{The Abby Show}
[Welcome back, friends and fools, to Are You Courting Death!?, the only show brave enough to weaponize truth and mildly radioactive tea leaves!] Abby declared, standing on top of a floating lotus platform that was absolutely not approved for indoor use.
[I am your charming, chaotic, clinically unlicensed host, Senior Sister Abby! And today, we explore the ancient, yet surprisingly delicious, art of Snack Cultivation!]
Alakazam, sitting in the corner with his head in his hands, muttered, [Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means.]
[It absolutely does!] Abratwo said gleefully, nodding her head. [The imposter at least has good taste.]
Abby ignored that from Abratwo this time. [But that is the topic for later. For now, my sources have told me about an incredibly wise source... about the Heavenly Legendary Beast!]
This time, Psyduck raised his hand. [Wait, question, is this gonna take long? Today's the day Psyduck promised Psyduck's girlfriend we were going on a date.]
That earned a look from all of them as they turned to Psyduck. They all chuckled immediately, not taking it seriously.
Hypno patted his back. [It's okay, dude. We know you don't have a girlfriend. You don't have to lie.]
[Psyduck is not lying,] Psyduck huffed, cheeks puffed up. [Her name is Clementine! She's a Golduck! She wears a pink bow and likes poetry and—]
[—Kicking Machoke in the kneecaps. Yes, yes, we remember,] Alakazam interrupted, waving a spoon. [You said the exact same thing last week after you drank that expired milk Abby called an Elixir of Confidence.]
[It was labeled!] Abby defended. [I can't be held responsible if the milk ferments into prophecy.]
[It fermented into liquid regret,] Hypno muttered.
[You guys never believe Psyduck,] Psyduck grumbled, slumping. [You'll see... Clementine is real...]
As the group bickered, Abby spun around dramatically, floating higher into the air.
[Anyway! Legendary Beasts! They are said to be older than the concept of time, faster than a Dodrio on espresso, and once beat an Arceus in a staring contest!]
[No, they aren't,] Alakazam said flatly. [They're just the legendary beasts of Johto, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. Don't make it weirder than it is.]
[You're no fun,] Abby said, crossing her arms.
She pulled out a scroll she definitely drew herself in crayon, with a poorly illustrated drawing of Suicune, Entei, and Raikou.
[I have sources! As we know, the Legendary Beasts have been attacking Sect Masters around Johto.]
[Gym Leaders. And yes, we know,] Hypno deadpanned.
[Fine, but the most recent one that happened appears to be the last. How do I know this? Well, simple, junior brothers, it's becau—] Abby was about to go on a rant, until...
Suddenly, a soft knock echoed at the studio door, and the blue head of a Golduck with a pink bow peeked in.
[Hey, Psy-Psy, are you guys almost done? Our reservation's at 8.]
Everyone froze.
Even the floating lotus paused mid-hover.
Abby gasped, dropping her crayon scroll.
[SWEET CELESTIAL KARP, SHE'S REAL!]
Psyduck blinked, eyes wide, juice box slowly falling from his flipper.
[Clementine...? You came…]
[Of course I did, babe,] she said coolly, stepping fully into the room and straightening her bow. [I made the reservation. They only hold the table for fifteen minutes.]
There was silence.
Then:
[You're dating that?] Alakazam asked, pointing at Psyduck like he'd just seen someone win the lottery by falling into a sewer.
[Psyduck told you Clementine was real!] Psyduck cried, springing to his feet and puffing his chest like a champ.
Clementine crossed her arms, looking down at them. [Huh. So you guys are the ones that keep saying I'm not real.]
Hypno rubbed his temples. [Dude, how? Did you bag that?]
[Psyduck didn't do anything,] Psyduck said with a proud shrug. [Psyduck was just looking in the pond. Then Clementine picked Psyduck up and put Psyduck over her shoulder. And Psyduck isn't planning on getting off.]
Clementine sighed and waved. [Well, I suppose... nice to meet you all. I've heard so many weird things about you.]
[Oh my stars, she's perfect,] Abby whispered dramatically. [Clementine, how would you like to guest star in a future episode called Love Beyond the Dao?]
[Hard pass,] Clementine said immediately, grabbing Psyduck's flipper. [Psy-Psy promised no cult nonsense today.]
[It's not a cult,] Abby hissed, scandalized. [It's a wildly unstable enlightenment lifestyle with minor explosions!]
[Nope. Date night.] Clementine pulled Psyduck toward the door. [You're off the clock, goober.]
[Bye everyone! I'll bring back leftovers, if I don't eat them all first!] Psyduck called proudly, tripping over the door frame on the way out.
Clementine caught him effortlessly and, true to Psyduck's earlier description, hoisted him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked out.
Hypno and Alakazam looked at each other, sighed heavily, and slumped back in their chairs, silently wondering how they were still single while Psyduck lived his romantic dreams.
—
{Back in the main story}
Clair slowly stood up, maintaining her usual cold composure, even as whispers rippled through the crowd like wind through dry leaves. If she heard what they said, she didn't show it.
She dusted off her kimono with careful, practiced movements, then returned her Pokémon to their Poké Balls.
"Well," she said flatly, turning to the crowd, her voice calm and clear, "it looks like the purification ceremony is complete. Therefore—" she gave a shallow bow, just enough to meet the bare minimum of politeness, "—I will be taking my leave."
She turned without waiting for a reply.
Behind her, the elders murmured among themselves. Some looked uneasy, their eyes darting like they'd witnessed something they couldn't explain. Others remained silent, and a few… a few wore the smug expressions of men already calculating the next power move.
After all, the elders of the Dragon Clan had always prowled for openings. With Lance refusing to lead, Clair was the natural successor, and that made her a target.
Some of them wanted her to step down altogether, to force Lance's hand. That way, they could finally claim a true Champion as their leader, not just say a Champion came from the clan. But Lance… Lance had always been careful. Fair. He didn't want the title because he knew it would be seen as favoritism. Nepotism. A Champion playing clan politics. And Lance wasn't like that.
Even if those shameless elders were.
Clair knew all this. She heard every whisper even when no one spoke. She'd carried the weight of being "second choice" for years, and never let it show.
As she passed the great stone arch at the edge of the courtyard, her steps paused only briefly.
She didn't look back.
But her hand tightened around one of her Poké Balls.
"Let them plot," she whispered under her breath. "If they want a puppet, they'll choke on the strings."
Clair could already imagine them opening their stupid old mouths, trying to spread the story of how Suicune had "rejected" her.
How Lance would've succeeded if he were here.
How Suicune didn't even acknowledge her as worthy to conduct the purification rite.
She could already hear it:
"Lance would have caught it."
"Clair wasn't strong enough."
"Suicune ignored her completely."
Nothing would probably come of it, at least, not immediately. The younger generation of the Dragon Clan liked Clair. They saw her as a mentor, a protector. Most of them had trained under her. They respected her.
But this wasn't about turning the clan against her.
It was about making her doubt herself.
She clenched her jaw. If she ever let herself snap… she'd happily knock their smug old heads clean off their shoulders.
The only reason she didn't was because she still followed the traditions of the clan—
—and because, frankly, she could wipe the floor with them blindfolded and hungover.
Not an exaggeration.
The only elder who could actually put up a fight was the Grand Elder, her grandfather.
He, at least, stayed neutral. He could still beat her in a Pokémon battle. That was something she never questioned.
The rest?
Shameless vultures
If Clair had the power, and sometimes, oh, how she wished she did, she'd strip them of their titles, toss them out of the clan, and leave them to rot outside the Dragon's Gate.
And that was exactly why they wanted her gone.
They couldn't control her.
Couldn't bend her.
Couldn't make her play their petty games.
She wasn't like them, and she wasn't Lance, either.
To be fair, they probably couldn't manipulate him either. But idiots like them didn't think past what was in front of their faces.
They saw Lance as the "wise one." Calm. Composed. The famous Champion. A walking banner they could wave around and say, "Look how great our clan is!"
And Clair?To them, she was the angry one. The emotional one. The younger one.
Never mind that she was the one holding everything together in Lance's absence. Never mind that she trained harder than most of them ever had. Never mind that she taught most of the younger students personally and carried the burden of being Gym Leader ever since the Grand Elder retired.
She was the easy target.
But she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of cracking.
Not here. Not in front of them.
Clair's footsteps echoed down the ceremonial path as she descended from the altar, her shoulders straight, her eyes burning, not from tears, but from rage held carefully, precisely, beneath the surface.
No one stopped her.
Most knew better.
Most had learned what she could be like when she was angry, or at least, what she let them see. The cold, controlled fury. The sharp edge of discipline. The mask.
Because the truth was, under the pride, the scowl, the discipline...the one that would give you a good kick if you put her name and 'lose' in the same sentence
She was still just a girl struggling to live up to the impossible expectations Lance had left behind.
And only one person moved after her. Iris.
There was worry in her eyes as she followed, uncertain but determined. Iris didn't really have a family here, not in the way others did. Clair was her family. The only one she'd ever known.
Clair had trained her. Protected her. Believed in her when no one else had.
And Iris knew, beneath all the anger and pride, Clair wasn't as strong as she pretended to be.
But as she was about to walk after her, Drayden put a hand on her shoulder, "Let her go," he said quietly. "At least for a little while. My plan was to take you today, but given what happened, we can leave tomorrow."
Iris said nothing. She watched Clair leave. She bit the inside of her mouth, wanting to do something, anything, but she didn't. She just also walked away.
Meanwhile, the gang had watched the whole thing go down. Ash frowned, "Well, that sure was something…"
Misty stood beside him, arms crossed tightly, "You think she's okay?"
"No," Brock said quietly, eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction Clair had gone. "But I don't think she wants anyone to ask her that right now."
Yellow wrung her hands nervously, "Suicune just… left. It didn't even look at her."
"Yeah, but to be fair, Clair was at a disadvantage," Brock said, trying to find excuses for her.
Ash frowned and shook his head, "Dude. I know what you're doing. Don't."
Brock blinked, "What?"
"You're trying to make excuses for her," Ash said. His voice was quiet. "That's the worst thing you can do right now."
Brock looked down, a bit guilty, "I'm just saying—"
"No. Don't," Ash repeated. "She doesn't need pity. Especially not from us."
He looked around at the group.
"I know we have this running thing where we end up friends with Gym Leaders… but we don't know Clair. She doesn't even know our names. We're not close. We're not her friends."
Misty stayed quiet, and Yellow looked down. Brock glanced away.
"Suicune beat her. In front of her clan. In front of everyone. That sucks. But pretending it's not a big deal? Acting like we should comfort her?" Ash's voice tightened. "That's like walking up to her and reminding her that she failed."
He exhaled and crossed his arms, "Look, I'm not saying this to be harsh. And if we do end up being friends, then yeah, sure, let's invite her out to dinner or something. But right now, we are strangers. And as strangers, we should mind our business."
Misty looked like she wanted to argue, but then slowly exhaled and nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line, "…Yeah," she admitted softly. "You're right."
"I just…" Yellow's voice was barely above a whisper. "She looked so… lonely."
"She is," Ash said, his eyes glowing blue. "In case you forgot, I can see emotions. And I can tell you, under all that anger, she's sad, insecure, and alone. Even before Suicune."
"I always forget you can do that at the weirdest times," Brock said with a sigh. "But you have a point, I guess."
"Yeah, so… what should we do now?" Yellow asked.
"Well, we could just continue with the festival, if you guys are up for it. But if you're feeling bad, I won't force you," Ash said.
Yellow hesitated, looking around at the flickering lanterns and the music that had returned to the square, albeit subdued, uncertain, like everyone was pretending nothing had just happened, "I… I don't know if I'm in the mood," she said.
"Me neither," Misty added. "I mean, we came here thinking this was gonna be a big celebration, right? Big party to relax before you're done with the Gyms and then, you know… everything."
"I get it," Ash nodded, then looked over to Brock. "What about you?"
"I… don't think so," Brock shook his head. "It's late anyway. I don't feel like partying until the sun comes up again."
"And that is fair," Ash nodded. "I guess I'll go around with Pikachu and Vee a little longer, then head back. See ya there."
"Yeah. Bye, Ash," Yellow waved as the three of them left to go to their hotel.
Meanwhile, Ash let out a big sigh. Pikachu and Vee looked up at him as they jumped onto his shoulders, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ash said. "I guess I did want to say something too… but I should take my own advice."
He looked at them. "Wanna grab something to eat and go eat it over on that mountain over there?"
Before Pikachu or Vee could even respond, their stomachs rumbled, answering the question for them.
Ash snorted and smirked, "Right, then come on. Let's get something to eat."
–
A few minutes later, Ash had gotten the food, and the three of them made their way to the nearby mountain and sat atop one of the cliffs. It was quiet up there, and they had a perfect view of the sunset as they ate.
Ash was still thinking about what had happened, but he shook his head. That wasn't any of his business. He figured he'd probably have to wait a bit before challenging Clair, she'd need time to calm down.
He sighed and thought about how the end of Johto was creeping up on them. He still wondered what Brock and Misty had been meaning to tell him, but hadn't.
As he pondered, he suddenly heard the sound of crunching leaves. He turned around and blinked in surprise, because he saw two girls. One with blue hair, the other with purple. Both looked just as surprised to see him.
—
{About 20 minutes ago}
Clair was breathing slowly, trying to calm herself down. She had changed back into her usual outfit, taking off the stupid kimono in favor of her signature two-tone blue and light-blue skin-tight bodysuit.
She hadn't cried. She wasn't going to. But Arceus above, she wanted to scream.
As she adjusted her gloves, she let her Kingdra and Drampa rest, they'd taken a hard beating after that battle. She left on her own. Didn't bother taking a Pokémon with her.
She walked, grateful that no one had followed. She wanted to be alone. There was a spot she and Lance used to go to as kids. And since… well, you know, Lance wasn't here, no one should know about it.
As she walked, she heard some rustling in the distance. But she didn't get defensive, or aggressive, or anything. She was too tired for that.
"…You followed me," Clair said. Her tone was neutral, but not surprised.
Iris yelped as she got caught, slowly stepping out and rubbing her shoulder, "…I wanted to give you space. But I also didn't want you to be alone."
Clair didn't answer. She just looked at her, then looked away, "Do whatever you want, Iris…"
Iris stepped forward slowly, the underbrush crackling under her boots, "I know you're mad. But I wasn't following you because I thought you'd break or something."
Clair raised an eyebrow, folding her arms, "Oh?"
"I just…" Iris hesitated, then walked up beside her. "I don't want you to be alone, with people like them whispering behind your back. That's all."
Clair looked away toward the trees, her eyes narrowing, "…I'm used to it."
"That doesn't make it okay," Iris said, her voice soft but steady. "You always stood up for me when I was younger. When I didn't fit in. When all the other kids said I acted more like a wild Pokémon than someone who belonged here."
"Yeah, so? I do that for everyone in the clan. It's my duty as Gym Leader, so what…" Clair muttered.
"I know," Iris replied, walking beside her. "That's why I know I probably can't tell you anything right now. So I'm not. I'm just gonna be right here until you're ready to go back, okay?"
Clair exhaled slowly through her nose, "You sound like one of the elders. Just younger and less annoying."
Iris smiled faintly, "Well, I am trying to become a Dragon Master. Might as well start practicing the whole 'wisdom' thing."
Clair looked away, but didn't outright push Iris away, "Fine. If you want. But I'm not going back. Even if those dumb elders spread rumors about me, it's not like they can do anything. I just want to sit somewhere."
"Okay, big sis," Iris saluted. "And I'm going with you."
Clair snorted softly, "You're such a kid, you know that?"
"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Iris protested, but she followed anyway.
They didn't say much after that. They just walked. Iris didn't know where Clair was going, but she followed anyway.
But as they reached the mountains and started up the trail… they froze.
Sitting there, with a sandwich in his hand, was a boy in a red cap and hoodie, Pikachu and Eevee sitting beside him.
They all blinked at each other owlishly.