Trials of a Champion - Kanto [Pokemon x OC]

62 This is My Secret

I only just noticed the patchwork job on my own arms and legs. "Oh. I didn't, actually."

"Sorry that my patching job needs work. You can fix them later."

I grinned. "It's not that bad. I appreciate it, anyway."

"Good news is nobody got too hurt. The president suffered a head injury, but as far as I know, he's alright. The paramedics were on their way when we left."

"Don't tell me you left him there by himself?!"

"Come on, don't make it sound like that! I wanted to stay and help, but he insisted I leave. Oh, speaking of the president, he asked me to give you this." Paul showed me the president's parting gift.

"Is that a Poké Ball?"

"A very special one, yes."

My eyes popped. "The Master Ball?! I thought it was a prototype."

"I thought so, too. Apparently, one of the Silph scientists randomly succeeded at making the first-ever working one. He told the president in secret, and the president made absolutely sure to keep Giovanni out of the loop while he looked for a way to hand the ball off to someone trustworthy.

"As far as we're concerned, Giovanni thinks that the Master Ball is a failed project.

"And then, the president asked me to give this to you."

"Me?!" I squeaked. "Why?"

"He wanted to thank you personally for saving all his staff members and the Pokémon, too, and since he couldn't thank you at the time, he thought this would get the message across."

"But, but you helped, too. What about you?"

Paul smirked. "Well, the Team Rocket attack was your idea in the first place. Besides, I don't need a Poké Ball like this to catch Pokémon. It's nothing but a handicap. My skills alone are more than enough to become a great Pokémon Trainer."

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing in particular." He placed the ball in my hand. "The president trusted you to only use this when absolutely necessary. I assume you'll heed his words, right?"

"Who do you take me for?" I replied with a grin. "Of course. Now, where's my bag?"

Eevee brought it over for me.

"Thanks, Eevee."

"Ah," gasped Paul. "I have something else. This time, something for each of us."

He showed me a pair of badges: each displayed two concentric golden circles.

"They're from Sabrina. She calls it the Marsh Badge."

"What are these for?" I asked. "We didn't beat her in a battle."

"No. She thought helping to save her gym, take back her city, and get rid of Team Rocket was worth a pair of badges as much as winning a couple of gym battles. When I called the others to let them know we'd be leaving the city immediately, she insisted we come by the dojo to receive these."

"Wow. I guess I'll have to call her later and thank her."

"Yeah, me too. I didn't have a lot of time to talk. I'm sure they're super worried about you, so let's make sure to call them at some point. You can let them know that you're alright, and I can apologize for being in such a rush."

"Why were you hurrying so badly?"

"Because," he looked really embarrassed, "you were injured. All I could think about was getting you somewhere safe as fast as possible. A place where you could rest and recover. Plus, somewhere Team Rocket couldn't find us, just in case Giovanni decided he wanted payback for disrupting his plans."