Just Another Love Story - Unova Diaries of Cilan and Iris

Chapter 4- Sous Chef

Writer's Note:
I apologize if there has not been a new chapter release for the past 3 to 4 months. I had to take a brief hiatus as I had to deal with many problems and work (mostly love life, social life, and academic life), but I won't elaborate on that too much. Maybe I'll write a one-shot, who knows... After the first half of June, expect a few more chapters coming in since right now, it's a very busy time for me and I was fortunate to have a draft already saved from the beginning of May. Anyways, back to...

[Cilan's perspective]

"Hey Daddy, what do you think? I made this crème brûlée by myself! What do you think? Am I good enough for the culinary world or what?"

"I was a mature child in many people's eyes, but it was really because my family is a huge group of world class chefs and Pokemon connoisseurs. My father was a S-class connoisseur who was a huge hit in many regions, especially here in Unova. My mother was a famous chef in this region and she started as a sous chef in the Striaton Gym. Before Chili, Cress, and I became gym leaders the gym, my mom and her three other sisters were the gym leaders. I remembered the time my mom had told me to inherit the Gym with my brothers."

Chili, Cress, and I sat on the couch in front of Mother, who was sitting on the opposite side. She showed us an old photograph of three young women, color of hair just like Chili, Cress, and I. They all wore sleek black suits and bow ties that matched their hair colors just like us, but instead of wearing matching black pants they wore skirts that had the color of their hair. Chili stared at the photograph like a Pokemon who had found their favorite berry in a bush and he asked Mother, "Whoa who are they? They have a hot and spicy appearance to them, especially the girl with the red hair!"

Cress gazed at the photograph and had his eyes glued to the girl with the wavy blue hair. "They look cool and collected, like the waves of the ocean at low tide," he added.

I looked at the woman in the center of the group. Her sage green hair was styled in a poufy bun with her bangs clipped behind her ears with flower clips and her outfit had matched the theme of her and her sisters' grouping. They were triplets, just like Chili, Cress, and I. "I'm guessing the woman with the Pansage green hair was you, Mother?" I asked her.

She answered with a wide smile on her face, "Yes, I was the grass-type lover out of the three. We were triplets, just like you three. We ran the gym with our monkey trio, but now that we are at our retirement, I think it's time we get a new Gym leader... Or should I say, Gym leaders."

"What do you mean by that, Mother?" I asked her.

"Cilan... Chili... Cress..." She rubbed each of our heads, playing with our hairs. "I want you three to work hard. Strive to be the best Pokemon trainers, or even be the best Pokemon Connoisseurs. I know you all are capable of achieving great things, and when the time is right you three have the choice to inherit the Gym."

"The Striaton Gym?! Where you work, Mother?" Chili gasped in awe.

Mother replied with a grin, "Yes. You can even keep the restaurant theme!"

"But Mother, when can we start? Are we not old enough to get our own Pokemon and start our own adventures?" Cress questioned Mother.

She smiled and told us that she will be back to grab something. She returned with three small gift boxes, each wrapped in our corresponding colours of green, blue, and red.

She gave each box to us. "Open it." She said. I opened the lime green box and inside was a sleeping Pansage. His tiny yellow paws hugged his green head. His broccoli hair rustled as it moved with every small toss and turn he made in his sleep. When he felt the light shining from the bright lamps, his oak brown eyes opened. He stared at me with a questionable face followed by a cheerful smile. The Pansage that I would call my own had jumped into my arms as we all laughed with Chili, Cress, and their Pansear and Panpour.

"My mother told me she gave us the monkey Pokemon because it resembled our brotherhood with each other. She thought that she would get a Pokemon for each of us that would connect us even closer. She also said that if we were to inherit the gym, it would feel like the gym leaders had only switch genders."

Iris giggled with the thought of me gender swapping. "I can just imagine the girl version of you!" The giggle was infectious enough to make me giggle as well. Her different faces and reactions always amused me. In fact, I find them all adorable like baby Pokemon. She switched faces and continued our conversation on the topic. "How about your dad? What was he like?"

The word "dad" instantly clicked inside my brain. My chest felt heavier and I could barely breathe. I had thought about it for a moment and decided to tell her anyways, despite the fact that a huge part of me didn't want to say anything about Father.

"Father was a very... intense man. He is an S-class Pokemon Connoisseur, so he was very big with words. He encouraged us to be Pokemon Connoisseurs, but in the worst way possible. When we had complained about it when we were small, he would criticize us. It would have almost sounded like threats. He would tell us that if we didn't become A-Class Pokemon Connoisseurs, he would disown us."

Iris' face fell in sympathy. "That's terrible."

"I know, but even though he would say mean things to us, we did push to become A-Class Connoisseurs. It was thanks to our dad that we made it to that goal. Even so, the scars run deep..."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

I took another deep breath and replied, "When I was 6, I was in the middle of practicing my culinary skills. One day, I decided that I was ready for a difficult dish, so I decided to make a crème brûlée for a family gathering. I thought it would impress my family at the time. I was able to make a delicious crème brûlée and my mom and relatives liked it, but my dad was not so impressed. In fact, he even threw the dish on the floor. He said that it was disgusting and that I should not even dare to practice the culinary arts. He even called me a piece of worthless trash in front of my whole family."

I felt myself crumbling by the image of that bad memory. I curled up into a ball to cover my depression. My cheeks started to feel wet and I realized that I was crying. Not now, I thought. Not in front of Iris, out of all people. When my cries were about to break out, I felt arms wrapping me around behind. The warmth had spread from my back to my whole body. My heart was soothed by a voice as warm as the Ember of a Pignite telling me, "It's okay. Don't be sad." I broke out of my ball and turned around, seeing Iris with a caring smile on her face.

She held my hands, stared at me with a serious face, and said to me, "I know that I could never understand the circumstances you've been through, but I do know that you were able to conquer them and they were able to shape the person you are now; a man with lots of Connoisseur skills, who can really cook, and who loves grass type. You're strong and independent, so don't let your past knock you down now, okay?"

My heart was racing by the touch of her hands in mine. I felt my cheeks heating up and told myself to cool down, but I couldn't. Instead, I wiped away my tears and smiled. I replied to her, "Okay..."

Iris got up and stretched. She stared at the horizon in amazement, her dark brown eyes reflecting a bright orange light. "Look! The sun! It's rising!" She pointed to the horizon and I gazed at the sunlight that was stretching throughout the region. I heard a faint whisper beside me. "Promise me that you won't forget what I told you, okay? Be the greatest Pokemon Connoisseur in the world, for me and everybody else. Let's strive to be the very best together, and leave our pasts behind us, okay?"

"Of course." I answered. As if I would ever forget.