Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Thoughts of Hitmonchan (The Closing Chapter)

I'll look for ya at the grinder! If I watch it...I prolly will...you'll recognize me because I'll be wearing a badge with Burninating_Torchic on it...and I think I'm saving my specialty good luck shirt for the actual tournament.
 
Always great reading. Love the stories so keep them coming! :)
 
Chapter Nine
The Final Chapter?​


The smoke from the perfectos hangs heavy in the air.

Two A.M., but its still hot and sticky. Not even a breeze out here on the patio.

He leans back in the lounge chair. The lights from the city reflect the dull grey clouds above. A car horn cuts through the silence of the night and Hitmonchan finds his voice.

“Gonna have to change your name from Adv1sor to Mr. Four-and-Three.”

The trainer takes a sip from his glass and makes a funny face. The ice has melted and the Chavis has a watered down taste. The trainer takes a long drag and looks at Hitmonchan as the smoke runs out.

Hitmonchan stares into the trainer’s eyes.

He doesn’t see himself.

He doesn’t see the kid.​

He sees only the man looking back.​


The trainer speaks, “Yeah, four-and-three at Nationals, four-and-three at the Grinder. I guess Scyther would call that respectable.”

Hitmonchan, having just taken a sip from his own glass, laughs and chokes back the watery scotch. The trainer laughs as well.

Hitmonchan clears his throat, “The Blue Crush worked well at first, then fizzled out like Earl.”

“Yeah,” says the trainer, “Nineken, Swampert Ex, and a second turn KO that never got past Dunsparce. Those first three rounds made me think I was going to get in to Worlds for sure.”

“That second turn KO reminded me of the old days.” Hitmonchan says, “First turn Spheal, energy, paralyzing Sparce, second turn PETM, Rare Candy to Walrien, Crush Draw for an energy, attach the third and KO!” Hitmonchan thrust his fist into the air.

“Yeah, those first three went great, but the next three went the other way.” The trainer says, “A bad draw against another Swampert Ex, swarmed by Crobyess, and then a loss to a Machamp. A Machamp deck!?!”

“You knew you were out then, three-and-three. Why play the last round?”

“You have to ask?”

A dog barks in the distance.

Hitmonchan sits back. “The kid sure did great, and with his own design.”

“The Plant of Death.” The trainer smiles. “He lost the first game, but won the next five. He earned his spot in Worlds.”

“Five-one-and-one in the Grinder, but then two-and-five at Worlds,” says Hitmonchan, “I’m not even sure that Scyther would call that respectable.”

“Maybe not, but he earned his spot and he played in Worlds, the big one, with his own deck design. Seven tough games. Good battles, every one. He’s got nothing to be ashamed of.”

“How about the Japanese players? I guess they showed us all that Pokemon is still their game.”

They sit in silence, each reliving the memories of the past weekend. The trades, the battles, the friends, the great sportsmanship all around, those mysterious signs that read, “Gary was here, Ash is a loser,” the video room, the good meals, the Pokemon carnival outside.

“A perfect end, don’t you think?”

Hitmonchan leans back again. “An end to the summer or an end to something else?”

The trainer leans back and takes another drag from his cigar. He reaches for his glass, but finds it empty. A hint of a cool breeze slips through the night and clears away some of the smoke. Autumn is coming on.

“You know I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.” The trainer says, quietly.

“But why? The game is starting to regain its popularity and you’re starting to get back your control, your mastery of the game that you once had.”

“Maybe just a break then?” says the trainer, “A little time out while the next season starts to gear up?”

Hitmonchan sits in silence wondering about the future. He knows how dissapointed the trainer was at his own performance in the Grinder, how badly he had wanted to play in Worlds. He thinks about those dusty binders full of Magic cards and remembers the last time the trainer took a break from Pokemon. The kid had grown up a lot in those two long years. Would he ever return again if they stopped now? He picks up his cigar from the table but its gone out. His glass is empty. He looks again at the trainer and, again, only the man looks back.

The hour is late, very late. Hitmonchan gets up and starts to go inside.

The trainer speaks again, holding up his glass, “Bring back a fresh one for me, would you?”

Hitmonchan looks back curiously.

“Just a short break this time old friend, I promise you. And just me, the kid is on a roll, no break for him. And I’ll still need to run the gauntlet against the him so he can try out new decks.”

The trainer continues with a smile,

“And you know, some nights, at two in the morning when I can’t get to sleep like this, I’ll still need someone to help me drink my scotch, share a little smoke, and share a few thoughts.”

Hitmonchan smiles.


Thanks again to everyone for reading these stories and for your kind words and encouragement.
Hitmonchan will return to share his thoughts after a short break.
 
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After looking around this forum, and being very bored, decided to check out some fan-fics... i was disapointed with some. But this one was just... really excelent. I would have liked to see more with Blaziken EX though. Blex made it seem like he had an un-settled score with Hitmonchan.

Great work. Just really great.
 
Thanks again for the comments.

Yes, the story was based, in part, on my experiences at Worlds. I saw no cheating and only good sportsmanship all around.
 
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I am an old guy in a fisherman's hat with Pokemon League badges across the brim.

I'll look for you at the next big East Coast tournament. :)
 
That was really good. It reminded me of classical music. Loud, sometimes soft, or frightening. But it always had a nice mellow feel. I really, really enjoyed it. This is #1 in my deck (usually used "book" and then associated with "library" as in Magic. Bad pun.).
You said this was based on your experience. Do you mean the challenge, the rival, the heartache of missing old-school or the thoughts of giving up [and playing Magic]?
 
Kasanova said:
You said this was based on your experience. Do you mean the challenge, the rival, the heartache of missing old-school or the thoughts of giving up [and playing Magic]?
Click to expand...

Yes ;)
 
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