Author's Note: Okay, wow, I ain't gonna sugarcoat it: I just forgot about this LOL. Apologies for 2 years of inactivity and I just wanna say...THANK YOU for all the support. Reading the comments, seeing the favs...they are enough to drive me to continue this thing. I still have my drafts so post-haitus Chapter 4 shouldn't be a weird transition (hopefully)
Anyways, I hope you enjoy. (also, last chapter I said 'Littleroot Town' when it's actually 'Sandgem Town'...whoops)
- Chapter 4: Friends -
"Huh?"
Mordekai turned to the stranger who beckoned him. A lass approached him; seemingly a bit younger than Mordekai, she boasted lush and golden hair while sporting a casual getup of a leotard, a bomber jacket, and deep black jeans.
"Hi! I just saw you enter the Center so I thought I'd just…y'know…walk-up-to-you-and-say-thank-you-personally!" she chortled. Her rapid tone was audibly out of gratitude and excitement for her saviour.
"Oh, right. I dunno, it was just the right thing to do, I suppose," Mordekai yielded to her praise, keeping his modesty upright. "I didn't really do much though. I might've underestimated those two," he sheepishly laughed.
Mordekai was somewhat lacking in Pokémon Battles despite studying vigorously for them. However, his experiences were something akin to 'Battling as a hobby' and those fights would always be tuned to a fair one-versus-one situation as he only ever had Aerodactyl as his whole team…not to mention his father's disproval of the sport altogether.
"Mmm, but you went in anyway and not a moment too soon. If you hadn't…" the girl halted, refusing to dwell on whatever other result would branch out from what had happened earlier. The silence was loud as if both of them knew what the other was thinking but kept quiet anyway. "Anyway, I have you to thank and your big, brave partner there."
The Pokémon snapped its attention to the lady as it was driven away by the momentary awkwardness a few seconds ago. It just stared sternly at her, not knowing how to receive her thanks.
"Yeah," Mordekai smiled, "Aerodactyl here did his very best, but I just wish I knew what I was doing." He delivered that as though it was a joke, but his Pokémon saw through his sentence.
"Arceus, I know I've thanked you a dozen times but I mean…thanks…uh," the girl directed her wonder to Mordekai, expectant of a response.
"Mordekai…Kai for short."
"Alright, Kai. If there's anything I can do-"
"Val!"
Their conversation was interrupted by a worried, feminine voice from across the Center. Two figures approached: one was another gal with a dress and leggings complemented by her bright beanie and pink boots, the other was a young lad with gel-raised blonde hair and a striped vest.
"Oh, gosh! I'm sorry! The place is crowded, I didn't see you talking to someone," she apologized as she adjusted her scarf and dark blue locks as if a visitor had just entered her home.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?" the blonde boy frustratedly sighed, embarrassed for his companion's interruption.
"Hey, man, sorry 'bout that. We just kinda lost Val here after she Bounced from us, y'know. Anyway, I'm Barry, friend of Val and Dawn!" he gave a very wide smile. One could tell that this was a cheery and energetic spirit-of-a-lad.
Slightly lost, Mordekai simply replied. "Ah, Val…and you must be Dawn?"
The trio was stricken, as if they had expected Mordekai to know the two ladies.
"Dude, you must be new here or somethin'. I mean your fashion looks alien and all," Barry raised a brow. Dawn simply nudged him with her arm for what he said. "OW! 'Aight, I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's just…you look…foreign is all. I kinda am not surprised you didn't know Dawn, but Val is like a celeb here." This prompted another painful nudge from the lass; Barry rubbed his elbow in response along with an annoyed side-eye.
"Look, I'm really not a 'celeb'," answered the smiling Val. "I honestly prefer not having people constantly on my a- *ahem* - tailing behind me." Another awkward pause emerged.
"No offense, but I kinda get what Barry is saying," Dawn said softly. "Are you actually, like, not from here?"
"Uh, ha-ha," Mordekai shyly laughed as he was put on the spotlight of the conversation. "Yeah, I'm not from here. I'm Unovan."
This sparked the interest of the two new conversers much more than they were already invested in their 'visitor'. Dawn had her attention captured, absent-mindedly fidgeting with her scarf but clearly eager to hear what Mordekai was about to say. Barry quickly injected himself onto the seat beside Val. Mordekai felt the ears upon him, pressuring and prompting him to continue his statement.
"I'm- uh- actually a new Trainer…looking to learn about Trainer stuff and this region, and all that," he continued.
"OH MAN! Same here, same here. I just got my first Badge but lots-o-shit to learn y'knowhattamsayin. Not that I'm bragging of course. Then, like, being a Trainer is a long journey, right? Wait does that mean you're staying in Sinnoh for good? Or just for a bit like those foreign-exchange somethin' students?" Barry egged on.
"Barry calm down," sighed Dawn. "Sorry, he gets a little excited with Trainer stuff."
"What do you mean excited? It's been ages since I got to sit and talk with another newbie like me. It's always battle-me-this and battle-me-that with those youngsters, the rest is like: Dawn's-contest-this and Dawn's-contest-that," Barry rolled his eyes. "Besides, he's from UNOVA. That's where the cool people are!"
"Please excuse him," Val laughed.
"It's all good. It's nice meeting a Trainer for the first time here, y'know. But that's really all there is to me: just a new guy in Sinnoh trying out to be a new Trainer in the Battle scene," Mordekai replied before taking a brief pause. "So, you and Dawn are celebrities, huh?"
"Well, Dawn here is," Val answered. "My sister is the celebrity, and some people just recognize me or something like that." Something about her shift in demeanor felt like embarrassment or disappointment.
"Wha- no way! You're totally famous on your own, too. I mean what about when you uncovered those Lake relics with your grandma? The papers were fueled with your pic in the headlines!" Dawn cheered as she pushed her hips to sit on the now-crowded booth where Barry and Val were seated. The blonde gal simply shifted her head to Dawn's direction as she spoke. Not out of annoyance, rather, it looked like it was out of reflex as she appeared lost in thought. Val remained silent.
Palpating the unbearable quiet, Barry decided to break the silence. "Well, Val's sis is actually the Sinnoh Champion. She and her sister and her grandmama and her entire bloodline or whatever are known for digging up ancient Sinnoh lore buried in legends and Mythical Pokémon. Val here was the one with her grandma who found the slates that are, like, supposed to link the purpose of some Legendary Pokémon on the Lakes or something. Val here refuses to acknowledge her achievement," he gestured, to which Val simply smiled shyly. Defeated, he simply decided to change the subject, "DUDE! We haven't talked about how you know Val and all…we don't even know your NAME! Okayokayokay, start from the beginning!"
This ride of emotions seemed as wild as a rampant Gyarados to Mordekai. Although it was a lot to take in from the cheery yapping machine called Barry, it brought him comfort to be able to sit down and converse with newfound acquaintances. While Aerodactyl nested behind Mordekai's seat and Val's Eevee curled to a sleeping ball of fur on her lap, the band delved into their lengthy introductions and stories.
*BEEP*
A loud ping filled the vicinity, startling the robed, elderly – yet still stoic and healthy in appearance and physique – woman that was gracefully pouring tea. The bubbly song of clear liquid being poured from an elegant and shapely teapot was cut short by a notifying device held by the delicate and flirtatious hands of a certain golden-haired woman.
"Shouldn't you answer that, my dear?" the aged woman said.
"It can wait. They know I came here to see you, Gran," Cynthia smiled, though her chipper aura soon turned to seriousness as she stared down to her cup of tea, eyeing the ceiling in the reflection. It seemed as though she was expecting her drink to show the dimension to a parallel nothingness if that made sense. The plane she ventured showed her all sorts of twisted entities that confused her and made her understand at the same time.
"So, the 'chain'?" her grandmother asked.
"Ah, yes," Cynthia's mind flung back to her talk. "Cyrus seemed so keen on holding onto that thing. He was reaching out for it, I think, when we got dragged into that void. It probably does something to that Pokémon…or to that entire other-universe. When that Red Chain called the Creation Duo, it's like they were bound to it…or like they were compelled to destroy it. It wasn't just that either, the apex of Spear Pillar collapsed as well but only in a small radius. When I came back from that other-place, everything was untouched and undamaged. It's as if that artifact controls places, not just the Duo. I'm not even sure if that dark thing is a Pokémon! Arceus, I don't know what to think…"
"Slow down, Cynthia. Drink your tea."
Cynthia did as was instructed. It helped calm her somewhat, though she is uncertain weather it was the tea's doing or the simple breath she took from trying to make sense of what she was trying to tell her grandmother. "I'm just worried what that thing might unleash. That void had the world's reflection like a…concave mirror…it was our world. What if that beast can just phase through and enter our world in a snap?"
"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's start from our leads," her grandmother pondered, evidently maintaining her composure despite her granddaughter being panic itself if it were human. "I'll call Valerie and see if we can gather anything in any of the Ancient Plates. Meanwhile, you can go back to Spear Pillar and retrace your steps or confront Cyrus about this. What do you think?"
"I suppose I can check Spear Pillar again. After that I might have to look for Team Galactic's headquarters again and interrogate each and everyone in there. I doubt Cyrus will cooperate with me," Cynthia scoffed.
"No," her grandmother sternly commanded as she stood from her chair, much to Cynthia's surprise. "They'll be brewing something dangerous in their headquarters, that's for sure! I don't want you to be hoisted into some other universe or whatnot." Concern shook the elderly's voice, caught with worry and years of aging. "Squeeze their schemes from Cyrus first so that you'll come prepared!"
"Relax, Gran," Cynthia moved to comfort and embrace her kin. It was no challenge to her given that she was considerably taller than her grandmother who now had a slightly arched posture. "I'll be careful. Promise!"
"Will you at least bring Lucian with you?"
Cynthia let go of her embrace and shook her head subtly in response. "He and the other two guys are going to keep an eye on each of the Lakes and their nearby cities. Bertha will manage the League and my seat in the Council while I'm away. Maybe you can even visit and spend time with her like old times?" Cynthia quipped.
Her Gran remained silent and answered with a sigh while maintaining eye-contact with her granddaughter, enough to give Cynthia the hint that her small attempt at toning down the seriousness was ineffective. Quite ironic given the fact that it was Cynthia who was filled to the brim with worry moments ago.
Concededly, Cynthia smiled and remarked, "alright, Gran, I'll go talk to Cyrus first," as she returned to hug her Gran. "Do you think it'd be best if we were to keep this whole event under the public's nose? I mean, we wouldn't want to rouse a massive panic after what Team Galactic just did…or?" once again bouncing back to a more serious tone.
"Hmm, just what I was thinking. Valerie and I will think of something to reveal all of this when the time comes. In the meantime, just do what you can to find out about this…thing. Please…just…be careful, Cynthia."
"I WILL, Gran," Cynthia chuckled. "Love you, Gran-gran."
*BEEP*
Just then, another ding came from Cynthia's C-gear, prompting her to approach the device and read the messages.
Lucian: hospital says cyrus is awake
Lucian: flint went to cyrus, im still in verity, get to them quick before flint kills him :)
"Just in time," Cynthia thought to herself as she briskly grabbed her coat and bid farewell to her grandmother.
"Damn those sick fuckers," was all Barry could mutter out. "Thank Arceus you were there, huh?"
"Yeah," replied Mordekai who was, at this point, not sure how to respond appropriately to 'saving' Val knowing full well what could have occurred had he not intervened or if the purple-haired Elite wasn't there to stop those thugs. Mordekai would have probably been kidnapped for ransom…or if those grunts were 'bent'-
"Of course, Aerodactyl was there, too," he praised as he turned to his partner who was perched behind his seat looking out of the window at the officers roaming around.
"Dang, that is one sick 'mon. I've never seen an Aerodactyl before," said Barry as he beheld the Rock-type in all its hardiness.
…we've been cleared to report following confirmation that the leader of the criminal organization Team Galactic has been apprehended and now taken into custody…
The blaring volume of the television in the Center was suddenly drowned by cheers and applause.
Dawn perked up, "does this mean it's safe to go out?"
"Thank you for your cooperation and patience; the authorities have now cleared Veilstone City and you are free to exit the Pokémon Center. During your travels to the Routes should you decide to travel by land, you are only allowed to take the roads monitored by our Officers. Do note that the northern Routes towards Snowpoint City are still closed. Please stay safe, remain vigilant, and have a good evening," announced an Officer Jenny.
"Alright!" cheered Barry as he hoisted his sling bag. "Oh, so where do live right now, Kai?"
"My mom's living in the Resort Area, so that's where I'm crashing currently," he replied. In response, Dawn and Barry simply exchanged glances while Val's eyes lit up. Mordekai pretended not to notice but burned in his mind was the thought that these people might see him as a stuck-up prep boy after saying that.
"We're gonna swing by Celestic Town where Val lives," Barry replied quickly as if to prevent the two ladies from answering before him. He finally said, "I kinda miss your grandma's homemade ginger cookies," before performing some odd gestures toward Val and then to Mordekai. He was clearly and excitedly beckoning Val to invite him.
Val giggled and shook her head a bit at Barry's forwardness before turning to Mordekai with a smile, "of course he can come. If he wants to?"
Flattered, Mordekai simply answered, "Ha-ha, thanks but I gotta run. It's pretty late and my mom must be worried sick after what happened this evening."
"Aww," Barry frowned. "Alright, well safe travels, dude. OH WAIT!" He suddenly interjected, bringing out his C-Gear. "We should totally exchange numbs, man, and like…hang out someday!"
This caught Mordekai's surprise. He expected their acquaintanceship to end briefly with something along the lines of "Well, I'll see you around!". He wasn't concerned about Barry shoving an attempt at friendship down his throat; rather, he didn't want Val to feel obligated to indulge her knight-in-shining-armor regardless of whether she liked his company or not. She and Dawn are celebrities after all. To prevent things from getting awkward by refusing, Mordekai defeatedly accepted, "Sure!"
He feigned a smile…or was it really feigned? Having friends in an unfamiliar environment is always a welcome feat, not to mention they're locals and at least one of them is a Trainer like him. Although, he couldn't help but ponder if travelling with companions would suit him. He spent a good chunk of his Unovan life sticking to Pokémon Trainer related hobbies or interests all in his lonesome or with short-lived interaction with others. Maybe this change-of-scenery was for the better.
Mordekai split from the group as he called upon his Flying companion, bode farewell to his newfound friends, and endured a few more words of gratitude from Val. It was time for him to return home.
Breezy night winds tugged his hair as he clung onto Aerodactyl. Mordekai spent the half-hour long flight reflecting on what had happened that day…that very eventful day. Was this exciting but at-times anxiety-spiking lifestyle just a regular day for Trainers like the comics he has read or video games he has played? Would this Trainer path really be for him? How would his father react to his success or his failure? …and are those all Officer Jennies patrolling the Resort Area?
Mordekai squinted and commanded his partner to hover down. As the distance closed between them and the resort, he could confirm, indeed, that all those patrolwomen were Officer Jennies. It didn't make much sense how clones upon clones of Nurses and Officers just existed. Such a concept boggled Mordekai's mind and gave him the creeps.
Lowering to a landing gave Mordekai a great opportunity to appreciate the Resort Area. His mother was doing well for herself as a Pokémon Contest Spectacular Official who has brought her talents as a Unovan tailor into the Sinnoh Region. Very well, in fact, that she was able to live in a suite of a large hotel overlooking the shore and the captivating sea that collected the shimmers of moonlight. It was a breathtaking view, but it reminded Mordekai of his prestigious advantage in the Pokémon Trainer scene – something that he wanted to shake off so that he could be 'on equal' tiers as the other Trainers. After giving a respectful nod to the passing Officers who were deep in their conversation, Mordekai and his now-withdrawn Pokémon marched through the entrance of the building and up the elevators.
"Arceus! Oh, my baby boy! Are you hurt? How's your Pokémon? Why'd you come home so late?" Mrs. Strauss flooded her son with questions as she frantically scanned her son's body for injuries.
"Relax, mom, I'm fine! I got a bit confused with the map and landed on Veilstone-"
"VEILSTONE?! There were criminals in Veilstone!"
"I was escorted to the Pokémon Center where the other people were, calm down please," Mordekai begged.
"How'd you even 'get' lost and land in Veilstone? Veilstone of all cities! You are going to give me a heart attack!" she chided.
Mordekai figured it would be best to keep events of the whole evening to himself. Going into detail could knock the Spiritomb out of his mother.
She lets out an exhausted sigh, "my sis- your aunt is staying with us tonight and is down at the bar picking out good wine. I made steak but guess I'm skipping dinner to keep my blood pressure in check thanks to you!" Mordekai was dumbfounded by her sneering, but he understood it was out of motherly worry. "I'm just glad you're home safe, hon."
"Thanks, mom."
"Alright, now go clean up and help me set the table."
Alright, so my current direction is to stretch the adventure aspect of the story for a bit before we dip into OCxCynthia. Thanks for reading and, as always, respectful criticisms are always welcome! I'm looking to improve.