Pokémon: Above the Top

"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! Doesn't he know how important the Operation is? And he actually sent people to stop you? He'll be back any minute, don't worry, child, I'll make sure he gives you an explanation!"

Myron slapped the armrest of the sofa, furious. In his eyes, Sato and the other two were still just kids, and there was no reason for them to lie about something like this.

Besides, he knew very well what kind of person Tetsuya was… after all, he was his uncle.

What a disgrace!

"Mr. Myron, let's put the task aside for now, the thing is…" Sato hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not.

"Since you've come to me, there's no need to hold back. Whatever outrageous thing Tetsuya's done, just say it, I'll stand up for you!"

Myron waved his hand "grandly", encouraging Sato to speak freely… though inwardly he was already growing displeased.

After all, he was the previous Gym Leader, and he understood the ways of the world. Now that he thought about it, the three had clearly come to report him.

Who would be happy to find out their family had raised a rotten kid? Especially one old enough to know better but still embarrassing the family.

"The Eight-Gym Evaluation is coming up soon. What Leader Tetsuya meant was…"

Sato continued speaking in vague, indirect terms, which had the best effect, people would fill in the blanks themselves.

Bang!

"OUTRAGEOUS! Tetsuya's guts are getting too big, he even wants to interfere with the Evaluation?"

Myron filled in the ending himself, and this time he was truly angry. He slammed the table so hard that Jasmine, who had been daydreaming nearby, jumped in fright.

"If he can't hold on to the foundation I built, then fine! But all he thinks about are shady schemes! Just wait until he gets back… I'll skin him alive!"

"Ahem, please calm down, sir. I'm sure Leader Tetsuya has his reasons…" Sato continued playing the part of mediator, but his words made the situation even more defined.

Myron was still fuming when the sound of footsteps began to draw near, growing louder with each step.

"Welcome, welcome! I've been dying to meet the League's new rising star. I've waited so long the flowers have withered!"

Tetsuya burst in and immediately started asking for it.

"Waited? Waited for what? Waited to threaten someone into withdrawing from the Eight-Gym Evaluation?" Myron shot back instantly.

Tetsuya: (-_-) ? I haven't even said anything yet… how do they already know?! No wait… Uncle knows?!!

Tetsuya's face changed drastically. "It wasn't me! I didn't! Don't make things up!"

"Make things up? They came straight to me! And you say the flowers withered from waiting? What's got you so desperate, you disgrace!"

Myron grew angrier the more he spoke, and lunged forward ready to hit him. Jasmine turned pale from fright, and Sato quickly stepped in to hold him back.

'The longer it brews, the bolder it bites…' Sato thought inwardly. Opening with a "fake beating" scene had certainly cost Tetsuya his "dignity", but made it hard for Sato to push the matter further.

Pretend to hit, pretend to stop him, pretend to dodge.

'My role in this show… is to perform with all I've got.'

Except for Jasmine, Mark, and Sina, the other three knew exactly what was going on.

Once the mix of genuine and fake emotions calmed, the group fell into a slightly awkward atmosphere.

"Ahem… Leader Sato, on behalf of Tetsuya, I sincerely apologize. As for the Eight-Gym Evaluation, it will, of course, proceed strictly according to League protocols. Olivine Gym will not break the rules."

As Myron spoke, he made sure to glare sternly at Tetsuya, clearly forbidding him from interrupting.

"With you're's assurance, I naturally believe it. Also, the Sweep Operation on the road to Olivine City is already more than halfway complete…"

"Good, leave the rest to us."

Myron took over the matter directly. Seeing Sato starting to ask for a favor, he actually calmed down instead.

"Thank you, sir, for understanding. As it happens, while I was carrying out the Sweep Operation in the Forest of Shadows, I happened to catch a rather good Pokémon. I'll give it to Jasmine, she was just scared quite badly."

After speaking, Sato took out the Ball containing Steelix and handed it to Jasmine, who remained silent and timid.

"A girl needs a strong Pokémon to protect herself. You'll still need to catch the Pokémon inside yourself, but once you do, it can become a reliable partner."

Jasmine looked over at her grandfather Myron, unsure whether she was allowed to accept it, she didn't even have a Pokémon yet.

"If you are willing to help my sweet granddaughter, this old man is naturally delighted. Jasmine, go ahead and take it."

Myron smiled casually. What kind of good Pokémon could really be found in a Sweep Operation? At most, it would be a pet for Jasmine to raise.

"Thank you, Sato! What kind of Pokémon is inside?" Jasmine accepted the Ball joyfully. This would be her very first Pokémon, she never expected it to come so quickly or so unexpectedly.

"A Steelix," Sato said with a smile, stating it plainly.

Jasmine's eyes went wide, and her mouth instantly formed an "O" shape.

Myron also turned his head to look. No matter when, a naturally evolved Steelix was an extremely rare existence.

"This is too much!" Myron regretted agreeing to it so lightly, this was a gift that wouldn't be easy to repay.

"It's fine. The future belongs to the young, after all. Jasmine should start preparing early," Sato replied with a meaningful smile directed at Myron.

Myron froze for a moment. Sato was clearly implying something.

He looked at his obedient, sensible granddaughter, then at the gloomy-faced Tetsuya, and finally turned back to glance at the young "prodigy", Sato.

"…A world for the young, huh…" Myron murmured to himself, his heart deep in thought.

The group chatted for quite a while, and it was well past dinner time. Myron insisted that Sato and the others stay for dinner and wouldn't let them go to the Pokémon Center.

Unable to refuse his warm hospitality, Sato and the others stayed. At the dinner table, Mark and Sina continued throwing sarcastic remarks at Tetsuya.

But Myron, wise with age, took the initiative to ask whether there had been some kind of misunderstanding.

Mark, still "agitated", recounted their previous experience in full detail. Then Tetsuya, both furious and wronged, began defending himself; he was practically in tears trying to prove his innocence.

Now it was Mark and Sina who started to hesitate…

"Those two must be severely punished and thoroughly investigated!"

Myron finally made the call, though deep down he was even more disappointed in Tetsuya.

Two subordinates lying and deceiving had caused all this trouble. What good was Tetsuya as a Gym Leader? After everything was explained, the tension among them eased, and the dinner finally went smoothly.

---

"Boss, are we really just heading back like this?"

Early the next morning, Sato and his companions said their goodbyes. On the road home, Mark couldn't help but speak up.

"What else do you want, a battle to the death, with Tetsuya sobbing and begging you for forgiveness?"

"H-heh heh… not really, just feels kinda…"

"Stifling?" Sato glanced at Mark and Sina as he replied.

"Mmhmm!" Both nodded at once.

"An elder at home is a treasure. Myron is the anchor of Olivine Gym. As long as he's there, Olivine Gym won't fall. And that Steelix wasn't given for free. Beyond the favor, if Jasmine can command Steelix in battle, then Tetsuya's position as Gym Leader is just about done."