Volkner.

In Veilstone City, Several Days Later.

Of course, Lee Higgins had to be the one to start trouble at the "meeting".

We reached Veilstone City the night before the 20th, and settled right into a room at the Center. I forced myself to get some sleep.

I ended up getting too much sleep. I slept in until one, and found a note from Flint on the bedside table.

Volkner,

Tess wouldn't let me wake you up, so we went and we're looking around the city for stuff to do. Have fun at the thing with your sister!

-Flint

I groaned. Of course, they left me to go have fun.

I took a shower and changed clothes, then went out and grabbed a slice of pizza for lunch at some place in the town.

Nothing really outstanding, like usual.

Later.

I left the Pokemon Center at 3:30, and didn't find the Galactic Building until 4:10.

As I left the Pokemon Center, I tried guessing who would be there. Crystal, for sure. Crasher Wake had mentioned going. Byron would probably show up. Aaron W. might not have been able, because of Aaron and Gardenia...

I kept listing them off in my head as I walked. Kept my mind busy.

Standing outside it was a young blonde woman, about twenty, in a pair of jeans and a bright blue t-shirt with an open rose-colored jacket. Her blue eyes pierced through me like a spear.

"Volkie!" Crystal's happy tone betrayed the violent look she gave me. She motioned for me to hurry up. "C'mon, you slacker! We're late."

I begrudgingly hurried up. Crystal lead me through the building, chattering like...well, a girl.

"How long have you been here?" She asked.

"Last night," I answered plainly. She lead me into an elevator. I felt like a little kid.

Crystal chattered on incessantly about how our brother, Cameron, was doing, how Buck was without Flint, blah blah. I sort of tuned out

The room she lead me to looked like a stereotypical office board room, with a long, oval-shaped table and several people with no idea what the hell they were doing.

Lee fit right in, of course. Him and his shiny Umbreon and damn leather jacket. He was talking to Aaron from Eterna, on his knees, petting Shift.

"And, you can see, I take very good care of her unique fur. Nothing less than the best for daddy's favorite Umbreon..." He trailed off, noticing me. "Oh. Surge's kid."

Aaron turned around, nodding at me and Crystal. "Crys. And...Valtner?"

I almost hit him. "Volkner." I forced a smile for my sister's sake.

Lee blinked. "Huh. Didn't know there were two of you." He stood up, wiping his hands on his jeans. He held one out to Crystal. "Lee Higgins, Top Coordinator, Johto. I know your dad."

Crystal practically recoiled away from him. "Erm...thanks? I guess." She dismissed him.

Shortly after, a small woman with shoulder-length gray hair marched in, wearing an expensive-looking white leather coat.

Elite Four Champion Bertha clapped her hands. "Alright, kiddos, it's more than time to get down to business!"

Crystal ushered me to the table as everyone in the room rushed to sit. Bertha stood at the end of the table, waiting.

I ended up sandwiched between Aaron and Crystal, with Lee on her other side. Lee sat a little farther back, to let Shift lounge in his lap.

I looked around. Sitting across from me were Cynthia and Lucian, supposedly also invited, along with a guy about my sister's age with his wild, purple hair in a ponytail.

I don't know that one, I thought.

Mrs. Bertha clapped her hands again. "Alright, is everybody settled? We need to get started already."

Everyone was settled. I looked around the room, scoping out the area.

Yep, Crasher Wake was there. And Byron. Aaron, of course. A skinny white girl with thick black pigtails. And a few other odd-and-ends from lesser gyms across the region.

"...Volkner Surge."

I snapped to attention. "Huh?" I asked. "Ma'am?"

Aaron tapped my shoulder. "Introducing you," He whispered, to help me.

I blushed. "Oh. Um, thank you?" How the hell do you respond to being introduced to a room full of adults?

Bertha shook her head, chuckling. "And, a young man from Johto with an interest in our region, Leon Higgins." She gestured to Lee.

Lee raised a hand. "Glad to meet all of you," He responded brightly.

Finally, Bertha motioned towards ponytail dude. "And, lastly, this is Veilstone City's new gym leader, Reggie."

Reggie smiled widely, nodding. "Thank you, ma'am," He thanked her.

It was the meeting officially "started". Bertha took her seat at the end of the table.

"Now then," She began, "I've called everyone-or as close as we could get-here today to discuss a growing problem in the region: the organization known as Team Galactic."

"Yeeesss," Lee muttered under his breath, stroking Shift's ear.

Bertha ignored him. "Now, I've heard from a number of people about members of this group going around and plainly attacking trainers for their pokemon. This, of course, is a big problem."

Cynthia raised her hand. "Ma'am?" She called out. "Ma'am?" Her bangs fell over her left eye.

Bertha acknowleged her. "Yes?"

"Not too long ago, I was attacked by a woman claiming to be with Team Galactic," She confessed. "She had a Beautifly, and a Dustox, and she tried to snatch my Gible right away from me. Most of the grunts don't seem to be all that smart, but they'll do dirty things to steal pokemon."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron shaking his head, green bangs masking his furrowed brow. "Despicable," He muttered.

Bertha nodded, thinking over Cynthia's story. "But, the question isn't what they do, because we all know what they do. But, why?"

The incident with Jupiter jumped to my mind. I considered raising my hand for a moment, but Lee beat me to it.

Lee clearwd his throat loudly. "'Scuse me, ma'am, but I have something to tell, too."

All eyes fell on the oversized leather jacket. Lee shifted in his seat.

"A kid I've made friends with, Riley," He explained. "He told me not long ago that a friend of his-" He pointed at me. "-was also jumped by Team Galactic, but had no interest in actual pokemon."

Crystal elbowed me. "Is that true?" She wanted me to tell everyone.

I looked down at my shoes. "Well..." I shrugged. "This lady, they called her 'commander Jupiter', and she put my friends in a cage and confiscated our pokeballs, all to talk to me."

Bertha raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" She asked politely. "She wanted to speak with you?"

I nodded. Crystal gently tapped my chin, forcing me to look up. "She...she heard I'm good with machines and stuff, I guess, and she knew who my dad is, and wanted me to join them."

"And you didn't, right?" Crasher Wake asked.

"Of course I didn't!" I snapped back. "I'm here, ain't I?"

Crystal hit me. "Volkner!" She hissed. "Manners!"

I caught Aaron snickering at me. That jerk.

The girl with the pigtails stood up, planting her hands firmly on the table. I saw a sweater tied around her waist.

"If this Team Galactic bunch is trying to recruit kids," She growled,"then we have to find a way to stop them!" She sounded about my age.

Aaron deadpanned. "Yes, Candice, because stealing pokemon and being a public nuisence isn't enough to damn them."

Bertha sighed, muttering something derogatory towards teenagers and Aaron. She turned towards the two men in the room older than sin, like herself: Byron and Crasher Wake.

"Byron, Wake," She addressed the men. "Have Canalave City or Pastoria City been affected by Team Galactic?"

Their answers were disregarded. At our end of the table(the children's half, really), we had our own discussion.

"Guys, it sounds like this Team Galactic is only as Aaron said," Reggie tried convincing us. "A public nuisence. Not really much to take real official action agai-"

"Not really much?" Lee echoed, sounding angry.

"How can you say that, you prude?!" Cynthia demanded. "Tell that to my poor Gible! He got completely wiped in that battle!"

Lucian put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough of that, Cynthia," He advised. "I don't agree with him either, but there's no need to shout."

Crystal groaned. "Honestly! You little kids need to learn to stop fighting so much."

Opinions kept floating around violently, from both ends of the table, until it seemed Lee had had enough of it. I saw him lean forward and whisper something in Shift's ear, before plugging his own ears. The blue rings around her body glowed faintly, and I covered my ears, too.

Shift growled lowly, before she started loudly yipping and barking. Everyone paused to look at the black pokemon in Lee's lap, arguments stopping at a dead halt. Byron and Wake stopped the almost-brawl someone had started, fists held up.

Lee rested his elbow on an armrest, his chin balanced on his fist. "Oh, are you done? He asked airily.

I scoffed. "Jesus." I would've liked to teach whatever Lee had used with Switch to Crystal's Luxio.

Everybody waited for Lee to speak.

"Honestly, is this how gym leaders behave when they gather together?" Lee asked, disgusted. "Or is it just Sinnoh? I was practically raised in a barn, and I got better manners. This is stupid." Lee stood up, Shift leaping out of his lap. "I took down Team goddamn Magma when I was a kid, I can take on a couple'a thieves and crooks!" He marched out, Shift following without a moment's hesitation.

Everybody watched, slackjawed, as the door slammed shut. Lee didn't hesitate to swear a few more times, loud enough to hear through the door.

Nothing that evening quite lived up to that performance. Leave it to a coordinator to have his exit leave everybody stunned.

AOF: My headcanon will always be that Bertha was the Champion before Cynthia.