A faint buzzing awoke me. My hands rubbed against concrete, already warm from the rising sun. Pulling myself to my feet, I realized that I was back on my balcony. I paced around, making sure that I wasn't injured. Apart from a moderate headache, everything else seemed to be ok. Upon figuring that out, I remembered the events of the previous night. The mysterious Peon donned in mask who spoke of his mad dash towards retribution. The Noivern, and its boombox-like ears echoing a shattering Boomburst. The Sphere, a piece of wreckage that gave the feeling of being a small piece of an immense world. A structure that was beautiful in its damages and wear.
And yet how did I end up here? Surely he did not notice me as his Noivern went barreling towards the ruins? The questions remained, but my attention turned to the source of the buzzing. I realized that it was my alarm from inside my room.
I sauntered over to my alarm clock, its electronic light standing out in my dark bedroom. The time read 6:35 A.M, and with a quick pat of the hand, the device quieted at last. I sighed.
Another day, another lecture. I thought to myself. Salvator will be furious with me for my absence, and now I have to explain to him that a masked enigma lectured me about the ways of Cipher and then returned me home.
I went over to grab my backpack, the pain in my head easing. An electronic noise sounded from the inside. I reached inside, pulling out the PDA that was given to me only a day ago. At that moment, the floodgates opened. The conversation with Salvator in the SIM room, the exciting battle that came afterwards, and Salvator's long finger pointing to a destination on a map or Orre.
I'm going on my journey today, I realized.
In an instant, energy was coursing through me. My calm and unmotivated walk became a frantic dash back and forth, as I grabbed the bags that I'd be taking along with me and stacked them against my door. Once that was done, I sat on my bed, PDA in hand, and examined the device. The events of the previous day had made figuring out the mechanics of the old technology a very low priority. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the simplicity of the device, and clicked the green light, which was currently flashing and making the same noise, which was a short electronic beat repeating every couple of seconds. I made sure to turn the volume down for any future messages. With the press of a button, the PDA clicked open, and the interface popped up. I was surprised to see an unread email already. The device had the message up within seconds:
Subject: Departure
Hello Hakins! This is Sergei, and I wanted to remind you, in case the exhaustion from lack of sleep has made you forget, that your journey begins today. Citadark docks, 8AM. I am a busy man, so I leave with or without you. Hah, kidding! Try to be on time, though. Makes both our lives easier, ah? See you there, chuvak!
Something in my head told me that the ride from Citadark to Gateon would be quite interesting with Sergei at the helm. Putting the night's events behind me, I got ready for the day.
…...
My outfit consisted of black shorts, a gray tri-blend shirt, and a water-resistant light brown jacket that was unzipped. My hair, as always, was all over the place after sleeping, which was the way that I liked it. I took a look in the mirror next to my dresser, being reminded of the visible signs of a lack of sleep. Checking my phone, I saw that the time was 7:15, so I grabbed my bags. The suitcase was filled with all the material stuff that I'd need for camping and other things that I might need out in Orre.
The power of technology could fold the comforts of home into lightweight storage cubes. I reminded myself.
My duffel had clothes and toiletries, and my backpack had all of Salvator's gear inside, along with things that needed to be at arm's reach.
My arms full of supplies, I pushed open the door with my back, and was pleasantly surprised to see my mother and father both in the main room. My mom was on the L-shaped couch, with my Dad focusing a lot on the meal that he was preparing in the kitchen. He nodded to me when I entered, and my mom grabbed my duffel from my arms.
"Let me help you with your bags!" my Mom said, smiling warmly.
"Your mother will help you load your luggage into the car," my Dad echoed, his eyes trained on the cutting board, where he was dicing an onion at an astonishing speed.
"Breakfast should be ready soon. And you're staying here for it. I won't let these ingredients go to waste."
The smell from the kitchen was alluring. A mix of spices and ingredients treated in the ways that they were always meant to made for an aroma that could only be described as the prelude to a great meal. I saw the value in it, too. His job as director of Foremen made these meals rare. However, on the right day with the better quality of produce shipped over by boat to Citadark, my Dad would come back from work earlier, arms holding brown bags filled with fresh vegetables and spices, and create culinary masterpieces.
The bags safely in the back of Dad's pickup truck, my mother and I returned inside. I took a seat in the armchair, with my mother comfortably nestling herself on the couch. I was quite surprised with how little emotion was in the air, with my departure for the Orre mainland imminent. However, I preferred it this way. I wouldn't have to feel incredible remorse over the look in the faces of either of my parents.
"So Hakins, do you know if Dustin will be able to join you?" asked Mom, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, he's going to meet us at Gateon Port. He's probably at the dock already; Dustin's really wanted to explore other places with his Pokemon, but you know how his parents can be."
My mother nodded. "Well I'm glad that he gets to go with you for this. The Traveller's Oasis is supposed to be gorgeous, full of plant and Pokemon life that can't be found in any other part of Orre. Who knows what you'll find!"
"Yeah…" I said, losing myself in my thoughts, with the aromas from the kitchen intensifying into a melody of the senses.
…..
The meal was amazing. It had to have been my favorite breakfast of all time, the flavors not overshadowing one another but combining, merging from their own individual prowess to a beast stronger than its core parts.
The car ride was about ten minutes. Dad's pickup truck skirted the precarious winding path that looped around the jagged peaks of Citadark, the makeshift railings more of a comfort object than a barrier to the sea. That was also supposed to come in time, my father told me. The car ride was as quiet as the meal, with me looking out the window towards the sea, envisioning the landmass beyond the shining blue.
We exited another tunnel through the peaks, and emerged at the Citadark docks around 8. Massive cliffs dominated the docks on either side, showing the marks from the industrial equipment that hollowed the area. The road turned to concrete here, and my back relaxed as the turbulence of our ride ceased. The pickup truck turned right, settling down in an empty parking lot near the docks. Looking out the window, I caught a glimpse of a sleek black speed boat bobbing peacefully in the waves. With no other transportation around, I deduced that it had to be Sergei. I heard the sound of the pickup truck turning off, so I opened the car door, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.
Looking back, I admired the cliff face of which the tunnel lay. Layers of sedimentary colors like the sunset dotted the wall-like formation. Turning around, my parents had already opened the trunk, and I scrambled to grab my duffel, to avoid being rude. Together, we made our way over.
My footsteps echoed on the concrete as we walked the short distance to the docks. It was made of steel, faded from salt and tides but standing strong. There were three walkways jutting out into the water, which were spread out to allow for extra space. I could see Sergei ahead, hands on the railings that secured the people on the paths. He was right next to his boat, and was not wearing his ushanka, allowing for his brown hair to shift around in the morning wind. He was facing the ocean, but heard our footsteps and turned around. He smiled upon locking eyes with me, and jogged over to greet us.
"Hyello Hakins!" Sergei echoed joyously, throttling my arm for another grueling handshake. "These must be your parents. Allow me to grab those bags, ah?"
With little effort, Sergei grabbed the bags from both of my parents, balancing them in each arm. I was stunned to see the definition of his muscles as he effortlessly hauled them towards his boat. Me and my parents followed. My father leaned into me as we neared the boat.
"This is Salvator's closest friend? I trust his judgement, but…just...be careful."
I only nodded.
With a heave, Sergei loaded my stuff onto the boat, closing the hatch that it would be stored in and sealing it with the push of a button. Taking a breath, he jumped back out of the boat and shook the hands of both of my parents.
"A pleasure to meet you both. My name is Sergei, and I will be guiding both Hakins and his friend to the Traveller's Oasis, where he will catch his first Pokemon. I cannot give you a definite time of how long we will be, but I hope that you understand that journeys tend to not have exact timetables."
My father smiled. "We've both been on journeys, Sergei. We understand that. Which is why I am giving Hakins permission to stay out in Orre as long as he likes."
My mother stepped forward. "We know that you can't rush these things, so we want to really give him time to develop as a trainer. There is so much to see out there too"
I was once again struck by feelings of immense gratitude towards my family for putting their trust in me.
"You're awesome parents, you know that?"
We shared a hug, and I could hear Sergei's laughter over the crashing waves and wind. After a few seconds, we split apart again. My mother turned to look at my father, and together they shared a smile. I sensed a sort of excitement from them.
"What's funny?" I asked, deciding to pretend to not understand.
My father's gaze shifted back to me. "I was speaking with Don, who I'm sure you remember."
The feeling of my first battle came flooding back, and my determination to score a victory was stronger than ever.
"We've both agreed that this shouldn't be the last time that you battle on Citadark, Hakins," my father continued. "And Don was so inspired by watching you battle that he has convinced the construction board to have a battlefield constructed in one of the caves on the island. When you return here during your journey, Salvator would like to have a rematch with you."
At hearing this, I held back the impulse to give me father another hug, and instead looked him in the eyes.
"Tell Salvator that I accept his challenge." I replied, practically shaking and unable to hold back a grin.
"Of course." my father replied, giving me another hug. "Alright, it's time that we left. Come on Cami, I'll make us both lunch."
"Sounds good," my mom replied, giving me a hug in turn, although a little tighter than my father did. She pulled away, but her arms remained on my shoulders. "I know you'll do great, Hakins. Just remember to not rush things. Pokemon training takes time and patience."
Although the thought of having to train my Pokemon made me a little queasy, I still nodded in response.
Sergei, who was standing by his boat with his arms crossed, stepped forwards.
"I believe that it is time that we left Hakins. Your friend, and the frontier of the entire Orre region, await you."
"Yeah," I replied, throwing my backpack onto the red leather seat nearest to me.
At seeing this, my parents gave me one final wave, and began to make their way back over to the pickup truck. I couldn't help myself.
"Thank you both!" I shouted, jumping into the boat and settling down in my seat.
They both turned around, smiled warmly, and continued walking. The boat rocked as Sergei hopped the dock and landed in the boat, taking the helm and adjusting a couple of gadgets on his dashboard. Everything was virtually spotless, and the trim along the interior of the boat seemed pricey enough to make even the wealthier in Orre consider it a bad investment.
"Sergei?" I began, looking at the impressively luxurious interior of the speedboat. "Just how wealthy are you?"
Sergei chuckled as he went through checking his controls and switches.
"I am no wealthy man, chuvak." he replied. "Just a man with a short bucket list and no problem putting all the eggs in a few baskets."
I laughed at that. Sergei had a charm about him, and I began to find that it was hard not to smile whenever he did.
"By the way, you might want to strap that bag of yours to something." Sergei said. "The interior isn't the only part of our fair maiden that's flashy."
With no desire to lose most of my crucial equipment early, I strapped my backpack to a neighboring seat, and strapped in myself. Sergei smiled again as he saw me tightening the seatbelt further.
"Look at you, all bundled up like some babushka. You might find on this journey of yours that loosening it a bit might be better, ah?"
Without further ado, and with the flick of a switch, the speedboat roared to life. Since it was already facing the sparkling sea, the boat launched from the dock, and I was incredibly unprepared for the force with which the boat launched off the dock. I wasn't aware that I was shouting until Sergei laughter boomed over the deafening sound of the engine.
"AH HA HA!" Sergei roared, as the wind made my hair look like grass in a hurricane.
"This is it Hakins! Your adventure begins NOW!"
With that, he shifted gears on the boat, and we took off even faster. Looking behind me, I saw the chunk of rock that I had come to know so well slowly fade before my eyes. First it was an island. Seconds later, a giant rock. A few minutes after that, with nothing to hear but the engine hitting new strides, and nothing to see but the ocean and Sergei from the front and a wall of water from the sides. The island was no more than a dot that strained the eyes to see. Three years of memories, now consumed by the blue, with the boat steamrolling towards the horizon…