Life After Azume

[takestheblame]

 In a way, being brought against his will to an entirely different world, with different rules and with hundreds of monsters who are more than mere animals may be one of the biggest blessings in disguise Kiryu had ever experienced.

Bringing Haruka with him was easy. Neither of them had any significant ties in their lives. Haruka and Kiryu had just started to get their lives in order, it was simple enough to cancel anything they had done so far, and bring Haruka to Sinnoh. She had been rather confused when Kiryu said they were moving to a place far away, where they could start over. That was how he had phrased it – you couldn’t just say right away it was an entirely different world!

The expression of wonder in her face when she arrived to Sinnoh said it all.

-ooooo-

Turns out moving to another world carries a lot of trouble – namely that they arrived without nothing but whatever they could have in a few backpacks.

Luckily, Kiryu was rather determined and willing to do everything he could to make this work. They got settled in the Pokemon Center, saying he needed a few days to get everything straightened out. During those few days, he could be seen everywhere in Floaroma and the neighboring cities. Kiryu never turned his nose at any work there was to be done. Favors, menial jobs, helping people, it all was done with genuine drive. It also helped Kiryu had a well-trained team, willing to aid him in everything he needed. Daigo in particular spent most of his time out of the Pokeball, always standing aside Kiryu. Kiryu by himself could be intimidating, now that he had a big bear with him all the time he was almost unapproachable – at least until he actually spoke to people. Then they’d notice he was just a regular guy who simply looked like he’d belong in Team Rocket and had a bear with him.

It wasn’t long before he got known in Floaroma and surrounding areas as that nice guy with the Pangoro.

Kiryu’s will to help soon netted him the goodwill of Floaroma as a whole. One of the residents offered him a room for him and Haruka and understood when he said it’d take a while to pay rent. Haruka commented it was nothing she wasn’t used to already – being in the orphanage had been rather similar to sharing a house with another family. Or...with several families with a lot of children.

The more time passed, the more both Kiryu and Haruka got known around town. Haruka was as kindhearted and proactive as Kiryu, and much more approachable. She seemed to have quite the knack when dealing with Pokemon. Some people started saying she’d be excellent trainer material.

Kiryu wasn’t sure if he liked that or not.

-ooooo-

Although Kiryu had spent several months in Sinnoh, Pokemon still were almost surreal for him. Despite that, he cherished his team. It was great this world was okay with groups of large, fierce-looking creatures hanging around like a band of miscreants. Something like this wouldn’t have worked out there in the world he came from. Kiryu tried to let them all out of the Pokeballs as much as possible, although usually it had to be on the roads instead of in Floaroma. From time to time they kept training – Kiryu was retired as a trainer, but they didn’t want to lose any skills they had gained so far.

On the other hand, Haruka loved the Pokemon. Just like Kiryu expected, she warmed up to them very quickly. When Kiryo introduced her to the team, she immediately stepped up towards Daigo, her eyes shining.

“You’re just like Uncle Kaz! Big and gruff, but you’re nice”

The bear was happy to hear that.

Daigo was showing to be a rather responsible Pokemon. As Kiryu’s partner, he had taken the leadership of the team. He supervised everyone else’s training, standing aside and looking at everybody as if he was waiting for anyone to get unruly. It never happened – Kiryu was very respected by everyone in his team, so instead Daigo’s duty usually was to lend a hand once anything got tough. It usually got to the point where he could be almost overbearing.

“You’re focusing on helping them now that you achieved evolution” Kiryu once told him. Daigo had looked away, shaking his head, but his trainer really pinpointed what he was feeling. It was for things like this he liked his trainer so much. He understood him.

The rest of the team was faring quite well, too. Bito missed fighting hand-to-hand with Kiryu, but he knew he had gotten too strong to do such a thing. Instead, he was trying to do that with the rest of the team, with varying degrees of success. Nobody other than Daigo could keep the pace with him. Aka was the one who managed to resist for a while, although it always ended with Aka turned on his back like a turtle while Daigo dragged him around, pulling from his tail and leaving deep marks into the earth.

Aka turned out to be introverted, compared to the rest. He didn’t even bother to talk to his teammates that much, usually preferring to just talk with Haruka the Snorunt. They spent a lot of time together. Through Haruka’s cautious manners, he interacted with the rest, letting her lead most of the conversation, although most of the time she kept trying to goad any Pokemon and trainer in the path to a fight.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say almost all the trainers Kiryu battled were found by the Snorunt.

Ni wished she could be at the sea more often, but she couldn’t complain. For some reason Haruka the girl had turned out to like Ni and Shogu a lot. Every time the family went to the routes that were by the sea, Ni always insisted in carrying Haruka on her back. Those journeys always ended with Haruka soaked from head to toe, but ecstatic, and Ni beaming with pride. She once confided in Daigo she wanted to impress Haruka the girl. When they heard about Whirl Islands in Johto, Ni once tried to carry Haruka all the way over there. Only Kiryu swimming behind them to take them back to shore stopped the impromptu journey. Everyone in the team was amazed Kiryu dragged an entire Gyarados to the shore all by himself, bemused and upset.

Shogu had been trying very hard to have a bigger role in the team than he did. Technically he was the baby of the team! Kiryu had been the first person he saw when he hatched! And...gave him a food-related name, for some reason. Shogu sometimes wondered what happened to the white-haired boy who seemingly gave Kiryu that idea. Although Kiryu counted on Shogu a lot, Haruka was the one to shower him with the type of attention he craved. For some reason, she kept telling him he was cute. If Shogu could blush he would. “Uncle Kaz, if you raised Shogu since he was a baby, then he’s my brother?” Haruka would ask Kiryu mischievously. She liked to joke about that, but she kept treating Shogu like a younger brother anyway.

-ooooo-

A few months after they arrived to Floaroma Kiryu took Haruka to see Shaymin.

The field of flowers was just like he remembered it, maybe even more colorful than before. Both Haruka and Kiryu walked through the flowers, trying to disturb them as little as possible. Kiryu kept staring at the ground, trying to see the gracidea flower. It took a while before they stumbled upon Shaymin.

The way Haruka cuddled with the small deity reminded him a lot of Camilla. He wondered if they were all okay. It wasn’t often he talked with the rest of the travelers he had spent months with. Just like with most people in his life, he had lost contact with them. From time to time he saw them around, talked with them and caught up, but it wasn’t often. It was a nice bunch...Camilla, Michael, Emmeryn, Ignis, Morag, Atsushi, Zelda, Aya, Kayneth, and many others...a lot of people who were very different yet managed to unite for the same goal because of the circumstances.

“Uncle Kaz, why are you staring at the sky like that?”

He missed them.

-ooooo-

Kiryu didn’t remember the last time he had such a calm life. Haruka and he were happy. It had been two years since they settled in Sinnoh. By now Kiryu had managed to obtain a house through a lot of favors and work, and was starting to furnish it. Haruka was thirteen by now, and liked to model the place according to her tastes.

It wasn’t going to be long before she left to start her own journey through the region. Until then her education had been a bit of an odd topic. How was she supposed to be prepared for the world out there? What should he teach her about? Should he enroll her in any school around? Kiryu tried her best to educate her, and although he was mildly successful, there was only so much he could do. To further her education, she had to undergo that tradition so many kids her age went through.

It took a long while for Kiryu to come to terms with that. He was rather worried something could happen to her. Sinnoh seemed to be much more peaceful than his world was. Safer, too. Still...he was Haruka’s father, pretty much. Of course he’d be worried.

When Haruka came home, excited about how she had caught a Pokemon while she had gone out exploring with Shogu, he felt it was time to let her go build her own life. It happened much sooner than he thought it would, but it was time.

Packing for the journey was like reliving some of his own traveling experience. Making sure she had equipment, preparing everything she’d need, going with her to buy all the stuff she’d use along the way, examining so many maps and reading with her about so many Pokemon species all over again...

“Uncle Kaz, I’m ready”

It was time. Together, Kiryu, Haruka and Daigo walked to the edge of the town. The three stood in front of the route, looking at the horizon.

“Take care, Haruka”

“I know! I’ll be okay, I promise”

“Any plans for your team?”

Haruka tilted her head, adjusting her backpack. “I have a few, but I’ll plan along the way. There are so many Pokemon out there I can’t choose right now”

She sounded hopeful, intrigued by the world out there. They were in silence for a moment before Kiryu took out a Pokeball. “Wait” he took Daigo aside. It was hard to ask what he was going to say now, but he felt he could relax a little more if Daigo accepted. “Daigo, please take care of her”

The bear didn’t expect that. Kiryu continued. “I’d like you to go with her. I trust you’ll help her be a successful trainer. Can you do that?” Daigo didn’t hesitate to nod. His trainer was asking him to take care of his daughter! He could sense the deep trust Kiryu had towards him. Kiryu turned towards Haruka. “Daigo should go with you”

Haruka smiled. She had supposed Kiryu would ask something like that. “I’d like that” she said sincerely, receiving Daigo’s Pokeball.

While Haruka and Daigo walked towards the horizon, Kazuma Kiryu turned around and walked home. He was already looking forward for when they’d return someday. He knew Haruka would triumph.

He was already proud of her.