7.
GAVER: CITY OF MYSTERY
"Face it, Reo: we're lost. Again."
My partner Pokémon frowns at me irritably. The sun is beginning to set in the sky, hidden behind the myriad of tall buildings that surround us. We eventually made it to Gaver City earlier this evening, however neither of us took into account the sheer size of the place. Gaver City is enormous, and full of tall skyscrapers that have been placed ridiculously close together, making the streets between them very narrow and claustrophobic. It is because of this that we now, once again, find ourselves wandering lost, unable to even ask for help from any of the dashing passers-by all dressed in crisp business attire who, like us, are clearly eager to get to somewhere they can rest for the night.
"What did that man say by the entrance? Was it third left or third right that would lead us to the Pokémon Center?" Reo asks.
"I think it was third right," I respond with a shrug of my shoulders.
"No, it was third left, I'm certain of it," Reo disagrees, shaking his head.
"If you already knew the answer then why ask me the question in the first place?" I snap. Reo looks at me, surprised and hurt, and his expression makes me guilty. I sigh heavily. "Sorry, Reo. I'm tired, and hungry. I just want to collapse into a bed somewhere and go to sleep."
"So do I, Luke, but we need to remain in control of our senses," Reo says reasonably. "Why don't we just take the next left turn we come to and see if we can work it out from there," he suggests.
I sigh and nod. "It's as good a plan as any. Don't get freaked out if I cheer really loudly when we see a red roof though, OK?"
Reo chuckles and leads the way towards a street leading off to the left of the one we are on. We make the turning and immediately stop, the way ahead blocked by a crowd of people, who are all muttering excitedly about something. I stand on my tiptoes and attempt to see past them, but can't see anything other than a large empty space in front of one of the tallest buildings in the city. It is made of dark metal and has a large protruding V on the front wall.
A couple of people in the crowd shift slightly, and I take the opportunity to move towards the front, where I find the way ahead blocked by a red velvet rope. Now that I can see the square, I can see more clearly what is going on.
A man is standing with his back towards me facing a cameraman and a woman with a microphone. The man is dressed in a sharp black suit, and wears a black top hat on his head. In his right arm he carries a shiny silver-topped cane. Beneath his hat I can see a protrusion of curled, dark brown hair.
"So, Mr. Victicious," the woman, obviously some sort of interviewer, is saying. "You say that you haven't yet located the miscreants who threatened the townsfolk of Bolderoll City?"
"I'm afraid not," the man responds. His voice sounds oddly familiar. "They continue to elude us. But I urge the general public to be on the lookout for a group of men dressed in black outfits bearing the insignia SPF. If any sightings of these men are made, the police force should be contacted immediately. Do not approach them and do not, under any circumstances, surrender your Pokémon to them."
"You heard the man, folks," the interviewer says to the camera. "Don't give up your Pokémon to anyone. Oh, Mr. Victicious, one more thing…" The man, who has made to walk away from the interviewer, now turns somewhat reluctantly toward her again. "Is there any news on your latest project?"
"Gabby, you know that's top secret…" the man answers.
"Oh please, sir. The public love hearing of your exploits in finding legendary Pokémon."
My curiosity is aroused. Did that woman just mention legendary Pokémon?
"Well, you know how much I adore my public," the man responds dryly. "So I will say this: we have narrowed the potential locations of Victini down to just two. I shall be leaving shortly with my team to search one of them. And no, I won't be revealing where they are," the man adds, and the interviewer closes her mouth in disappointment. "But you can rest assured that, should we find any evidence that Victini has indeed moved here to Silvari, you will be the first to know about it."
Some of the members of the crowd applaud this statement, and the interviewer turns to the camera once again. "Mr. Ramon Victicious, as charming and mysterious as ever, folks. Will our next update bring news of legendary discoveries? Tune in to V-Net next time to find out!"
"And…cut!" the cameraman calls after a pause. "Nice one, Gabby, you look great. As do you, Mr. Victicious, sir."
"Like I care," the man mutters, not troubling too much to keep his voice down. "I shall be taking my leave now." The man turns around, and I see his face for the first time. All at once I realise where I recognise him from. He might have changed his clothes and used a different name, but there's no disguising those piercing, all-seeing brown eyes.
"I don't believe it," I murmur.
"What?" Reo asks, having snuck through the crowd to stand beside me.
I point surreptitiously at the man in the top hat stalking his way towards the building with the V. "Look at him. That man… It's Ben!"
As though he has heard me, Ben suddenly stops and turns to stare straight at me. His expression remains inscrutable, so I have no way of knowing what he is thinking, yet I stare back anyway, intrigued. After a while, Ben turns away and continues to march haughtily towards the building, where a doorman bows and pushes open one of the glistening glass doors for him.
"We've got to get in there," I say to Reo as the crowds begin to dissipate.
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Reo asks.
"I dunno, ask nicely?" Before Reo can stop me, I duck under the velvet rope and march up to the doors of the building, where the doorman throws his arm across the door.
"Kid, what do you think you're doing?" the doorman asks. "You can't just march into the headquarters of the most powerful man in Silvari just like that."
"But I…" I begin, but before I can even think up some sort of excuse, a peculiar look passes over the face of the doorman. It's as if he has just been hit over the head with a mallet; he looks a little dazed and groggy, and his eyes glass over.
"Of course. We've been expecting you. Please enter," the doorman says in a lazy voice, pushing open the glass door. I exchange a bemused look with Reo, who shrugs, before following me through the doors and into the building itself.
Inside the building is lavishly decorated, and the reception area I find myself in reminds me forcibly of a ridiculously expensive fancy hotel. I pause for a moment on a rug which probably cost more than my mom will earn in her lifetime. What do I do now?
As if in answer to my unasked question, there is a ping from across the room, and a set of golden elevator doors slide open. I make my way into the elevator and behold the buttons. The building has forty-eight floors, plus a B for basement at the bottom and a P, presumably for penthouse, at the top. As I watch, the P button illuminates all by itself, and there is another ping as the doors close and the elevator begins to ascend.
"Luke, why are we doing this?" Reo asks, a touch of unease in his voice.
"I have to know who this guy is, Reo," I reply. "Every time I see him I just get more and more confused, and I want to know the truth. Plus," I add, "he seems to be hunting Team SPF as well. He might have some information about them we can use."
"That is true," Reo admits. "I'm still not convinced, though. I reckon you're just enamoured with him since he said the words 'legendary Pokémon'."
"I'm not enamoured with anyone," I say with a scowl.
The elevator pings again and the doors slide open. I make to exit, but stop when I find someone blocking my way. As my eyes scan her appearance, I feel them growing wider and wider with wonder. The girl in my way has lavender hair, brown eyes and a very pretty face. She is dressed in a red and white minidress, white tights, black running shoes and a summery hat with a wide brim. She carries a small yellow handbag, which is slung over her left shoulder.
There's no mistaking her. It's the girl from my dream.
"Oh! I'm sorry," the girl says when she sees us, a little embarrassed. She stands to the side to let us pass, and looks down at the floor, pushing a strand of her unusual-coloured hair off of her face. I proceed out of the elevator, but find myself unable to take my eyes off her the whole time. As Reo and I leave the elevator she enters it and presses a button on the side, still avoiding my eye. The elevator pings and the doors slide shut, taking her out of my eyesight. For a moment I continue to stare at the doors, an excited feeling spreading through me. She is real after all…
"Luke Norton of Tranila Town."
I jump at the sound of the voice and turn around, beholding for the first time the lavish surroundings of the penthouse. The room is furnished with big, leather sofas and squashy armchairs, and the walls are lined with bookshelves, except for the wall opposite us, which is made completely of glass and offers an unrestricted view of the dusk sky and the cityscape below. A grand piano stands in the centre of the room, and just in front of this, reclined comfortably on a deep burgundy leather sofa, is Ben himself. He has removed his top hat, which now sits atop his cane, propped against the piano, and undone his bow tie and top button, making him look oddly casual in such a formal outfit.
"Have a seat, Luke. Make yourself at home," Ben offers, gesturing to the surroundings. I remain motionless, feeling extremely out of place in this wealthy man's penthouse.
"What am I doing here?" I wonder out loud, doubting my decision to follow Ben into the building for the first time.
"I invited you here," Ben answers, and I look towards him again. His expression remains inscrutable. "You need somewhere to rest for the night, do you not?"
"Well…yeah, but I was thinking more the Pokémon Center, not a place like this…"
"And yet this is the place you come across first," Ben muses. "What does that say, hm?"
"I don't know…" I respond, feeling stupid.
"It says that you would prefer the comforts of the penthouse of Mr. Ramon Victicious than the simple amenities of a common Pokémon Center," Ben says in answer to his own question.
My mind fixes on a part of his speech. "Ramon Victicious… That's what they call you, right? Who is he supposed to be, your alter-ego? Is Ben your secret identity or something?"
An impressed smile breaks across Ben's face. "You really are perceptive," he notes. "I suppose that's a fairly accurate summary. The disguise is a little deeper than that, though."
"In what way?"
"If I was to get changed now, and go downstairs as Ben, rather than as Ramon Victicious, the people outside wouldn't recognise me. The crowd, the TV crew, even the doorman wouldn't let me back inside. They'd see me as a completely different person."
"Why?"
"My psychic powers," Ben answers simply. "Being a celebrity is very tedious. All the interviews, all the autographs, people wanting to know every tiny detail of your life. What you're wearing today, what Pokémon you've caught most recently, who you've been seen out in public with. It's extremely difficult to live a normal life with all that going on around you. So I become Ben when I want to escape, when I just want to roam the region as a normal Pokémon Trainer, just like you do."
"So why do you even have this celebrity persona in the first place?" I wonder out loud, posing the question to Ben at the same time.
"I have my reasons."
"And they are?" I press.
Ben changes the subject. "But you fascinate me, Luke. You are the only person I've met, other than a fellow Psychic, who sees through my disguise. When you saw me in that square just now, you recognised me instantly, despite my psychic cloak. I want to know why that is."
"Search me," I say with a shrug. "I'm obviously just special."
"Oh, you are, Luke. More special than you yet realise," says Ben, a very serious expression now written on his face.
"How do you mean?" I ask quietly.
Ben stretches and checks his watch. "It's getting late. You must be tired, Luke." He looks at me hard, and I find myself yawning.
"Yeah, I guess I am," I admit.
Ben points behind him. "Down that corridor, there's a spare bedroom right at the end. You'll find there's a bed made up for you and one for Reo. Bathroom is the first door on the left as you head down the corridor. And yes, that's definitely the FIRST on the left," he adds with a smile. "Not the third."
A while later, I have changed into my pyjamas and lie in my temporary bed, which is soft and squashy and extremely comfortable. Reo's bed is untouched, and my partner seems wide awake, pacing the room back and forth.
"I don't like this," he says for at least the tenth time.
"You sound like a broken record," I say with another yawn, rolling onto my back.
"Do you honestly trust this guy, Luke?"
"Sure, why not?" I say with a shrug. "He seems genuine enough."
"He uses a psychic cloak to deceive people into thinking he's two different people."
"OK, aside from that."
"And whenever you try and ask him anything about himself, he changes the subject."
I roll over to look at Reo again. "Look, some people don't like talking about themselves, OK? It's like if anyone asks me anything about my dad…"
I stop myself, the words sticking in my throat. Reo looks over at me curiously. "Your dad?" Reo asks, speaking softly, yet his voice betrays a hint of interest. I have sparked his curiosity now.
"I'm not going to talk about him, so don't bother," I mutter quietly, turning away.
There is a pause before Reo responds. "Very well. In that case, I won't raise the subject again. But I do know what you mean about people not wanting to talk about their past…"
I look back over at Reo. Now it's my turn to be curious. "What do you mean by that?" I ask him.
"You should get some sleep. I'll make sure nothing and no one comes in during the night."
"You're doing it now," I say to him with a smile.
"Doing what?"
"Changing the subject when you don't like the topic of conversation."
Reo chuckles quietly. "Goodnight, Luke."
"Goodnight Reo."
I awaken later in the night. Reo has fallen asleep on the floor, evidently not wanting to leave his unnecessary guard duty. I can hear what sounds like music coming from down the corridor. I listen, and with a shiver of surprise recognise the voice of the girl from my dream, the same girl who I saw leaving the penthouse as I arrived earlier.
Quietly, I get out of bed and step over Reo towards the door. I pull the door open and proceed cautiously down the corridor, coming to a stop just before I enter the main living area, and beholding the sight that greets me with wonder.
The moonlight from outside spills through the glass wall, illuminating the area with ethereal white light. Ben is sat at the grand piano, his Espeon on his lap, playing a soft musical melody, to which the girl, dressed in a lavender nightdress that matches her hair, is singing along. She is seated on a leather pouffe, her Jigglypuff on her own lap, the reflection of the full moon illuminated in its large eyes. I stand and watch for a moment, beholding the beauty of the scene.
Ben stops playing for a moment and the girl stops singing. He looks over at her.
"Excellent, Luna. Now let's try that again, in C Major this time."
The girl, Luna, nods, and Ben begins to play again, a livelier melody this time. Luna continues to harmonise with the melody, bringing out its inner beauty. So many emotions run through her voice and the song itself, but the predominating one I feel is joy. Joy that I have finally found the girl from my dream, and that she is not indeed mere fantasy after all.
I gaze across the room, and jump slightly. Both Ben and Espeon are looking directly at me, though Ben continues to play. Luna's eyes are closed, as she loses herself in her own music, but I cannot tear my own eyes away from the piercing gaze of the man at the piano, a gaze that makes me recoil slightly and yet at the same time I find myself drawn into.
Ben plays the final note and Luna opens her eyes once more. Ben looks over at her, and a smile breaks across his face.
"That was beautiful, Luna, as ever. You have a truly wondrous voice." Luna blushes slightly.
"Thanks, Mr. Victicious," she says modestly.
"I think that will be all for tonight. Go and get some sleep."
Jigglypuff jumps down from Luna's lap and she gets to her feet. She holds out her hand to Ben, who takes it in his own and raises it to his lips. He kisses her hand and releases it, and Luna blushes even more at this.
"Goodnight, Luna."
"Goodnight, Mr. Victicious. Sweet dreams." With this she turns away and proceeds down a corridor at the other end of the room, presumably towards her own bedroom. Ben watches her go and waits until he hears the sound of her door close before turning his gaze back to me.
"Sit down, Luke." His expression is inscrutable once more. This time I obey the request and move across to sit on the pouffe Luna had vacated just a moment previously.
"Who is she?" I ask before I can stop myself.
"Her name is Luna McKowski, an orphan formerly left to roam the streets of Gaver City. I took her in almost a year ago, and have acted as her mentor in both music and Pokémon training since then."
"I've seen her before…" I begin to say.
"You dreamed of her, did you not?" Ben looks at me long and hard. "Passing through Musharna's Playground. I can see it in your mind… You dreamed of battling against Luna."
"Yes," I concede, unable to deny the facts he sees in my thoughts. "But why would I do that? How could I dream about someone I haven't even met yet?"
"Musharna's power is mystical and beyond understanding," Ben says with a shake of his head. "I assume there is a reason it would have introduced you to Luna in this way."
I glance over at the corridor down which Luna disappeared, then back to Ben. "Are you and her…" I begin once more.
Ben laughs – the first time I have heard him do so. "No, we are not. As beautiful as she is…she really isn't my type."
I try not to look too pleased about this, then realise that Ben can see my true emotions in my mind anyway. "Who are you, Ben?" I ask now, turning my attention back to the mysterious Trainer who sits at the piano before me.
Ben scrutinises me long and hard before answering. "I am on your side, Luke. A friend. That's all you need to know. But I promise you can trust me." He stands up and walks over to the glass wall, Espeon prowling close behind him. I have a million more questions I want to ask, but I sense that he is ready to end the conversation.
"You really should be getting back to bed," Ben says without turning to look at me, confirming my suspicion. "You intend to set out for Verdate City tomorrow, correct? The road through Translucent Cave is long and arduous, and you will need to be at full strength before you can even think about taking it on."
I slouch back across the room heading towards my bed for the night. As I am about to proceed down the corridor I turn one last time and behold him, still standing motionless at the window, staring out into the night. Ben may claim that he is on my side, and that he can be trusted, but in that moment I make a vow. I will find out the truth about him, and the secrets he is hiding, and then I will make my own judgment on the mysterious and powerful Trainer who reminds me so much of my own father, a man I had sought to erase all trace of from my life until now.
