Chapter - 18

"I guess we go inside" Ryan remarked.

"Let's go see who's waiting for us" Matthew said. The two walked

inside the Pokémon Center. Despite the bustling of so many trainers

coming in and out, the Nurses at the Counter seemed in good spirits,

constantly caring for and treating all Pokémon without asking for a

penny in return. The Kingstons, naturally, paid for the upkeep of all

Pokémon Centers and ensured they were always stocked up with

the best supplies and treatment for all Pokémon. Trainers from all

over were caring for their Pokémon inside the walls, while others

were purchasing items from the shop, including Potions, Poké Balls

and Repels. Upon noticing the escalator that led to the Observation

Deck on the second floor, the two brothers hopped aboard and let it

carry them all the way to the top.

As they neared the top, a voice called out to them. "I was beginning

to wonder if you two were ever going to come."

The boys turned towards a chair and jumped in joy. "DAD!" The

twins rushed over and embraced their father, Robert Kingston, nearly

knocking him out of his chair. Robert was the youngest of James

Kingston's six children and thus had been one of the ones the late

Champion doted on the most. He had been on the cusp of becoming

a Champion in his own right when James died in the eruption of Mt.

Heatmor. After that, he lost a passion for League Battles and took up

a position as the Leader of the Charizark Town Gym. He looked

decidedly more like Matthew, with a brawny build and height to go

with decent looks, though he was already growing a beard once he

was out of the house for the season.

After a long embrace, Robert patted his sons on their backs and the

three broke off their hug. He observed the Eevee atop Ryan's head

and smiled. "I see you two both got your first Pokémon."

"Yup" Matthew exclaimed. "And Michael taught us how to catch and

battle, too."

Robert nodded. "Good to hear. Your journey's barely started and I'm

already proud of you. I'm certain you two will do the family good and

make your best efforts out there." With that, he cleared his throat.

"Now, the reason I brought you two up here was because I already

filled our your registrations."

"You did?" Ryan asked. "Great!"

"Hold on a minute, Ry" Robert cautioned his nephew. "There's more

I need to talk to you two about."

"What about?" Matthew asked.

"It's about the League Challenge as a whole" Robert explained. "I

want you guys to understand something before I set you off. I'm sure

you understand that the Pokémon League is open to everyone and

anyone can compete, right?"

"Yes" Ryan answered.

"That's like the first thing you told us" Matthew recalled.

"But there's more to it" Robert continued. "I'm sure you're also aware

that the Gyms of Arcana are all run by your family, including my Gym

in Charizark Town. Each and every one of them, from Cauldro City to

Craft Terrace. Got it?"

Both boys nodded.

"Good. Now, you boys need to understand that just because you're

family to the leaders, it doesn't mean that they will go easy on you. In

fact, Grandma and I talked it over before I left to set up the Gym for

this season, and she and I agreed that we Gym Leaders should be

going twice as hard on you than we would other trainers."

Ryan was confused. "Harder on us? But why?"

"There's a lot of talk about 'Kingston Privilege' going around. The

Kingston name is an old and powerful name in Arcana. And that

comes with a reputation of strength and an aura of power. We can't

show signs of weakness. That includes on our own. If we let you

guys breeze through the League, you wouldn't be ready for whatever

challenges lay in the future."

"You're worried we wouldn't be able to live up to the family name?"

Matthew asked, a slight bit of anger in his voice.

"There's a lot on the line whenever we open up the Pokémon

League each season" Robert told his son. "It's not just the family

name we worry about. It's the legacy of so many people who have

come and gone before you. Your grandfather, your cousins in the

Elite Four, Michael, we're all tied to the same legacy. And you two

are the future of the League. One day, all that we do is going to be

yours to watch over. Not just as Champion, should one of you defeat

Michael. But you would also get a ton of responsibilities put on you

and this run through the Pokémon League is proof that you guys will

be ready to accept that time when it comes."

Ryan clenched his fist proudly. "Of course, Dad. I promise we won't

let you down."

Matthew remained quiet, as if lost in thought.

"I know you won't" Robert admonished. "Now, no more talk." He

reached into his pocket and pulled out two Trainer ID Cards and

handed one to each boy. "These are yours. And so are these." He

reached into his other pocket and pulled out leather wallets for each

to carry their ID Card in. Each also had a space to store each of

Arcana's Gym Badges, ten in all. "Remember one other thing, guys.

If you want to get all of the Gym Badges, sooner or later, we are

going to have to fight one another in a battle."

"I figured" Ryan grinned.

"And I will be going as hard as I've ever fought" Robert warned, "so

make sure you both do the same."

"I know we will!" Ryan proclaimed.

Matthew thought for a moment and answered himself. "I won't hold

back."

"Good" Robert smiled, patting both sons on their shoulders and

gently muffing up the Eevee on Ryan's head's fur up. "Now, get

going, you two. The commencement ceremony is going to take place

very soon, and I need to prepare for some upcoming challenges."

The twins nod and head back for the escalator to take them down.

Ryan noticed that Matthew was still lost in his own thoughts. "Hey,

are you okay?"

"Of course" Matthew answered.

"You sure?"

"Uh Yeah? I think I'd know if I wasn't."

"Fair enough."

After making it out of the Pokémon Center with their Trainer IDs and

Registrations filled out, the two hurry to Pocus Town Square to find

Addison and see if she did manage to find a good spot for the

commencement ceremony. They found her waiting underneath a

cherry blossom tree, grooming her Eevee with her brush. She waved

to the boys as they hurried to her side. "That was pretty fast" she

remarked.

"Well, we had a lucky break" Ryan pointed out.

"Fair enough" Addison answered plainly. "I do have some news,

though. They're not sure that Michael is going to be here."

This drew both Ryan and Matthew's attention. "What?"

"They said that he wasn't feeling 100% and was going to be passing

along duties of MC to Cameron of the Elite Four" Addison explained.

"That's a shame" Matthew frowned.

"I hope he feels better" Ryan remarked.

As time passed in the Pocus Town Square, the area began to fill up

with trainers from all corners of the world arriving to take part in the

challenge. Some were prestigious trainers from far away, while

others were some people you would find in your local stores. Within

half an hour, nearly 1,000 people had flooded into the Town Square

and awaited the arrival of the Elite Four and the Champion. The man

who had been registering everyone finally runs up to the podium in

the center of the square and clears his throat. No one seemed to be

paying him much heed.

"Excuse me, everyone. May I have your attention, please?" After a

few moments of people realizing someone was addressing them, the

town square fell down to the sound of a murmur. "Thank you,

everyone. I want to welcome you all to this year's Arcana Pokémon

League Commencement, on behalf of all of the Gym Leaders of

Arcana who are busy preparing their Gyms for you all to see and

challenge. I would also like to welcome you on behalf of the Elite

Four and the Champion, who I have been told are being delayed by

events in the Taghwan Space Center and our Champion who is

currently bedridden. For their benefit, I shall be the one to-"

An earsplitting roar stops him in his tracks and draws the attention of

everyone in the square. Everyone looks to the skies and sees

Rhaegar flying around the square and landing with a flourish.

Michael descends from the Pokémon's back to a hail of praise and

applause from those present. Even the Kingston Twins are floored

by their cousin's dramatic entrance. The Dragonite roars at the

crowd and the crowd echoes in suit. Michael waves them all into

silence as the man whispers something in Michael's ears, but he

brushes him off lightly. As the man departs from the stage, Michael

turns his attention to the people once more.

"Welcome one, and welcome all to this year's Arcana Pokémon

League Commencement!" Michael called to everyone present.

The town erupted in applause.

"It is my honor to usher in the 299th Pokémon League Season if it's

kind. Nearly 300 years ago, my ancestor, Louis Kingston, sought to

unite the splintering realm of Arcana by having trainers and

Pokémon compete in battle to win the honor of being the Champion

of this great region. And after nearly 300 years and over eighty

different champions later, I'd like to think his dream has been

achieved!"

The crowd bursts into more cheers in agreement.

"True, the League hasn't been without it's own fair share of troubles"

Michael remarked. "After my grandfather, the great James Kingston

passed away, the league struggled with an identity crisis and

disappointed many who hoped to see our great region united once

more. It would take time, including some years without a League

Championship season to get back to those days, but I believe we

have succeeded."

The crowd responded with euphoric applause.

"But now is not the time to reflect on the past" Michael proclaimed.

"It's time to focus on the future. And I'm certain we have a bright

future for this season." Michael looked back to the suited man who

had registered everyone, who hit a button on a remote that dropped

a screen down for everyone to see. "As you all may know, here in

Arcana, we do things a little differently. Ordinarily, one would only

have to make his or her way to each of the Pokémon Gyms in a

region, collect their Gym Badges and sign up for the Pokémon

League challenge. But in Arcana, we have a different philosophy of

doing things. Collecting the Gym Badges is only a part of the

challenge. One must not only collect at least eight of Arcana's 10

Gym Badges to compete, but must also earn a particularly special

endorsement." The screen flashed on to show an image of a young

and vivacious woman who looked similar to Professor Julia. "You

must also earn the endorsement of a fair maiden who participates in

the Queen or Arcana Pokémon Contests."

Ryan and Matthew look to Addison and think to themselves who she

would ultimately give her blessing towards. Addison, however, had

not known that was a thing and thus was surprised that Michael had

even admitted to it.