All three of us stared up at the tall man standing in the doorway. My eyes lingered on him a little longer than Khan's or Rotom's. This man was LieutenantSurgehimself.
He looked down at us, his frame casting a shadow over the hall behind us. "Are you three just gonna stare, or are you gonna answer my question?" His voice was coarse, heavy with years of smoke and command.
None of us moved at first. Then Khan took a hesitant step forward. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the slight tremble in his hands.
"Mr. Surge," he began, voice just shy of cracking, "we're, uh… we're big fans! We just wanted to talk and maybe ask for your signature?" He forced a smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
I stepped in to back him up. "Yes, sir. We've been fans since your days as a Gym Leader. So when we heard you'd become the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, we thought… we had to meet you."
I met his tired gaze, trying to keep mine steady.
There was a moment of silence.
Then he threw his head back and let out a deep, rolling laugh. It was loud, sharp, and powerful like the kind that makes you shiver. When he finally stopped, he took a long drag from his cigar and waved us in with a flick of his hand.
"Well, come in, then," he said. "Nice to know there's still people out there who remember me from my Gym Leader times."
We didn't say a word as we stepped into the office.
The place had an air of quiet elegance, nothing like what I imagined from a man with his past. The walls were paneled in dark, polished wood. In the center of the room stood a sturdy lacquered desk, and behind it, a worn leather chair that looked as though it had seen decades of use.
But the real surprise was the back wall. A massive glass display case stretched from end to end, filled with trophies, medals, and framed commendations.
Surge dropped into the chair behind the desk with a grunt and bite his cigar again, smoke curling up into the still air.
"Well? You two just gonna stand there?" he said with a crooked grin. "Sit. You're making the place look too damn formal."
We exchanged a glance before settling into the chairs positioned in front of the desk. The leather creaked softly beneath us as we sat. Surge leaned back slightly, looking us over again, then pressed a small button built into the surface of his desk.
"Hey, Emily. I got some guests—can you bring something to drink?" he said, then turned his attention back to us, eyeing us with quiet curiosity. "So… what do you guys want?"
"A coffee would be great," I said, offering a quick grin.
Khan and Rotom both gave me a look part disapproval, part resignation.
"I'll take a coffee too," Khan mumbled.
Surge nodded and spoke into the intercom again. "Can you get us three coffees." He released the button with a small click before folding his hands on the desk, his gaze steady.
"So," he asked, "what would you two want to talk about?"
I hesitated. The questions stacked in my mind, too many to voice all at once. When did he adopt a kid? Why had he stepped down from being a Gym Leader and become the President of the Pokémon Fan Club? Could he give us advice in order to defeat the new Gym Leader?
But before I could form the right words, Khan stepped in.
"We were wondering… why you stopped being a Gym Leader?" he asked, his tone careful.
Surge didn't answer at first. His expression shifted—something flickeredbehind his eyes. Not pain, exactly, but something quieter. Older. He let out a long sigh and tapped his fingers rhythmically against the desk.
"We started to get old," he said finally, voice low.
The way he said we made my brow tighten. Who was he referring to? Himself and a partner? Himself and his Pokémon? I wanted to ask, but something in his posture something heavy kept me silent for the moment.
He stared at the dark grain of the desk for a moment, then continued. "And after I lost my partner… I didn't see a reason to keep the title anymore. Didn't feel right, standing in that gym without him."
The room felt still. Even Rotom had quieted, its screen dimmed slightly as it hovered in the air beside us.
There was a gravity to his words that pulled at the air itself.
I looked at him with a steady gaze, my voice quiet but firm as I asked, "Are you talking about your Electabuzz?"
Surge didn't answer right away. For a moment, his tired blue eyes held mine, as if weighing something like whether to brush it off or tell the truth. Then a faint chuckle escaped his throat, deep and a little dry.
"I guess you really were a fan of mine," he said with the smallest smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Before I could reply, the door creaked open behind us. A woman stepped in, dressed in a crisp black suit, her dark hair pulled back into a neat bun. She moved with the practiced grace of someone who'd done this a thousand times, holding a silver tray with three steaming cups of coffee.
"Here you go, sir," she said, setting the tray down gently on the desk.
The rich aroma of roasted beans filled the air as she placed a cup in front of each of us. Surge gave her a nod.
"Thanks, Emily."
She didn't move away immediately. Instead, she leaned in slightly, concern flickering in her eyes as she looked at him more closely. "Sir… did you not sleep again?" she asked, tilting her head to get a better look at his eyes.
Surge let out a half-laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Not really. That little bastard got me so riled up last night I couldn't get a wink of sleep."
Despite his words, there was a tired affection in his voice. The way he said that little bastard carried more exasperated fondness than real anger, and the woman seemed to pick up on it. Her shoulders relaxed just a bit, though she didn't quite stop frowning.
"Did he write another resignation letter?" She asked, settling herself on the edge of the desk with ease.
Khan, Rotom, and I exchanged confused glances.
"Yeah," Surge muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "And he's getting better at writing them, too. This time he claimed he should be fired for stealing money from the Gym's safe."
Emily let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose that's still better than the time he tried to blow up the Gym with Electrodes."
I took a slow sip of my coffee, trying not to choke on it from surprise, while Rotom buzzed closer, its screen blinking with curiosity.
[By chance, are you two talking about the new Gym Leader?] it asked, a question mark flashing across its screen.
"Yeah," Surge grumbled, lifting his cup, "we're talking about my menace of a son."
"Is something wrong with him?" Khan asked, frowning. I stayed quiet, more focused on the bitter warmth of my coffee, but my ears stayed tuned to every word.
Surge and Emily exchanged a look. For a moment, something like weariness passed between them.
"My son, Wild," Surge began slowly, "doesn't actually like Electric-type Pokémon. And, well… I might've forced him to take over the Gym when I stepped down."
"He doesn't just dislike them," Emily added with a dry smile. "He hates them."
[But why? Electric-types are awesome!] Rotom exclaimed, zipping in a little loop in front of Surge.
"I know," Surge said, his voice quieter now. He stared into his coffee as if it held the answer to something deeper. "But you can't exactly argue with a kid who lost everything because of them."
He glanced up at us then, and for once, his usual gruffness faded into something heavier.
"Wild's a child of the war. I adopted him years ago. While I was saved by Electric-types he lost his family and his home because of them."
The room fell quiet for a moment. The steam from the coffee drifted between us like smoke from old memories.
I set my cup back onto the tray with a quiet clink and looked up. "Have you tried talking to him?" I asked, my gaze steady.
Surge sighed and slumped back in his chair, frustration bleeding through his posture. "Yeah. Plenty of times. But he won't listen. Atleast not to me. Since I'm the reason he's the Gym Leader in the first place."
Khan leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Maybe we could try. But what would we even say to him?"
I stayed quiet for a moment, letting my thoughts swirl while my eyes wandered across the office—the medals, the trophies, the long-faded weight of glory in the air.
"We'll figure that out when we defeat him," I said, pushing my chair back and standing.
"Wait a minute," Surge said, rising from his seat too. "Are you two even qualified to battle him?"
I met Rotom's flickering gaze and gave it a subtle nod. Khan, without saying a word, reached into the inner pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a small metal case, flipping it open to reveal two GymBadges neatly tucked inside—Cerulean and Pewter.
Rotom chimed in, floating beside me as part of the Pokédex slid open, displaying the same badges.
"Our main reason for coming to this city was to challenge him," Khan said, smiling faintly as he closed the badge case and tucked it back into his jacket. "What do we have to lose by trying to talk to him, too?"
Emily and Surge exchanged a look—hers curious, his unreadable.
Without waiting for a response, Surge turned and walked toward the office door. "Both of you—come with me!" He said, already stepping into the hallway.
I glanced once more at Khan and Rotom before following.
We followed Surge in silence until we stepped out of the Pokémon Fan Club and into the open air. I drew in a deep breath, the sharp scent of the salty sea hitting me instantly. The breeze rolled in from the shore, brushing against my face and tugging gently at my clothes. It swept through the tall grass that sprouted from the sandy soil, flattening it beneath Surge's heavy footsteps as he led the way forward.
We kept walking until the Fan Club was nothing more than a small shape behind us, almost lost against the coastline.
"Mr. Surge, what are we doing out here?" Emily finally asked the question all of us had been thinking.
Surge didn't answer right away. He placed the cigar between his lips, eyes narrowed against the wind as he stared out into the distance. His coat, draped over his shoulders like a cape, fluttered lightly in the breeze.
Then he turned toward us.
"Both of you—send out your Pokémon!" he barked with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "If you think you're ready to face my son, then let mw determine if you're strong enough for it!"
Rotom, Khan, and I exchanged glances one more time. Then, almost in sync, we grinned.
"Rotom, call Aria and Oddy out here!" I called, stepping forward. "We've got an old man to beat!"
Khan stepped up beside me. "Rotom, please call out Gligar and Electrabuzz as well!"
Rotom's plasma flared briefly as its screen lit up with determination. [ROGER!] it buzzed before zipping back toward the Fan Club to retrieve our Pokémon.
All three of us looked at each other, the air thick with anticipation.