Chapter 6: Moving Forward
"Okay, moving on from that topic, you still have yet to explain how you even got here, Iris." deciding to let her off the proverbial hook for the moment, I bring back the discussion on how my surrogate 'totally not still in trouble' sister is here of all places, giving everyone a much needed distraction from the events of a few moments ago and addressing the Copparajah in the room.
"Huh? Oh right, I was supposed to tell you about that." There is a splendidly confused expression that betrays her disbelief at having been given a way out of a potential crisis. "Mmm, well, to make a long story short-ish, Grandpa thought that going on a journey to expand my point of view would do me well. After expressing my interest in taking part in the next Unova circuit, he said that I should have some more world experience so that I don't make any mistakes along the way."
Ah, he has a point. Even mom said that I should go out and experience new things and places since being limited to just what pertains to my own goal will make me narrow-minded and stunt my own personal growth. Now that I see the reason behind her being here, I can only nod in acknowledgement at the decision. If I had to make a comparison to anything, it'd be like a Basculin that's the biggest in its own little pond and only knows that tiny space, never knowing that there's a Gyarados capable of smacking it into another region in the lake right next to it.
"You want to take part in the Unova circuit? Does that mean you're hoping to challenge Alder for the title of champion?" Trevor, perhaps expressing interest in the current flow of the conversation, asks Iris, who nods in affirmation that she had planned to do just that. Well, I'm glad she has a goal, and I'm happy to see her again after so long, but I can also feel that she seems a bit more grounded now than when we were children, although I guess the same could be said for me, maybe?
"Yeah, so rather than travel around Unova to do my training, I decided to go to another region and gain experience there. It also gives me a chance to catch more Pokemon and learn about the history of another region. Of course, if I'm being honest, the biggest motivator was actually grandpa telling me that Saya was here." After hearing all of that, I can't help but beam at how she did all that just for a nondefinite chance at meeting me again to reconnect, but one thing is weighing on my mind.
"Say Iris? How did you know I was even in this region? Even though I left before you, I never found out where exactly in Unova you were going to be living, so how could you possibly know I'd be here? I'm not saying it's exactly impossible to meet up like this, but it seems more improbable." It's true. I mean, for the longest time, I assumed that it'd take ages to track down one person in an entire region, and even if you followed their trail, it could take weeks, if not months, to catch them depending on how much they move around.
"Oh, actually, Grandpa said that you and your mom had come to Kalos. It turns out the two of them talk every couple of months to catch up on old times. As for how I got here, well, that'd actually be thanks to your mom. I actually got her about two weeks ago, so she and Professor Sycamore arranged this little errand in order to get us to meet up. although she only said that I'd be meeting someone here, not who that person would be." So that's why the professor asked for this favor—it was him and my mom trying to get me and Iris to reconnect since both of us are training? What a roundabout way for them to do all of this, but I suppose she has always had that mischievous side to her.
"Leaving aside how everyone set up this whole elaborate ruse, what do you plan on doing now? Surely you're not going to stay in Santalune the entire time, or it'd defeat the purpose of you coming here." If I could be selfish, I would want her to come with us. I mean, who would want to part again so quickly, especially when our goals are basically the same in wanting to get stronger, or rather, weren't the two of us basically told to go explore the world?
"Oh, please, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon. I already know that you're planning to sign up for the circuit, so don't even think for a second that I'm going to sit back and let you get stronger and leave me behind!" She gives me a challenging smile that reminds me of all our silly competitions when we were younger, from seeing who could climb a tree fastest to racing from the forest to the village center to even seeing who would become a dragon master fastest. Looking back, I can't help but realize that perhaps Dratini's relationship with Gible basically emulates mine and Iris', both rivals and sisters.
"So you even know about that, do you?" I took an exasperated breath at just how well informed she was in all of this compared to me, and I couldn't help but feel a smile tug at my lips at the thought of us being together from now on. "Well, we've got about three weeks before registration, and it'll take a couple days to get through the forest. If we're going to be back in time for that, we'll have to leave in the next day or two. During that timeframe, we should also do some training of our own to be ready for the gym."
From what information I've managed to glean, the circuit typically lasts about 12 to 13 months, unless an extension or delay is put in place, and the gyms can be challenged in any order as each gym leader has multiple teams for all difficulty levels based on your experience as a trainer and the number of gym badges you have or have obtained in previous circuits. Each gym leader can also impose their own ruleset for their gym, but the absolute rule for all gyms is that you cannot go for a kill on another's pokemon and that while a challenger can request a more difficult battle, a leader cannot use a team with more than one badge higher than the current amount held, so if you have collected 4 badges, you can challenge at a level of already having 5 badges, but you would not be allowed to challenge as if you had a 6th badge. This is due to just how wide the gap is between each team's power at the higher levels.
"We should also start working on our endurance and stamina too. While we don't need to constantly run everywhere, if we get caught in a tough situation and fighting isn't an option, hightailing it out of there would be the better choice. It doesn't have to be anything too straining; just running and exercising will help for now." Iris makes a valid point: lately, a big problem has been hordes of Pokemon ambushing trainers who aren't used to or strong enough to deal with multiple opponents at the same time.
"Oh, speaking of Pokemon, Iris, what are yours? I see Axew, but do you have another one with you?" I was curious about what all she had and if she even took another pokemon with her on her journey so far, even if, from her wording, she hasn't started it properly quite yet. Rather than have to improvise on the spot, I figured it would be more productive to get our bases straight as soon as possible.
"Actually, I have another Pokemon with me!" With a flash of light, a tiny black and blue mole with a white face and red nose reveals itself from her pokeball, after which it shakes itself before looking up at everyone while raising a clawed hand before it widens its eyes at the sight of me and vice versa.
"Hey! Isn't that the same Drilbur that we used to play in the woods with, along with Shannon? wow look how big he's gotten those claws look pretty tough too." While reminiscing on the little mole's history with me and my two best friends, I crouch down at eye level and begin to rub his head, eliciting a happy sigh from him in response.
"yup! Before I left to go study at Grandpa's school in Unova, I asked Drilbur if he wanted to come along with me, and the rest is history, or maybe more of a mystery if you ask me. It wasn't smooth sailing the whole time, though. For a short time, I thought Drilbur would leave me due to how singleminded I was in trying to win everything. I got a pretty good scolding for pushing my partners too hard, and for a short time I went back home, where Shannon also gave me a dress down for not realizing Drilbur's feelings."
Hearing about the incident, I find myself rather shocked that the two of them had such a falling out for such a short time, but I think I understand why she seems a bit more levelheaded now. she had almost destryed one of her most valued friendships because she couldn't recognize just how far she was pushing her partners in battle and caused a big misunderstanding. It seems that whatever advice she was given or whatever insight she gained from her own deliberations about the situation, I can tell that it changed her for the better. Just seeing her with Axew and Drilbur now, I can tell that their bonds are far stronger than they were before, and that's only after minutes of seeing them.
'She learned from her faults and even inspired her to change her own views and grow closer and stronger as a trainer. If she can do all of that and come out for the better, then why have I been dragging my feet about my own circumstances? She's moving forward, but why does it feel like I'm stagnating and still hanging up on past mistakes? ' Perhaps, having sensed my mood, Iris gives me a knowing look that promises that we'll discuss this later. She has to know that she won't let me off without knowing what caused my shift in mood. After all, she can read me with only the simplest glimpses.
After the long conversation, we decide to call it a night, with the boys getting separate rooms and me and Iris choosing to share a room so that we can have our talk about what's been bothering me and why my mood shifted for the negative all of a sudden after the conclusion of her story. Choosing to take a shower and change into our nighttime clothes, I leave the bathroom to Iris, who is relaxing on the bed, looking out the window, lost in thought. As if sensing my presence, she chooses to address me without turning from the window.
"So mind telling me why you looked so distraught? you usually keep everything bottled up better than that and don't like outwardly showing weakness so the fact that you were so obvious about it tells me that it's something very important to you. So we can either do this the easy way, where you tell me what it is, or we can do it the hard way, where I take guesses at what the problem is." Perhaps sensing my apprehension about talking about my problem, she finally turns to me with a concerned look before sighing.
"The hard way it is, I guess." Thus began a long night.
thank you for reading!