The Journey of A Champion: A Pokemon Fanfic

Chapter 24: Only Kings Wear Crowns

The moonlight put half the man’s face in darkness. Stubble from a hastily cut beard and unkempt hair were the same color as Tomas’s. His clothes were ripped, covered in dirt, and hung loosely on him. To any other person, the man would be completely unrecognizable, but Tomas knew this was Robert Crown, his father.

“ Dad?” The trainer breathed and his father dropped his tired eyes, avoiding the boy’s gaze. Tomas’s mouth formed the beginnings of a thousand questions, but he didn’t know what to ask. What he was feeling right now was almost ovewhelming. “ Whe--” His voice broke off and he swallowed. “ Where have been?” The words came out shakily and had a hint of anger in them. The raven haired trainer didn’t dare drop his gaze, afraid that his father would disappear any second. “ Do you have any idea---” His voice broke off again and his jaw tightened.

“ No.” Tomas’s father said and slowly raised his gaze. “ I have no idea...”

“ You---you left us alone!” The raven haired trainer’s voice grew angrier. “ We haven’t heard from you in years, Yune left me, the only reason I’m still moderately okay is because---” Tomas began to motion towards where Riley and Sophie were sleeping, but stopped and brought his hand down slowly. “ You know what, I don’t think I am okay! I thought you were dead! And Yune did too! And I had to hear that you weren’t from---uh!” A sharp pain shot through Tomas’s head and he reeled forward. The trainer caught himself before falling and blinked, breathing heavily. He put his hands to his head and gulped in air. Tomas shook his head, but the ache wouldn’t fade.

“ Son!” His father pulled him up and looked at him worriedly.

“ I’m fine. I’m fine.” The trainer said stubbornly waving his dad away. He took a deep breath and tried to push away the pain, though it didn’t do anything. As his son caught his breath, Robert Crown watched silently.

“ ... Has this ever happened to you before?” The man asked slowly.

Tomas looked up startled. “ I-” He thought back and scenes flashed through his mind. Before the sand storm had started on Route 4, minutes before Team Plasma had attacked Skyla’s plane, and countless other times. “ Yeah...”

Robert Crown clenched his jaw. “ When?”

Tomas looked at his father, disgusted. “ You’ve been gone for over ten years and you care about these stupid headaches I’m having!” He pointed an accusing finger at his father furiously. “ Can’t you at least answer my questions? Can’t you at least tell me why!?”

“ Do you remember Fallarbor Town?” His father asked.

“ Of course I remember! What does that have to with anything?!” 

“ And you remember Diana?” Robert continued.

“ Why are you bringing mom into this? I wouldn’t forget her!” Tomas’s voice quivered and he bit his lip.

“ I told you how she died, didn’t I? Years ago.” Tomas’s father was looking away from him back at the moon.

“ You said she got sick, really sick. You said she really tried to hang on but--but in the end---” The raven-haired trainer’s voice cracked  and he pushed back the lump in his throat.

“ But I didn’t tell you how.” It wasn’t a question. Robert turned around and looked his son in the eyes. “ I never told you how she got sick.”

“ People get sick, Dad! There doesn’t have to be a reason or some special way!” He spat out the second to last word as if mocking it and stared at his father, angry at him for bringing the topic up.