THE BEACH'S BEACON
Volkner sat in the shade of a large blue umbrella on the beach, his hands folded behind his head as he lay on his towel. He could hear the tumbling and growling of the wide ocean in front of him, but he couldn't see the vast sheet of blue because his steely eyes were shut. He was trying to relax, to forget about all the stresses that he'd left behind in his hometown of Sunyshore City, here in this quiet coastline on Mikan Island in the Orange Islands. His vacation was long overdue, and it gave him time to reflect on what he was really doing back home as the city's Gym Leader, and what he could do from here.
"Who'd have thought that being undefeated for so long could be so tedious…?" he muttered to himself, opening his eyes to stare at the cloudy sky overhead. "I mean… it's always good to win a battle – especially because I'm a Gym Leader, and I have to keep my reputation as the toughest one in Sinnoh… but to beat everyone so easily! There's no fun in whooping amateurs," he frowned, tugging at his blonde hair.
"I really needed to get out of there, or else I might have gone crazy!" he grunted, listening to a flock of Wingull squabbling over a mess of chips that someone had left behind earlier in the morning. "I did the right thing in leaving, just for a week or two… Trainers can complain all they want, but odds are I'd have beaten them anyways," he added sourly, driving his palms along his cheekbones.
He sat in silence for another few minutes, listening to the nearby Wingull as they fought over their scraps, and the sound of the waves rushing up to meet the shore. He turned his head towards the birds to see them take off in flight, moving in one large cloud as they soared above his head and towards a spot further along the beach, and he smiled. This beach was a perfect spot for him to think.
"I wonder what I'll do when I get back to Sunyshore," he wondered, sitting up on his towel. "Maybe I could finally get to work on installing those gear traps like I've been meaning to… that way only the good Trainers could get to me for a battle. Not like those brats, thinking they can beat me just by attacking over and over again…"
"I need to get a drink," he told himself, hopping to his feet and wrapping his towel around the umbrella; he didn't want it flying away if a gust of wind picked up. He dusted off his hands and started to walk towards the dirt road leading to the town, but he stopped short after only a few steps. Something wasn't right; he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but all of a sudden there was something… different… about the sound of the ocean.
What in the…? he thought, whirling around and charging down the water's edge. He scanned the waves for anything out of the ordinary, but they were too high and were blocking out the water behind them as they broke and spilled onto the sand. His ears pricked up as he heard that strangeness in the noise again, and this time he could make it out more clearly; it was the sound of a woman screaming.
"Someone's in trouble!" he exclaimed, craning his neck to try and look over the pounding waves, but again he couldn't see who she was. Good thing I brought my Pokémon on vacation with me… he thought, rummaging through his pockets. "Let's go, Octillery!" he shouted, hurling a PokéBall towards the ocean. The ball split open with a flash of white light that shot into the water, and his red octopus-like Pokémon poked its head above the waves, hooting happily.
"Octillery, someone needs help out there!" he roared, throwing off his military jacket and wading out to meet his Pokémon.
"Woooo-hoooooo!"
Volkner's head snapped around as he heard the cry, completely forgetting about both the woman's screaming and his Octillery, as a huge wave sped closer to him. But what surprised him the most was the fact that there were two figures riding the barrel of the wave on surfboards. The figure in front was a large blue Pokémon with a snapping beak and webbed fingers, standing square-footedly on the board as the lip of the wave began to tumble down onto the ocean surface, obscuring the other figure from view. From the brief glimpse that he saw, Volkner knew that it was a human, possibly the woman he had heard either, so he edged a little closer to his Jet Pokémon as the wave collapsed upon itself.
"Yes!" roared the person inside the fallen wave, shooting out the far side just as the last of it merged back into the still ocean, pumping a fist as the Golduck cheered in return. "We so nailed that one!"
Hey, that's the same voice that was screaming before… Volkner thought, confused, and he slowly recalled Octillery to its PokéBall as the woman and her Pokémon surfed closer to the shore. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties – about the same age as he was – with dark red hair that was tied in a bun behind her face. She was, he couldn't help but notice, also in great shape; something she didn't seem to mind since she was wearing a slender white two-piece.
"Why don't we head back and have some dinner, Golduck?" she was saying to her Water-type, who nodded its spiky head vigorously as they paddled back towards the shore. "Well, let's call it a—" she broke off suddenly as she saw Volkner standing chest-deep in water, apparently frowning at them. "You know, guys shouldn't wear shirts when they go for a swim!" she called out to him with a cheeky smirk. "It's not a good look!"
"I heard someone screaming, so I was going to go in and help out!" he barked back, making his way back onto dry land and snatching up his jacket. "Looks like I was mistaken!" he added, throwing it and his towel over his shoulders as heard the sound of her and the Golduck landing on the beach behind him. He turned around to walk up the dirt road, but he was barred passage when the woman stepped in front of him, holding both the surfboards and raising her eyebrows at him.
"You ran into the water just because you heard someone shouting?" she asked sceptically. "Well that was a bit dumb, wasn't it? I mean, look where it got you," she laughed, pointing at his sodden jeans and shoes.
"Like I said, it looks like I was mistaken," Volkner grunted. "But I'm glad that no-one was in any danger."
"That's noble of you," she said dryly, before sighing and shaking her head. "Sorry, I'm just under a bit of stress lately," she said humbly, driving a board into the sand. "I'm Cissy," she smiled, holding out a hand.
"Volkner," he replied, shaking it warmly.
"Volkner? That's an odd name," Cissy giggled. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"No, I'm not. I'm from the Sinnoh region way up north," Volkner explained. "I'm a Gym Leader there, in my hometown of Sunyshore," he added conversationally, and Cissy let out a low whistle.
"So what are you doing way down here on Mikan Island?" she inquired, but then she held up a hand to stop him. "Actually, maybe I shouldn't ask…"
"It's fine, really," he said calmly, grabbing the spare surfboard out of the ground and holding it in his arm. "Hey, I'm really thirsty, so why don't we head into town? We can talk while we walk," he offered. Cissy considered the proposal for a moment, then shrugged her shoulder and turned towards the road with a grin, waving at him with her free hand to follow her.
"So…" she said awkwardly, once they were on their way down the path, "what does bring you to the Orange Islands? Isn't it a bit out of your way?"
"Well, I just needed to get away from the Gym for a little while," he sighed. "It's just a bit—well, you probably wouldn't understand it…"
"Hey, maybe not, but I'm open for anything at the moment," Cissy said cheerily. "It's interesting to share stories sometimes. So come on, try me," she pressed, and Volkner chuckled.
"Okay then. You see, I've got this reputation as the top Gym Leader in Sinnoh – y'know, the toughest one out of the lot – and because of that, I need to win as many battles as I can to keep that reputation," he said, Cissy nodding her head occasionally in understanding. "But lately, all my challengers have been really easy to take out; it's been so boring that I've kind of started to lose my passion for battling."
"So you decided to take a vacation away from the Gym so you could figure out what to do?" she ventured.
"Exactly!"
"See, I do understand it," she grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Hey, you should come over to my place. If you're stressed about Gym life, you're not gonna want to hang out somewhere public. Believe me, if you let slip that you're a Gym Leader, you won't hear the end of it until you're out of the Archipelago," she laughed, pointing to a side-road a few hundred metres ahead.
"Geez, you only just met me and you're inviting me to your house?" Volkner snickered, shaking his head. "Is being a Gym Leader really that impressive?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, pal," Cissy growled, swinging around and accidentally-on-purpose whacking him in the arm with the tip of her surfboard. "I just don't wanna go home and have to put up with my little brother. I could use some grown-up company."
"Then by all means, lead the way!" he said suavely, waving his arm at the branching path, following a silent Cissy as she marched towards it.
"Wow, this is a cool house," said Volkner, raising his head to see the curved orange roof of the huge building that stood at the island's edge. "If I didn't know better, I'd have said this was there Mikan Island's Gym was…" he added blankly, looking over at Cissy. "Where is the Gym, anyways? I heard that the Gym Leader's a pretty good Trainer."
"It's around here somewhere," she said dismissively, walking around the side of the house. "Oh, you don't wanna walk in that way," she added, seeing Volkner head for the front door. "It's—pretty messy in there, and I don't want you accidentally bumping into anything with the board."
"Fair enough then," he sighed, walking alongside her as they reached the back door. "So like I was saying, the Mikan Gym Leader…?"
"I think you'll see the Leader around here soon enough," she assured him, putting a key in the door. "Well, welcome to my home sweet home!" she smiled, swinging the door open and letting Volkner walk in first before following him and shutting the door with a dull clang. "Just set that board down here in the corner," she instructed, resting her own surfboard against the wall next to the door.
"This is a nice little place you've got set up here," Volkner told her, taking a quick look around the lounge room; a simple arrangement of armchairs, coffee tables, and a snug-looking rug in the middle of the room. "Back in Sunyshore, everything's way too technological… you could hardly walk around in my house without tripping over a power cable," he sighed, thinking back to his cluttered house sentimentally.
"I've heard about that place," she muttered, walking into the adjacent kitchen and pulling two glasses from the cupboard. "Is it true that the Vista Lighthouse is the biggest lighthouse in this part of the world? Even bigger than Johto's Glitter Lighthouse?"
"Yep. You should see the ocean from the top railing," he said, moving to join her in the kitchen as she poured some juice into the glasses. "Around this time of day—thank you—" he took his glass into his hand as Cissy gulped some of her drink down, "around this time of day, you can see miles and miles of beautiful ocean under a blood-red sky… it's my favourite place to go in the whole world…"
"Wow, I'd never have figured you for the staring-at-sunsets type of guy," she laughed, strolling back into the lounge room and flopping down onto one of the armchairs. "We've got a lighthouse on every inhabited island around these parts, you know. There are rock formations dotting the sea nearly everywhere. It's an occupational hazard living out at sea, I suppose," she added with another chuckle.
"Cissy! Cissy, are you back already?!"
"Yeah, I'm back, squirt!" Cissy shouted at the hallway. "You know that little brother I was telling you about?" she said to Volkner, sensing his curiosity as they heard footsteps approaching. "That's him. His name's Senta, or squirt, if he gets on your nerves."
"Cissy, you got another chall—" Senta called out as he came into the lounge room. He was a small boy with a dark tan and spiky black hair, wearing a pale yellow shirt and green cargo pants. "Sis, put some clothes on, wouldja?!" he shouted, seeing Cissy sitting on the lounge and throwing his arm over his eyes. "Geez, it's not like you don't have enough clothes! There's a—!" he whined, but he stopped talking when he saw Volkner standing near the kitchen doorway.
"Who are you?!" he demanded, lowering his arm and staring daggers at the stranger.
"My name's Volkner," he replied stepping forwards and holding his hand out. "You must be Senta, right? Your sister was just telling me a bit about you."
"That's a weird name," Senta sneered, folding his arms, and Volkner let his hand drop to his side.
"What's a weird name, Volkner or Senta?" he joked, and Cissy laughed.
"Who is this guy, Cissy?!" Senta muttered, rounding on his sister, who stood up and walked over to the two boys. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"
"No, he's not, and even if he was, that's none of your business," Cissy growled, grabbing his ear and tugging on it. "Did you do your chores like you were told…?!"
"If I didn't, d'you think I'd be out here meeting your new boyfriend?!" Senta shouted. "Ow! Alright, alright, I'm sorry! He's not your boyfriend!" he wailed, wincing as Cissy twisted his ear painfully.
"Much better," she scowled, letting go and pushing him in the side of the head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get changed into something more appropriate," she said, looking at Volkner while she rested a hand on Senta's shoulder. "Be nice to my little brother, Volkner; he's immature, but he's just a squirt."
"Hey, I wouldn't wanna pick on him anyways," Volkner assured her, smiling at Senta.
"And you—" Cissy dug her nails into her brother's shoulder, making him hiss, "you're to be nice to Volkner as well. He's a Gym Leader, so show him the respect he deserves," she muttered in his ear, before turning around and walking out of sight down the hallway. Volkner took a short sip of his drink as he watched her go, and Senta snorted.
"So… you're a Gym Leader, are you? Just like Cissy is," he said evilly, advancing on Volkner, and the latter took a nervous step backwards.
"Yeah, I'm a Gym—" his mouth dropped open in surprise as the boy's words sunk in, "wait a minute… your sister's the Mikan Island Gym Leader?!" he exclaimed. "I wonder why she never told me about it…" he murmured, scratching his cheek.
"Like she has to tell you anything," Senta sniggered. "You sure don't look like a Gym Leader. And even if you are, it must be a pretty lousy Gym."
"I'll have you know that I'm regarded as the top Gym Leader in all of Sinnoh!" Volkner hissed. "I was even part of the Sinnoh Elite Four at one point!"
"Well that settles it," grunted the boy. "That whole region must be full of some pretty weak Trainers!"
"And you're a strong Trainer, are you?!" countered Volkner, his voice rising as he took a PokéBall from his damp pocket.
"I'm stronger than you are," Senta smirked, taking a PokéBall of his own. "Let's see what you got!" he shouted.
"Fine. Luxray, charge!" Volkner roared, opening the ball with a flash of light. A large lion-like Pokémon sprang out, covered in dark blue fur, with a wild mane surrounding its sharp face and round ears. Its whip of a tail curved through the air, with a four-pointed yellow star crackling with lightning at the tip.
"You were saying?" he smirked, seeing the fear in Senta's eyes as he backed away towards the door. "Now, let's see what you've got."
"Luux luux!" snarled Luxray, striking a paw on the floorboards.
"What's going on here?!" shouted Cissy, appearing from the hallway with a look of shock and anger on her face. Volkner staggered in surprise as he heard her voice, and he turned around to see Senta running towards her and hiding behind her legs, peering out from the side.
"Cissy, he threatened me with his Pokémon!" he shouted accusingly, pointing at Luxray. "I was just asking him about him being a Gym Leader, and all of a sudden he called that—" he jabbed a finger at the Gleam Eyes Pokémon, who growled menacingly, "out and said he'd hurt me! See how it's growling at me?!"
"Is that right…?" she muttered, nudging him back into the hallway. "Go back to your room," she ordered, as she advanced on Volkner.
"Luxray, stand down," he said to his Pokémon, who relaxed its muscles and watched Cissy warily. Volkner's eyes flickered back to her; she was now wearing a black singlet and a rose-pink dress, but he dared not look at her figure a moment longer than that as he met her penetrating stare.
"You threatened my little brother with your Pokémon…?" she whispered, her indigo eyes piercing into his.
"No."
"Liar," she hissed, and she pointed at the door. "Get out of my house," she whispered, her voice shaking, but Volkner met it with as cold a look as he could throw her way.
"Fine. Luxray," he muttered, snapping his fingers, and his Electric-type dutifully trotted behind him as he made for the door and wrenched it open, slamming it shut behind them as they left.
"So much for a vacation…" Volkner sighed, looking out over the ocean as a bright yellow strip of light wound itself across the face of the inky blue. He raised his head towards the sky, his ice-blue eyes shimmering in the light of the countless stars winking down at him, as he moved his hand back and forth over his Luxray's back, smiling as the Pokémon purred contentedly.
"I come here to relax, and forget about all my Gym worries… and I get verbally abused by a Gym Leader's squirt of a brother…" he frowned. "Squirt…"
"Lux?"
"Never mind," he said, patting Luxray on top of its head. "I guess this vacation wasn't worth it after all… maybe I'll rechallenge the Elite Four after I've redone the Gym…"
"Sounds pretty boring, don't you think?" came Cissy's voice from behind him, and he whirled around to see her climbing the gentle slope towards him.
"How did you know I was here?!" Volkner exclaimed, putting a warning hand on Luxray as its fur bristled.
"Well, when I asked you about the Vista Lighthouse, you told me it was your favourite place in the whole world," she explained, finally reaching him and dusting off her hands. "And I figured you'd go looking for the lighthouse on this island, so it really wasn't a big stretch of the imagination to know you'd be here."
"Okay, but why did you even bother to look for me?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Especially when I threatened Senta with my Pokémon," he said venomously, and Cissy sighed in defeat.
"Alright, alright, you got me on that one," she admitted, throwing up her hands in defeat. "But come on; do you honestly think that I'd believe a load of claptrap like that? First off, I was never under the impression that you were that kind of guy—"
"—Even though you only met me today—"
"—Plus, I know that Senta tends to spin stories when I'm around guys, and when he said something like that, it didn't really strike me as true."
"Then why did you throw me out?" he asked in exasperation, throwing himself down on the grassy slope and looking up at the lighthouse just off to his left.
"I had to take Senta's side," she said simply, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "When you've got a brother who's as stubborn as him, you've sometimes got to give him the benefit of the doubt and just play along with it. Besides, he's family, and I wasn't in the position to believe a stranger over him. Not when he's within earshot, anyways," she added with a laugh, kneeling down next to him.
"For a Gym Leader, you're not a bad actor," he grinned, his eyes flickering toward her.
"Hey, I have to be able to give a good performance when I have to!" she giggled. "But apart from that… I guess it all made sense to me when I looked back at it," she said cryptically, and Volkner turned his head around in puzzlement.
"What makes sense?" he asked curiously, steadying himself with a hand on the grass.
"I wanted to believe that, even though Senta said otherwise… that you were a good guy," she said, looking him straight in his blue eyes as her hand slithered onto his own. "You're not bad to look at, either," she winked.
"I guess I can live with 'not bad'," he chuckled, his gaze moving down to their hands, before it flicked back to Cissy's face. "Hey, I just got a crazy idea…" he said, seeing the lighthouse's beam reflected in her indigo eyes, "you're the Gym Leader here, aren't you?"
"Yeah…" she murmured, clearly not following.
"And I'm a Gym Leader, right?"
"If you say so," she laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, I just thought that we should have a Gym battle. The winner gets the loser's Gym Badge," he explained, letting the offer hang in the air for a moment or two. Cissy looked up at the top of the lighthouse, a slight frown playing on her lips, but after a short while she smiled and nodded her head.
"Sure, why not?" she said. "I just hope you won't mind me taking your Badge when I whoop you," she added competitively.
"That's what you think," Volkner smirked, standing up and holding out his hand for her. She took it graciously as he helped her to her feet, but she chose not to let go, instead grasping his strong hand with a firm grip as they walked down the slope away from the lighthouse and onto the beach nearby, Volkner's Luxray prowling along behind them.
"Good luck," she whispered, giving his hand a gentle squeeze that he returned. "You're gonna need it," she snickered, moving onto the sand a little further along the coast as Volkner ran his fingers through Luxray's fur and gave it a nod, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon bounding forwards and pawing on the loose ground.
"Just so you know, Cissy—!" he called out, "I'm an Electric-type Trainer!"
"So? I'm a Water-type Trainer, but that's not gonna stop me from winning that Badge of yours!" Cissy shouted back, hurling her PokéBall onto the makeshift field. "Golduck, I choose you!"
"Goll!" grunted the Duck Pokémon as it appeared from within the PokéBall.
"We'll just make this a one-on-one, shall we?" Cissy offered.
"Sure, I'd love to get your Badge as quickly as possible!" Volkner laughed. "Ladies first," he added gentlemanly, waving his hand forwards.
"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you're cute and polite," Cissy reminded him, before pointing at Luxray. "Golduck, hit things off with Aqua Jet!" she ordered. Golduck tensed itself as a veil of water covered its body, and it leapt towards Luxray pointed like a blue bullet.
"Charge Beam, Luxray," Volkner barked, and Luxray blasted a spiky neon-blue bolt of lightning into the night sky, illuminating the beachside with dancing light as it sizzled towards its target.
"That's a nice try, but it's not gonna work!" Cissy shouted. "Golduck, push that Charge Beam away by using your Aqua Jet as a buffer!"
"What…?!" gasped the Sunyshore Leader, watching as Cissy's Pokémon suddenly pushed its Aqua Jet right into the face of Luxray's Charge Beam. The move left Golduck completely defenceless, but there wasn't any need for defence; the overwhelming water shredded the blue bolt into nothingness, leaving it to crash down onto the beach with a dull splash. "That's not a bad move…" he admitted, a wry smile forming on his mouth as Golduck touched down lightly on the hardened sand made by its attack.
"We're just getting started," Cissy fired. "Let's show our opponents an Iron Tail!"
"You too, Luxray! Fight steel with steel!" Volkner roared, and the two Pokémon stampeded towards each other with their tails glowing a fierce white. There was a bright flash and a shower of sparks as Golduck and Luxray swung around and slammed their tails into their foes', but the Duck Pokémon pushed sideways at the last moment and caught its opponent off-guard, swiftly cutting an Iron Tail across the Electric-type's jaw.
"Ready to give up?!" Cissy shouted tauntingly, watching as Luxray crashed onto the sand.
Volkner scowled. "Not a chance!" he roared. "Luxray, you gonna let that Water-type push you around?!" he shouted, and Luxray leapt to its feet and roared angrily at the mere suggestion of it. "Good! Charge Beam!"
"Light Screen," barked Cissy, and Golduck quickly created a glowing cube of golden crystals around its body as Luxray fired its blue blast of lightning. The jagged spear smashed into the front face of the cube, but the screen absorbed the attack completely and faded away, leaving Golduck unharmed as it raised its webbed hands for more.
Wow, Cissy really knows what she's doing! Volkner thought, extremely impressed. I'm gonna have to step things up if I want her Badge!
"Aqua Jet, Golduck!" ordered the Mikan Leader. Golduck growled and threw a shield of water over itself, pouncing forwards and racing over the sand like a wavy blur as it closed in on Luxray.
"Counter with Quick—!" Volkner shouted, but Golduck had charged into Luxray's body before he had time to finish his command. "—Attack…" he murmured, his eyes shooting open as Luxray hit the ground for the second time.
"How 'bout now?! Ready to call it quits?" Cissy smirked, as Golduck somersaulted its way back to her side of the improvised battlefield.
"You wish!" fired Volkner, his narrowed yes glinting. That Golduck is really fast… he thought shrewdly, his breath coming to him in short bursts, as though he was the one battling and not his Pokémon. What can I have Luxray do that can take it out quickly…? Wait— he raised a hand to his chest, over his heart, and nearly gasped when he felt the quick pounding of his heartbeat thumping against it. I don't believe it; I'm actually enjoying this!
"Golduck, Swift attack!" Cissy shouted, taking advantage of her opponent's lapse in concentration, and the Water-type opened its jaws wide as it launched a wide spray of spinning stars towards Luxray.
"Hyper Beam, let's go!" Volkner boomed, and Luxray promptly blasted a thick column of bright orange energy from its maw, blowing through Golduck's Swift as though it was nothing and hurtling Golduck itself across the beachside, skidding to a stop next to Cissy as smoke trailed from its body. "Good work, Luxray!" he cheered, the ghost of a laugh on his face as he punched the air.
"You sound like you're having fun," Cissy mused, as Golduck picked itself up.
"Maybe I am!" he grinned, pointing at her Pokémon. "But that Golduck of yours isn't gonna beat me, no way!" he added.
"We'll just see about that, now, won't we?" she laughed. "Fury Swipes, double time!" she ordered, and the Duck Pokémon flipped across the sand like a gymnast as it reached its foe, who was still recharging after its Hyper Beam, and viciously slashed a set of sharp claws across both of Luxray's front legs, bringing the Gleam Eyes Pokémon to its knees.
"Luxray, no!" Volkner exclaimed, taking an anxious step forwards. "Come on, let's try a Thunder Fang the next time that giant duck comes up close!"
"Big mistake, giving away your strategy!" tittered Cissy, throwing her arm forwards. "Finish Luxray off with Surf!" she shrieked, and Golduck shot sideways into the ocean, disappearing under the sheet of inky black. There was a quiet rumble, and then a huge wave rose out of the still water, with the Water-type riding the crest, and there was a huge splash over the beach as the wave was brought down on Volkner's Pokémon.
"Luxray!"
The wave quickly receded into the ocean, and it left Luxray sprawled over the sand, its eyes filled with swirls, and Volkner sighed as he knew that he'd been beaten. Strangely, he didn't seem to care; he had, for the first time in months – maybe years – had fun in a Pokémon battle, and to him that was a thousand times more important than the result. So he wore a smile as he held his Luxray's PokéBall high and proud, recalling it to the ball's depths and stowing it in his pocket.
"Looks like I won, then!" Cissy nodded, unable to hide her satisfied grin as she returned Golduck to its PokéBall and walked over to join him.
"Right, well I know what that means," Volkner said, still smiling as he rummaged about in his inside jacket pocket. "As the Leader of Sinnoh's Sunyshore Gym, it is both my duty and honour to confer upon you this—" he pulled out a small piece of metal and held it in the palm of his upturned hand, "the Beacon Badge."
"And I'm honoured to have received it," giggled Cissy, picking up the Badge and admiring it. She smiled inwardly as she saw that it was in the shape of a lighthouse; a small piece of grey on the bottom for the tower, a circle of grey near the top for the light itself, and a radiant yellow surrounding the circle to represent the lighthouse's beacon reaching out in all directions. She glanced upwards at the real-life lighthouse over the hill, allowing its light to swing over her eyes for a brief moment before she looked back at Volkner.
"You know this was never about winning a Badge, right?" she asked, folding her hand over her prize, and Volkner shrugged his shoulders as he moved around to stand alongside her.
"I know," he replied, gazing at the lighthouse. "But you're the only person I've battled in a very long time who actually deserves my Badge," he added softly. "Besides…"
"Besides what?" she wondered, turning around to look at him, raising her eyebrow at the grin forming on his lips.
"Besides—" he turned his head and held her hand, "I don't need a Beacon Badge any more. I've already got a new beacon to shine for me."
"The Mikan lighthouse?" she joked, but there was no mistaking that warm look in his eyes, melting away the icy blue in them.
"You," he whispered, moving forward and pressing his lips on hers. After a few soft moments, he quickly pulled away and looked back at the lighthouse, blushing furiously as he let go of Cissy's hand. "I'm sorry—I'm just being stupid—" he stammered.
"No, it's alright," she smiled, linking her arm with his. "If you're gonna kiss your new beacon, it's probably better to be a girl than some hundred-foot-tall slab of stone," she giggled, a hint of crimson across her cheeks as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"You are a beacon, though," he muttered. "The light from your eyes could guide a ship lost at sea. It certainly guided me back to enjoying my battling," he said warmly, and he felt Cissy's head move on his jacket as she shifted it closer to his neck.
"That's so sweet," she smiled. "It didn't stop you from losing, but it's sweet," she laughed, and Volkner put an arm around her back as the pair of them watched the yellow beam of the lighthouse arcing over the ocean.