I am alive, folks!

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A Bitter Pill

A lot had happened over the past few months. The troubles with Galactic and the Distortion World had been solved, and Regigigas had been stopped, but there was still something that didn't make sense. Carolina's research notes were laid out on the table before him. Cynthia had allowed him to have his own copies so he could carry on further research since he knew more about mysterious script than anyone else.

Cyrus had broken the first seal by destroying the column and opening the rift to the Distortion World. This was followed by another set of three seals which led to the awakening of Regigigas. At first, he had believed these were the only five seals in total, but what if they had interpreted it wrong?

He moved his eyes to the large piece of butcher's paper and picked up a black permanent marker. Moving the pen to the left-hand side, he drew two large circles in a single column. The first one was marked 'Lake Guardians' and the second 'Three Regis'. From them, he drew more bubbles. Connecting to 'Lake Guardians', he drew 'Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie: Emotion, Willpower and Knowledge.

He moved to the three Regi's bubble and drew another three connected to it. These bubbles were labelled as Regirock, Regice and Registeel: magma, snow and rocks as they represented the world the land was built upon. "We have how the world was created and how logic and reason came to be…. But there's more to the world than this."

Druidic script had stated 'that when the first seal breaks, the other three will unlock and the grand coffin will open'. Originally, he had assumed that meant the release of Regigigas, but what if there were more and these seals were grouped together as seals one and two? That would mean there were still two more seals to be broken before the final one opened releasing the Old One.

He rubbed his forehead, his mind exhausted. All this just showed him just how little humans knew about the world they lived in. He wondered if the recent happenings reported in Sinnoh and Johto-Kanto were connected. A former Galactic grunt had been reported murdered by a creature in the Lost Tower, whilst there were reports of missing sailors in the waters in their neighbour region.

He looked beneath the Regis bubble and drew two more. He labelled one as 'Elements' and the fourth as 'Darkness'. All four seals would be connected to the fifth bubble labelled as 'The Old One' whatever that was. It can't have been Regigigas despite what the druids believed – something so old shouldn't be so easily sealed. Heaving a sigh, Byron turned away from his notes and headed to the fridge to grab himself a cold drink. As he reached for the door, he heard a knock.

"Father?"

Roark's voice. He'd recognize that from anywhere. He rolled up his papers and stashed it back in the cupboards then headed to the door. He opened it, pulled it back and allowed Roark inside then closed it again. The boy had grown a few inches since the last time they had met which had been… during the battle against Regigigas, but that had been a short-lived reunion.

"Roark," Byron greeted, unsure of how to respond. "You're home." He was glad to see him return, but he couldn't help but wonder why the boy had come. He had a home in Oreburgh and hadn't expressed interest in visiting his father's house in four years since taking over the gym.

The boy's hair had grown wild and unruly over the past month. Had he even bothered to comb his hair this morning? He had even started to grow a beard and not surprisingly hadn't bothered to shave. "Yeah, I'm home." He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Immediately, he walked over to the fridge, pulled back the door and searched for something to eat. When he withdrew, Byron found an egg and lettuce sandwich in his hand.

The boy then wandered over to the kitchen table then sat down. Byron joined him and sat opposite. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but why did you come and visit today?" Wait. That probably wasn't the best way to greet his son. No wonder Roark had rebelled against him in his early teenage days.

"I just wanted to talk… That's all." The boy looked down, and Byron caught a tinge of red on his cheeks. Either the boy had done something really embarrassing or he had finally gotten romantically involved with someone… or he was having problems with women. "I got an invite from Candice about a get together in Veilstone City…"

"That's great news. Candice seems like an all right girl." A bit flaky, but friendly enough. But Veilstone City? Wasn't that the place known for its night life? He then frowned. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of Roark spending time at clubs. "You need to be careful. I've heard a lot of rumours about Veilstone."

Roark rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to be like Volkner. I know my limits, father."

"I know… I'm worried, that's all. That city has a bad reputation. I'm just looking out for you."

The boy stood up from his chair. "I didn't come here for a lecture. I came here for some advice, but if you're just going to treat me like a little kid, then I'm just going to leave."

Byron surged to his feet. "I'm not giving you a lecture, Roark. I just want to make sure you're safe." If only his wife was still alive… She would know how to communicate with him and make the boy see sense.

"I'm nineteen years of age. I can do what I want now, and if that means visiting a nightclub, I will. I was going to ask you for advice, but you're just not going to understand." He put his sandwich down then turned his back, his eyes focused on the door. Byron knew that he was losing Roark's attention quickly and sighed. The boy was right – he was legally an adult now, and could do as he pleased, so why was it so hard to let him go?

He was going to walk right out the door and never return. The boy was stubborn and incredibly proud, and he believed Roark was still bitter at being the second-best choice for Oreburgh Gym. He thought hard then remembered his theories behind the seals stashed away in the drawer. Maybe Roark would be interested in helping him uncover more information.

"Roark… Before you go, allow me to show you something."

That caught his attention. The boy stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?"

Byron walked over to the drawer, pulled it open and grabbed the paper. He laid it out on the table and motioned for his son to come closer. "Do you remember the battle against Regigigas a month ago? I believe there are more seals to be found."

"But that girl…. She sacrificed herself to stop this." Roark glanced up at his father, his eyes curious.

"I think we read it wrong. Regigigas isn't the final seal – it's the second of four. When all four seals break a major event will happen. I believe the druids were trying to warn us, and I want to know exactly what they meant." He folded the paper up and placed it back inside the drawer then studied his son's face. The boy was interested. He could see the glint of curiosity in his dark eyes. "You can leave if you want. I can't stop you, but if you do, you'll miss out."

"But I promised Candice I would go. I can't back down on a promise."

Hm. Perhaps his son had closer ties with the other gym leaders than what he had originally assumed. "I'll be leaving in a week. If you still want to come drop by my gym and we can leave together. Whatever you decide to do, I won't hold it against you – you're right. You are old enough to make your own decisions." I just hope you make the right one, he thought.

Roark didn't say another word as he headed towards the door.

It was clear to everyone in his gym that he was having relationship troubles much to the delight of Destiny. He spotted her in the corner trading words Zachery about it. How did he know they were talking about him? Every time he entered the room they'd stop talking, but their eyes would remain fixed on his face.

"It's called karma, Volkner. Let's face it man – you aren't exactly the nicest of people," Preston said, as he removed his guitar from the amp. "You remember when you left us stuck on a platform for three hours? That wasn't cool man," he added, pushing his long blond hair over his shoulder.

He remembered, and he didn't like being reminded. Those were the days he found solace in the darkness, finding cheap thrills in the suffering of others. Thanks to Maylene, he was able to pull himself out of it, but now things were uncertain again. Maylene hadn't replied to any of his text messages. He wanted to see her, but she, according to Darren, didn't want him around.

"Thanks for that, Preston. That's exactly what I wanted to hear," he replied, his tone laced with thick sarcasm.

Preston shrugged. "I'm just sayin' what goes around comes around. You're payin' for it now." He picked up his guitar and placed it back on the rack then looked at Volkner again. "Maybe Maylene is realizing that – some people don't deserve a second chance."

"You're really lifting my mood. I'm glad you're here to make me feel good about myself," Volkner retorted. Why hadn't he fired these people again? Oh right, there was no one else good enough to earn a spot in his gym. Although there was no requirement for the number of trainers per gym, Volkner wanted to make it as difficult as possible. "Don't you have anything better to do today or do I need to replace you with someone else?" He glared.

"And that's exactly why no one here likes working for you – You do stuff like that. Whatever, man. Do what you want. I'm thinking of applying for a position in Clemont's gym in Kalos anyway." Before Volkner could speak, Preston turned his back and left the room. Volkner swore as he watched the door close. Good one, Volkner, he thought.

He stood up from the stool and walked to the door. He was currently in the media room of the gym where his guitarists liked to practice. Apparently, it helped them become better trainers, but Volkner failed to see the link. Before he had a chance to reach the doorknob, the door swung open. Destiny stood in the doorway and she was accompanied with Zachery, her twin brother.

"Hi Volkner," Zachery greeted.

Destiny smiled. "You look upset. Did something happen?"

"No, and if something did, I wouldn't tell you anyway – it's none of your business what goes on in my private affairs," he replied, hoping they'd get the hint to back off. Unfortunately for him, it seemed to be one of those days where everything went from bad to worse. They refused to budge. "I've given you an order, and I expect it to be followed."

"Actually Volkner, we wanted to talk to you about something important," Zachery said.

"And we're not leaving until you hear us out," Destiny added, twirling a lock of hair around a finger.

He sighed. "Fine. Speak."

"We're resigning from our roles here," Destiny said.

"We've been offered a job elsewhere and we figured we'd be more welcome else place."

Volkner didn't like them much, but they were solid trainers. If they left it would devalue his gym and he'd lose his top ranking in the gym leader conference of Sinnoh. A week before the league competition opened its doors to the public again all gym leaders were required to be tested to determine their overall suitability. "You can't leave without my permission."

"Yeah, we can. We can leave any time we want, and frankly, I'm glad," Zachery said, taking a step forward. "I once looked up to you, Volkner. I wanted to be like you when I was a kid, but you're nothing but a disappointment."

"You need to give me warning two weeks in advance, and I don't see a resignation letter."

Zachery reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded note. He thrust it into Volkner's chest. "There's your letter. The others are thinking about leaving too – there's only so many times you can play pranks on us before it's an abuse of power. We're going to take this to the league and file an official complaint. You won't have a gym by the end of the year. This is what we should have done months ago." He grabbed his sister's hand. "Let's go."

"Wait – you go on. I'll see you later. I want to talk to Volkner directly."

Zachery frowned. "You sure?"

She nodded. "It'll be fine."

He gave her a parting glance then left, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, Destiny turned back to Volkner and smiled. "I didn't it to come down to this, Volkner, but you gave me little choice. You didn't want me."

He glowered, his anger rising. The nerve of the girl…. "So this is your revenge? You got rejected and now you want to take my gym away from me by removing me from the league? Do you have any idea how foolish your plan is?"

Her gaze didn't waver. She poked him in the chest. Hard. "Zachery would've filed a complaint against you the moment you started playing tricks on us, but I convinced him to hold back to not cause trouble." She moved in closer. He felt her warm breath against his skin and tensed. "I wanted to be with you, Volkner, but you turned me away for that girl, Maylene… If you would even call her a girl."

He wasn't going to lie – Destiny was a beautiful girl with a voluptuous physique and wide jade green eyes and matching curls. Just being this close to her made him almost weak at the knees. It was tempting to lean in and take her mouth with his, pull her in close and run a hand through her hair. "So you stayed behind so you could insult me. Does that make you feel happy?"

She moved in even closer and brushed a hand against his arm. "You could've brought me happiness, Volkner, and I could've shown you how to love and laugh again." She ran her hand down his arm until her fingers met with his. Interlocking her fingers around his, she tilted her head upwards slightly to meet with his eyes. "Do you really love Maylene, Volkner? Do you even know what that is?"

He wasn't sure. He wanted to say that he did, but did he really? How was someone supposed to even know what love felt like? Maybe Maylene was right – maybe he no longer knew how to feel positive emotion. "Of course I do."

"I don't believe you, and I don't think you even believe yourself." Before he could react, she pressed her lips against his. He responded in kind, wrapping an arm around her slender waistline, drawing her in as close as possible. Less than a few seconds later, he felt her tongue seeking entrance. Encouraged, he parted his lips and allowed her entrance, but before he could become accustomed to the sensation, she pulled back. "Seeing you suffer brings me joy you can't even begin to fathom." She stepped away then headed to the door.

As he watched her leave, he ran a finger across his lower lip, still feeling her against him. His mind conjured an image of Maylene, and along with it came feelings of guilt. He was supposed to be in a relationship with her and not Destiny. It was wrong, but why did it feel so good? Raking a hand through his hair, he drew in a deep breath and sighed. Why did life have to be complicated at the worst of times?

Steven sat across from his father. The man had black bags beneath his eyes, and his skin looked a little darker than usual. There was also a noticeable bald spot on his head, and he wondered if his father was losing hair due to stress. "Father," he greeted.

The man looked up from the notepad he was writing in. "Steven. I'm glad you've come. I've been waiting to talk to you for awhile now," he said, pushing the notepad to the side. "I want to discuss the future – your future, and the future of Devon Corporation."

"What is there to discuss?"

"The upcoming projects. I've been trying to come up with plans for human and pokémon transformation, but my mind has come up with nothing. I was going to ask you to look into it for me since you're a young man, and more attuned with what young people are interested in." His father shifted in his seat, and Steven spotted a cushion behind his back.

"Back pain?" Steven said, gesturing towards the plain white cushion.

His father looked down then nodded. "Oh yes. These chairs become uncomfortable to sit in after awhile." He reached behind him and shifted the cushion, so it was behind the upper half of his spine. He rubbed his right shoulder blade, a noticeable look of pain appearing in his eyes as his hand made contact. "So tell me Steven. Do you believe there is a market for human and pokémon transformation?"

Steven shook his head. "No, I don't. Young trainers don't want to become pokémon, father. They want devices that make their lives much easier. Improving communications between trainers is a good start. The xtransceivers are old now – we need to update them, bring them up to standard with modern society." In other words, throw out the plans for transformation and focus on things that mattered.

"But the xtransceivers do what they were designed for. They allow trainers to communicate with each other," his father debated.

Steven leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk. "We need to keep up with the times, father. I was thinking of developing a smart phone that will help trainers keep a journal of their progress. They can store their details in there, keep a track of all the battles they have won and lost, and organize their bank details from their phone. They would also have an in-built calendar that tells them what events are happening in their location before they happen. It would increase event attendant numbers if people actually knew when they were happening."

The man leaned back in his chair. "That is not the way forward, Steven. We can't keep rehashing old ideas and renewing them. We need to think outside the box and think large – something new. Something no one has ever thought of before. Can you imagine how the world will change?"

"My plan is to make things more convenient for trainers. We can't just live in the past, father."

His father shook his head. "Maybe one day you will understand."

It would be so easy to debate the topic further, but Steven knew it would be a waste of energy and time. His father had obviously decided that Human-pokémon transformation was the path forward, and nothing he could say was going to change his mind. Stubborn old man. He was so determined to leave behind a legacy that he was willing to take a huge risk that was impossible. A waste of time and money. Even the other staff thought it was a ridiculous idea, but no one dared say it to the man's face in fear of losing their job. "Yeah, I'm sure I will."

"Now… I want to talk to you about something else…"

Marriage probably. That was his father's other favourite topic. When are you going to get married Steven because it's important our family name lives on for generations to come. "Such as?"

"You're twenty-five now, and still you haven't gotten a girlfriend. I decided to find someone for you."

What? Steven almost burst out laughing, but his father never made jokes. He was always so serious, and this wasn't any different. He looked at him through wide eyes and brows arched. "You know her. Her name is Diantha. She's resigned from her position as Champion of Kalos to focus full-time on acting."

It wasn't as if he didn't like Diantha, but she was just a friend, and nothing more. Why had his father set him up with Diantha of all possible partners? Was he hoping he could use her fame to boost his own popularity and fund it? "You can't just… set up a marriage for me," Steven protested.

"I can, and it will happen. It was Diantha's parents who brought it up, and I agreed."

"You are talking about my life, father. You don't control me."

His father frowned. "If not for me, you wouldn't have this life that you are fortunate to have."

He rose to his feet and glared. Anger wasn't an emotion he often experienced, but right now he could feel the anger coursing through his veins. "You're not even doing this for me. You're doing it for yourself!"

"I want you to be happy, son."

"I don't believe that. You're just trying to live your life through me." So that his father's work could continue for generations after his death leaving Steven without an identity of his own. "I love and respect you, father, but I have a mind of my own, and I'm not going to live life the way you want me to." He turned his back and prepared to head towards the door.

"Steven," his father called out.

Steven stopped then glanced over his shoulder. "You say that you want me to be happy, but then you organize a marriage for me without my consent? I refuse, father. I'm going to live my life the way I choose."

"And what does that involve? Spending your time with your head buried in the books reading fiction?" His father was now standing up, his hands grabbing the edge of the table. Steven could see the redness on his ears. A sure sign he was growing angry. "When you were the Champion, I accepted it, but now you're not and it's time that you start thinking about a real job, son."

"I'm working on uncovering the truth."

"The truth about what?"

"You wouldn't understand… Besides, you're not interested in myths and legends anyway. I would just be wasting your time and I wouldn't want to do that."

He didn't say another word and simply walked out of the room, ignoring his father's commands to return. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it and drew in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. A talk with his father always had this effect on him, and he hated how the man's words made his skin crawl. It was almost as if the man thought his interests were unimportant.

"Steven?"

One of the cleaning ladies looked at him. Her blond hair was tied up in a bun beneath a white cap. Another one of those ideas that belonged to his father's that didn't make sense. He supposed it was to identity the cleaners easier, but it only served to alienate them from the rest of the staff. "If my father demands my presence in the future, tell him that I'm busy."

"When will you return?"

He wasn't sure. "When my father and I reach an understanding. Until that time comes, I'll be in Sinnoh." He exited the hall, refusing to look eyes with the cleaner, whom he knew wanted answers. He headed back downstairs to the lobby area and made his way to the exit. Maybe one day you'll understand.

A bloody disaster and a moment of weakness. That's what it was, and he hated himself for allowing it to happen. Volkner was currently at the local bar sitting in the far corner feeling sorry for himself. As much as he tried to force it out of his head, an image of Destiny kept returning, and every time he was reminded of the brief intimacy they shared.

That wasn't the worst of it – what was even worse was that he craved more, but Maylene wasn't the type to indulge in such things often. As for the act itself, that was completely out of the question. She was the type of girl who wanted to wait until marriage, and whilst that was respectable, it didn't match up to what he wanted.

"Can I get you anything to drink, sir?" the waitress said.

Startled, he jumped in his seat. How long had she been standing there for? He hadn't even noticed. The waitress, a young adult female with red hair, smiled at him. He cleared his throat then answered. "No thanks. I'm staying away from that stuff." The temptation was there, but he knew he couldn't go down that road again.

"Oh, recovering alcoholic?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well in that case, let me get you a glass of water."

She turned around and walked away to the opposite end of the bar then turned right. His eyes lingered on her retreating form for a few moments before he managed to pull his gaze away. Get a grip, Volkner, he scolded himself. You have a girlfriend and her name is Maylene. He looked around the bar, taking in his surroundings. The place was dimly lit. The only source of light came from the hanging lampshades above their heads and those were few.

It was also empty though he supposed few customers came in the early hours of the day. He used to be one of those early customers who would become drunk by midday much to the disappointment of Flint. His moved to the bottles of alcoholic beverages on the shelf behind the counter. Not surprisingly, he had tasted every one of those during his drinking years. The woman returned shortly afterwards with the glass of water.

Much to his surprise, she sat down across from him. "Aren't you supposed to be working?" Volkner said, grabbing the glass and bringing the rim to his lips.

"It's not exactly busy, Volkner. I can't really do much if there aren't any customers." So, she did know his name. How could you not? He took a sip from the glass then placed it back down and leaned back in his seat. "The boss tells me you haven't visited in over a year. He says you used to be quite the customer. What changed?"

"People change as they get older."

"Do you really believe that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"So why are you here then? This is a place for drinks. I thought you said you were staying away from that stuff."

"I wanted to come here to think. That's all." He hadn't exactly come here for a social chit-chat with the waitress that much was certain. Why did everyone have to come and talk to him anyway? Was it because he was a gym leader or was it for some other reason? Sometimes being famous had its downsides. Every single major action you made somehow made it back to the public and you'd be all over the papers for the next couple of weeks.

The girl studied his face. He grabbed his glass and brought the rim to his lips again and took a sip. He wasn't particularly thirsty, but it was better than just sitting there doing nothing. "You're feeling guilty about something, aren't you? You did something you shouldn't have. I know that look."

Was it really that obvious? He sighed. "I don't want to talk about it." Especially not with some waitress who could easily spread gossip to her friends. It wouldn't take long for the entire city to know about it. Planting his hands on the surface of the table, he forced himself upwards and mustered up a smile. "Thanks for the hospitality, but I really need to go. Gym stuff you know."

"Whatever it is that you have done, you know you can be forgiven for it."

He didn't believe that. If Maylene discovered the truth, she'd never talk to him again. "Yeah, I guess," he lied, hoping his face didn't show it. He turned his back and walked to the exit without looking back. He could feel her eyes lingering on him, but he didn't dare meet her eyes again. The probing look - eyes searching for answers he didn't want to give.

A warm ray of sunshine greeted him as he stepped back out into the fresh air. Fortunately, the streets were mostly empty at this time of the day. The only people he did see were a couple of young kids exchanging numbers. He recognized them – sometimes they'd catch him in the street and ask for advice on training Electric-type pokémon. Giving lessons wasn't exactly his favourite pastime, but as a gym leader, he wasn't allowed to say no.

He kept his head low and quickly walked past them, hoping they didn't look his way. Thankfully, the children were so caught up in their activities that they hadn't even noticed him walking by. He continued walking down the cobblestone streets of Sunyshore, enjoying the feel of the sun against his skin. One of the benefits of living this far south – every day there was sunshine, and the weather was always warm.

He continued walking down the street, bypassing a few houses with blue walls and grey rooves. There were five identical houses in a row and each one was separated by a row of neatly trimmed hedges. One house had sunflowers growing at the front, whilst the other four had red roses. As he looked at the flowers, an image of Maylene entered his mind. Girls liked roses, didn't they? Maybe that would cheer her up a little and lessen his guilt.

Rather than head back to the gym, he took the opposite path and headed south towards the pokémart. The city lacked a specialist florist, but each Poke Mart sold the basics. Maybe he could purchase her some chocolates too, but what type? It dawned on him he didn't really know Maylene all that well, and she was supposed to be his girlfriend. A frustrated sigh escaped his throat. Why did this have to be so hard?

Dropping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out his xtransceiver and scrolled through his contacts list. Surely, someone had to know how to make females happy. He continued scrolling down through the list until he reached Gardenia's name. Perfect. Gardenia would know what to get – after all, she was the flowers expert. After a few more moments of walking along cobblestone paths, Volkner reached the local pokémart. He didn't intend to buy flowers from here, but at least he'd get a general idea of what to get so he wasn't completely clueless when visiting Gardenia.

Making sure no one else was around he drew in a deep breath and walked through the doors.