บท 7: What It Means To Be A Champion.
( I forgot that you need 15k words to show up in the power stone rankings. So Imma just post the chaps as I finish them until we get to 15k. After that one chap per day. See ya later.)
"Acquaintances." she said with a hint of a smile
Those were the last words she said before teleporting away.
"What the fuck just happened." I said to myself before starting to make my way back to camp.
I really ought to tell Oak that he has to up his defenses on his farm. But what the hell can you really do against someone who can just teleport wherever they want? What a way to ruin a perfectly good summer.
I was worried that I had been gone for hours. But when I asked the people around me I had apparently only been gone for a few minutes. I guess that didn't really matter as I made a bee-line to Professor Oak. He was sitting on a table next to Rowan and my mother drinking some tea. Yet as soon as I was about to talk to him he received a phone call.
"I see, well that is unfortunate. I hope you both can meet in the future, I am sure you would have been intrigued by the pokemon he grew up with. We'll have to leave it until next time." He said through the phone before hanging up and turning to me.
"One of my surprises had to be canceled. I was hoping you would meet the new up-and-coming trainer Sabrina. But that was her saying that she suddenly had something come up so she wouldn't be able to join. I hoped you both would be able to learn from each other." He said as he drank some of the tea.
I was left a bit shocked by the news.
"Professor…"
I guess the books were right, something ain't right with psychics. This lady waltzes in, kidnaps me, we have a weird psychic encounter, and then just leaves. I hoped the fairy typing would be able to balance out any weird issues I might have. Fairy types were supposed to be charismatic right?
If I was being honest with myself this had to be the weirdest day of my life. Topping even the day I died and was reborn.
"Am I also that weird?" I couldn't help but mutter to myself.
The professors and my mother all choked on their drinks which drew my attention back to them.
"Nevermind" I muttered before turning around and then leaving back to the cabin.
— — —
A few days after "The incident" a new guest arrived at the camp. None other than Professor Carolina. The grandmother of Cynthia, Sinnoh's champion. She was here to give some small presentations about pokemon and to take a look at the finished pokedex before its release.
She was a very outspoken lady that was followed around by a gigantic Garchomp. Just like her granddaughter, she used to be a pretty popular and strong trainer before becoming a professor. She truly knew her stuff when it came to raising your status in the world.
"I know a lot of you want to become gym leaders and champions so I have a question for all of you. What do you all think is the most important thing when it comes to reaching the Champion spot?" Carolina asked as she stood in front of a small classroom.
Ash raised his hand excitedly, and once the professor pointed at him he said.
"Your relationship with your pokemon!"
Carolina gave a small smile before shaking her head.
"That is part of it. However, there are many people who are extremely close to their pokemon, to the point where they can understand each other with just a look. But many of them don't end up even challenging the gyms."
Gary stood up from his chair before loudly exclaiming.
"The strength of your pokemon! As long as your pokemon is stronger than your opponent you will win!."
"Interesting theory, however, how is it that we can see fully evolved pokemon being defeated by their pre-evolutions? By all means, an evolved pokemon should become stronger. But I have seen times where a small first stage defeated a fully evolved opponent."
Raising my hand I answered.
"Isn't it a mix of a few things? You have to have a good relationship with your pokemon in order to have good communication during combat. But you also have to train with them to make sure they have a variety of skills and moves at their disposal."
Carolina gave a smile before raising an eyebrow and asking.
"Sure, with enough training, discipline, and communication you can become a gym leader. But what makes a champion different? What is the true role of a champion?"
The class fell silent for a few seconds before Serena hesitantly raised her hand.
"To inspire others?"
At this answer Carolina gave a wide smile before nodding her head.
"The true role of a champion is to be the face of the pokemon league. To lead in times of emergency. To protect and reassure the people that they will be safe. To stand up in the face of calamity.
Who will be the one to control a wild pokemon that is causing a disaster in an area that even the police cannot control? Who will stand up against those who try to use pokemon for evil?"
Carolina asked dramatically before putting on a serious expression.
"My granddaughter Cynthia is quite a strong trainer. But that doesn't mean she can't be beaten. Every once in a while you will hear news of someone defeating the Elite Four and completing their journey. But how often do they rise to become the new Champion? Most of them either become gym leaders or leave for a different region to continue facing the gym challenges. A few even retire from their pokemon trainer career and find a different job."
Her words made sense. Countless people took on the gym challenges, yet the champion only seemed to change every few years. Some champions even kept their seats for decades. This was quite a good wake-up call. If my memory serves well Cynthia did quite a lot of things on her run-up to becoming a champion.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't seem to win the Pokemon League, Ash probably would have made a great champion. Throughout his journey, he helped out a lot of people. Turning around I looked at him before shaking my head in disappointment. He was robbed many times of the champion title by the plot. I would never forget the absolute thief that was the man called Tobias.
I looked at the class around me before thinking.
Gary, Ash, and Serena. Those three will become quite strong trainers in the future, even if Serena ends up choosing the path of being a pokemon coordinator and performer in the end. Who knows how many other kids in my class will actually end up becoming propper pokemon trainers.
Man, this world sure was a big place.
I had to give my thanks to Professor Carolina. Truth be told I may still have the mentality that this is just sort of like a game. But if there was something my strange encounter with Sabrina had taught me is that I am not fully prepared for what I might encounter once I head out on my journey.
Groups like Team Rocket, Team Plasma, and Team Galactic were real threats in this world. If I happened to cross them and turn them into my enemies they would actually try to kill me. There had been recent reports in the news of a few bodies being found that were suspected to have been killed by Team Rocket. The previous champion of Sinnoh had also gone missing a few months before Cynthia gained the title.
I wasn't a fan of physically pushing my body to the limit, but I should add working out to my schedule to make sure. It would honestly be embarrassing if I died because my body wasn't strong enough to survive the damage. Especially considering how strong human bodies could become in this world.
The fighting-type gym in Veilstone City offers classes for those who want to learn to build their bodies. It would be a bit of a hassle, but I am sure I could convince my mom to let me attend. Team Galactic's HQ was in the city, but they wouldn't directly mess with a gym, or at least I hoped they wouldn't.
*Sigh*
I couldn't help but let out a sigh as I thought of all of this. The future was definitely going to be more complicated than I previously hoped. Luckily I still had almost ten years of prep time before my journey started.
"Lucas Platinum Berlitz. Am I boring you with my class? I noticed you have been distracted for the past few minutes. Would you care to explain?" Carolina said with a hint of annoyance.
I saw the whole class turn to look at me. I didn't want to damage my image in front of someone who could become a connection to the pokemon champion, so I activated my ultimate weapon. A combination between my boot-licking skills and my own form of the move Baby-doll eyes I had been using since I was a kid.
"Sorry, Professor Carolina. Your words about what it took to be a champion totally opened my eyes to new possibilities. I had to take a moment to reflect and absorb the words to make sure I would never forget them." I said in my most innocent and admiring tone.
I saw Professor Carolina try to hold back a smile before inevitably failing. She raised her head up with pride before nodding.
"See everyone, this is the type of attitude you all have to have. Make sure you open up your ears and pay attention." Carolina stopped for a second before looking down at the list containing the names of the kids in the camp.
"Lucas, your mother wouldn't happen to be Johanna Berlitz?"
"Yes, professor. Why do you ask?"
Carolina quickly clapped her hands with excitement before saying to the class.
"This is actually a great opportunity for all of the students here. For those of you unfamiliar with Miss Berlitz, she used to be quite a famous pokemon coordinator before retiring. I am sure she will be able to give great insight into her career. How about we invite her here to give you all some tips?" Carolina said before leaving the classroom to call my mother.
I saw a couple of students get excited once they heard the news. Serena even turned to me and said with surprise.
"You never told me your mom was a coordinator! I could have asked her so many questions! My dream is to one day become a famous performer!"
"Sorry, she retired before I was born. So for me, she is just 'mom', sometimes I forget that she used to be pretty famous. I actually know a couple of famous coordinators but they are just like my aunts and uncles. Do you know a stylist named Lila? She doesn't do pokemon contests as often as she used to, but whenever she swings by our house she wants to use me as a mannequin and dress me up." I said as I reminisced on my purple-haired aunt.
"You know LILA!" Serena accidentally yelled this before getting a bit embarrassed when she noticed the other kids staring at her.
I let out a small chuckle before nodding my head.
"Yeah, if you ever visit Sinnoh I am sure we could introduce you to her. She's nice, but she'll probably want to dress you up. You can ask my mom for more information on her, they are pretty good friends."
As I finished saying this Carolina and my mom walked back into the room, making the class settle down and start paying attention once again.
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