BOOM!
"Run! He's here!"
"Who?!"
"HIM! THE SUN OF SUNYSHORE!"
BOOM!
The huge metal doors of the Galactic Hideout at Solaceon Town flew off its hinges, throwing those who are unfortunate enough to be too near to the point of impact far away from the entrance of the hideout. A line of yellow zoomed past them before bursting into a surge of electricity, shocking everyone in its vicinity that left them convulsing uncontrollably on the floor.
"Don't let any of them leave! Thunder Wave!"
More streaks of yellow zoomed into the hideout from the destroyed entrance before sounds of sizzling lightning could be heard. A mere second later, every member of Team Galactic who was in the hideout is now subdued, unable to move thanks to the shock they received from the Thunder Wave.
"Is that all?"
A Galactic grunt who is unlucky enough to be the nearest to the source of that lazy sounding voice slowly moved his eyes upwards, spotting the signature blue jacket and yellow hair of a certain individual who had struck undiluted fear in their organisation ever since their uprising two years ago. A monstrous electivire walked by the individual's side, buzzing with power as its red eyes scanned the area, daring anyone to try and stand up to its might. Numerous other electric types stood around the now compromised hideout, awaiting for their next orders.
"Take away their pokeballs. Jarvis, call the Special Forces in and inform them to prepare for immediate interrogation. I want them to spill everything they know before the sun rises again tomorrow."
This is Volkner Tide, Gym Leader of Sunyshore and the greatest threat to Team Galactic. He is so strong that the standing order for everyone in the organisation that is not their boss or their Admins is to flee on sight.
Because of Volkner, their organisation's expansion in Sinnoh had been severely hindered. They used to have close to two hundred bases of operations, big or small, scattered across the region at various places before their big debut. Over the past two years, that number has now dwindled to less than twenty because Volkner had been relentless and crushed every hideout he could find with extreme prejudice. He's also not alone. Members of the Sinnoh Thirteen Pillars often helped him when he needed it, but Volkner alone accounts for more than 50% of the destruction of their organisation's hideouts.
That's how good he is at weeding them out. Even the spies they planted in the Sinnoh Government and the Sinnoh League were not spared. With Volkner and Lucian working together, there was no one in their ranks capable enough in keeping their cover.
To solve this problem, there were attempts made at Volkner's life. However, every assassination attempt they had on him ended in utter failure. Each and every of their assassins were murdered painfully by his overprotective pokemon. His gallade's ability to sense the thoughts of others made it near impossible for anyone with hostile thoughts to get close to him. The League and Government had turned a blind eye towards Volkner's pokemon violent tendencies whenever it comes to an assassination attempt on Volkner's life, because he is just that good and valuable as an asset to Sinnoh. There are many leeways that only he enjoys because he is crucial in keeping Sinnoh safe and sound.
Even their attempts to get to Volkner by hurting those close to him ended in failure. Trying to hurt his gym trainers doesn't work, neither were their attempts on the orphanage that Volkner is so attached to. Flint is as strong as him, so aiming for him is akin to suicide. There's nothing they can do to stop, threaten, or blackmail Volkner.
"DIE!"
Another Galactic grunt, either through sheer willpower or foolish bravado, managed to fight through the paralysis of the Thunder Wave to try and stab Volkner from behind using a dagger. Volkner still looked as if he's half asleep with those half lidded eyes and not even turning around to acknowledge that grunt.
He didn't need to.
The electivire beside him simply extended its tail and caught the grunt by his wrist without even looking back. Another shock from the pokemon made the grunt scream so painfully that made them all averted their eyes away.
"Franky, don't kill him. He may have what we need."
The grunt was unceremoniously dropped onto the floor, unconscious. His eyes are already rolled to the back of his head and he is barely alive. Volkner lazily kicked the dagger away somewhere out of reach as he sat on a nearby chair of their pantry. He even had the audacity to pour himself a drink and open a new tin of biscuits while doing so.
"I have to say, you Galactics really do know how to enjoy life. The pantry here is even better stocked than the one in my gym."
"F-Fuck… you…" One of the grunts wheezed out, still wrecked with random bouts of spasm from the Thunder Wave.
"You guys need to be more creative in your insults. The F word gets old after a while, even the grannies at the Sunyshore Market can throw insults better than you do." Volkner casually replied as a loud crunching sound could be heard from the pantry. "Mmm, tastes good. I think I would stock my gym's pantry with some of these when I get back later."
Still munching on the biscuits, Volkner then walked up to one of the fallen grunts, who was visibly sweating in fear from being so close to Volkner.
"Now, since we have some time, let's play a game of twenty questions, shall we? Every single one of your colleagues I met did not have the answer I seek, so I really hope that you do in order to make things easy on my part. I would also hope that you are not foolish enough to try and do anything funny like trying to stab me while I'm doing the questioning, because the few who tried now sported electrical burns that will scar them for life." Volkner said in faux politeness as the raichu which had joined him by his side sparked menacingly to emphasise his point.
Volkner stomped his feet loudly near the grunt's face while leaning down to face him with the eyes of a predator, which made the grunt tremble further in fear.
"First question, where the hell is Cyrus?"
"Ma'am, this is the newest report on the Galactic problem."
Ashley took the printed report that her secretary gave her and quickly looked through it. Things seem to be looking good thus far. It is times like this that she is relieved that her region's Government and Pokemon League had a history of working together instead of independently like what the other regions do. It made it a lot easier to deal with problems as big as Team Galactic.
It's been two years since Volkner made a deal with her.
Cynthia was understandably not happy with her arrangement in giving Volkner full authority to deal with the Galactic problem however he deems fit, but she conceded that Volkner is the best candidate they have for the job. All Cynthia asked was that in future, such things need to be discussed with her first, because she is the Sinnoh Champion and things like these fall under her jurisdiction. Ashley had apologised for that and everything went back to normal thereafter.
With Volkner personally investigating Team Galactic, many of their bases were quickly found and swiftly rooted out. They were horrified that almost every single city had at least ten Galactic hideouts scattered throughout the region. Some were even cleverly hidden in plain sight, like the office building at Veilstone which serves as one of Team Galactic's strongholds. Getting rid of the Galactics in it required two Gym Leaders, three Elite Four members, and Cynthia herself. However, the combined might of nearly half of their Thirteen Pillars is nothing to scoff at. The Galactic building at Veilstone was cleared in just a few hours and the terrorists in it were all swiftly apprehended and sent packing to jail.
The important thing was that there were no casualties. Zero. It's a very impressive record considering the size of the operation.
From there on, Volkner had managed to slowly corner and herd the remnants of Team Galactic to slowly group up with each other in their desperate gambit to continue to survive. Like he said, if they were too swift in the extermination of the Galactic problem early on, it would only encourage them to bunker down and make it hard to uproot them once and for all. By taking it slow at the start and focusing more on gathering information instead of outright eradication, it made dealing with Team Galactic easier in the long run.
In just a mere two years ever since their sudden uprising, Team Galactic was suddenly reduced to a shell of its former self, but that doesn't mean that it is truly gone. Cyrus himself had never made an appearance and his skills as a trainer had been suspected to rival even those of an Elite Four. The four Commanders of the terrorist organisation are still at large, no doubt waiting for the right time to make their comeback. The remaining forces of Team Galactic regrouped and decided to lay low, eluding capture all this while.
Ashley closed the report in her hands shut. Volkner had finally made a breakthrough in his investigation on the whereabouts of the Galactic remnants with his latest raid. It's like what they had suspected all along. Team Galactic are indeed hiding in that place. They now have concrete proof and the only thing left to do is to conduct a very thorough search. It will take a while, but it can be done.
The Sun of Sunyshore shines so bright that it had cruelly exterminated the shadows created by the looming presence of Team Galactic, leaving them nowhere to run or hide other than Mt Coronet.
The situation for the still ongoing battle between the Sinnoh League and Team Galactic is still a stalemate ever since after the large scale operation successfully conducted at Veilstone. While Volkner is still in charge of weeding out any Galactic remnants hiding in their cities, Flint, Roark, Lucian, and Bertha were tasked to map Mt Coronet in order to find Team Galactic. They had made little progress on the situation because of Mt Coronet's unique geography.
"Two years. I will wipe out Team Galactic within two years, or at least weaken them enough for the League and the Government to be able to handle them by themselves even without me around."
Ashley tapped a finger on her table in a slow rhythm upon remembering those words said to her two years ago.
Volkner had made good on his promise. In just a mere two years, he had dealt such a crippling blow on Team Galactic that it will take at least a decade for them to get back to where they were when the terrorist organisation first started targeting their cities and their region's legendary and mythical pokemon. Now, all Team Galactic can do is to try their best and not get caught by the Sinnoh Forces or the Thirteen Pillars. Sinnohans no longer fear Team Galactic as much as they used to when they first heard the organisation staging a full siege on Sunyshore. Like the sun, Volkner's presence alone drove the darkness away and gave people hope and strength by dispelling the fear.
The Sun of Sunyshore, there is no moniker better suited to describe Volkner.
Ashley's thoughts were brought back to the present when the phone in her office rang. She picked it up, hearing her secretary's voice through the phone.
"Ma'am, Champion Cynthia is asking if you are free for a short meeting."
"I'm free. Send her in."
Minutes later, the Sinnoh Champion entered her office. The two most influential leaders of Sinnoh sat across from each other. They are each other's colleagues and also each other's best friends. It is lonely to be at the top. Not many would know what it means to be a leader or a Champion of an entire region.
"Have you received the report Volkner sent?" Cynthia started the ball rolling as they both sipped on some tea that Ashley had poured.
"I did. In fact, I had only just finished reading through it before you arrived. If it wasn't for Volkner, who knows how long we would take to complete what he did. Volkner had crippled Team Galactic so badly that the Special Forces alone should be enough to take it from here. There would be minimal need of assistance from the Thirteen Pillars from now on. What do you think?"
"My thoughts exactly. In fact, I'm here precisely because of that." Cynthia nodded her head once, tea cup still in hand. "Volkner didn't say anything, but it's obvious at a glance that he's overworked and overtaxed from dealing with the Galactic problem all by himself for two whole years. Flint also agreed with me, so I'm here to ask if you are agreeable in letting us make Volkner take a short pause from his crazed hunt for the Galactics. We will physically put him on rest if we have to."
They both shared a chuckle at the mention of 'crazed hunt'. With how relentless Volkner is in ridding Team Galactic, it's like Volkner is obsessed with seeing them gone.
However, Ashley knew better. She knows the real reason why Volkner wants to get rid of Team Galactic as soon as possible. He had fulfilled his end of the deal spectacularly.
"Truth to be told, I am partly the reason why Volkner took the initiative to hunt down Team Galactic. I am also the reason why he's so seemingly obsessed with seeing them gone. I was thinking if I should fulfil my end of the bargain now."
Cynthia's eyes narrowed at the word.
"Bargain?"
Ashley let out a tired sigh. It's not like she enjoys keeping secrets from Cynthia, but sometimes things have to be done even if she's not proud of her deeds. On the contrary, she hated doing what she had to do at times.
Given the current circumstances, it's time to let Cynthia in on the real reason why Volkner even took up the position of Sunyshore Gym Leader in the first place.
It's only fair.
She couldn't believe it.
Blackmail. Volkner had been blackmailed to take up the position of Gym Leader. No wonder he's always so pissed at everyone and anyone.
A deal. Volkner had struck a deal with Ashley to allow him to be a free man again. No wonder he's so insistent on dealing with the Galactic problem as fast as possible, almost to the point of obsession.
It made her head spin at the severity of it all. They are lucky that Volkner accepted the responsibility of Gym Leader despite all of the unfairness and not abuse his authority as one. They are lucky that Volkner didn't lash out violently or spill the dirty dealings that the Sinnoh Government and the Sinnoh League did behind closed doors. Even she has no idea if she can fully stop an angry Volkner.
And when Ashley had admitted to everything between her and Volkner, the President of Sinnoh asked for her professional opinion if they should finally let Volkner go. Cynthia had immediately replied with a 'yes' because no matter how much they don't get along as fellow colleagues, she still has a great deal of respect for Volkner.
Not just for his abilities as a trainer, but also for his undeniable contributions to Sinnoh.
In the seven years since he became a Gym Leader, he single handedly transformed Sunyshore and tripled the city's economic growth, drove down crime rates in the region to a bare minimum, exterminate more than 50% of criminal organisations that had taken residence in their homeland, dealt such a severe crippling blow on Team Galactic that they can never properly rise again.
He had done so much, yet asked for so little. No matter how un-Gym-Leader-like he is, Volkner is still an exemplary Gym Leader.
So, when she learnt the truth of how he even got recruited in the first place, she had immediately agreed to let him go. She knows that he is planning to move to Johto for good when he retires from his position as Gym Leader and that they would probably never meet again, but that's fine with her.
Volkner had been overtaxed ever since he became a Gym Leader. It's time he gets himself a break. A long one this time.
She decided to personally deliver the news to Volkner himself. With her pokemon's help, she soon arrived at Sunyshore Gym.
There is an ongoing gym battle when she enters the gym. She stayed out of sight when she saw a challenger taking on Riley and his lucario on the difficulty of the Elite level. When Volkner had appointed Riley as his successor, it had garnered her interest. She even had a battle with Riley once as fellow Generalists and she wasn't disappointed.
Riley will make a fine Gym Leader. In time, he really might surpass Volkner and become the new Sun of Sunyshore.
Riley's improvement in these two years is astonishing. Under Volkner's guidance, Riley is now one of the strongest trainers Sinnoh has to offer. Riley had slowly begun to take over more and more of Volkner's duties as Gym Leader during the past two years. Because of this arrangement, it is no secret to everyone in Sinnoh that Riley would be the next Sunyshore Gym Leader after Volkner. Many in Sunyshore lament the fact that Volkner will be leaving them one day, even if they are not privy to the reason why he is leaving. To the citizens of Sunyshore, Volkner is the reason why their city is able to enjoy the prosperity that they are basking in today. They are sad to see him go.
She stealthily bypassed the arena and headed straight for Volkner's office. Knowing him, Volkner must be catching up on his lost sleep in his own office while pretending to be doing work.
Her right eye twitches a little in annoyance when she finds out that she's right.
"Wake up." She rapped her knuckles on his office table, not allowing herself to be fooled by those stupidly lifelike eye stickers once more. Volkner gave a loud yawn before peeling those stickers off his eyelids and opening his bleary eyes.
"Cynthia? Why are you here?"
The Undefeatable Queen of Sinnoh crossed her arms as she sat herself down on a chair on the other side of the table.
"I heard you struck a deal with Ashley two years ago. Ring any bells?"
"Oh, that?" Volkner only raised an eyebrow slightly at that remark. "Did you find that out by yourself or did she spill the beans?"
"She admitted everything to me, including how you really ended up as a Gym Leader in the first place. Very different from what I was told when you first took up the position. Can't believe I was fooled by your stupid reason of 'losing a bet to Ashley in a game of poker'."
Volkner's grin at the mention of that really made her want to wipe that smile off his face for some reason. Still, she held in her annoyance.
"You say stupid reason, but all of you still ate it up."
"Good job on that." Cynthia snorted. For once, the two of them are not at each other's throats. What a miracle.
"No, seriously, why are you really here?" Volkner lay back on the backrest of his chair with his eyes half-closed, obviously still suffering from a lack of sleep.
"Collecting your letter of resignation. Ashley said that she's fulfilling her end of her bargain since you kept the end of your deal."
There was a brief moment of silence before Volkner started to slowly sit upright to face her, now fully awake.
"Tell me that this is not a joke, Cynthia."
She made a move to get out of her seat.
"Since you don't believe me, I will just go back and tell Ashley that you decided to stay on because you had grown to like your position as Gym Leader. Goodbye, Volkner."
Just before she could put her hand on the doorknob, there was a sound of something whistling as it was thrown at her through the air. Her hand reached out to grab the envelope that might have hit her face if she didn't intercept it in time.
"You really have a letter of resignation at the ready at all times?!"
"The very first thing I did ever since I became a Gym Leader seven years ago was to type the letter out. I made sure to print one out every single day and send it to the League."
Cynthia opened the letter and her annoyance for the man quickly grew. Volkner had printed his official letter of resignation on the very back of what was a grocery list on what to stock up for the pantry of Sunyshore Gym.
"You couldn't even have the decency to print it out properly?"
"Hey, save the planet! Go green! All I did was to print the letter on the back of recycled paper!"
Cynthia could only rest a hand on her forehead and sighed.
"Whatever. See you and Riley at HQ at the end of the month. We will get the both of you to sign the official papers there. Just make sure you handover your duties to Riley properly by then."
Volkner had a look of suspicion on his face.
"That's it? No more blackmail? Hidden agendas? Dirty politics? I really get my wish to finally scram out of here?"
"Yes." Cynthia stressed. "Trust me, even I was surprised that you actually were blackmailed into the position in that manner. You will be a free man in a month, Volkner, I give you my word. You had done more than enough for Sinnoh in these seven years. Unless, you want to take back the letter in my hand and continue staying on-"
"Nope." Volkner waved it off without hesitation. "Hell no."
"Then see you at the end of the month." Cynthia replied as she opened the door to walk out of it. She took a brief pause before turning back to face the man which she had always been at loggerheads with ever since they got to know each other. She is even giving him a rare smile.
"And for what's it worth, Volkner, thank you. Thank you for what you had done for Sunyshore and Sinnoh."
Volkner was visibly surprised by her words, but he quickly composed himself.
"There's no need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. And Cynthia?"
"Yeah?"
"A genuine word of advice from a friend, someone of your age should really start looking for a boyfrie-"
She immediately slammed the door shut behind her and stomped off, ignoring the howling laughter she can hear from behind that door.
Once. Just this once, she will tolerate his antics.
Pokemon and trainer list:
Volkner Tide: Gym Leader of Sunyshore, Electric Specialist
Titles, Accolades and Achievements: Tie for First Place with Flint in the 521st Lily of the Valley Conference, Sinnoh's strongest Electric Specialist, Thirteen Pillar of Sinnoh, The Sun of Sunyshore, The Yellow Flash
Main team:
1. Electivire (Franky), male
2. Luxray (Simba), male
3. Jolteon (Jo), female
4. Magnezone (ISpy), genderless
5. Gallade (Myst), male
6. Rhyperior (Tec), male
7. Probopass (North), female
8. Gyarados (Puddle), male
Pokemon used for Gym challenges
9. Raichu (Squeaky), female
10. Pachirisu (Scrat), male
11. Heliolisk (Bask), male
12. Ampharos (Fluffy), female
13. Vikavolt (Vik), female
14. Eelektross (Whirr), male
15. Lanturn (Glowy), female
Pokemon used for Sunyshore's security
16. Rotom (Prime), genderless
17. Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless