Finding Roots Making Ties

Volker is a teen with more angst than most, Reina wants to go out on an adventure, and Alex just wants to know who he is. Three kids from different families, with completely different lives. But a chance encounter brings them together, and it turns out that they share a common connection. All three of them are the children of Unova's champion, Ash Ketchum. Warnings: Future fic, slight adult themes & language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon

Chapter 4

"Hello?"

"Ash?!"

"Erika, what's up? Don't tell me you guys ended up fighting again."

"It's not that Ash, she's gone!"

"Hold on a sec, who's gone?"

"Reina!"

"What did you just say?!"

"You look really weird in that." A girl commented as the teen in front of her scowled. "There's really not much choice in the matter of me wearing it, Viola." Volker retorted as he tried to fix the black toga that he currently donned. "But seriously, just because we're graduating from Poke Grad School, doesn't mean that the school needs to give us one last torture." He groaned as the girl went closer and examined the material of her brother's robes.

As she did that, Volker couldn't help but notice how things between them were so normal, even after he found out that they had different fathers and all. But he guesses, that he couldn't really expect anything else. Especially since she had already found out about it years ago when she overheard their mom and their grandma talking about his and her father.

"It's really a thick type of cloth. Are you sure that the principal doesn't want all the graduates to have a heat stroke during the outdoor ceremony?" She asked wryly. "It wouldn't surprise me one bit, if that was his plan all along. You know as well as everyone in this town how much the principal advocates trainers only leaving when they're twenty." He shrugged as Violetta giggled. "So this is all part of his elaborate plot to keep all of you here for a bit longer?"

"I wouldn't put it pass my school, yes." He answered honestly as he fixed the tassel from his cap that had fallen onto his eyes. "So, you're really going to leave today?" The girl suddenly started and Volker turned to look back at his sister. "Yeah, I can't wait to start on my Pokemon journey. I'll be going as soon as I see my friends off." Violetta nodded, but said nothing for a while. "Are sure you don't want us not going to send you off at the docks? Because, if you say it then mom and I can-"

"Viola, it's fine." Volker told her, cutting her off midsentence. "My boat leaves late tonight at another town a few hours from New Bark, and you and mom need to get a good night's rest tonight, since you're going to be leaving first thing tomorrow, right? Besides, just you guys going to send me off from this town is already more than enough for me." He told her and she sighed. "You can be really stubborn, you know that?" She asked as Volker chuckled. "That's like the pot calling the kettle black."

The ceremony was held outside in the blistering summer heat and as expected, most of the graduating students paid little attention to the speeches; that in other circumstances might have been inspirational and/or motivational, in favor of trying to find ways to cool themselves off. Some fanned themselves with their cap while others at the back took off their togas when the teachers weren't looking. Though, it seemed that the faculty and the family members weren't really faring any better.

There was no cooling wind that helped to alleviate the situation throughout the whole ceremony, and it was no little wonder, that as soon as the graduates did the traditional and famous cap toss, most, if not all of them, ended up taking off the heavy togas. "It's finally over." Logan groaned. "Longest two hours of my life, hands down." Van added as she plopped down on one of the chairs that had been set up for the ceremony. "Well a silver lining will always follow a dark cloud." Bailey retorted as she continued to fan herself with her cap.

"Wha?" Logan asked in confusion. "I think she means that after experiencing the worst of the worst, things can only get better for us." Seth supplied helpfully from where he was seated. "That's right, because you guys know what will happen after this, right?" Volker asked with a small grin that the others mirrored. "Yeah we do! We're going to get our first Pokemon!" Logan exclaimed as he quickly stood from where he was seated. "Comm'on guys, times a wastin'! Let's go to the lab!"

"Have you forgotten already Logan, the lab isn't going to open until three in the afternoon since so many new trainers are going to claim their first Pokemon today." Van muttered from where she was and Logan sat back down looking, like he lost his motivation. "Oh yeah." He said before sighing. "By the way, Volk, shouldn't you go help out with the lab since you're one of professor Elm's assistants?" Seth asked as Volker shrugged. "The professor insisted that I not help out on this particular day."

"It's only a quarter past noon, what do you guys want to do while waiting for three?" Bailey asked, and was answered by a new teen with black hair and steel grey eyes. "Going to meet with your family would be a good idea, instead of making them wait." He said and most of the teens turned to see someone familiar walking towards where Logan was, and putting him in a headlock. "Will! Let go of my head!" He screamed, but the older teen didn't budge.

"You brothers are as close as always, I see." Van commented as Logan finally broke free. "W-we are n-not close a-at all! J-just the thought would b-be gross." Logan said while he panted, exhausted from the previous struggle. "For once I agree with Firehead, over here." Will replied before adding. "But like I said little brother, you and your friends can finish your conversation in the restaurant." He said, which caused confused looks to be thrown his way.

"Restaurant?" Volk repeated and when he looked at his friends, shrugs were the only reply to his silent question. "Yup, our families decided that after the ceremony we'd go out and have lunch together out at Caden's Tree." He answered before gesturing to where a crowd of students and family members. "So, hurry and meet up with your families. We're gonna go there directly once everyone meets up." He said before he began to drag Logan towards the crowd, with the other teens following close behind.

Luckily for Volker and Bailey, it was easy for them to find their family members. "I can't believe my little girl has already graduated!" Bailey's father cried as he gave her a hug that made it that she couldn't breathe. "You should let go of Bailey, Aiden. You're literally smothering her." Her mother told him calmly, who had, in turn released his daughter. "Congratulations on graduating from Poke Grad School, Bailey, Volker." She then said as Marina gave her son a tight hug.

"That's right! Congratulations to the both of you!" She told them before letting go of Volker. "Too bad that grandma had that sudden conference. Otherwise, she'd be here as well." Violetta told him right as Logan arrived with his family. "Hey guys! Where's Seth and Van?" He asked. "They're still probably looking for their families." Bailey answered and Logan went over to where his two best friends were while his parents walked to where the other parents were.

"Kaylee, Dylan, with this is the second child you're sending off to a journey." Marina said as the woman, known as Kaylee giggled. "I know right? Sometimes, I can't believe how fast time flies." She said as her husband just nodded. "As for us, this will be the first of three and for Marina the first of two children that we'll be sending off to a Pokemon journey." Bailey's mother commented. "Your younger children aren't here with you today, Emily?" Dylan asked as the woman shook her head.

"The twins were here a little while ago, but they went off with Hailey and Savannah as soon as the ceremony ended." She explained just as Van returned, alone. "It's no use. I couldn't find them anywhere. I'll just wait for them here, since this is the meeting point anyways, so their bound to come here." She said and a few minutes later, Seth appeared with two older teens and two children who immediately ran up to Bailey and began to chat animatedly with her.

"Now that Seth, his sisters and Bailey's younger siblings are here all that's left is-" Logan didn't get a chance to finish as a black and pink blur ran up and held onto Van from behind before lifting her up from the ground. The said teen shrieked in surprise and tried to get the person off of her. "Put me down, Mel!" She screamed as she tried to pry her sister's arm off, but it was like the other girl had an iron grip. "Hahaha, your reactions are always so funny, little sister." Her sister said as she put her down.

"I see you still enjoy teasing your sister, Melissa." One of Seth's sister commented as the other girl grinned at her. "You're right, Hailey! There isn't anything quite as enjoyable as torment- I mean, bonding with Van when I'm in town." She said before adding. "Being an older sister is great isn't it, Savannah?" She said to the girl who stood next to Hailey. "Yup, it's one of the best things in the world!" She answered, and as if to prove her point she gave Seth a fierce hug.

"Mel, this is Van's special day. Don't go making her upset today of all days." A woman who just arrived told the teen before she reluctantly let go of her sister. "Fine, mom. But only for today." She agreed and the woman nodded before going over to her daughters. "Congratulations on graduating, to all of you." She said as Aidan spoke up. "Now that everyone's here, let's head over to the restaurant to get some lunch." He said and the others chorused their agreement.

Lunch in the restaurant was a merry and slightly raucous affair as stories and conversations were rampant at all parts of the table. "Chloe, Carlos quit throwing peas at each other and eat them properly." Bailey scolded as the twins seemed to sulk a bit. "As expected of our Bailey, you're such a responsible big sister." Logan commented. "Since I am older, I got to keep my siblings from misbehaving...You know, I love them and all, but sometimes I wish I had an older sibling too."

Logan accidentally stabbed his steak with his fork at the words. "No, you've got it wrong Bailey! Having an older sibling is the absolute worst!" He started as he glanced at his older brother who was conversing with Hailey. "No, wait, I take it back. It's just my brother that's the worst." He said as a small piece of carrot was thrown at his cheek. He turned to see who threw it, but everyone seemed to be acting normal, or at least none of them looked like they had just thrown a piece of carrot at him.

But one look at his brother's plate that was full of carrot was all it took for him to know who did it. "Yup, definitely the worst." Logan concluded as he threw a piece of corn at Will, who managed to dodge it and smirked at him. "I hate to admit it Bailey, but Logan's right. Not everyone is as lucky to get good older siblings who don't torture their younger siblings." Van added as she looked at Seth. "Chloe, Carlos and Seth are the lucky ones." She said wistfully before sighing.

"If it's any consolation, my older sisters still drag me around the town every once in a while." Seth said as Van sighed again. "But that's because they want to spend time with you, it's completely different to when my sister dragged me out of bed at four in the morning and made me go with her to the forest just because she wanted to see the sunrise. There's a fine line between affection, which your sisters show, and torment, which my sister shows."

"Touché." Seth conceded as Volker piped up. "Hey Van, you should've also counted Viola as well. I'm a great older brother." He said as his friends stopped eating for a bit to regard him. "What?" Volker asked slightly unnerved at the stares he was getting. "You're halfway there. I'll give you that." Van finally said and just as Volker was about to protest to that. An excited squeal was heard from the other side of the table, which got everyone's attention.

It turns out that it came from Logan's mom before she began to bombard Van's mom with questions. "What's his name? Where did you two meet? When did you two meet? Emma! You got to tell us all the details!" She squealed and most of the teens could only watch the exchange in confusion. "Care to fill us in, Van?" Seth asked and said teen shrugged. "It's probably just about my mom's new boyfriend." She answered simply. "What, you don't like him?" Logan asked.

"I guess he's ok. But it gets really annoying to see them act all lovey dovey together." She continued with a shudder which the others mirrored. "Your no-nonsense mom acting lovey dovey? I can't imagine it." Volker told them as a new person joined the conversation. "I know right? When Van first told me that our tough as nails mom was doing date clichés, I didn't believe her until I came back and saw it for myself." Melissa piped up from where she was across them as she fixed her bangs.

"By the way you guys, what do you think about my hair?" There was a moment of silence before she got several answers from the group. "It looks nice." "It suits your personality." "You look like a freak and completely unprofessional." "It's pink?" "Your hair matches with your sense of style." Melissa laughed at the answers she got. "Three of you gave me positive response to the pink streaks in my hair, which is good enough, I guess."

"But you calling me a freak was more than a bit rude, little sister." She told her as a sly smile then appeared on her lips, that didn't bode well for her sister. "You don't think I'm a freak because I have pink highlights now do you, Volk?" She asked as she looked at the teen who was seated next to her sister. "No, of course not. Like I said earlier, the pink looks nice with your black hair." He replied which caused her smile to grow a bit. "Why thank you, Volk. You're always such a sweetie, Van could learn a thing or two from you."

Van glared at her then, but the older teen paid it no mind. "I can't believe you're actually studying how to be a Pokemon researcher with how you are." Melissa grinned at that. "Well, looks can be deceiving." She said before continuing. "But if it comes down to job choices, I don't think I have the most surprising one." The teens sitting next to her then turned to look at her. "I'll take it that you were referring to us, Mel." Will said as he frowned. "My job choice isn't surprising at all."

"Lies!" Logan cried out from opposite him, which prompted the older teen to glare at him. "I can't even imagine someone like you working at the Safari Zone. I think that instead of poachers, they'd be more scared of you." Will twitched as he tried from going across the table to hit his brother. "You're so gonna get it after lunch." He told him as he gave a look that promised his brother a lot of pain and Logan gulped. But fortunately for Logan, Seth spoke up which caused everyone, even Will's attention to shift.

"I don't think my sisters' job choices are really that surprising. Hailey became a Pokemon preschool teacher, while Savannah works for an animation company, just like they told me they'd be when we were younger." Hailey and Savannah giggled at that. "As expected from our little brother, you still remember the things we told you when were still kids." Savannah exclaimed. "But he's right, they can't be that surprising since you, yourself Mel, told us that our job choices were fitting for us." Hailey added.

After lunch which ended at exactly two o'clock, they all headed to the direction of the lab, because no one wanted to be late today of all days. But of course they didn't wait outside the lab, and instead killed time at the New Bark Park that was just right across from the lab. They only went to the lab when there was only fifteen minutes left before three, and the professor had come out to place a sign that read that if the new trainers wanted a Pokemon, they should line up properly.

The group took that as their cue to start lining up, before everyone else got there. This proved to be a good call because many new trainers started to show up once the ten minute mark was reached. It was probably one of the longest ten minute wait experienced by the group, but those minutes did eventually reached its end and the first seven trainers in the line were allowed inside. While their children/siblings were inside, the family members stayed behind at the park and waited for them to come out.

It took a good twenty five minutes before the group came up with matching smiles as they went back to the park. Logan wasted no time showing off his Cyndaquil to his family, while Van had also called out her own Cyndaquil at her sister's prodding. Bailey's Chikorita, had been an instant hit with her younger siblings while both Seth and his Totodile were immediately glomped and cuddled, respectively by his older sisters.

"So, which one did you pick?" Violetta asked as she looked at the Pokeball in her brother's hand. Volker grinned in response before calling his first Pokemon out, which caused looks of surprise and delight to appear on his mother and sister's faces. "It's a Totodile!" Violetta exclaimed as she bent down and started to pet the Big Jaw Pokemon, who seemed to like it, if the happy noises it made were any indication. "I think you made a great choice, but what made you decide on Totodile?" Marina asked.

"I love all three starters of Johto, but I guess Wani-wani made a bigger impression on me than I thought." He admitted sheepishly, which caused both women to laugh. "I'm sure he'll be very happy to hear that when I tell him later." Marina said as she got something from the inner pocket of her white blazer and held it out to her son, which he took. But when he looked at it, he realized that what he was holding was a shrunken Pokeball and a small piece of folded paper. "What are these, mom?"

"It's from your father, and I don't think I need to tell you from which one." She said as a look of surprise appeared on Volker's face as he stared at what was in his hand in amazement, like they were gold nuggets and rare fossils. This caused Marina to giggle a bit, while Violetta looked at the items with curiosity. "It's a gift and message from him, since you're starting on your Pokemon journey today." She explained as Volker opened the folded paper to read the message that was written inside.

What was written made him snort in laughter. "Hey, what's so funny Volk? What did your dad write?" Violetta asked as the male shook his head. "Really funny sounding fatherly advice, "Beware of girls with bikes and keep said bikes away from Electric types", whatever that means." This prompted a look of confusion from Violetta and Marina burst out laughing. "Mom?" Volker called as Marina shook her head. "It's based personal experience, it may be strange, but you should heed it, regardless."

After saying their goodbyes to their families, the group of teens set off to the edge of town, which led them to a fork in the road. "Well, this is where we part." Volker said as he looked at the sign that read, "right Hydrangea town, Left Cherry Grove City". "Oh that's right; your boat is at Hydrangea town. Shame there aren't any docks in New Bark or we could have sent you off first." Bailey said as Volker grinned. "But you guys are sending me off from here, just like how I'm sending you guys off."

"I guess you could say that, but don't forget to drop a line every once in a while." Van told him and he nodded. "Best of luck to you then in Hoenn, Volk." Seth told him as they fist bumped. "Yeah, to you guys too, here in Johto." He replied and Logan spoke up. "Since we're both aiming for the top, the next time we see each other, we got to at least get a bit closer to our goal." He said and Volker smirked. "No need to state the obvious, dude."

After saying their parting words Volker broke off from the group, and they went in completely different directions. The road to Hydrangea town was more or less a straight path through a plain, and the walk would last around three hours. As Volk trekked on he noticed a couple of Pokemon around, mostly Pidgeys, with the occasional Sentret and Ratata. But he didn't really have an urge to capture them, and just observed them as he continued to walk onwards.

But then he remembered the Pokeball that had been given to him by his real dad, and stopped for a second to get it from his belt. As he examined it, he couldn't see anything different about it, but he did wonder what was inside. While he wanted to know what it was, he decided to save it instead for when he reached Hydrangea town. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful, and made him wish that he was travelling with his friends instead; it would have been more fun that way.

When he finally reached Hydrangea town, it was a little past six thirty and he immediately noticed all the lights and decorations around the town. When he arrived at the Pokemon center, Nurse Joy had helpfully explained that the town was currently celebrating their summer festival and told him that he should visit the festival grounds, if he had the time. While there was enough time before his boat ride, he decided to set his priorities straight and set out to find food for him and his Pokemon first.

But before he entered the dining area, he took out the shrunken Pokeball that his dad gave him and enlarged it. It took him only a few more seconds of pondering, before he decided to throw the ball up in the air to call out the creature inside. Once the light died down, it showed a small, blue, reptilian Pokemon. The creature was bipedal and its head also sports a crest-like formation of three thick gray ridges that continue as a slope down its back.

"Bay, Bay, Bagon! Bay." It cried out as Volker's eyes lit up. "Hey there, little fella. I guess it's safe to assume that you're a Bagon, right?" He greeted as he bent down on one knee, to get a closer look at his new Pokemon. "Bay!" It cried out and Volker chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. I heard about a Pokemon called Bagon before, but it's the first time I'm seeing a real one!" He exclaimed as he held out a hand out to the small Pokemon, which caused the Bagon to look at him in confusion. "Bay?"

"It's nice to meet you Bagon. My name's Volker and from now on, I'll be your trainer. Let's both work hard and rise to the very top, ok?" He said as the Bagon went closer and put one of its stubby arms in his hand. "Bagon!" It cried out, which prompted him to chuckle again. "Looks like my dad got me a really feisty one." He said as he began to pet his Pokemon before standing. "Now how about we get some dinner, that sound like a good idea to you?"

After getting an enthusiastic cry in agreement from Bagon, the two of them headed to the dining room where Volker called out his Totodile and after both blue Pokemon were introduced to each other, they then proceeded to have dinner. After it was finished, Volker returned both of his Pokemon and headed out of the center to go the festival grounds. There he saw a lot of game booths and stalls that sold from a wide range of food to Pokemon cards and collectibles.

But what really took the crowd's attention were two events that were happening simultaneously. The first was an unofficial Pokemon contest that was taking place in a large tent that was set up in one side of the festival grounds. The second was a Pokemon battle tournament that was being held in an open air battle field on the opposite side. As Volker was more naturally inclined to battles, he chose to watch the tournament instead which was already down to the semi finals match.

An hour and a half later and the battles were over and after sticking around to watch the winner be given a small trophy and a ticket as a prize, Volker decided that it be best that he headed to the pier. The time now was already nine o' five, and his boat left at quarter to ten. The walk to the pier was pretty short, it only lasted for fifteen minutes but once Volker arrived there he was surprised to find it bustling with activity at this late at night.

But then again, considering Hydrangea town was a port town, it wasn't strange that the docks would be really busy even late onto the night. He then started to look for the boat called the St. Camilla. But it wasn't all that easy, considering the fact that there were around twenty boats currently docked at the pier. But just as he was examining the second boat, he suddenly heard the sound of metal grinding, that was somehow familiar to him, but he just couldn't quite place the sound.

It was only when he heard a cry of "Out of the way!", did he turn around and was met with the source of the sound. It was a girl, no, to be even more precise, it was on a girl who was on a bike that was speeding towards his way. "No way." This was the only thing he could say as his eyes widened and he tried to sidestep to avoid the incoming projectile, but it was all for naught as the girl who looked like she couldn't control her bike flailed her arms and accidentally pushed him when she passed.

It was just not Volker's day as he had just happened to be standing near the edge of the docks and he ended up falling into the waters. He spluttered and coughed as he surfaced, and fortunately for him, he knew how to swim. But that didn't change the fact that the water was absolutely freezing and he hurriedly tried to swim closer to the edge. But once he did, a pale hand extended to him and he looked up to see a teen with long blond hair and eyes that were the same blue as the sky.

"You ok, there?" She asked as he took her hand and began helping him to get out of the water. "I've had better times." He answered simply. "You sure gave me a surprise. Here I was, walking at the docks when I suddenly hear a big splash, and when I look to see what had caused it; I find a person had fallen into the water." She told him as she took one look at him and frowned. "I don't suppose that this is a new form of night swimming, is it Mr…" She trailed of as Volker wringed out his jacket.

"Of course not. Some girl on a bike accidently pushed me in. My name's Volker, by the way." He told her. "I can't believe that guy's advice was actually applicable." He muttered in a soft voice that only he could hear. What he didn't notice was how the sky blue eyes had lit up in delight when he said his name, but when he looked back up at the taller girl, it was already replaced with a calm expression. "That's rather unfortunate then. But you should probably get changed; otherwise you'll end up getting sick."

"That's a good idea, but do you know a place that I can? The Pokemon Center is too far away. If I go there, I won't make it back in time for my boa-Ah!" He cried out as he hurriedly brought out something from his jacket pocket. As expected, it was completely wet, to the point that it was now soggy. But the worst has got to be that the ink had begun to run, making what was previously printed, unreadable now. "I hope that I'm wrong when I assume that's your ticket for a boat ride."

Volker sighed as he gave a small nod. "Unfortunately, you're right with your assumption. I guess there's no choice, I'll have to go back to the center tonight and I'll probably try to get another ride tomorrow." He said as his companion's face turned thoughtful. "Maybe you don't need to." She told him, which caused him to look at her in confusion. She then took out something from her pocket and looked at it. "Your boat wouldn't be the St. Camilla that leaves at nine forty five, would it?" She asked.

Volker's eyes widened. "Yeah, that's it. But how did you know?" He asked as she offered him a small, but warm smile. "I didn't, I just read off this ticket. But since this is the ticket to the right boat, then you can have it." She told him as he raised his hand in protest. "I can't accept that, if I do, then what about you?" But the girl only chuckled. "You're pretty considerate, but don't worry. I wasn't planning on taking the boat ride, anyways. I just got this ticket as a prize from the festival. So don't worry about it."

"If anything, you'll be doing me a favor since this ticket would just be wasted, otherwise." She explained as she offered him the ticket, which he took with a slightly exasperated sigh. "It's hardly a favor, considering how much you're helping me." He replied as a small grin appeared on his face. "You call me considerate, but you're pretty kind yourself, uhm…" He said as he scratched the back of his head. "You never did tell me your name, Miss."

"It's Mavis." The girl now known as Mavis answered gently as she stole a glance at her Xtranceiver. "Goodness! You should probably go and look for your boat now. It won't matter if you have a ticket or not, if you can't make it there in five minutes." She told him as she showed him the time which prompted him to hastily thank her before he started running forward, only stopping when he was already some distance away from her before turning to shout something to her.

"Thanks again for the ticket, Mavis! I definitely won't forget this! If we ever meet again, I'll treat you to lunch or something, to properly thank you!" He then gave her a wave before he sprinted off again and a small fond smile appeared on Mavis' face as she waved back. But once she could no longer see his running figure she took her Xtranceiver and started to make a call to a familiar number. Once the other person on the other end of the line picked up, an image was shown.

It was of a slightly tan, and handsome man who looked rather tired. "Hello, Mavis. Is something wrong?" But Mavis only shook her head. "No, everything's fine. But I just wanted to tell you something interesting... Oh, you don't look very good. Are you feeling unwell?" She asked him and he shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just having a bit of trouble." He answered and she pursed her lips together in a straight line. "Is it about work?"

But the man just shook his head. "Nope, it's not. But nonetheless, I plan on resolving it as fast as possible." He said in a determined tone and she offered him a kind smile. "Well, don't worry about it too much. I'm sure things will work out. They usually do when you're involved, approximately two out of three times." She told him and he sighed. "Thanks Mavis, I guess. But I would have appreciated your words of wisdom more if you hadn't said the last part."

"But that's what really makes those statements accurate." She happily replied and the man on the other end of the line twitched slightly. He then coughed before addressing her in a lighter tone. "Anyways, moving on from that topic. You said that you called to tell me something interesting?" He asked as she nodded. "That's right, here I was at Hydrangea town and I meet someone I didn't expect to see for at least a couple more years. It is truly amazing how small the world can get!"

"Oh? And just who pray tell, did you see there?" He asked. "Volker!" She answered happily as the man's eyes widened and his jaw went slightly slack. "Volker?! You met him, Mavis?!" The said teen just nodded her head before answering. "I did, he's a lot like how you described him. But he was unexpectedly more alike to you than I thought." A look that looked like a cross between curiosity and confusion then appeared on the man's face at that. "In what way?"

"He's supposed to start on his journey today, right?" She asked and when he nodded she continued. "But on his very first day he apparently got pushed into the water by a girl on a bike; and as a result, his ticket was destroyed. It's amazing how much he resembles you!" She exclaimed as the man fought the urge to face palm. "Mavis, I think you're under the mistaken impression that those are things to be proud of." He told her and the teen chuckled. "I just said you were alike, I never said that it was for good reasons."

"You... I'm not even going to start. So, since his ticket was destroyed, I take it that his journey to Hoenn will be postponed?" He asked as a genuine look of confusion suddenly appeared on her face. "Hoenn, not Unova?" She asked as the man frowned. "I'm sure it's Hoenn. Marina herself told me that he bought a ticket to Hoenn online." He answered, as an uneasy feeling suddenly settled in his gut. "Why would you think that he was headed to Unova?"

"Well, since his ticket was destroyed, I gave him a ticket I had won as a prize at the Hydrangea town summer festival…" She started before continuing. "I read off the boat's name and its departure time, which was exactly five minutes ago, and even Volker said that they were the exactly the same as his boat..." She paused then before adding with slight hesitation. "...But I'm absolutely certain that it said trip to Unova, and not to Hoenn." She finished, and there was silence. Then for the second time that day the man shouted in shock.

"What did you say?!"

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