Pokémon Swirl & Spiral

Epilogue

"And now both Garchomp and Zoroark are going at it! It seems that neither Challenger can take control! At this rate, either Pokémon could faint at any moment!"

Garrison paused the replay, rubbing his eyes.

It was late.

The Director had rewatched the League Finals seven times in the last few hours, pausing in the middle of his eighth. By now he was exhausted, but couldn't bring himself to step away. Ever since seeing it live, the battle had dwelled in his mind for the past few days. With every new viewing, he always managed to find something different and interesting.

In particular, with Challenger Kairi and her Zoroark.

"These last couple of moments..." Garrison muttered to himself, scrubbing through the broadcast.

He stopped at the part where Zoroark got up and blasted Garchomp with the final attack of the match.

I still can't believe it ended like that. I've never seen a Pokémon hold on through such combat.

The camera panned to Kairi, her eyes slightly red with tears as she ran to her Pokémon in joy.

Arim's Champion.

Garrison's job had prevented him from personally congratulating her in the arena, but he was definitely proud.

She had told him months ago that she was going to be resilient, and she had ultimately delivered.

From the beginning of the Finals, both Challenger 001 and Challenger 033 had proved themselves worthy of Arim's Championship. All the Admins and Senators had constantly discussed either's chances, with there being a split of opinions every single time.

While the Director would never say it publicly, he was glad it was Kairi who ended up the victor.

The girl wasn't the most confident in herself unlike her opponent had been, not by a long shot, but she did make up for it through her bond with her Pokémon.

Garrison again paused the broadcast, stretching in his chair. With the League ending, his schedule had been freed immensely, but he knew his work wasn't finished.

Wasn't finished at all.

He grabbed his cell phone and dialed the second primary starred contact on his list.

After a few seconds, there was no answer.

"Dammit, Allen." The Director muttered. "Now's the time when you finally decide to sleep early? That means the others are out too."

He placed his phone down and sighed, staring at his desk. As the challengers' Training facility was virtually on hiatus, he had found time to clean it.

There was no time for unorganized clutter anymore.

A second later, the door in front of him creaked opened, quietly.

"You're back." Garrison greeted, looking down at the notes he had scribbled. "I was starting to worry you got captured."

"Es..."

Garrison felt weight on his legs as Espeon climbed comfortably in his lap. He gently petted the Pokémon's back as he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

"Try to stick close to me from now on. Now that the League is done, there's no more distractions from the real world. Everything's slowly settling down now. At least, until next year."

"Espe..."

Garrison's eyes fell to the picture he had on his desk. It was an image he made sure to look at every day. The two young teenagers, one male, one female, holding up the Poké Balls for the Pokémon that they had just received only days prior.

Memories.

"...Hi honey." He gently said to the picture. It had been a while since he last spoke to it. "I hope you're doing well up there. The Pokémon League is over."

He felt Espeon reposition himself.

"I know you've been watching me since it happened. You know how much I've been waiting to get to this point." Garrison continued, slowly. "So many people have suffered, and are still suffering because of the Lady's sick and twisted inner workings. Who knows what kind of project she's thinking of next."

He paused, still staring at the picture. The boy and the girl continued to smile, oblivious to the harsh world that surrounded them.

"My contributions to this League still eat away at me every single day." Garrison stated, his voice breaking. "All those poor kids...having the opportunity to raise a Pokémon...believing they're going to become Trainers...Thinking all of those wishful thoughts of becoming Pokémon Champion............Because of my past failures, those eliminated kids are now in Sector Heil...having their emotions and identity stolen away from them. And the Pokémon they had once competed alongside...all of them disposed to become food for the Amplified."

Garrison found himself muttering. Even though he knew his office had been soundproofed, he was still paranoid that someone was listening. He stared at his notes again.

"...From what I heard, Challenger Haruka was the only exemption from all of that terror, personally chosen by the Lady...Something about how her sheer academic ability being too valuable or something, which admittedly makes sense. She's expected to start classes at the University of Luxen in a few weeks. But that still leaves 98 kids who will soon be discovered missing. Knowing the Lady, there will be no mention. I'm honestly surprised she let a challenger return back....The way the Lady works is subtle, but calculated. She knows when to present herself and also when to create distance...I fear for her future interactions with the Champion. If our plan is to work, I can't let the Lady's word infect her."

The Director suddenly grabbed the picture, now looking at it up close. Small tears ran down his face as he took a long sigh.

"...I m-miss you so much dear...You and...!" He stuttered. "...B-But those years of suffering are starting to pass! The League is over, and there is hope after all! The Champion! As the first, the girl and her Pokémon possess strength unseen in this region's history. She's exactly what we've been waiting for! The Lady thinks she got her w-weapon for destruction, but now the Operation has shifted into Stage 2......Waiting for the right moment will be the most difficult part. We'll have to be more careful than ever, not a single message leaked. We've come too far."

Garrison placed the picture back down.

On his laptop was the still image of Kairi with her championship strap raised high.

"There's hope, dear...We've finally found our Magnum."