The early luncheon that doubled as late breakfast was in full swing.
Courtesy of the Unova League, there were free foods and drinks provided for everyone who attended the swearing-in ceremony or had labored since the crack of dawn to get things ready. Everyone had immediately migrated to the room down the hall to fill their stomachs. I couldn’t blame them. I was pretty hungry myself after sitting through so much talking.
Chefs and waiters employed by the Unova League stood at attention near long, rectangular tables covered with white tablecloths and chafing dishes full of warm food. They hadn’t skimped out on the service. Whatever you were in the mood to eat, they had it to suit different palates and celebrate various cultures. Salads from a to z, paninis, tofu soup, quiches, teriyaki salmon, yeast rolls—hell, there was even an option for grilled-to-order items delivered right to your table.
I’d entered the venue with Alder and the Unova Elite Four, but they somehow disappeared into thin air after I looked away. I found out the reason for their vanishing act a moment later.
The traitors had anticipated countless Mandibuzz and Mightyena waiting for the chance to pounce and wisely ran away in advance so they could grab their food undisturbed.
Reporters surged forward in a colossal wave from out of nowhere. They were barely held back by security guards waiting in the wings, but some of them still got close enough that I could make out individual voices over others.
“Leader Kayden, any comments on being the second Ability Holder to join after Iris Shaga—”
“How do you feel about working with the Unova League after what was done to you years ago—”
“Do you think you’ll be able to live up to Burgh Arty’s legacy and those of your predecessors?”
Most of the questions were controversial in nature and designed to get a rise out of me. Thankfully, Burgh and Alder had already warned me ahead of time there might be reporters like this, so I wasn’t taken aback.
I was, however, unamused.
I snubbed the majority of the reporters and only answered more respectable questions posed by individuals from institutions like the Castelia Times or Mistralton Post. Safe answers along the lines of ‘I will work hard to live up to expectations’ came out of my mouth like I’d practiced in advance. They only got a minute of me entertaining their questions before I politely excused myself and hightailed it to the closest buffet table.
Forget questions, I really wanted to eat right now.
Unfortunately, the food queue wasn’t safe, either. The politicians standing nearby accosted me as I went down the line adding food to my tray.
“So nice to meet our newest Gym Leader!”
“I’m Jacky Hauser, a senator from Icirrus City—”
“What do you think about adding new roads from Castelia to—”
My polite smile turned strained as I grabbed some potato salad with tongs. Look, I didn’t mind humoring their attempts to butter up to me or playing nice, but there was a time and place for everything.
This wasn’t it.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” a deep voice interrupted as I imagined flipping everyone off with a middle finger. There was a sort of gravelly, raspy undertone to it, and it was a voice that commanded attention. Maybe the kind you’d hear an audiobook narrator having? It was pleasant to listen to. “I know we’re all eager to talk to our country’s newest cornerstone, but how about we enjoy a meal first, hmm? I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I’m quite famished after rising with the sun today.”
That was enough to settle things. With quiet grumbles, men and women around me shuffled away to finish filling their own trays with food. Finally freed from my cumbersome posse, I grabbed some napkins for later and turned my head.
The middle-aged man on my right smiled when we made eye contact. He had about two inches on me, give or take, and eyes brighter than rubies. His green hair had been styled in a rather interesting fashion. Three cowlicks—thick strands?—jutted from the sides of his head.
“Thanks. Thought they’d run out of grilled chicken if I got held up any longer,” I joked with the mystery man. It was nice to see someone with decent manners around here.
A chuckle left him as he filled a cup of water for himself. “It was no problem, Leader Kayden. Might I suggest the spinach quiche? I heard talk of it on my way here. Apparently the chefs at Union Peak make the most divine quiches.”
“Huh.” I raised a brow. Never thought I’d get caught up in a conversation like this, but there were stranger things to talk about. “I’ll take your word for it. Are you a new official?”
“An excellent guess. You’d be half-correct,” the man smiled. “I’m Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius. I was elected to fill in for Charon Kanth’s vacant seat. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stay in parliament as a full term official after the special elections.”
So, he was one of those temporary officials I’d read about online. He certainly had an interesting name, one that I filed away in my mental archives due to its uniqueness. I nodded absentmindedly as I helped myself to a slice of this so-called divine food Ghetsis had recommended. As friendly as he seemed, I wasn’t going to wish him good luck or anything. One, I knew nothing of this guy’s political background given I’d just met him, and two, carelessly throwing such favorable statements around was not a good look now that I was in a position of power. I had to be careful of what I said lest it come back to bite me in the ass someday.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You as well. Ah, can you please pass me the tongs there? Thank you…”
By the time I finally left the line, my tray was heaped full of food and a glass of iced tea inspired by similar drinks in Hoenn that I was interested in trying.
It wasn’t hard to find Burgh. He and the other Gym Leaders were already waiting for me at a banquet table in a nice, quiet corner of the room purposefully distanced further away from others. Alder and the Elite Four hogged a smaller table nearby.
The moment I set my stuff down and slid into the empty seat next to Burgh, I was bombarded with a flurry of greetings.
“Congratulations!”
“Welcome to the team!”
“Were you nervous during the ceremony?”
And so on and so forth. I couldn’t tell who said what since they talked over each other, but Burgh helpfully remedied that for me by holding up a slender hand.
“It’d probably help if you didn’t talk all at once,” he suggested in a voice full of thinly veiled amusement. In between the subsequent whining and food being shoveled into mouths, Burgh leaned over and patted me on the shoulder. He looked the happiest I’d ever seen him. “Anyhow, let me be the first to properly convey my thoughts. Congratulations, Kayden!”
I flashed a grin at him. “Thanks. Wouldn’t be here without your support, dude.”
“My, my… isn’t that absolutely endearing,” a melodious voice mused out loud. When I glanced over, a lady across the table smiled in our direction. She wore an expensive, glittery dress that came in the same shade of electric blue as her eyes. “Or should I say electrifying? That your friendship shocked me so much? I’m current-ly moved.”
All notions of eating went out the window as people around the table collectively groaned. Frankly, I wanted to join in.
Those jokes were cringeworthy.
“Must you bring puns to the lunch table?” a young man with wavy hair covering one side of his face muttered.
“Yeah! What he said!”
“Indeed.”
The two guys sitting on either side of him chimed in. Their facial features looked remarkably similar to the point where it was obvious they were related.
The one with red hair turned to me and waved his hands around. “‘Sup! Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re gonna have to get used to Elesa’s crappy puns. Name’s Chili. These are my brothers Cilan and Cress—” Both brothers temporarily set down their forks to wave at me. “—and we’re the Striaton Gym Leaders. On our honor, I swear we’ll never subject you to torture like she does.”
I raised a brow. “‘Sup. Nice to meet you guys. Do the puns get that bad?”
Cilan answered for his siblings with an expression of sheer horror. “Quite so, I’m afraid. I pray for your ears already.”
“Noted,” I whistled out loud.
The Campbell triplets, a notable trio of Elemental Specialists. I knew of them already from surfing the Pokenet and catching up on Unovan news. They were barely twenty-one years old but famous nationwide for their fantastic skills as chefs and connoisseurs. The Striaton Gym they ran doubled as a popular restaurant, one that was usually booked out months in advance. I heard they regularly participated in homeless outreach programs and kitchens both in their hometown and across the whole nation.
“Darlings, you do realize I’m sitting right here, yes?” Elesa said with a roll of her eyes. Somehow, she made it look elegant. “As I repeat every year, my puns aren’t that bad! You simply don’t know how to appreciate them.” With a smile, the woman turned to me and gave a dainty wave of her hand. I caught sight of bright blue nail polish before it disappeared below the table. “A pleasure to meet you, neighbor. I’m Elesa.”
Elesa Harper. She was the same age as me and an Electric Specialist who was in charge of the Nimbasa Gym. She was the current face of Unova fashion and an internationally renowned supermodel. I’d technically already met her before… kind of. I’d seen her face pop up frequently on billboards, TV ads, and magazines across Castelia ever since I came back.
Very famous. Now, I could add to my mental archives that she was fond of making terrible puns. We’d probably be communicating frequently with each other going forward considering how close our cities were.
One of Unova’s so-called seven Pokenet mysteries was Elesa’s natural hair color. Nobody knew. She liked dyeing her hair different colors, but she typically went for blonde or black depending on her mood.
Today, it was blonde.
“Berry nice to meet you,” I echoed her sentiment with a deadpan expression.
All activity at our massive banquet table stuttered to an abrupt halt again. It took a solid five seconds of silence before people registered what I said and pointed forks or spoons at me with disbelieving expressions.
“NO!” Chili nearly shrieked, grabbing his fiery hair with both hands. “Please don’t go over to the dark side, Kayden! I thought you were a cool dude!”
Even Burgh looked a bit aghast. The sides of his lips twitched as if holding back laughter, though.
Elesa, meanwhile, laughed so hard that she had to cover her mouth with a hand or risk looking undignified.
“Oh dear, I’ll admit I didn’t see that coming! I didn’t expect you to fire back with a pun of your own!” she choked out.
“Well, someone has to give you a taste of your own medicine,” I shot back with a smirk.
A gasp rang out in the wake of my playful jab.
“He said the thing! He said the thing!” a teenage girl excitedly yelped. She possessed extraordinarily puffy hair big enough to house a few Pokemon in there, and she tugged excitedly on the sleeve of the old man sitting next to her. “Gramps, are they gonna battle now?”
Elesa and I both stared at her.
“Uh…” I trailed off. “Do I get any context for this?”
The old man sitting next to the girl coughed into his gloved fist. For such an elderly person, he was a giant and very physically fit. It was apparent even without standing up. The buttons on his dress jacket looked like they were fighting for dear life.
“My apologies,” the old man began with a look of embarrassment. “My granddaughter has been obsessed with a new show on television lately where the main character beats gangsters up to, and I quote, ‘give them a taste of their own medicine.’”
“Ah.”
“Ah.”
A round of quiet ahs went around the table in light of this revelation.
That only made the old man even more embarrassed. He sighed heavily. “Forgive me for the late introduction, but I’m Drayden—”
“And I’m Iris!” his granddaughter piped up. She sat straighter in her seat and posed with fists on her hips, eyes sparkling with an emotion that immediately had me tensing in my seat. That was the look of someone who wanted to—
“Let’s fight sometime, you and me! How about it?” she asked in a bright, excited voice. “I saw your match with Sierra. I already liked Bugs, but you made me like them so much more! A battle with you would be so much fun!”
She wore a ferocious grin that lived up to her reputation as a Dragon Specialist.
Drayden and Iris Shaga, the co-Gym Leaders of Opelucid City. I already knew a bit of Iris with every mention of her that had popped up in passing conversations before, but she seemed like an energetic girl with a passion for battling. Her adoptive grandfather was the oldest among all current Unova Gym Leaders as well as the one who’d been in office the longest. He’d lived through the reigns of three different Unovan champions and always maintained a politically neutral stance until Alder came along and won him over. Drayden was a living legend. In his youth, he’d quelled conflicts both within Unova and along the western border we shared with Orre. He and his granddaughter ran a Dragon sanctuary in their city and cared for abandoned Pokemon.
Anyway, a match with the girl who was said to have defeated one of the Elite Four on her first try? She was probably stronger by now.
The grin that stretched across my face matched hers in intensity.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“One of these days for sure,” I promised, and I had to resist the urge to crack my knuckles. “You might regret challenging Bugs.”
“Oh wow, I guess we have another battle maniac among us…” someone whispered, but I didn’t see who it was.
Iris was so happy that she squealed and fidgeted in her seat.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! I can’t wait! You know, I was really excited to meet you. Gramps said Alder evaluated your Ability to be really high. And I like that I’m not the only Gym Leader who’s an Ability Holder anymore! We can tell the old geezers in the government to screw off together! Oh, what’s your Ability by the way? When did you realize you had one?”
Holy crap, Iris was really chatty when she wanted to be. She kept rambling without end before I could get a word in.
Instead of it being annoying, though, I actually found it endearing. It was because she reminded me of my ten-year-old brother. They were both little balls of energy and sunshine.
“There’s a lot more to it, but I can communicate with Bug type Pokemon or related species,” I managed to get out in between all of Iris’s chatter.
She squealed again and clapped her hands together.
“That’s. So. Cool!” she breathed. “You’re like me then!”
Someone else thought the same if a low, admiring whistle was anything to go by. “That sounds like a mighty useful Ability to have. Heaven knows I wish I could talk to Normal types.”
I turned to see who had spoken. It was a woman with dark skin and beautiful, voluminous teal hair and eyes. She sat on the other side of Burgh, so she was close enough that she could stick a hand out to me.
“Lenora Davis,” she introduced herself after we shook hands. It was accompanied by a smile full of pearly whites. “I suppose we’re sort of neighbors, too, if you squint real hard at a map. Ha!”
Lenora Davis, the Nacrene Gym Leader and esteemed Normal Specialist. She was also a bigshot in the archaeologist community and the director of the Nacrene Museum. Her most impressive accomplishments to date included finding a large number of Cover and Plume Fossils that they’d managed to revive into living specimens—only after draining an astronomical amount of funds from the government, of course.
“We’re technically neighbors, yeah. Just, uh, gotta cross a small bridge and forest first, right?” I smiled wryly at her.
Lenora threw her whole head back with laughter. “Yep, yep. Sounds about right. Oh, we should probably introduce you to our other newbies.”
I already knew from research, but I asked anyway for the sake of conversation and in-person introductions.
“And those would be…?”
“Roxie and Marlon,” Elesa answered on Lenora’s behalf. “That girl sitting there and that man to your left.”
The figures she pointed out both looked very uncomfortable, and I could guess why because I’d seen Alder behaving the same way before the ceremony began.
The girl with freckles and spiky white hair looked like she’d been forced into a cute purple dress against her will, and the man with skin tanned by his time under the sun tugged repeatedly at his shirt collar like he needed to breathe.
Yep, both of them really didn’t like their current outfits.
I stared at them sympathetically. “Formal clothing sucks, doesn’t it…”
They stared back at me with obvious surprise before their expressions mirrored mine. We looked at each other with the most pitiful, sorry gazes in the world like we were the only ones who existed. Kindred spirits recognized each other when they saw them.
Just like that, a camaraderie was formed based on shared dislike for dress codes.
“Roxie,” the girl greeted. She nodded glumly, but it was only after making a spitting motion off to the side. “Fuck, I hate wearing this stupid dress. I’m shoving it into the closet later where light won’t ever reach.”
“Good idea,” I encouraged her with a serious nod. Who was I to stop her?
She seemed pleased with my reaction. “You got a favorite band?”
“I like most genres,” I shrugged. “Two of my Bugs are musicians. I’m partial to rock, though, especially the good stuff that came out twenty years ago. Those are classics. Hard to pick a favorite, but Thunder Klang’s a contender.”
Roxie stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Holy shit, that’s wicked. I finally met someone with decent taste in music. Yo, come over to Virbank sometime. Our concerts are to die for.”
“Sounds good. Do I get front row tickets?”
“You know what? Since you were gutsy enough to ask, sure.”
Roxie Hawkins, a Poison Specialist and the new Gym Leader for Virbank City. She was tied with Iris for our youngest Gym Leaders at the moment, and she was taking over for her father. Rumors on the Pokenet suggested there was some sort of family spat that led to the handover, but that wasn’t my place to ask. Roxie was a famous musician and rising rock star in Unova. Like she’d mentioned already, Virbank hosted a lot of concerts.
She seemed like a nice kid. As for the other guy—
“‘Sup, dude!” he greeted in a cheerful voice. “I’m Marlon. I’m a new Gym Leader like you.”
Marlon Hart, a Water Specialist hailing from Humilau City who was one year older than me. He might have been a new Gym Leader who got sworn in a few months ago, but he was well-known. Marlon was a very active swimmer, diver, fisherman—anything aquatic, he did it. He lived and breathed with the sea. Over in Humilau, he taught swimming and surfing classes. He had not inherited the Gym from a family relative or master but was scouted for the position. None of the gym trainers had been good enough to take over after the previous Gym Leader passed away from old age.
Tugging at his collar again, Marlon leaned in with eyes that furtively darted left and right. “Do you, uh, think it’s okay if I loosen my collar now? I’m not really familiar with settings like these…”
Roxie and I both stared at him like he was an idiot.
“No one’s going to kill you,” Roxie huffed.
“Yeah, so just go ahead and save yourself,” I finished. I even tapped my own collar. “See? Even I loosened mine already.”
“Thank the Dragons.” Marlon quickly undid his collar and melted with relief. “Okay, much better. Neat tattoo by the way. You’re kind of making me want to get one.”
“Huh? A tattoo?” Iris chimed in, craning her neck left and right to see. “Where? I didn’t see it!”
“Relax, you’re gonna spill your soup,” I gently scolded, automatically flipping on older brother mode by instinct. I twisted my head so she could see better. “Here. Side of my neck.”
A few others at the table leaned in to take a better look.
“Ooh… That’s pretty rad.”
“Nice design.”
“Sick!”
“Would you like to know who else here has a tattoo?” Lenora asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
A short, stout man sitting on the other end of the table scowled.
“Yer not—”
“Clay!” Lenora answered in a singsong voice over any potential protest. “He just outed himself, but that’s him over there. Be a dear and help our newbie feel more at home, hmm?”
“Hrmph! Just this once,” the man grumbled. Everyone—me included—watched as he rolled back one of his sleeves and showed us the side of his left arm. An arrow tattoo ran down the length of it.
He caught me staring and used his other hand to tip his wide-brimmed hat back in greeting. I hadn’t seen him wearing it during the ceremony, but he’d brought his iconic hat along for the ride apparently.
“Went through some rough patches when I was a young’un,” he explained with a wince. “Got this here done so I remember to always move forward, ya see. Anyway, so yer our newest recruit, huh? I’m Clay.”
Clay Wilson’s accent was so thick that the heavy southern drawl would have instantly clued anyone into which part of Unova he hailed from. The Driftveil Gym Leader was one of the wealthiest men in the country and a keen businessman who’d mined in his youth. He was one of the most well-known figures in the mining industry and the president of several different companies and businesses. Above anything else, Clay was famous for his honest personality—sometimes a little too honest—and hardworking attitude.
I kept staring at his arm even after Clay rolled his sleeve back down. “It’s a meaningful tattoo,” I finally complimented. After all, I’d gotten my own done for pretty much the same reason. “Mine has a similar meaning.”
Clay arched a thick brow. “That so? Interestin’.”
“Hmm… Perhaps I’ll design a tattoo of my own someday…” I heard Burgh mutter next to me. Before I could comment on it, he spoke up in a louder voice and gestured to the two people I hadn’t met yet. “Ah, Kayden, these are the last of the Unova Gym Leaders. You might recognize Brycen.”
“I do,” I grinned, returning the nod that a man across the table gave me. Whoa, it felt a bit unreal seeing him in person. Six-year-old Kayden probably would have freaked out. “Nice to meet you.”
“The honor is mine, young man. Let’s work hard for the prosperity of Unova,” he smiled. He was definitely older now but still very recognizable.
Brycen Katou in the flesh. He was an Ice Specialist and Leader of the Icirrus Gym, but he had lots of fans outside of his gym leader career. Once upon a time, Brycen used to be a beloved action movie star. Any famous action movie you could think of, chances were Brycen had starred in it. He had trained in martial arts from a young age, so he was naturally very skilled and did all his stunts himself. His fame once soared to international heights.
After an unfortunate accident on set that left him with an injury, Brycen ultimately retired. The story went that Alder personally scouted him for the Icirrus Gym and pulled him out of his slump.
I’d only gone to see the movies twice as a kid with dad because tickets were luxuries we couldn’t exactly afford, but those were some of my fondest memories. Legend of the Blizzard and One Thousand Kicks were my favorite Brycen Katou movies.
I wondered if he’d mind later if I asked for an autograph—for dad, not me.
Ahem.
The very last Gym Leader I hadn’t talked to yet waved at me.
“Heya! I’m Skyla. It’s so nice to finally see what you look like,” she chirped in a bright, bubbly voice. Her wave shifted into a cheerful salute.
Skyla Summers, a twenty-three-year-old Flying Specialist who led the Mistralton Gym. She was up there on the list as one of the most popular Unova Gym Leaders. Everyone loved her fun personality. When she wasn’t busy at the gym, Skyla flew planes.
Yes, she was a certified cargo pilot. That was far more impressive than being an airline pilot because it required double the hours of in-flight training. Trainers used Flying types or other transport Pokemon to travel, but ships and airplanes were how civilians and cargo moved around the world. Since we shared this world with the creatures called Pokemon, they obviously had to be negotiated with or subdued to prevent danger to human settlements. Skyla’s job as our leading Flying Specialist was to make sure Unova’s airspace was safe. It was probably a time-consuming and stressful job, so it was a wonder she seemed so peppy.
More importantly—
“‘What I look like?’” I echoed her words with some degree of confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
From down the table, Elesa’s lips curled into a mischievous grin as she cupped her chin with a palm. “There’s a funny story behind that, dear—”
“WAIT, WAIT! Hold the phone, let me answer for myself—” Skyla yelped out of panic.
“Skyla’s Dragonite was the one who delivered letters to you every year!” Iris blurted out like a kid who couldn’t wait to blab a secret.
“Ugh…” Skyla sighed as she buried her face in her hands.
I was too parsing through memories.
“Oh, that Dragonite?” I eventually snapped my fingers with a look of realization. “Yep, no way I wouldn’t forget my dear mail carrier. Really liked getting a letter every year even after I explicitly said I didn’t want them anymore.”
Skyla didn’t lift her hands from her face, so out came a muffled response. “Yeah, about that… sorry! Dragonite relayed your responses to me every year, but uh, I couldn’t exactly go against what our League and government wanted…”
“No sweat,” I drawled, shrugging good-naturedly. “Totally get it. I was just messing with you. I’m not actually mad. If anything, I guess I should be thanking you and your Dragonite for bringing me mail every year? Those letters brought me back home after all.”
“Really? You’re not mad?”
“Nope.”
Skyla peeked in between her fingers to check my face. Satisfied with my amused expression, she finally raised her head again.
“Well…” she cleared her throat, grinning. “I’m glad we’re not starting off on the wrong foot then! Huzzah!”
Skyla was funny. I raised my fists and shook them playfully. “Huzzah.”
“Pfft. Aww, you kids are adorable,” Lenora giggled.
Skyla gaped at her. “‘Kid?’ Lenora, I’m twenty-three!”
“That’s still a kid in my eyes, sweetheart.”
Even the more dignified out of the bunch like Brycen or Drayden seemed amused.
A scraping sound filled the air from a chair being pushed back. Everyone looked up curiously as Elesa rose to her feet with a glass full of sparkling water.
“Ladies and gentlemen, kids and not kids…” Elesa began. The humorous intro earned her a round of chuckles. “I do believe a toast is in order for our newest comrade-in-arms! Please rise before I decide to gift you all with another pun.”
Nobody needed to be told twice.
People everywhere hurriedly got to their feet with respective drinks in hand. I rose more leisurely than the others because I found the whole thing so amusing.
Plus, if she wanted to go to war, then I would go down fighting. Fight fire with fire or puns with puns as it was so often said.
Elesa smiled charmingly as she raised her drink higher in the air.
“To Kayden Sterling. May your future be bright!” she declared.
“To Kayden Sterling!”
Over a dozen voices overlapped with each other in harmony. The table was far too large for everyone to clink glasses all together, so we had to settle for clinking drinks with our closest neighbors instead.
When I finally sat back down, it was with a fuzzy, pleasant feeling in my chest.
I felt like I belonged here with the Unova Gym Leaders already. I appreciated the warm welcome more than they would ever know.
“Alright! Now let’s eat with gusto!” Chili cackled while rubbing his hands together.
It turned out the food was pretty damn good. Endless laughter and chatter filled the air in between all the eating.
“Work hard,” Clay warned me at some point, grinning. “This is gonna be yer last summer o’ bliss before young’uns come crawlin’ for glory.”
“He’s not exaggerating, unfortunately,” Cress sighed. He dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “League Circuit season is always chaotic… especially the first and last months.”
Burgh nodded sagely. “They’re right, but don’t worry too much, Kayden. I know you’ll be able to handle it.”
“Why talk about work at a social function? We’re here to have fun before we return to our gyms,” Elesa complained.
Her protest was backed up by Skyla. “She’s right, you know! Let’s enjoy lunch. It’s not often we can all get together like this. Kayden, did you get any of the bread rolls? They’re really tasty.”
In the blink of an eye, conversation suddenly shifted to the food on our plates.
“I recommend the sausage balls—”
“Their artisan sandwiches aren’t too bad!”
“Huh, Kayden, how did you know about the spinach quiches already?! Those are like the best things to ever exist around here…”
I was already halfway there to demolishing my quiche and thinking about running back for seconds if any remained. Ghetsis hadn’t lied to me.
This spinach quiche was actually pretty fucking good.
“Some guy in line told me about them,” I remarked, mentally thanking Ghetsis in my head.
Marlon whistled out loud. “They know what’s up.”
A few seats down, Drayden looked at his granddaughter. “You see, Iris? Look at Kayden’s tray. He didn’t forget to add salads or even that spinach quiche. You should follow his example and eat more vegetables, young lady.”
Iris’s face twisted itself into a look of utter disgust.
“Nooo… Gramps, vegetables taste awful! How can you guys like eating that spinach quiche?!”
Roxie pointed a gleaming fork at her.
“Listen up. Disrespect the spinach quiche one more time, and we’re gonna have problems,” she threatened.
For such a short, tiny girl, the warning still had a lot of bite to it.
I was more shocked that the teenager was a big fan of the quiche. Didn’t take her for the type.
“Did someone mention the spinach quiche?!” Alder hollered from the next table over. “There’s only a few slices left just so you’re all aware.”
Needless to say, every Gym Leader and Elite Four member made a dignified speed walk back to the buffet. Any faster, and we probably would have made the news.
Spinach Quiche Enthralls Unova’s Strongest Trainers!
Something like that.
The luncheon was fun all things considered. We had to wrap things up around one o’clock. The other Gym Leaders had barely managed to squeeze time out of their schedules to come here today and show their support. With only a few days left in the current Unova League Circuit, trainers desperate to get one more badge flooded gyms nationwide with last-minute appointments. Gracious as they were, every Gym Leader had willingly given up their precious weekends to give final chances to as many people as possible.
Before we parted ways, everyone took a photo together courtesy of a nearby waiter. Elesa snapped a few more selfies with her own phone and added me to a group chat with all the Gym Leaders.
I smiled down at the pictures already being sent and shared in the chat.
“See you around, Kayden!”
“Bye! It was nice to meet you!”
After all the goodbyes, it was back home for me. My Bugs dogpiled me as soon as I entered the house. The main entrance had never felt so cramped before with arms and legs jostling every part of my body. A torrent of congratulatory remarks came my way in the form of ear splitting screeches and buzzes.
I did my best to pat carapaces and velvety wings even though I couldn’t see who I was looking at.
“Thanks, guys. Hope you weren’t too bored at home.”
They weren’t. As I could tell after finally being allowed up, the living room looked nothing like it had when I stepped out. They’d redecorated everything.
My Bugs also didn’t let me forget my promise to order them custom furniture as I went upstairs to change, but that had to come later.
I threw on a baggy T-shirt, tucked part of it into my shorts in what passed as a stylish look, and then returned everyone to their Pokeballs for a much anticipated trip. Burgh was already waiting for me in the front yard. He’d gone back to his house and changed into casual wear of his own.
“Are you ready?” Burgh asked, lips quirking into a smile.
I grinned. “Hell yeah. Been waiting forever for this.”
After many twists and turns, it was finally time to get a tour of my new workplace.
The Castelia Gym awaited me.
First peek at the Unova Gym Leaders! They’re a fun bunch, and I can’t wait to write more about them in the future. Next chapter will unveil the Castelia Gym, its vicinity, and what that all looks like! (Hint: I redesigned it for fun. :D ) Will try to make decent sketches and art for it.
Thank you very much for your support! TFTS hit Rising Stars! :) I've always enjoyed writing because I find it fun, but it makes the whole experience ten times better when there are readers who have as much fun reading as I do writing.
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Kayden's Pokemon for reference purposes
- Rune / Volcarona / M
- Flygon / M
- Golisopod / M
- Kricketune / M
- Frosmoth / F
- Centiskorch / M
- Beedrill / M
- Scizor / M
- Heracross / M
- Araquanid / F
- Ribombee / F
- Vespiquen / F
- Scolipede / M
- Galvantula / F
- Yanmega / M
- Armaldo / M