SINNOH STORIES
THE LEGEND OF VOLKNER
Author's Notes: In this chapter, we realize just how creative I am with surnames! [Formula = English Name + Japanese Name = Full name. Algebraic genius, si?]
Oh, and we also get to see Volkner get hurt more! Yay!
[[Chapter 7: Hearthome Scramble]]
It was a unique smell, Volkner thought as he lay awake in his bed. The smell of hospitals, a clean and fresh scent always having that underlying stench of rot and sickness. He had no idea how he had gotten to a hospital, but he knew he was really tired of having to be in one. This was about his third time this month.
His daredevil antics really needed to stop.
Cyrus Akagi peeled open his eyes slowly at first, but opened them wide quickly when he realized just where he was. He hated these places, hospitals, and only went to one when he deemed it necessary – to visit Volkner in Floaroma, or to visit family. He had no family left he'd even think of visiting but his younger brother and when with Volkner he had simply visited once a day and left to stay at a hotel for the night.
He sighed. He really didn't want to stay here, but the aching muscles all across his body deemed it necessary.
Gardenia tossed and turned, brushing her few lacerations all across the bandages that covered them and thus causing a few moments of pain which her groggy self ignored.
"She was the lucky one out of the Chateau trio..." she heard a voice say. "She just has some cuts from the fall... we can't even figure out what's wrong with the other two... and their poor Pokemon just barely hung on..."
"... my Roselia?" she croaked weakly.
"... She'll be fine, dear," the voice responded. Now a bit more awake, but not willing to turn onto her back and open her eyes to confirm, her logical mind told her it was likely a nurse. "She took a bit of a bruising during the fall, but our regeneration machines have healed her right up."
Gardenia wanted to question further, really, but she felt the sudden need to stop speaking and allow herself to fall down through the clouds of her mind and into dreamland once again.
It was six thirty in the morning, and only two people were up.
Jasmine Mikan sighed lightly as she sat on the couch of this woman's home, a bowl of Abra Kadabra's brand marshmallow cereal in her hand. The woman, who had by now identified herself as Matilda Adamson ("Mattie for short, please."), sat on the couch next to her, trying to spark up conversation.
"So, Miss Jasmine, where are you headed to? It's pretty obvious you're a trainer."
"A Coordinator, actually, Miss Mattie."
"Ohh, I see. So you must be headed to Hearthome?" Matilda asked.
"Yes ma'am," Jasmine responded.
"But the contests don't start for another week and a half! Do you have enough money to stay in hotels for that long?" Matilda asked, concern evident in her almost motherly voice. Jasmine supposed, because she had a daughter around her age, that it was a given that she be treated maternally.
"I believe so-"
"I'd like a confirmation! If not, I insist you at least stay here a few more days. You're rather pleasant to be around."
"Ma'am-"
"Mattie, Miss Jasmine."
"... Miss Mattie, I don't want to be a burden ..."
Matilda Adamson then laughed joyously. "Miss Jasmine, you're not at all a burden. In fact, in a few days, my daughters and I were planning on heading to Hearthome ourselves! You can come with us. It'd be safer, wouldn't it?"
"But Miss Mattie-"
"No buts. You're staying here," she said with a warm smile.
"... Alright," Jasmine responded, conceding her defeat.
Volkner Denzi sat up in his hospital bed and looked at his surroundings. He could tell that he was in a private room, mainly because of the blinds in all windows of the room, walls were there weren't blinds and a door tightly shut directly in front of him, that to covered by blinds.
Next to him, on the nightstand provided for him, sat his two Pokeballs. He grabbed one and pressed the release switch, a blinding light flashing through the room. He blinked, recovering from the sudden burst that he hadn't really thought about, and stared at the creature that came out with intense feelings of confusion.
He knew for certain that a Pichu was not supposed to evolve unless it felt intense kinship to its trainer, or extreme happiness of its situation. Chuseph was not supposed to have evolved – ever. Volkner did not intend to make friends with his Pokemon, to be fatherly to them. But here was proof that he somehow did it anyway, the cute little mouse Pokemon.
"Pika pika chuuu.." Chuseph cooed cutely, walking up to Volkner's side and laying there.
And for some ungodly reason, Volkner found himself smiling. Then he forced that away and pressed the release switch of Chuseph's Pokeball once again, and watched as the mouse Pokemon was sucked back into it.
He lifted up his arm, ignoring the pain, and punched the mattress. Suddenly, he heard the door open, and a nurse stepped through.
A rather cute nurse, too. "Ah, you're awake, sir!"
Volkner didn't respond, merely staring at her.
"You should lie down," she said. "You've got a torn Trapezius muscle, as well as quite a few bruises all over you, not to mention some cuts. You'll be fighting fit within a week, but I'd really recommend getting some rest-"
She noticed the Pokeball in his hand.
"Oh, and you should thank your little guys... if it weren't for them, the wood from the collapsed floor could have done much worse damage. I doubt you'd have died, but you'd be in here for months recovering."
Volkner still didn't respond, but did lie down as she instructed him. He didn't want to be awake right now, so sleep was the best option he had left.
one week later
Being that Cyrus was the only one who hadn't lost SOMETHING in the collapse, Volkner and Gardenia were now forced to go shopping in the Eterna Pokemart together. A rather limited selection of items, but for a trainer not much was really needed.
Their list was as following:
POKE BALLS X 5 (each) (75$)
SUPER POTIONS X 3 (each) (180$)
FULL HEALS X 10 (each) (300$)
DRIED POKECHOW PACKS X 10 (30$)
DRIED PEOPLE FOOD PACKS X 3 (each, should last 'till our next destination. And by each I mean all three of us!) (45$)
REPELS X 5 (250$)
ESTIMATED COST: 880 PokeDollars
A rather tedious list, and an even more tedious amount of items to carry, but they were all necessities, really.
So the two shopped for about an hour to get it all done, eliminating a bit of their monetary load in exchange for a more physical one. At least they now had three people to split it between, Volkner thought.
The two headed outside with huge bags, and they knew their shopping load wasn't over yet.
So next, while Cyrus once again lazed around outside to "guard the bags" (bleh, Volkner thought to that), the two of them went into Eterna Cycle Shop. Inside, they met a boy around their age manning the store for his father.
"So, uhh... Rydel, you said it was?" Gardenia asked.
"Yep!" Rydel responded. "What can I do ya for?"
"You seem like a pretty cool kid. What would ya recommend for a bike? Cheap, efficient, and sturdy," she said. "All of 'em."
"If that's the case, we have just the bike for you, mademoiselle Gardenia," a flirtatious-accented Rydel said. "It's called the Bolt. Fast, and can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. Rides smooth across both mountain and man-made territory."
"How much?"
"200 PokeDollars each. They're real new, perfected only last week. Hottest thing on the bike market."
"... I said cheap-" Gardenia started, but the fortune of Volkner and Cyrus then came to mind. "Never mind. We'll take three."
"Three?" Rydel said. "Dad'll be thrilled! Come on up to the cash register. Your friend monsieur Denzi- I mean, Mister Volkner, can pick them right on up. They're foldable too, by the way! Real wonders'a technology."
Gardenia nodded and walked up to the cash register, reaching into the envelope of money and pulling out exactly six hundred PokeDollars. In the mean time, Rydel struck up conversation to which Gardenia pretty much ignored, keeping her answers short and sweet for the sheer purpose of politeness.
"Ya'know, I personally think that the Bolt is a bit of a contraption myself. Still the best on the market, but totally inconvinient. Gotta be a more efficient way of doing things, ya'know? Like, I wanna someday make a bike of my own. Kinda similar to the Bolt in terms of endurance, but a... a... Acro-bike! Yeah, I like the sound of it. A flexible one that is much lighter and can do tricks easy. Ya never know when flexibility is important when biking, ya'know?"
"Yep..." she muttered.
"You think it's a good idea?"
"Sure..."
And finally, the two of them got out of there, meeting Cyrus outside. They all went up to their shared room in the Pokemon center there and got things split up evenly.
Volkner was smart enough to do the one thing he noticed Gardenia had forgotten to inform him of: get distinctions between bikes.
Volkner's bike was, like the others, sleek and medium-sized, but a dark shade of yellow like his hair. A rather good looking thing in his opinion.
He had gotten Gardenia a green one, as she adored grass types.
For Cyrus, he had followed the same principle he used for his own, and it was a navy blue. The closest thing to the boy's hair color that Volkner could possibly find.
The three of them sat on their bikes in formation, Cyrus in the lead, Volkner in the middle, and Gardenia on the end, just at the edge of the famed Cycling Road. It was a challenge for trainers to pass – because of its deep incline. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but you weren't allowed on there without a bike, and of course a bike on an inclined hill meant serious control issues. Plus there were even some trainers crazy enough to BATTLE on such a hill.
But the three of them pedaled out, one after the other, and made it down safely. Some dodging had needed to be done to not only avoid crashing into themselves but crashing into others. Quite a few athletic people using the place for exercise shouted such obscenities as, "UP YOUR ASS BUDDY!" and "EVER HEARD OF SELF-CONTROL, JERKOFFS?".
They finally reached the end, but decided to stay on their bikes for purposes of speed and efficiency. They passed down the road until they reached a two-way path: it was either head south down a slope of a mountain they weren't quite sure they could get back up again, or go through a cave to the east.
They decided for the eastern cave.
A relatively uneventful ride went through there – the cave was barely any size at all, and they trudged through the swarms of Zubat and Geodude to make it out in about an hour. Finally, they reached the next destination city – Hearthome.
But the problem was, they reached the area as a duo, not a trio. Cyrus, for some reason, had decided that he wanted to stay to explore the area's inside a little longer. To their reluctance, Volkner and Gardenia had left on without him. Hopefully he wouldn't pull a Chateau on them again.
The two walked from there on out, and on their way to a Pokemon Center to drop off their stuff, they came across an odd sight.
A girl. She was obviously pretty young, maybe around nine or ten years old, and she sat on a public bench simply bawling her eyes out. Her entire frame shook, her chest heaving. A pretty little sight, nice brown hair and amber eyes, it was a bit pitiful to Volkner – but he would remain stoic on the situation. Even if they didn't check it out, he'd sleep well that night, but he couldn't help but sigh as he realized it: Gardenia would perform the duties of any female at the sight of a crying comrade. Comfort, support, and be an overall annoyance to any stoic traveling partner. And in this case, Volkner was said traveling partner.
GOD DAMN IT.
"Hey, hey..." Gardenia said in a low, babyish tone. "What's wrong?"
The blubbering annoyance looked up to Gardenia and lifted up an arm, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. "... Some escaped! The poor little babies, in a city this big... they c-could..."
"What do ya mean?" Gardenia asked, and so an explanation was given.
This was a young girl nicknamed Bebe. A part time computer-geek, part-time breeder of Eevees, she had been taking a couple she was raising out for a walk, when a group of "cool tough-guys" had purposely scared them with their Pokemon. She had lost her grip of collars, and pretty soon Kiki, one of the two Eevees she had been exercising (a nameless runt of the litter hadn't been ballsy enough to get away, apparently) run off into the city.
"It's okay, Bebe!" Gardenia tried to comfort. "I'm sure people'll get suspicious when they see Eevees with collars. Tell the Police you've lost 'em."
"... I have already, but it's no comfort!" she exclaimed. "I want my widdle baby backkkk..."
Gardenia then looked up, and Volkner froze in fear.
"... You're going to make me go try and find her, aren't you?" he asked.
Gardenia nodded. "I'm gonna take some money and go see the contests today with Bebe. You'll be runnin' 'round Hearthome findin' that Eevee."
"No-"
"Problem? How sweet of ya, Volkner!" Gardenia exclaimed. She quickly pulled Bebe's weight up and the two walked off.
"... God damn it," Volkner muttered. "Leaving ME with the dirty jobs. Cyrus, why aren't you with us?"
And at that moment, Volkner would get the answer to his question with the ringing of his phone. He pressed it up to his ear.
"Cyrus?" he asked.
"Yeah," Cyrus responded. "Listen, Volkner. I know it's kind of sudden, but I've decided that I'd like some alone time. To travel alone. Good luck with finding out what's happened to you – hopefully I'll be making a long distance call to Johto next time I call you."
"... Damn it," Volkner muttered. "Alright, I suppose. Good luck, Cyrus. See ya."
"See ya."
With a click of the phone shutting, Volkner suddenly felt a slight loneliness.
"... Damn it."
Cyrus Akagi stared at the carving in front of him with a slight wonder in his eyes. It was text in an ancient language, but from studies as a younger child, Cyrus understood it perfectly.
He was glad that he had stumbled upon it. Because it introduced a whole new idea in his head, the thoughts of perhaps making his dreams come true.
If he could perform this, this chain-to-beast act, decipher its true meaning behind the words and get it done... well, he would be doing a great favor to mankind. He smiled broadly at the thought: a world without strife.
Gardenia walked into the Contest Hall and observed another odd sight.
Bebe had calmed down by now, but apparently another soul needed comforting, and she felt the compelling urge to be there as well as she could for someone who needed it. So, she handed money to Bebe.
"Go buy tickets. I gotta go use the restroom," she said swiftly, before approaching the girl who sat on the couch of the lobby.
She was a beautiful girl, obviously around her age of thirteen. She had pampered herself a bit for show-purposes, and already Gardenia could tell from that that she intended to enter the Contest. Perhaps a nervous breakdown? She wasn't crying hard (tears were streaming down her face) but she was shaking violently, her eyes wide with evidence of fright.
Gardenia sat down next to her and placed a hand on the back of her sheer white dress, accidentally brushing against her brown hair. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.
The girl remained unresponsive.
"A nervous breakdown? Ya a Contest Entry?"
The girl nodded.
"What's yer name?"
The girl remained quiet for a few moments, before speaking in a slow, careful voice.
"Jasmine."
Gardenia nodded. "Ah, okey doke. My name's Gardenia. Now listen up here, I gotta go get my seat. But I 'spect ya to be in that contest, ya hear? Don'tcha disappoint me, otherwise I'll never forgive ya."
The reaction to this was violent, but positive.
Jasmine leaped to her feet and nodded swiftly. "... T-thank you," she said, before turning and dashing off.
After the girls took their seats, Gardenia lay back in hers and waited for the show to begin.
At that precise moment, the girl beside her initiated conversation.
"So, you excited for the show?" she asked. Her voice was high-pitched, pleasant to the point of almost being soothing. Gardenia looked over to her. She had a head of straight brown hair (apparently a very common color here in Hearthome – this girl was the third brunette she had spoken to in less than half an hour), and wore a long red dress. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean itself, calming.
"Yeh," Gardenia said, smiling. "I've always wanted 'ta see a Contest. But bein' cooped up back in my hometown, only got 'ta do it on the television, and even then I was barely available that long."
"Really? Where's your hometown?" the girl asked.
"Eterna City. I was a gym trainer, I say 'was' 'cause I'm currently off active duty for trainin' purposes."
"Oh. I hear Lillith Florence was once quite the contest spectacle."
"She's a beaut, fer sure. I can imagine her in one just as plain as I'd'a imagined her in the gym."
"Heheh... I'm sure. So, what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Gardenia. Yerself?"
The girl answered, and the two conversed until the show finally began, Bebe popping in for the occasional comment.
"And now I've got'cha, ya little..." Volkner muttered as he lay his eyes upon the brown-furred creature, a black collar around her neck labeled with the name "Kiki". "Time to come home to your mama so I can get out'a here 'n quick..."
Volkner leaped forward, his arms swiping together in an attempt to embrace the Eevee tight enough so that it couldn't struggle its way out, but loose enough to allow respiration. It wouldn't have mattered how tight he had tried to make his embrace anyway: he had embraced the air.
He was in an alleyway as he tried to catch this thing, and instead of taking a dive onto the ground like he had planned, he had also miscalculated his aim. He hit a trashcan straight on, knocking over the contents onto the ground and (he wasn't sure, but he had some confidence in the theory) giving himself a slight concussion. He leaped up to his feet again, taking off after the creature. It had run into the streets and Volkner intended to follow.
"STOP THAT EEVEE!" he bellowed, but of course the idiotic citizens of Hearthome did just the opposite by stepping out of his way. Finally, he decided to throw caution to the wind, and he leaped forward once again: right in front of a massive crowd in the local plaza, he had leaped to the ground and stuck his fingers in an Eevee's collar, scraping up his face but in the proccess catching the Pokemon.
He walked to the contest hall and began to wait outside, holding a baby Eevee content in his arms. Sickening, really.
Gardenia stood outside of the backstage entry way, Bebe obviously perplexed, but able to tell Gardenia was excited.
After a few minutes of waiting, the door opened to reveal a beaming Jasmine, who had performed over her stage fright and done so excellently. She had not won, but she had done one of the most beautiful performances with her Butterfree that Gardenia had ever had the privelege of seeing.
"Well, well," Gardenia said. "Someone sure didn't disappoint."
Gardenia was pleasantly surprised when the shy girl then walked closer to her and drew her into an embrace.
"Thank you!"
Volkner was greeted outside by a trio of girls – Gardenia, Bebe and some new girl. This new girl had a particular radiance to her, a cute girl very close to his age, but he would ignore her for new, a bit too annoyed to flirt.
"Here's your Eevee back," Volkner muttered to Bebe and handed the creature to her. The little girl was ecstatic. "And who's your friend, Gardenia?"
The girl bowed her head quickly. "My name's J-Jasmine," she said. He wondered what the stutter was for. "Gardenia told me about her friends. H-huh-handsome, lean and strong looking... Cyrus?"
"Volkner," he responded flatly.
"... Oh."
"Speakin'a which," Gardenia said over a few squeals from Bebe. "Any news from Cyrus yet?"
"I'll tell you later," Volkner said. "Once we drop Bebe back to her place and... Jasmine... wherever she's going."
"Actually," Gardenia said with a smirk. "She was wondering if she could travel with us. What do ya think?"
Volkner simply shrugged. "Whatever."
So the four walked to their respective destinations – Bebe to her home close by the Pokemon Center, and Volkner, Gardenia and Jasmine to the Pokemon Center itself. It was there that Volkner explained Cyrus's wishes to her.
"That so?" she asked. "Kind of a disappointment. Good thing we got a new member of the gang then, eh?"
"Whatever..."
Gardenia sighed and stood up, turning around to walk toward her bed. But at that moment, something fell out of her back pocket.
"Dropped something," Volkner said.
"Oh... oh! Look at this," she said. "Met this girl in the Contest Hall. So nice. Took a picture with her from some photographer."
Volkner reluctantly accepted the photograph. He drew in sharp breathe.
Gardenia stood next to a girl in a red dress. The face of this girl was all too familiar, and the horror of it was confirmed by the signature.
"Best Wishes to Gardenia on her travels!
signed, Mana Aname"
Author's Notes: So here we are. One heck of an eventful chapter, eh? We meet Rydel, Bebe, Jasmine joins our crew, Cyrus leaves it, and Mana makes her comeback in a sinister and enigmatic way. So fun. =D