It was a Sunday morning. Volkner, the tall, blond gym leader, lay spreadeagled in his bed, letting out the occasional snore or mumble in his sleep. When 8am rolled around, his alarm clock sprang to life blasting out "Black Betty" by Spiderbait quickly followed by a strong sweep from the man's forearm, launching it across the room before shattering into pieces when it collided with the wall. He groaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. Wiping away the sleep in the corners of his eyes, he made his way into the bathroom. A rough sight greeted him in the mirror, his hair shooting out in different directions. He smoothed it down with his hand before jumping into the shower. A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and held up by his hand. With the spare hand he had he picked out a pair of boxers and black jeans to put on, along with a plain black shirt and his usual military style blue jacket. He ran his hands over the golden domes placed on the sleeves before getting dressed and entering his living room. An unwelcome but familiar face was slouched on his sofa, feet placed on the very fragile glass table. "Flint, why are you in my house again?" He asked as he passed through to get breakfast from the kitchen. "Dude, you wouldn't have me sleeping in a hotel when I come to visit now would you?" the red-haired man called out to him. His hair formed a ridiculous afro on his head,but he wouldn't listen to anyone when they told him how stupid it looked. Volkner himself had given up after the first try. He rummaged through cupboards, finding nothing but empty boxes and half eaten packets of food. "Well I'd certainly prefer it if I meant I could eat breakfast in the mornings," he walked back over to the couch and sat down next to the redhead. "You're a bad friend, you know that?"
Flint chuckled before ruffling Volkner's hair, undoing all of his brushing 5 minutes before. "You're just grouchy 'cause I ate your food," his attention diverted back to the television, a show that talked about all the latest happenings in Sinnoh was on. "Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind grabbing me a bagel or something?" he said, knowing he was pushing his luck but appealing to Volkner's very small generous side. "Why am I friends with you again?" the blond mused before walking to the door.
"So are you gonna get me something or not?" Flint shouted after him but the door closed mid sentence. "That's a no, I'm guessing." He picked up the remote for the TV and flicked through the channels.
Volkner shut the door on Flint's plea for more food, and set off towards his favourite cafe in the city. He dragged his fingers along his black Camaro, a single thick blue racing stripe down the center of the hood, carrying on until the rear bumper. The city wasn't big enough to use his car to get around but he still loved it enough to constantly be working on it. His hands resided in his pockets as he traversed the market stalls inhabiting the main street of the city, hoping no one would notice him. A small bell rang as he entered the shop and he walked to the counter. "Good morning, sir!" the barista greeted him, pulling out a notepad and pen. "What would you like today?"
"Just the usual." he motioned with his hand for the barista to go, keeping his head down. He liked this cafe, it was secluded and not many people went in there. It kept his chances of being spotted by a fan low, which was always good in his eyes. He waited for his order, checking his watch impatiently as the barista made his food. He exchanged his cash for the bag and cup of coffee. "Thanks." he replied before exiting the cafe. He stuck to the back of the stalls this time, heading back past his house to his favourite spot of the city. A large boulder that stood in the center of the beach. No one knew how it got there, he liked that about it. It was mysterious and had a calming aura to it. Strolling along the promenade, he got near to the rock to find someone was already sitting atop it. A girl, to be exact. An attractive girl, he thought. As he got closer, certain features stood out to him. Her chestnut hair flowing in the wind. Her youthful, yet mature face. Her white cardigan, held over her seafoam dress by a bright orange bow.
He approached the rock, staring up at the girl. "I see you've found my spot!" he called out. The girl was startled. "O-oh, I'm sorry," she looked embarrassed. "I'll g-go now, i-if you w-want." She stared at her shoes as she climbed down slowly, avoiding Volkner's gaze. He raised his hand to stop her. "No, no, really, it's fine. Do you, uh, mind if I sit with you though?" he asked shyly, fiddling with the bag containing his breakfast. She was surprised at his request, she didn't even know this man. "Oh, o-ok. I-if you want to," she answered whilst nodding. A wide smile spread across the male's face, which made Jasmine blush when she noticed it, her cheeks resembled tamato berries. He pulled himself up and then crawled towards the girl, stopping beside her. "So what's your name?" he opened the bag to retrieve his food, taking a sip of his coffee from his other hand. "W-well, um, I'm Jasmine," she paused. "Jasmine of Olivine. A-and who would I b-be speaking to?" He took a bite out of a bagel before wiping his mouth and responding. "Volkner. Volkner of Sunyshore," he mimicked her with a smile. "I'm the gym leader here." He pulled out an apple from his bag before holding it out to her. She looked at it, confused. "Oh I'm sorry," he apoligised. "I just thought it was rude for me to eat while you had nothing… Do you want it?" He gestured with the apple nervously once again. She looked at him, nonplussed. "Is something the matter?" he asked.
"I-it's just, I don't n-normally meet such kind strangers," she took the apple from him and bit into it. "Thank you v-very much. And you're the gym leader? That's funny. I am the leader o-of Olivine." She studied the man. He didn't seem much older than her, not much like a gym leader either. Then again, neither did she. She noticed his stare next. It wasn't a threatening stare, but an endearing one. It confused her, she had just met him, why would he be staring at her like that? She had to admit, he was very handsome and kind. "Really?" he smiled again at this information. Like clockwork, when he smiled she blushed, his smile dropped her defences in an instant.
"That's interesting. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jas," he nodded at her, she looked confused by the name. "Sorry, just a nervous habit." he scratched the back of his head, ruffling his hair afterwards and looking at the sea. "Um, what are you in Sunyshore for?" he looked back at the Olivine girl. Her eyes were a light hazel, like crisp autumn leaves. He was mesmerised by her and he couldn't help it at all. He'd never felt like this about anyone, and a girl he had just met? It was ridiculous, but there was something about her. "W-well, um, I came to Sinnoh for the contests. I was just i-in one in Hearthome," she thought back. "I came to Sunyshore because it reminded me of home. Especially the lighthouse here." she said, more enthusiastic before. Volkner's face lit up, someone who shared his passion. "You have a lighthouse in Olivine too? I run the one here. I set up all the solar panels that power it as well. They power most of the city, in fact." he said arrogantly. Jasmine gapsed, "That's amazing. You must be very intelligent," she complimented him. "Ours is powered by a friend of mine, Amphy. An Ampharos." she explained.
"That's great," he grinned, before motioning to himself. "I'm an Electric specialist myself. I don't own an Ampharos however. They sure are strong though." he informed her. He meshed his fingers together, trying to pluck up the courage to speak. "Um, Jasmine, do you- um, would you like to, uh, come to the lighthouse l-later?" he asked sheepishly. "W-with me?" He quickly looked away from the girl, hoping she wouldn't reject him. Jasmine turned an even brighter red than she had before. "W-what for?" she inquired timidly. He turned back to face her, hands wrapped in his hair on top of his head. "Just, you know, you like lighthouses, I like lighthouses. I t-thought it would be nice." he smiled slightly at the girl. She twirled her pigtail with one of her fingers, thinking about it. "Um… sure. I'd be glad to." she smiled as well, still not making eye contact with Volkner, and checked her watch. "Oh, I have to go somewhere. I'm sorry," she put her hand on his knee, his head shot up, both of them blushing this time. "Don't be, it's fine, just, um, it was nice to meet you!" he grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. "Um, sorry about that, I'm nervous." he admitted releasing his grip. "Goodbye I guess. Should we meet at 7pm?" he asked, looking at his watch and back to her. "Oh, isn't that a bit late?" she questioned.
"We can change it, if you want, I'm not doing anything," he quickly tried to correct the mistake he thought he had made. "No, i-it's fine. 7pm, I'll see you there. Goodbye Volkner." she climbed off the boulder, waving with a smile on her face as she backed away. Once she was out of sight, Volkner collapsed back onto the rock. "What is it about her?" he spoke his thoughts aloud. A shadow covered the top portion of his body, causing him to prop himself up with his elbows and see what was causing it. "So, my friend, it appears, you," he pointed at the gym leader grinning. "have a crush on that lovely lady." He punched Volkner in the arm jokingly, as he laughed at the man. "You leave Jasmine alone!" he threatened, before realising what he had said, a horrified look appeared on his face. "She has a name," Flint said. "So who is she?"
