I have been doing this a lot lately with my stories, so why not keep the theme going: it has been a while since the last update, but I promise it will not be as long for the next! I hope the readers out there have been looking forward to this one though. It may not be the best one to come back to, but the plot is building up now and the story will go in a new direction as made clear from the end of the chapter, so enjoy!

Chapter Eight: All Play and No Work

July 8th 1985

For the first time all summer, dark clouds lingered above SunyshoreCity. Humidity hung in the air, keeping the temperature right up as the threat of rain that had built up over the past few weeks prepared to lash the city. As a result, all of Sunyshore seemed to have retreated indoors: it was lunchtime, yet the beaches, streets and the City Square were empty, the holiday-goers and residents deciding to keep away from the impending storm.

To Viktor and Cynthia, Sunyshore seemed to have been abandoned, a ghost town with only a few souls remaining. Their daily meet-up at the library had been the most peaceful one yet as they were the only ones there asides from the library staff. The duo spotted less than a dozen other people spread out around the City Square, mostly those braving the weather to get necessities, with all the cafes and stores targeting tourists still and silent.

Despite having quieter conditions to work in, Viktor and Cynthia left the library in frustration. They had been searching endlessly for the books that Cynthia wanted over the past week, yet still nothing had shown up. Viktor could tell that Cynthia was getting more and more annoyed and disappointed as the days dragged on with nothing coming from them: she did not have long left to her holiday, and she needed to find that book before she left. He wanted to do more to help her, but there was little Viktor could do without spending his entire holiday shut up inside the library.

They walked in silence into Fisherman's Square. They could hear the violent sea below, the waves crashing against the rocks, and a strong wind tugged at their clothing. Viktor was wearing a navy raincoat that resembled a garbage bag, and he felt uncomfortable and unattractive in it, especially as it was not yet raining. Cynthia looked more relaxed in a black coat and jeans to combat the cold sea winds, and Viktor could not help but think how pretty she looked, even with the wind tossing her hair madly around: she was lost in thought, staring up at the slate coloured clouds with a blank face …

"It was a pity we didn't find anything today," Viktor said quickly in order to distract himself, and looked away so Cynthia would not see the flushing of his face. The blonde haired girl sighed, and absently kicked a few loose stones and sent them rolling across the open lane.

"I am starting to doubt that I will ever find anything!" Cynthia grumbled. "It is beginning to look pointless! Every day we go to the library, every day we search through a different section, and every day we leave angry and disappointed. I have begun to wonder if I heard my grandmother properly; I swear she said something about Mr Adiem hiding the book with all the answers here, but maybe it was a different library…"

"We haven't tried all the areas yet!" Viktor replied briskly. "There may be some books they have out back, why don't you try asking someone at the help desk?" Cynthia nodded at the idea, and Viktor's heart skipped a beat in relief. For a moment, he had thought Cynthia had decided to leave, to take her family away to Hearthome or Jubilife and try to find her information there. Viktor knew her departure was imminent, as she was only on holiday after all, but she had fast become his closest human friend and he was not sure what he would do without her.

Their friendship had been tense for a few days after Viktor had run away to the graveyard. He had refused to speak to anyone about what he had seen, or what the supposed ghost Charlotte had told him. He was still not convinced it had really happened, and he checked his head every day for any bruises or injuries that could have led to severe hallucination. Even when his grandparents had warmly scolded him for running away, Viktor had refused to say anything about his incident, only that he felt lonely and wanted to see his parents.

However, for days Viktor had been unable to think of nothing else but Charlotte's scornful words about Cynthia; Cynthia Carter is lying to you, and she will keep on lying to you as long as it pleases her. Viktor did not want to believe it, but it was something that at the time he could not help but think was true, Charlotte's words confirming, for a moment, the suspicions he had had. He had worried about if he was simply a library card to Cynthia in order for her to get the books she needed, and Viktor's jealousy had picked up on her quick bonding with Volkner…

Viktor threw himself into extra training with his Pokemon and work on his science project that he was fast falling behind in, trying to shake away these dark thoughts. Cynthia did not seem to notice anything wrong, and after a few days of wearing himself out so that Charlotte's words would not haunt him, Viktor was able to relax and allow their friendship to return to normal. Every so often, in a quiet moment, Viktor will see the laughing transparent face, feel the grasp of dead hand upon his ankle and hear Charlotte's malicious words, but he refused to let them ruin the only friendship he had had in years.

The Fischer household was getting battered by the foul weather: rubbish and rocks were being blown all over the place, and it was likely there would be a few cracked windows before it was over. Viktor did not want to stay outside any longer, and he could see his grandparents milling about in the kitchen, causing his stomach to grumble for its lunch. Viktor led a quiet Cynthia to the door, desperate to get inside before the storm struck, but he noticed something orange moving in the corner of the living room, and his heart sank as he realised that Flint was staying over as well.

"Hey, I just had an idea!" Viktor said as he turned and side stepping in front of Cynthia before she could reach the front door. "Why don't we try Castform battling in this weather? He has only been in sunny weather so far, it might be good to put him into a bit of rain." Cynthia dwelled over this thought for a moment, staring back up at the storm clouds as if they would give her an answer.

"You know, I really am in the mood for a battle, and I think trying a rainy Castform is the perfect excuse!" She replied with a wide smile, and Viktor beamed back, quickly moving towards the side of the house away from his family's prying eyes. Things with him and Flint were still tense despite all the mediation from his grandparents, and Viktor really did not want Cynthia and Volkner to spend any more time together than was necessary. Everyone was still going on about their battle from the other night, and both Cynthia and Volkner kept discussing rematches and Pokemon strategies whenever they were in the same room. Viktor did not want Cynthia to realise his training was a lost cause and to have her bond with Volkner instead, and would gladly battle in a storm if it meant preventing them getting closer.

Viktor threw his PokeBall into the air, and felt more relaxed once Castform had formed before him. For a moment the Pokemon looked a normal grey, but within seconds his body began to shine blue as it reacted with the stormy weather. Viktor shielded his eyes as the light got brighter, but it faded quickly, leaving behind Castform in his Rainy Form: his head was now shaped like a blue water drop, while his bottom half had morphed to resemble a cloud.

"Caaaas!" He cried, happily flying around Viktor's head. He laughed as he positioned himself a field's length away from Cynthia, the young girl briefly watching and smiling at Castform before sending out her own Pokemon. Viktor was not surprised when the tiny blue Horsea landed on the field, and smirked across at his friend.

"Your hoping it the rain will boost your attacks, aren't you?" Viktor asked, and Cynthia could not help but look impressed.

"Yes actually! I am rather stunned that you worked that out – you really are improving with all this training!" Viktor tried not to blush, but the way Cynthia smiled as she paid him the compliment was a bit too much to handle…

"Viktor, I thought that was you!" A voice cried out above the wind, and his brief moment of happiness was shattered. Viktor glanced around, thinking it was Flint for a moment, but was surprised to see Minerva making her way across her backyard, her Eevee following quickly behind. She was wearing a pink skirt that was being blown up by the wind, and Minerva was trying to keep it under control while maintaining a casual appearance, but Viktor could not help but notice that something was up. He not spoken to his neighbour except for the occasional 'Hello' for several days now, and was suspicious that she would come out in this weather purely for a chat.

"Hey Minerva, what are you doing out here?" He asked, struggling not to sound annoyed. The two used to chat quite regularly near the start of the holidays, but Viktor had a friend his own age now and did not have time for his neighbour, especially not when he had the chance to prove himself to Cynthia.

"Oh, I just heard your voice and thought I'd say Hello, it has been a while since we last spoke," Minerva explained with a slight laugh before quickly turning towards Cynthia. "So, you must be Cynthia then?" She asked pointedly, clearly already knowing the answer, and Viktor had a feeling what might be going on.

"Yes, that's right," Cynthia replied, glancing awkwardly at Viktor as wondered who this person was. Minerva quickly looked her up and down before giving her another smile, and it was quite obvious how fake this was.

"I have seen you out and about with Viktor these past few weeks," Minerva explained, "though I am afraid I don't know too much about you, though I am sure Viktor has told you everything about me!" Cynthia did not reply, merely moving closer to her Horsea and looking at Viktor to do something, but he had no idea what, knowing if he did anything his grandparents would quickly find out. Minerva caught the awkward tension in the air and turned to Viktor, ignoring her Eevee as it circled around her legs.

"I had no idea that you wanted to train your Pokemon Viktor!" She continued. "Why didn't you tell me? Eevee and I would have been more than willing to help you out, and it would have been so easy for you to have just come to my house than to go wandering the streets and asking the first random for help!" She laughed, the sound carrying on the wind, but no one else cracked a smile.

"Are you implying something with that?" Cynthia asked coldly, and Minerva made herself look shocked.

"I don't know what you mean by that? I think you have read the situation incorrectly," she replied, but Cynthia simply tutted.

"The situation is that we were about to battle, and you just interrupted us for no reason, so I think you should go back to your dolls and dresses and leave us to our battle!" Minerva looked as though she had been slapped, and Viktor could not help but smirk slightly as Cynthia turned away from his neighbour and pointed towards Castform. "Now Horsea, let's begin with a –"

"Eevee, use Tackle!" Minerva suddenly cried. Viktor was shocked, but he simply stood and watched as Eevee sprinted forwards across the rocks, headed towards an equally surprised Cynthia and Horsea.

"Twister!" Cynthia yelled, snapping out of her shock in the nick of time. Horsea turned towards the charging Eevee and took a deep breath in, purple light emitting from her long snout. Before Eevee could even get close, Horsea exhaled, firing a whirling purple tornado towards the Evolution Pokemon.

"Veeee!" Eevee cried as the Twister struck her, blasting her backwards past Minerva. The young girl was stunned by the power of the attack, and an impressed Viktor smiled at Cynthia, but she did not return it, instead glaring at Minerva.

"I think you really need to go now, before my Horsea does serious damage to your Pokemon!" She hissed. "Or I could send my Gabite out and give you a real battle, if that's what you'd prefer?" Minerva's confidence was quickly shattered, and she bent down and scooped a ruffled Eevee off from the ground. She looked at Viktor, pleading for him to help, but he looked away, refusing to betray his new friend for an old neighbour he rarely spoke to. Minerva let out a loud sniff and turned and scuttled back towards her house, nearly stumbling over her dress as it was blown about.

"That was pretty impressive; I have never been able to shake Minerva away that quickly!" Viktor said with a broad beam. He felt a bit guilty that he had not handled the situation better, as Minerva could be just as lonely as he was, but getting rid of the young girl was like trying to push a Snorlax up a steep hill. "Now, shall we continue with our battle?" He asked, eager to pit Castform against that powerful Twister. Cynthia turned back towards him, looking rather absent, and Viktor's heart fell even more, having a feeling about what she was about to say.

"I am sorry Viktor, but I am really not in the mood anymore," she said with a slight sigh. "Your little friend has taken away the enthusiasm I had. I think I will just go home and think about what I should do next with the whole book finding mission. And, judging by how dark those clouds are, the storm is about to strike and I really need to get home."

You could stay here overnight if you wanted to! Viktor thought, and he nearly uttered the words, a brief fantasy crossing his mind. However, Cynthia clearly had made her mind up as she withdrew Horsea and quietly waved before turning his back on him. It was clear that her failure with finding the book was getting to her, and Viktor wanted to go something to make her feel better, but words failed him and he simply watched her long blonde hair disappear around the side of his house.

"This is her fault," Viktor whispered, looking at Minerva's house. Castform looked at him curiously but Viktor did not pay him any attention. He watched as some wrappers fluttered around in the air and an idea quickly came to him.

"Form Cast Form!" Castform exclaimed as Viktor bent down and picked up the largest rock he could actually hold. Viktor knew that his Pokemon was aware of what he was going to do and was upset by it, but he pushed away the thoughts as he ran towards Minerva's house. He could see no one through the windows, but did not want to risk being caught and did not pause: Viktor heaved the rock up and tossed it towards the window. It smashed through the glass at the same time as thunder roared overhead, the entire pane shattering.

"Move!" Viktor hissed at Castform, and he turned and sprinted back towards the house, moving before anyone had the chance to spot him. Flecks of rain splattered his face as Viktor ran, and more thunder roared overhead, signalling the start of the storm. Viktor paused by the door, glancing back to make sure no one in Minerva's family was coming after him. Now that he stopped, could feel his heart pumping, exhilaration going through his body as he thought of that simple act of vandalism, that small act of revenge. He would never admit it aloud, but Viktor could not help but feel glorious, rebellious, free… alive…

He flung the front door open and stepped inside, instantly feeling the warmth spreading out from the kitchen where his grandmother was slaving over a late lunch, steam wafting up from a pot and circling around the ceiling. Viktor stripped his raincoat off and flung it past Castform as the Forecast Pokemon turned back into his normal form, savouring being away from the weather and but now wondering what to do as his time with Cynthia had been cut short.

"Hello Viktor!" His grandfather boomed, placing his newspaper down and giving his grandson a broad grin. Viktor knew that he was only doing it because the grandparents were still concerned over him run away, but he still appreciated the gesture and smiled back, lapping up the attention while it lasted.

"Where's Cynthia, I thought you were out with her?" Joan asked as she stirred a giant pot boiling over the stove.

"Oh, she… had to go home, the storm and that…," Viktor mumbled, too distracted to think of a better lie. Peter and Joan accepted it and went back to what they were doing, leaving Viktor to continue to his bedroom. The wind was seeping through cracks in the hallway, so there was a chill in the air that made Viktor shiver, and he dreaded to think what it would be like trying to sleep with the storm pounding down atop their creaking old house.

"Come on Volkner, we need to think of battle strategy!" Viktor paused by his cousin's doorway as he heard voices stirring through it, and peered curiously through a gap made by the half closed door: Flint was sitting on the floor with his Eevee crawling on top of him, trying to get its trainer's attention, but Flint was staring up at Volkner as he paced around the room, Pikachu clinging to his shoulder.

"I know, I am trying!" The blonde haired boy grumbled back, a notepad in his hands. "We need to combine Fire and Electric attacks together but I am not sure if that would really work!"

"What about some of Eevee's Normal type moves, and doesn't Pikachu know Surf?" Flint suggested. "We are sure to get attention if he uses that move!"

"It's not about getting attention, it's about winning the prize, and we won't win if Pikachu knocks out Chimchar or Houndour and has to face the competition alone!" Volkner replied, Pikachu nodding on his shoulder.

"He can use Surf while I have my Eevee out, it won't be that effective as long as he has full health!" Flint retorted, holding his Eevee up to help prove his point. As Volkner thought over this, Viktor decided to move on before he was noticed by Flint, spurred upon by something his cousin had said.

"I wonder what the prize is," Viktor mumbled to Castform as he moved into his room. He remembered Flint giving him a flyer several weeks ago, right before the incident with the curtains, and he now wondered where it was. Viktor began moving sheets aside on his desk, knowing it would have ended up somewhere near here. His entry for the science competition was sitting untouched in the middle of the desk, a thin layer of dust on it from several days of being ignored and Viktor paused as his eyes glanced over it, wondering when he would get the time to carry it on…

My training is more important, I only have a few weeks with Cynthia! He reminded himself, and quickly went back to searching, trying to ignore a feeling of guilt over ignoring the project he had been so invested in only a few weeks prior. He found the crumpled flyer a few moments later with its image of a Starly and Mantyke, and Viktor remembered being engrossed when Flint had first given it to him, but the fight clouded over these memories and it was a fresh read for him as he sunk onto his bed.

"Wow, the prize for this is actually pretty awesome!" Viktor exclaimed, causing Castform to fly across and peer over his shoulder. "The grand prize for the two winners is a trip to the Island of Champions where you get to battle Bertha from the Elite Four and her sister Agatha from Kanto!" Viktor had seen the two sisters on television and in magazines and was amazed at the idea of being able to face them, sending Castform out alongside Cynthia's Gabite, entering into a glorious battle that would be remembered for years to come. Viktor looked through the rest of the details, wondering what else the prize entailed.

"You get to have dinner with all of the Elite Four as well, and the Champion Winston Diamond!" He informed Castform, in awe at the star power being hosted at this event. "And you get an interview that will air on the Sinnoh Broadcasting Company with…. Arnold Adiem…." Viktor paused, silence quickly falling in his room, the only sounds being the rain as it began to hammer the roof. The flyer fell to the cluttered, dirty floor, but Viktor did not realise it had left his fingers. It landed atop hand drawn diagrams and series of notes about his machine, flyers advertising the science competition and the different forms he had to fill out to enter, pieces of paper that had been ignored for weeks, but Viktor was oblivious to them being there…

"Cas Cas?" Castform asked as Viktor got to his feet, his cry went ignored. Viktor moved out of his bedroom, down the hallway and into the living room without a thought crossing his mind, moving forwards like some kind of zombie too caught up on a single idea to consider anything else.

"Viktor, what are you doing?" Joan exclaimed. "I am about to serve lunch!"

"Where do you think your going?" Peter boomed. "You can't go out there, you'll get blown into the ocean! Viktor! VIKTOR!" But Viktor stepped outside, closing the door behind him just after Castform had slipped through the gap. The wind and rain hit him like a bomb, and the young boy felt the weather tugging at his raincoat, but he could not remember putting it back on. There was a blinding flash of lightning as Castform changed forms, followed by the loud crackling of thunder, yet it did not perturb Viktor in the slightest. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment, and he used it to give himself courage against the storm that was only just beginning.

I must find Cynthia though, I need to tell her this news, and then she won't need to bother with finding the book anymore! Viktor told himself as he set off. All we have to do is get to Mr Adiem, and then she can find the answers she needs, and we can spend the rest of the summer together without anything to get in our way… And with that thought giving him strength, Viktor led Castform away from the house and into the rain, wind and lightning, a smile creeping onto his face as the young boy imagined how happy Cynthia would be with him.