Chapter 3: Partnership

If there were two things that the strangers who knew each other only by name shared, they were heartbeat and emotion.

Volkner's hand pressed against the metal push-door, hot from the sun of the day. His heart beat hard and fast, mixed in with the fear he felt at the knowledge that a strange man could turn the corner at any particular moment and make his brain the newest addition to the wallpaper. There had been a gunshot. If Cyrus was correct and there were more people inside, this was bound to tip them off that something had happened and they would come to investigate. The only assurance he had was the gun in his newfound partner's hand and even that was dependent upon reflex that Volkner couldn't be sure Cyrus had.

He was, admittedly, already starting to reget his decision to assist. Perhaps it had been his conscience unable to let him walk away, or confusion... but no matter the case he was stuck here, afraid or not, and he couldn't go back on his word now.

"There are four main rooms of the Valley Windworks," Cyrus whispered, "along with the various smaller rooms. Each of the four main rooms houses a computer system for functionality of the place and a goon. Whoever these guys are, we're gonna have to sneak past 'em or beat 'em... hopefully the former."

Volkner nodded in understanding.

However, he actually understood very little of his predicament and he knew this fact well. What made him lie was the single realization that he could smell the sweet stench of adrenaline in the air around him, and he was no longer a cramped up school boy waiting for the day he turned eighteen - he was doing something now, something that wasn't in the least bit dull. Frankly, he was almost willing to risk his life for such a thing at this particular moment.

His lips curled into a twisted grin as he applied pressure to the door and slipped through, his partner following shortly behind him. Both of them breathed heavily, their chests expanding and deflating every second with the realization that it was a liability but something that they couldn't really help. Volkner felt as if his feet were nonexistent, as if he were gliding over the marble flooring even though he knew he was not. The tension in the air could be cut easier than a warm knife sliced through butter.

The situation was not entirely helped by the fact that Cyrus collided into Volkner when the younger boy screeched to a halt, toppling over and creating noise when that was the exact opposite of the goal Volkner had intended when his eyes turned the corner and observed a person.

This person seemed unaware of the noise, which was always an advantage in stealthiness. Volkner's thumb curved around the corner, and he whispered a set of commands to Chuseph. Dutifully, the tiny mouse Pokemon nodded and slipped around the corner. Volkner simply put his faith in the creature to do what it was good for, and a few moments later he heard a pained cry. However, it had come from a source he wasn't quite hoping to hear.

"CHUUU!"

Chuseph had been found. Seeing no use in trying stealthiness anymore, Volkner and Cyrus slipped around the corner and stared their new assailant right in the face.

He was a rather tall man, dressed in black from head to toe except for his head and hands. From the distance, Volkner could tell his hands were coarse and calloused, as if he had been working all his life. Perhaps it was the truth. His facial features were rather intimidating, somewhat reminding Volkner of a figure from his past that left him in a state of mild shock; Cyrus, however, found this man's look somewhat interesting. He seemed ambitious, but unable to get his ambitions done through any way but crimes like these, and Cyrus pitied him. His hair was stacked on top of his head in a strange U-like fashion.

But no matter the case, Cyrus was forced to be the one to come forward and raise his gun. It was just a question of who would could fire first - Cyrus, or this man's Bronzor, the circular metal plate with eyes.

"So you did steal Roy's gun. Tch. Such a pity, that man," the person holding Chuseph in his hands, the Pokemon limp as if unconscious, said. "As are the rest of these fools. Usin' their guns and shit... real men at least hijack places with guts."

The hostage holder scoffed, noticing that Cyrus held the gun shakily, hesitantly.

"Oh come on, kid. If you're gonna have a cheap weapon like that, at least hold it with confidence."

Cyrus began to shake worse at the comment, struggling to keep himself steady. He was barely afraid at all, but rage set onto him, a great weight over his shoulders that made it hard to stand still. But for the sake of his partner's Pokemon, he was withdrawing his fire for the moment.

"Let the Pichu g-go, or I'll shoot..." Cyrus threatened.

"Really, kid?" the man sneered. "Let's see who'd win..."

He extended a hand, and the blue metallic plate floated over to him obediently. "Your gun, or my Bronzor."

"... Well, let's u-uh... see!" Cyrus said, trying his hardest to stay threatening but not really being all that successful. He was shaking even further. He was frightened out of his wits, for he knew one wrong move could mean a restored captivity; or worse.

Volkner, by this point, was able to break himself out of his shocked state and pull himself up to his feet. The fight had nearly been worn out of him by the sight of this man, Cyrus could tell, but he had no idea why.

"Let my P-Pokemon g-go," the stuttering boy demanded. "or I'll t-tuh-take him f-from you myself..."

"Oh, stutter the boy wonder is up!" the man exclaimed, excitement evident in his voice. "I was wondering if I'd only get to deal with one little pest..."

Volkner grimaced.

Suddenly, the man cried out his first order. "Bronzor, confuse ray!"

Cyrus then grimaced too, his finger pulling backward and thus pulling the trigger. A loud bang burst through the room as the gun went off, a single bullet zooming through the air, having been aimed for the man's leg...

... but to no avail. As predicted by him, the man's Bronzor simply moved in front and took the bullet, leaving him with a small scratch. The steel-like surface seemed almost indestructable in that short moment.

It then fired its attack. Out of its eyes, the two boys could make out a pulsating throng of energy rings in a variety of colors right before their minds turned to mush.

"Land ahoy!" a cheerful seaman cried, extending a single pudgey finger outward toward the landmass visible on the horizon. Silence ensued for a moment, before - in traditional mannerisms for seafarers who traveled through this system, so the pamphlet she read had said - the boat erupted into a thunderous cheer, her own timid applause mixed in with it but drowned out by the more enthusiastic passengers. It did not bother her much at all; quite to the contrary, it pleased her.

She was the type of girl who preferred not to have attention drawn to herself. Situations like that left her stuck in paralysis, self-conscious doubts running through her mind as she stood there in her frozen daze.

Did I say something stupid?
Did I do something stupid?
Do I look ugly?
Do I sound wrong?

It was for these reasons that she closed in upon the shores of Pastoria City. She was regretting her decision to come here and do this, but she couldn't turn back now. Besides, for some strange reason, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she wasn't alone in her regret: somebody out there was feeling the same way.

The man let loose a howl of laughter as he observed the two. The blue haired one on the left was now pretty well convinced he was a Seel, it seemed; his hands were stuck out in front of him and repeatedly clapped them together, his mouth opening to release a low pitched rough bark. This was the most entertaining of the two individual reactions, as the yellow haired one just seemed to be convinced he was lifting dumbbells, his arms extended toward the sides and lifting up, hands curled into tight fists around imaginary bars.

"My god," he said between chuckles. "Captain Giggles and the Body Builder... good nicknames for you two, don't you think?"

As he spoke, a sudden ring echoed through his ears. It was the sound of his phone, a realization that sent shudders down his spine for he knew it meant dealing with his idiotic team mates.

He slipped the phone up to his ear, and spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, what's up Gomel?" he asked.

"Saturn, have you taken care of the intruders?"

"'course. Confuse Ray'd 'em with Bronzor... what now?"

"Tie them up. As a precaution, blindfold 'em... but, well, they 'prolly won't live to report any eyewitnessing, but it's better safe than sorry, right?"

"Right."

click

The sound of the phone shutting off hit his ear, and he pushed it back down into his pocket.

"Idiot," Saturn complained. "Interruptin' me in the middle of something good... besides, why blind fold 'em if we're gonna kill them anyways? Now boys, where were we?"

As he spoke, he watched the yellow haired boy - "the Body Builder" - fall down like a ton of bricks. Confuse Ray did that sometimes, as most energy based moves did, to humans... the boy would recover before the day was out, so he'd at least enjoy some mobility before his death.

"Hmph. Too big a work out, huh? Shame, isn't it, Captain Giggles?" Saturn said through a smirk. He approached the boy and offered a sadistic kick; the symbolic act of kicking a person when they're down. Not at all pleased with the grunt of pain received from the act, but not really wishing to pursue it any further, Jupiter turned toward a close by desk and sat down, swirling the chair around and watching Captain Giggles do his routine.

christ it hurts
what the hell is going on

He had long since lost his ability to move and to think, leaving him floating in an endless black void. He wanted to do something, he wanted to scream... and it seemed as if his prayers would be answered soon enough. His thoughts were somewhat clear now, at least dechiperable in a mind where they were previously just as enigmatic as heiroglyphics to your average four year old.

is that...
no
stop that volkner
he's dead

He looked up as best he could to see medium sized legs close to him, muscle evident but not too overbearingly present. They were wrapped in tight black fabric, and he then recognized it to be the man in control of the Bronzor, and his leg was throwing itself backward...

holy shit this is going to hurt

thud

Those same legs collided with his chest with a forcefulness Volkner had not thought possible. Pain rushed through him, causing him to cry out in protest, but the sound was warped and strangled. He could not do a thing to defend himself, either.

He realized then that he was probably going to die.

"Yes sir, I heard a gunshot near the Valley Windworks. A scream too, I think... yes sir, I'm sure! Go do your job and check it out! Sheesh..."

Jupiter let loose a small sigh. He was going to have to leave this place pretty soon, he knew - he needed to be backup for Liam, the member of the team who was supposed to do the whole conning thing in the first place, though he had been allowed a relaxation when Captain Giggles over there had wandered into the place. Damned Gomel had forgotten to lock the door: some smart team leader, Jupiter had thought sarcastically when he realized this fact.

But he didn't particularly want to do anything. He was in a lazy, pissed off mood at this particular time... but it couldn't be helped, he thought. Time to kill the children.

He lay back, and spoke.

"Bronzor, use confusi-"

wheeeeooooooo

A sharp pang of fear caused him to bolt upright, as that sound that all criminals dreaded rang through his ears. A horrified expression rested on his face; it was a siren. Without wasting a moment, Saturn reached toward his belt and grabbed the ball attached to it, and pressed the release switch in the center in order to open the ball, sending out a red flash of energy that enveloped his Bronzor and sucked it back in. He then reattached it, and dashed toward the next room.

It was a bland little place. A few desks scattered around, papers thrown aside as the curious members of their four-man team had viewed them. Most important of all, a window just the right size for Saturn to open and jump through, darting off into the distance. He'd have to tell the real boss that he had no choice but to leave the other men behind, he supposed. They were useless creeps anyway.

"This is unit 10, answering the Valley Windworks call. We need a medical team here, quick."

This was all Volkner heard before he peacefully allowed himself to fall back into the void of unconsciousness.

Volkner's eyes slowly peeled open, a familiar light filtering in at a steady pace. It was artificial, the light he now recognized through previous experience to be the type of lights that dotted the ceiling of Floroma Medical Center. He felt the soft fabric of the bed beneath him, as well as a blanket covering him and the pillow upon which he rested his head. Light beeps, the occasional cough and the sound of a woman's voice on intercom were all the sounds he could hear for a few moments, before he could manage to hear a voice.

"... You worried me sick, boy! First you run from the hospital, then you go off and do something so dumb like this..."

It was the voice of that nurse he had in his last visit here.

"... oh crap," Volkner thought.

"Now, do you want to explain yourself?" the nurse demanded, worry evident in her voice. Volkner appreciated her concern, but really wished she had less loud and less annoying ways of expressing it.

"Now, now..." a voice said. Volkner turned his head to the side, and on the other side of him sat the blue haired boy from the Valley Windworks: Cyrus. "... he just woke up. Let's let him relax a bit. You can question him later, can't you, ma'am...?"

The nurse looked to Cyrus, obviously realizing she'd been defeated. She sighed, and shook her head.

"I suppose you're right... but that was reckless, boy! Do it again and gunmen will be the least of your problems..." she muttered. "... oh, and because of your little stunt, you've been injured a little more. Your muscles are probably extremely fatigued, and you'll paralyze yourself if you try to leave again, so no more kindness on our part for you. In other words, no drugs, other than a pain reliever. You should be good to go by Monday..."

She then turned around and walked off.

Volkner turned his head to Cyrus, and saw that he was grinning.

"They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..." he said. "I guess it's a pretty accurate quote, huh?"

Volkner laughed weakly in response.

"You know," Cyrus continued. "It's funny. I realized right before that Bronzor fried our brains that you were the kid in the Old Chateau. Was wondering, what were you doing in there anyway?"

Volkner stared at him for a couple of moments, and then finally allowed himself to speak up.

"... T-that's a good question. Thanks for getting me out of there, though..." Volkner groaned. "... but yeah, it is funny, huh? You s-suh-save my life, I save yours... sorta."

"No sorta about it. You saved his, and probably mine too." A monotonous voice droned, and Volkner looked up. It was a man in a labcoat, a head of shaggy black hair matted to his face. "Both of you are very courageous boys."

Cyrus looked up to him, and smiled. "Director. Wasn't expecting to see you here..."

The man in the labcoat nodded. "Please, boy. Call me Nap. For your assistant here," he said, his gaze drifting over to Volkner. "I will explain who I am. I am the Director of the Valley Windworks, name Ked Abel. Though I'd prefer to be called Nap."

"... That's a bit of a s-strange nickname," Volkner said.

Nap Abel laughed, a dull sound. "Indeed. Long story. Anyway, I'd like to give you two a reward for your bravery."

"No reward is necessary-" Cyrus tried to say, but found himself interrupted.

"Don't l-listen to my friend here," Volkner said eagerly. "What is it?"

Another dull laugh from Nap.

"I insist. It is in this envelope."

With those words, he reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a white envelope, handing it to Cyrus. Then he waved and trotted off.

The two boys sat in silence for a couple minutes, before Volkner got impatient and urged Cyrus to open the envelope. Carefully, Cyrus submitted himself to his curiousity and peeled it open... and stared in awe.

He pulled out a rather nicely sized wad of hundred PokeDollar bills. He took a few moments to count it, then stuttered out a response.

"... Five t-thuh-thousand PokeDollars," he stammered. "... and there's a note."

He set down the money on the bed at Volkner's side, then slipped out the note and read it aloud.

"To cover the hospital bills, and any expenses you may have for a while on travels. I sold some stock to get the money. Don't worry on paying back. Good luck to you two!

Signed, Ked 'Nap' Abel."

"... Nice guy," Volkner whispered. Cyrus seemed not to hear him, absorbing in the shock of receiving such a hefty amount of money and all for free. Volkner managed to raise his voice a bit. "So, what happened to y-your Pokemon?" he asked.

Cyrus looked up, and offered a quick smile. "They're fine, thanks for asking. Your Pokemon, by the way, is inside one of the drawers on the nightstand."

Volkner nodded.

The two were silent.

THREE DAYS LATER

Volkner stood at the entrance of Floroma Pokemart, a backpack strap on each shoulder, a large blue backpack on his back. A brand new outfit clothed him, the old one ditched due to its wear and tear long since beyond repair. He looked a million times better than he had in days; that probably attributed to the boy who stood beside him. Both of them wore smiles on their faces, and both had the unspoken agreement in their heads.

The two had the unspoken agreement that they would be travel companions for a while.

Volkner was stuck in a region which he did not know; the details had been explained to Cyrus in the hospital, and although a bit rattled and sceptic on the supernatural story, he didn't seem to have completely cast the possibility out of his mind. He had told Volkner that he was just as interested in finding answers as he was, if it was true.

Cyrus was still a bit rattled from his sudden captivity. He felt a travel partner would make him a bit more secure.

Both depended on each other for now, and neither knew where the hell they would be heading next: but they were both willing to walk off into the sunrise on the horizon and find out.

Chapter 3 get! Surprise, surprise, in comes Saturn!

Next Chapter: "Into the Old Chateau!-"
"No, no, not a good idea. That place is haunted ya know, ya idiots!"