"Come on Will, pick up," sighed Koga in a frustrated tone.
"Will here."
"Will, I've been calling you for quite some time. Is something the matter?"
"Nothing mattered to me until a few seconds ago," replied Will.
"Beg your pardon?"
"I just woke up."
"It's just past eleven."
"I was hoping to get past twelve."
"For the last time, you go to bed early and you wake up early. Anyway, now is not the time for such lectures. So, how are things going with our Cinnabar project?"
"Good. We've got plenty of equipment that should be of great interest to the league. Unfortunately, I have had the greatest trouble establishing contact with Silph."
"You do know that Silph is currently undergoing a change in presidents and potentially one in the board of executives don't you?"
"I wasn't informed about it," returned Will.
"I want you to return to Indigo."
"What?"
"Get some personnel over at the site. You need to get back here in time for some league business. You can miss the conclusion of the league tournament, but some important things are going to be discussed and we're going to need you there. I'm also sure that you'll want to take some time to prepare for some incoming challengers. You are going to be facing them first, you know," said Koga.
"I'm not at all worried about that. I do have important things to do here and I don't see how I should get pulled away while I'm taking care of these things!" objected Will.
"As much as this probably means to you, you're going to need to get back here. Some items on the agenda this year are a lot more important than fortuitous particulars about insignificant rules and policies."
"Oh really?" questioned Will.
"Things pertaining to the governance of the very objects that you are finding and excavating?"
"That's different," replied a deflated Will.
"One more thing. How goes the excavation of the old mansion?"
"It's coming along. Our only problem is that the teams are extremely concerned about the safety of this building. It's taken extraordinary amounts of punishment, even before the volcanic eruption."
"Ah, I was wondering if any excavation team may have stumbled across anything along the lines of, well, it's not that important," Koga said hesitatingly.
"Something along the lines of what?" interrogated Will.
"A written journal, a record of something, something that does not pertain to you getting back here on the double."
"Is that an order?"
"Shall I make it one?"
"No, I'm just exasperated. Koga?"
"Yes?"
"How do you stay on top of things?"
"I never let anything get over me and so I never get buried."
Will hung up his cell phone with a groan and wiped away the sweat that had just saturated his brow. He didn't like to defy Koga like this, but he needed, wanted to make some additional headway with all of these excavation projects. He wanted something with substance that he could claim responsibility for, something that he could present to the rest of them.
Fate, destiny, luck, circumstance, environment, whatever you would want to call it was against him. Will wanted to prove himself, but the more he did, the more he found himself becoming adversarial to those around him. It's tough to establish oneself and it seemed like the more he tried, the more forced and less natural it became. He was still in his sleeping bag, not too far off the recently excavated laboratory. The sun was bright. The surrounding area was dirty and muddy. It suited Will's mood quite well.
==============
Marlow was outside the league quarters. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt as he sat Indian style along a cold section of grass. It was sometime before six in the morning, but Marlow didn't know exactly what time it was. He had come out to practice breathing and relaxation.
Marlow took in air through his nostrils and did his best to extend out his abdomen. It didn't coincide with his breath perfectly, but it would suffice. Conrad would often correct his form and make sure that his back was straight and his shoulders were loose, but Conrad was not here. Inhale. Tension. Exhale. Repeat. The world, or at least the world he knew could be put aside by the sound of his own breathing. It was good to be reminded that not everything that was going on in the world was going on in his own skin and that he was just a small part of things. Marlow couldn't understand all of it, but it made him calm and at peace and right now that was good enough for him.
About half an hour into the exercise, he had to get up as his legs were feeling stiff and starting to get numb. Purely for the fun of it, Marlow started jogging along without even the slightest care of where he was going. He jogged around the C building of the quarters and then down to and around the B building before jogging back and getting tired and slowing down to a slow walk. His pain would pass and his breath would return again. The coming battle would also pass and whatever would be lost would return again.
The sun had begun to slowly creep up over the mountains and as it did, a gorgeous array of colors illuminated the landscape. The dawn of a new age? Did it always have to take a climactic event to change the way a person lived their day to day life?
==============
Conrad was alone as he strode over to the league battle arena. Although he had awoken early, Marlow was nowhere to be found. It didn't make any difference. Their most important exchanges had already taken place months ago. Something caught his eye on the paved pathway to the arena. It was not a thing, but a person. She was around seven, certainly no older than eight. She was looking straight at him.
"Are you going to win today?" asked the little girl. She had big blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Her nearby mother and father were a bit embarrassed at having their daughter ask a grown adult whom she did not know a question. They gave a casual laugh and smile and were ready to apologize, but it was too late. Conrad had moved close to the child and was squatting down so that they could meet at eye level. He spoke softly.
"I don't know. Maybe I will."
"If you win, are you gonna be a pokemon master?" asked the girl.
"Maybe. Maybe not," returned Conrad.
"When I grow up, I want to be a pokemon master, just like you are going to be," said the girl hopefully.
"What is your name?"
"Brittany."
"Well Brittany, that's a big goal. Remember to try your best and then you can be a master without having to win all the time like I will have to. Just remember to always be yourself, even if you do change your mind about becoming a pokemon master in the future. Can you remember all that for me?"
Brittany nodded with a smile.
"You'll do very well," said Conrad.
"Will here."
"Will, I've been calling you for quite some time. Is something the matter?"
"Nothing mattered to me until a few seconds ago," replied Will.
"Beg your pardon?"
"I just woke up."
"It's just past eleven."
"I was hoping to get past twelve."
"For the last time, you go to bed early and you wake up early. Anyway, now is not the time for such lectures. So, how are things going with our Cinnabar project?"
"Good. We've got plenty of equipment that should be of great interest to the league. Unfortunately, I have had the greatest trouble establishing contact with Silph."
"You do know that Silph is currently undergoing a change in presidents and potentially one in the board of executives don't you?"
"I wasn't informed about it," returned Will.
"I want you to return to Indigo."
"What?"
"Get some personnel over at the site. You need to get back here in time for some league business. You can miss the conclusion of the league tournament, but some important things are going to be discussed and we're going to need you there. I'm also sure that you'll want to take some time to prepare for some incoming challengers. You are going to be facing them first, you know," said Koga.
"I'm not at all worried about that. I do have important things to do here and I don't see how I should get pulled away while I'm taking care of these things!" objected Will.
"As much as this probably means to you, you're going to need to get back here. Some items on the agenda this year are a lot more important than fortuitous particulars about insignificant rules and policies."
"Oh really?" questioned Will.
"Things pertaining to the governance of the very objects that you are finding and excavating?"
"That's different," replied a deflated Will.
"One more thing. How goes the excavation of the old mansion?"
"It's coming along. Our only problem is that the teams are extremely concerned about the safety of this building. It's taken extraordinary amounts of punishment, even before the volcanic eruption."
"Ah, I was wondering if any excavation team may have stumbled across anything along the lines of, well, it's not that important," Koga said hesitatingly.
"Something along the lines of what?" interrogated Will.
"A written journal, a record of something, something that does not pertain to you getting back here on the double."
"Is that an order?"
"Shall I make it one?"
"No, I'm just exasperated. Koga?"
"Yes?"
"How do you stay on top of things?"
"I never let anything get over me and so I never get buried."
Will hung up his cell phone with a groan and wiped away the sweat that had just saturated his brow. He didn't like to defy Koga like this, but he needed, wanted to make some additional headway with all of these excavation projects. He wanted something with substance that he could claim responsibility for, something that he could present to the rest of them.
Fate, destiny, luck, circumstance, environment, whatever you would want to call it was against him. Will wanted to prove himself, but the more he did, the more he found himself becoming adversarial to those around him. It's tough to establish oneself and it seemed like the more he tried, the more forced and less natural it became. He was still in his sleeping bag, not too far off the recently excavated laboratory. The sun was bright. The surrounding area was dirty and muddy. It suited Will's mood quite well.
==============
Marlow was outside the league quarters. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt as he sat Indian style along a cold section of grass. It was sometime before six in the morning, but Marlow didn't know exactly what time it was. He had come out to practice breathing and relaxation.
Marlow took in air through his nostrils and did his best to extend out his abdomen. It didn't coincide with his breath perfectly, but it would suffice. Conrad would often correct his form and make sure that his back was straight and his shoulders were loose, but Conrad was not here. Inhale. Tension. Exhale. Repeat. The world, or at least the world he knew could be put aside by the sound of his own breathing. It was good to be reminded that not everything that was going on in the world was going on in his own skin and that he was just a small part of things. Marlow couldn't understand all of it, but it made him calm and at peace and right now that was good enough for him.
About half an hour into the exercise, he had to get up as his legs were feeling stiff and starting to get numb. Purely for the fun of it, Marlow started jogging along without even the slightest care of where he was going. He jogged around the C building of the quarters and then down to and around the B building before jogging back and getting tired and slowing down to a slow walk. His pain would pass and his breath would return again. The coming battle would also pass and whatever would be lost would return again.
The sun had begun to slowly creep up over the mountains and as it did, a gorgeous array of colors illuminated the landscape. The dawn of a new age? Did it always have to take a climactic event to change the way a person lived their day to day life?
==============
Conrad was alone as he strode over to the league battle arena. Although he had awoken early, Marlow was nowhere to be found. It didn't make any difference. Their most important exchanges had already taken place months ago. Something caught his eye on the paved pathway to the arena. It was not a thing, but a person. She was around seven, certainly no older than eight. She was looking straight at him.
"Are you going to win today?" asked the little girl. She had big blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Her nearby mother and father were a bit embarrassed at having their daughter ask a grown adult whom she did not know a question. They gave a casual laugh and smile and were ready to apologize, but it was too late. Conrad had moved close to the child and was squatting down so that they could meet at eye level. He spoke softly.
"I don't know. Maybe I will."
"If you win, are you gonna be a pokemon master?" asked the girl.
"Maybe. Maybe not," returned Conrad.
"When I grow up, I want to be a pokemon master, just like you are going to be," said the girl hopefully.
"What is your name?"
"Brittany."
"Well Brittany, that's a big goal. Remember to try your best and then you can be a master without having to win all the time like I will have to. Just remember to always be yourself, even if you do change your mind about becoming a pokemon master in the future. Can you remember all that for me?"
Brittany nodded with a smile.
"You'll do very well," said Conrad.