Chapter Text
It hadn’t even been a month since Aaron had taken over, but there were already rumours spreading about him. They started slowly at first, as tiny as a single dandelion seed in the wind, but soon the whole of Eterna City was buzzing with it, passed from household to household in hushed whispers.
Apparently Aaron was impossible to beat, so said the challengers who visited his Gym. Not new Trainers with Chimchar and Ponyta, and not veterans with Infernape and Rapidash. And forget about trying with Graveler or Staravia instead—you’d just lose anyways.
Gardenia didn’t know what to make of these rumours, wild as they were. Aaron had been nearly undefeated back in Trainer School, that was true, but he always battled the same few people and Pokémon, the ones near the top of their battle classes, just like himself. Gardenia had battled him occasionally, and while she’d definitely lost way more times than she’d won, he hadn’t been impossible to beat.
Have things changed since then? Maybe they had—Gardenia wasn’t sure. The only way she’d believe the rumours was if she saw proof with her own eyes.
On one of the flower shop’s less busy days, she temporarily left it in the hands of her older brother—he was great with finances, but he was hopeless with most everything else.
“Just take down their business name and orders, and leave the rest to me,” she warned as she slipped on her shoes. “Be back in an hour.”
He rolled his eyes and waved her off without a second glance, but she knew he’d do as she asked, unless he wanted an earful from Ji-chan later.
On her walk from the outskirts of the city into the downtown core, she wondered if the kids running past were challengers who had lost. When she arrived at the Gym, someone running out of the sliding doors clipped her on the shoulder.
She was about to open her mouth, but they spoke up first. “If you’re gonna challenge him, don’t even bother.” Their laugh was bitter, unshed tears shining in their eyes. “You’re gonna lose.”
Gardenia found her jaw dropping lower and lower as she watched Aaron’s battles from the stands. She was supposed to only be gone from the shop for an hour, but she found herself unable to look away, rooted to her spot as she was.
So the rumours were true, she thought to herself .
Aaron didn’t even need his Gym Trainers to step in—he took on every single challenger with as much enthusiasm as he had the previous one, and it seemed like neither he nor his partners ever ran out of steam.
Gardenia thought there was a trace of something crazed in his expression as he commanded his Pokémon partners with the utmost confidence, and as they executed their attacks with near-perfect accuracy every single time.
It was exhilarating. It was deeply terrifying. She didn’t know what to make of it. Had Aaron been holding back in Trainer School, or had his Pokémon journey really taught him that much in only a year and a half?
When she finally managed to find the strength to wrench herself away from the stands, she walked back to the shop in a daze, uncaring of her older brother’s scolding voice at her prolonged absence or even Ji-chan’s quizzical eye.
The next time Gardenia saw Aaron, he was battling the Sinnoh Elite Four on live television.
She didn’t know what happened or what had prompted this change, only heard through the Grepa Berry vine what others had already said—that Aaron was bored, that his Pokémon were bored, and all of them desperately craved a new type of challenge, one that running the Eterna Gym couldn’t give them.
And then, alongside all of Sinnoh, she had watched in shock as he dethroned the previous Elite Four member with nothing but his Bug-type partners.
The type that was seen as the weakest of all, the type that “real” Trainers scoffed at, the type that made the elitists look down their noses, because “only kids raised Bug-types”. But Aaron had done it, won handily, in fact, without a type advantage or disadvantage to speak of.
His victory had sent a wave of interest through the Pokémon World at large, and reporters descended upon Eterna City in droves. Any place he was known to associate with—their Trainer School, his apartment complex, and yes, even the flower shop—were inundated interviewers pointing microphones at anything that moved.
Cherrim and Grotle had taken to hiding in the back room, terrified of all the new faces milling about, while Roselia sat near the register and waved at all the reporters with a smile on her face.
Ji-chan had shooed them all out of the shop with a stern warning to not take up space if they weren’t planning on making a purchase. It didn't really do much—orders skyrocketed that week, leaving them swamped but ultimately far richer and more well-known globally than they had been previously.
Still, not everything was rosy. Aaron's sudden departure and rise to stardom had also left the Eterna Gym in chaos. And nobody there knew what to do.
The shop’s entrance bell jingled, followed by the familiar creaking of the ancient wooden flooring.
Another customer? Gardenia swept aside the curtain eagerly. “Hello, and welcome to—”
The well-practiced greeting died in her throat, because Aaron was standing on the other side of the counter, and Cynthia was standing beside him.
“Hello again, Miss Florist,” Cynthia began, her gray eyes warm as she smiled. “I didn’t know if I’d ever be back here, but fate has a funny way of working, doesn't it? But onto other matters. Aaron has a request for you, if you’d be willing to hear him out?” She nodded, and he stepped forward.
Gardenia remained silent, but she gave them a hesitant nod.
Aaron gave her a tiny wave. “I know it’s been a while since we last talked, but I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather take over the Gym for me. I think a Grass-type specialist like you would be perfect for the job—it would be like I didn’t take over at all.”
She blinked rapidly, her mind utterly devoid of life. Had she heard him correctly? That he wanted her to take over the Gym in his place?
This was a dream, right?
“You’re kidding,” she breathed out, and Cynthia’s eyebrows shot up, as though she hadn’t been expecting this sort of response. But what else in Arceus’ great name was she supposed to say?!
“Actually I’m pretty serious, the position’s yours if you want it,” said Aaron, but he was still smiling. “The League checked your Trainer School records—did you know you’re the second-best Trainer to have graduated in Eterna this past decade? It’s not even close, by the way.” His smile was nearly blinding now, and Gardenia fought her instinct to look away.
Eterna’s second-best Trainer. There it was again, the title that she thought would never be hers. Aaron said it so confidently, like he knew it was what she was, even though most days she barely believed it herself.
She could understand Grass-type Pokémon effortlessly, because she could understand plants effortlessly, but would it be enough for what Aaron was asking her to do? Enough to run a Gym, all by herself, with so little real battle experience to speak of?
Roselia sent herself out of her PokéBall at that moment, and Aaron and Cynthia perked up, reacting to the sound and flash of white light. They knew what it meant, just as well as Gardenia did. It was the sound of a Pokémon who loved her Trainer, trusted her Trainer above almost anything else in the world.
Roselia chirped something, tugged firmly at her pant legs with her rose-like hands. When Gardenia looked down, Roselia wore a pleading expression.
“I realized this is quite sudden, but Aaron’s departure was quite sudden as well, so we’ve had to expedite many things about the process.” Cynthia glanced over at Aaron, but her exasperated expression was mixed through fondness. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would be honoured to watch the two of you battle.”
“So how about it?” Aaron tilted his head to the side, that easy boyish grin on his mouth. Like it was going to be a friendly practice battle between friends on the playground, and not something that would change the entire trajectory of her life.
If this really wasn’t a dream, then it was everything she had ever wanted, everything her Pokémon partners ever wanted.
There was only one answer she could give, the only answer she could live with, even if it meant nothing in the end. Even if she failed.
She proudly lifted her chin, a morning glory climbing towards sunlight. “Let’s do it!”
Cynthia was their referee, which was probably the most exciting thing that had ever happened to Gardenia, apart from the fact that she was about to be made into Eterna City’s Gym Leader. Maybe. If she won, didn’t lose too badly, or some other secret criterion. Cynthia and Aaron hadn’t really made that clear about the terms.
She wasn’t sure if she was shaking with fear or excitement as she stood across from Aaron on the Eterna Gym’s battlefield. The last time she’d stood here was years ago, when she’d taken on the previous Gym Leader as a young teenager.
That battle had been over in minutes, because she had exploited the Gym Leader’s weaknesses mercilessly—the weaknesses she knew better than the back of her hand, because Grass-type Pokémon were her specialty. Gardenia knew what made them tick, what they hated above all else, and she had won handily, to the cheers of her classmates and friends. Aaron had been there that day, too, with Skorupi in his lap.
“You got me real good!” Gardenia remembered the Gym Leader’s laugh as she’d handed over the Forest Badge. “I’ve never had someone turn my weaknesses on me with my own type before!”
But she wasn’t facing a fellow Grass-type specialist this time. It was Aaron, and all of his partners were Bug-types. Maybe type advantages weren’t everything, but science also didn’t lie—if she was lucky today, he wouldn’t crush her into total mulch.
“This will be a three-on-three battle between Aaron and Gardenia, both hailing from Eterna City.” Cynthia’s voice was crystal clear. “Substitutions are allowed, and there will be no time limit. Trainers, are you ready?”
“Yep!” Aaron smiled as he brandished his chosen partner’s PokéBall.
Gardenia’s hand tightened on Cherrim’s PokéBall. “Yes!”
“Then begin!”
If she couldn’t win by brute force or a deep understanding of Bug-types, then she’d just have to make do with some other way. “Leech Seed!”
“Toxic!” Dustox burst out from his PokéBall and doused Cherrim in a purple splash of poisonous ooze. She cried out in pain, but Leech Seed hit its mark as well, entangling Dustox’s wings in a flurry of green vines, sending him tumbling to the floor.
“Ooh, nice one!” Aaron grinned, and Gardenia couldn’t help but grin back.
Swept up in the excitement of it all, her heart pounding furiously in her chest, their Pokémon traded blows across the battlefield.
“Cherrim, try your own Toxic!”
“Double Team again!” and soon Dustox was nearly untouchable, despite Cherrim’s best efforts to keep up with his illusory figures.
She was strong, but Toxic was taking its toll, worsening every turn, and Gardenia knew Cherrim couldn’t hold out forever, not even with Leech Seed occasionally sapping Dustox’s strength.
Aaron was better than excellent, and Gardenia was desperately out of practice. Sneaking away to the edge of town for a few hours every week couldn’t possibly compare to a Gym Leader-turned-Elite Four member who trained day in and day out, for hours upon hours on end. Especially not against an Elite Four member who had the undeniable type advantage against her team.
But Gardenia couldn’t give up, not like this. She had to do everything she could for her partners. For herself.
For the tiny little girl who still lived inside her heart, the one who wanted to be both a Trainer and a florist, who wanted to balance her two passions and live a life filled with extraordinary wonder.
“Sunny Day!” she yelled out, her voice hoarse with desperation. This was it, the only trick she had left to play without switching Pokémon.
And Cherrim’s body began to glow with an intensely brilliant light.
She didn’t win against Aaron in the end, but it was a lot closer than she thought it would be. Even Cynthia seemed impressed, and Gardenia got the distinct feeling it took a lot to impress the new Champion of Sinnoh.
“That was a very good battle,” she praised, and Roselia was nearly glowing from photosynthesized pride. Roselia thought Cynthia’s Roserade was just about the coolest Pokémon ever, always watching the TV screen raptly whenever the Champion would ask for her aid in televised battles, so the praise really did mean a lot.
“Thank you, Cynthia,” Gardenia smiled, and she meant it too. “We had so much fun even though we didn’t win.” Roselia nodded vigorously, her body quivering in residual excitement.
“Thanks for giving us such an amazing battle,” said Aaron, and Drapion grinned at them.
Roselia rushed over to the Poison/Dark-type and wrapped one of his many legs in a tight hug—she wasn’t intimidated by his terrifying appearance, because they’d known each other back from Trainer School, when they’d only been a tiny Budew and a tiny Skorupi.
“We really tried,” Gardenia said, and Roselia let out a series of chirps in agreement. “But you’ve seriously improved so much since Trainer School.”
“And you think you haven’t?” Aaron was grinning now, and Gardenia was once again reminded of just how young he looked, how large his eyes were on his delicate face, how he was only a little bit taller than her, both of them so much shorter than Cynthia.
At how she was grateful to call him an acquaintance, a friend, and maybe soon, a colleague too.
“Maybe a bit,” she conceded at last.
“Well, I think I’ve just found Eterna City’s new Gym Leader,” Cynthia chimed in with a smile of her own. “So long as you accept?”
This time, Gardenia didn’t need to think twice. “We do!”
Roselia cheered so loudly and with such vigour that multi-coloured petals rained down from the sky as she twirled around on the spot.
Gardenia loved Pokémon battles just as much as she loved floral arrangements, and she was just as good at one as she was at the other, but ultimately, she was just an ordinary person living an ordinary life.
She really believed it to this day, even though no one who met her would call her ordinary anymore.
Florist. Trainer. Grass-type specialist. Gym Leader, even.
Sometimes, it didn't feel quite real. It was strange for her to finally be able to call herself as such, even though she had imagined it for a long time, if she dared to dream of such a possibility at all.
But it was all true. She was the newest Gym Leader of Sinnoh now, inducted several months after Piezro passed his position onto Volkner, and Byron had accepted the opening in his hometown of Canalave while passing on his own position in Oreburgh to Roark, his son.
Gardenia hadn't met the two new Gym Leaders yet, because the monthly League meetings were held on the first of each month, and it had been the middle of the month when the League had finalized everything for her, but she was excited to meet them soon.
Change was coming to the Sinnoh League, fresh blood to bring in new ideas and invigorate the region with new life, just like how crocuses would emerge from their slumber after a long and bitterly cold winter. And Gardenia would be one of the Trainers at the helm.
She beamed as her very first official challenger stepped onto the field.
“Welcome to the Eterna City Gym—I'm Gardenia, the Grass-type master!”