What's So Great About Being A Trainer Anyways?

Chapter 23 - Who Needs A Title Like "Champion" Anyways?

"Is this all really necessary?" I asked my mom.

She tugged on the wrinkles in the fabric of my new clothing meticulously. "Just let your mother has some fun with this. It isn't everyday that your son and husband battle each other!" She stepped back and admired her handiwork.

I was wearing an entirely new set of clothes that had been put together by mom. I wore big white boots, dark orange pants, and a what was pretty much a sleeved cape. The cape was white on the outside, orange on the inside, and had a purple trim. In other words, I was wearing a inverted color version of my father's clothes, except that I wore a shirt and my cape-thing wasn't torn up at the bottom.

How incredibly tacky. I sighed and slipped on my hat. I'm just glad that I wasn't the one who had to pay for this.

She nodded to herself. "I impress even myself."

I moved my limbs around to test the feel. How does dad wear this all the time?!

"Now, Elron. I just want you to remember that you can't overuse your Key Stone. 'Once per hour' is the rule, otherwise you might end up breaking it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I replied. "I know exactly which pokemon I'm going to use it on."

"Well, in that case you should be fine." She smiled, then ran forward and captured me with a hug.

"Mom! Get off of me!"

She let go and put some distance between us. "Oh, so now you're denying your own mother a hug, even after she made you all of these fancy new clothes? Oh well, go get 'um!"

I pulled out one of my pokeballs and held it in my hand. I smirked and looked forward. "You bet!"

I walked up the stairs through the long hallway leading to the final room, the light at the end of the tunnel beckoning me.

He's going to give me a harder time than the rest of the them, simply because I am his son.

I clutched my pokeball tighter.

Good thing that I'm going to go even harder on him because he is my dad, and quite a lousy one at that.

I reached the top and stepped into the battle room. I looked around and tried to take it all in.

Sure enough, Ryuusuke was sitting in the stands, and he waved to me once I arrived. A lot of others from my hometown of Hedgewood came too; among them were Professor Aspen and Flora's parents.

Everyone is here for me? I suddenly felt more nervous. I didn't want to lose with everyone who came all the way here to watch around.

I was nervous, but I had to continue on. I finally let my eyes fall into the place in the room that they had been avoiding until now.

Drake of the Elite Four had his arms crossed and a smile partially hidden under his mustache. "So you've finally made it?"

I took my place opposite of him on the court. "Didn't you expect this?"

"Never," he said with a shake of head. "I never would have thought that my son who wouldn't even touch a pokeball would meet me at the top."

"I guess I've gone and proved you wrong then, huh?"

He chuckled quietly. "I guess so, but let me tell you something." He looked me right in the eye. "I am proud of your Elron. Actually, I think we all are." We took quick glances at our observers, which now included mom.

Ewww, way to get embarrassing on me. "Uh, thanks."

"No, there's more to it. I actually have a confession to make." He took off his hat and brushed it off nervously, then put it on and covered his eyes. "All those years where I wouldn't come home... I did that for a reason. I hoped that you would chase after my trail and follow me all the way up here in record time out of motivation of seeing me, but I guess that you ended up doing the opposite."