CHAPTER 9

Only a precious few hours of sleep were granted to me before I had to get up, groaning as I did. Never again would I attempt so many back and forth extended flights in a short period of time. It was just too exhausting.

There was no time to be tired, though. Two weeks remained until the promotion test, and I had gym Pokemon to train.

When I entered the backyard, I was immensely relieved to see no signs of chaos. I had been a bit worried about adding so many new Pokemon at once and wondered if any fights would erupt, but it seemed the former wild Pokemon had already come to an understanding with each other that this was a safe place for all of them to live together. It helped that the presence of my own Pokemon encouraged them to be on their best behavior.

Well, almost all of them at least.

The new Tinkaton I had obtained from Paldea swaggered up to Mr. Puff right as I was about to start morning practice. I paused to watch the ensuing show, but I was ready to step in if needed. The Tinkaton beckoned with a hand in a 'bring it' gesture and haughtily shouted out a challenge, swinging her hammer a bit for intimidation. From the way she acted, she really did remind me of some sort of gangster.

Mr. Puff did not look amused whatsoever.

His already stern expression turned even more severe as he answered that a battle with her wouldn't be worth his time. Youngsters these days, he huffed.

Tinkaton did not like that.

I stepped in as Tinkaton flared up with anger and stomped forward. "Stop," I said in a level but firm tone. Everyone in the vicinity including Tinkaton actually froze at the sound of my voice, and they watched now as I strode up to the little spat.

I looked at Tinkaton sternly. "Tinkaton, I didn't bring you here so you could force other Pokemon to fight you against their wishes. You need to respect the Pokemon who will be working alongside you from now on. You'll get plenty of fights later during training spars." The Hammer Pokemon looked away sullenly, but she eventually nodded.

"Mr. Puff." I turned now to the Jigglypuff. He looked up at me with a stony expression, but I could see the hint of nervousness in his eyes. "Tinkaton was rude, yes, but you shouldn't have provoked her further like that." I could tell he wanted to disagree, but he held back and nodded instead.

Now, it was time to take advantage of the situation Tinkaton had caused and use it as an opportunity instead. What I had in mind would bring her and any potential troublemakers in line as well as inspire the other new Pokemon.

"Okay. Mr. Puff, Tinkaton," I said suddenly, clapping my hands. They both looked at me. "To clear up any bad feelings, how about we actually do a quick battle before training? Tinkaton will be on one side while I give Mr. Puff instructions on the other. What do you guys think?"

Tinkaton agreed immediately, lifting her hammer again with a fired up expression. Mr. Puff furrowed his brows at me, but he saw the wink I shot him and realized I was planning something. He took one look at Tinkaton's haughty expression before turning back to me with hardened eyes, agreeing to the fight. I nodded. "Okay, we'll start in a couple minutes. I need time to talk to Mr. Puff first, so start getting ready, Tinkaton."

While the Hammer Pokemon skipped away to clean her hammer, I took Mr. Puff aside for a brief talk.

I had already fought Tinkaton once before with Peri in Paldea and had a fairly good idea of her capabilities. She had the strength to be a contender for fifth badge challenges already, but that was all she had. Brute strength. She had little to no technique or sense of strategy, and she limited herself by only using big, powerful moves. She also had a terrible temper.

All of these weaknesses were things to exploit.

"Mr. Puff, thanks for agreeing to the fight after your earlier reluctance. I suggested it because we need to curb Tinkaton's arrogance," I said, and Mr. Puff's eyes gleamed. He liked the sound of that.

I continued. "I'm going to be honest: this is not going to be an easy fight for you. With your current movepool, Tinkaton will be able to resist mostly anything you throw at her," I informed him. He protested angrily, but I quickly held up a finger. "Let me finish. In spite of that, we WILL win. It's just not gonna be a short fight. I know we haven't really fought together before, but you trust me, right?" Mr. Puff nodded vigorously, making me smile. "Okay, try to react to my commands during the battle as fast as you can. Let me go over the general strategy I have in mind…"

Three minutes later, Mr. Puff and I stood ready on our side of the field. Tinkaton smirked at us from the other end, raising her hammer above her head.

We didn't need a referee for this. The battle started as soon as Tinkaton dashed forward.

"Stay put and use Charm," I said simply. Mr. Puff's eyes glowed faintly with Fairy energy as he stared at the incoming Tinkaton. She faltered slightly but kept up her charge.

I waited right before she swung her hammer in a Brutal Swing attack. "Do it!"

I'd given a strategy beforehand for what to do when Tinkaton got close, and now Mr. Puff carried it out. With one of his favorite moves, Minimize, he shrank to almost nothing in an instant. Tinkaton's eyes flew wide open with shock as she swung and missed, hitting absolutely nothing.

But that wasn't the end of it. Mr. Puff undid the Minimize right after and screamed quite literally in her face. Tinkaton shrieked with pain from the Hyper Voice, stumbling backwards. To her credit, she didn't drop her hammer and only used one hand to try and block out the noise. She swung her hammer blindly, but Mr. Puff had already bounced back out of range.

"Rollout," I ordered.

Mr. Puff took advantage of the lingering disorientation and barrelled into Tinkaton as a spinning ball of pink fur. He wasn't strong enough to knock the heavier Pokemon down, but Tinkaton did let out a loud 'oomph' from the heavy blow.

Tinkaton roared with anger and swung her hammer again, but just like before, Mr. Puff smoothly transitioned into a Minimize to avoid the blow. To add insult to injury, this time he stood on top of Tinkaton's hammer when he popped back to his normal size for a Hyper Voice. This was part of our plan.

You didn't make light of a Tinkaton's hammer.

Tinkaton screamed more with rage than pain as the fresh wave of Hyper Voice slammed into her. Her attention was focused entirely on the pink blob who dared to land on her hammer. Chaotic waves of Fairy energy wrapped around the ends of her tool as she swung it with all her might back and forth.

Mr. Puff simply jumped away from the Play Rough and alternated between using Minimize and Rollout to either dodge the path of the hammer or spin out of the way entirely. I knew he wasn't used to using either move in such rapid succession, so I was proud as I watched him escape Tinkaton's warpath with his dodging. He mixed in Hyper Voices when he got the chance. Ineffective as they might have been against Tinkaton's typing, they gradually chipped away at her health.

Tinkaton was getting worse and worse by the second. Her swings got sloppier and sloppier as she let her fury blind her vision of the battle, and she stuck to the same few moves of Play Rough, Brutal Swing, and Gigaton Hammer. Mr. Puff looked like he was having fun as he bounced and zoomed across the field. I knew he was, but I also knew he wasn't used to moving around so much in one battle. He was getting tired.

That meant it was time to wrap things up.

Pulsating waves of grayish energy spiked outwards from Tinkaton's hammer as she launched herself into the air for another Gigaton Hammer.

"Disable," I smirked. Mr. Puff's expression matched my own as he stared at the falling Tinkaton with glowing eyes. The Steel type energy faded away much to Tinkaton's utter shock. The Hammer Pokemon landed clumsily and quickly switched to a Play Rough. I called out another order after Mr. Puff spun away. "Mimic!"

Mr. Puff's face was one of complete glee as he rushed forward, body slamming Tinkaton with a pink aura surrounding him. He slapped her left and right with his stubby arms before she finally swung her hammer and managed to get her first hit in. Mr. Puff took the Play Rough in stride and gave back even harder, using Defense Curl to strengthen his body before headbutting her with the Play Rough he'd copied.

Tinkaton finally dropped her hammer as she sank to her knees, cradling her head.

"Mr. Puff, step back," I said, eyeing Tinkaton's form. Mr. Puff looked a bit reluctant, but he did as I asked anyway. I called out in a louder voice to Tinkaton. "I think you should understand now that you were being too arrogant before, Tinkaton. Mr. Puff might not have as much power as you right now, but he makes up for it with his mobility and clever use of his moves. I want to end the battle here since I don't want anyone to get too injured. Do you concede?"

It took a bit, but Tinkaton finally raised her head with a frown and nodded. She was frustrated, but she had learned a good lesson. I encouraged both Pokemon to shake hands after the fight. They did, but it was very reluctant on both ends. I only hoped they would become friendlier with each other in the future.

I raised my voice now, looking around at all the new gym Pokemon that had watched the fight. "Just like you all, Mr. Puff was a wild Pokemon until very recently. He only had two days of training with me and my Pokemon before this fight, but you saw how he managed to close the gap with a fully evolved Pokemon. He's already become a little stronger since then. He was able to put on an impressive performance through the strategies I shared with him and his own hard work. I want all of you to know that you can do the same. I'm just going to need you to trust and work together with me to get there," I told them.

Through the battle, I had hoped to show them how much faster a Pokemon could improve with the help of a trainer compared to when they were on their own in the wild. Looking around, I could see that I had achieved my goal. The Pokemon around me were nodding and looking more motivated than ever. Even Tinkaton seemed a bit interested by the thoughtful expression on her face. I hoped my words had gotten through to her and that she would be more cooperative from now on.

With the fight out of the way, training finally started for real. I got the new batch of gym Pokemon started on similar routines that the others were on and gave each species a matching tutor from my own team of Elites. Moments like these made me truly appreciate being a Specialist since my Pokemon could easily share tips and techniques they'd learned with others that shared their type. I brought out my laptop at one point to record information on all the new gym Pokemon such as which Abilities and moves they had, their current progress, or future training plans for them.

I spent some time checking in with the Pokemon that had joined from Route 30. Not too much had changed since I last saw them, but I was pleased to see they had a better grasp on their most basic moves. The ones I had marked previously for higher tiers were doing more than well. In a few days, we would move on to higher level techniques as well as getting them accustomed to following a trainer's commands during a battle.

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Most of my time was spent with the new batch of Pokemon and helping them get acclimated to the new environment. I especially made sure the Hatenna and Flabebe family lines were comfortable since I had made such a hefty promise with their leaders. Out of the new Pokemon from Paldea, I was most interested in training the Klefki, Ralts, Kirlia, and the one Gardevoir because I had never caught or trained any of my own before. I admit I nerded out a bit as I fawned over them and jotted down notes on my laptop about their characteristics.

Speaking of Gardevoir, she and Tinkaton were like oil and water. I'd already seen how short-tempered and prideful Tinkaton could be. Gardevoir was the exact opposite. She was quite gentle, and she easily accepted my teachings as I taught her how to further harness Fairy type energy for more powerful techniques. Tinkaton had mellowed out a bit after the fight and was willing to listen to the advice I gave her about her shortcomings, which relieved me greatly. I had high hopes for both of them to eventually become part of my highest badge challenge rosters.

I asked Filore for her help as well. She had assisted me with some lectures before at the academy in Paldea and enjoyed it, so I asked if she wanted to help with the gym as well. She easily agreed. That made one more Pokemon for the high end of the badge tiers.

Things were starting to look up. I felt much better than I had a few days ago about the Pokemon situation, but I still wasn't satisfied.

I took a break while my Pokemon were training and pulled my phone out. I'd switched over to the new one Geeta had given me, and it was amazing. I hadn't checked out all the new features yet, but it was so much faster than my old phone. I regretted not changing to a newer model sooner.

My fingers moved quickly across the screen as I typed out a text message in a specific group chat. It included fellow Fairy Specialists I'd become friends with while traveling. They were also, admittedly, pretty famous people within their respective regions.

[FAIRY GYM LEADERS] (3 People)

Me [8:19 AM]: Hi everyone, long no time no talk. Long story short: I'm starting up a Fairy Gym in Johto, and I'd like to cash in on some favors now. Can you guys send me some native Pokemon from your regions who would be willing to join my Gym? Need to fill out the challenge rosters ASAP and start training them.

Due to our different time zones, I was pretty confident everyone was either sleeping or busy with work and wouldn't respond for a while. Much to my surprise, I was proven wrong as messages instantly came flooding in.

Valerie [8:19 AM]: Magnifique! I always knew this day would come. Did I not say before that you would make an excellent Gym Leader, Arin?

Mina [8:19 AM]: are u serious?! omg now ur one of us.

I raised a brow. Mina should have been sleeping at this time. I chalked it up to her probably staying up late again to paint. Her comment did make me smile, though. The next text was from Opal, who was likely asking one of her Pokemon to type for her as usual.

Opal [8:20 AM]: Oho… and here I was hoping you would change your mind someday about becoming my successor. Still, congratulations are in order.

I winced as I read that. Yeah… Opal had really taken a liking to me years ago while I was on my journey through Galar. She'd wanted me to take over the Ballonlea Gym, but I had refused her offer multiple times.

Me [8:20 AM]: Sorry, Opal. This is where I'm meant to be. You'll find a successor one day for sure.

Opal [8:20 AM]: I should hope so, young man, I'm not getting any younger. But let us move on. You would like us to send you Fairy Pokemon, correct? You are lucky that the Circuit in Galar has just ended. I have time to go looking in the Glimwood.

Valerie [8:20 AM]: The Kalos League season is still going strong, but I can look for some today after the gym closes and tomorrow in the early morning. I'll send you the loveliest ones I can find, Arin!

Mina [8:21 AM]: oh lemme just finish up a little more of this painting im working on, then i can go out.

Me [8:21 AM]: What? No, get some sleep!

Me [8:21 AM]: It's what, 1 or 2 AM for you over there or something? Get to bed already. I'm not in that much of a rush.

Mina [8:21 AM]: eh? but i always stay up late…

Mina [8:21 AM]: okay putting my phone away now to focus, i will text u later when i have the pokemon. bye!

Opal [8:21 AM]: Tsk, tsk. That girl should take better care of her health. I suppose I should go now as well. The Pokemon are clamoring for lunch, and I must have my afternoon tea. Expect to hear back from me within a day regarding your request.

Valerie [8:22 AM]: I must be off too, unfortunately. Break time's almost over, and I can't keep the adorable challengers waiting! I'm looking forward to discussing gym life with you from now on. Let's all catch up another time, yes?

Me [8:22 AM]: Thank you everyone! I really appreciate it. Talk to you all later.

There was a big smile on my face as I pocketed my phone. Legendaries, I was so grateful to have so many friends and connections that I could make use of. After I received the next batch of gym Pokemon from them, I could stop with acquisition for the time being and focus on training.

Plus, if my fellow Fairy Specialists got me some specific Pokemon I was hoping for… well, I'd have a nice surprise for dad in a day or two.

Very much in a good mood, I got up to continue guiding the gym Pokemon with their training. We wrapped up about an hour later. There were so many Pokemon at this point that it took awhile to lay breakfast out for everyone. I needed to get some gym trainers soon to help out. I'd have to take the time to teach them about Fairy type Pokemon and how to care for and train them, but having extra help would take a load off my shoulders.

I paused, thinking. Perhaps dad would be willing to help. He had said on multiple occasions already that I had his full support; however, I was reluctant to ask due to his declining health.

In the end, I decided to ask him over our own breakfast. I could smell the faint scent of sizzling eggs and bacon wafting outside from the kitchen, and I made my way inside with great anticipation. Dad looked up from the stove at the sound of my footsteps.

"Morning, Arin!" he said cheerfully. "I hope the flight back wasn't too bad. By the way, what is this strange Pokemon? It's been following me around the house for the last hour and I can't tell what it wants."

He held up a spatula and gestured to a Klefki hovering in the air next to him. The small Pokemon immediately cried out a greeting and asked me if I had forgotten our agreement.

"That's a Klefki, dad, one of the Pokemon I brought back with me from Paldea. Their species is known for collecting keys. Would it be okay if we let him hold onto some? He's been looking forward to this, and he'll guard them zealously…" I paused to look at the Klefki. "Right?" He nodded back very seriously.

Dad switched the stove off and turned to scrutinize the Klefki more closely. "Hmm… Sure. He can take my copy of the house key and some for the outdoor sheds. Arceus knows I misplace them more often than not."

It only took a second for dad to rummage around in his pockets for said keys and present them to Klefki. The Pokemon trilled happily and immediately attached his newfound treasures to his ring. I knew he would guard them with his life.

Dad ducked his head a bit as the Klefki spun in energetic circles around him. "Well, I'm glad he seems happy," Dad chuckled. "Now let's eat breakfast. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

I helped dad pile everything onto plates on the table, and then we settled in to eat. Over breakfast, dad asked about my trip to Paldea. I informed him that everything had gone well and that I'd managed to acquire many new Pokemon for the gym. It was also a good segway into the question I had, and I asked dad if he would be willing to help out with the gym Pokemon each morning.

Dad wore a huge grin as he looked at me.

"I've been waiting for you to ask, Arin. I'd love to help out," he said much to my pleasant surprise. His expression became much more alive as he gestured wildly at the air with his hands. "You're going to have to teach me more about the Fairy type, son. I took a peek out the window earlier, and all those new Pokemon outside look interesting. I want to know more about the type you specialize in."

Dad's words made me beyond happy. I was pleased that he was genuinely interested in Fairy type Pokemon and making an effort to learn more about them because of me. Now I was more excited than ever. I really hoped my friends in the other regions would come through and send me the Pokemon I knew dad would just fall in love with.

I grinned, nodding my head vigorously. "Yeah, of course! You're gonna be so amazed, dad, Fairy type Pokemon are capable of so many things…"

The rest of breakfast was full of cheer as we talked about random things. Dad told me about how he'd bonded with Mem while I was gone and even made an outfit for him, and my happiness just ballooned further. I loved that dad was getting along with the Pokemon who were like family to me.

This moment right here, where I sat with dad and laughed and smiled with him over breakfast, was a moment I wouldn't have traded for the world. I felt happier than I had in ages. I was really home.

As soon as I finished eating, I darted upstairs to grab dad's souvenirs and Hassel's painting. I had decided to hang it in the house for the time being since the gym wasn't an option at the moment due to construction.

Dad let out a low gasp of appreciation as I unveiled the painting, hanging it carefully in the living room. He'd always been an art lover.

"Wow, this is amazing. And you said your friend painted this?" Dad asked, his eyes carefully looking over every inch of the beautiful scene.

"Yeah, my friend Hassel of the Paldea Elite Four. Oh, that second Dragonite out back is his by the way. He let me borrow him," I said happily, completely oblivious to the fact that I'd dropped several surprises on dad in the span of a few sentences.

His eyebrows flew up as he ran to the nearest window to check that, yes, we did indeed have two Dragonite currently in our backyard. He said nothing to that but merely shook his head with wonder as he returned to me.

Dad loved the assortment of souvenirs I got him. He was especially excited to try the specialty coffee beans from Mesagoza and vowed to brew a cup the following morning. After carefully displaying some of the brand new Paldean succulents I'd gifted him on tables and windowsills around the house, dad cleared his throat and turned to me.

"Arin," he began. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but when do you want to visit the Indigo Plateau? We're gonna need to go in eventually to tell them about the change in ownership as well as apply for the promotion test."

I hummed a bit in contemplation. That was definitely something we needed to do. I'd wrapped up morning training already, so… "Now?" I said, and I smiled sheepishly as dad gave me an amused look.

"I'll go make an appointment," he said with a fond shake of his head. I watched him pull out his phone and walk off to a quieter part of the house. While he did that, I washed the dirty plates left over from breakfast.

I had just finished drying them all and sat down on the couch to wait when dad came back looking pleased. "We're in luck. Since the Circuit is drawing to a close, there's a bit of a lull at the League's Headquarters at the moment. They said we can go in today at 1:30 PM," he informed me. My eyes shot towards the nearest clock. We had about two and a half hours until our appointment, and I knew just what to do to fill in the time.

I smiled at dad. "Want to help me unpack?"

The next few hours were spent pulling everything out of the remaining luggage left in the living room. I called in more than a few of my Pokemon to help. With dad's keen eye and the manual labor my Pokemon and I provided, we started decorating the house with everything from Paldea. I made conversation with dad throughout it all as he asked about certain things we were moving around, more than happy to revisit old memories attached to them.

The best part was when I pulled out my trophies and cases filled with gym badges for dad to see. His whole face lit up with pride and awe.

I let him have the honor of finally opening the empty display case in the living room. I would have helped him put everything inside, but after seeing dad happily engrossed in carefully arranging and rearranging all my awards in different setups, I left him to it with a smile on my face.

By the time we finished, the whole house felt so much cozier with all the new additions in furniture and decorations. I even had time left over to run upstairs and start redecorating my bedroom.

Clothes were carefully placed into the closets and dressers. Old posters were taken down from the walls and replaced with photos of me, my Pokemon, and the people I had met on my travels. On my desk, I carefully placed the daffodil Florges had given me in a vase and put Poppy's Marill stress ball in a corner. Rika's office supplies were put away in a drawer for the future.

I was about to put away the ties Larry had gifted me when I stopped. I looked first at the clock and then right back down at the ties.

Ten minutes later, I came downstairs with the gym papers carefully put away in my bag and a fresh outfit. I had put on a light pink dress shirt, some comfortable black slacks and matching dress shoes, and of course, a dark pink tie with small white crescent moons on it.

I looked pretty damn good in all honesty.

I figured I ought to show up to the Indigo League's Headquarters in style for my first official appearance and to make a good impression. I was even considering wearing this kind of outfit from now on as my so-called everyday 'Gym Leader look.' It would be important to be recognizable to the public going forward.

Dad had changed into a more formal outfit as well, and he chuckled when he caught sight of my patterned tie. I merely grinned at him.

"Shall we?" Dad asked, and I nodded.

"Let's go."

It was finally time to visit the Indigo Plateau.