Chapter Text
When Kieran first saw the confident girl who took on his sister’s challenge, he couldn’t help but be enamoured by how cool and awesome she was.
The total opposite of who he turned out to be. Years of pity and distain towards him and his interest made him turn out like this.
She was as radiant as the sun, burning brightly with her cheerful smile and optimistic personality. Seeing her made Kieran want to be like her.
To be as cool and radiant as she was.
Maybe then, he wouldn’t have to rely on Carmine or anyone else to do things for him. He could stand on his own two feet.
Then, she was paired up with him for the signpost assignment the following day.
She looked even more amazing than ever, smiling brightly as she confidently introduced herself to him, Carmine, and her classmates.
With how she carried herself, the difference between them was pretty much night and day.
She made that clear when they battled for the first time. The overwhelming difference between the battling skills was evident when she managed to knock out Sentret and Yamna without even breaking a sweat. She didn’t even have to send out more than a single Pokemon.
Even so, she didn’t rub her victory in his face, nor tell him what an embarrassment he was like some of the other students at Blueberry did. He wasn’t bound by expectations to be tough or skilled like they so blatantly pointed out when they beat him.
She told him that win or lose, she enjoyed every moment battling him. That he loved seeing the passionate look in his eyes when he commanded his partners, and the love he showed towards them during every moment.
It was at this point that Kieran felt like she was goddess in his eyes. Someone outside of his family that was able to love and accept him for who he was. Someone who didn’t judge him for his meek and introverted personality or saw him as some weirdo.
His heart fluttered with joy when she approached him. Butterfrees filled his stomach over the anxiety and anticipation of the radiant girl being by her side.
Because how could someone so kind and amazing not have an effect on him, when he was everything she wasn’t.
So, his anxiety won out in the end, whispering in his ear that he shouldn’t engage with her. That she was too good for someone like him. He told her he would walk ahead to the signposts, not wanting to interfere with her journey. He knew he would just be a hindrance, like he always was.
But despite accepting his request, Kieran could sense the girl was somewhat sad even as she tried to hide it from him.
He tried to take the initiative soon after, not wanting her to see the same sorrowful look she had because of his actions. He told her all about the story behind the signposts, about the Loyal Three and the ogre of Kitakami that struck them down.
Other might have thought the ogre was scary, but Kieran couldn’t help but admire how powerful and independent it was. The ogre didn’t care about being resented by the villagers. It made its choice to fight without hesitation, despite the lonely life it lived because of it.
When he told her about his admiration for the ogre, he expected her to say that he was wrong or call him childish for his beliefs.
But instead, she listened and considered his words, flashing a warm and sympathetic smile for what the ogre had to go through.
Kieran couldn’t believe that he would have found someone who actually shared his views without turning them down without a single thought. Not even Carmine did, and she was one of the only people who cared about him, despite how prickly and rude she can be towards him a lot of the time.
She was the opposite of the majority of people he had known, and the mere thought made his heart race even more. Because in front of him stood someone who could actually want to be his friend, one who genuinely liked him.
That was why he wanted to spend even more time with her to get to know her better. He invited her to join him at the Festival of Masks, where they could enjoy themselves to their hearts’ content. He couldn’t hide his excitement when she said yes, nor his blush when she slyly remarked how it’d be nice to live with him.
Even Carmine’s rudeness wasn’t enough to dampen his mood when he walked side by side with the girl to enraptured him with her loving and accepting personality. He would never forget the candy apples they shared alone; the soft touches and passionate gazes they gave to one another. And he would never forget the encouragement for him to do his best when he told her he wanted to become stronger.
But those happy memories were shoved deep into the recesses of his mind when she had betrayed his trust that fateful day.
He found out she and Carmine had met the ogre and purposefully decided to leave him out of it while they went off together to repair its mask.
Worst of all, she had the audacity to lie to him about it when he asked her.
He would never have told such lies, not to someone as kind as her. So why did she think it was alright for her to do so to him?
His admiration towards the Paldean girl turned to anger as she continued acting as if nothing was wrong. How she kept battling the same way claim victory over him even as he had been training intensely to get stronger.
All because he wanted to become as strong and shine brightly as she did.
That’s why he decided to steal the Teal Mask before they could give it to the ogre. If he was the one who gave the mask, then at least the ogre of Kitakami would accept him. At least, that was what he thought.
But it turned out, all that did was make him see how weak and alone he truly was. That despite his best efforts, it wasn’t enough to change anything about himself.
The girl he once admired was the one who saved the day. She was the one who befriended the ogre when the Loyal Three returned. She was the one who defeated them and returned the other masks to the ogre, who was so overjoyed that it immediately latched onto her and didn’t even give him a single thought.
Even when he tried to convince the villagers that the ogre wasn’t some evil monster that the legend made it look like, the ogre still chose her in the end. His battling skills were still paltry compared to hers. The difference between them was still night and day. No, it was more like between heaven and earth.
The moment she caught the ogre…no Ogerpon, was the last straw.
All the happiness and love he felt towards the girl had shattered, replaced with malice, despair, hatred, and above all determination.
A determination to go past his limits to become stronger and stronger. So much stronger that he would surpass her in every way when they would next meet.
He would dedicate his entire heart and soul to achieving that goal. For the sake of crushing the girl who had both brightened and darkened his world by entering his life.
Even though, some part of his heart still beat madly from remembering her fond smile.
He spent every waking hour after returning to Blueberry Academy fervently training his Pokemon and study every battle tactic recorded to ensure he would be the strongest trainer.
He would aim to become the BB League Champion, like he told her he wanted to do. But this time, he would do for the sole purpose of proving to her that he could change. That he was different from her and even better.
Soon, he had risen up to the top ranks after spending so long wallowing in the bottom rung. His Pokemon had become much more powerful, and he replaced most of his team with better, more competitive Pokemon. He didn’t need weaklings dragging him own as he strived to become the new Champion.
He burned Crispin to ashes.
He pierced through Amarys’ iron defenses.
He overcame Lacey’s charming strategies.
And he crushed…
Uhhh. He honestly forgot who the last Elite Four member was. Probably no one important if he was that forgettable and easy to defeat.
Then, against all odds, he managed to overcome the BB League Champion himself, Drayton.
When Kieran defeated his last Pokemon, Drayton tried to lecture him about having a good time instead of focusing on winning.
Kieran just sneered at his empty words, even admonishing him that he had no right to lecture him on how he should battle when he was just an ‘ex-Champion’ now.
He was completely different from what that slacker ever though, and he now had the strength to prove it. Now it was time for the rest of the League Club to see his point of view.
As the new Blueberry League Champion, he would make sure there would be new changes.
He would act as true leader after Drayton made everyone soft with his ludicrous emphasis on making Pokemon battles fun.
Because in the event that she would come, he needed to show her just how much he had changed. How much he had been because of her despicable actions.
To both his shock and joy, she did show up one month later. The girl had now taken to wearing the winter uniform from Blueberry, the same pretty smile on her face when she greeted him in the cafeteria that fateful day.
She had been chosen as an exchange student from Paldea’s academy to study at Blueberry Academy. He couldn’t care how long the duration was because this was finally the chance for him to show how superior he was to her.
How after everything she had done to him, Kieran rose from the ashes to become the version of him he always wanted to be. One who had chosen the correct path in his pursuit of strength.
But that look in her eyes. That energetic personality. And that damned cheery smile.
She hadn’t changed at all.
She still shined brilliantly with optimism just like she did in Kitakami, drawing people in like they were moths to a flame.
Kieran hated it. Hated those feelings of inferiority that resurfaced because of her presence.
He gripped his fist in anger, vindictive that even after all this time, she was still the same, strong, mesmerizing trainer that captivated his heart.
Kieran would show her the current difference between them, so that he could finally move on from his weakness. Move on from his infatuation with her.
He would win, despite her blazing through each of the Elite Four members with ease.
He would win!
But it turned out he could not win, after all.
The Champion-level trainer surpassed all odds to defeat him, even after he worked so hard to get where he was.
All of that didn’t matter when it led to him losing…again.
To her of all people.
Just another difference between them that made them incompatible. A fact that made him temporarily plunge into despair when everyone abandoned him. Saw him as weak, just like they viewed him before.
Kieran was about to give up all hope of overcoming his past self when his final chance appeared before him.
The Legendary Pokemon, Terapagos.
If Kieran had its power, he would truly be the strongest. He could finally defeat the girl he strived to be like for so long.
Deep within the underdepths of Area Zero, he had managed to obtain its power thanks to the Master Ball he brought with him.
But even with Terapagos’ power, he still couldn’t defeat her.
How could she be so strong. She truly was like the heroine in a fairy tale. The trainer who would always prevail, unlike him who kept failing again and again.
Then, in their darkest moment when Terapagos went berserk because of his actions, Kieran finally saw how alike they were.
He realized she wasn’t some perfect heroine when she struggled to overcome Terapagos’ might. She was just a girl who enjoyed Pokemon battles and wanted to connect with others.
Just like he did.
And even when she was struggling and he thought of himself powerless, she still encouraged him to try with the same warm tone she used to speak to him during every single one of their interactions.
Her words gave Kieran strength. The strength to stand beside her as her equal and overcome their greatest challenge that stood in front of them.
They gave each other a nod and a smile, battling in sync to stop Terapagos’ rampage.
When they returned to the surface of Area Zero, he couldn’t help but gaze at her radiant beauty as the sunlight enveloped her body. He had managed to recover from the many tears he shed after they captured Terapagos.
His heart pulsed like when they first met, memories of their travels together resurfacing from the corners of his mind.
And it was at that point he knew that he could truly let go. He didn’t need to strive to be like her or even surpass her. All he needed to do was strive to be the best he could be, the ideal Kieran that he could accept and love.
He stopped moving and turned to face her, his lips curving up into a nostalgic grin as he reached for her hand. And she in turn reached out to firmly grasp his, physical touch between them filled with love and warmth as walked hand in hand underneath the growing sunrise.
His sister turned to gleam at the sight behind her, giving Kieran an all-knowing smirk as she enjoyed watching their little moment together. But he didn’t care. As long as they had another chance to start over and to be by each other’s sides, nothing else mattered.
She moved to whisper in his ear. “Thank you for being my friend, Kieran.”
His ears and cheeks tinged with scarlet as it took all the willpower he mustered to utter back a response. “Thank you for bein’ my friend too, Juliana.”
They continued heading back, hands still gripped tightly to one another. Both happier as they continued gazing towards the rising sun.