SINNOH STORIES
THE LEGEND OF VOLKNER
Of course Volkner was glad that Cyrus was in jail. He needed some time to heal from his injuries; Cyrus, that was. He grinned at his snark of a thought, stepping forward through the brambles, listening to the sounds of the two girls trotting behind him.
He wanted him out as soon as possible, though. Volkner had set the plan awry on purpose, because he knew that the conclusion of their fight would be unsatisfactory if they had just... ended it then and there. He wanted to train and make sure that things went just perfectly.
He could envision the battle in his head. It was a mix of flashing lights and flying fists, of screaming names and curses, of flesh cut, bones broken and blood drawn. It sent his adrenaline flowing through his veins like a bullet train. He knew it was selfish. He knew it was dangerous.
But guess what? He didn't give a damn.
CHAPTER 17: The Wave of Change
Pastoria City was a large city which meant the world to Volkner. He felt a longing here that was unfamiliar to him, making him shut his eyes every few moments as he walked through its streets. They were crowded with people, leaving him only a few moments to do so. Memories of home filled his head. The salty smell of the sea.
The stench of the sailors and their broads; probably cheating on their wives. The stench of death and crime. The city of dreary darkness he oh-so-lovingly called home.
He shook his head to remove the thoughts. Olivine City was not his home anymore. He would never return. He slipped a hand into his pocket and continued to walk the streets. He nodded toward Jasmine who trotted along beside him.
"I suppose we can get lunch. Where's this 'so amazing d-duh-diner, Volkner', Jasmine?"
"Follow me," she said. She flashed him a quick smile.
Volkner froze for a moment at the sight of it, before nodding again, keeping on with his strut, following her closely. Gardenia wasn't following them, instead opting to see the sights of Pastoria on her own.
So the two of them sat down at a street-side store set up in bar fashion, stools set up in front of a bar with a bunch of people working behind it.
"Hello!" a man said, approaching them. "How can I help you?"
"Hi," Jasmine said. "Me and my friend will just have the daily special. On a bit of a budget..."
"Got'cha!" The man then moved back toward the back of the place, whispering something to the cooks in the back.
"So, uhm... Volkner. How are you?"
"Fine," he muttered.
"...Oh. Good. Me too. Nice day out, isn't it?"
"I guess."
"...Uhm, yeah. You hungry?"
"Not really."
"...Well, I guess better eat lunch now than starve later!"
Volkner frowned. "Uh-huh."
They sat and waited for their food in silence. Then they ate it in silence as well, up until their last few bites.
"Tell me something, Jasmine."
"Yes, Volkner...?"
"Do you miss Olivine?"
"Sometimes... why?"
Volkner grinned. "I want to ask you the same thing."
"Olivine is my home. It's where my family waits. It's where I grew up and want to continue growing up."
"...I gotta admit, your optimism can get really annoying, but I'm jealous of it." Volkner finished the last bites of his food, and waited for Jasmine to do the same.
"Alright, we're headin' to the Pokemon Center," Volkner said. "I'm ready to just cash in for the day. Come with me."
"But-"
"Come."
"...Fine."
The two of them strutted through the streets of Pastoria, until a sudden curve in the path led them to a quiet, damp alleyway. Volkner shut his eyes and did what his heart told him.
Jasmine felt a surge of panic as Volkner dragged her to the side into an empty alleyway, pinning her against the wall. Her panic was not fearful; it was simply anxiety of what she knew was about to happen. She felt his breath hot against her neck, and moments later his lips against it. She tilted her head back against the wall and exhaled. She let her body's urges take over, drawing Volkner in close to her.
The two repositioned themselves and allowed their minds to disappear. They slipped their lips over each other and kissed with fervent passion.
The next day passed in a blur for Volkner, leaving his mind in a mushy mess. Jasmine and Volkner avoided each other: Gardenia couldn't seem to get their group together in one piece. Eventually, they all gave up, Jasmine and Gardenia getting their own room at the Pokemon Center for the night and Volkner getting his own.
He slept the night through with no dreams in his memory. But he woke up sweating, his muscles relaxed and his lower body throbbing. He groaned as he realized what he had done in his sleep.
"Jesus Christ, the hell is wrong with me?" he mused.
He got up and took a shower, then dressed himself and headed out the door for breakfast. He slipped past the duo of Jasmine and Gardenia on their way down themselves, rushing to get something to sit outside and eat. He would only reunite with the duo when he absolutely had to.
But the absolutely had to part came quicker than he wanted it to. He sat outside with an sausage and egg biscuit, nibbling on it, his thoughts elsewhere, when Gardenia stepped outside and sat down next to him. Jasmine followed suit, her face covered with a thin smile and a dim shade of red.
"So, what're we doin' ta'day," Gardenia asked. "I hear there's a good place north'a here. Called the Great Marsh. Buildin' some sort of Safari Zone thing there, but there's a certain sector of it that's free for civilian entry. Lots'a wild Pokemon."
Volkner nodded. "...I suppose so. A chance to test out this Luxray."
Jasmine nodded her agreement, and it was set: they were off to the 'Great Marsh'.
The Great Marsh was in no way a misnomer. This place, in the "small" public sector, was gigantic and most definitely a marsh. Volkner had to walk around with his jeans rolled up to his knees, the mud and the bug Pokemon crawling through it getting onto his lower body and enjoying the heck out of the ride. Volkner wasn't quite sharing the feeling.
But at the end of the day, Volkner supposed, it was a good experience. He continued to trudge through the muck, baring it with clenched teeth.
He pulled himself out of one such section of swamp, when he was pushed down to the ground again by a sudden, unexpected weight on his back. He felt fur brush up against his neck.
He swore, feeling his backpack slip out of his grip, swiped by some sort of odd, leathery arm, a stark contrast to the furry body of the creature. He flipped himself over onto the wet grass, staring at the creature that had his backpack in hand.
"Pom!" it cried. "Aiiiiiya!"
Volkner recognized it immediately. It was a small creature with a furry, purple body, large eyes staring at him. In its hands was... absolutely nothing. But resting on its tail, which was a spitting image of a gloved human being's hand, was his backpack.
The creature called Aipom stuck his tongue out at him, closing all of his tail-fingers around one strap of Volkner's back backpack except for its middle one. Volkner scowled. Smart little ape. He reached down to his belt, unhooking one of the Pokeballs. He didn't look to see which. He didn't care.
"Let's go!" he exclaimed, tossing his arm forward, pressing his thumb against the release switch of the Pokeball. He felt it open in his hand, sending forth a flash of white light, which materialized into the form of Jolteon on the ground.
"Joool!" the Pokemon cried, his fur puffing out. He growled lightly at the Aipom in front.
"Jolteon, careful," Volkner warned, "it's a rough terrain around here, and our ape pal seems to be an expert at navigating it. Hit it with a Pin Missile!"
Jolteon's fur puffed out again, glowing a shade of lime green. Some thin missiles of hardened fur burst forward, pelting Aipom's chest. The Pokemon swiped the needles with his stub of an arm, then narrowed his eyes when he realized that it had broken the needles off; part of them still stuck in his chest.
He leaped forward, swiping his tail-hand toward Jolteon. Jolteon was hit with a faceful of books, glass vials that shattered upon being hit so forcefully, and other assorted items. He fell to the ground, skidding a few inches before picking himself up on already-shaky legs.
"Alright," Volkner said. He frowned, realizing that the potions in his backpack had broken – which probably stained the books he had recently picked up as well. "God damn it! Let's hit it with a Thundershock!"
Jolteon's fur puffed out again, sending forward a small burst of electrical power that struck Aipom directly. Volkner saw a few singed hairs, filling the place with an acrid smell just beneath the normally musky air of the marsh, but Aipom was otherwise unaffected, it seemed.
"Aiyyyyaa! Poooh!"
The Aipom then slammed Volkner's backpack. It fell into the marsh, and Volkner watched it sink with horror. He rushed over toward it, only to catch it too late – he moved too slowly through the marsh and it had sunk beyond his reach. But he did manage to snag one thing oddly buried in the mud – circular and firm. He pulled it out, and didn't even bother to look at it, figuring it to be a baseball or something. He tossed it toward the Aipom in his rage, then watched as the Pokeball he had just thrown, covered in mud and leaf fragments, bonked Aipom upside the head and sucked him in with a bright red light. The ball shook furiously, but did not open. It finally shut firmly and sat still.
He had just caught the little monkey bastard.
Volkner buried his face in his hands as the laughter from Gardenia roared through the room when he told his story. Even Jasmine giggled softly, a hand over her mouth to hide it, but to no avail.
"...Well, at least we all caught somethin', eh?" Gardenia mused. "I got a Carnivine, ya got an Aipom and Jasmine caught 'er Quagsire. Pretty bountiful harvest today. Now the only problem is gonna be getting' the money to buy you a new bag..."
Since Mana- no, Lisa- had left them, they had their source of major money taken away. They were left rather poor, barely enough money left to buy themselves the clothes and books and things they needed.
"Did someone say, 'Now the only problem is gonna be getting' the money, bla, bla...'?" a voice cried.
A man stepped in front of them, a wide smile on his face. His blue eyes pierced into Volkner, giving off mixed messages of intimidation and friendliness.
"Hi," the man said, "name's Carl." He reached up, running a hand through his slick blue hair. "Carl Winston. But my friends call me Crasher Wake – and it seems if you need money, you're my friends."
Crasher Wake had a large figure, but with his droopy shirt and pants on, Volkner couldn't tell whether this was made of fat or muscle.
Gardenia gave off a shaky smile, extending her small hand to Wake's. His swallowed hers, and Gardenia drew hers back quickly and defensively. "Hi. I'm Gardenia... this here," she said, pointing to Jasmine, "is my friend Volkner, and this here..." Now she pointed to Volkner. "...is my friend Jasmine."
"...She means I'm Volkner," Volkner said, his voice filled with mild amusement. "And the other girl is Jasmine."
"Nice to meet you beautiful young ladies – and handsome young man, of course."
Gardenia nodded, her face a bright red.
"Now you three – from your belts, well, at least you and Mr. Volkner, Ms. Gardenia, are Pokemon are trainers. Pretty easy to tell. I am too! And I'm one of the best. I used to sail with the navy, and have fought in World War II. I'll tell you two what. I'm holdin' a match later on tomorrow... for amusement! If you guys can beat me, I'll provide you with the money. This means both of you! Or all three of you, if Ms. Jasmine is a trainer as well-"
"I am," Jasmine said.
"Then that settles it! If all three of you can beat me in a one-on-one match, then I'll pay you more than enough. A thousand Pokedollars."
Volkner's jaw dropped. This man seemed to be a living second chance, having survived through World War Two: perhaps one of the harshest wars in the world's history, ending in the destruction of, as well as the cut-off of trade and restriction in visitation to, the Unova region. That had been forty years ago, though, and now one just required the money.
"Heh," Wake laughed. "I understand it's a bit shocking. But we at PastoCo, the world's largest entertainment battle corporation, are willing to do a lot for those who need it!"
Volkner spoke up. "We'll do it."
So the rest of the day was spent in training. Volkner on his own, while Gardenia and Jasmine spent their time practice battling each other.
The next day came before they knew it.
Thanks to Crasher Wake's directions, they found the building in which their match was scheduled pretty easy, that night. They stepped inside with the attitude, the smiles and the simple hope that they could win.