DISCLAIMER: Pokemon in the house! But for me not a single mouse...
Credits:
- HELLO Hello hello hello... There must be someone out there :)
Enjoy.
—Someone's House—
The first thing to register was a light, spicy scent.
The smell worked its way into her dreamless world and in reality she shifted sleepily. Her body felt cramped, but also very, very warm and the reason as to why she was feeling so warm didn't fully penetrate her brain until the man beside her began to stir.
Hilda's sightless eyes widened as she realized where she was.
Pulled tightly by long and angular arms against a chest that rose fractionally with each breath, her nose was being pressed up into a solid chin.
As awkward and strange this position was, she didn't hate it. But, she had to get out and get changed or else things would be even more awkward as it was.
Slowly she brought one hand up to push against his chest and create room for her to wriggle out. However, it soon proved to be counter-productive because…
Hilda felt her cheeks grow hot.
His muscles were firm and unyielding, and they hardly gave way under her push. This man definitely wasn't lacking anything in fitness and she felt that she now understood one of the reasons why girls loved being hugged by men.
For a while, she just stayed like that, her hand plastered against Volkner's chest like… like—
"Ugh, what am I doing?" She groaned and forced her hand away. He was going to wake up soon. She knew it. So she opted to pull at his arms instead of pushing him away.
Once she was free, Hilda started feeling around for her bra.
Stupid! She realized with a pang. She'd left it on the other side of the bed and the idea of even more effort needed to get dressed made her cringe. She was almost done inching off the bed when Volkner woke up.
His awakening was like a tap on her brain.
"Where are you going?" He asked her hazily. His tone was light, maybe even amused.
He thought she looked cute with her hair down.
It was times like these that she cursed her ability to intrude on Volkner's mental privacy. Her face and neck burned with embarrassment and she tried to answer him. "To get…" but she didn't finish her sentence.
Because the craziest idea just popped into her head.
"To get—" My bra. As if shooting a gun, she thought those words at him as hard as she could.
Volkner suddenly gave a shout and a flash of pain coursed through her body.
"Volkner!" She scrambled across the bed to get to him. "I overdid it. I'm sorry." She listened hard for any groans of pain, though thankfully there were no more. "Sorry…" She repeated.
Nothing could've prepared Volkner for the mental blow. His brain felt like Hilda had taken a mallet and…
"Don't." He moved away from her quickly. She was suddenly much too close. "You shouldn't touch me."
She was immediately disappointed, though it didn't show on her face. And also, underlying the disappointment, was hurt.
Volkner sighed. Women were definitely complicated creatures.
He felt a flash of annoyance.
He quickly picked up her bra, so as to distract her from getting even angrier, "Here," and pressed the cottony material into her fingers. "You wanted that didn't you?"
She hesitated at first, then calmed down and said, "Thanks," before taking it. She started fingering the garment. "Did it really hurt that much?"
"You mean like a mallet against my brain?"
"Yeah, that…" She suddenly smiled mischievously. "Can I try again?"
"You…" Volkner sighed and shook his in disbelief. This girl…
"Okay, I'm going to try again, but with less force this time." Hilda promised.
Her brow wrinkled in concentration and Volkner closed his eyes to brace himself for impact.
Outside… need to change. The words were no louder than a whisper, but Hilda was nearly bursting with triumph.
"Am I going outside or are you?" He asked her jokingly as he slid off the bed and started walking towards the door.
"I did my best," was all she said with the widest grin he'd seen on her face in a while.
Volkner couldn't help grinning too before he left the room.
— —
Hilda changed quickly.
She did it in record time, whipping off her shirt to slip on her bra. She even took a moment to feel pleased with herself.
However, it wasn't long before a small, nagging thought entered her mind and she remembered that this was the only bra she had.
Hilda sighed.
It was inevitable. Volkner was going to have to go shopping for her.
Done?
How distinct… the clarity of the word was like he had spoken it to her.
"Amazing…" She whispered.
He was even better at it than she was.
Volkner opened the door without waiting for her to answer and she tilted her head just enough so he could see her face clearly.
"Ever heard of knocking?"
Weren't you finished?
Although she couldn't see it, she knew he was smiling. As he experimented more with the profound, new way of communicating that she'd discovered, she had access to his thought processes, which were a fascinating experience in itself.
Can you hear me?
She made a face at him. "Stop talking like we're on the phone." Then an idea occurred to her again. "Hey… why don't we test that out?"
"Why not?" Volkner opened the door like he was ready to leave. "Then we can do it while I go to the market. You wanted to buy…?"
"Oh, right. I…" She was about to answer when something clicked to understanding in her mind. "Wait, how do you-?"
"More than one thing changed for us, Hilda." His mind moved faster than his mouth and Hilda understood what he meant before he finished talking.
"I see… then that means…" He had access to her emotions and some of her thoughts. "It's a little unbalanced, don't you think?"
"I only know you want me to buy something, Hilda." Volkner told her, reassuringly. "I don't know any specifics."
Hilda supposed he was right and she also knew she shouldn't be complaining because he technically had even less privacy than her.
"What do you need, Hilda? Just tell me and I'll get it for you."
She sighed.
The day was already turning out longer than she expected.
Then she quickly rattled off a small list of items.
— —
Before Volkner left, Hilda had asked him to pass her her bag.
Flipping open one of the pocket flaps, she took out her transceiver then took a moment to locate the wake-up button. A digital voice declared that she had voicemail, which wasn't surprising seeing as she had neglected her phone for a good portion of yesterday.
Her fingers moved fluidly over the correct keys and she managed to play the message without difficulty. Almost immediately, Hilda heard Cheren's usual, impatient voice penetrate through the speakers.
She listened to the message once. Laughed. Then replayed it, just so she could hear her friend's familiar way of talking.
So, Ghetsis was on his fourth badge and Cheren was had warned them to "keep an eye out" for him near Canalave City.
Hilda shook her head.
That really didn't tell them anything. Ghetsis could have chosen to go east instead for all they knew. He had never been a conventional man in the first place.
Then, another unsettling thought found its way to her mind.
Shouldn't Cheren and Bianca have already reached Lake Valor by now? The voicemail had stated that this message was left half a day ago, which should've given them plenty of time. But then again…
"Ugh," she groaned while laying back on to the bed. "This isn't going anywhere. Too many factors, too many possibilities…" At least the good news was that they'd found a map, saved a Psyduck, and seemed pretty happy together, but other than that there wasn't much.
Hilda knew it was time for Volkner and her to get moving again. Now.
She sat up quickly, then imagined she was calling someone on a phone. Volkner, can you hear me?
Several seconds ticked by. Hilda was just about to try again when a reply came.
Loud and clear.
She laughed in delight, his clarity impressing her. Now there was no doubt that he was good at this.
Finish soon. I need to talk to you when you get back.
Regarding Ghetsis?
She wondered for a moment if he was simply guessing or reading her thoughts. It was a strange thing to consider. Then she replied. Yes.
There was a noise of confirmation. And then their link ended. It was like hanging up.
Hilda released a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Apparently, telepathically communicating with Volkner was very exciting.
But now it was time to get ready.
She began gathering her hair into her hand and was just about to tie it into a ponytail when the most natural question crossed her mind.
Did Volkner like girls with long hair?
Her hair fell back down in a messy heap, her hand suddenly nerveless.
Did she really just ask herself that question?
Hilda sighed exasperatedly.
Since when did she care about something like that? Volkner probably didn't even care about how long her hair was… but now that she thought about it…
She sat there for a minute or two, pondering.
Even with N, she'd never asked that kind of question before since she'd always been too busy admiring his long hair. She always thought its shade of green was the most beautiful color in the world and now it was kind of strange to imagine him thinking something similar of hers.
"Focus, Hilda, focus!" She chanted. She had to think about something else… like where in the world did she leave her hat?
The front door suddenly swung open and Volkner was back in the house.
Hilda cursed quietly. She wasn't ready yet.
HIs footsteps were swift and light, leaving her only a few seconds before the bedroom door opened and a shopping bag was pressed into her hand.
"Here." He said shortly. She followed his thoughts as he wondered for a moment at her untied hair and why she hadn't put it up yet.
"My hat-." He pushed that into her hand as well.
The room was quiet as she tied her hair up and then quickly slipped on her hat. She wished he'd say something.
"You're welcome." He told her.
Smiling, she rummaged through the shopping bag, taking each piece of clothing out and placing them neatly into her backpack.
Her smile faltered when she got to the bottom. "You bought me something else?" There was one last piece of clothing and, when she reached it, her fingers met with something delicate. "A white blouse?"
"You can tell what color-? Oh… that's right…" He laughed. "Looks like nothing I do will ever surprise you again. No pranks either, I guess."
Hilda fidgeted on the bed. "I need to repay you…"
Then buy me clothes next time.
She made a face. "So that was your plan in the first place!" Then, after a moment's consideration, she said. "Alright, I promise."
When she finished packing, she stood up. To her delight, her knees only wobbled once. "Yes!" She cheered softly to herself. Then she reached for her bag, but Volkner picked it up instead.
"Let's trade." She felt him put a hand on the Poke balls at her waist. "Give me those and I'll give you your bag." So I can call back our Pokémon.
"I'm getting the feeling you do bargains like this quite often." She said with a smile that gradually widened. "Fine. You can meet me at the front door when you're done."
As he unclipped her Poke balls for her, Hilda reached out with both hands to grab the backpack. That was when she accidentally rubbed her fingers against the back of his hand.
Instantly she received several emotions at once. Surprise, concern and… contentment? Hilda's heart was suddenly several beats faster.
She swallowed hard. "We should hurry." Taking the backpack, she slipped it on. "Even if you have to drag me behind you, do it. I think time is running out very quickly."
"Did you get a message from Cheren?"
She nodded, then quickly relayed a brief summary of Cheren's warning.
"Then I agree. We have to hurry."
—Veilstone City Gym—
All Bianca wanted to do was go to a corner somewhere and be sick.
Despite being dizzy with a gross feeling in her stomach, she was forced to stare up at the ceiling of a brightly lit dojo. This was because she was lying flat, facing up, on a thin futon. Her body absolutely refused to move.
Unfortunately for her, the lights were the first things she saw upon waking up, blinding her for a good five minutes. Shortly following that, a general achiness began to settle everywhere on her body, especially her-
A twinge of pain shot through her stomach and Bianca gingerly pressed her hand against it.
It still ached. It looked like the shadow triad really didn't hold back on girls.
She heard a soft quack.
Bianca turned her head to the side to see Psyduck sitting there watching her with eyes full of pity. "Hello, Psyduck." Bianca said, as she smiled as best as she could at the Pokémon. "I'm glad you're alright."
"You really like her don't you?" Maylene appeared suddenly beside Psyduck, which made Bianca jerk back in surprise, only to groan and rub her stomach. "Oh! Sorry about that. Dawn always told me that I have this bad habit of popping up in places. But don't you worry! I'll try to tone it down." She grinned.
Bianca sighed at the toothiness of her grin. "Thank you. By the way, has either Cheren or Dawn woken up yet?"
"No, not really."
Her answer seemed vague so Bianca pressured her to explain. "Is something wrong?"
"Cheren's just rolling around on his futon mumbling your name. It looks like he really cares for you."
"Yes…he does." Even in her nauseated state, Bianca smiled at Maylene's words. Of course Cheren was going to fine. Boys knew how to take a punch or two. "How's Dawn?"
"She's gotten hit in the stomach before so she's definitely going to be fine!" Maylene's words this time, however, sounded a little too cheerful and, when Bianca looked hard into the girl's eyes, she saw uncertainty.
"She hasn't woken up yet?"
Maylene frowned at her question, looking unhappy that she brought it up. Then she sighed and shrugged her shoulders in a 'who knows' gesture. "I guess not."
"Don't worry." Bianca found herself saying to the girl. "Being unconscious is the same as being asleep. Everyone wakes up eventually. And I bet Dawn's still sleeping so she can get a few more hours in."
Maylene let out a somewhat nervous laugh at first. Then she laughed again and it was stronger and more confident. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right! I shouldn't think too much about it, anyway. Hey, after you start feeling better and everyone else wakes up, you can tell me what happened on Route 214."
"It's a long story." Bianca said, flashing another weak smile at Maylene. "You're going to fall asleep before we finish."
"I'll listen so hard, I'll memorize every word." Maylene vowed. "And I promise I'll do everything in my power to help out. I bet you need to go save everyone like Dawn had to do last time."
…
"I won't let you guys- Bianca?" It took Maylene a minute to realize the blonde girl had fallen asleep again. Her mouth was partially open like she'd been about to give a reply, but fell asleep before she could do so.
The gym leader scratched her head in confusion. "Was it something I said?"
—Eterna Forest—
The sleepy silence of the forest seemed to embody solitude.
"It's hard to believe we're back here again." Hilda said in a low voice. It felt almost inappropriate to speak too loudly. "Have you seen any trainers yet?"
"A few."
They fell quiet again. Hilda moved her gloved fingers restlessly.
"No, I'm not going to take them off." She said firmly at Volkner before he could say anything. "And thank you for getting me green ones. They're very nice."
You're welcome.
He pulled her hand up to indicate a small obstacle on the forest floor and Hilda stepped over it without a break in step.
"Eterna forest is about as big as its city. It'll take more than an hour to cross it." Volkner explained to her as they walked. "Contrary to everything we've just experienced in the past twenty-four hours, the forest isn't actually known for having Ghost-type Pokemon and spirits."
"But as 'the place where time flows eternally'?" Hilda asked, though they both knew the question was rhetorical since she'd already garnered the answer from Volkner's thoughts.
Volkner chuckled. I keep forgetting you can do that.
"Do you hate it?" Hilda held her breath in anticipation of his answer.
He didn't reply for a moment and, when his thoughts reached her, she realized his reply was too complicated for her to decipher. All she could get from it was a question he sent directly to her.
Would you?
Taking her silence as her answer, Volkner said no more.
And they continued on.
— —
Eventually, they had to leave the open road and move into the forest lining.
That it was a forest lining was all too apparent from the countless roots Hilda had to step over.
"Psychics and Bug Catchers…" Volkner told her. This forest is one of their favorite haunts.
At some point, Hilda began tuning her ears to Volkner's steady puffs of breath as he led them past the aforementioned trainers. In a way, he was literally her eyes. What he saw was naturally translated into his thoughts and subsequently became instructions for when and where she had to step. They also told her when to hold her breath and stay still, and how to step so that she didn't crush any twigs. The entire the time, Volkner kept a firm grip on her hand and she gripped him back just as hard. He was her lifeline. There was no doubt about it.
The Psychics… they're looking around like they know someone's coming. It looks like they can sense us.
We can fight… We can handle them…
"No." He squeezed her hand. "It's too dangerous."
You aren't my mother. She thought to him firmly.
"Hilda…" Volkner sighed. Then he prodded her mentally, which surprised her to no end, and thought to her sternly. But I'm a friend.
Hilda was about to retort when a voice suddenly called out to them.
"Come out now, Gym Leader Volkner."
Hilda's pulse spiked.
— —
Volkner felt his heart leap for a moment with—not fear—excitement.
It took him a moment to realize that it hadn't come from him, but the Pokémon Champion holding his hand. She was ready for a fight.
Hilda. He told her sternly. She was getting him riled up too.
"Come out, Gym Leader Volkner. We will not fight you."
Volkner hesitated, wondering for a moment if the voice was sincere.
He could be…
Volkner came to a decision and Hilda made a noise of annoyance. He ignored her and wordlessly led them out of the thick lining of trees.
A young man with closed eyes stepped into view.
"And you are Psychic…?"
"Elijah. And this is Lindsay." The young man motioned to the small girl leaning against the tree across from him. Her eyes were also closed. "We foresaw your approach and your great power as well."
When neither party spoke after that, Lindsay opened one eye and spoke.
"You're too good for us, simple as that."
That brought Elijah to speak. "And we understand that your friend is not used to being blind." He tilted his head towards Hilda. "Even though we Psychics do not often count blindness as an excuse from participating in battle, we will not attack someone who is not trained for it."
"Why don't Psychics count it as an excuse?" Hilda asked. And, though it was an unnecessary question, even Volkner found himself interested in hearing the answer.
"Psychics don't need both eyes see." Lindsay said, while pointing at her single open eye. "And when there's two of us, we only need one eye to fight."
The question slipped out from his mouth. "Then you can communicate telepathically during battles…?"
"That's if you actually believe everything Psychics say they can do." Lindsay smiled smugly. "Because we can. Oh sure there are fakes every now and then and we also have Psychics who are less proficient than others, but make no mistake. We're the real thing."
"Can you bend spoons?"
Lindsay cackled, successfully unnerving him.
What a crazy girl, he mused.
She laughed and laughed until she gradually calmed down.
"That's for little kids!" She cried. "Bending spoons? How about pans? Or lamps? Or poles? Or…" She gestured at the forest around her. "Trees? Much easier than metal in my opinion."
Hilda's hand shook once with disbelief and renewed excitement.
Have them…!
Volkner winced at her insistent thoughts. "Can you show us?"
"Even though your lover won't be able to see it?" Lindsay drawled.
"He's-" Hilda began.
"That's alright. I'll tell her about it later." Hilda, I'll be your eyes so stay quiet. Let them think what they want.
A noise of reluctant agreement came from her throat. From his perspective, it almost sounded like a growl.
Volkner wanted to laugh. Lindsay was a crazy girl, but Hilda definitely had all the potential to become a beast.
"Lindsay…" Elijah seemed to be having his own misgivings.
"I'm tired of keeping this a secret from everyone. Let's just show them what we can do."
Then, before anyone could say anything else, the petite Psychic, with her single open eye, walked toward her partner until his face was only inches away. Elijah opened his eyes.
Almost immediately, his expression changed and Volkner easily recognized it for what it was.
Desire.
Lindsay must've been looking for that because, the second the look appeared on his face, she reached up past his ear, grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of his head, and wrenched him forward into a rough kiss.
Volkner heard Hilda gasp from behind him and her hand squeezed his all the tighter.
Volkner! Can you feel it?
The air was suddenly heavy with a raw and wild energy.
Lindsay breathed as she broke the kiss, then pulled away from her partner, "Now, watch."
Turning towards the tree she'd been leaning on, she raised her hand and opened her remaining eye. Her pupil was slit.
There was a resounding crack! And wood went flying in all directions.
Watch out! Volkner forced Hilda behind him as chips of wood whistled past them. He grunted when several grazed his skin.
A special attack… Hilda's thoughts fired rapidly at him. What color was it?
What?
Her attack… what color… "Was that Shadow Ball?" Hilda whispered.
The petite Psychic was still breathing hard when a look of surprise appeared on her face. "How… how did you know? Impossib-"
"That is because they possess a similar power to us… only different." Elijah interrupted her, even though he was still breathing heavily. Then he grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her towards him, away from Volkner and Hilda. "Theirs comes from a power greater than us."
"Humans can't use Pokemon moves." Hilda spoke as if trying to convince herself. "Psychics shouldn't be able to use Ghost attacks. None of this adds up." She suddenly shook herself free of Volkner's hand and dodged him when he tried to grab her back.
Hilda!
— —
Her desire to know burned like a coal in her stomach.
"Tell us," Hilda said in a voice so low that it came out as a whisper. "Can we do that too?"
Lindsay laughed humorlessly. "No, probably not. It'll be hard for you to even bend a spoon."
"Oh." Hilda couldn't hold back her flood of disappointment.
What we have right now is good enough, Hilda. Volkner was obviously just trying to console her, but he of all people couldn't hide from her the one instant when he felt exactly the same way.
"But we are considered amateurs at best." Elijah said suddenly, before Lindsay could speak again. "As you have just seen we have little understanding of the responsibility that possessing such a great power entails." He tightened his grip on his partner's arm. "I am disappointed in you, Lindsay."
"Don't be," She allowed herself to be held in such a manner. "I didn't…" She trailed off, but their conversation seemed to continue elsewhere as Elijah's expressions changed from fury to exasperation to gentleness in several seconds.
Elijah turned towards them. "Leave." He demanded. His eyes were wide open now and they were a dark, dark purple. "Leave us now." Both pupils were slit.
"Fine." Volkner caught her hand before she could move away. Let's go, Hilda.
She didn't put up a fight, much to his surprise.
Alright… let's go. Before, he…
Volkner squeezed her hand, conveying his agreement and just like that, they left the two Psychics behind.
— —
When Elijah saw that the people were gone, he turned to his lover.
She was looking at him so sensually. Well?
"Well…" In the next instant, his lips were on hers and they struggled with one another, each vying for a more dominant position though neither would ever truly dominate the other. She belonged to him and he belonged to her. It was as simple as that.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard. "Well, we did not tell them that only partners can hope to unlock the full potential of a psychic connection."
Lindsay traced a finger down a vein on his neck. "And I doubt they have anything like that going on between them."
"Perhaps." He pulled her in close so that their noses were only centimeters apart. "For them, only time will tell."
Then he closed the distance and captured her in another fervent kiss. This time, however, there wasn't going to be much talking for another while.
—Route 205—
Until they left the fringes of the forest far behind them, Hilda did not speak or think a word to him.
High above them, the sun shone down. Its rays were greatly welcomed after the perpetual shade of Eterna Forest.
She stopped abruptly.
"What…?" He had to stop as well. "What is it now, Hilda?"
"I don't understand you sometimes…" She clenched her fists.
"What do you mean you…" He trailed off, as he gradually understood what she wanted. "No… That isn't a good idea."
"An idea's an idea, Volkner. You saw what they could do. Even if we don't have the same powers as them, don't you want to see what we can do? What we can be capable of?" She stepped towards him with her unseeing eyes.
…You want this as much as I do.
In that moment, he stepped forward too and he watched her falter for a moment. "Do you?"
She stared at him.
Do you want one that much?
Her cheeks flushed a light pink. "You know that's not what I mean." She muttered.
For a moment, he just listened to the soft sounds of their uneven breaths. She was just as nervous as him.
Then his heart skipped a beat. It didn't belong to him.
"But it doesn't hurt to try." Suddenly Hilda slipped off a glove and-
Stop! He tried to grab her hand before she could reach up.
It was a mistake.
— —
Hilda flinched like she'd been struck.
His emotions! If she had to describe them, she would say they felt like hundreds upon thousands of volts of electricity.
She tried pulling her hand away, but Volkner caught it again.
It hurt.
"Hilda…" There was something about the tone of his voice… and heat involuntarily pooled in her stomach. "I…"
She could hear it in there. In his voice. Again, she could hardly describe it, but the word that came up in her mind was want. Yes, that was it. In his voice, she could hear nothing but a raw want.
Her knees went weak and she tried to keep from falling into him by reaching her hand up and clutching the collar of his jacket for support.
Why, why, why! She felt it inside of her too. She could feel the desire coursing between the two of them and how powerful it was and how much it scared her. There were just so many things at once-
Suddenly, he leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "You're not making this any easier." He was gripping her hand so hard and it hurt and yet…
The burning in her stomach intensified. The way he whispered in her ear just felt so intimate. What in the world was wrong with her?
Hilda fought the simple effort of turning her head and touching her lips to his cheek. "I-It's not something I can control that easily…"
His lip was barely close enough to brush her ear.
"Weren't you going to kiss me?"
Her eyes widened. Was he encouraging her to do it?
Or have you given u-
His sentence cut off abruptly. His thoughts fell apart and became incoherent. His mind turned blank.
Because she kissed him.
—The Kiss—
Volkner couldn't remember the last time he'd been as upset as this.
Of all the things that could've happened to him, from psychic powers to powerful Dragon-type Pokemon to Pokemon Champions, this one blew his mind the most.
Hilda had bitten him on the chin.
She bit him on the chin. And as good as it'd felt…
Immediately, he released her and used his free hand to touch where she'd nipped him. "You-!"
"I'm not feeling anything." Hilda stared blindly at her hands, opening and closing them again and again as if waiting for something like a Shadow Ball to just happen. "Not even a spark." Her brow wrinkled in thought.
Seeing this, he saw that she wasn't fazed by what she just did. Seeing this, he was surprised because he never expected her to act so boldly. Seeing this, he realized that he felt unsatisfied…
Unsatisfied? For a maddened moment, Volkner wanted to laugh. Of course he would feel unsatisfied. He'd wanted Hilda to immediately address the problem at hand, acknowledge what just happened between them. He wanted her to acknowledge the fact that the dormant lust they had for one another had just been thrown in their faces.
Hilda was suddenly confused.
"What do you want me to do, Volkner?" She asked the question so suddenly that it took him a moment to understand what she was saying.
"What?"
"You… were thinking about…" Hilda turned her face away from him and Volkner felt her shame. Why shame?
"We usually don't… don't talk about what happens when we touch. I just don't understand." As if those words ignited something within her, she suddenly whipped her face back towards him. "What you want me to do about it!"
Her reaction subsequently caused a rare anger to flare up within him.
"Nothing!"
"What?" Her eyes widened.
"You don't have to do anything. It's in my own head so I have to deal with it." He sighed and slid his hand across his face. "That's the thing, Hilda. This connection, this link that we have… it's unnatural. That's what the Psychics were saying earlier. You aren't meant to be in my head like this. Sometimes… sometimes people think things that don't make sense-"
"I get that." Hilda interjected. "I really do. I get your point, but I can't not read your thoughts, Volkner. This connection is part of both of us now and I can't help it if I react to what you're thinking because people are usually honest with themselves in their own minds!"
She shouted her last few words. Then proceeded with breathing a little heavier than before, as if she was catching her breath. But when she said no more, Volkner realized she was waiting for his response.
He decided that he'd had enough of this.
"Let's just keep going, Hilda." He took her glove. Then he gave, not an order, but a request. Give me your hand.
She hesitated for a second, her face blank as she stared at him, but her heart in a mixture of confusion and surprise; trying to decipher…
To his pleasant surprise, she did as she was told.
As he helped her put the glove back on, he told her, "Floaroma should be another hour and a half away."
She said nothing at first. But then-
"Hey… what was that earlier?"
"What was?"
Hilda motioned towards her chest. "You were thinking about your heartbeat and how it… didn't make sense. You thought it right before I… uh…"
"Oh… that…" Volkner coughed to clear his throat. "Right… um…it's hard to explain, but my theory is that my heart reacted to yours… somehow…" Volkner groaned. "That was a stupid way of putting it."
Hilda laughed at him. "Well, it's good enough for me." Then she teased him using his own words. "Let's just keep going, Volkner."
"Right." Despite what happened earlier, Volkner couldn't hold back a smile.
—About an Hour Later—
"How long before we get to Floaroma?"
"Thirty minutes."
Hilda quieted down… but not for long.
"You're still angry about the kiss?"
What? Volkner nearly stopped, but forced himself to keep walking. "… angry isn't the right word."
"So you're annoyed?"
He didn't say anything so she picked up on his thoughts instead.
"Because it wasn't a real kiss?"
He sighed. "Hilda…"
"Alright, I'm sorry! It's just hard to believe that I… you know…" Bit you. "But, I thought it counted."
"You'll figure it out sooner or later." He told her and left it at that.
— —
She asked him about the windmills when he first saw them peeking over the treetops.
"Efficiently done." He answered her and the admiration in his voice was evident as he slid into a nostalgic memory. "I was impressed with the idea when I first heard about it. With Mt. Coronet close by, the availability of wind becomes much greater. This power plant was still being planned out when I came here ten years ago. I talked to one of the workers there and he said it should be finished in the next year or so. I was just turning fifteen when I came back to see everything for myself."
Hilda felt Volkner's smile on her own lips again.
"How do you keep doing that?" She asked with a laugh, wiping at her lips with a free hand before quickly returning to the topic at hand. "Anyway… you started your Pokemon adventure at fourteen? That's not too bad, though most people like to start when they turn ten."
"When did you-?"
"Fourteen and three-quarters." Hilda laughed again. "I guess we both liked that number. I remember the day I first met Serperior. Cheren and I practically destroyed the house when he challenged us for a battle."
Volkner chuckled. "Pikachu managed to short-circuit mine for a week."
"Oh yeah?" Hilda grinned, but then sobered a little when she remembered something. "Bianca's father was against her becoming a Pokémon trainer."
Volkner made a surprised noise. "Really?"
"Yeah. So can you imagine what would've happened if we left earlier than that?"
Volkner really did try to imagine it. And decided that Bianca's father could hardly be called his favorite person.
Hilda laughed.
"What?"
"Well if I had a ten year old who was going to leave," She explained. "I'd think about his safety every day." She drew her eyebrows in for a sincere look. "And when I start to look at it that way, I can understand why he might've been so worried. I mean, what if the child got in trouble and his parents…" She trailed off, remembering something too late.
"I've gone without a mother for twenty-four years now." Volkner reassured her. "And my father…" His voice trailed off. His father…
For some reason, Hilda's throat constricted when the truth dawned on her. So his father had eventually passed away too. Maybe even shortly after his mother… thus, leaving him all alone in the world…
"There's no need to feel sorry for me. I'm alright." But there was something off now about his voice.
He was thinking about Bianca's father for some reason.
Quieted by the change in mood, Hilda was forced to allow silence to come back and sit awkwardly between them.
— —
"Have you ever met the honey seller before?"
When the atmosphere started feeling a little less tense, Hilda decided to break the mold and start a conversation. She even smiled at him, hoping that that would be more likely to get her an answer.
Volkner didn't disappoint. "I met him on my second trip to Floaroma." He went on for a little longer about how someone saw that he was a trainer and was probably interested in collecting more Pokemon.
"Honey trees?" Hilda asked him, which he would've thought was a strange question, had he not been thinking about them in that exact moment.
"They're indigenous to Sinnoh and they are where you'd normally slather the honey. Usually it takes about six hours…"
"Golden leaves." Hilda mused. "Do you think Pokémon appreciate its beauty too?"
"Can you see them?" He asked her, sounding genuinely interested in knowing. "In your mind, I mean. There are some over there by the river."
"No… it's just a feeling." Hilda's lips pulled down into a frown that she knew belonged to him, so she quickly explained, "It's like I'm reading a book and picturing things in my head. I don't think our connection is good enough for us to share images yet."
"Yet…" Volkner wondered if they would really have to kiss in order to strengthen their connection.
Hilda immediately ducked her head in embarrassment and he couldn't keep from smiling at her antics.
"We can figure that out later." He said playfully.
She lifted her head to raise an eyebrow at him.
"You know," he added. "When you turn your head like that, it makes me wonder if you managed to trick me for a good twelve hours."
She laughed at that, almost forgetting her embarrassment before she realized that her laughter was a little louder than usual. When she finished, she gave a groan.
"That sounded really bad."
Sorry, I was laughing on the inside.
"Right."
Then he unexpectedly pulled at her hand and brought her to a stop. She turned her head at him, questioning.
Ledge. There are three down this road.
"Right." Hilda sighed, knowing what was coming next.
—Two Down, One More to Go—
As Hilda proceeded in meticulously dusting off her dirty shorts, Volkner asked her casually, "Did you know a Drifloon appears at the Valley Windworks every Friday?"
"Really."
"Yes, really. They're about a foot tall."
Hilda stopped walking for a moment to lift her foot up to the approximate height, then down again. "That's pretty small."
"Yes, that is." Volkner laughed.
— —
It wasn't long before they reached the last ledge. Hilda, sick of sliding down small muddy slopes in her only pair of pants, decided to jump it.
Are you sure? Volkner asked her uncertainly.
Why was he uncertain?
"I'm sure." She told him with confidence. "Just keep an eye on me and I'll be fine." A wide grin found its way to her face, but this time it was all hers. Her stomach rolled a little even though the ledge wasn't actually that high, maybe a little shorter than three feet.
"Wait."
"Wha-"
Volkner jumped down first, landing with hardly a sound like he did for the last two ledges. "I'll be here." He told her. Just in ca-.
Hilda didn't even wait for him to finish that thought before she leaped forward with all her might.
"Whoa!" She heard him exclaim.
Suddenly, instead of meeting the ground with her feet, she met Volkner's head with her ribcage, which then slid up to her chin, in an awful impact.
"Oof!" She gasped as the wind rushed out of her lungs. Her arms wrapped around his neck to keep from falling.
Volkner lowered her none-too-gently on to the ground.
For several heartbeats, pain clouded her senses and she couldn't bring herself to move, but she could hear Volkner's uneven breathing from the unexpected effort of having to catch her. Gradually her arms loosened and fell to her sides.
She brought a hand up to cradle her chin. "Ow…"
At that moment, Volkner sucked in a breath. He was going to speak.
Close, but it was more like a yell. "Who told you to go jumping off by yourself, you stupid kid?"
Hilda's jaw dropped so low that she amazed even herself. He was actually angry at her. Even his thoughts were angry at her. "Did you just-?"
"You can't see yet you went ahead and jumped off a ledge without warning me. A stupid kid!"
"Wha… I…" She stuttered her way throughout his unexpected tirade.
"You've got to think a little more, Hilda!"
At this, she suddenly found her voice and snapped back, "Well maybe you should've trusted me more!"
Volkner stopped talking like she'd startled him into silence.
He processed her words for a minute, wondering if she could be right. Hilda believed that she was and the feeling of confidence she felt then made his thoughts take on an annoyed tone.
Maybe "You're right." He said finally. "I should've let you land and helped you only if you had any trouble."
Though his words sounded reluctant, Hilda was still taken aback. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Stop being angry so easily. I thought…"
He followed her line of thought and sighed. "Hilda, remember that just… just because I train Electric-type Pokémon for a living doesn't mean I will explode every time I lose my temper. And-"
"I wasn't talking about your Pokémon."
"That also doesn't apply to Fire-type- then what were you talking about?"
Hilda stalled. "Uhh…"
"Hilda."
"Okay, okay." She exhaled, then breathed in slowly. "Your hair."
"You- What?"
"Your hair." She repeated with a straight face. "The way it's shaped makes me think you get angry often."
For the longest time, Volkner said absolutely nothing. Even when she listened hard to his thoughts, she could only discern a kind of disbelief, but something big was coming. She felt it in her bones.
But instead of the disaster she was expecting, the next amazing thing happened. Hilda's lip twitched upwards and…
Volknerstarted laughing.
It was hard to describe his laugh. Hilda tried to think of a word for it, but couldn't. She just stood there, something big bubbling up inside of her too.
Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer and she roared with laughter too.
Volkner sobered a little. Why are you laughing?
Hilda paused to think. Then she tried to tell him, "Your laugh is so…" She snickered. "So…"
"So what?"
"High like mine!" And she burst out once more into a fresh round of laughter, which eventually petered out into light chuckles.
"That's not fair. Now you're laughing at me." He was probably shaking his head right now.
Hilda laughed for just a little longer before she calmed down and said, "Let's just get going again, Volkner. I think we wasted enough time here."
He compliantly took her hand. But before either of them took a step, Hilda thought she heard him say something.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
She made noise of suspicion, but accepted his answer. She probably heard wrong. For a moment, she thought that he had said…
I don't think it was a waste of time.
She gave a start, but, before she could say anything, Volkner was already pulling her along.
—Floaroma Town—
The onslaught of at least a hundred different aromas found its way to his nose the moment he stepped past the town's welcoming sign. He'd forgotten that the smell could be so overwhelming.
Beside him, Hilda flinched visibly at the smell, but she seemed to like it nonetheless. In fact, she couldn't get enough of it as her head turned left and right, her ponytail whipping him at least once across the face. She hardly noticed.
Other than that, she amused him greatly. It was like…
You remind me of Jolteon when he's smelling for a new place to dig.
She promptly ignored him, but continued sniffing the air.
Volkner was about to get them going again when he realized something. None of the buildings looked familiar to him.
"Lost?"
Volkner looked down into Hilda's unfocused, but steady, eyes to find them filled with delight. She was just so eager to catch him in these awkward moments.
"A lot can change in ten years." Volkner countered. "The streets are still the same, but…"
"You can't remember where the honey man is? Then we can go to the flower shop to ask for directions."
She was feeling pleased, probably about being able to read so much of his mind. And it unsettled him again to remember that.
Uncertainty flashed across her face and heart momentarily when he thought this, but Volkner quickly diverted her thoughts. "Let's hurry then. We should be able to get to Canalave by nightfall. Once you get your eyesight back, we'll be moving much faster."
Hilda nodded and made no comment.
—Floaroma Flower Shop—
"Welcome to Pick a Peck of Flowers! How may I help you?" A girl who looked no older than eleven greeted them at the door.
Volkner vaguely remembered her as a baby, not even old enough to walk, cradled in her older sister's arms. At the cash register still sat the eldest. She and the middle child were looking at him with remarkable recognition. It wasn't hard to guess why.
"Volkner?" He turned to the cash register where a blonde was giving him a good once-over. "Well, what do you know? Sinnoh's top gym leader has decided to pay us a visit after a decade."
"Move aside, Christina." The middle child, a shorthaired brunette gently pushed her little sister aside so she could get to him.
The moment she came up to him, Volkner corrected himself.
No… not child… He remembered that she should be close to Hilda's age by now so maybe child-like.
"So, are you here for directions? Or maybe you'd like to take a look at this Wailmer pail?"
"Where's the honey seller?" Hilda butted in before Volkner could open his mouth. Her patience was already running thin.
Luckily, Hilda wasn't able to see it, and Volkner forced himself not to think about it, but the girl rolled her eyes and looked away as if annoyed.
"You'll have to go back the way you came and take a left before the welcome sign since the townspeople don't like it when people step on their flowers. From there, just follow the path of flowers all the way down until you get to a house. You'll find the honey man there."
"Thanks." Hilda was about to turn around and somehow lead him out the door when he suddenly recognized a familiar floral scent.
He stopped her, touching her arm lightly to let her know.
Wait here.
Her annoyance prickled him, but he ignored it.
He turned towards one of the many tables in the shop. It was sprinkled in countless flowers, but one in particular caught his eye. He moved closer to examine it.
Almost immediately, the shorthaired girl was at his side. He didn't have to look at her to know she was curious about his choice.
There was something different about the flower that set it apart from the others. It was more vibrant, alive, as if the flower itself knew it was destined to be special.
"You don't recognize it?" She asked him, though he had trouble discerning if she was just teasing him or actually wanted to know. "I thought gym leaders knew all about Sinnoh's legends. Anyway," She waved the matter aside. "That can only be found on Seabreak Path. You know. The one our champion discovered? Right, anyway, now we only have one of these in stock. And since this type of flower doesn't wither very easily we get barely two shipments every month."
She turned her gaze to the flower and studied it for a moment. She was considering something.
"The name of this flower… is the Gracidea." She'd paused like she hadn't been sure of herself, but then she suddenly leaned in close, which startled him enough for Hilda to get suspicious. When she spoke, it was in a voice only he, and subsequently Hilda, could hear. "And if you promise to escort me to Jubilife City, I'll give it to you for free."
Hilda's suspicion only grew, but Volkner didn't see it that way. Instead, he was simply curious. Why Jubilife? At the same time he wanted to ask himself, why the flower?
Volkner gazed at the Gracidea's scintillating petals.
There was something other than its smell that was drawing him to it, something that went beyond any of his senses and could be described as a gut feeling or maybe even an innate and unexplainable knowledge. The flower was here for a purpose, but what?
"We'll consider it." Volkner said finally. "But first, we need to see the honey seller."
Still waiting at the door, Hilda was beginning to prod him. Hurry up!
The shorthaired girl nodded as her eyes filled with triumph. Volkner wasn't sure what it meant, but he was satisfied with their deal. "Thanks." She said before turning away to begin preserving the Gracidea.
"Let's go, Volkner." Hilda called to him.
Sensing her desire to leave the shop as soon as possible, he walked swiftly toward the door. As he passed by, Hilda latched quickly on to his sleeve.
Eventually, the shop was empty again and a few minutes passed before—
"Why him?" Bridgette asked her younger sister.
Sarah slowly blinked her dark, brown eyes at her.
Bridgette frowned. Her sister only did that when she had an idea. Usually, a bad idea.
"He really wanted that flower," Sarah explained. "So I'm giving it to him. For a price. I want to see what his relationship is with that girl. It didn't seem normal. For one, she's wearing gloves in the middle of summer. And besides," she grinned at both Bridgette and Christina. "We have that deal with the Poketch Company in Jubilife right? I'm killing two birds with one stone."
"Or maybe three birds because you like him, Sarah!" Christina teased.
"That too…" Sarah admitted, her cheeks turning just a shade redder than usual. "But mainly so I can see what's going on between them. I'm telling you, it didn't seem normal."
"I know what you mean, but… I have the feeling you're getting into something way over your head." Sarah's face pulled into a frown, but Bridgette was undeterred. She was warning her sister for good reason. "Maybe it's better for all of us," she began. "If he doesn't come back. You can always go with-."
"You don't understand," Sarah interjected angrily and Christina took a cautious step back from her older sister. "There's just something I have to see for myself and I can't explain it very well!"
"That's what you always say!" Bridgette suddenly snapped back.
Sarah bit her lip.
As they stared one another down, Bridgette held her gaze.
Finally, Sarah lowered her eyes. "It's different this time." She murmured.
Bridgette stared at her a while longer. Then sighed. "I don't feel good about this, Sarah…" She ran a hand through her hair. "But I suppose…"
"Yes! Thank you, Bridgette!"
"What—no, I didn't-!" Her sister ran up to embrace her. "Sarah…"
"I'll be good, Bridgette. I promise."
Knowing she would be the exact opposite, Bridgette sighed again. "Just… just remember to bring a water bottle with you."
"Yes, ma'am."
—Floaroma Meadow, Home of the Honey Seller named… Mister—
"Now, where did you say you were from?"
Deciding not to answer his question right away, Hilda took a sip of the hot tea that the honey seller had placed into her hands less than five minutes ago. A little bitter.
It's terrible. Volkner was disgusted.
Too bad.
She turned to the honey man politely and said, "Unova. By the way, thank you for the tea. People don't usually drink it where I live. We mainly have soda…"
"A different region!" The man reacted the way she thought he would, but it still gave her a start when he shouted. "I might've seen that one coming, but it's still hard to wrap my mind around it! So did you come all that way just to get some of my honey and cure your eyesight?"
"No, it's nothing like that." Hilda tried taking a bigger sip this time, but the tea was still too hot. She burned her tongue.
Immediately, Volkner's hand fell on her wrist.
—Volkner—
The honey seller had recognized him immediately.
"Is that you, Volkner? Gym Leader Volkner?"
A balding forty-year old man was waving at him. Volkner raised a hand to wave back.
"Welcome!" The man exclaimed. "Come in, come in!" He energetically ushered them into his house faster than they could ask questions.
The second they passed the front door Hilda froze in bewilderment, confused as to why they were suddenly being invited into the honey man's house. She tried to explain why they were there, but less than three-fourths of the way through the man suddenly declared that he had the perfect solution.
Later, when Volkner asked his name, the man simply turned around and smiled.
"Call me Mister."
Now they sat around a table watching Hilda drink tea. It was tea made from honey, medicine leaves, and hot water. The man was asking Hilda something about her region.
She drank some tea and Volkner turned discreetly to the side to wrinkle his face in disgust. Where in the world did the old couple get those medicine leaves?
The two chatted some more.
Just when Volkner thought things couldn't get any worse, the girl burned herself. He flinched as a sharp pain stung his tongue. He grabbed Hilda's wrist, which startled her.
Careful, Hilda.
"Sorry." She mumbled, taking a smaller sip this time. The tea isn't that bad…
Right.
"Something wrong?" asked Mister.
"No." Hilda replied a little too quickly, but she immediately changed the subject. "By the way, why are you called…?"
Mister stared at her for a moment. Volkner himself almost started feeling uneasy until understanding dawned in the man's eyes and he exclaimed, "Oh! Right, that's just what the kids around town like to call me. I guess I'm lucky since they seem to have developed a great taste for honey. I remember when I first moved here, the children just couldn't get my name right so they just settled for 'mister', which is fine by me! You know just the other day…"
A pleasant tingle began to spread throughout his body.
Volkner glanced at Hilda to see if anything was happening and noticed that her eyes were half-closed. Was this a side effect of the medicine?
Just… a little tired. She smiled at him, but her lips only lifted halfway.
Without hesitation, Volkner turned to the honey seller. "Do you have a couch where she can lie down for a while?"
"…and told me to look out for—why yes! Yes, of course. Is your partner alright?" Mister brought his face a little closer to Hilda's. "Ah… I see… yes, let's get her to the couch. On to the living room…"
— —
Hilda clung on to consciousness.
Her limbs were feeling more and more sluggish as her sightless eyes began to droop with a weight that was neither light nor heavy. It all felt very uncomfortable.
She was placed on to a hard, leather seat. A couch. When did she start needing to be carried?
"When…?"
Volkner's voice came to her gently. "Your legs stopped working a few feet back."
She remembered that she liked how it sounded; a mild, medium voice that could be spirited when it wanted to be.
She thought she felt him moving away. As quickly as she could, which was probably closer to a tired lunge, she grabbed his sleeve. "Don't leave." She said, but her voice came out as a whisper. The medicine was working much too fast.
The first thing Volkner did was take off her gloves.
— —
Her hands were sweaty from the wool.
This was the first thing Volkner noticed when he made contact with her exposed skin. Then the emotions flooded in and he was suddenly aware of a dull exhaustion in the back of his mind. He had to close his eyes and shake his head to push it back. For now.
Then he kneeled so that his face was more on level with hers.
She surprised him when her sightless eyes opened wide. "Mister didn't ask about the gloves at all, did he?" She said with an unexpectedly big smile.
No, he didn't. Volkner admitted, chuckling. Then he realized that it was a mistake to talk using his mind because the exhaustion was suddenly back again.
"You should let go, Volkner. Or you'll be the one to fall asleep." She warned.
"You're right. I should, shouldn't I?"
Hilda didn't say anything. Maybe she was thinking about what he said.
He thought about it too.
"It's not going to be a good dream." Her eyes were uncannily focused on his when she said this. "So—"
"So what?" He squeezed her hands lightly. "I'm a grown man, Hilda. I can do whatever I want… whenever I want." He wasn't sure what compelled him to say that, but the exhaustion was already creeping up too close for him to care.
"Just promise me something, Volkner."
"… What is it?" Volkner turned so that he was sitting with his back against the couch. He still had one hand in contact with hers.
With great effort, Hilda turned herself so that she was lying on her stomach and her hand rested comfortably in his upturned palm.
Then she whispered with a gentle smile that Volkner thought looked good on her, "That you won't forget to wake up."
He tried to open his mouth, but realized that he didn't have enough strength left to do it. He answered the only way he could.
I promise. Then he lost consciousness and fell into a deep, deep sleep.
—Nightmare, Hilda—
Before her lay a great, black casket.
Whose…? She wondered.
Gradually, it became clear where she was.
A morgue. Even though she'd never been in one, she'd seen them on TV often enough to know. What she didn't know, however, was how sterile they could be; lifeless and barren like its occupants. The only source of light was a single candelabrum at the foot of the casket. Did they have those in morgues? The walls were dirty white, the floors murky grey; candelabrum and caskets didn't belong in morgues, bodies did… The room reminded her of an abandoned attic.
Suddenly, her legs began moving of their own accord, with a distinct clacking of what sounded like dress shoes. They brought her towards the casket.
No, no, no, no, no! She tried to scream, but her mouth stayed shut. What was wrong with her?
Then a hand lifted to grab the casket's handle and Hilda realized with a jolt that it wasn't hers.
A teenage boy… the hand of a teenage boy; what in the world was going on?
The hand closed around the handle. Then flung it open.
Hilda screamed, but the boy's mouth only twitched, as if he had had stifled his in time. As she gazed upon the body in the casket, her mind gripped in horror, everything suddenly made sense.
A blonde man, with hair even wilder than his son's, was lying in the casket. The face was the epitome of a corpse, bland and expressionless. The lids were sunken and the skin was loose, indicating that the man had been much bigger in life. Looking even more closely, she saw traces of laugh lines around the mouth.
This wasn't just an image conjured up by Volkner's mind. This wasn't just a nightmare. This was his father's body as he had seen for himself on the examining table.
Her eyes started to blur and, slowly, the tears came.
The boy wept quietly. "Dad." He gasped softly.
There was an instant of silence.
Then the body sat up.
Hilda screamed and this time her mouth obeyed as she tripped backwards, her hands landing hard against the cold, cold floor.
Its neck cracked to the left.
Hilda flinched like she'd been slapped. A sob escaped her throat.
The head twisted towards her, snapping bones, and fraying nerves. Their eyes locked. Hilda suddenly found herself staring into two empty, black holes. Where the eyes should've been, there was only absolute nothingness. Death.
The mouth opened and the corpse began to speak. "Pathetic."
The word pierced through her haze of fear and struck her in her core. The fear that was gripping her so fiercely was briefly interrupted by a flicker of anger.
"You are not my son."
She stared into those black holes where a red light was shining in them now. They reflected the growing anger in her heart.
She opened her mouth to retort, but the corpse cut her off.
"You killed your own father."
—Nightmare, Volkner—
A man with long green hair was laughing manically, his laughter echoing off the walls of a lonely, grey castle. Recognized dawned as Volkner finally placed a face to the name.
It was the man who had left him to die in the snow two days ago. Ghetsis.
As if Volkner had spoken his name out loud, the man stopped in his wild laughter to look at him with his single visible eye.
Chills immediately ran up his spine, as his stare pierced him.
Volkner looked down. Six poke balls rolled lifelessly at Ghetsis' feet, the results of a recent battle. Had he won against him?
"He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart. And you think you can actually save him? Don't be foolish, Hilda."
Hilda?
His lips moved and a female voice resounded clearly from his mouth. "That's enough! I don't need to listen to you, Ghetsis. You're just a sore loser." His arms crossed. "There's still hope for N. I believe in him!"
An arm lifted and then he saw physical proof of what was going on. It was slender, like a girl's. Hilda pointed at Ghetsis.
"N will become a much better man than the one you tried to create. I know it." Her voice was so firm and unyielding and confident that Volkner actually felt a tinge of pride.
Ghetsis was silent for a moment. Then he smiled maliciously and said, "Pointing a finger at me and lying to my face. No manners at all, you stupid girl." The coldness of his voice froze Hilda's confidence.
He stepped forward and Hilda took a step back. Her heart beat faster and faster and so did Volkner's because he was in there with her.
Suddenly, Ghetsis came close and caught her wrist. Volkner subsequently hissed in pain. The man had such a vice-like grip!
"You're still just a child, but I'm sure you'll soon be able to bear me a grandson good enough to be raised as my new heir. He will be even more worthy than that useless boy of mine."
Enraged by his words, Volkner wrenched his hand back. He was in control now. "You sick bastard," He growled, all but shaking with anger. "I'm erasing you from this dream."
Ghetsis opened his mouth and Volkner's hand curled into a tight fist, ready to punch it. However, the strangest thing happened next.
Nothing.
Ghetsis stood there with his mouth open, his fist still holding on to an invisible wrist, and eyes gleaming with an oncoming wave of laughter that would never happen.
"What are you doing here?"
Volkner turned to see another green-haired man approaching him from an open doorway. His hair was the same shade as his father's.
N's proximity induced a quiet enmity in him. He didn't bother hiding his displeasure at seeing the other trainer. No matter how much Hilda cared for this man, for some reason Volkner just couldn't bring himself to feel the same. "I should be asking you the same thing."
N waved a hand and the castle darkened once before brightening up again.
By the time Volkner looked back to what had changed, Ghetsis had already disappeared.
"It's disconcerting to see you in Hilda's body." N walked up to stand beside him, staring at the place where Ghetsis used to be.
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't be here." Volkner said simply. If he had a choice, Hilda would be standing next to him instead.
"So whose choice was it? Hilda's? I don't believe she would-"
"An accident." He cut in. "Neither of us wanted this."
For a moment, the two of them just stood there. Every fiber in his body was on edge.
"Then find a way to get out of it." N said suddenly and turned to face him. "Find a way to save Hilda from your own nightmare."
Volkner held N's piercing gaze. Save her?
"She's in your nightmare and your mind. That makes it impossible for me to go in and save her." N paused a moment and shook his head. He had just admitted one of his weaknesses. "So take responsibility and go get her."
N had hit a nerve. "Then why don't you tell me how to get out here?" Volkner felt his enmity rising. "Tell me what to do so we aren't standing here wasting time. Tell me so that you don't ever have to see me ever again." He pointed at him. "Or are you too busy trying to relieve your temper on me?"
"Are you saying I'm selfish?" Hissed N.
Unconsciously, they had advanced on one another until their faces were no more than a few inches apart.
Volkner was breathing just a little heavier than before as he glared at the man in front of him. They had stared each other down for nearly a minute before Volkner became aware of the fact that the scene would've been much more effective if he hadn't been a head shorter than he usually was.
N could only maintain his glare for several more seconds before the hostility in his eyes faded and he looked away. His cheeks seemed to be deepening in color.
It took him a moment, but Volkner eventually understood what was going on. For an instant, he nearly felt sorry for the trainer. It must've been incredibly disconcerting for him to argue with a man wearing the face of a woman he had feelings for.
A woman he had feelings for…
"Tell me." Volkner said once more. "Show me how to get to her."
Without hesitation, N pointed in the direction he had originally come from. "There. Through that door. Just focus your mind on what you're looking for and it'll take you to where you need to go."
Volkner looked towards the doorway only to be taken aback by the bright light that was now shining through. It had been dark when N first appeared.
He turned to go, but a hand caught him by the shoulder. "Hilda's waiting." He said calmly, but his patience was already wearing thin. Volkner made as if to shrug off his hand, but N's grip tightened.
"What is she," he asked in a low voice. "To you?"
Caught off guard by the question, Volkner froze. He'd wanted to ask himself that question for a while now, but had never gotten around to it. Now, he couldn't bring himself to look at the other man, nor could he pull away. So, for a while he just stood there and tried to come up with an answer. When he did find one, it was the most honest one he could give for now.
"A partner." He gazed at the shining doorway and pictured Hilda in his mind. "She's someone I'm… learning to trust." N's grip loosened. "And I…" He hesitated.
Hilda was trapped his nightmare. Hilda was alone when she didn't have to be. Hilda was in grave danger.
He shook off N's hand. "I just can't leave her alone." Then Volkner walked forward and out of his reach.
As if to get one final say in, N told him, "She doesn't belong in your world. Not your dreams or your region." Then N finished with, "She doesn't belong to you."
In the few seconds before the light enveloped him, Volkner turned his head over his shoulder and simply said, "She doesn't belong to anyone."
Then the light swallowed him.
Suddenly the whiteness around him drained away and he found himself falling into an abyss. The abyss of his own mind.
—Nightmare, Hilda—
The tears that streaked her face were her own.
Somewhere between the time she had fallen to the floor and the time she locked eyes with the corpse before her, she had acquired control over Volkner's body.
"Stop, please." She whispered. She begged. "I don't want…"
"Your fault. It was always your fault. From the moment you were born, you had the world in your hands. You could've become the greatest engineer in Sinnoh, you had all the resources… but you chose to focus on Pokémon instead. "
"But, dad-!" Hilda caught herself and shuddered.
This wasn't her father, what was she saying! But…
She shook her head.
How could any father be like this? Even when she tried imagining her own father as a strict and uptight man, she could never have imagined him saying such cruel things to her. There was something wrong with the way this was going, there was something off, because Volkner was too good of a man to have a father like this.
"No." She was still shaking her head, but this time in defiance of the corpse's words. She forced herself to stand up. "You're wrong."
The corpse was silent, but Hilda took that as her cue to keep talking.
"If you actually knew what your son has already done for Sinnoh, if you really knew what he is capable of, you'd be a proud father." As she spoke her back straightened; her voice grew in confidence. "Volkner is Sinnoh's best engineer and gym leader. He's done two times what you said and he has more responsibilities under his belt than most people do. He doesn't deserve to hear you have to say about him and he doesn't need you to tell him what he needs or doesn't need to focus on. If you can't believe in your own son, then you don't deserve to be his father." Hilda was breathing harshly when she finished.
"That's because that isn't my father."
Startled, Hilda whipped her head to the right just in time to see the real Volkner step past her.
— —
That wasn't his father.
That thing was never his father.
As Volkner continued walking towards the corpse, he said, "He's just a nightmare I created unintentionally after my father's death. That's why you look like I did when I was thirteen." He was talking to the corpse now as he stopped less than a few feet away from it.
"You're late." The nightmare smiled and the skin on its lips cracked in several places.
Volkner remembered that that used to make him shudder. Now, it just filled him with a faint disgust.
"It's been a while since you came to visit me. Looks like I can't make you cry anymore." The nightmare laughed at the memory. "Ahh, those were the days."
"The fact that you still exist means I haven't forgotten…" Volkner admitted. Then he closed his eyes. "But no, you're right. You can't touch me anymore. It's already over."
"Or is it?"
"Volkner!" He heard Hilda scream.
He opened his just in time to see the nightmare's hands disintegrate before they could touch his face. Volkner stared in triumph.
However, as the rest of its body began to deteriorate and break down, the nightmare smiled. Volkner would never tell Hilda this, but this time he couldn't prevent chills from racing up his spine after seeing it. The nightmare knew something it shouldn't have.
"This body may be destroyed and you can think you've won, but the nightmare will always exist inside you. Lying dormant, that's all I'm doing. The cold, hard truth is that I will be the one beside you in the end when you are alone."
Its head had gone loose now, its neck held together by only a few frayed nerves and skin. With its remaining efforts, the nightmare leaned forward and whispered its last words into Volkner's ear.
— —
From behind, Hilda saw his shoulders stiffen and his hands curl tightly into fists.
She had to say something. Anything! "Don't listen to him, Volkner. He's just trying to get to you!"
The nightmare pulled back from him and, as the last of its body fell away, it murmured words that caused her to shudder. "Foolish girl… if only you knew…" And then the monster was no more.
All at once, the room began to fall apart. Parts of the ceiling collapsed as the wall paint peeled and the floor cracked with a deep rumble. The coffin deconstructed itself, slowly degenerating into pieces of black, lacquered wood and bent nails.
The debris, however, did not touch either of them. Instead, it simply crumbled into nothingness and they were left suspended in darkness so endless that, when Hilda looked down at her feet, she had to marvel at its vastness.
For a while, it was quiet between them. Then Volkner told her quietly, "Leave."
She stared at him. "What did you say?"
His back was still facing her. "I said for you to leave. You don't belong here…"
Several emotions went through her at once and she asked him incredulously, "You didn't come here just to tell me that, did you?" The way he said it, he made it like it was her fault she was here in the first place. She felt a sense of unfairness… as well as a tiny prickling of hurt.
"I came here to save you… and send you back."
"Back? Back where?"
"Your own mind where your friend is waiting for you."
"You mean N." She didn't like his tone of voice. "What do you have against him?"
"Unlike you, I don't have a reason to trust him." Volkner turned to face her. When he did, she saw that his eyes were cold, forbidding. "Go back before something else happens to you here."
Behind him, Hilda saw a door, half-open. Was that where "back" was?
"Go." His tone was final and allowed no room for objection.
"Fine." She said simply. Crushing the sudden sting of rejection, she walked past him as quickly as she could. However, she made a mistake when walked too closely and grazed his shoulder.
Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her arm so tightly that it startled her.
— —
Her pain came to him like a bee sting, making him flinch on the inside.
Fool, he thought to himself, of course she would feel this way! He was trying to make her feel a certain way so that she could be repulsed enough by him to leave as fast as she could. But… he hadn't anticipated this powerful of a reaction.
His hand had reached out to her subconsciously, which was a dangerous sign because they were closer to his subconscious than it was normal. "Hilda, has it ever occurred to you that I might not be a good person?"
His words made her stiffen. "What do you mean?" She asked uncertainly.
"I thought…" He stopped talking for a moment and closed his eyes. When he composed himself, he looked up and found her gazing at him. "I hoped that the things in my mind would leave you alone, that you would be safe here."
He held her stare, her intense stare backed by the anticipation that overflowed from her heart, as long as he could.
"But I was wrong."
Hilda's lips twitched as if she'd been about to say something to him when the door behind her suddenly flew open.
A bright light spilled in through the entryway and blinded him. That was also when Hilda chose to step back out of his grip. Vaguely, Volkner was reminded of going through the same motion with N.
"I have to go now." She told him softly. The light shining through the door drowned her face in shadow. "I'll see you on the other side."
Then she stepped backwards and soon the light engulfed her completely.
A/N: There. Now on to the next chapter.
See you sometime in the future.