gathering today was to celebrate the Cherrygrove Gym’s opening and catch a glimpse of new Pokemon species in person.

They’d gotten into a frenzy when they saw the ads online and saw a line about ‘being able to interact with gym Pokemon.’ Each of them had immediately bought plane or bus tickets to Cherrygrove to satisfy their curiosities.

There was nothing Pokenerds could not do to quench their thirst for knowledge.

“You think we could nibble on Swirlix a bit?”

“For the love of Articuno, you’re still obsessed with Swirlix?!”

“…Someone watch over her please, I don’t want to get arrested today for unlawful behavior.”

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

Saturday, May 13th. 8:50 AM. Lobby. Cherrygrove Gym. Cherrygrove City, Johto.

It was organized chaos at the Cherrygrove Gym.

The doors were set to open in ten minutes, but we’d all gotten up hours in advance. I’d already sent hired staff out to the main roads to clear the barricades that had been sitting there for the last two months. Meanwhile, here at the Gym, people were busy running to and fro making sure everything was ready.

I was doing much the same except that I was stuck in place barking out orders.

“Everyone have their uniforms? Pamphlets? Free goods?” I rattled off.

“Yes!” Yurie called out, and she raised a hand high in the air.

I swung my head to the left. “Warnings? Signage—?”

“We’ve put them up outside in the gardens!” Souta reassured, and he bobbed his head up and down emphatically.

“Make sure the tapestries are up as well! Someone ask the security guards back at my house if they’re in position…”

My mind was whirling with thoughts as I continued spewing out instructions to the people around me.

I’d hired a lot of new staff for the Gym through the Indigo League’s network. Most of them would be permanent helpers going forward with roles such as janitors, receptionists, security guards, and technicians; however, there were also temporary workers I’d specifically hired to help with today’s proceedings.

With an event this large, I wanted to make sure we had enough staff on hand to handle any possible contingencies.

There was extra security manning my house and the gym grounds courtesy of Lance and the Indigo League, people who would be walking around the gardens to assist lost visitors, others who would be stationed at checkpoints outside to pass out pamphlets, and more.

I didn’t want to overlook anything. I wanted this grand opening to go off without a hitch, I wanted people to be impressed with the Cherrygrove Gym and increase both my and the city’s fame, and I definitely did not want a repeat of the National Day incident.

Thankfully, Lance had been more than willing to help in that regard.

In addition to the regular security forces he’d sent me, he’d also dispatched a small group of Ace Trainers who specialized in Dark type blockades. They were led by the same individual who’d previously helped the League: Agatha’s apprentice, Karen.

We’d briefly introduced ourselves to each other earlier. She seemed polite enough, but there was something unsettling about the calculating way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t watching. It reminded me of how Agatha had looked when we’d talked at my swearing-in ceremony… as if I was someone to pry secrets out of.

Luckily, I wouldn’t be seeing her or Agatha very often.

The minutes crawled by. Before I knew it, the fated hour was practically upon us. Dad and all my employees gathered in front of me in the gym’s lobby.

I faced them with what I hoped was a reassuring expression and spread my arms wide.

“Alright. Showtime, people.”

At precisely nine o’clock, the doors to the Cherrygrove Gym were unlocked.

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

Saturday, May 13th. 9:00 AM. Western Main Road. Cherrygrove City, Johto.

“PATH’S OPEN!”

Luca snapped his mouth shut. He’d been in the middle of a conversation with some members of the Arin Fan Club, but everyone fell silent as people further up the line yelled out similar things.

The roadblocks had just been removed.

Luca only managed to exchange a curt nod with the Arin Fan Club founders before he got swept away by the surging crowd. He braced himself and hurried forward on his own two feet. It was every man or woman for themselves at this point.

Follow the crowd, follow the crowd, he impatiently chanted to himself like a protective charm.

He kept a watchful eye on the people around him in case they bumped into his Igglybuff Egg, but thankfully the crowd wasn’t that rowdy. Luca’s livestream had been on for the last fifteen minutes already, and his followers who couldn’t make it to the grand opening were sending messages one after another.

KingKrabby: LOLOL look at everyone go! It’s like watching a stampede of Tauros!

Ace of Staryu: Ugh, wish I could have gone. I’m watching this right now during cram school…

Meowza: yes yes yes i’m so excited! where’s the gym?!

He was just as excited as them. The last few hours had passed by sooner than he could have thought possible. Now, Luca just wanted to finally lay eyes on the glorious Cherrygrove Gym.

Minutes later, Luca’s eyes lit up when the scenery around them changed. Rough dirt roads were eventually replaced with manicured paths and the beginnings of massive gardens. Something smelled good in the air. Heavenly floral notes filled his nose when he took a few sniffs. Damn, what kind of flowers were they growing here—

Luca abruptly stopped in place. The people in front of them weren’t moving. They had their necks craned up towards the skies. He could have crashed into them and harmed his darling Igglybuff Egg! He was about to tell them off when he raised his own head and followed their gazes.

“Whoa…”

That was the only thing he could say when he caught sight of the Cherrygrove Gym in the distance.

It was an Arceus damned castle. No, wait, was it more accurate to call it some sort of forgotten ruins? A hidden sanctuary? Whatever the case, Luca was literally stunned in place by the building looming far-off. He’d seen pictures of Gyms from all over the Kinjoh Area, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen a Gym quite like this one before. The only other ones that stood out to him were foreign Gyms in Hoenn or Sinnoh that followed less traditional architecture.

Luca could confidently say that in Kanto-Johto at least, the Cherrygrove Gym was the most unique.

It was only when the crowd in front of him finally started moving again that Luca did the same. He still felt mesmerized as he plopped one foot after the other in front of him without thinking. His chat had nothing but compliments for the Gym. When he heard the familiar ding of incoming donations, Luca snapped back to his senses and started talking out loud.

He needed to get his act together. He was hosting a livestream.

“You see that, guys? That’s the new Cherrygrove Gym,” Luca said proudly as he kept his eyes on the structure. He directed his next words to his Igglybuff Egg. “Looks pretty, right?”

Cherry blossom petals rained down from above and swirled through the air as he spoke. Some settled on his head, and he absentmindedly brushed them away.

While continuing to head to the Gym, he was handed a pamphlet and free Dachsbun sticker from staff members waiting by the sides of the path. They were wearing stylish pink or emerald green shirts. Each had the logo of the Indigo League on them along with another symbol that Luca didn’t recognize — some sort of book? — and the word STAFF in large letters.

He flipped the pamphlet open and read it while he walked.

Oh, so the book logo he’d seen earlier was the Cherrygrove Gym’s symbol. The Fable Badge… that had a nice ring to it. Even its design was cool when viewed up close. Luca almost wished he was a trainer so that he could get the badge for himself. Maybe he could commission a replica from a skilled craftsman online.

“Let’s see…” Luca muttered to himself as he continued reading and flipping through the pamphlet. “So the public is free to look around from nine to seven, already knew that… An evening show will start at five o’clock in the battle hall… Oh, chat, there’s going to be a panel with the construction workers who made the Gym!”

Aside from a Q&A, there was also going to be an interactive exhibit in the battle hall from eleven to twelve where people could play with some of the gym Pokemon. There was even some sort of stamp rally when Luca flipped to the back of the pamphlet. If you collected enough stamps from checkpoints across the gym grounds, you could pick up a small prize from the front desk in the gym lobby. That definitely sounded fun. The pamphlet even included a simplified map of the Gym’s interior and its surrounding gardens.

Said gardens were as massive as they looked. Apparently they were split into different themed sections, each with their own variety of flowers and trees. In fact, Luca passed right by a bridge that led further into a zone known as the Lilypad Gardens. He saw a wooden sign that said ‘please do not touch or feed the Pokemon.’

When he craned his neck to try and see beyond the trimmed hedges, a splash of orange and white filled his vision. A Goldeen had jumped high into the air and dropped back into the water.

He was honestly thinking about taking a detour through the gardens now. Then he got to a certain section of the pamphlet, and Luca changed his mind. He nearly crumpled the paper in half from how tightly he gripped it.

“‘Limited quantities of breads and cakes baked by gym Pokemon will be sold along with special editions of gym merchandise. Please buy them while supplies last…’” Luca read out loud in the faintest whisper.

The gears in Luca’s head spun faster than they ever had before. He would have roared a battle cry out loud if he didn’t have his Igglybuff Egg with him.

“TO THE GYM!” he whisper-yelled instead.

The gardens would have to be viewed later. Luca only had eyes for the castle in the distance as he quickened his pace and pushed further ahead into the crowd.

The words limited and special editions repeated themselves in his head.

It was difficult struggling through the crowd. Luca mentally apologized to Arin and his viewers for not taking the time to enjoy the sights, but he needed to grab the goods first.

“Sorry!” he called out a hasty apology to a purple-haired man he bumped into — he was wearing a mask and fancy costume, so maybe a cosplayer — and continued speed-walking towards the gym. He stepped onto a bridge— wait, there was a bridge?

He paused only briefly to take in the moat surrounding the Gym before shaking his head.

Nope, no time for this.

Luca weaseled his way through throngs of people. It was only when he got past the doors and into the air conditioned gym lobby that he breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes homed in on the gift shop attached to the lobby and then to the sign next to it. Apparently they were selling food in the room next door.

Worse, there were already two huge lines of people for both of them.

Fuck. They weren’t being sold at the same location. Luca wanted to tear his hair out from anxiety. He didn’t have a Pokemon capable of making a purchase for him, nor did he have a human buddy here who could stand in one of the two lines while he waited in the other. Could he call someone from the Arin Fan Club? He’d forgotten to get their numbers, though.

Ugh, whatever. He would grab a random stranger and make a heartfelt plea.

Luca swung his head left and right for a willing victim.

“Merde… where did Valerie go…”

Some muttering reached his ears. Luca’s eyes landed on a tall blonde man standing close to him dressed entirely in white. Luca didn’t even stop to think, he strode forward and tapped the man’s arm.

The stranger turned around to look at him. Luca briefly realized the man was wearing some sort of chef uniform but didn’t question it.

“Hi, sorry for the random question, but can you please help me out?” Luca asked as politely as possible. Hopefully the other person wouldn’t think he was weird. “There are two lines over there that sell gym merchandise or baked goods. I really, really want to buy both, but I can only stand in one line, and I’m afraid they might sell out while I’m waiting. Can you stand in the other line for me and buy stuff? I’ll pay you back.”

The man stared at him with raised brows. Luca almost wanted to bury his face in his hands, but the man eventually nodded slowly.

“Sure,” he said. Huh, this guy had a thick accent. Was he from Hoenn or Sinnoh? “I don’t mind assisting you in your endeavor, young man. So… where should I go again?”

“Oh! Thank you so much! If you could stand over in that line there… yes, that one… and buy at least one each of these limited breads and cakes mentioned in this pamphlet, that would be awesome. Please buy some for yourself, too! I’ll cover the cost.”

That was how Luca found himself happily standing in the line for the gift shop while the stranger went off to stand in the line for the pop-up bakery.

Asking a stranger for help had gone much more smoothly than he thought it would, heh.

BanishedBanette: That guy’s visuals were no joke.

Meowza: Yeah, he gave off prince vibes LOL.

bearlycute: WHERE IS ARINNNNN

His chat seemed pretty happy, too.

As soon as he was allowed to step foot into the gift shop, Luca grabbed a shopping basket and flew from one end to the other. There was a limit on how many special edition items each customer could purchase, but Luca didn’t mind. He would be visiting the Cherrygrove Gym a lot from now on after all.

He almost fainted when he saw the array of special edition items in question. Signed posters of Arin and his Pokemon! Signed hoodies and Pokeballs! Signed everything!

Everything was going well until he went to grab a poster he was eyeing and met resistance.

“?!”

His and another person’s hand were gripping the same scroll. Luca looked up and found himself staring at a girl with blonde hair and gray eyes… as well as what looked like splotches of paint on her cheeks. She looked a few years younger than him, but that wasn’t the point.

“I grabbed it first,” he said politely, and he gave an experimental tug.

The girl did not budge and only tightened her hold on the poster scroll. She smiled innocently.

“No, I think I did,” she replied in a civil tone.

“Oh really?” Luca smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The unknown girl mirrored his expression.

For the next few minutes, they argued politely over the poster and who had the rightful claim to it. Neither was willing to budge an inch. It was only when a distant voice called out to the girl that she suddenly looked alarmed and let go of the poster.

“Oh no, I can’t let Valerie catch me purchasing this!” she blurted out loud more to herself than to him.

Luca didn’t even get a chance to react. The girl scampered away, paid for the items she currently had in her shopping basket, then stuffed everything into her tote bag and raced back out.

He was left to stare after her with a triumphant expression. He had no idea what that was about, but the signed poster was his!

Ten minutes later, he’d completed his mini shopping spree and walked out of the gift shop a happy man. He stood off, leaned against the wall, and finally took the time to appreciate the gym lobby.

The animated ceiling was beautiful. Luca didn’t know a thing about constellations, but it was calming seeing the stars twinkle in and out of existence. He was in the middle of Zoogling which constellations were which when the stranger from before showed up with two bags in hand.

“Here you go,” the man said, and he handed the bigger bag out of the two to Luca.

“Thank you!” Luca said sincerely. He eagerly opened the bag and peeked inside. He’d never seen breads and cakes like these before. They were shaped like delicate flowers. Without warning, a distinct aroma wafted up and filled his nostrils. He almost started drooling on the spot before he snapped himself out of it.

“How much was everything? I’ll send the money over now—” Luca began, but he stopped after raising his head.

The man was nowhere to be seen. He’d silently departed while Luca was busy examining the baked goods.

Nomzy: Tuff Tuff King, we were trying to tell you he was leaving but you weren’t looking at the chat

Green_Gales: Random act of kindness from a stranger?!

Luca blinked rapidly a few times. He wore a very lost expression.

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

If it was possible to go back in time, I would have told myself to hire even more temporary staff for the grand opening.

We had been expecting a lot of visitors, but none of us had been truly prepared for the utter swarm of people that mobbed the Cherrygrove Gym. They came in endless waves and flooded every inch of the gardens outside. The gym lobby was similarly packed to the brim with people already. It made me tremendously happy to know there were so many people who wanted to see the Gym, but it also filled me with a sense of anxiety.

I was stationed in my personal office and listening to people talk over the comms link in my ear.

While I listened to reports from security guards and League trainers stationed at different checkpoints, I checked monitors attached to my laptop. They were synched to the feeds in the monitor room. The Porygon family was supposed to notify me if they flagged any suspicious individuals, but I felt more at ease when I checked the security cameras myself.

So far, so good.

Each of my gym trainers was off doing different things. Haru and Souta were helping other staffers hand out pamphlets near the entrances, and dad and Neil were out there somewhere in the gardens happily leading tours. The rest of my gym trainers were spread out around the gym lobby or on the rooftop garden. Even though it was outside the scope of their jobs, the Chester siblings were helping out by manning the gift shop and pop-up bakery.

Speaking of which, the goods we had for sale were selling out like hotcakes. The bakers I’d contracted with had told me they would bake more in time for a second round of sales in the afternoon. Kari had also notified me that she was going to pull more merchandise out of the warehouse later.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I couldn’t have heard sweeter news. Maintaining a gym and all of its Pokemon took a lot more money than most people realized. I had enough personal funds to cover gym upkeep and salaries, but I couldn’t rely on my own money forever. The gym needed to be able to sustain itself in the years to come.

We just needed to keep up this momentum for the rest of the day—

“Um, Arin?”

Haru’s hesitant voice filtered through from my comms link. So much for no issues.

I was fully alert before he finished saying my name. My expression was one of concern as I brought a hand up to my ear. Aside from the higher than expected visitor count, I hadn’t thought anyone would be directly contacting me over the comms so soon.

“What’s the problem?” I asked urgently. My heart started beating a little faster in my chest as I conjured up dozens of bad scenarios, everything from unwelcome intruders to medical emergencies and more.

“Nothing serious,” Haru quickly reassured. I relaxed a bit, but I was still tense as I turned up the volume on my earpiece.

“Go on.”

“Er… I’m still at my position by the north entrance. There are three ladies with me — well, one of them is an elderly woman, and another is a teenager — and they claim to know you? They were asking if you could meet them. I tried telling them you’re busy at the moment, but they’re very insistent. Uh… politely insistent.”

My brows flew up. Three ladies… elderly woman… As I ruminated quietly to myself, Haru went on.

“They said something about being fellow Fairy Specialists, I don’t know if—”

A lightbulb went off in my head.

“WHAT?” I practically yelled into my comms link.

My head shot up so fast that I almost snapped my neck in half. In two long strides, I marched over to the closest window and tried peering down.

It took some effort to spot Haru out of the crowd, but I managed to find him. My jaw dropped when I also caught sight of three individuals standing around my gym trainer, all wearing distinct and eye-catching clothing.

Holy Moltres. That was Opal, Valerie, and Mina down there.

I had a million and more questions running through my mind like what the heck they were doing here and not on the other side of the world, but I picked up my jaw and tapped my ear piece rapidly.

“They’re not suspicious, but stay there! I’m coming out now!” I told Haru.

I barely heard him reply with a nervous affirmative before I sprinted out of my office and down the stairs. If I had more time, I would have checked a mirror, but I settled for hastily readjusting my already perfect tie and hair as I ran.

They’d truly caught me off-guard, especially Opal. Wasn’t she too old to be taking trips halfway across the world?!

If they’d told me in advance, I could have prepared a better reception for them!

Shouts of recognition filled the air as people spotted me descending the first floor staircase. I only offered the excited visitors a brief wave and smile before hurrying the rest of the way. I practically jumped down the last few steps and out the doors.

I didn’t need to announce myself. Haru saw my emerging figure right away, and his conflicted expression melted into one of relief. He was clutching the pile of pamphlets he held like lifelines.

“Arin, over here…” Haru trailed off, and he glanced nervously at the ladies next to him.

Mina spotted me first and waved energetically. Her entire face lit up.

“Arin!” she all but sang. “Heyyyy! Alola, alola!”

She wasn’t wearing paint-covered overalls or a tunic like she normally did; instead, she was wearing some clean clothing for once — a shocker! — and a tote bag with a Ribombee face printed on it. Mina had evidently forgotten to scrub off paint from her face, though, judging by the colorful streaks of pink and blue smeared across her cheeks that weren’t hidden by her hair. Typical Mina.

Haru’s brows shot up at the Alolan greeting, but I took it in stride and waved back. Since it seemed like I had the situation under control, Haru took the chance to escape and hand out more pamphlets to visitors.

“Hey! What are you guys doing here?” I asked. I stopped in front of them with eyes as wide as saucers much to Valerie’s amusement. Soft chuckles poured out of her like chimes as she brought a kimono sleeve to her mouth.

She was wearing an alternate version of her usual kimono getup today, a more casual dress with softer hues of pink. Her contact lenses were in place. I used to be frightened of them like most people were when they saw her for the first time, but I’d quickly gotten used to the ‘fae’ look she was trying to emulate.

“Oh my, your look of surprise was worth it,” she said out loud in response. The mirth in her voice was practically visible. “We came to visit and support your grand opening, of course!”

That meant a lot to me, especially when I knew Valerie wasn’t particularly fond of Johto. She had plenty of bad memories from her childhood in Ecruteak. I didn’t know the specifics, but I knew she’d left home and the stifling environment she’d been a part of. She’d settled down in Kalos and ultimately pursued her dreams there.

“Yeah!” Mina piped up. “Fairy Specialists are few and far in between. We gotta stick together!”

“Yes, and we wanted to see how you were doing, child,” Opal tacked on. She idly stroked the shawl draped over her shoulders. “Have you been taking proper care of yourself? You look a little thin.”

The concern in her brittle voice was enough to warm my chest. I’d never known my own grandmother as she’d died before I was even born, but I considered Opal to be like one to me. She’d looked out for me during my time in Galar.

“I am, I am,” I quickly reassured, and now it was my turn to voice my concerns. “Are you alright? Flying all the way here from Galar isn’t easy.”

“Nonsense,” Opal sniffed. She waved a thin hand through the air in a dismissive manner. “I may be getting older, but I still have energy left in me. The trip left something to be desired, but it wasn’t terrible. Also…”

Opal trailed off, staring at me with a contemplative expression.

I stood completely still under her assessing gaze. Why did it feel like I’d been transported back to my Galar Gym Challenge days?

Eventually, Opal nodded her head with a small smile. “Not bad, not bad at all. It’s not as flashy as I would have expected, but your outfit has enough pink. Pass.”

I knew her judgment was made half in jest, but I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. Opal may have been an elderly woman on the verge of retirement, but she was still a figure I highly respected and had gratitude towards.

She could also be incredibly scary.

“Thank you,” I said, and I ignored how there was a questioning lilt at the end. “Uhh… sorry, I guess I’m still kind of shocked you’re all here. Why don’t we go inside and—”

“Finally found you! Valerie, please don’t run off like that next time. Diantha said we were supposed to stick together,” a familiar voice called out in a mildly annoyed tone.

My brows flew up as a tall blonde man stalked towards us with a bag in hand.

“What the— Siebold?” I blinked rapidly.

Putting aside my fellow Fairy Specialists, I never would have expected to see a Kalos Elite Four member here. I hadn’t seen him in years.

The chef’s annoyed expression smoothed itself out a bit when he saw me. “Ah, Arin, it’s good to see you again. I see Valerie found you first.”

I swung my head to look at Valerie with questionable eyes. She brushed nonexistent lint off her clothes.

“Well, when I mentioned to Diantha I wanted to visit, she said it wouldn’t be proper or safe to go by myself,” Valerie explained. She looked like she was on the verge of pouting. “So Siebold decided to come with me since he was interested in seeing you again and talking about Johto cuisine—”

“It’s quite interesting!” Siebold’s eyes lit up at the mention of food, and he held up the bag he had. “I helped this young man buy food earlier since he seemed so desperate, but that’s not the point. What are these breads and cakes, Arin? I wanted to talk to the bakers inside, but I didn’t want to hold the line up. The way they’ve infused floral scents into these is simply marvelous!”

“No!” Mina whined, and she glared at Siebold. “No talking about food! You’re going to end up talking to Arin for hours because of it, and I wanna hang out with him when it’s been so long.”

“Non, non. I must talk to Arin about his design choices. Arin, I took a peek inside the Gym already and it looks beautiful—” Valerie tried to interject, but Mina and Siebold clamored over her with their own voices. A fight unraveled in front of my eyes about what everyone wanted to do.

“Children, please, no fighting…” Opal sighed with a roll of her eyes.

I stood there awkwardly trying to process what the hell was going on. My brain was about a few stops away from short-circuiting completely as I tried to process the fact that I had many visiting friends from afar… or foreign dignitaries as they were.

“MINA!” another familiar voice yelled, and I stared at the newcomer approaching us.

It was Kukui. The normally cheerful Professor had a look of disapproval as he stared at the girl standing next to me. Mina audibly gulped.

“I-I-I was buying stuff at the gift shop!” she stammered. “They had cool art prints and posters in there!”

“Still, how could you run off and leave me behind?” Kukui scolded as he stomped up to us. “I promised your parents I’d supervise you on this trip, I don’t want to get in trouble with them— oh, hi Arin!”

Kukui finally realized I was there and offered a belated, awkward smile. I stared at him with a deadpan expression.

“I… Kukui?”

“Yep, that’s me,” Kukui answered my dazed question. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I was going to give you word in advance that I’d be visiting, but the others told me not to. I swear they have a malicious streak for surprising people…”

“‘Others?’” I echoed with suspicion.

Kukui’s eyes widened. He shrunk back a bit.

“Hey, I’m just here to learn more about Kanto-Johto culture before I go back home. Wanted to learn about the League structure and bring back ideas, you know…” Kukui blabbered on with wide eyes. I felt like smacking my forehead with my hand.

Arceus, this wasn’t the last surprise, was it—

Someone whistled, and it wasn’t any of us.

“Wow, you guys all gathered pretty fast,” another voice called, and I almost dreaded turning my head. I recognized that voice, too.

Annnnd I was right. It was Raihan. The lanky Gym Leader crossed the distance in just a few steps and slung an arm over my shoulder in a friendly gesture. His Rotom Phone was spinning through the air around him. I almost wanted to tell him to put it away so he’d be less conspicuous.

“Hey, congrats on your grand opening!” Raihan cheered, and he made a peace sign with his free hand. “Say ‘Snom!’”

That was all the warning I got before his phone flew in front of our faces and started snapping pictures. I swiveled my head to look at him.

I wore an absolutely bewildered expression at this point.

“You came to visit, too?!” I wanted to screech, but I kept it down to a strangled whisper instead.

Raihan just smirked at me.

“Your surprised face is hilarious,” the man snorted with laughter. “Hey, it was either me or Leon. Someone needed to go with dear Opal and keep her safe, and I volunteered before Leon could. Any vacation is a nice vacation.”

That… made a little more sense. I wouldn’t have wanted Opal to be alone in a foreign country by herself either.

She seemed to think otherwise.

“Oh please,” the elderly woman sniffed. “I keep telling you all that I’m not that old yet. Stop treating me like I can’t do anything.”

Raihan finally let go of me and threw his hands up in the air in mock surrender.

“Orders from the top,” Raihan whistled. “I’m just doing my job.”

Everyone chatted with each other about how they’d been and small things like that. Meanwhile, I stood there and rapidly clenched and unclenched a fist.

“Wait, so you all came just for the grand opening?” I asked to be sure.

“Yeah, why not?” Raihan replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t know about the others, but it’s break season for the Galar League right now.”

“And your Champions gave permission for this… joint outing?”

“Yep.”

“Where are you guys staying? Do you need to crash at my place? Is this all of you?”

“I mean, we dumped our stuff at the League HQ in Indigo Plateau for now—”

I held up a hand to stop him.

“Excuse me? Did you just say the League HQ?” I repeated. That had a lot of implications.

Lance’s random laughing sticker last night… couldn’t have been…

“It’s the Champion!” someone yelled out nearby, and suddenly people everywhere were screaming and yelling out words of adoration. It took about twenty seconds, but the crowd gradually parted to reveal Lance and his… crew of companions.

Yeah, my brain was temporarily fried when I saw who he was accompanied by.

A familiar father and son duo was with him, Steven and Joseph Stone. Steven was waving back to the crowd and smiling with practiced ease. The Stones were the wealthiest people in Hoenn and probably one of the top three richest families in the Kinjoh Area, period. I already knew about those two visiting, but I was not prepared for who else I saw.

On the other side of the Stones was a familiar hulking figure: Drake, the Dragon Master of Hoenn. I had somehow endeared myself to him after a certain meeting where I told him and his Dragon types to kindly fuck off. Apparently, that had been enough to get myself in his good books as a kid who had guts.

Alder was there with his hands shoved casually into his pockets. He hadn’t bothered combing his messy hair, but he’d actually shaved this time. Next to him was Volkner from Sinnoh. He was still wearing his iconic blue jacket. We’d become friends after I gave him a thrilling enough gym challenge during my run of the Sinnoh League Circuit. He was a chill guy, if not a bit lazy in the eyes of others.

The people I was most surprised by were…

The Paldea Elite Four.

Larry, Hassel, Rika, and even Poppy. They were all here, and the adults in the group sauntered towards us. Every single one of them had gloves on like they were expecting a battle to go down any second.

And of course, in the middle of this whole entourage was Lance, our beloved Indigo Champion. The carmine-haired male caught my gaze and smiled innocently, raising a hand in a wave.

“Hello, Arin, I hope your grand opening has been off to a good start so far,” he greeted with thinly-veiled humor. He looked like a Meowth that had gotten the cream, and that’s when I knew this all traced back to Lance.

He had to have known all these people were coming. There was no way so many foreign dignitaries would be allowed into another country without prior notice being given, and apparently Lance hadn’t wanted to spoil the surprise for me. I seriously considered smacking him in the face for a moment.

Ah, but then I would get arrested for assaulting the leader of the country. Shame.

I had to school my face into some degree of composure as I stared at Lance.

“It has,” I readily agreed, and one of my eyes twitched in place. “Glad to see you could make it. Though… I would have liked advance notice seeing as we have very important guests in attendance.”

Lance coughed into his fist. “Yes, well… forgive me. I thought it’d be fun to not be on the end of surprises this time around. I found myself surprised anyway,” he replied, and his eyes darted momentarily to Poppy.

He looked back at me with raised brows, and I immediately understood that I was going to have to explain why the hell a young child was an Elite Four later.

A reasonable inquiry in all aspects. Even the new Mossdeep Gym Leaders in Hoenn, Tate and Liza, weren’t as young as Poppy was.

“Anyway, peace offering?” Lance joked, and he raised what looked like a gift bag in front of his face. “Consider this a gym-warming gift so to speak.”

I felt my previous frustrations and shock melting away as I feigned annoyance. It wasn’t like Lance had had ill intentions at heart.

“That’s not going to get you off the hook—”

I had to stop when Poppy launched herself at me like a speeding bullet. For such a small girl, she could give surprisingly heavy hugs, and I felt tiny hands latching onto my legs with the death grip of a Komala.

“Arin, Arin, are you surprised? I begged Mommy until she said I could come visit!” Poppy babbled in an adorable voice, one that I had missed dearly.

I leaned down and patted her head, not bothering to pry her off my limbs.

“Yeah, you got me,” I admitted, and Poppy giggled. I was still patting her head when the other newcomers crowded around me.

“What, no greeting for us?” Rika joked, and she slapped me on the back. I let out an oomph from the hit.

“Give me a moment to process things,” I complained, but I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “I’m happy to see you guys. Really. All of you.”

“Heh. That’s more like it,” Rika smirked. Before she got a chance to say anything else, a second human being attached themselves to me. Hassel threw his arms around me in a dramatic hug.

“ARIN, MY BOY! YOU LOOK SO THIN!” he wailed, and I refrained from rolling my eyes. Opal had said something earlier, but I was pretty sure I still looked the same.

So overprotective.

“I’m fine!” I kept repeating the same thing over and over, but Hassel wouldn’t let go. I was forced to deal with two human Komalas as Drake stepped up to me with a raised brow.

“Kid, you’re more popular than I thought,” Drake said with an amused huff, and he stuck a hand out. I had to awkwardly maneuver a hand around Hassel’s body, and I tried not to wince when Drake and I shook hands. The man’s grip was as strong as ever.

“Good to see you, Drake. Why did—”

He jerked a thumb at Steven before I even finished. “If the Champion can fucking slack off and find time to play, so can I,” he said proudly. “Figured I’d pester him about finding me an Altarianite while we’re both here, plus I can say hi to you. So many Pidgey taken down with one stone, eh?”

Steven looked mildly disturbed at that. He coughed as he stepped up and adjusted his tie.

“Please don’t ask further,” he kindly requested with a smile torn between amusement and pain. “I’ve been looking as hard as possible, Drake, but I haven’t found one yet. Anyway,” he paused and turned to me with a friendly smile, “as promised, here I am with my father. We’ve brought gifts as a show of our appreciation. Dad?”

Mr. Stone stepped up with a welcoming smile. I felt my eyes soften at the sight of him. My first year as a trainer had been rough, but I’d been lucky enough to get the Devon Corporation as a sponsor after I showed that I was worth the investment. Mr. Stone had done a lot for me.

“It’s been a long time, my dear boy. I always knew you’d go places, but to think you became a Gym Leader,” Mr. Stone mused out loud, and we shook hands.

“I’ll always be grateful for your help back then,” I said sincerely, and we smiled at each other.

Then Mr. Stone handed me a decidedly suspicious looking suitcase with a bright smile.

“Some gym-warming gifts like my son mentioned,” he explained. “Extra Pokeballs for new gym Pokemon, medicine, some Moon Stones—”

“Moon Stones?” I stared at him. It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford those, but that was still a pricey gift to hand over.

Mr. Stone smoothly continued talking as if I hadn’t interrupted. “Also some TMs we had lying around, Egg incubators, and various other trainer goods. Hopefully they come in handy.”

When I continued staring at him with disbelief, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Consider it an investment into your future once again,” Mr. Stone said simply, and his eyes gained a hopeful gleam. “Perhaps we could talk later about advertisements?”

Aha. I knew there had to be something he wanted. As nice as Mr. Stone was, he was still a businessman. By advertisements, he was probably talking about ads for the next League Circuit season. Gyms usually recorded and broadcasted gym matches to the public, and lots of companies fought to have their logos displayed in the arena’s background.

I didn’t mind humoring him. “Sure. Let’s do that.”

“Excellent!” Mr. Stone beamed, and even Steven seemed pleased. Like father, like son.

This somehow led to a fight between everyone else as argued over who had the nicest gym-warming gifts. Apparently they’d all brought something for me. While people squabbled, I finally pried Hassel and Poppy off my body.

“Who would have thought we’d be seeing so many familiar faces here?” Alder guffawed, and I looked up at him after setting Poppy to the side.

“You sure you can be here, oh Champion sir?” I asked with a skeptical smile.

“I mean, everyone else sent someone from their country,” Alder defended himself. “Unova can’t be left out! I brought a gym-warming gift, too, you know!”

I was in the middle of consoling Alder when a snort of laughter to my right caught my attention. Volkner waved a hand through the air in embarrassment.

“Ah, sorry, sorry,” he drawled in a soft voice. “I just thought it was funny how chaotic this ended up being.” He paused for a moment to shake my hand, smiling. “Been a long time, huh? Every year, I keep hoping for challengers that’ll bring a good fight like you did.”

“Don’t slip back into your indifferent ways,” I warned him with a playful grin.

“I won’t,” Volkner promised, and he looked scared for a moment. “Cynthia might have my head if I do. Anyway, I’m here to increase the Sinnoh headcount I guess. Cynthia heard there were a bunch of Hoenn officials coming, so she wanted to play catch-up.”

I nodded slowly to myself. It was starting to seem like everyone was trying to compete with each other and show off their prowess.

“Hmm… What should we do…” I mused out loud.

Everyone quieted down and turned to me with expectant expressions.

“We’re going to hang out, right?” Mina asked with Teddiursa eyes.

“No! Big brother’s mine!” Poppy cried out defiantly, and then the peace broke as fighting broke out again.

The commotion was beginning to draw people’s attention at this point. When you had known public figures like me or Lance together with others like Steven or Volkner, it definitely attracted curious gazes. I supposed it was a good thing people didn’t know who the rest of the group was yet. This was the equivalent of a star-studded celebrity cast.

As I listened to everyone squabble like children, though, I felt like I was going to get a headache much like a Psyduck.

“Okay, okay!” I hurriedly called out, and I clapped my hands together. Our chaotic group fell silent. “Um, I need to wait for and greet some guests that I’m expecting soon, but why don’t I give you guys a tour after that? We can do the stamp rally I guess.”

“Stamp rally?” Lance raised a brow in amusement, and I tried not to laugh out loud.

“Yeah,” I said with as serious of an expression as I could muster. “You’ll get free stuff if you collect enough stamps.”

This amused almost everyone except for the youngest members of the group, Poppy and Mina, but none more so than the wealthy Stones.

Since our plans were settled, I called for a staff member and had them direct everyone to a private guest room on the second floor. Hopefully they got along with each other while I was gone. Without realizing it, a sigh of relief left me when the colorful and chaotic group finally left my sight.

How the hell were we going to walk around later undisturbed… I didn’t think it was happening.

With a resolute expression, I turned back around and faced the gardens. I’d think about that later. Now that I was outside, I figured I’d wait for other VIPs to show up.

Those included the Kanto and Johto Gym Leaders I’d invited.

The first ones to arrive were, surprisingly enough, the Waterflower sisters.

“Hi Arin, so good to see you—”

“Your gym is so CUTE!”

“Can we kidnap your gym’s Goldeen? I’m just joking of course—”

I’d only interacted with them briefly before on National Day, but they were as outgoing as they’d been back then. It was difficult keeping up with their high-paced chatter, but I appreciated how friendly they were.

This time, they’d brought their youngest sister, Misty, with them. Apparently she was going to take over the Cerulean Gym in a year. They wished me good luck on the evening show, dumped gym-warming gifts in my hands, and then they dragged Misty with them to explore the gardens.

They’d come and gone like tornados or forces of nature.

I looked at the stuff in my hands and got a sense of foreboding. I spoke into my mind and called my Hatterene over to me. I was going to need someone to Teleport gifts back to my office.

Somehow, I got the sense there were going to be a lot more gifts coming if the morning’s events so far were anything to go by.

I was not proven wrong.

Janine was the next to drop by, and she brought with her some items wrapped in traditional Johtonese silk.

“Greetings, Arin. May this day find you well,” the teenager greeted politely. I felt obligated to do the same. When she raised her head, Janine passed the items off to me with the faintest smile. “My father has asked me to pass along his congratulations as well. I can’t stay for the time being, but I’ll return in the afternoon for this evening show. Goodbye.”

She disappeared before I could even blink. That was… sudden.

Two more Kanto Gym Leaders dropped by in rapid succession. Lt. Surge was as quick as lightning, merely stuffing my arms with a gift and heartily slapping my shoulder before vanishing. He also left a warning about keeping up security which I obviously heeded. The Lieutenant’s visit was followed by Blaine, the leader of the Cinnabar Gym.

To be honest, I hadn’t expected him to show up to the grand opening. He was said to be a reclusive man. He used to be more outgoing, but two different wars had taken their emotional tolls on him, and he spent most of his days now holed up in his laboratory. Still, nobody did not know of Blaine Katsura. He was a genius scientist who had helped with the development of Ditto cells (now used widely in Pokemon healthcare) and a renowned war veteran.

“Congratulations, young man,” was all he said. He gave me his gift and an inscrutable look to go with it, and then he departed.

Strange, but at least he was more polite than rumors suggested.

The streak of Kanto Gym Leader visits was broken by Whitney, and she did not show up by herself.

“Hi Arin! These are my parents and grandparents,” Whitney beamed as she gestured to the people around her. She brought some fun office decorations for me.

Her family and I exchanged respectful greetings. I thought it was sweet that Whitney liked spending time with her family, and I watched her skip away to the gardens with a smile.

Two other ladies stopped by. One of them was Haru’s mom. I’d kept it a secret from Haru, but since he sometimes wondered out loud about how his mom was doing in Olivine, I thought I would invite her to come spend the day with her son once his shift was over. I’d paid for her plane ticket of course. She was a nice lady, and I could see how Haru had taken after her.

The second person was Hazel’s sister. She came today dressed in casual wear instead of her usual lab coat, and she handed me a thank-you gift for taking care of her younger brother all this time… famous herbal cookies from Violet City I’d seen advertised on TV a few times. I planned on sharing them with dad later.

“W-What? Sis?” Hazel gaped at his sister. I’d called him outside to take his break early, and he seemed surprised to see her.

“Jeez, you really thought I wouldn’t come check out our city’s Gym?” Beryl teased, and she ruffled her brother’s hair. “Come on, it’s my day off and I want to hang out with you.”

They departed in the direction of the gardens, but not before Hazel yawned a few times and got his head playfully smacked by his sister in the process.

While waiting for other Gym Leaders, I ended up greeting Mayor Sotheby and a horde of Cherrygrove locals who’d come to support me. I felt embarrassed when I saw they’d brought flags with my faces on them, and I playfully shooed them away to another part of the Gym.

Amusingly enough, Old Man Finn had been a part of their group. He hurriedly hid a Cherrygrove Gym banner from me, but I saw it anyway.

My next visitor was Sabrina Natsume.

The twenty-six-year-old woman was Indigo’s best psychic, and she was honestly a little intimidating. I hadn’t expected her to show up either, but she had, and she brought gifts of her own.

Some… strange-looking kokeshi dolls and traditional amulets used for good luck and protection, but I was still appreciative.

Perhaps she was friendlier than she seemed?

“Thank you, I’ll decorate my office with these,” I promised.

I wasn’t sure if I imagined things or not, but I felt like Sabrina’s lips twitched upwards in the briefest of smiles.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you find them pleasing—” Sabrina began, but she stopped talking mid-sentence.

Slowly, she turned her head and looked somewhere in the distance. I tried following her gaze, but I had no idea what she was looking at. The moat? The gardens beyond?

“Sabrina?” I prompted with an uneasy expression.

The Saffron Gym Leader did not respond for several seconds. Eventually, she shifted her gaze back to me and dipped her head.

“My apologies,” the woman murmured. “I thought I… never mind. I’m not good with crowds. I’d best be going now. Congratulations again on your grand opening.”

I barely managed to smile at her before the woman walked away, probably off to find a safe spot in the Dark type blockade where she could Teleport back to her Gym.

I was pleased when Professor Oak came and found me. I still saw him and Daisy around the house sometimes, but the visits were less frequent.

“Wonderful gym, Arin,” Oak praised, and he grasped my shoulder with a warm hand. “I’ll be looking forward to your matches next League Circuit.”

Daisy echoed the same and handed me some gifts from their family. I peeked to the side and noticed their usual group of two was a little larger today. Someone else was with them, a teenage boy with spiky brown hair and cold-looking eyes. A pendant hung around his neck.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you sooner,” Oak apologized once he noticed me staring. He smiled brightly and nudged the boy forward with a hand. “This is my grandson, Blue. He just finished the Hoenn League Circuit and came back home. Did you know he got top two? I’m so proud of him…”

Oak rambled on while I exchanged handshakes with his grandson. So this was Blue… I definitely saw the family resemblance.

“Thanks for taking care of Gramps,” Blue said politely with a stiff nod of his head. I thought he was going to say more, but he left it at that and retracted his hand. Not the most talkative guy it seemed.

“Blue’s taking the next year off to spend time with us,” Oak explained. He exchanged some sort of worried look with Daisy before continuing. “Would it be alright if I bring him by the backyard sometimes? He might be a trainer at heart, but he’s interested in research as well.”

I wondered if there was family drama going on that I wasn’t aware of, but it wasn’t my place to pry. I nodded my head and gave my assent instead.

After the Oaks left, Erika came by with dozens of gifts carried by her gym trainers.

“The gardens are wonderful, Arin!” she gushed, and she clapped her hands together in delight. Her usual reserved self seemed to have flown out the window. “I didn’t get a chance to wander through them yet, but they’re so delightful from what I’ve seen already. Oh, please enjoy these gifts. I brought vitamins for Pokemon and gardening-related goods…”

I’d almost forgotten Erika was the daughter of an old and wealthy family in Kanto.

The last Kanto Gym Leader to show up was Giovanni.

“Congratulations, Arin. The Cherrygrove Gym looks splendid,” the older Gym Leader complimented in earnest. He handed me a gift of his own, some rare flowers from Floaroma over in Sinnoh that he’d imported. “I’ve heard these are gifted for good fortune. I hope your first year as a Gym Leader is a good one.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely, and I clutched the flowerpot with a tight grip. Dad would probably be pleased when he saw these later. “Will you be staying for the evening show?”

A look of regret crossed Giovanni’s face. “As much as I’d love to, I can’t. I’ve slotted in extra challengers this weekend since the Kanto League Circuit is almost over. Everyone wants to challenge my Gym for their last badge. Let’s talk again next time.”

With a wave and another apology, Giovanni returned to Viridian City.

After he left, the rest of the Johto Gym Leaders — Morty, Jasmine, and Bugsy — arrived in a group.

“Congratulations on your grand opening, Arin,” Morty and Jasmine both told me.

“C-Congrats!” Bugsy echoed in a fainter voice. He smiled shyly.

I chatted excitedly with them after taking their gifts. All three of them were going to stay the whole day to explore. Compared to the Kanto Gym Leaders, us Johto Gym Leaders had way more free time since our League Circuit had ended.

We planned to take advantage of the fact that we were all in the same place for once and hang out.

“Would you like to meet some of my other friends?” I asked, and I scratched my cheek. “I promised to hang out with them as well. It might be fun to go around as a large group.”

I’d already given up on the idea of walking around without disturbance. Even if we threw on disguises, people would see through them instantly. Thus, I decided it would be nice if we could focus on fostering international bonds.

Morty, Jasmine, and even Bugsy agreed, so I brought them back to the room where everyone was waiting.

“Hey, you’re back!” Kukui called out with a cheerful grin, and all eyes turned to me and the Johto Gym Leaders next to me. My fellow Gym Leaders seemed shocked to see Lance in the room, and their faces paled further when they saw Steven, Volkner, and other foreign leaders they recognized.

“Ah, it’s good to see you three,” Lance greeted amicably with a dip of his head, and Morty’s brows flew up to his hairline.

“Did we miss something, Lance?” he questioned out loud.

Lance tried not to squirm in his seat. “…Don’t be too shocked, but…”

I think we ended up wasting at least ten minutes on introductions and greetings. By the end of it, Bugsy looked ready to faint, and Morty and Jasmine gave me side looks along the lines of what the hell have you brought us into.

I shrugged my shoulders helplessly.

Apparently everyone else had… sort of… introduced themselves at the Indigo League’s HQ when the foreign dignitaries arrived and dropped off their luggage, but there was one thing that still shocked them greatly.

Poppy.

The look on Steven and Jasmine’s faces was priceless when I told them she was a Steel Specialist and Elite Four member.

“Paldea lets such young children hold significant posts?” Steven asked in a bewildered voice, something that was entirely out of character for him. He looked like someone had told him Beldum didn’t evolve.

There were times when trainers could get and own a Pokemon before the age of fifteen, something called a Youngster License, but it still came with restrictions and wasn’t given out willy-nilly. Other exceptions were made for talented individuals like Maylene of Sinnoh or Tate and Liza of Hoenn who came from reputable families that succeeded their posts from generation to generation, but it was still rare to find a literal child as an Elite Four member.

Steven and Jasmine both peered down at that child now. Poppy stared back up at them with big, unblinking eyes that reminded me of a young Deerling.

“Hi?” she asked, and she tilted her head cutely.

“…”

Steven’s brows furrowed, but Jasmine was a lost cause already. I could practically hear her chest skipping a beat as she leaned down and patted Poppy’s head gently.

“What an adorable child…” she whispered.

Poppy gave a huge, toothy smile that practically blinded everyone in the room.

“I like you!” she told Jasmine with all the sincerity of a kid, and Jasmine’s heart melted further. She ended up scooping Poppy up into her arms, and I knew then and there Poppy had a new big sister.

Poppy pointed eagerly at the door.

“STAMP RALLY!” she said excitedly.

I gave an exaggerated bow.

“Off we go.”

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

If someone had told me ten years ago that I’d be walking around with a menagerie of Champions, Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, and a Professor, I would have rolled over and fainted on the spot.

I still couldn’t believe it now.

I did my best to ignore the stares and excited whispers that followed us wherever we went. It felt unreal walking around with all these people I’d met over the years and seeing them interact with each other.

“What kind of phone is that?” Steven inquired. He and his father were walking next to Raihan and couldn’t stop staring at his Rotom Phone that kept flying around.

“It’s a Rotom Phone,” Raihan explained with a smirk. Steven and his father both stared at him.

“As in… a Rotom in a phone?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty common in the Galovea Continent.”

Steven and his father stared at said phone with renewed fascination. Our phones weren’t nearly as advanced as the other side of the world, and Rotom were quite scarce over here on top of that. There was no way the Devon Corporation was going to be able to mass produce anything like the Rotom Phones, but I wasn’t going to be surprised if I saw something similar in the market sooner or later.

I had my own attention split between multiple conversations while my brain tried to keep up. Poppy somehow found the energy to poke my arm every couple of seconds while chatting happily with her new favorite sister, Jasmine, and Valerie and Mina couldn’t stop pestering me about what I’d been up to. I also had Siebold asking me questions about Johto cuisine that I couldn’t answer. When I told him I’d teach him some simple recipes over lunch, he got twice as excited.

Lance and Kukui were busy discussing boring stuff like the structure of the Indigo League and gyms, and Opal and Morty were in an animated conversation about old folktales. I don’t think I’d ever seen Opal so pleased with another individual before. I was sure that if Morty wasn’t a Ghost Specialist, she would have kidnapped him on the spot to become her successor to the Ballonlea Gym.

It was odd, but I saw Volkner and Jasmine sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. Did they know each other already? Or was it the case of love at first sight?

I had no idea, but the latter thought made me smile.

Bugsy was getting along surprisingly well with Alder. This was in no small part due to the fact that Alder was in the possession of an incredibly strong Bug type.

“And this Volcarona was worshiped in ancient times?” Bugsy asked excitedly.

“They still are in some parts of Unova,” Alder replied with a sage nod of his head.

“How big is your Volcarona?”

“Nine feet tall.”

“WOW! Do you have any pictures?!”

The Paldea gang was chattering in my ears about how sullen Geeta was. Apparently she’d wanted to come, but it was obviously a bad idea for the entire upper echelons of a single country to be out at the same time. Someone needed to stick around in case of an Area Zero incident, so with much regret, Geeta let herself have that role.

“She pretended she didn’t mind, but it was obvious,” Rika muttered. She tapped her chin twice with a gloved finger. “We’ll just take lots of pictures to send back to her.”

Larry was more focused on the stamp rally. Diligent as he was, he had his pamphlet in hand and a ballpoint pen out that he used to trace routes on the gym map. “Hmm, we should take a turn here through the gardens, then exit through the side over here to collect the next one…”

“What’s the prize anyway?” Rika asked curiously, and I gave her a scandalized look.

“I can’t tell you that!” I said, pretending to be horrified. Clearing my throat, I resumed a more normal attitude. “Don’t expect anything too grand. It’s a small prize like I mentioned earlier.”

Rika grinned. “Hmm… Quite intriguing.”

We left it at that. Through the gardens we went collecting stamps from staff members on duty — dad did a double take when he saw all the notable people I was with — and then we looped back around to the other side to collect the rest of the outdoor ones.

Then we went inside the gym and took the elevator to the rooftop where the last remaining stamp was.

I smiled when I saw how busy the rooftop garden was, or more specifically, the battlefields.

We had a few battlefields up here that we were letting the public use today, and I saw they were completely filled up with young and eager trainers already. Hoothoot against Zigzagoon, Slowbro against Nuzleaf… Huh, there were a lot more foreign species of Pokemon than I expected to see. I wondered if we had a lot of guests visiting from abroad.

I was hoping we’d remain undetected, but that was a hopeless wish. The spectators around the battlefields only grew more rowdy once they saw me, Lance, and everyone else I was with. We even accidentally distracted two trainers in the middle of their match and caused them to draw with each other.

Oops.

I herded everyone over to the staffers giving away stamps here.

“After this, we can go pick up the prizes,” I hummed thoughtfully to myself. While everyone was pulling out their pamphlets to have them stamped, I realized Poppy had disappeared. My face paled.

We didn’t just lose a child, did we?

Thankfully, when I turned my head, I spotted Poppy right away. She was watching two kids her age battle on a field nearby. It wasn’t illegal for young kids to fight with their Pokemon, but they couldn’t hold very intense battles for obvious reasons.

I wondered if Poppy was lonely. She had the Paldea Elites to keep her company, but I don’t think she had a lot of friends her actual age.

“Hey, Poppy—”

“I challenge you to a fight!”

I stopped in my tracks when a little boy marched up to Poppy and held out a scuffed Pokeball. It was probably a young Pokemon not under his ownership, but his parent’s.

I winced. He had no idea who he was challenging.

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” The other boy encouraged Poppy with a kind smile, so I at least knew he wasn’t being malicious. I moved to steer Poppy away, but her next words sealed the boy’s fate.

“Okay!” Poppy grinned.

There were aww sounds from the audience when Poppy and the boy stood on opposite sides of a newly emptied battlefield. Little kids wanting to fight a Pokemon battle with each other was cute no matter where in the world you went. I just stood off to the side desperately trying to make eye contact with Poppy.

She did not see me.

The youngster fumbled with his Pokeball before throwing it, and out popped a cute Skitty. I only needed one look to appraise it as definitely a household Pokemon.

“Wow!” Poppy stared at the Pokemon curiously. “I’ve never seen that Pokemon before.”

“It’s a Skitty,” the other boy helpfully supplied. “She’s cute, right? Mom gave her to me for my birthday.”

“Oh, me too!” Poppy brightened up. She rummaged around in her little purse with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. “I… got one… from Daddy for my birthday, too. Here!”

She finally fished out the Pokeball she was looking for and smiled brightly.

“This one!” she announced proudly, and the crowd made aww sounds again. “Go, Bell!”

Everyone leaned forward in anticipation to see what kind of cute Pokemon the little girl had. I’m sure they were probably thinking of something cute like Teddiursa or Jigglypuff, but alas, they had no idea of Poppy’s true identity.

Deafening silence filled the rooftop when a six-foot-tall Pokemon with four legs landed with a boom on the field. It weighed over a thousand pounds, and it looked at the Skitty with a very confused expression. The Metagross turned around and gave Poppy a bewildered look, or as close to one that a Metagross could physically imitate.

The boy took one look at Poppy’s Metagross and blanched. I almost felt sorry for him.

“I forfeit! I forfeit!”

Poppy recalled her hulking Pokemon and bounced back towards us with a pleased expression.

“Arin! Arin! I won!” she cried out when she saw me watching. I glanced briefly behind my shoulder and saw the rest of the group watching with blank faces.

Well, except for the Paldea crew. Rika had doubled over with laughter and looked like she was going to pass out from laughing so hard.

“…Let’s go back to the lobby.”

I resolved not to speak of this incident again as we headed down. Everyone showed their collected stamps to the receptionists and got approved for a free gift, which turned out to be their choice of a tiny plushie keychain. The selection included versions of me and my personal Pokemon.

I tried not to die of embarrassment when everyone unanimously picked up a miniature Arin to take home. Why couldn’t they take one of my Sylveon or something?!

Arceus dammit.

After that, I had to split up from the group temporarily to resume work. I checked in on the panel with the Blossom Hall construction workers briefly, and it was going well.

“We used timber from local varieties of cherry trees that our city is known for…” I heard Eric say as I passed by the door, and I smiled to myself.

I hoped they got more projects after today.

My main work was the interactive exhibit in the battle hall. Some of the more sociable Pokemon who liked playing were going to be out on the field for people to interact with. These included the gym Fidough, Swirlix, and Popplio among a few other species. This was a trial run for playtime days I planned to incorporate at the gym going forward.

It was a smashing success.

Tons of people came in and lined up to play with the Pokemon. It was most popular with young kids and families, but I saw plenty of students and older adults enjoying themselves, too.

“C-Can I really play with this Swirlix?!” a girl asked at one point, and I gestured for her to go ahead.

She squealed and leaned down to pat the little gremlin. The fur of a Swirlix was as sticky as cotton candy, so there were clean towels nearby for people to wipe their hands when they were done. It seemed the girl had come with a massive group of friends, but for some reason, they kept an eye on the girl while they played with the other Pokemon.

Strange.

“Are you on a field trip?” I asked politely.

One of the boys closest to me jerked his head up in surprise. “O-Oh, no,” he stammered. “We’re just here to see the new Pokemon. We want to be Pokemon researchers someday.”

“Good luck!” I told him sincerely. It was an admirable career to want to follow. “Did you read the research paper then?”

“YES!” another boy piped up a few feet away. His eyes sparkled as he stared at me. “We talked about the Pokevengers paper all week after it came out and have everything memorized by now! Like how Swirlix weighs as much as how much sugar it eats, and…”

On and on he ranted with interjections from his friends, and I smiled in amusement to myself. Internally, I felt proud that I had managed to rouse so much interest in Fairy Pokemon already. It was nice to see my efforts bearing fruit.

After the group of students left, Old Man Finn surprisingly came into the interactive exhibit.

I raised my brow at him, and he looked away from me with an embarrassed expression.

“Don’t get me wrong!” he blurted out. “I just, uh, wanted to see what Fairy type Pokemon were all about.”

He didn’t sound very convincing.

I watched as Old Man Finn walked slowly with his cane from one gym Pokemon to another. He didn’t interact with them at first, he just eyed them cautiously as if they would bite at his legs any second.

Then Finn met the opponent known as Fidough.

One of the dogs came up to him and plopped itself at his feet. The dog tilted its head and barked twice with a happy expression. Its little tail wagged back and forth.

Finn stared at the dog without moving. Fidough stared back at him.

Old Man Finn had no chance. His stony exterior cracked in seconds.

I had to bring over a chair so he could sit down comfortably and play with the Fidough as it licked his face all over. By the end of his visitation time limit, Old Man Finn had a sad face as he slowly exited the hall. He turned back every two seconds to cast fleeting glances at the Fidough before he finally disappeared.

I wore a satisfied smile on my face.

Yes, it was true that Fairies needed to be feared.

Their cuteness knew no limits.

The rest of my day was spent dividing it between breaks and working. I had a nice lunch with friends (I taught Siebold how to make some dishes with the ingredients we had on hand, and he returned the gesture by treating us all to his masterful cooking), walked around, and chatted happily.

Every time I got too comfortable, I had to remind myself to keep my guard up.

But… nothing happened. No security issues came into existence.

And before I knew it, it was almost 5 PM.

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

A quick glance at my watch revealed that the evening show was due to start in five minutes.

Lance and the other important guests were off in the luxury box seating I’d set aside for them. The other Kanto and Johto Gym Leaders who had stayed for this event — Janine and Whitney among them — had been integrated with the rest of the group, but not after much shock.

Everyone was getting along well, and that was all I was concerned with.

Neil was in charge of directing the stage technicians. I knew that right now, they were running around like headless chickens backstage trying to get everything ready. Fantina was probably double-checking her makeup, and Wallace was probably meditating. If not for the opening act, I would have been there with them.

Instead, I was standing atop an invisible ledge made of Fairy energy by the ceiling. I was positioned high above the field below.

Nobody could see me. Vel was stationed somewhere on the ground, and he’d wrapped me inside a small sphere of influence that rendered me temporarily invisible. So long as I didn’t move away from this spot, I would remain unseen until the show began.

My usual formalwear had been swapped for tonight with an outfit befitting nobility. A half-cape decorated with golden threads covered one shoulder as I fiddled with my sleeves. I wore a similarly designed suit jacket underneath with amethyst brooches carefully pinned to it. Small golden chains looped from my belt to my pockets, and my hands were covered with pristine white gloves. My hair had been styled into a more formal look, and I had to resist the urge to run my hand through it. Just for tonight, I told myself.

Somewhere out there in the audience were people I knew. Cherrygrove citizens, my friends both from and out of Indigo, people I worked with… Across the country, many others likely had their TVs or computers turned on to see the evening show broadcast.

They were all watching tonight, all waiting to see what the Cherrygrove Gym was about.

I closed my eyes and let the murmurs from the crowd fade into the distance.

I should have felt nervous. That would have been the normal reaction in this situation, but I felt calm instead. This wasn’t a high-stakes match or something to stress about.

I just needed to have fun like my Pokemon and I always did. We’d already showed the strength of Fairies on national television.

Now, we were going to show yet another side to them: their beauty and grace.

I pushed away all other thoughts from my mind as the seconds ticked by. There was simply no room for them. Everyone else would handle security while the show went on. I had to believe nothing was going to happen.

Eventually, murmurs gave way to silence. I knew the lights had been dimmed like we’d planned. Without a word, I opened my eyes and took a step forward.

I let myself fall.

A spotlight was trained on my falling figure. Shocked gasps rang out when people realized I was plummeting through the air. They transformed into awed whispers when they realized I wasn’t plummeting but floating down.

Large and delicate wings had sprouted from my back. They had been woven from light as ethereal as the moon, and they fluttered in the air. Every gentle flap they gave sent sparkles flowing outwards into the air.

I wasn’t the one controlling them. My Alolan Ninetales and Hatterene were hidden in the back of the hall and crafting this illusion for me.

People leaned forward with bated breaths as I continued floating down. Slowly, and with an exaggerated movement, I raised a hand and snapped my fingers. Yelps filled the hall as rain began to fall.

It started as a drizzle. Droplets of shining water fell down like fleeting comets. People flinched away from the rain, but they didn’t have to. It didn’t seep into their clothes or skin. This was not actual rain.

Whatever the droplets touched, ripples visibly formed in the air just like those one might see on the surface of a lake. Every impact created a floating flower bud. As the rain fell more and more quickly, the empty space around the hall and spectators filled up with mysterious buds. People reached out to them in wonder and poked them.

They reeled back with surprise when the buds opened.

Petals furled outwards and blossomed into beautiful flowers made of light, and from within their closed embraces… shining orbs of light poured out. Each contained a different choral note courtesy of my Altaria. Musical notes mixed together and created a divine symphony. These orbs lifted higher and higher into the air until they stopped at various elevations. Then, lines of light shot out in between their scattered forms. Through them, the distinct forms of three-dimensional constellations were created.

Below, people watched with entranced expressions as flowers were pulled away from them and into the center of the hall towards me. I became the thing they orbited around like a swirling tornado, but I was only temporarily obscured. The flowers flew rapidly in one direction as I neared the ground. Each fused together and became a gigantic throne made of petals that I ended up landing on, and my wings disappeared once I was seated. Spotlights were trained on me from above. Around the hall, constellations shifted and transformed mid-air into new ones.

Perhaps I resembled the king of fairies, one about to address his people.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Cherrygrove Gym’s grand opening. I’m Gym Leader Arin Watanuki, and I thank you for coming tonight to celebrate the unveiling of Johto’s ninth major gym,” I spoke out loud into an attached mic piece. My words were clear and firm. “It is an honor to represent Indigo as one of its pillars.”

All eyes were on me, but I merely swept my gaze across the audience with a composed expression.

“The theme for tonight’s show is magic,’” I said. My lips curled into a smirk as I gripped the armrest of my illusionary throne. “Let go of your troubles, and see with your heart.”

“Now… enjoy the show!”

I threw up a hand, and the last thing I saw was the audience clapping furiously. There were people holding up banners that said things like Arin Fan Club, but I didn’t get to check properly. A storm of snowy petals engulfed my vision. I found myself backstage a moment later. When I peeked at the screen in the waiting room, I saw that new performers had pirouetted onto the stage.

Good. Freya and Silque had worked together to Teleport me out on time.

The opening act had gone perfectly. It wasn’t too shabby for my first actual performance in a while, though it reaffirmed that I never wanted to pursue the life of a Coordinator. Anyone who could constantly come up with new routines had my sincere respect.

My Pokemon were already backstage waiting for me, and I made sure to praise them for helping out. The performers hanging out by the doors gave similar compliments before they went out one-by-one for their own acts. I’d hired famous troupes in Kanto-Johto that were known for mind-boggling displays. Each of them were seasoned performers, and judging by the cheers from the audience outside, they were a hit.

Wallace and Fantina were deep in concentration already. Both were wearing their trademark Gym Leader outfits that doubled as Coordinator costumes. I didn’t speak to them since it seemed like they were busy channeling their inner spirits. Acts trickled by, and when it was finally Wallace’s turn, he smoothed his face into a smiling countenance and stepped out.

The crowd went wild at the sight of the beloved Top Coordinator.

His infamous Milotic was released from her Pokeball in one smooth, fluid motion, and the serpent emerged with a musical cry. I smiled to myself and crossed my arms. No matter how many times I saw Wallace perform, I would never get tired of it.

“Let us begin,” Wallace said out loud with a bow.

That was his Milotic’s cue to raise her head towards the heavens. From her mouth, she summoned a Whirlpool that gradually wrapped around her and her trainer. Compared to a regular Whirlpool one might see in a Pokemon battle, this swirling mass of liquid was calm and slow-moving.

Without warning, it suddenly burst outwards. Gasps rang out as people thought they would get splashed, but the ‘water’ washed over them harmlessly. People blinked rapidly as they swung their heads left and right.

The whole hall looked like it had been submerged underwater. Those who hadn’t taken their eyes off Wallace’s Milotic saw the serpent open her mouth.

An affectionate song poured forth, one that spoke of family and bonds. As the Milotic sang, she flicked her colorful tail in different directions. For every direction she pointed at, glowing droplets appeared.

These droplets eventually coalesced into three different figures, magical apparitions that resembled Milotic and glimmered with an indescribable pink. They swam around Wallace’s Milotic and opened their own mouths to sing, and the notes traveled quickly in the faux underwater arena.

I suddenly wanted to see dad and hug him. In the audience, I saw more than a few people turn to each other with teary faces.

Still singing, Wallace’s Milotic began to swim though the air with her conjured apparitions following alongside her. For thirty seconds, they twirled through the air in a dizzying and almost passionate dance. My own interpretation was that it told the story of a lost person finding their family after years of separation.

That tugged at my heartstrings for obvious reasons.

Wallace’s Milotic reached the peak of her singing. With an especially loud and high-pitched note, she coiled up as the apparitions flew into her body. A shining orb left her mouth and hovered near the ceiling. It radiated warmth and love. As its light intensified, the submerged hall seemed to shift in place.

Water rumbled. Slowly, it swirled back into the middle like a whirlpool of its own making, except it formed the shape of a rose. Wallace held up a fist at the ready. With a bright smile, he flicked his fingers forward.

The orb of light dropped down into the flower below, and rings of sparkles flew everywhere as the flower evaporated.

Rainbows appeared in the air and moved according to Milotic’s will. They wrapped themselves in a double helix structure and created a staircase that she glided down on to meet her trainer. For the finishing pose, Pokemon and trainer stood side by side and bowed.

The crowd roared their approval.

Wallace thanked everyone before heading backstage. At the same time, Fantina confidently marched out and took his place.

She didn’t have to release her Pokemon. Mismagius appeared out of thin air next to her.

“Come! See the ability of Ghosts!” Fantina declared.

Her Pokemon sprang into action.

Countless gems exploded outwards from Mismagius, each shining with the radiance of a thousand lights. They embedded themselves in the ground with heavy thuds and formed what looked like a summoning circle. Below Mismagius, shadows whispered and began to form. They gradually took on the shape of a faceless man and woman. Mismagius went one way, and the pair danced the other.

With every jerk and twist of Mismagius’s body, the faceless ghosts bent to the Pokemon’s will like beautiful marionettes and danced a waltz. A story was being told. Mismagius danced with them as elemental forces began to spin around her wispy body.

Vines of frost, crackles of lightning, and vestiges of fire— these were all at Mismagius’s command as she gathered up the elements and weaved their energies into the faceless ghosts.

Like a gradient, they were dyed with the colors of the elemental forces and began to take on lifelike, human qualities. Appreciative gasps arose when the two apparitions resembled actual human beings from their tender facial expressions to their delicate footwork.

They did not live long.

As the two apparitions leaned in for a kiss, they were swallowed up by a raging inferno.

Mismagius had summoned flames. Gone was the love, and here was the jealousy and despair that overtook it. Fantina’s Pokemon seemed to transform into an entirely different one. Her purple robes were replaced with scarlet flames that billowed outwards like an elaborate ball gown, and she let out a harrowing cry as she sank to the floor. She was the woman that had been scorned, and now she showed it.

Flames howled and licked at the air. Their vibrant, fiery ends mixed together until they formed the shape of a sweltering rose. Unlike what Wallace and his Milotic had done, this rose expanded. It multiplied outwards and absorbed the lingering shadows in the air. As a result, the flames took on a darker and darker hue until they turned completely black. Fantina and her Mismagius were completely engulfed by the flames at this point.

Then the massive rose unraveled itself petal by petal in increasingly fast movements, and each flaming petal transformed into smaller ones that formed a ghostly staircase at Fantina’s feet. She walked down the stairs as petals rained down around her. Every petal that made contact with her dress burned it much to the shock of the spectators, but cheers rang out when they realized the dress was transforming.

Fantina’s regular dress had been replaced with a crimson ball gown that resembled the one her Mismagius had donned. Laughing, Fantina smiled almost viciously and beckoned with a gloved hand to the backdoors.

It was a direct challenge to Wallace.

The doors flew open as Wallace revealed himself with a determined smile. His Milotic was already out of her Pokeball, and she sang a battle cry to Mismagius.

This was all a part of the script, a challenge and a duel between the two rivals.

I struggled to keep myself from shuddering as I watched Fantina and Wallace begin to duke it out Contest-style. Mismagius and Milotic were creating dazzling displays of their respective specialties while trying to thwart the other’s techniques. I could hold my own with short performances, but in a high-paced, elegant match like that?

I stood no chance.

Wallace and Fantina were truly incredible. It wasn’t often you saw two Top Coordinators and Gym Leaders fight like this for free, and the audience was eating it up. I wondered how many viewers this show was getting online.

This part of the show was at least unscripted.

Wallace and Fantina were truly fighting their best out there, and it ended up being a draw much to everyone’s surprise. While both of them bowed to the audience, I made sure I had all my Pokemon on hand in their capsules. Once the two came back in, I took their place outside one last time.

I held my arms out in a grand gesture.

“What a stunning match from Wallace and Fantina. I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves. The Gym will be open to visitors for another hour following the conclusion of tonight’s show. But first… one last parting gift.”

I smiled to myself as my entire team came out of their Pokeballs. For the closing act, I’d chosen something that each of them could participate in.

As soon as the last figure materialized, each of my Pokemon weaved their Beliefs above their heads. Normally we spent our time purposely drawing out the process and consciously thinking, but we opted for speed this time. Within seconds, my Pokemon had crafted their unique Beliefs. I didn’t have to give them a signal.

They let the Beliefs fly up and coalesce into a single giant orb below the ceiling.

An irresistible beauty that all eyes turned to.

The hall had fallen silent in the face of the floating sphere. Every other light had been turned off. The orb was so bright that it illuminated every inch of the hall. It was a beacon of light in the darkness and a symbol of hope, but it was not perfect. Blemishes ran across its surface, worn and loved grooves that spoke of countless hard experiences my Pokemon and I had gone through. They only made it look more real and beautiful.

It was not a miniature moon but perhaps the moon itself. That was how strongly the Beliefs were tied and fused together. For if we did not share the same Beliefs, it would have never connected into one structure at all.

Shimmering fairy dust trickled downwards from the moon like precious sand slipping through an hourglass. I stood almost directly underneath it and held a hand out. Once I’d collected some of the dust, I brought my cupped palm to my lips and blew.

That single breath seemed to echo in the vast hall.

The dust I blew grew bigger as it headed towards the stands. Sparkles rained down on the spectators. Before their eyes, the specks of dust transformed into small humanoid figures with tunics and wings on their backs.

Fairies. Sprites. Pixies.

People cried out in amazement as the newly born creatures started flying through the arena. They patted the heads of excited children and threw out flowers and confetti from nowhere.

I repeated the same process several more times for the other stands.

Soon the hall was full of laughter and excited chatter. People were playing with and trying to catch the beings that zipped past their hands. Ah, but Fairies were elusive.

How was any of this possible? Most of the heavy lifting was being done by Freya and her ability to give illusions life. With the rest of my Pokemon manifesting their Beliefs, my Alolan Ninetales was drawing from their energy reserves and using them to maintain so many precise illusions over a massive area of effect.

There was a huge smile on my face as I watched the spectators and their faces full of wonder. Slowly, my Pokemon and I bowed to the audience as one.

“This concludes tonight’s performance,” I spoke gently into my mic. “Feel free to admire the gardens outside until closing time. The nighttime view is spectacular. Please be careful making your way out of the hall…”

It had been a wonderful show from start to finish, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with myself.

As visitors started spilling out of the stands and back out into the gym lobby or gardens, I recalled all my smiling Pokemon and walked backstage with a heart brimming with happiness.

From humble beginnings as a wandering trainer to a new life as a Gym Leader, I don’t think I could have ever imagined my life taking the turn it had now.

This was just the beginning. I still had the summer ahead of me, my first ever Johto League Circuit to look forward to, the people and friends I still had yet to meet and memories to make…

I wondered if someday, years from now in the distant future, people would talk avidly about me and the Cherrygrove Gym. What would they say?

Once upon a moon, there was a Fairy Specialist in Johto…