If it did bother Oleana in any way, she gave no indication of it.
“I see,” she said blandly, her gaze lingering on the screen. Listening to him, she was reminded of Rose in a strange way—but she had the sense to keep that to herself. “While that is admirable, Gym Leader Bede, there is nothing wrong in taking pride in your successes. I would advise you as well to take care that you do not overextend yourself.”
Advice. He surely had no use or desire for such a thing from her of all people, when any previous advising she’d offered him had been ultimately self-serving. Still it came to her now naturally, without ill intent or much thought at all. She did not think to silence it.
In the screen footage, the camera panned up to show the towering form of his Hatterene, Gigantamaxed, her graceful tentacles snapping through the air as they crackled with fairy energy. The sight mercifully—or perhaps just the opposite—prompted Oleana to suddenly change the subject.
“I see you’re still using the Pokémon that Mr. Rose entrusted you with. She is the same one, isn’t she?”
a hum —— more like a way to ACKNOWLEDGE her words, really. ( without forcing himself to confront any truth they might have held. ) certainly bede was no stranger to pushing his own limits, but could oleana claim to be any different? if he was being honest, the gym leader didn’t know how to LIVE without striving for some sort of goal. he didn’t want to grow complacent because doing so would rob him of the DRIVE that pushed him ever forwards. in some ways, bede felt like a piece of MACHINERY —— if he remained idle for too long, he would crumble into a pile of rust and broken parts.
he took another sip of his drink. ❝ ... i’ll try keep that in mind. ❞ the boy eventually said, gaze flicking back to the SCREEN. a polite response. ambiguous in its level of commitment.
he watched the battle proceed in SILENCE for a few more moments, recalling each move as they came —— the triumphant culmination of the strategy he had been carefully laying throughout the MATCH. ( such a flashy victory... bede supposed that was what made it so news worthy. ) oleana’s words unceremoniously cut through the gym leader’s thoughts like a hot knife through butter, and a sharp inhale soon followed. the pokemon rose had entrusted him with. on the screen above, hatterene rained down glimmering bursts of starry energy —— like a weaponized meteor shower. ( even now, the sight filled him with PRIDE. ) ❝ ... yes. ❞ the gym leader said, after a short pause. ❝ she is. ❞
his fingers suddenly ITCHED to reach for hatterene’s great ball. ❝ she’s been my most trusted partner since the very beginning. we were always there for each other. ❞ even when no one else was. an abandoned boy. an abandoned pokemon. a FAMILY of two. ❝ i’m... grateful to have met her. ❞
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