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Kyojuro Rengoku was the highly esteemed protégé of Wulfric - no, autocorrect, not sulfuric (Kyojuro always had a bit of trouble writing his mentor's names in emails because it apparently, it wasn't exactly a word on Google) - the ice-type gym leader of Kalos. Only problem?
He was a fire-type specialist.
From his starter Pokémon Charmander to his long-time friend Vulpix to the latest caught and evolved Pyroar, Kyojuro was a fire-type lover through and through. He had happily evolved his Eevee into a Flareon, showered his Typhlosion with treats, and had staring contests with his Blaziken. He was happy with his little family of fire-types and so, it came to the day when Wulfric had nothing more to teach him and sent him off. Ah, the tears that were shed that day and the heartwarming speech Wulfic gave his student that day-
All burned to ashes, like any opponent that dared challenge him.
Kyojuro became increasingly bored each day. He was twenty now - seven years had passed since he last saw his mentor - and was apparently a gym leader. "Apparently" because he wasn't so sure if he was one. Were all gym leaders supposed to demolish their challengers in less than ten seconds? Weren't gym leaders supposed to give at least one or two gym badges away after their challengers beat them?
Replacing the old Blaine at fifteen, he had become the fire-type gym leader of Cinnabar Island, Kanto. He hadn't wanted to become a gym leader; he enjoyed traveling the world more. But after beating all the gym leaders and Elite Four he had met - along with winning all the tournaments he happened to see and enter - he was getting bored. Surely this wasn't the power level of all the trainers? Kyojuro, however, had traveled around the world for three years and he had not met a trainer who could beat him.
So, he told himself, I'll become a gym leader. He was likely to meet lots of young, promising Pokémon trainers, right? One of them would be able to at least offer him a challenge... right?
Wrong.
Kyojuro Rengoku was a gym leader and in his five years of being one, not a single challenger managed to last ten seconds against him. And slowly, Kyojuro found himself losing hope. He found himself getting more and more bored each day. When a challenger showed up, he no longer felt the excitement of meeting and battling someone new. Instead, he sighed and begrudgingly made himself get up from his seat and face the opponent, only to watch the young trainer run out of the building in tears and shame.
At this point, he might as well be the champion and he probably could steal the title, if he, well, tried. But right now? He was bored to death and didn't really feel like going around the world collecting gym badges... He was comfortable here... just watching each day go by... slowly... Hopefully in my next life I'll be weaker, he sighed. Or maybe in my next life there'll be actual challenge... Fun-loving, enthusiastic, kind, innocent and pure, loud, cheerful Kyojuro was gone. He was-
"K-K-K-Kyoj-j-juro R-R-Ren... g-goku?" a shaky voice called from the other side of the room. "I-I-I-I-I... I challenge you to a battle!"
Kyojuro raised an eyebrow, eyes turning toward the direction of the voice. He was met with a trembling boy that looked around fifteen. The boy was quite literally shaking his his boots, hands visibly shaking from all the way across the room. Everything about him screamed I'M PETRIFIED; PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!
"And you are?"
"D-D-D-D-DENKI KAMINARI!" the boy shouted, seemingly frightened and surprised that he had yelled. "U-U-U-Um a-a-a-a-and you're K-K-K-Kyojuro Rengoku, right? I challenge you to a battle!"
With the superb mentality of Let's get this over with, Kyojuro stretched and nodded. "The first to knock out their opponent's Pokémon is the winner, all right?"
"W-W-W-Wait, o-only one Pokémon?" Denki asked, stuttering a lot less (Thank you! Kyojuro cried inwardly).
"Only one. You still in this?"
"O-Of course! L-Let's do this!'
Denki ran out the building quickly, his Pikachu unconscious, his badge case empty of the Volcano Badge.
Kyojuro almost felt bad for the boy. He didn't seem to have a lot of self-confidence before and after getting crushed this horribly... well. It wasn't his fault. He was just doing his job as the gym leader and he liked to think that he did Denki a favor by showing him that someone as weak as him wouldn't ever make it.
"Charizard," Kyojuro mused aloud, turning away from the door and stiffly walking back to his lunch, "why do you think I'm feeling this way? I've never felt bad for anybody I beat."
His Pokémon roared.
Ah. He understood.
It was because watching the boy battle to the end in the short ten seconds, he saw himself. The old tenacity he had, the old fire in his heart... that boy reminded him of himself. Watching the boy's hands tremble, not for himself but for his knocked out Pikachu... it was like when Kyojuro would eat with his Pokémon, laughing as they fought over the food. It reminded him of the times he would fall asleep, back next to his Blaziken, arms draped over his Vulpix and Charmander, with Pyroar and Flareon curled up against his legs. Watching the boy gently pick up his Pikachu and run out the the building to Nurse Joy with a murmured You're going to be okay, buddy reminded him of the times he would carefully wrap his Pokémon's wounds with a smile.
When was the last time he ate with his Pokémon instead of dumping their food on the ground? When was the last time he treated any of their wounds? When was the last time they went exploring together? When was the last time they fell asleep together? When was the last time he smiled at them?
When was the last time he smiled?
Denki Kaminari - minus the nervousness - was Kyojuro Rengoku from ten years ago.
The next day, Kyojuro was sitting on the steps, staring off into space when his first challenger of the day appeared.
"K-K-K-Kyojuro! Kyojuro Rengoku, I... uh... I challenge you to a rematch!"
Lo and behold, Denki Kaminari appeared before him again, a resolute and shaking finger pointed straight at his face.
Kyojuro was surprised. No trainer had ever returned to him for a rematch after getting demolished. He raised an eyebrow at the boy. "You sure?" His response was a nod. "You do know that you'll never be able to beat me, right? Not like this. Not like how you are now."
"W-W-Well... u-uh... y-you never know u-until you try, right!" Denki announced, more of a statement than a question.
"Then prepare to get crushed."
True to his word, Denki was crushed.
Perhaps the nerves and memories of how badly their last match had gone attacked him, but this time, Denki was finished off even quicker than last time. His badge case was as empty as ever and his Pikachu was as unconscious as last time.
Twenty-four hours later, Denki Kaminari returned, trembling even more than the last two times. "K-K-K-Kyojuro R-R-R-Rengoku! I challenge you to... uh... another rematch!"
He got his rematch and he got his defeat.
Twenty-four hours later, Denki Kaminari popped up into Kyojuro's view. This time, he was shaking so much, his teeth were clattering. "I-I-I challenge you to a rematch, K-Kyojuro Rengoku!"
Another rematch, another defeat.
Twenty-four hours later, Denki Kaminari ran up to him. "K-Kyojuro! Kyojuro R-Rengoku! Rematch!"
Rematch, rematch, rematch.
Defeat, defeat, defeat.
Rematch! K-K-Kyojuro R-Rengoku!
U-Um, let's have another rematch, K-Kyojuro Rengoku!
Kyojuro R-Rengoku! I challenge you to a rematch!
R-Rematch? Please, Kyojuro Rengoku?
Kyojuro Rengoku, a-another reamatch!
I challenge you to another rematch, u-uh, K-Kyojuro R-R-Rengoku!
C-Can we have another rematch, Kyojuro R-Rengoku?
K-Kyojuro Rengoku... uh... re...match?
Rematch! Now! K-Kyojuro... R-Rengoku!
K-Kyojuro R-Rengoku! L-Let's have another r-rematch!
Fourteen times.
After the first time, Denki challenged him to a rematch fourteen times. That made fifteen matches in under a month. He came nearly every day and each time, he used his Pikachu. Around the fourth time, he tried switching to a Voltorb - not that Voltorb would've made a difference - but his Pikachu jumped out himself, shouting, "Pika, pika, pika! PIkachu! Pi, pi, pika! Pika!!!" His trainer understood. From that point on, he never tried to use another Pokémon.
"K-K-Kyojuro Rengoku! R-Rematch...?" the boy asked tentatively, for the fifteenth time that month.
Kyojuro sighed and stood up, looking at Denki with his piercing red eyes. "Why are you always challenging me to rematches, blonde boy?"
"B-B-Because!"
"Because...?"
"Because!"
When Denki saw that Kyojuro wasn't going to battle him without an answer, he pouted, slumping down onto the floor and sighing a loud sigh. "Because! Because... because I have to win. So I'll keep challenging you over and over until I win!"
Ah. He understood.
When Kyojuro had first went to Wulfric at the young age of ten, even though he had the advantage over the gym leader, he had been mercilessly beat over and over and over. It wasn't until the year he turned thirteen was he finally able to snatch a victory from his mentor.
And he never lost again.
But before that, he remembered his helplessness. He was a fire-type specialist and his mentor an ice-type specialist. It was obvious who had the type advantage and yet, for three years, Kyojuro kept losing and losing to him.
No matter what "clever" strategy he thought of, no matter how ablaze his heart was, no matter how many special moves he came up with, he kept being beat. Crushed, even. Wulfric was too good for him, and he knew it. He knew it, but he kept challenging him over and over again.
Never once had Kyojuro thought that life could be so fun.
Knowing that there was a wall in front of you, a wall that you were most definitely going to surpass one day was the most exhilarating feeling Kyojuro ever felt. It was thrilling, challenging Wulfric to a battle each day, exciting, realizing that he just wasn't good enough but that one day, he would be.
His Pokémon cheered him on and he cheered his Pokémon on. They ate together, slept together, and trained till they dropped dead together. They laughed together and they cried together. They shared each other's happiness and they shared each others sadness. They shared each others disappointments and accomplishments.
They were family together.
And yet, where were they now? Their promises of We're going to be the best! Together! and We'll be together forever! disappeared, fading into obscurity as the years passed by. "Together" had been burnt to ashes. "Forever" had ended. His Pokémon must hate him now. Hate him for lazing around the entire day when no challengers came. Hate him for leaving their food on the ground. Hate him for leaving them to sleep on their own in the cold. Hate him for changing. Hate him for killing Kyojuro Rengoku and replacing him with a cheap copy.
Hate him for him.
And yet-
"See! Pikachu wants to battle and win you too!"
Kyojuro's eyes landed on Denki's Pikachu, perched on his shoulder and puffing his chest out proudly. "Pika!"
"Pikachu and I aren't going to stop until we beat you!"
Ah. He understood.
It was because of the lack of good trainers in the world that had damaged his relationship with his Pokémon. Because there was nobody he couldn't beat, his boredom and exasperation hounded him. He became not only bored of Pokémon matches, but bored of life as well. There was nothing he couldn't do... so why try it at all? He let that mentality affect his Pokémon. So yes, it was the world's fault for-
What was wrong with him?
What would Ash, the young boy back in his hometown who respect him so much, think of him now? The person Ash had respected and loved had always yelled "UMAI!" at the top of his lungs whenever he ate literally anything, kindly assured the black-haired boy that when he was ten, he too could get a Pokémon, and had always played with the little guy when he was bored.
What would Senjuro, his little brother, think of him now? He was no longer the big brother who shouted loudly for the world to notice him but spoke gently to his little brother when their father was particularly harsh. He was no longer the big brother who would whisper stories about their deceased mother in the middle of night when Senjuro couldn't fall asleep. He was no longer the big brother. He doesn't even remember the last time he talked to his little brother.
What would his mother think of him now? Did he protect the weak? Did he use his talents for the good of others? Did he do anything but complain about the boredom of life? Did he do anything that she had told him to?
His father was right. He was useless. He had always been useless.
"Kyojuro Rengoku, about that rematch...?" Denki asked hesitantly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Pikachu and I have been coming up with a new move this past month... so don't think you'll win so easily this time! T-This time... this time, we're going to win!"
Ah. He understood.
If he battled Denki now he would leave him alone. He would be able to enjoy his peaceful boredom again. But wait - was leaving him alone really what he wanted? The past month... it had been... amusing. Entertaining how the boy kept coming back even though he kept being demolished. Without-
"Rematch!" Denki announced again.
Before he could drift off into his thoughts again, Kyojuro gave a stiff nod and walked over to his spot on the field. "Same conditions. One knocked out Pokémon and the match is over."
"Of course! Pikachu, I choose you!"
The match started.
And faster than the eye could see, before Kyojuro could tell his Charizard to demolish his opponent, Denki called out, "Pikachu! Use Indiscriminate Shock 1.3 Million Volts!"
It was electrifying.
"Dang it!" Denki shouted, running to his Pikachu. "Aw man, why can't I win a single match against you? After all the training Pikachu and I went through!"
"Wait-" Kyojuro called out, surprising both himself and the boy.
He turned around, retracting the step he was going to take. "Yeah?"
"Do you have time to talk, blonde boy?"
"Wow! Thanks for the feast!" the boy exclaimed, shoving the food into his mouth. "I'm starving!"
"You must have gone through a lot of training, huh?" Kyojuro observed, glancing at his worn-out hands as he treated Pikachu's wounds. "Lots of training... for what? What did you toil for? Why did you work so hard?"
Denki tilted his head to the side. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked with his food still in his mouth. "I train to beat you, of course."
"Why?"
A short silence passed before Denki ended it with a chuckle. "Well, it's funny, really. I first challenged you to save my life and my friend's life. I'm, like, fifteen, you know? I've been traveling the world with Pikachu for five years. I only got serious this past year and started collecting gym badges when I met Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kacchan. Zenitsu's a total wuss like me, so Inosuke and Kacchan started training us and beating the life out of us. We were seriously this close to dying so Kacchan said that if we wanted to prove ourselves, we'd have to challenge you, one of the strongest gym leaders around. But then, you know, Zenitsu's even more of a wimp than me so I told him that I'd challenge you first. It started like that but now.." When he looked up, Denki was smirking, eyes filled with determination. "Now, I wanna crush you."
Ah. He understands now.
Denki Kaminari really is just like him.
And for the first time in forever, Kyojuro laughs. It's a loud, hearty laugh that fills everybody - in this case, everybody is Denki - with his warm and fuzzy feeling like you're flying. His grin is wide and cheerful; eyes bright and shinning.
"That is a fine dream," Kyojuro says and for some reason, Denki feels like he won a million dollars, even though all he got was a simple compliment. "That is a fine dream and a dream that I must help you achieve. Right now, blonde boy-"
"My name is Denki," Denki interrupted.
"Right! Denki! So, Denki, right now you're flailing around too much. You've got the power of speed on your side but when somebody takes that away from you, you're left with nothing."
As Kyojuro rambled on, explaining that what he needed now was a sharp brain and some extra punch, he inwardly smiled to himself. Perhaps he hadn't changed so much, if it was this simple to realize that he was acting weird. In the end, perhaps all he needed was a reminder that he was still only a young man and that he still had youth in himself. In the end, perhaps all he needed was the reminder that if you're bored and tired of something, change it yourself.
"So," he concludes, "how would you like me to train you?"
Denki's eyes shoot up and his hands leave the tenth chicken wing he was going to have. "Wait, really?"
"Of course!"
"But why me? I'm sure many other people would want to get trained under you. Much stronger people too."
"I don't think you're weak, young Denki!" Kyojuro cuts in loudly. "In fact, I think you're much stronger than anybody I've ever met! After all, you didn't let your spirts get crushed even after I demolished you! And also, I want to thank you."
Denki frowns while taking the chicken wing. "For what?"
Kyojuro's smile is as heartwarming as his laugh. He looks at the distance, the horizon line, an almost sad smile playing on the corners of his lips. "It was you, young Denki, who set my heart ablaze."
But perhaps it is more accurate to say that Denki Kaminari is the one who rekindled the fire in Kyojuro Rengoku's heart.