Sabrina waited until their little date had finally come to an end before asking the question that had been sitting in her mind for most of the evening.
The two of them were still sitting on the hill, with the night sky spread above them and their Pokémon resting nearby after what had been a surprisingly peaceful evening.
Iabrina looked toward him and asked, "So, after everything that has happened in Sinnoh, what are you planning to do next? Are you going to chase another criminal organization, investigate another Legendary Pokémon, or somehow find another unknown thing that no one knows about?"
Gladion laughed as he leaned back and looked toward the stars. "Honestly, I think I need to remember that I am a Gym Leader. I have spent so much time dealing with business, diplomacy, criminals, rare Pokémon, mining rights, and other things that I have barely acted like one recently."
"At some point, I should probably return to my Gym and actually do the job I was supposed to be doing in the first place. I became a Gym Leader because I wanted to battle strong trainers, follow my grandpa's dream and help people grow stronger, not because I wanted to spend every waking hour signing business papers and negotiating deals."
He paused for a moment before adding with a grin, "Although I have to admit that being a businessman has been surprisingly useful. I started with a few ideas and some money, and now I have companies, mining operations, international deals, auctions, and enough people working for me that I sometimes forget who half of them are."
"There are probably people making money for me right now who I have never even met. At this rate, I might accidentally become richer than the Indigo League itself before I realize what happened."
Sabrina stared at him for several seconds before slowly asking, "You are saying that as though it is a bad thing. Most people would be celebrating if they suddenly became extremely wealthy."
"That is because most people do not have my problems," Gladion replied with a completely straight face. "Money attracts more problems. If you become rich, people want your money. If you become powerful, people want your Pokémon. If you become famous, people want your attention. If you become all three at once, apparently people decide to send snipers and Legendary Pokémon after you. I am beginning to think being an ordinary Gym Leader would have been much safer."
Sabrina considered his words seriously before nodding. "That actually sounds reasonable. I suppose I should also focus on my Gym now that I have become a Gym Leader."
Gladion turned toward her with a smile. "You also need to remember that, Sabrina. You are now responsible for running a Gym, training your own Pokémon, accepting challengers, and actually being present when people come to challenge you. Good luck with that."
Sabrina's expression slowly became uncertain. "Wait. I am supposed to do all of that myself? The paperwork too?"
Gladion stared at her.
"Yes, Sabrina. That is generally what being a Gym Leader means."
"But I thought I was mainly supposed to stand there and use my psychic powers to look impressive and bully the trainers challenging me with my Pokemon."
Gladion could not stop himself from laughing.
Sabrina frowned at him. "Nobody explained the job properly."
"You are one of the strongest psychics in the region, and somehow the difficult part for you is understanding that a Gym requires administration."
"I was not informed that there would be paperwork."
"There is always paperwork."
Sabrina's expression immediately became miserable.
Gladion laughed again. "Do not worry. I will help you set everything up. We can hire people to deal with most of the boring parts. You just need to make sure you do not accidentally throw a challenger through the wall because you got annoyed with them."
Sabrina looked genuinely offended. "I have better control than that."
"You say that now."
"I do."
"You nearly destroyed a table when Nyx called you a bitch."
Sabrina's eyes narrowed. Across the hill, Nyx's ears immediately moved.
The Umbreon lifted her head and looked toward Sabrina with an innocent expression that fooled absolutely nobody.
Sabrina pointed at her. "That Pokémon is still provoking me."
Nyx gave a pleased little sound and walked closer to Gladion before sitting beside him.
Gladion looked between the two of them and sighed. Nyx looked proudly toward Sabrina.
Sabrina stared back.
Gladion decided that remaining silent was probably the safest choice. His attention soon shifted toward tomorrow.
'With the new League season starting tomorrow, I am actually quite excited about what is coming.' He smiled to himself.
But there was another reason he was looking forward to tomorrow.
'And then there is Ash Ketchum.'
Gladion had almost forgotten how strange his own situation was. 'The protagonist of the story is finally starting his journey.'
He almost laughed at the thought.
'For years, I thought of Ash as the main character. The kid who would travel around the world, collect badges, make friends, defeat impossible opponents, lose his mind over food, and somehow survive situations that should have killed him several dozen times.'
'Now I am sitting here as a Gym Leader, with two Legendary Pokémon, an Alpha Tyranitar, a Metagross, a Machamp, and a business empire, while Ash has not even received his first Pokémon yet.'
The thought became even funnier when Gladion imagined the legendary beginning of Ash's journey.
'The poor kid is probably going to wake up late tomorrow.'
He shook his head.'I wonder if he knows his entire life is about to become completely ridiculous.'
Before Gladion could think further, a loud roar came from behind them.
Both turned around. The newest members of Gladion's team had apparently decided that relaxing was no longer necessary.
Drapion stood facing Abomasnow.
The two Pokémon stared at one another.
Guy was already standing nearby. And judging by the huge grin on his face, he was enjoying the situation far too much.
Gladion slowly rubbed his forehead. "What are they doing?"
Guy immediately raised one of his four arms and shouted enthusiastically, [Gladion, these two powerful warriors have begun a contest to determine who deserves to stand among your strongest Pokémon! I believe this is an excellent opportunity for them to discover the true meaning of youth through glorious battle!]
Gladion stared at him.
Drapion slammed its claws against the ground and glared at Abomasnow. Abomasnow responded by beating its fists against its chest.
The snow covered Pokémon appeared to be saying that its enormous size and Ice type attacks made it the obvious winner.
Drapion clearly disagreed.
Gladion sighed. "This new league season would have a lot of headaches too."
-----Author Notes------
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