I look back at my lovely wife and smile. A Mienshao that I have fathered many Mienfoo with but only one true son and daughter as far as I am concerned. Said daughter was readying herself for her journey this year, chasing that boy no doubt. In the end, a real candidate actually did show up. A girl with a Torchic that had some real grit about her and a solid foundation in human hand to hand combat if not practical use. Medicham even went on to say she could be a contender for this year's human tournament even without Kubfu. Of course, Zoroark would still accompany them to ensure her safety and give her the scroll when it was time.

  Speaking of, I had to actually write that out. I grabbed my one quill and unfurled a scroll to write on. As I did Mienshao left the room to go help our daughter with her final preparations. I infused each stroke with dense and extremely pure dark energy, feeding the quill such that the meaning carried over even though she would not understand the nguage of old. Neither did I when I received my scroll from my father. A Pokémon who practiced the same art I did, but did not bring its true intent into his personal life as I had. He had many wives and I had 9 siblings by the time I left that nd. I went with the first trainer I found who was willing to leave Gar and ended up here when this pce was still somewhat wild compared to its tameness now.

  That was many years ago but I still recall my old teammates fondly. I finish creating the scroll and imbue it one st time with spirit to ensure it does not tear during travel before rolling it up. I easily exit the doorway created for my wife who is three feet taller than me and turn a corner to find Zoroark chatting with Grapploct.

  "Good morning boss, the little dy is in her room" Zoroark said as she noticed my presence. She was also a beta Pokémon, one who had guided my son as a trainer on his own journey two centuries back. Grapploct gave me a firm handshake and a nod in greeting.

  "Grapploct, tell my daughter to meet us at the gate" I want to have a private word with my advisor before she leaves. He hurries off while I guide Zoroark down a set of stairs, we make a couple more flights before we stop seeing light coming through any windows. Darkness envelops us but it doesn't matter.

  "So what did you want to talk about?" she has always been casual with me since she guided my son. It was only right that she treat me this way since she had even accomplished a feat for teaching my son wicked blow without a scroll. I appreciated her mannerisms and encouraged them within my inner council because I was starting to grow tired of the formalities that wasted my long life away for all those years.

  "Just a little bit about the trainer, something to keep you busy in your downtime, and about my daughter...old friend" I answered, drawing out the st two words.

  "Oh don't worry about it, I handled your other kid easily. And I'm middle aged you old fart" she poked. I chuckled at that, my age was becoming more of a joke nowadays as I started to get gray hairs on my back.

  "1692 youngsters calling me grandpa does not make me a senior Pokemon."

  "That many? Why would I have ever considered you long in the tooth?" I slid a heavy stone door to the side and entered our destination "This room is it? What goodies am I getting this time?" The 'goodies' were all sorted by what they were into different cubies. I took a couple apricot pokeballs and a belt to hand to her.

  "You need to pass yourself off as a monitor or teacher of some such to accompany them without issues with the current champion." She huffs, it is indeed hard times when I need to cater to the humans but they are strong and with great numbers. I started picking out various items and pcing them in a sack for her "Medicham predicts that Thalia will grow overconfident soon enough, hedging on my daughter to win everything for her. While I know my little girl will excel anyways, I suggest finding a strong rival to keep her on the path to power."

  "Good as done, there are plenty of those ying around."

  "By rival I mean first year but I understand how a fellow elder could make such a mistake" I smiled at her.

  "Your sense of humor sucks" she said with a look, transforming into her human form.

  "Noted and ignored. I remembered that you were really bored on your st journey. So, I am letting you cash in Medicham's investments to have some spending money. They should be worth something by now after 50 years" I pulled out a stack of physical stocks, something I insisted upon despite it being online even back then. The physical presence was assuring rather than something I couldn't touch.

  "Let me see...really you invested in a boxing club and a smithery. That second one's even a tourist attraction from what the monkeys say" she was now in a small human body, pale of skin with dark bck curly hair flowing down her back.

  "I wouldn't approve of Medicham's investment in Apple. Tech companies rise and fall all the time and that one was named after a fruit. Even though his prediction may have come true. Just a tad" I admitted. She might not have mentioned this but the boxing club had done well for itself. Becoming a national sensation with the rise of the current champion, who half specialized in fighting types including his ace who had my own typing. I handed her a pair of dark gsses that she put on, wrapping up our time in this basement.

  "Sigh...that leaves Kubfu" she twirled her new curls as she walked, fake heels clicking along the ground with a noise that she influenced.

  "Yes, we both know why she asked me this year to leave. It's fine as long as she continues growing into the more advanced arts, but I want you to try and edge her away from Mac. He hates her too much and I think this is a great time to separate the two" I was thinking, listening as the darkness in this stairway spoke rumors and whisps.

  "Cssic dad stuff, got it. It wasn't meant to be I guess, even though the matter could have turned out differently." I shut my eyes to think back. One of my few failures was noticing that fate. It happened suddenly and I might have been looking too far ahead into her destiny instead of what was happening then.

  I still remember that day when that Mac tried learning from one of the Machamp like his siblings. It was a style of many quick and fast punches, almost like the rapid strike style of the other vein of Urshifu. In Kubfu's young mind that was somehow traitorous behavior for a friend. I had told her about my training method to practice the single strike style back in the day, cutting off one hand to be forced to solely use the other and the rest was a sad history.

  I don't know what specifically was said or if Mac protested at all about the losing condition, but when we rushed in to try and stop what was happening we found a severed hand being held by Machop and a used X-attack in a drawer. Each time we attached it he karate chopped it off again, saying that he saw the error of his ways with dead eyes. Stupid, that's what it was.

  "Let us not speak of that memory, we tried all we could." A silence crept up upon us. Each privately recalling the past, something even I was unable to change. When we got closer to the gate and started seeing others again I forced my frown away, greeting my subordinates as they gathered. Kubfu was with her mother who had draped her arms around her and was smiling down at her. She hadn't aged very gracefully with much of her purple fur faded and whiskers drooping straight down, but I still saw her as the beauty from centuries ago. A blessing allowed for extended life for a few of my close counsel as part of my rank in the world order. A nifty trick that I was grateful to have as my wife and some of my advisers were well past their life expectancies befitting of their worldly status.

  "Remember your father's teachings and don't cause sweet Thalia any trouble. She was nice enough to take you in and provide for you for the coming months so don't bring dishonor upon our family" Mienshao said.

  "I won't mom, you don't have to worry about me" Kubfu replied. She was bouncing her foot and looking for help from her new trainer as her mom wrapped tighter around her and spun her around once.

  "Our little baby is growing up so fast don't you think darling?" her aura was on point to this day despite its rare use, not even having to look my direction to know I had arrived.

  "Of course dear" I turned to the chosen, walking up to pce a hand on the confident girl standing to the side of the embrace. "Thalia, as I said previously, I expect great things from you. Do not disappoint me." That caused her to look a little terrified, my own aura was employed to lightly weigh her down. She quickly returned a nod.

  "Good, come here Kubfu. Give me a hug before you leave at the very least" my smile was wide as her mother sat her down gently and she walked up to give me a good hug, jumping into my arms.

  "I'll miss you dad" she said, squeezing me a bit tighter.

  "It shall be fine; I will still be here for many years to come. I might even drop by this year's tournament if you can make it that far" I teased. She wrinkled her nose at that, showing me her tiny arm muscles when she hopped down.

  "I'll definitely make it that far! I'll do so well that you will be watching me fight that champion guy soon enough" a small burst of fighting type energy flexed through her muscles as she boasted.

  "I'll be sure to let him know that, now are you ready?" she nodded, hurrying over to Thalia "Then by the w of my word, I banish you from the Colosseum until you can cim victory among the humans. For however long it takes, you will not be allowed to step foot within my nds until you have proven your worth. May your enemies fear your fist and your allies find courage in your strength. Good luck and farewell daughter." I stood there at the massive gate and away from the center of my territory, waving as the pair of youths made their way away from the gathered crowd. Zoroark followed with a casual walk, blowing a kiss to her current spouse as she joined those who she would protect from any real danger.

  I continued waving, my wife and others joining me, until they disappeared over the curvature of the world. Then I finally stopped and turned to enter back towards the realm of my creation. The Colosseum, or its true name of the Pit of Darkness, would miss its princess but it would have to be.

  I would have many a boring months ahead of me, and I hoped that Kubfu would grow to be just as strong as I knew she could be.