Volt yawned as he leaned agsisnt a berry tree east of Motostoke, his eyes blurry from sleep. After defeating Herde the group had split up, each wanting to do their own thing for going to Hulbury. Volt chose to head to Galar mine no.2, he wanted to get some pictures of the mine and see if he could find new pokémon. The walk from Turfield to the mine had been tiring so he had taken a nap outside the entrance, but now that he was up, he was ready to go.
He called out Flaaffy to light the way, his eyes not yet adjusted to the dark. Rotom buzzed at his side, zipping and zooming around the cave, snapping pictures in haste. Volt laughed at the small pokemon's enthusiasm and kept pace. He placed a hand agaisnt one of the glowing crystals and closed his eyes, feeling the surge of power that flowed through the lands, and the heart of the cave.
He smiled in awe and stepped back, seeing the life in the cave glow before his eyes. He looked down to see a glowing blue image of Flaaffy and the distant pokémon in the cave, and of course Rotom fluttering around. He opened his eyes and grinned. He had learned a lot about aura when he was a kid, Galar and Rota had been the most well versed in aura throughout the ages and him being able to see it was a blessing.
He continued walking and got lost in thought, curious on why his aura was spiking now. Well if he was being honestly it sparked to life the day he met Zapdos, he felt so much more in tune with the world and pokémon since. He touched the mark the legendary bird had left on his skin, and a tingle ran down his spine, and he could feel his energy flare. Did Zapdos give him the gift of aura? What could that mean for him overall?
He stopped when Flaaffy grabbed his pant leg and looked up at him with narrowed eyes. He smiled down at the pokémon and patted the fluffy head gently. Rottom buzzed up ahead, and Volt looked up and gasped at the sight. Giant pink and blue crystals emerged from the pools of water, refracted light filling the hall and small dips of earth.
The place felt so full of energy, that it made him want to giggle, and he did for a bit. A sound reached his ears, and he glanced up to see a Noibat looking down at him. He grinned and waved at the small pokémon, its yellow eyes shy, and purple wings wrapped securely around its body.
"Bzzt that's a Noibat," Rotom stage whispered to him, and Volt nodded at the excited pokémon. The Noibat drew back a little and whined, and Volt shushed up at it. He closed his eyes and aura flashed behind his eyelids. He took a steadying breath and took in the Noibat's aura, a brilliant yellow shimmer coming from its soul.
"It's beautiful," Volt whispered. He opened his eyes and looked up at the pokémon, "you're beautiful."
The Noibat chirped and slowly came out behind its hidding place, a happy smile on its face. Volt reached into his bag and pulled out a custap berry and offered it up. The tiny pokemon slowly spread its wings and fluttered down to snatch the berry and then return to its perch. Volt watched as the pokémon ate the fruit with a small smile, happy to see it happy.
A shiver ran up Volt's spine and his eyes widened. He turned just in time to see a hyper beam flying straight for the Noibat. With a yell he jumped off the ground and grabbed the pokémon, the beam of energy hitting where it once sat and exploding. Volt yelled as he was sent through the air and to the ground, the roof collapsing around him.
Volt groaned and tightened his grip on the shivering dragon pokémon, trying to see through the dust and smoke. He winced when he felt his ankle twinge and knew it was at least bruised, as was a lot of his body. He could hear Flaaffy and Rotom on the other side of the collapse calling out for him and he sighed with relief.
"I'm ok, I'll try and get back to you," he called out to them. He heard their relief and smiled. "Rotom, call Leon, he's the closest to us," he called, and the phone beeped in acknowledgement. Hopefully Leon wouldn't get lost and get to them on time.
He looked down at the Noibat in his arms and frowned at the damage on the little guy. He placed a hand on the burnt wing and the pokémon cried in pain. Volt cooed gently and held the pokémon close, fire burning in his veins. That hyper beam had come from no where, and he had no idea why they were attacked, but he was not impressed.
He gently stroked the Noibat and could feel its aura latching onto his own. Volt's vision turned greyscale and all he could see was the yellow aura coming from Noibat, and his own blazing blue aura. He watched transfixed as blue sparks left his aura and entered Noibat's. The injuries glowed softly with electricity and started to shrink and sooth the pokémon. Once it was done Volt let out a soft gasp and fell forward, the Noubat huddled to his chest.
He could feel a bond forming between them, emotions strong and pulsing like a drum. The sound wave pokémon chirped and nuzzled agssint him, and looked at him expectantly. Volt thought for a moment before he smiled.
"You want to come with me huh?" He asked. The pokémon nodded excitedly, but Volt hestitated "are you sure?" Noibat searched his face for a moment before nodding.
Volt nodded and pulled out a pokéball, offering it up. With a boop of its nose the dragon type was absorbed into the red and white orb and caught. Volt smiled softly and attached the ball to his belt, that was his fifth caught pokémon. His team was now Flaaffy, Dreepy, Kubfu, Yamper and Noibat. Not a lot of diversity if he was honest, but he could fix that in the future.
"Volt!" Leon cried from the other side of the rock wall, Volt sagged int relief.
"Leon, I'm stuck behind this wall!" He yelled, hearing the other quickly start pulling at the rocks, Charmander and Flaaffy helping. Volt also started to dig at the rocks, and it didn't take long for the wall to crumble and Leon's concerned face to come into view.
"Thank Arceus you're ok," Leon said quickly, grabbing Volt and tugging him into a hug. Volt smiled and hugged the boy back, happy to be free.
Leon quickly got to work maneuvering them out of the cave and toward Hulbury, following Rotom's directions. Volt stayed primarily silent as they walked, wincing as he stepped on his left ankle. Leon kept sending him looks, and Volt tried his best to smile, but knew the charade wasn't fooling Leon.
The duo reached Hulbury and Leon quickly dragged Volt to the pokémon center, quickly rattling off what happened to Nurse Joy, who gently took Volt back to a bed to rest. Volt watched the pink haired woman work, checking to see what kind of damage she was working with.
"We'll you're lucky, you're mostly bruised and scratched, even your ankle is relatively unharmed," she said as she read over his vitals, "you'll just have to be gentle to not twist it."
Volt nodded and smiled at the woman, thanking her for her work. Leon came into the room with a pout, but helped get the blonde up and moving. Volt smiled and closed his eyes, taking in Leon's fiery aura, the heat making his core warm.
"You could have gotten really hurt," Leon whispered as they walked toward the gym. Volt looked over at the boy, and frowned. Leon's face was pinched, his eyes downcast, and lips raw from being bitten. Volt softened and placed a hand on the other boys elbow.
"But I had you to save me yeah?" He asked with a grin. Leon looked up at him with wide eyes before be excitedly nodded his head. Volt laughed and linked their arms as they walked up the steps to the water gym stadium. "No small injury is going to stop me," he said with a thumbs up. Leon nodded and they entered the gym. Together.
This gym wasn't much different than the gym in Turfield, and Volt was excited to get started, already thinking of his team for the battle. Volt let Leon talk to the man at the main desk as he thought on strategy and the task they would have to do.
Volt jumped when Leon took his hand and dragged him toward the change room, catching himself and falling into step. Volt entered the locker room and shivered with a grimace. He quickly ducked behind a curtain and pulled his gym challenge outfit out, putting it on in record speed. Once he was shre everythin was covered to his liking he moved out of the change room and back to the waiting area.
Leon was bouncing about as they waited, and of course the energetic boy got to go through first. Volt wasn't able to watch the challenge they put the boy through, but when Leon got to the pitch and got to battle Serena. He was a tad worried, considering he didn't know what pokémon Leon had. He was pleasantly surprised when Leon sent out a Thwackey to start, and quickly started his assault on the water pokémon Serena sent out.
The battle was fast and full of heart pounding moments. Leon coming up with strategies on the fly and using his unique perspective to put Selena in a corner. Volt watched with awe as Leon Dynamaxed his Charmeleon and used Max Lightning to end the battle. He laughed and put a hand over his beating heart.
"Challenger Volt it is your turn," the league worker at the desk called out to him. Volt gulped but quickly walked to the doors and entered the gym proper.
The room was a large pool with multiple coloured platforms floating in the water. He looked around and frowned in confusion. He could see the door at the other end of the room, but wasn't sure what the puzzle was.
"For this challenge you need to cross the water while avoiding the water pokémon in the pool, if you fall in you start over," the judge of the area said, red eyes bright.
Volt winced and his ankle pulsed. Well that was an unfortunate coincidence. Now that he was looking he could see the water pokémon waiting for him, and he knew he would have to be quick. He braced himself and took a calming breath.
He bolted after a moment, jumping into the air and landing on one of the boards. He wobbled and fell to his knees to stay above water. He saw a Staryu jump out of the water and fire a bubblebeam from the corner of his eye. He quickly rolled forward and spring boarded himself into the air. His eyes sparked and and he landed on another platform, a shock going through his body and making the water rise slightly.
Volt jumped again as a Goldeen jumped at him, using it to push himself farther across the room. He panicked when he realised he was going right for the water. His lightning mark flared and he winced, vision turning greyscale. He flipped and when his hands touched the water they exploded, sending him the rest of the way across the pool and onto dry land.
His vision returned to normal and he panted softly, looking at the choppy water. The league worker was gaping at him, and Volt shared the sentiment. What just happened? He put a hand to the mark Zapdos left and it felt warm. He tilted to his side and realised his ankle didn't hurt either. He shook his head and decided he didn't want to think about it any longer.
With a nod from the league worker he made his way up to the pitch, heart thumping as he walked onto the green fields. Serena waited for him in the center and she grinned when she saw him.
"Ah just who I wanted to see," she said loudly, a smirk on her face, "let's see if you're a worthy challenger."
Volt narrowed his eyes and nodded. He grabbed a pokéball and tossed it into the air the same time she did. Yamper burst out in a flash of white and barked excitedly. He smiled at the pokémon and locked eyes with Serena, the music starting up and syncing with his heart. Yamper growled and sparked, charging with Volt's commands.
Serena's Goldeen dodged the little dog and fired jets of water, but Yamper was quick, and was able to use nuzzle and the paralysis. Volt smirked as he finished the Goldeen with flame charge, boosting his little puppies speed.
Next came out Staryu, and it kept its distance, firing water guns and using psychic to keep Yamper at a distance. He wad able to get a good hit in, but Yamper fainted after a quick rapid spin. Volt thumbed the pokéball for Flaaffy and grinned, sending out the pink sheep. With a few well placed electro balls the Staryu went down too.
Serena grinned at him and spread out her arms, "time for the grand finale, get ready!" With that her Dynamax band glowed and the pokéball in her hand grew in size. She threw the ball and a Dynamax Drednaw came out, roaring to the sky. Volt quickly returned Flaaffy and activated his Dynamax band, feeling the aura of Flaaffy mix with his own and his eyes flashed pink as he threw the ball into the sky.
The two giant pokémon stared at each other, just like their trainers, waiting. "Max lightning," Volt called first. Flaaffy quickly responded calling upon dark clouds and sending down a blast of lightning. The Drednaw cried in pain as lightning flashed across the battlefield.
"Max rockfall," Serena called out. Volt tisked and thought quickly.
"Flaaffy, Max guard, into Max Lightning," he commanded his pokémon. The sheep threw up the blue barrier and blocked the giant slab, and its wool flashed with electricity and it summoned one more lightning strike, causing an explosion.
Volt let out a chocked out breath as Drednaw fell in size and was declared fainted. He grinned as Flaaffy shrunk down, and ran into his waiting arms. He hugged the sheep close and laughed brightly. Serena sighed and walked toward him, smile on her face.
"Well you got me there, you have a quick and precise style, I like it," she said as she handed him the water badge.
"Thank you so much," he said to her brightly and ran out of the stadium, getting intercepted by Leon, who wrapped his arms around him and squeezed.
Volt laughed as the boy babbled and congratulated him, the blonde powerless to stop the enthusiastic boy. The two got changed, and decided to go get seafood since they were in Hulbury. Volt rubbed his Zapdos mark as they walked, his mind wandering. What was happening to him? Why did he feel so different, so out of control? The answers seemed so far off, and Volt didn't know if he wanted them.
He was brought out of his thoughts by Leon wrapping an arm around his neck and talking into his ear about sushi. He smiled at the boy and dropped his concerns, happy to just spend time with Leon. He had a long way to go in his journey after all.