CHAPTER 8

  There was only one person I knew with that name. The odds were pretty good that it was the same individual Alder was talking about, but like any normal person with a sense of foreboding growing inside, I wanted to be proven wrong.

  “Are you talking about the Sierra who was a part of your Elite Four two decades ago? Sierra Brooks?” I asked, doing my best to control my facial expression.

  Any hopes I had were dashed when Alder visibly wilted under my stare.

  “The very one.”

  “Tsk.”

  My displeasure was made loud and clear with a sharp click of my tongue.

  Sierra Brooks.

  Now that was a name I hadn’t thought of since my childhood.

  She had earned her spot in the Elite Four during the previous Champion’s reign and even been a part of Alder’s council for a time. Back then, she was a popular Fire Specialist admired by many for her intense fighting style and lively (read: aggressive) personality. After losing her position in the Elite Four to a challenger and subsequently falling out of the public eye, people didn’t really think about her much anymore.

  It was harsh, but that was generally how the trainer scene and world at large worked. The public cared more about whoever currently held power.

  What little memories I associated with Sierra were certainly not pleasant ones, far from it. She had treated child me like a criminal in the making. It was as if she’d already made up her mind that I was a walking disaster, one bound to spiral out of control and cause great harm to the country someday. Perhaps part of Sierra’s animosity back then had been fueled by me getting too close to a national secret inside Relic Castle, but that was still no excuse for how she treated a child.

  I didn’t like her. Plain and simple.

  Alder knew that, too, considering he’d been there to see everything go down in person. I still remembered how he verbally reprimanded Sierra.

  “I know how you must feel about her,” Alder sympathized out loud, sighing. “Sierra’s… passionate about Unova, but that passion of hers is misguided. I didn’t agree with her on a lot of things— scratch that, everything. She’s been lying low in her hometown all these years. I never expected the civilian side of our government to reach out to her after so long.”

  “They saw a chance and took it, Alder.” Burgh contributed his own two cents to the conversation and a sigh of his own. “They hardly have any influence in the Unova League right now, and they want to change that. Gym Leader positions don’t usually open up. Who better to usher in than a follower of their beloved previous Champion?”

  It was new hearing such heavy sarcasm coming from Burgh, but I supposed the old administration was still a sensitive topic for him and the present-day Unova League. Frankly, I was still bewildered by the fact that Sierra was the opposing candidate for the next Castelia Gym Leader. I mean… really? Her of all people?

  A strange sound from Alder — something in between a cough and embarrassed laugh — made me realize I’d said that last bit out loud.

  “I’m not keen on having her rejoin the political landscape either,” Alder assured me. “To be honest, I’m surprised she didn’t try rejoining the League in some shape or form sooner. She always did like flaunting her power…”

  “Then why didn’t she? I would have expected her to try and get into the Elite Four again,” I questioned. It wasn’t so easy to forget the taste of power after losing it.

  “She did try,” Burgh answered on behalf of Alder, shrugging. “She attempted to win back her position but was defeated.”

  My nose wrinkled with distaste. “So, because she lost her chance to get back into the Elite Four, she’s trying to snag a Gym Leader position at least? Or…” I trailed off, mind whirling with a second possibility that occurred to me. “She wants to use it as a stepping stone to challenge the Elite Four again.”

  I was rewarded with a small smile from Burgh.

  “Impeccable deduction,” he complimented. “Gym Leaders earn the right to challenge the Elite Four after at least a year of service to the state. We suspect Sierra is aiming for that opportunity.”

  I felt territorial just thinking about it.

  Sierra Brooks as the Gym Leader of my city? The hometown I’d grown up in? In a position of power where she could negatively influence the minds of millions of citizens with her own views?

  Hell would freeze over first before I let that happen.

  “Not happening,” I even said as much out loud. The short but firm response elicited loud laughter from the Champion sitting across from me.

  “Absolutely right,” Alder agreed in between subsiding chuckles. “The League will back you up, Kayden. Don’t worry about Sierra. You just focus on getting ready for the future.”

  Apparently, that involved being playfully kicked out of his office.

  While Alder issued summons to various League officials and spoke to the other Unova Gym Leaders over a phone call, Burgh and I went downstairs to eat breakfast in the dining hall. I briefly wondered if the service was worth all the taxes it was probably funded by, but it was a needless worry.

  The food was great. It was to the point where I begrudged Alder less for setting up a meeting so early in the morning. The chefs even accommodated special food requests I had for my Pokemon like premium nectar or produce. Feeding thousands of League trainers day in and day out meant the cafeteria staff were used to specialized Pokemon diets, so they typically had a lot of unique ingredients on hand.

  There was also plenty of room for my and Burgh’s teams to eat and get acquainted with each other, but I spent most of my own breakfast eating at a hurried pace. Burgh talked endlessly about what the rest of the morning was going to look like.

  Meetings, meetings, and more meetings… Basically, I had to introduce myself to the politicians who supported Alder. Later, I was going to appear briefly on television with Alder as he publicly announced his nomination of me as the next Castelia Gym Leader. That was also when he was going to divulge my background.

  “Which means, Kayden, you’re going to need formalwear for your first public appearance,” Burgh informed me.

  I swore internally while shoving bacon into my mouth. Arceus knew I hated formalwear.

  I didn’t even get to protest. As soon as breakfast was over, Burgh’s Orbeetle Teleported us to a fancy clothing store he frequented back in Castelia. My few sets of formalwear were all collecting dust back at our family home in Alola. I’d rarely worn them given the nature of my travels over the years.

  Now, it seemed I was paying the price for not bringing them with me. I had to fight the urge to flee as the head tailor and his assistants fussed over me while taking measurements. Burgh was an esteemed regular here, so by extension as a guest and friend of his, I got similar VIP treatment.

  “Oh my, charcoal gray would look great on you!”

  “Navy blue as well. And we can’t forget the classic black!”

  They were nice and all, but I was a restless person by nature especially when it came to clothes shopping. What I thought was going to be a quick in-and-out turned into a much longer visit. Since I needed a nice outfit today, I had to settle for a ready-made suit that fit me well enough. Custom-made suits tailored specifically to me would be delivered at a later date to my hotel address.

  Annnnd that reminded me I needed to look into getting a place of my own. If I was going to stick around as the future Castelia Gym Leader, then I obviously needed a permanent residence.

  So much to do and so little time…

  We weren’t quite done in the city after I swapped outfits. I almost groaned out loud when Burgh dragged me into a hair salon next.

  “My hair doesn’t look bad, does it?” I asked with incredulity on full display.

  “Of course not! It has a messy charm, but a small trim and some light styling will do you wonders, dear!” The stylist chirped after steering me to a chair.

  She prattled on while Burgh read a magazine in the waiting room, so I surrendered myself to my fate. True to her word, the stylist didn’t do much. She made my normally ruffled hair just a tad neater and styled it with a comb and minimal hair gel.

  I still felt uncomfortable after the makeover. Formalwear had always felt so stuffy and restrictive to me, and my new hairstyle wasn’t making things any better. I quickly ran a hand through my hair when Burgh and the stylist weren’t looking.

  Much better.

  Sadly, there was no time to breathe after we Teleported back to Union Peak. Burgh and I were ushered inside a conference room full of people. Alder had summoned countless supporters to League HQ and told everyone I was his new pick for Castelia Gym Leader.

  Surprisingly or not surprisingly enough, nobody raised a complaint.

  It was because they wholeheartedly trusted Alder and his judgment. He was the Champion who’d guided and protected their nation for over three decades. Even when he explained I was an Ability Holder, they took it in stride. It helped that most Unova League officials were former trainers with some degree of experience in the field. They were far more reasonable than civilians when it came to utilizing whatever they could to keep the country safe. They saw the practicality of Ability Holders and chose to believe in their potential for good rather than potential for evil.

  “I plan on convening a full parliament meeting before the week is over,” Alder announced from the front of the room. He placed a hand on my shoulder, face adorned with just about the most serious expression I’d seen from him yet. “The Castelia Gym succession issue needs to be settled soon, and we need to secure enough votes to appoint Kayden as the next Gym Leader by then. Public opinion is going to help us with that.”

  The older man gave a subtle glance in my direction. I immediately understood he wanted me to present my idea. With an exchange of nods, Alder released his hand from my shoulder and stepped back. I stared out into the rows of expectant faces before me.

  Public speaking wasn’t exactly my forte, but I was going to have to get used to it going forward. My new career would be full of it.

  “There’s a way for us to pressure the other party members into supporting me rather than Sierra Brooks,” I began. “Twenty years ago…”

  The room was quiet during my storytelling and proposal, but after was a different matter. Murmurs broke out as people quietly discussed among themselves.

  “A good idea,” someone spoke up cautiously from the back of the room, “but as much as it’ll hurt the other side, it’ll hurt us, too. The public is going to say the League has failed its people by letting a child go through that experience.”

  “It’ll also open a whole other can of worms,” a young official added, coughing. “People are going to wonder if other Ability Holders similar in age were treated the same way.”

  “Let them,” Alder calmly replied. He folded his arms across his chest. “We might not have had enough power back then, but it’s not wrong to say that we did fail our citizens. We need the public to understand how important it is to vote the right people into office, and we need them to hold those politicians accountable for their actions. We have to be honest and show that the Unova League of today is different… that we’re dedicated to doing right by the founding ideals of our nation.”

  It was a short but powerful speech, enough that the murmurs died down. The smallest hint of hope peeked through Alder’s voice.

  “Is everyone on board with Kayden’s appointment and proposal?” he asked.

  When nobody disagreed, he smiled.

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  “Then let’s get moving.”

  He meant it literally.

  The room became chaotic with motion as people bustled around. Some officials filed out of the room while others stayed behind to talk loudly with Alder about our next steps. Something about a speech draft?

  I didn’t get to hear much because I was whisked away by Burgh.

  The rest of the morning passed in a whirlwind of information and introductions alike. I met other supporters of Alder who were on active duty around HQ, sat through meetings with various departments like the Office of Communications, had my overall look fussed over again for my impending TV appearance, and got coached on how to behave in front of cameras. My earring and neck tattoo got some critical looks from stylists, but they let me be.

  Everything happened so quickly. In the blink of an eye, somehow I went from flitting around League HQ to standing with Burgh and Alder in front of a podium. Bright camera flashes went off in the background as reporters waited at designated tables. I saw one with a name card for the Castelia Times, Unova’s biggest news company. The League had invited all the major news institutions for an ‘important announcement from the Champion.’

  Given the current political scene in Unova, Burgh’s retirement last month, and the recent nomination rejection, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this ‘announcement’ had to do with the Castelia Gym succession issue. The trio of people on stage were a dead giveaway anyway.

  Dozens of eyes trained their hungry gazes on me. Even when cameras started rolling and Alder opened his mouth to speak, it was me they focused on rather than the Champion.

  Thankfully, Alder wasn’t one to mince words. He barrelled past the shortest pleasantries I’d ever heard straight into what everyone was here for.

  “Castelia City is still in need of a guardian,” he stated into a microphone, “and I, Champion Alder Adeku, nominate Kayden Sterling as its next Gym Leader. He has the full support of the Unova League, Castelia’s previous Gym Leader Burgh Arty, and all current Gym Leaders.” He turned to me now with a serious gaze. “Candidate, do you accept?”

  Without another word, he stepped away from the podium.

  I felt hyperconscious of the cameras and eyes watching my every move, but I stepped up to the podium with full confidence. Relax, I told myself. You belong here. The simple phrase I was supposed to say flowed easily from my mouth.

  Bugs were good at adapting.

  “I, Kayden Sterling, accept your nomination to be Gym Leader of Castelia City.”

  Furious clapping and typing sounds commenced in full course. Reporters in the audience were clacking away at their laptops, presumably to type up articles or dig up information about me. To them, I’d basically sprung up out of nowhere as the League’s newest candidate for a highly coveted position.

  Alder and I quickly swapped spots at the microphone again. Our game plan was still the same: to take the Bouffalant by its horns and strike first with a narrative of our own making.

  “We at the Unova League believe that Kayden Sterling is someone who, beyond a shadow of a doubt, will remain true to the ideals our nation holds dear. Peace. Equality. Freedom,” Alder rattled off in steady, timed succession. “Kayden Sterling is an Ability Holder we trust to help protect our country.”

  People actually gasped and paused mid-typing, but Alder went on unfazed. I kept a calm expression of my own even as I felt gazes intensify.

  “Twenty years ago, and as some of you may still recall, there was an incident at the Relic Castle… a school field trip that took a dire turn. Several young children and parent chaperones fell into the lower levels of the ruins after parts of the first floor collapsed from wild Pokemon fighting. Thankfully, their stories did not end in tragedy. They were brought to safety without anyone dying,” Alder recounted.

  He paused meaningfully.

  “It was not the Unova League or Rangers who saved them but Kayden Sterling.”

  At the time, it had been officially reported in the news that the League saved the stranded civilians. Now, Alder had unveiled that it was the complete opposite, and more gasps rang out in the wake of his reveal.

  “Kayden Sterling was one of those children who fell into the Relic Castle, and he exhibited remarkable courage and strength. With his Ability, he was able to get help from wild Pokemon and bring everyone back to the first floor,” Alder explained over growing murmurs. By chance, I cast a quick glance in his direction and saw eyes misted over with emotion. “Twenty years ago, Unova was not a kind place for Ability Holders. They lived in hiding because the public was afraid of what they could do. In spite of that, a six-year-old child accomplished a truly heroic feat for his age. He used his power for good and should have been commended for reuniting people with their loved ones.”

  His facial features contorted ever so slightly into the beginnings of a grimace.

  “Instead, Kayden was exiled from Unova.”

  Silence.

  Sheer… utter… quiet.

  Deafening silence descended upon the conference hall, one so abrupt that it was like all the air was sucked out of each person’s lungs… for that was how absurd the statement Alder gave was.

  His voice carried further in the room rendered speechless, and it grew for every word he spoke.

  “It was a decision many others and I disagreed with,” he said firmly, “but it was one we had to adhere to at the time. We did not have the power to stop a majority vote. Kayden’s case was not the first of its kind, either. Many innocent Ability Holders were banished back then out of fear they would abuse their powers. In recent years, the Unova League has done its best to fix the wrongs of the past. We have made great strides in ensuring equality for all Unovan citizens, and we will continue to do so. I implore you, the people, to walk with us toward a future where everyone has the freedom to live a life of their choosing. Place your trust in the right people.”

  No names were explicitly spoken. No fingers were jabbed and pointed.

  But the subtle implications and messages Alder was trying to convey were clear as day. He, the League, and the civilian side of the government only had as much political power as the people gave them. Unova was a country where the people voted for who they wanted to represent them, and those representatives were expected to uphold the ideals of the nation. If they didn’t, well…

  They needed to be held accountable.

  Alder was done with his part. He had casted subtle shade on certain politicians while maintaining the dignity of the Unova League, and now it was up to the reporters and Unovan people to ride the wave he’d started.

  One last time, I replaced Alder at the podium. Burgh and some League officials had helped me draft a short speech, but most of it was just honest words transcribed straight from brain and heart to paper.

  “It would be a lie to say I never once resented Unova,” I admitted into the microphone. “To have to walk away from the place you belong and be told you can never come back changes a person in more ways than one. To be feared for things you have not done and will never do is far worse.”

  My words were not simply directed at those currently present in this room. No, they extended to people watching from home and exiled Unovan Ability Holders stubbornly staying overseas, those who still held reservations about Unova like the me of several weeks ago.

  “But I’ve seen the Unova of today for myself, and I’m happy with it. I’m glad to know how things have changed. Ability Holders should not all be feared,” I continued. “People and Pokemon alike— everyone is capable of being good or bad. The same applies to Ability Holders. The collective should not be judged for the history or actions of a few.”

  I exhaled quietly, shoulders easing up as the last bit of tension left them.

  “I consider my nomination as the next Castelia Gym Leader to be a great honor. Should I be officially voted in and appointed to that position, then I hope to use my strength as a trainer and Ability Holder in service of the country. Even after twenty years, and in spite of everything that’s happened…”

  The corners of my lips curled into a smile.

  “My heart has never strayed from Unova.”

  The conference ended there with that as my closing statement.

  Like any other major nation, Unova had been hit by numerous events of significant magnitude before.

  Natural disasters. Civil wars. A frozen age. Even bygone eras where Ability Holders thrived in abundance, spread their notoriety, and caused widespread destruction. The rise and fall of kings and civilizations.

  And now, in present-day society, Unova was once again shaken to its core by Ability Holders… this time in the form of long withheld secrets that reared their ugly heads.

  The impact of airing out the civilian government’s dirty laundry was immense.

  People were outraged.

  Public forums and chat rooms were lit ablaze with gossip. Social media platforms and news portals blew up with comments. Every channel on TV had a news anchor or influential figure criticizing the civilian side of the government. Protests were staged at Union Peak where people carried large signs and yelled for certain politicians to explain themselves. They got their names and evidence directly from provocative articles posted online by the most meticulous reporters. After the conference ended, journalists everywhere dug through obscure records and sniffed around like their lives depended on it. Dirt was like gold in their industry.

  It was honestly scary how much they managed to unearth. Connections and deals between politicians, who voted in favor of so-and-so’s exile on x date, testimonies from retired secretaries who wanted to make things right… even old and incriminating conversations where officials talked shit about Ability Holders in private.

  That last bit was apparently the work of ‘nice’ civilian hackers who decided to jump on the bandwagon and stir the pot even more.

  All of this in the span of only a few hours.

  It was incredible, truly, and on the verge of getting out of hand. The Unova League was going to have to work overtime to keep the situation under control, but Alder let me know in a text message how happy they were.

  The work was worth seeing their opponents sweat and run around with sudden fire under their asses. Already, one politician had confessed and handed in his resignation due to overwhelming pressure from his constituents. Journalists had dug up information that revealed he had been one of the ringleaders behind me getting exiled years ago.

  That filled me with endless satisfaction that bordered on vindictive pleasure, but it didn’t compare to the joy I felt when Sierra’s name popped up online.

  Some journalist from the Castelia Times had managed to find dirt on her, too. Apparently, they’d gotten into contact with a retired government official, one who revealed Sierra had often sided with majority votes to banish Ability Holders. In this day and age, Ability Holders were a sensitive topic in Unova and protected by numerous laws and rights organizations.

  Needless to say, Sierra’s public image wasn’t looking too hot at the moment.

  True colors were being revealed. Already shady politicians became even shadier. With every second that passed, the public learned more and more about what their representatives were like behind the scenes.

  Hopefully, it opened their eyes going forward.

  No matter where you looked, no matter where you went— people were talking about the conference earlier this morning. People were also discussing Ability Holders all over again.

  Even the trending section of Chatter was dominated by the same few topics.

  TRENDING IN UNOVA

  #UnovanParliament

  601K posts

  #CasteliaGymSuccessionIssue

  495K posts

  Kayden Sterling

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  Ability Holders

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  Relic Castle Incident

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  Though this whole situation would cause Unova’s international reputation to temporarily falter, in the long run, it was a necessary step for the country to take. Corrupt politicians and those with twisted views couldn’t stay hidden forever. They needed to be exposed and removed if we didn’t want our country going down the wrong path again.

  After the meeting at Union Peak, I’d gone straight back to my hotel and napped for a bit. Since then, I’d changed into a more casual outfit and lazed on the couch while browsing on my phone. I mostly read what people said about me and Ability Holders on social media.

  It was comforting and more than a little weird to see so many people jump to my defense and express sympathy for my past circumstances. I’d kept my past hidden for so long that it felt odd knowing the world knew about it now.

  Of course, there were also negative articles about me like I’d expected. Some people weren’t convinced that I was a fresh wind of change that Unova needed. Some even said crap along the lines of me waiting for the perfect time to take over the League and burn the country to the ground. Others had already begun digging into my childhood and posted tabloids with absurd headlines about me being the secret child of a gang in Lower Castelia.

  I could have cared less. I had better things to do like answering my phone.

  Today’s little announcement had not only swept national headlines but even made it onto international news as well. People had already long been curious about who was going to take over as Gym Leader for the world’s largest city, and now the Castelia Gym succession issue came with juicy drama.

  A little red dot hovered over my messaging app. I had unread text messages. Hundreds of them, and all from people who knew me and had seen my face and name come up in the news hours ago.

  Some were from acquaintances I’d made over my years of travelling, everyone from random townspeople I’d shared drinks with at bars or wandering fishermen I struck up conversations with.

  Others were from my former employers, the ones I’d gotten into contact with recently and awkwardly asked for reference letters even if they didn’t remember me too well.

  I even had messages from people back in Alola, neighborhood pals I used to hang out with when we were kids, and a message from Hayden, the guy I’d reconnected with right after coming back to Unova.

  The majority of them came from dad, though, complete with about a dozen missed calls and voicemail messages. His shock and concern over seeing me on the news was apparent even through text.

  I didn’t want to leave him hanging and initiated a phone call. Dad picked up in less than a second.

  “Kayden! You were— I saw— You were on the news!” he immediately blurted out in a rushed mess. “What’s going on? What’s this about you maybe becoming Castelia Gym Leader? What on earth happened since our last call?”

  He peppered me with a few more questions before I could get a word in.

  “It’s, uh, a long story,” I said with a sheepish smile.

  That was quite possibly the understatement of the year.

  I ended up giving dad a nice abridged version of what had happened since coming back to Castelia. Instead of bombarding me with more questions or even scolding me like I expected, dad said only one thing.

  “I believe in you, Kayden. You’re going to make a great Gym Leader.”

  He couldn’t see it, but I closed my eyes and smiled.

  “I’m not the Gym Leader just yet, you know. They have to vote and appoint me into the position first.”

  “And they will, or by the Twin Dragons, I’ll have a word with the Champion myself.”

  I couldn’t help it. Loud and uncontrollable laughter bubbled forth from my chest. I really did have the greatest dad in the world.

  Unova was in the middle of a political upheaval, but at least for this moment…

  I felt like everything was right in the world.