To be the Very Best (Pokémon X Male Reader)

MissingNo. Arc Chapter 10 - Unburdened Rivalry

Asuka lay on her back, eyes fixed on the sky as dusk painted the horizon with hues of gold and violet. The cool evening air brushed against her skin, but her heart was still pounding from the rush of what she'd just uncovered. The ruins. The ancient symbols. Everything pointed to one undeniable truth—she had found the first Pokémon Gym. It was more than she'd ever dreamed of.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, exhaustion finally catching up with her, but she couldn't stop smiling. Her mind raced with the implications of her discovery, going a hundred miles per hour, imagining what it all meant for her, for history. *What did he leave behind?* The thought alone sent a shiver down her spine. Chandelure, who had been floating silently beside her, was recalled back into its Pokéball with a soft glow.

She let out a long, satisfied sigh, her back sinking deeper into the cool earth beneath her, staring up at the fading light. She'd done it. Finally.

A voice pierced the silence, growing louder as it approached. "Miss Harmonia!"

Asuka turned her head lazily, spotting Raifort running toward her, her brow furrowed with both relief and frustration. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Raifort's voice was a mix of sternness and concern.

Asuka opened her mouth to reply but only ended up laughing instead, the tension releasing itself in a way she hadn't expected. The more she tried to speak, the harder the laughter came, echoing through the now-still air. After a few more moments, she finally managed to get the words out between breaths.

"I did it, Miss Raifort... I found what he left behind for me."

Raifort's expression softened as she knelt beside Asuka, picking up the journal she had left by her side. The old Galaxy Team journal, its pages yellowed and fragile, was already opened to the exact page Asuka had been poring over.

Raifort stared at it, her eyes scanning the contents in silence. Asuka watched her face, waiting for the reaction she knew was coming. It wasn't long before Raifort's hand stopped on a particular image. Her voice was quieter now, almost reverent. "You saw this down there?"

Raifort pointed to a grainy black-and-white photograph that had been pasted inside the journal. It was old, clearly from another time—Galaxy Team members all gathered together. Professor Laventon stood on the left, his signature hat perched atop his head, while Commander Kamado was imposing as ever on the right. But in the middle, front and centre, stood Y/N, looking younger and somehow more... hopeful. The caption beneath it was faded, but Asuka knew precisely what it said. She had memorized that page.

"The first Pokémon Gym in history," Raifort muttered, almost to herself.

Closing the journal with a careful hand, Raifort stood up, her voice more decisive now. "We should tell the others about this right away. They need to know what you've found."

Asuka nodded, but her body was still too tired to move just yet. "I'll be there in a moment," she whispered, clutching the journal to her chest like it was her most prized possession. And, in a way, it was. It was the key to everything. "Just need to catch my breath."

Raifort handed the journal back to her, and Asuka hugged it close, closing her eyes for a moment as the evening breeze swept over her. A smile crept back onto her face, a quiet sense of fulfilment settling in. She had done it. She had found her path.

"Home sweet home," she murmured to herself, letting the words linger in the quiet air.

****

Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. I was on my knees, my head spinning, the weight of everything crashing down on me all at once. My mind drifted far, far back to a time before all this. Before Rainbow Rocket. Before Giovanni. Before everything. Back to Hisui. I thought about Jubilife Village. How were they doing without me? Had life gone on as usual? I thought about the Survey Corps, Laventon, and Akari. I thought about my mother... my father... and the sister I never knew.