Chapter 6

Fixed at Zero

Dawn

It felt too soon. She was definitely not ready to see him again. Her stomach fell ill just like the day that she found out the ugly truth about him. She promised herself that if she ever saw him again, she would keep her emotions behind her eyes. The moment her gaze spotted him in the crowded lobby, she knew she couldn't manage it.

You...get out of...there, she told herself. Where would she go? Get out! She had no clue as long as it was away from here. She was slowly backing out of the Pokemon Center, the doors sliding open at her hesitant movement.

"Hey, Lucas! Barry!"

That was her cue. She ran. She ran out of the building, into the streets. She had no clue where to go until the voice spoke again.

Go...sea...find...comfort...the voice became broken, as if it was trying to reach here but a connection issue was distorting the words. Her chest and rapidly fell, as if trying to keep up with her thoughts. She followed, not caring where her conscience told her.

Volkner

The shipment got delayed again? Volkner asked himself, agitated as he exited through the glass sliding doors. The towering building loomed behind him as if mocking him. It was easily fifty times the height of him but he still felt like he could take on the entire corporation. As if a battle will solve all my problems, he denounced his own thoughts.

A cool breeze blew across the sidewalk of the heavily populated city. The bustling crowds unnerved the man. He felt perturbed not because he had social anxiety, or fear of getting shanked (which was plausible he felt), but because he was afraid of making relationships. Bonds of any sorts would be devastating.

Drowning out the noise of laughing pedestrians, screaming children, yelling peddlers, and weird noises some people managed to cough up, Volkner entered the fray. Temperature was falling ever so slightly yet Volkner was already succumbing to the cold. The cursed jacket didn't even have buttons or a zipper to close the front. The skin on his chest not covered by v-neck shirt stiffened to form goose bumps.

Hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, Volkner did his best to endure the cool temperatures of the west. He silently cursed the company even more for it was their fault that he was forced to try and tolerate the changing weather. He was a man from the east. The other side of Mt. Coronet was less prone to climate changes, especially Sunyshore City. The city literally known for it being sunny all year round.

How could a simple order have forced me to travel across the continent? He thought outraged. Why isn't that they can't ship to Sunyshore City the samples? I don't need to spend a day here when I have work to do. Stuck for another shitty day!...Man, I really need to lay off the exposition in my own thoughts.

Volkner drudged through the streets, figuring where it all went wrong. I got roped into helping that girl's energy project...Rope was the real culprit. That vile rope! He unconsciously clenched a fist, tensing his shoulders in the process.

He kept his cool, lifting his head up making sure he was heading the right direction after going on auto pilot for a while. He found himself at a fountain depicting two Barboach spraying thin streams of water from their minuscule mouths. The area felt all to familiar but he couldn't remember why.

"Eeek! It's really him, Mia!" a young female voice shouted behind him.

His stoic face was a well-known face throughout the Sinnoh region but it still startled him that was recognized. He turned around to face the two young adults staring at him with awestruck eyes.

"No way...it's really Volkner," Mia, a short haired brunette with a pink shirt and long, flowing skirt, was giddy with excitement. A gym leader that rarely left his city was before them and they couldn't waste this chance. "Can you please sign my Pokeball?" the brunette pulled a great ball from her beige purse, holding up to him with a black permanent marker. "It's my dear Pikachu's Pokeball. I'm hoping your signature will give him the strength to even topple Rhydons."

Volkner blandly stared at the Pokeball through narrowed eyes. "I doubt that's how the first law of thermodynamics works." He snatched the marker out of her hand, fearing that she was about to jam it into his eye and hastily signed the Pokeball.

Mia's blonde friend sported a purple tank top and a simple white skirt. She awkwardly laughed and pulled Mia's hand down. "Of course Mia knew that and was just joking about it. You would know well how energy works since you did studied engineering at our university."

"University?" Volkner dumbly repeated. I did attend Jubilife's University-which isn't too far from here now that I think about it- but I mostly completed it through the online courses provided to me at Sunyshore. Having no relationships and being eighteen gave me a lot of time on my hands.

"You graduated quicker than most graduates could finish their master's thesis. Right, Lana?" Mia was eager to praise Volkner, disconcerting him.

Volkner realized he was in the school's park, remembering how he decided to skip orientation to sit down here. I only took up Electrical Engineering to disrupt my boredom...and it did manage to break the monotony...for awhile, he thought to himself.

"Can you please tutor me for my upcoming exams?" the blonde, Lana, pleaded.

Mia puffed her cheeks as her companion got close to Volkner. "You're English major, Lana. How is he going to help you with your finals?"

I really need to go, Volkner grimaced. "How about you two take this for the meantime," Volkner said, hiding his annoyance. He dug into a pocket of his jacket with a simple smile. With two fingers he pulled out two small plastic business cards. He held out his hand towards the smitten girls who each eagerly grabbed one.

The yellow card was printed with blue, reflective text that read, 'I met Volkner of Sunyshore City and it was huge disappointment'

"I have some important work to attend to, ladies," Volkner lastly said, leaving the two speechless. "Oh and it has a powerful magnet so keep it away from your credit cards because it will destroy them if they don't use an EMV chip instead of the magnetic strip."

"Will it destroy my debt?" Lana asked in serious tone, eyeing the plastic as if it could change her life.

Being ever the smooth and slick fellow, Volkner waltz out of the park to set back on course. He quicken his pace, wanting to reach his hotel as soon as he can. He glance back to see if anyone was following him. That was the moment when a blur of blue and a streak of red flashed before him.

THUD!

Something collided into his chest while he wasn't looking. Next thing he knew, he was flat on his ass with a painful sensation in his stomach. His breath caught in his throat but he wasn't sure if it was from pain or surprise. He noticed a pair of pink boots splayed across the street in front of him. He quickly deduced that he just bumped into someone, specifically this girl who thinks black knee high socks were enough to protect her from the freezing temperatures.

Don't you dare look up! Just ignore the collision and keep walking. Don't look up! A soft whimper that sounded like it belonged to an injured animal stranded out in wild came out of a girl's mouth.

He looked up. Dammit!

"Sorry," a weak apology escaped trembling lips. Blue eyes swollen with tears, Volkner thought they were going to burst at any time. The hurtful tone finally registered with him and made him react.

"No, I'm sorry," he quickly responded. Sorry? Sorry for what? She was the one who wasn't looking…well you weren't either but that's beside the point, his conscious berated the man. She's probably faking the tears to make me feel like the culprit of this awkward encounter!

The teary girl pushed away strands of blue hair still on her hands and bottom. How innocent she looked nearly fooled Volkner. She sat silent(with a few snivels) as if she waited for an explanation him. He recovered from his initial shock and got back up on to his feet. He extended his shaky hand down to her. "Let me help you back up."

The white beanie stirred as the girl's face looked up with a dazed look. She wiped away her tears and accepted his help. Volkner pulled her feet, uncertain if she was really okay as she quietly thanked him. He dusted off his pants and rubbed his sore hands. He glanced back and realized the blue-haired girl was still there as if waiting for something more but her gaze was unfocused as if she was staring at something in the distance.

She's still here! Quick! Defuse the situation! Say something! Or just walk away! You'll never see her ever again! Volkner told himself. A rigid stare he spent countless amounts of years to perfect formed on his face. Chain rattling against his leg, he slightly turned towards the G.T.S tower in the far off distance. "I'll watch out where I'm going next time," he calmly said before walking off. He let out a breath of relief once he was thought he was far away from the troubled girl.

Why was that so anxiety inducing? Volkner asked himself, heart pounding in his throat. There was something odd about the listless girl but he couldn't figure out why. He took a peek back to see the teen move again and he noticed that he was going in the wrong direction.

Dammit, my hotel is that way...the same direction she took, Volkner realized, but kept going his direction. I'll just take a small detour.

Lucas

"It's surprising," Roman stated; "To find you two here. Are you two also on your Pokemon journey?" He approached in a casual manner without a hint of malice. Trailing behind him was a chipmunk-like Pokemon that barely reached his knee. It stood on it's hind legs, covered in light brown fur except for it's back. A tough, green shell extended from its tail up to its round head, encasing it like a protective helmet and sprouted leaf-like spikes.

"Ye-yeah," Barry stammered. "We both got our Pokemon from Professor Rowan and decided to embark on our journey."

"Professor Rowan," Roman repeated. "He must have some pretty exotic Pokemon in his lab. I've heard he just recently returned from a trip overseas."

"No, these Pokemon are actually Sinnoh exclusives," Barry continued to talk, as Lucas opted to remain silent.

"That's a bummer," Roman answered, glancing down. "I went with a Pokemon not from this region as my starter. Guys, meet Chester the Chespin." His own Chespin stuck his head out from behind his trainer's leg. His toothy grin shined as he realized he was being introduced.

-"Are these your friends?"- Chester asked, approaching the teens.

"Chespin: the Spiny Nut Pokemon," Lucas's Pokedex informed, "Such a thick shell of wood covers its head and back that even a direct hit from a truck wouldn't faze it. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp that they can pierce rock."

"That's pretty useful. Where did you get that?" Roman asked, intrigued by the device Lucas pulled out to record Chester's data.

Lucas hesitated to speak. "It's...a device given by the Professor to help him in his research of documenting Pokemon," he explained, figuring it might stall for some time to Dawn to get away. She left because she didn't want see him. The same guy who deeply hurt her emotionally.

Does he not realize who we are besides then just classmates from school? Doesn't he know we are friends with Dawn? Lucas wondered why Roman was so carefree in talking with them, as if they were just old buds catching up after a long period of time. His anger and indignation began to rise but he couldn't let it show. "Are you staying the night here?" Lucas tempered his ire. He wasn't one to easily let his anger dictate his actions but something about Roman's face was looking so punch-able right now.

"I wasn't able to secure a room in time since all the single bedrooms are taken," Roman shook his head. "Well, looks like I'm heading north then and setting up camp. That's the next gym I can reach from here."

"Eterna City is the closest gym?" Barry asked. "But isn't Canalave City closer since it's just a boat ride away? Oreburgh City is just east through Oreburgh Gate."

"I've already got my badge from Oreburgh," he disclosed. "Canalave was my next destination but the ferry service is currently not running. The trainers around here told me they don't know when it's going to be working again. You need a Pokemon that can carry you across the sea to reach the island. I don't have one yet and I just can't stand around to wait. This Pokemon League season is coming to a close. I'm moving ahead and getting my next badge."

"Well, it's getting dark, so you should get going before nighttime settles in," Lucas urged him to leave.

"I guess I should be setting out," Roman paused to consider Lucas's words. "I hope to meet you two again. Let's go Chester, tonight we sleep under the stars tonight." He exited the Pokemon Center with Chespin running behind him with his short legs.

Lucas let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't confront the boy for his actions against Dawn. He felt pitiful and weak as he could only play along. He didn't seem remorseful and grim after what did this week. He even looked content to be traveling on his own with his Pokemon, Lucas gritted his teeth.

"It's okay, dude. He's gone," Barry said, keeping an eye on Roman until he was out of the vicinity. "Let's go get Dawn. She probably needs us." He nudged his friend and Lucas agreed.

Volkner

It took him longer to reach his hotel. He could have taken the normal path but the doleful girl that he collided with went in this direction. This path went along the sea and went right by the harbor. The familiar sting of salt in the air brought some nostalgic comfort to him as he ambled towards the harbor.

Then there she was, looking peaceful but a sad frown crossed her face. The same girl from before was sitting down on a pier as the tide slowly pulled out towards the sea. She chose a good spot. It was far from the boats tied to the docks by the pier. The rope –the wretched rope- kept the boats from floating away from the docks. In her hand, he saw a glint of yellow and it made his heart skip a beat.

"It can't be..." he absentmindedly muttered in disbelief. He knew he sensed something was wrong with her but for it to be this...he couldn't believe it. Without a second thought he walked up to the blue haired girl. He stopped halfway, hesitating to even approach this stranger but continued against his better judgment. Even after all that effort to take a detour he still ended up right next to this strange girl on the pier. She stir from her stupor to cross eyes with him, looking surprising displeased.

"Am I disturbing your peace, gloomy?" he asked, leaning onto the wooden support.

"If we're giving each other names then I'll calling you Sunny," she answered, placing down her hand.

Volkner half expected her to not talk at all and was genuinely surprised that she could form whole sentences. "Calling me Sunny is an oxymoron," he shot back. "If it's not Gloomy, then what's your name?"

She thought for a moment, dangling her legs over the water. "My name is Dawn," she eventually said. "Is it an oxymoron if I'm Dawn and I'm staring at dusk?"

"Nah, that's just plain irony," Volkner answered, growing relaxed as he joined her and staring out into the sea. He also felt the calming nature and the rumbles of ocean waves crashing into the shoreline lulled him into sense of peace.

"I used to always visit the bluff in Sandgem town to gaze at the sunset. It soothed me but ever since a few years ago, I have this unsettling feeling that something terrible will happen. As if something will pop out of the ocean and attack me," Dawn said in a wistful voice. "But today the ocean comforts me for some strange reason."

Volkner scrunched his forehead. "What made you want to come here?" he questioned, figuring that she was lead here and it couldn't be by chance.

Dawn kept quiet for bit, contemplating if she should disclose such crucial info. "Do you believe in mythical Pokemon?"she shortly asked.

"I'm a man of science and facts," Volkner began, "but recent events have led me to believe not all myths are just stories conjured by man to explain the unknown. Hell, I want to meet one now."

"Why do you want to meet one?"

"So I could pummel it into the ground, obviously," he stated it like it was a known fact. "The idea of fighting a legendary Pokemon sounds like a thrilling endeavor. A being considered too strong to be tamed...I will like to fight something like that." He stopped feeling slightly sheepish that he revealed inner desire. "But what does that have to do with you being here? Did you find one?"

Dawn shook her head. "It thought it was my own conscience telling me to move but I soon realize it was another voice guiding me," she sounded like even she couldn't believe it. "It was a broken mess...until I finally found this." Between her thumb and index finger, she lifted the golf-ball size rock. "It led me to this crystal," she showed of the crystal that glistened like amber in the little sunlight there was left. "I found it in that puddle near the edge."

Volkner followed Dawn's slender finger to a tiny pool of water on the concrete steps leading down to the docks. The water was completely still, as if frozen in time. It was no larger than a door mat and appeared as if a chunk of the sky fell onto the ground. It perfectly mirrored the purple-orange sky as the sun sunk further down.

It's a perfect window...for it to peer through, Volkner realized that Dawn received a genuine shard. She must be in deep turmoil...I shouldn't interfere but I my curiosity must be sated.

"What is it that you're running from?" Volkner abruptly asked with a stern look.

Dawn didn't immediately answered and Volkner didn't expect her too. He was just a passing stranger that she didn't even know his name. He still gave her the needed time to compose her thoughts. He watched the Wingulls roost on top of the bobbing boats. In the distance, he could barely make out the island where Canalave City was built on.

"I just set out on this journey to complete what seems like a noble, justified task. I was dead set on this path a few days ago but now that I most confront him so soon, I find myself second guessing myself...if I can do it..." her voice trailed into a whisper.

"Then let's hear it. What is this important task of yours, Dawn?" Volkner insisted. Her motives. What drives her? He had to know.

Dawn started her tale from beginning. She could explain in vivid detail since it has only been a few days since all these events occurred. Volkner listened, staring off into the distance with a blank expression and not interrupting her for a moment.

"...and now I don't even feel like I could follow through "Dawn finished her short story. "Am I really insane? But this voice...did guide me to this pretty stone. I can hear it clearly now. No distorted voice but an angelic one."

"Hmm..." Volkner hummed. Of course he found this reasoning extreme. He wanted to tell her how crazy her scheme was and outlandish her priorities were. Her modus operandi wouldn't make sense in an anime series without it turning into a self aware satire. Volkner, instead of chiding her, took out his metal lighter, flicking the cap open in one swift motion of his right thumb. He paused to take another look at Dawn who reacted to his movement. She slightly craned her head, gazing at him expectantly.

"Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't smoke?" he resignedly asked. "Inform me that cigarettes cause lung cancer, bad teeth and other health hazards?"

Dawn faced the ocean to calmly answer, "No. I'm sure you have had many people tell you that over the years. I think you're smart enough to know the consequences."

Volkner leaned on the pier, igniting the small flame. "Well, I hope you're pleased to know that I in fact don't smoke. I carry this one around only to help me concentrate and relax." Volkner held the lighter to his line of view, opting to stare into the flame than at the ocean sunset that he rarely had the chance to see.

"And that helps you calm down?" Dawn grew comfortable in talking.

"It reminds me of who I am," Volkner responded. "I use it to reflect myself when I feel like I'm losing myself. A small flame flickering in the wind, trying to stay lit." He abruptly shut it, getting up from the pole. He reluctantly held out his hand towards the teenage girl.

Dawn saw the lighter in his outstretched hand. She briefly blinked before carefully grabbing the small item from his cold fingers. She never held a lighter in her hand, feeling it was heavier than it looked. She admired the craftsmanship as she noticed it must have been custom made. The initials F.T. was engraved on the side and the small message below it read, 'Don't let the flame die out.'

"What do you see in the flame?" Volkner boldly asked.

"Huh?" Dawn dumbly uttered before realizing he was telling her to turn it on. She clumsily opened the lighter and struggled to light it. She cursed her idiocy when she saw it was pretty simple to turn on.

The lighter fluid kept the small flame burning, even when a cold draft rolled in from the sea. The flame waned but straightened once the gust left. Dawn held it to her line of sight, and concentrated on her thought. The creases on her forehead formed as she really thought long and hard.

"Before, I felt like I was constantly doubting myself. As if there was a Mandibuzz on my shoulder telling me to give in. I know that it's coming from my own head but it feels likes it's hissing into my own ear," she detailed her inner thoughts.

"And now?" he asserted.

"I have a renewed sense of purpose. I still see his face and the time we spent together...wasted," she said embittered. "I was just another tool to him. I was so stupidly naive. I guess I went from a person ready to love to the opposite. A girl full of righteous hatred." She finished her spiel and handed it back the lighter.

"The opposite of love is definitely not hate," Volkner deplored, turning his lighter back on, going deep into the recess of his own mind. "It's indifference."

"Indifference? As in not caring?" she softly defined the word. It felt foreign coming from her lips as if she realize words are just random sounds. She repeated it again.

"An indifferent person lacks the drive or the passion," he explained. As ridiculous as this girl's goals were, he couldn't help but see his younger self in her. "You'll become empty inside. That's how it will end up if you just give up on all your hopes and dreams. A husk of a person." He somberly said. Yes, I clearly remember on how I passionate I could be as well, he reminisced.

"I mustn't give in," she figured what he was trying to convey. "I can-no I must see this through!"

"I will just like to give you one word of advice," Volkner garnered her full attention. "The voice...it's not that you're crazy. Just be wary of what it says," he said ominously. "Don't let it dictate every move of yours."

"Do you know who the voice? Is it really a legendary trying to get in contact with me? Has Mesprit finally deemed me worthy of being helped?" she got too excited for someone confirming the voices in her head weren't delusions.

"You could be dealing with deeper mental issues for all I know," he prefaced, "but it could actually be a being beyond our understanding. I've never met it but I know it exists." He pressed a palm to his forehead as if he just got a headache. I can't give her too much information. It might get pissed at me for even talking to her, Volkner decided against his better judgment to reveal too much. This wasn't his battle to fight. He was done fighting. All of it should have been left behind when he moved to Sunyshore.

"I've been chosen by the gods," she said in awe of her newfound destiny.

"I didn't say that."

"But I was chosen," she smirked.

"Then you better be prepared for anything that stands in your way," he mysteriously said. "Who knows what evil might get in your way."

"Like rope?"

"That fiend is everyone's enemy," he agreed, taking another look at Dawn. She was composed now, and felt like a fire was lit in her.

Lucas

"Where could she have gone? I should have thought this through," Barry stressed the idea of finding a single girl in this metropolis.

"Let's try this way," Lucas suggested, pointing to the west.

"There's nothing there but the docks..." Barry trailed off, finding the line of reasoning. "You think she went there like how she would visit Sandgem's seaside?"

"It's a good place to start," Lucas said, already making his way to the harbor. The streetlights lit up as nighttime finally arrived and they arrive just in time to see Dawn still sitting at the pier.

"Dawn!" Lucas called out to her.

She turned around, not in the least mournful. She greeted them with a wide grin and a quick wave. She was alone but she seemed to have managed to find peace. She was not in a distraught state the he worried he would find her in.

"Hey, Dawn! Good news! Your awful ex is heading north since he can't stay at the Pokemon Center," Barry delivered the news with a cheeky thumbs up.

"North? Did he already get his badges?" she asked concerned. "Will I also fall behind if I don't hurry and get my own badges? I can't risk losing my place in the tournament if I can't collect the badges in time!"

"Slow down," Lucas tried to placate the distressed girl. She seems to no longer be in a depressing mood, he observed. "First, are you alright? You sprinted out the Pokemon Center in a split second."

Her smile wavered. "I'm alright...because Sunny helped me get out of my rut...and turned it into my groove!"

Sunny? Does she mean the sun? Lucas was confused, staring off into the distance to see the sun was completely gone. Well, if she found her composure...Lucas didn't pressed.

"Next time I see his face...I'll make sure to show him I'm not one to be messed with," Dawn proclaimed to the heavens. "The gods are on my side. They will guide me to find victory."

A/N: The last major character I wanted to introduce is Volkner. He's a character I'm excited to build on as the story progresses. I know he's not that important of a character in the games, anime and even manga but he will be a major component to this fanfic. I also hope Volkner's personality doesn't come off as weird since he is usually depicted as distant, bored character in the media he appears in. One battle by the MC isn't going to cheer this young sap out of his depressing rut. His psychology goes deeper than that. At least that's how I like to think about my convoluted, abysmal writing. The pacing will pick up from here as I hope to keep things from moving too slow. Thanks for reading!