Chapter 87 (Patreon)

Author Note:

Hello! Someone correctly pointed out that Sam has been taking on a more passive role lately, and I’ll be making a few changes to try to address that. Namely, in Chapter 82, when talking to Clair, the double-battle challenge now comes from him in an attempt to create a way for them to prove themselves. Additionally, Chapter 86 will be reworked. The first half will stay the same, but Sam’s reaction to Redi will be slightly different.

The changes to Chapter 82 are already in place, and you can read them now (though it’s not anything that affects the plot). Since my planned changes to Chapter 86 will be more extensive, it will be a while before I have the time to make those edits.

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The main lobby of Pokémon Centers tended to be shaped like a lopsided “U”. Its large waiting room had two wings against its back wall. One wing contained the staircase to the trainers’ rooms, and the other wing contained a wall of video phones and an entrance to the cafeteria in the back. 

Sam sat at one of those video phones with Redi seated at her own next to him, though her phone’s screen wasn’t on. Dividers prevented anyone from staring in unless they were right behind whoever was on call. Sam planned to contact his family, and Redi planned to contact hers as well.

He wouldn’t be part of her conversation, but his presence would serve as emotional support. Redi wanted him there, but she had also been pretty clear she wanted to talk to her parents alone.

“Ready?” Sam said.

Redi was staring at the screen. Even though Sam spoke a word similar to her name, she didn't look away.

“...I guess.”

He watched her pick up the phone and dial. She hesitated before hitting the button to finalize the call.

Satisfied, Sam turned back to his phone and entered the number for Dewford’s Pokémon Center before beginning to wait. Redi’s family directly owned a landline, though it lacked video capability. Sam’s mom, however, didn’t have such a way for direct contact. He had to call the Pokémon Center and wait for her to show up after she got the message informing her of an awaiting call.

He sat there in silence, staring at the image of an unmoving Pokéball. Next to him, the pause that came from Redi was palpable.

“...Hi, mom,” Redi said, her voice coming out raspy due to nerves.

A second passed. Sam heard Redi suck in air.

Then, her stool squeaked as she pulled far, far back. Her phone exploded with a roar that was loud enough for Sam to hear.

“...Hi Mama Bear,” Redi said, holding back a laugh.

Sam smiled. Redi already sounded better.

She moved back to enter a quiet discussion, her exact words muffled by a plastic divider. Sam couldn't make out her words, but the more she talked, the louder her voice became.

After a few minutes, his own call clicked. The screen flashed to display gemstone eyes and a toothy grin.

“Hi Sableye,” Sam said, having expected something like this.

That grin wavered. The Ghost Type pulled back with a grumble. Sam’s mom and the tip of Delcatty’s ears were now visible on the camera.

“Sam!”

He couldn't help but to smile when he heard his mom’s happy voice.

“Mom,” he said.

Delcatty said her name from the floor next to where his mother sat.

“Hello to you too, Delcatty,” Sam added.

Quilava also greeted the pair, speaking up from where she was sitting in Sam’s lap.

“How are you? It’s been some time since you last called me,” his mom said, almost accusingly. “Last I heard from you, you just won the Violet City tournament. I hope everything has still been going well for you since then!”

“Ah, uh, well....”

Sam wasn't sure how much he could reveal.

Quickly, he talked about his Violet City Gym Battle as well as traveling off-route. While leaving official roads was dangerous, his mother knew he’d do such a thing eventually. She was just happy he had remembered her advice.

But when it came to Petrel...

“He was some kind of criminal?” Sam said. “We fought him off. He was trying to take Porygon away.”

“That’s awful,” his mom said.

“Yeah! But the League stepped in! So everything worked out in the end.”

He cut off his story-telling there, and his mother’s eyes narrowed. She could always tell when he was lying. Except, Sam really didn't want to dwell on that topic for too long.

“I got an offer for a sponsorship,” he blurted out, desperate to change the topic.

His mother blinked at him.

“Really? Congratulations! Who is it? What are they offering?” She leaned in. “Tell me more.”

Sam didn't have the exact details yet, but he could at least share Mr. Pokémon’s basic offer. Money and item support in exchange for making certain evolution methods public.

“I like the idea of getting free items, and I really wouldn’t mind the extra money. But... this information comes from the New Pokédex. Redi’s stuff is an exception, but I just don’t like the idea of giving up something that came from... y’know.”

His mother was quiet, and she calmly nodded along. She didn’t give him an answer right away. Her gaze was a little unfocused, lost in memory as she considered Sam’s words.

“I think the good news is that I don’t think you should take it anyway. You won’t need to make a decision until you’ve seen success from your book.”

This time, Sam was the one to blink at her.

“Wait, why?”

“It’s only a thousand every two weeks, yes? And no stabling?”

“Just free rare items,” Sam answered.

“But you have to share your team’s evolution methods, and those free items have to be related to the evolutions you’re trying for. And do you even have any evolutions that need items in the first place?”

She sat up to adjust how she was sitting on her stool. Sam could tell she was entering “business mode,” and he braced himself for a lecture.

“When considering a deal, you can’t just consider what you stand to gain. An important aspect to these kinds of decisions is what you stand to lose, as well. I’ll quickly note that I do think you should share your teams’ evolution methods eventually, but you should do so in a way that comes naturally to you instead of anything forced.”

“Of course,” Sam said.

“But taking this sponsorship now...” She shook her head. “I don’t think it’s worth it. You stand to gain a lot more if you wait.

“Many sponsors want to be the sole sponsor of a trainer. While there are those that salivate over having influence over a Professor-sponsored trainer or the like, other sponsors prefer to be the only name attached to a trainer. They’re effectively buying your time, and there’s no such thing as a free lunch. They want the best bang for their buck, so the biggest ones only ever go after the biggest trainers.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is...” she hummed. “Sam. You’re amazing, and I’m not just saying that because I’m your mother. Other than your victory in a single tournament—of which there are dozens of tournament winners in a region each year—you haven’t had a chance to prove yourself in the Conference just yet. Wait until then, and once you show everyone just how incredible you and your Pokémon are, you’ll have dozens of sponsorships being thrown your way, all of which will make Mr. Pokémon’s offer look like pennies.”

“But getting some of that money right now—”

“You don’t need it. How often have you been strapped for cash?”

“...Almost never,” Sam grumbled.

His mother smiled at him and nodded her head.

“Exactly. You’re a competent trainer. Don’t sell yourself so soon, and when it comes to Dad’s book, well, I’m confident he’d want you to have it. Whatever you decide to do with it is your decision. Even if you sell it to the highest bidder in the end, he’d support your decision as long as you’ve put the appropriate thought behind your actions.”

She continued to smile, but she leaned in to better hide her words from anyone around her, just in case.

“Plus, I made a copy of that book, so even if you do sell it...”

Sam laughed. It felt as though a weight had been taken off his chest.

“Thank you, Mom.”

“Anything for you,” she said with a laugh. “I love you, Sam.”

“...I love you too,” he mumbled.

Redi was still talking in the booth next to him. He could hear her animatedly share tales of what she’d been through. His name was coming up a lot.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” his mother asked.

Sam paused and thought about what was recently going on.

“Actually, yeah,” he said, turning back to the screen. “We challenged Clair to a double-battle, and there’s this Pokémon Redi’s trying to catch...”

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At the end of the call, Sam and Redi stood up and faced each other at the back of where the phones were set up. They both took in a deep breath and looked one another in the eye.

“I’m not taking the deal.”

“I’m taking the deal.”

They both blinked.

“You go first,” Sam said.

“I talked to my family. They weren't angry. They were... happy I called. Relieved. Mama Bear—Ursaring’s mom—was annoyed I hadn't been sending more details through my aunt. She wanted more ways to brag about her son.”

Sam laughed.

“Yeah!” Redi said. “I don't know why I was so worried. They’re my family. They love me. They were just happy that I was okay. But for the sponsorship...”

She looked at Sam a little funny.

“You aren't taking it?”

“The only thing I’d get out of it is money. I can get more if I wait.”

She nodded.

“But I need the items he can provide, so I’m probably going to take it,” Redi said. “But I talked about it with my parents, and no matter what offer he sends to us, I probably won’t sign as it is. No matter how much money he offers, I’m going to ask for more. With the plans I have for my team, even a thousand every two weeks won’t be enough.”

There was a shine behind her eyes. Redi was already planning ahead. Sam glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening in before pulling Redi deeper back, just in case.

“I talked to my mom about Dragonair, too.”

Redi froze.

“And she... she said we should talk to Clair,” Sam said. “Dragonair’s currently her Pokémon. We don’t have that much information to work off of, and if you want to take a Pokémon she’s already training, you’re going to have to talk no matter what.”

Redi opened her mouth then closed it. She struggled to find her words.

“But you were the one to talk about how I need to be clever-er about things,” she said. “I’ve been trying to work on strategy. Isn’t this something we need to be smart about.”

“...Yeah. I wanted to go around town and eavesdrop on conversations, but my mom kind of had a point about communication,” he said with a wince. “There’s not really a way to avoid it. You said Dragonair already likes you, but we can’t exactly take her away without telling the Dragon Type Gym Leader, first.”

Redi let out a long sigh, looking at Sam tiredly.

“My parents had a similar thought,” she grumbled. “I just was hoping it wouldn’t be necessary.”

Sam knew they hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot. Clair had been emotionally exhausted when she first met them, and then things were made worse when Redi ended up insulting her.

Yet, she still agreed to that double-battle challenge. She might have been proud, but she was also a responsible Gym Leader. The best trainers always knew that they needed to do what was best for their Pokémon. If Dragonair had formed an emotional connection with Redi, there was a good chance her best choice was to allow Redi to train the Pokémon on her behalf.

Redi wanted to wait, but Sam knew she was just trying to push this off. He encouraged her to go right now, and after a bit of prodding, they left the Pokémon Center.

Blackthorn Gym was located on the northern side of the city. There was a path out of town to it, and it was situated right at the edge of a crater lake. A large, rocky bowl had been blasted into the surrounding mountains to create an idyllic valley. Sam wasn’t sure if it had been formed by something like a meteor or if an insanely powerful Dragon Type had made it in the first place.

Mount Silver isn’t too far to the north west. That place has some of the toughest wild Pokémon across all regions.

The Gym Building itself was pretty generic, but it carried many of the dragon-inspired carvings that the buildings around town had as well. Stepping inside, they entered a rather undecorated lobby. At most, there was a banner on the wall that displayed a representation of the Dragon Type.

The usual waiting-room chairs were set up off to the side, but the front counter lacked a receptionist or any kind of button or bell to bring someone here. They stood at the front for a few moments until Redi called out.

“Hello?” she yelled.

A few seconds passed.

“One moment!”

A minute or two later, a trainer stepped out of the back room. He didn’t fit the image of a Dragon Type trainer Sam had in his head. He wore a flannel shirt half-covered by overalls. There was a thick layer of dust on his shoulders and chest as if he’d been involved in construction.

“Here to Challenge the Gym?” he asked, taking up a spot behind the front counter.

Redi spoke up.

“We’re here for Clair.”

“We need to talk to her,” Sam added.

The man looked them over and frowned. There was no computer, but he leaned to the side to open a drawer and pull out a clipboard that seemed to contain a written schedule.

“Clair isn’t expecting anyone today, but if you’re signing up to meet her in battle—”

“We just want to talk. Tell her that we’re the ones with the double-battle,” Sam said.

The man’s frown deepened, and he glanced up at Sam. He looked between them once more before stepping toward the same door he left.

“Excuse me for a second,” he said.

Redi crossed her arms as he left the room.

“Doesn’t feel that dragon-y to me,” she whispered.

“I think they put their pride in the strength of their Pokémon more than anything material like the Gym,” Sam said.

The man never came back out, even over ten minutes later, after Sam and Redi found themselves a seat. Redi hopped up and paced, and Sam felt his hands twitch. If Primeape was out, that angry Pokémon would have lost his head.

Those ten minutes passed uneventfully. Then fifteen. It approached twenty.

Redi grit her teeth out of annoyance and looked ready to scream, but that was when they heard it; a melodic cry came from outside.

Sam hopped out of his seat to chase Redi outside. They both looked up to watch Clair on the back of her Dragonair as she came down.

She was grinning in that battle-hungry way. A breeze kicked up as her Dragonair hovered over the ground, but she didn’t jump off the back of her Pokémon just yet.

“So, finally challenging me to that double-battle, hm?”

“We’ve only been in town since last night. It hasn’t even been a day,” Sam said flatly.

Clair shrugged, not really caring. She looked more excited than anything else.

“I have a demand!” Redi shouted. Her voice wavered.

Clair looked down at her, and her mouth twitched into a frown.

“Y-your Dragonair! I... I want to train it!”

Her Pokémon sniffed and pointed its nose in the air. Redi turned to face they ground, clenching her fists.

“Not you. The other one,” Redi mumbled.

Clair continued to frown, but she didn’t look upset or even annoyed. Sam could have sworn he heard her mumble something under her breath about now understanding what had happened earlier.

The Gym Leader jumped off the back of her Dragon Type to stare at Redi. Redi didn’t look up from the ground.

“If you want to convince a Dragon Type to do something, you need to learn to look them in the eye and show no signs of weakness. Never turned away.”

Slowly, Redi brought up her head. She met Clair’s eyes, and everything about her screamed determination.

Clair smirked.

“And you?” she asked, looking at Sam.

“I train Ghost Types,” he answered.

She nodded in understanding and turned back to Redi.

“When Pokémon are rescued, they’re rarely given to their rescuers. It’s an issue of attachment. After being mistreated for so long, it’s easy for them to latch onto the kindness of the first trainer they meet regardless of being a good match. It never leads into a healthy Pokémon-trainer relationship.”

“But Dragonair—”

“Dragonair was rescued by you,” Clair interrupted. “You were the one to show up before she was released. She’s thrown herself into training with an incredible ferocity, but when it comes to that connection—”

“I don’t care. Dragonair deserves someone who cares about her, not just someone who’s training her because she was told to. As far as I’m concerned, she’s already my Pokémon. I just haven’t had the chance to tell her that yet.”

Sam forced himself to not wince at Redi’s words. Once again, they insulted Clair. It was like she couldn’t go through a single conversation without taking a stab at this Gym Leader’s pride.

Yet, Clair didn’t seem bothered, not even in the slightest. If anything, Redi’s statement given from the heart seemed to cause the Gym Leader to smile.

“Follow me,” she said.

Clair marched to the doors of the Gym. Her Dragonair took off to circle around the air in the sky.

“Wait, what?” Redi asked.

Clair paused as she put her hand on the Gym’s front door.

“When we first met, you talked about wanting to prove yourselves, but that was just for your Gym Badge. I can respect that level of determination even if you don’t...”

She paused ever so slightly. Sam saw her grip on the door handle tighten.

“But,” she continued, “this isn’t the same. You’re talking about raising a Dragon Type, and as Blackthorn’s chosen Gym Leader, partnering Dragon Types with the right trainer is part of my duty. Not every trainer is capable of training such difficult Pokémon, and not every member of the Blackthorn Clan is suitable no matter how much the Clan tries to push that message. I’m not giving you my approval, but I’m not outright denying you, either. Instead, I can offer you a chance.”

Clair turned around.

“The Blackthorn Clan organizes monthly Dragon Type Trials around the Dragon’s Den. If you want Dragonair to join your team, taking part in those tests and performing well is your only way forward.”

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Author Note:

What, still here? Hand it over, that thing, your Dragonair.

If you want a clue as to what’s inspiring this arc, this link should contain a bit more information. Of course, you’ll get a more specific explanation in the next chapter—and don’t worry. Redi won’t be the only one involved.

Pokémon included in this chapter:
Dragonair / Dragonite

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