Thanks to a guest for leaving a review on the last chapter
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Chapter Seventeen: A Matter of Time
Maylene's first two Pokemon were knocked out of the battle within a few seconds leaving Dawn to wonder how the girl had even made it as a gym leader in the first place, but doubt was erased from her mind the moment Lucario entered the battlefield. The Pokemon moved much faster than any other Pokemon she had ever encountered – Lucario moved so quickly, his movements were a blur to her eye.
She started to sweat. So much for an easy battle, she thought. Her team of five had been knocked down to one. Only Grotle managed to endure the Lucario's speedy and hard hitting attacks. Maylene was smiling; the gym leader hadn't broken a sweat the entire match. She looked calm and composed as if she already knew she had won the battle.
"Lucario, use Drain Punch!" The blue canine Pokemon dashed forward, driving a fist into Grotle's face. Grotle held his ground, but he was temporarily dazed from the attack, unable to move for a few moments. The battle wounds Lucario had received earlier on in the match disappeared as if the canine hadn't been injured at all. Dawn clenched her jaw. Lucario's Drain Punch sapped energy from opponents to heal its own health while inflicting serious damage. How could a battle like this be won if her Lucario could heal after every attack?
Evasive moves were out of the question since Grotle was far too slow and his moves did little damage against Lucario. Grotle's vastly inferior speed made it virtually impossible to attack his opponent who simply avoided any attack by rolling or leaping out of the way. She thought hard. Grotle's sturdy shell was the only reason she hadn't lost the match yet. Perhaps… A smile crossed her face as an idea formed in her mind.
Lucario might have had the speed advantage, but he couldn't keep it up forever. Sooner or later he was going to collapse from exhaustion – even the most athletic of Pokemon could tire. As long as Grotle's defence held, there was no possible way Lucario could win. Was Maylene aware of her Pokemon's fatal flaw? Dawn assumed she wasn't. The gym leader probably assumed the fitness of her Pokemon could endure anything.
"Grotle, use Curse!" Grotle tucked his limbs, tail and head into his shell and remained in that position, unmoving. Maylene raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak. Dawn hoped her strategy would work – this was the first time she had actually played the defensive role, preferring the offensive style of battling.
"Lucario, use Bone Rush!" Lucario stuck a finger down his throat and gagged, forcing up a bone from his stomach. He plucked out the bone and hurled it at Grotle's head area, as if it were a boomerang, trying to force Grotle to appear. The bone rebounded, returning to Lucario's paws and the canine repeated the cycle. To Grotle's credit, he did not emerge from the safety of his shell.
"Hang in there, Grotle! Use Curse again!" Grotle's shell hardened, lessening the damage of Lucario's attacks per round. Lucario's bone trick hardly dented the shell, but the Pokemon still seemed determined to break through the hard exterior.
A muscle jerked in Maylene's jaw. "This is a fight! Battle me!"
Dawn smiled. "I know it's a fight, but there's more to battling than relying on making all your attacks hit!" Lucario continued to attack, but Grotle's shell was impenetrable. There wasn't even a scratch. "You're tough Maylene, but even the toughest of opponents can fall!"
"You're not even attacking me! How do you propose to win if you never hit my Pokemon?" Maylene countered, as Lucario threw his bone for the third time. Once again, the bone rebounded, leaving not a single mark behind. Her Pokemon was beginning to show the typical signs of exhaustion. His moves are no longer as quick as earlier and his aim could no longer hit the designated target area. He was panting. Perfect, Dawn thought. Her strategy to wear her opponent out was working.
"Grotle, use Solarbeam!" Although Grass-type moves did little damage against a Lucario, Maylene's battling partner was so exhausted now, any move would inflict a great deal of damage. A bright green light began to emanate from his twin bushes, drawing in energy from the sun. The entire building shook. The windows vibrated until the glass shattered, spilling across the floor, in hundreds of little shards. A hole in the roof appeared as the tiles tore away, allowing the sun's rays to fall upon Grotle's tree. His tree shook violently as it absorbed the energy into its roots.
Maylene looked on in awe. "I'm in a bit of a bind, aren't I?" she murmured. "I have to give it to you, challenger. You're much tougher than you look, but this battle isn't over yet. Lucario, use Force Palm Lucario took a running leap and jumped up high then crashed down to the ground, slamming his fists down onto Grotle's back. Grotle shook and Dawn thought she saw a crack in her partner's shell, but it was hard to tell from her current angle.
Lucario jumped back and returned to his original position, huffing and puffing, looking like he had just competed in one of the courses in the Pokeathlon Dome in Johto. Grotle opened his mouth and a green beam shot forth at lightning speed, even the agile Lucario could not avoid it in time. He was struck directly in the chest, forcing the Pokemon back into a pile of stacked tyres. The power of the beam was so overwhelming that it caused the ground to shake, causing both Dawn and Maylene to be knocked off their feet.
The ground stopped shaking after about a minute or so and Maylene climbed to her feet then assisted Dawn. Accepting Maylene's hand, Dawn picked herself up and looked around the gym, examining the damage. Shards of broken glass lay across the ground, mixed in with various pieces of debris. Note to self, she told herself. Do not use Solarbeam indoors again. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.
Maylene just grinned, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "That… was incredible!" she exclaimed, looking around the room, observing the damage.
Dawn caught the closest brother tying one end of the rope to one of the posts that had fallen off during Grotle's Solarbeam attack. Seeing the damage now, she wondered how much worse it would be if a natural disaster move like Earthquake or Surf had been used. Maylene glanced over her shoulder, looking in the direction of her Lucario. Her Pokemon remained buried underneath.
"I shall admit defeat… You are much too strong." She turned away from Dawn and hurried over to remove the tyres then returned her Pokemon to safety. With Lucario now back in his pokeball, Maylene turned back to Dawn, bringing a hand down to a pocket. She pulled it back out and handed Dawn a shiny badge resembling bricks. "That was a tough loss, but I learned a lot from it. Please, accept this gym badge."
Dawn took the badge and placed it in her bag. "I thought I was going to lose for a moment. You had me worried."
Maylene grinned. "I didn't see that strategy coming, that's for sure. Your Pokemon are strong. That strength you have will take you far. Always remember what you are fighting are for and never surrender that belief. It keeps you strong and it'll make you stronger as you grow as a trainer. Thanks again for the battle. It helped me clear my mind. Farewell!" Maylene waved.
Dawn headed back towards the entrance, feeling a little bad for the damage caused, but it wasn't like she knew beforehand the damage Solarbeam would cause. Grotle waddled after her, making a grunting noise Dawn assumed was one of joy. She pulled out her map and examined her next stop – Pastoria City. Judging by the length of the path on the map, it was going to take her almost a week to get there by foot. She wasn't keen on doing more exercise for awhile now, but the life of a trainer wasn't an easy one.
She removed her gloves, relieved she didn't have to wear it anymore. She said goodbye to the gym advisor and exited the gym, flexing her fingers to ensure they weren't broken. Fortunately, she could move them well enough indicating no serious harm had been done. Never again, she told herself.
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Crasher Wake pulled a chair over to the hospital bed and smiled down at young male trainer. Although he was a gym leader, his top priority was looking after the sick. Every weekend, he'd spend a couple of hours at his local Pokemon Centre, cheering up the sick trainers. Once a month, he'd host a tournament to raise funds for charities dedicated to helping the ill. Helping people was his reason for becoming a trainer in the first place.
"I've brought a gift for you, Timothy. I've only got three masks left, but you can have any one you'd like," Crasher Wake said, reaching down into his bag, pulling down the zipper to pick up the three masks. The first mask was of a Chimchar, the second a Pinplup and the third, a Turtwig. Collecting masks was a hobby of his and often when he battled, he wore the mask of one of the Pokemon on his team.
Timothy sat up, brushing brown bangs away from his eyes, and examined the masks the gym leader was holding up. He pointed to the Chimchar mask. "That one!" Crasher Wake handed it over and put the other two away then helped the boy put it on. Wearing masks was often seen as a childish thing to do by some of the parents, but Crasher Wake didn't care. As long as it put a smile on a kid's face he would continue to give away masks.
He stood up and slung the bag over his shoulder. "I'll see you again next week, all right? I'll tell you one of the tales about the Great Marsh."
Timothy nodded, smiling. He waved and Crasher Wave waved back before turning to exit the room. The Great Marsh had once been a graveyard built by their ancestors from many centuries ago, but a great weather event had passed through and flooded the entire city out. Fearing the place would flood again, the former gym leader decided to relocate the graves to the Lost Tower.
The former graveyard had been converted into a nature reserve and was now the number one tourist attraction in Pastoria. The rich strong earth smell of the swamp took some time getting used to, but the joy of seeing Pokemon that could not be found anywhere else in Sinnoh was enough to convince people to endure the unfamiliar aroma. Unfortunately, the Great Marsh was only open during autumn – breeding season took place in the spring just before the monsoonal rains of summer arrived. In winter, the marsh was closed for maintenance.
It was summer now and the three month monsoonal season was due to begin in the next couple of days. The locals had been stocking up on wet weather items to last the summer which included canned food, raincoats and sandbags in the case of flooding. Wealthy locals often went on long vacations to escape the wetness, but Crasher Wake loved it. Watching the Marsh Pokemon come out of their homes to enjoy the rain was a once-in-a-year experience never became boring. He could sit there for weeks just watching them.
He made his way over to the entrance of the Great Marsh to lock the gatehouse. He was the only person in the city who had access to the area all year round as it was his responsibly to look after it as gym leader of Pastoria City. "Excuse me, can I help you?" Crasher Wake said, sauntering over towards an oddly dressed character, standing just in front of the gatehouse. The man appeared to be dressed in a spacesuit which Crasher Wake found quite strange. It was humid here and that tight outfit looked hot. Perhaps this strange fellow didn't want to get bitten by bugs.
The spacemen jumped at the sound of Crasher Wake's voice. He turned around and the gym leader noticed he was carrying a small brown package. "The Great Marsh isn't open?"
"I'm just about to close it. The rains are due to come and that means the Great Marsh closes for the rest of the season," Crasher Wake explained, noting the crestfallen expression on the male's face. "I'm sorry, but that's the law of the city." The stranger nodded and moved away from the gatehouse, his fingers drumming on the package's exterior. Crasher Wake wondered what was inside it – a gift for a friend? He was about to lead the man away when one of his students came rushing towards him.
"Crasher Wake, sir! There is someone standing outside our gym who wishes to see you! He calls himself Barry, sir," Walter said, bending over to catch his breath. "He says he's a big fan of yours and wants to become your apprentice!"
Crasher Wake lifted a brow. As far as he was aware, he wasn't running any mentoring sessions. He turned back to the spacemen. "Please wait here, I will return shortly and I'll allow you a brief glimpse of the Great Marsh, but then you must leave."
The man nodded. "Great!" He sat down in front of the gatehouse.
Crasher Wake returned to the gym where the blond kid stood. He was pacing back and forth, seemingly unable to stand still for a couple of seconds. "You must be Barry?" he said, drawing the kid's attention.
Barry stopped pacing. His face brightened. "Crasher Wake! I'm a big fan of yours! I've come all this way just to see you! You have to take me on as your apprentice! I've got all your tournament posters hanging up on my bedroom walls!" he blurted out.
"Hey now, where did you hear I was taking on apprentices?"
"I made it up myself! If I beat you will you take me on?"
That explained everything. The kid was a challenger on his quest to become the next Champion. Crasher Wake nodded. "All right. I can't turn down a challenge so come on in and show me you have what it takes to earn your fifth badge!" He had no intentions of taking on any apprentices, not because he didn't want to, but because there was no real point. Trainers could be guided, but ultimately they had to find their own path and identity.
Barry jumped up and down then rushed inside, pushing Walter out of the way. Crasher Wake just chuckled – the kid had a lot of energy. It would be interesting to see whether his Pokemon battled with the same level of enthusiasm. As he entered the gym, the spacesuit wearing man entered the gatehouse.
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Lucas entered Veilstone's busy streets and immediately wished he was old enough to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city's infamous entertainment venues. He had heard many tales about the city's nightlife and he wanted to see what all the fuss was about with his own two eyes. Unfortunately, the age limit was eighteen and he was only fifteen.
Glancing down at the shopping list in his hand, Lucas made his way towards the Veilstone Department Store to buy the professor a couple of items. The man had sent him to buy some new batteries for his Xtransceiver while the man returned to Twinleaf Town with Johanna. Lucas's Piplup was now a Prinplup, capable of handling himself in a battle should trouble come unlike last time back in Jubilife.
As he made his way to the department store, he heard two voices overheard. He knew he should've ignored him, but his curious nature got the better of him and he walked over to investigate. Two Galactic grunts stood in front of a large warehouse arguing amongst themselves. Lucas walked closer and caught snippets of their conversation.
"…everyone knows that muffins are better than cupcakes!"
"…no way, cupcakes are better!"
Lucas lifted his eyebrows – that was the last thing he imagined the grunts to be arguing about. He supposed guard duty must be boring, but arguing about muffins and cupcakes? Weren't these Galactic trainers meant to be adults? Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately dropped a hand to his pokebelt to grab his Prinplup, but the person reached down to grab it, holding it back. He turned around to find a man dressed in all-black clothing looking at him.
"I have startled you, yes? I am, after all, an officer of the International Police. It is only natural that I be a master of disguise… "
Lucas frowned. International Police? "Um, all right, if you say so."
"This building," the man said, jerking his head in the direction of the mammoth building before them. "Belongs to Team Galactic."
"I figured," Lucas replied.
The man seemed surprised. "How did you… Nevermind. I must warn you, they are criminals, but they do not appear, how shall I say, smart." He looked around discreetly then turned back to Lucas. "I must be off. There is much work to be done."
He turned away and walked down the street leaving Lucas feeling quite confused. What in the name of Arceus had that been about? He had met a couple of eccentric people before in his life, but this weird man took the prize as being the most bizarre character he had ever met. Shaking his head, Lucas turned away from the two arguing grunts and headed towards the store to purchase the battery.
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Johanna had returned home after the gruelling stressful episode at the hospital in Hearthome City. She was thankful Dawn was well, but the fear of something similar occurring again never left her mind. She tried not to worry too much though – Dawn had proven herself to be strong and capable of handling anything that came her way. Right now, she had to worry about herself.
"Johanna, you haven't touched your food. You know you need to eat," Rowan insisted, pointing down at Johanna's plate of 'Karp and chips. Normally, she wouldn't say no fish and chips, but her appetite for such foods had all but disappeared over the past few weeks. She had an urge to dip some strawberries in rich chocolate syrup. Dipping any type of fruit in chocolate was all she wanted nowadays.
"I'm not hungry," she said, looking away from the food, refusing to even touch it. "Please tell me you bought chocolate… or something sweet at least. Arceus knows I'm dying for something sweet."
Rowan raised an eyebrow. The professor had been keeping an eye on her since leaving Hearthome. Carolina and Rowan were taking turns babysitting Johanna and it made her angry. "You're not leaving this house until you eat, so eat," he demanded, pushing the plate back towards Johanna again. "I know the past week has been difficult, but it's not an excuse to avoid eating." He picked up a fork, stabbed a chip and brought it to Johanna's mouth. "Do I have to force-feed you like a child?"
Johanna grumbled, throwing a glare in the elderly man's direction. She took the fork from Rowan's hands biting down on the chip. The chip had no salt on it nor was it crunchy. She felt tempted to chuck it away. Standing up abruptly, she marched over to the fridge to help herself to some apple juice only to find there wasn't any. Her bottom lip trembled and before she could stop herself, tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Why don't we have any apple juice?" she sobbed.
"You drank a whole litre yesterday."
Her sobs became louder. "I want apple juice!" She slammed the fridge door, pressed her back against it and sunk down to the floor, weeping. The tears continued to roll down her cheeks until her eyes were red and puffy. She knew she looked ridiculous and that just made her sob even harder. The poor man was so confused he actually looked stressed.
"I don't understand what the problem is? There's orange juice."
She glared. "It's not good enough! I want apple juice!"
He bit down on his lip, darting his eyes around the room fearfully. It was so unlike him she started to laugh. The professor frowned. "I… I am very confused. Are you sure you're all right? I know it was difficult to watch your daughter lying down on the bed, but she's fine now. She's a strong kid." Johanna continued laughing for no reason at all. She felt happy all of a sudden. Professor Rowan rubbed his temples and headed towards the door when it opened. He breathed a sigh of relief as Carolina walked in.
"Rowan?" she heard Carolina speak.
"Please tell me you brought apple juice. Johanna is very upset that there is nothing left in the fridge. I do not understand… She doesn't even like apple juice."
Carolina ushered the man out of the house. Johanna caught the words, 'let me handle it – you go back to work'. Once Rowan had left, Carolina walked over to Johanna and shook her head. "I did a bit of shopping – and yes, I bought some apple juice – but there's something I'd like you to try just to be certain you haven't completely lost your mind." She placed the plastic bags on the table.
Johanna stopped giggling and walked over to examine the contents inside the bag. Chocolate, apple juice, toilet rolls… and a home pregnancy test? She picked it up and held it before Carolina's face. Cynthia's grandmother didn't even shrug. "Explain?"
"I think there's a very high chance that you are indeed pregnant again, Johanna. Rowan called me up yesterday telling me you were in tears after listening to one of Oak's talk shows. That's very unlike you. The last time you were behaving like this was when you were pregnant with Dawn." She took out the apple juice container and walked over to the fridge. "Don't try to deny it, Johanna. I know a pregnant woman when I see one. I've been there myself."
Johanna placed the test back inside the bag, feeling a sudden wave of nausea just by looking at it. "You didn't tell Rowan?"
"Not yet, but I will have to tell him. He'll figure it out soon anyway – it's not something you can hide well. I have to return home for the next week – it's my youngest granddaughter's birthday and I promised I would be there to celebrate." She opened the fridge's door and put the apple juice away then closed it. "Rowan will be looking after you and I need to tell him what's going on so he doesn't think you need to stay at a Pokemon Centre. If you need anything, just send Lucas."
"You're going to leave me?"
Carolina gave her a sympathetic look. "I have to. I'll be back though, I promise. If you encounter sleeping problems again, I've packaged some medication in your bedside table. Remember, only take one when you need it." Johanna's eyes started to well up with tears again. Carolina pulled her in for a hug then drew back, shaking her head. "Such a silly girl… But I'll be here to help just like before, all right? Promise me you'll take care of yourself?"
Johanna nodded as a new wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't even bother wiping them away because she knew only more would come. "I will."
"Good. That's what I want to hear. I'll be going now, but Rowan will be back within an hour, all right?" She pulled Johanna into a hug again then headed towards the entrance. Once the professor was gone, Johanna dug through the plastic bags and picked up the home pregnancy test again. All the signs were starting to show, but she wanted to be sure anyway. Drawing in a deep breath, she headed towards the bathroom.
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The infamous clear skies of Sunyshore did little to lift Volkner's mood. There was never a foul day in this part of the region yet for Volkner it felt like he was living under dark skies twenty four seven. His students had tried to cheer up him, but their attempts only succeeded in agitating him further to a point he made sure none of them could leave their platforms, by pressing a few buttons on his master switch remote until they apologized.
Sometimes he'd press a button when a student was standing on the moving bridges just to watch them panic and curse and other times he'd give a student a shock as they passed through an electrical fence just to watch them yell. It was a cruel form of entertainment, but Volkner was in such a desperate need of stimulation that he didn't care what lengths he had to go to achieve it.
His search had brought him to the top of the lighthouse where his favourite student and greatest admirer, Destiny, awaited him. Her hands were hanging over the railing, her dark green eyes listlessly staring out at the open ocean. She heard him approaching and turned her head around to face him, the corners of her mouth curving upwards into a sly grin. "I wasn't sure if you were going to come this afternoon or if you had chickened out," she teased, wrapping a finger around her dark green curls.
"You know I'd never say no to you, Destiny," he replied in a low voice, earning a light-hearted chuckle from the ace trainer. He closed the door behind him and moved to stand in front of her, taking her smaller hands into his own, gazing deeply into her eyes. He knew he was treading on dangerous waters, but how could he say no to such a beautiful girl?
"The others are worried about you, you know," she said, interlocking her fingers with his. "Jerry is scared to set one foot in the gym after he got stuck on his platform for over an hour. You know that was a pretty unkind thing of you to do…" she added, although her face showed no sympathy.
He shrugged. "It was amusing while it lasted." He brought a hand to her chin and tilted it up, then moved his head towards hers, pressing his lips against her own. She tasted like ambrosia and he drank of her until she pulled away, her eyes shining brightly. She brought her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, while his right hand travelled down, coming to a stop on her upper leg. A voice in the back of his mind told him to stop, but now that he had a taste of her, he wanted more. He left a trail of kisses downwards, stopping to suck on the juncture of her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her, while her hands fumbled with the buttons on the front of his pants.
"Volkner!"
He immediately froze at the mention of his name. Flint.
"Oh crap!" Destiny cursed, tearing herself away from Volkner, her eyes wide with fright.
"Get out of here, Destiny," Flint ordered. Volkner actually winced – Flint might've been a fire-type specialist, but he rarely showed his temper. He couldn't actually recall the last time he had seen Flint lose his cool over something and hearing his old friend speak in such a cold tone made him nervous. It was so unlike him.
Destiny looked at Volkner, offered an encouraging grin and hurried down the stairs, closing the door behind her. Drawing in a deep breath, Volkner forced himself to face Flint, preparing himself for the worst. "Couldn't you have just waited another day before checking up on me?" he said sourly. "Don't you have anything better to do? You know, like league business?"
Flint's expression darkened. "I had the day off."
"And so you decided to come to Sunyshore City… out of all the places in the region you could've visited, you had to come here." What a coincidence, he thought bitterly. "What? Don't you trust me to do the right thing?" he added, tone laced with thick sarcasm, knowing immediately it was the wrong thing to say. Flint had no reason to trust him with anything anymore after catching him in the act. The alcohol abuse was bad enough, but this was so much worse.
"You haven't done anything to convince me you can be trusted."
Volkner slammed a fist down on the railing causing it shudder slightly then pointed the same hand at Flint. "I told you – I don't care about being a gym leader. Why can't you get that through your thick head?" he snapped, defensive rage rising. "Maylene's smart enough to realize that, so why can't you?"
"No."
Volkner snorted. "So what then? Are you here to preach?"
Flint raised an eyebrow, the anger in his eyes dimming. He appeared to be more shocked than anything. "Volkner…" he started, refusing to move from his spot. "I'm trying to help you."
"You can shove it up your rear end," he spat, turning his back to Flint, not interested in carrying this conversation further. Flint didn't reply and Volkner assumed the conversation was over – Flint would return to the league and tell Cynthia everything and he'd find himself without a job anymore. He didn't hear a door open though and turned around to receive a fist in his right jaw. His back slammed against the railing. Immediately, he brought a hand to his now reddening cheek, spat down on the ground then lifted his gaze up, glowering in Flint's direction. "What the hell?!"
Flint lowered his fist. "You're a piss poor excuse for a son, you know that?"
The unmistakable taste of blood filled his mouth prompting him to spit on the ground again. It wasn't a significant amount of blood, but it hurt like hell, mentally and physically. Anger poured through him. He reached down to his waist, fingers curling around his mascot Pokemon, his Electivire, and threw it onto the floor. "You shouldn't have done that," he said in a low voice.
"Prove your worth."
"Fine," Volkner hissed, still reeling from Flint's punch. "Electivire, use Thunder Punch!" Normally, his Pokemon wouldn't hesitate to deliver an electrifying punch into the face of his opponent, but the Pokemon refused to move. Instead, he turned to face Volkner, a defiant expression in his eyes. A muscle jerked in Volkner's jaw. "I gave you an order!"
"Your refusal to take your position seriously has affected your Pokemon. You have lost heart and your Pokemon have sensed it and see no reason why they should listen to you," Flint said softly. He took a few steps forward then stretched out a hand, his palm facing the sky. "You're leaving me with little choice, Volkner. Surrender your Pokemon."
Volkner's jaw dropped. Surely, he had misheard? Flint couldn't possibly be suspending him from his gym leader role? "You're joking, right?" he said attempting humour, but he failed to conceal the edge in his tone.
"Your Pokemon will remain under my care until you have proven you are worthy of calling yourself a trainer."
"I'm a gym leader."
Flint shrugged. "Isn't this what you wanted? I thought you didn't want to be a gym leader anymore?" That might've been true, but this wasn't the swan song he had envisioned. His anger dissipated, replaced by a sense of loss. He tried to speak, but a lump had formed in his throat, making it difficult to form words. "Your gym will be closed until further notice," Flint added.
"You can't do that…" Volkner started, finding his voice to speak again. "That's my gym."
"Are you having second thoughts?"
He furrowed his brows, biting down hard on his lip. Flint was serious – he had the right as an Elite Four member to suspend misbehaving gym leaders, but never had such a drastic course of action occurred… until now at least. "You're taking everything away from me."
"You're suspended, Volkner. When you remember what it means to be a gym leader, give me a call and I'll give you your gym and Pokemon back." He pointed at the Volkner's pokebelt. "Hand it over."
Volkner didn't move. "You can't do this to me…"
"Would you prefer if Cynthia was here? She would have you booted – I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself, Volkner. Maybe losing your gym and your Pokemon will help you realize just how important they are to you. Surrender your Pokemon – I will not ask again."
This time, Volkner did as he was asked. Moving his hands to the back of his belt, he undid the hook and held the pokebelt before him. Flint reached out to grab it, but Volkner wasn't willing to part with his Pokemon. His Pokemon meant everything to him and now they were gone. What hurt the most was that it was his entire fault.
'A piss poor excuse for a son' - that's what Flint had referred to him as and there was no other phrasing that could accurately describe him. He called his father weak for giving up his battle against cancer and yet, he had done the same thing by giving up on his Pokemon and himself. If his Pokemon could communicate with him, surely they were wondering why he had given up on them.
Flint tugged on the pokebelt. "Volkner, let go – it's over."
He bit down even harder on his lip, so hard he almost bled. Why was it when you were about to lose something or someone, you realized just how important they were? Squeezing his eyes shut, he released his grip on the pokebelt and turned away from Flint so the fire-type master could not see the grief on his face.