Set after the Pokemon League tournament.
Pokemon belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, etc
Striving to Succeed
I almost don't see him there, concealed in the shadows as he is, yet the
collective gaze of the curious poliwags is something of a giveaway. He
is seated quietly on the edge of the pond, one hand trailing in the
water, sending ripples dancing across the surface, disrupting the
mirrored image of the stars above. I haven't seen such a sombre
expression on his face for well over a year, not since the time he'd
asked me if I thought he could ever be a true pokemon master...
"Gary?" I call out to him as I approach, and see his posture stiffen in
response. I half-expect him to run away and hide amongst the bushes as
he was wont to do when he was younger. He was always a shy child - at
least he was before starting on his pokemon journey. The poor boy never
had much confidence in his own abilities until I started fostering his
interest in pokemon.
He reminded me of myself at that age, absolutely enraptured by the many
different kinds of pokemon and their different abilities. I suppose I
pushed him a little, hoping that he, unlike his mother, would eventually
follow in my footsteps - yet he seemed to push himself even harder,
fully determined to be the best trainer around. Quite understandable, I
suppose, given that he never really excelled in anything else.
He was so proud when he received his license, and prouder still when he
received his starter pokemon and set out on his journey. I can see none
of that pride in him now, as he sits so despondently by the water.
"I failed."
He speaks softly, but I can hear the agony he's trying to hide behind a
stony facade. Given the circumstances, it isn't so surprising to find
him questioning his own worth once more - he had fully expected to win
the tournament. He'd rested all his hopes and dreams on that one goal,
and had fallen short of his target.
"You didn't fail," I tell him as I halt beside him. He's staring out
into the middle of the pond, refusing to look at me.
"I lost the tournament. Didn't even come close to becoming a Master."
"You did well simply to gain acceptance into the League, earning as many
badges as you did," I point out reasonably. "And passing three rounds
in the tournament itself is no small achievement, let alone capturing
and training well so many pokemon. This was only you first attempt,
Gary - most new trainers don't accomplish half as much as you have."
"Then how come Ash got further than me?!" he glares up at me, and I can
see his eyes glisten with unshed tears. "I have more badges, more
pokemon, and he still beat me!" He looks down at the water once more,
clenching his fists tightly.
I do see his point. Ash didn't exactly appear to be a good potential
trainer when I first saw him. He turned up late, and consequently
received a pokemon I hadn't particularly wanted to offer to an
inexperienced beginner trainer. He seemed to have little idea of the
practicalities involved with pokemon training, and I fully expected him
to return within a week to trade that pikachuu back for a more
appropriate starter - but he didn't.
"Perhaps if you'd battled his opponents and he'd battled yours, your
positions might have been reversed," I suggest. "The matches are drawn
by chance, after all."
"That's not the point," he mutters. "I wasn't good enough. I'm never
good enough, at anything." He pushes himself to his feet, but I grab
his shoulder before he can storm off. He focuses angrily on my hand,
but I won't let him go until he's listened to what I have to say.
"So is that it, Gary?" I question him sharply, causing him to blink up
at me in surprise. "You didn't win the tournament, so you're going to
give it all away, just like everything else?"
He winces at that. It was a harsh blow, and I regret having to deliver
it, but I refuse to let him throw away the one thing I know he truly
loves to do, just because he's become so used to failing in everything
he attempts. I've watched him give up on school and sports, even on
making friends, but I will not simply stand by this time.
"Do you want to know how Ash managed to go so far, despite his
problems? Do you?" I wait until he nods before continuing. "It's
because he never gives up. Every time he suffers a defeat, he persists
in trying until he finds a way. He wasn't as skilled as you were when
you first started, but he's learned more along the way. He doesn't have
many pokemon, but he knows where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and
how best to use them."
"So he's basically a better trainer than me," Gary interrupts bitterly,
and tries to pull away once more.
"That's not what I said," I sigh in exasperation. Children can be so
remarkably stubborn at times. I let go of his arm, moving my hands to
rest lightly on his shoulders. He still won't look at me. "You're a
very good trainer, Gary, but you could be better still - if you keep on
trying. Just like Ash keeps on trying."
He finally raises his head, and I smile slightly as he meets my eyes.
"You... really think so, Grandpa?" he asks tentatively with wide eyes,
reminding me of the day he first asked me if I thought he could become a
good pokemon trainer. He was as uncertain then as he is now.
"Do you think so?" I ask in return, and his expression darkens with
anxiety once more. "If you really love pokemon, Gary, it shouldn't
matter what anyone else thinks besides you."
He looks away, and for a brief moment I fear he'll run away once more -
and this time not even those silly cheerleaders his parents hired would
be able to restore his confidence in himself again. But they don't have
to.
"I think so," he nods decisively, his expression no longer troubled, but
instead determined. I release his shoulders as he pulls himself
together enough to grin up at me. "I'll beat Ash next time," he
promises. "I won't give up until I do!"
I chuckle as I lead him back towards the house. Now he's sounding a lot
like another young pokemon trainer I know. They really are quite alike
in some ways - and I'm very proud of both of them.