Bab 7: Departure

Only two people were left as everyone left, leaving the grassy plains empty. The male had moss green hair done up in a high ponytail, late. He was dressed in baggy brown slacks with a material that resembled an apron wrapped around them. He had neither sandals nor a shirt on. The man bore an older appearance with two prominent wrinkles under each eye. Like the rest of the villagers, he bore tattoos along his body, with his being silver.

The woman next to him had short black hair, although it was styled asymmetrically. She wore brown sandals, a floral decoration on the right side of her face, and a Greek-inspired gown known as a chiton. She had silver tattoos on her face, the same as Nanuq.

"Gramps and Grandma…you're here to see me off?"

"Yes, we are. Is that an issue?" Nanuq was surprised by the soft tone in which his grandfather talked.

If faced with exile, the majority of parents and grandparents wouldn't see their children or grandchildren go, which would undoubtedly demonstrate that they had no one left to rely on. Nanuq was unable to fully comprehend his grandparents' way of thinking.

"It's not a problem, Gramps, it's just...wouldn't it have been better to stay at home?"

"I suppose that would be another choice..." The grandpa of Nanuq looked at his wife. "But your grandmother here would undoubtedly beat me half to death, so I shaved off the rust on my bones to see my grandchild off."

Knowing firsthand that his grandfather wouldn't have been here if it weren't for his grandma hitting him first, Nanuq could only shiver at him. Their connection was...unusual.

"I see...then, thanks, grandmother..."

"Be cautious, child." Nanuq's grandmother said, "There is a difference between actively participating in a battle in person and watching it from home," before raising her eyes to the Gyarados. "You take care of my grandchild. He can be quite a handful whenever a new idea pops in his head."

The Gyarados were noticeably shocked by the comment, and their only response was to nod, which caused Nanuq's grandparents to smile.

"You have a fine partner. There's more to it than meets the eye."

Nanuq gave it a nod. "Yes, she is the only Gyarados with that hue. My only assumption was that Gyarados' alternate color was red."

"That indicates that you have a purpose. Discover where this Gyarados came from, learn its mysteries, and do everything in your power to strengthen it. Even though you failed the Rite of Passage, our blood bonds will remain unaffected by such trivial matters. You will always be our grandchild."

Nanuq lowered his face when his eyes expanded. Such statements were unexpected to him. He believed that, like most families, his grandparents would reject him since he was in exile, yet their relationship appeared to be stronger than that.

Nanuq stifled his tears and murmured, "I...understand," before being dragged into a group embrace.

"And don't forget, it's okay to cry. We taught you better than that!"

After a minute, Nanuq withdrew from his grandparents' hug and wiped away the few tears that had fallen uncontrollably. "I'll do a lot more! I swear that after learning the tale of my Gyarados, I will become stronger and take charge of Anguis Village when I return."

Although they didn't express it publicly, Nanuq's grandparents were taken aback by the adamant declaration. All they could do was nod their heads and grin at Nanuq's enthusiastic remarks. They were completely certain that Nanuq could do anything he set his mind to, even the most difficult objectives.

"We'll be supporting you along the way."

Before he could do anything else, his grandfather spoke. "You should use this Pokeball instead."

"Hm?" Nanuq glanced down at his grandparents once more and noticed the white Pokeball. "That's a premier ball..."

"It is, yes, it is a special commemoration...and it matches Gyarados's color, don't you think?"

With an owlish blink, Nanuq rubbed his head. When he looked at his Gyarados, he noticed that it nodded its head in agreement, causing Nanuq to turn to face his grandparents. "Thank you...I won't let you down!"

"We know you won't...so get out there!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Gyarados was swiftly captured by Nanuq using the Premier Ball. The Pokeball was captured without any problems with just one shake and poof, not even requiring three shakes to be a confirmed capture.

With a smile on his face, Nanuq wrapped the Premier Ball around his neck on a plain thread. He gave his grandparents one last look before he made up his mind. He silently promised to achieve his ambitions for their benefit as he turned to face the verdant forest.

After taking his first step and then another, Nanuq launched himself into a full-fledged sprint, both the wind and a few tears trailing behind him.

His grandparents sighed as they saw Nanuq's silhouette fade into the distance.

"Do you believe he'll encounter them, Ayanna? That Gyarados…"

"Akeem, he will." With a little grimace, Ayanna answered, "I'm just more concerned about them than for him."

"Haha! Yes, I guess so. I wonder where they get that idiocy from. Those youngsters are reckless fools."

Akeem appeared to shrink humorously when Ayanna gave him a sideways look, realizing that he might have been the source of the foolishness.

…

With a rather archaic, traditional vibe, Opelucid City was well-known for its Dragon-Type gym and the final badge that any trainer attempting the challenging League Challenge needed to get into the Pokemon League.

Opelucid City, however, welcomed three individuals on this particular day. They were all dressed in business attire, which would seem normal as they strolled through the busy city, but the two individuals who followed behind a tall man were wearing bright white suits that looked like walking flashlights.

The person who was the tallest and most significant wore a jet-black, traditional, one-breasted suit with only one button. Around his neck was a green beaded necklace with one in the middle having an obsidian-like color with a DNA strand being stuck inside.

The tallest, most important individual wore a conventional, jet-black, one-breasted suit with only one button. He had a green beaded necklace around his neck, with a DNA strand lodged in the center of one that resembled obsidian.

He had an oval face with a straight chin and jaw. The right side of his asymmetrical raven-black hair reached his pectoral region, revealing a lone, calculating crimson eye for everyone to behold.

"Hmm," Was the man's inevitable groan. "I think we're a bit too early..."

"Boss, I think we're too late...is what you mean," With a hint of desperation, one of the modest men behind the tall, rather distant man murmured.

"Late?" It was far past noon when the boss gazed up at the sky. "Oh, we are late."

Together, the two men groaned at their boss' casual demeanor. Nevertheless, it was preferable to work with this guy as opposed to any of the other bosses in the organization.

"Let's proceed; our buyer is paying a hefty price," As he straightened his tie, his crimson eye began to gleam faintly.

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