- Soul of Steel -

Chapter 27: Out of the Red...Part 2

- - - - - Haru's Office, 8 A.M. - - - - -

- - - - - Steel Gym - - - - -

"I'm just nervous, I guess. Things have been going right for awhile so there shouldn't be a reason for me to feel antsy or anything." Haru says while he sat in his office chair with the cell phone to his ear. On the other side of the line was his mother, Lana. She wasn't able to catch his match live in person, but she would be watching him all day from her home.

"Well I don't think you have anything to worry about. You've done everything you can, and by putting your mind to the grindstone, you're right where you want to be." she says in a cheery tone while sipping on some coffee. While the Munchlax and Lilligant near her helped around the house early that morning, she was taking a break from her own side of the errands. "I'm proud of you, Haru." Haru didn't answer, which prompted his mother to ask in worry. "Haru, are you okay?"

"Yeah...hey Mom...do you think that Hiro would've..." He hesitated and clenched onto one of the arms of the chair hard.

She got worried, frowning. "What is it?"

Haru glanced at a newspaper he brought with him to read during breakfast and spotted an article where the 'Subway bosses' spoke about the train they maintained. Intense Pokemon battles often occurred within it, and in every photo he saw of the infamous Ingo and Emmett, Haru saw what could have been between him and Hiro. "I don't know. I almost said 'been proud' but I know the answer is 'yes he would be', but I also was thinking on whether or not he'd want to be in a competitive double-team group with me. I can't answer for him whether or not he'd be a Gym Leader, but maybe him and I could have knocked heads across other regions like those guys in Unova..."

"I can't say." His mother said after a brief pause to think over her answer. "I know that you're hurting, honey. I still am to this day. Don't compare yourself to others. Maybe you can continue being a team with your fiance? Never know how many people you both could surprise with a Steel/Water team. Aside from that, I don't want you to second guess yourself, anymore, son."

Sinking a little into his seat with the receiver to his ear, Haru frowned. "...yeah. Nessa tells me to do that, too."

Looking to a photo Lana had on one of her bookshelves near the coffee table, she smiled. It was a moment in time where she was much younger, right after her Pokemon League Career, and was hugging her then much smaller child, Haru. He couldn't have been more than two years old. "I know I can't be there today because it's going to be especially cold near that region above Circhester where you're at, and you know how my bones get in the cold, but I WILL be watching your matches. Can you at least smile knowing that much?"

"Hmm." Haru grunted in response.

"What's 'hmm'? I didn't raise you to reply like that." Lana says, trying to get him to reply more courteously.

Giving into her demands, Haru gave a half smile. "Yes ma'am, I can. I'll do my best."

"There you go! Thank you. So what do you have left to do?" she asked, putting the photo back and going to sit back down again.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Haru thought it through. "They're still letting attendees in, and with that, our concessions and other amenities are doing enough to keep them occupied. I won't be 'needed' until probably an hour or two later when our first registered challenger makes it here. Won't know if they makes it through to me, but I have to be on standby in a bit." His eyes go to the photo on the wall that was taken when he became Champion. "Thanks for everything Mom...I don't know if I say that enough but I'm really happy you've done what you've done for me."