Pokémon: Midnight Blue

The Eighth Badge: Part 8

Celso approached me and reached into his jacket. I cringed, but I immediately noticed a change in his body language. He was more erect and showed a different kind of confidence. A confidence in himself rather than in his cause. He pulled out the Earth Badge and handed it to me.

“Here.” he said. His voice was softer than I was used to, “You’ve earned it.”

“Thanks,” I accepted, somewhat puzzled by Celso’s change in attitude, “You feeling okay, Celso?”

“I am. I’ve realized maybe it’s time to rethink my life. It’s possible the path I’ve chosen will bring me little more than misery and insubordination. I tried so hard to work in favor of a community, however malevolent it may have been, I always made an effort to be part of something bigger than myself that I lost sight of everything wrong with what I was doing.”

“I understand. I know the feeling.”

“Maybe it’s time for me to live for myself and for my own concern. Abandon my dependence on others.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Celso. Look at your Pokémon. They look up to you. They listen to whatever you have to say. Maybe you didn’t believe in developing an emotional attachment with them, but it doesn’t mean that they haven’t developed one for you. These Pokémon are with you every step of the way. They obeyed your command when you decided to turn on Giovanni, the man you’ve called ‘master’ for so long. If that’s not loyalty, I don’t know what is.”

“What are you insinuating?”

“I’m saying that you can still be part of something bigger than yourself. The Pokémon are more than just your servants or your weapons. They’re living things who have developed a liking to you. They are your friends, whether you realize it or not. Once you treat them as your equals, it’ll open so many doors for you to become stronger. Empathy. That’s what it takes to be a great trainer. A number of people taught me that.”

I stopped. I remembered all the terrible things I said to Robin, Kylie, and Tulin while I was in my Dark Phoenix phase. I had made amends with Tulin to an extent, but I had not yet seen Robin and Kylie since then. The memory of them ached in my chest, and a feeling of remorse flooded through my veins.

“Empathy,” Celso echoed, interrupting my melancholy, “It’s an interesting thought. Certainly one worth an attempt.”

“So what are you going to do?” I responded, trying to get my mind off of the two people I had once called my best friends.

“I must watch over the gym until the Gym Leader Association can find someone to replace Giovanni. Then, I shall head to the Indigo Plateau and train and attempt to grow closer to my Pokémon along the way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I smirked at Celso. He smirked back, and for the first time, I felt a sort of kinship towards the young man who was once the most ill-souled of all my rivals. As I turned my back to leave the gym, he spoke again.

“Brian,” this was the first time ever he had referred to me by my first name, “I expect to battle against you again at the Plateau. Do not disappoint me.”

I turned back at Celso and gave him a toothy grin, “Wouldn’t dream of it, Celso.” With that, I turned my back again and left the gym.