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A group of young males had gathered at Sunyshore City's highest point. They were trespassing on the solar panels that led to the observatory on the highest cliffs. While the city was famous for this source of electricity which doubled as pedestrian transport, some were closed to the general public for being linked to private property, or in this case, safety.
They had brought a cooler up, which had several cans of soda, beer, and a walkie-talkie atop it. Nori Carino glanced at the four others, who all watching with mixed expressions. Some hostile, with at least one greatly worried. It was as though he was urging him not to do this.
A dark-skinned teenager in a white and gold shirt with black trousers walked up and stood beside him. He held a red skateboard plastered with skull decals. "You'd better be ready for this, kid. You know the rules, right?"
He looked down at his feet, one of which was propped on his own board. He slowly nodded. First across the finish line at the bottom, he knew that. A girl was down there serving as the judge. This didn't mean he liked this, however. He hated it. He didn't want to go through with it, but that guy had practically forced him.
This was way too dangerous and they didn't seem to care, or if so weren't speaking up. People weren't allowed on here for good reason - these panels were known to be slippery at times, and it was very steep. And because it wasn't intended to be used by people, the guardrails were inadequate. They were knee high and relatively thin, compared to the usual ones being just a bit shorter than the average person. Just enough so you couldn't step off by mistake, but going down on a skateboard...
"You ready?" asked the teenager.
He wasn't, but they wouldn't care. The boy gazed down the huge slope, wondering how it had come to this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Last December At Home
December 28th, 2014
December 28th, 2014
The Veilstone City trailer park was located on the east end. It was divided into six segments where trailers were scattered about: the center, back center, and the four corners. Large outlets scattered about allowed for the vehicles to receive power, for a fee.
Nori Carino was standing just outside his mom's trailer, located in the central area. He was dressed in a light gray jacket with a worn shirt beneath it, simple blue jeans, and black boots. The winter air clawed at his skin, but anyone from Sinnoh was used to it. He wore a black backpack, which contained his clothes and school supplies. He also had a small black and yellow bag at his feet, which had everything else that didn't fit. His Pokemon was tucked away in his pocket. With him were his mother Ayume, his friend and neighbor Rashid al-Bahar, and his friend Maylene Gavali.
He thought back to how this all began in August. He had been returning home with someone he'd just met - Prema Kannagi, a girl who was just visiting Veilstone - when a notorious Pokemon known as the Demon took refuge under his home. He spoke up for the Nidorina in the face of a platoon of police, and unwittingly made a bet with the city's Gym Leader that he could reform it. Doing so and actually defeating her in the battle that followed a week later led to the Officials offering him a position. He accepted at his mom's urging, and the day had come where he would be setting off. He was going to learn from a top official to become the world's first Pokemon Rehabilitator.
"I can't believe you're going..." Maylene droned. She was three years younger than him, friends in spite of the age difference. The pink-haired girl was wearing a long blue and white scarf with a striped pattern, a fluffy white coat, dark blue pants, and simple sneakers. Nori was impressed she walked all the way through the snow to see him off.
"Me neither." He'd known Maylene for over two years now. She was like the younger sister he never had, and vice-versa.
"He will be all right. Won't you, Norcar?" Rashid said, somehow not cold in just a white shirt and jeans. There was also a major age difference between him and his other friend. Rashid was seventeen to Nori's twelve. The boy considered him quirky. Especially when it came to girls in magazines. Despite that, Rashid was the closest thing Nori had to having someone else to look up to besides his mom. Though not like an older brother at all.
To the question, Nori remained silent. He wasn't sure about that. The painful reality was he was going to have to say goodbye to everyone he knew here. Even if it was just for a while, even if he made new friends where he was going, that was going to hurt.
His mom smiled at him in reassurance. She was in a long purple winter jacket that went all the way to her ankles. Nori had never met his dad, though imagined some of his looks came from him. All he got from his mom was his soft skin (or so she said) and how his hair grew the same way as hers. Hers was a full black to his chestnut however, and her eyes a deep brown to his soft dark red. "I know you're going to do well, Nori. You're like me when you put your mind to things. It shows in your report cards."
Rashid nodded. "Yes, you are one who gets bent for leather when you are wanting to."
"It's not grades I'm worried about." Despite what some might believe given his occasional rebellious attitude, Nori was actually a good student. By no means top honors, but just behind. What they said about his diligence was very true. His experience with the Demon proved that. Still, he couldn't have done that by himself. He needed to lean on his mom's and Prema's support. "What I'm worried about is not having you guys around anymore. And, you not having me."
"It is fine. I will not be seeing you, but I know you will be out there, learning how to be working." The tan-skinned teenager smiled goofily and nodded. "We will be cheering you on from far. Knowing you are becoming a man is worth it all to us."
His mom agreed, "You're growing up Nori, and so fast too."
"That helps a bit, but..." He looked to Maylene, whose slumped posture gave away her disdain. Just as he was worried, this was going to be difficult for her. "Maylene?"
The pink-haired girl snapped to attention. "I'm fine," she said, blatantly faking a brave face. "You'll be back eventually, right?"
"Yeah..." This was the hardest part. He was Maylene's only friend. As far as Nori saw it, this was like abandoning her. That was something he hated the very thought of doing. The one thing that eased his mind was that Maylene eventually understood and accepted it. But no matter what the future held, the road getting there was going to be difficult.
He looked back to the others, immediately spotting the tears in his mom's eyes. "What's wrong, ma?" he asked. Calling her that was a habit. "I know, you're sad I'm leaving."
"Yes," she did not deny. "A mother hates to see her child go. But, I'm also happy for you, Nori. I used to worry about your future before, but..." Wiping her tears, she stood firm. "I'm glad you're doing this."
Nori still didn't completely understand why his mom wanted him to do this. The gist of what he did know is that she wanted him to have a better life than she was able to give him. She mentioned something about possibly not being able to afford things anymore, but didn't get how that could be the case.
"But," he said. He wanted to make this clear. "I am going to miss you all. I don't even know how long this is going to be, so..." The papers he signed said he was going to be studying under one of the top trainers in the region ‘until such time that [his] expertise with Pokemon is deemed sufficient’. And with his near total lack of experience, how long that would be was up in the air. It might be a couple months. It might be several years. It all depended how well he did, and how much they expected from him. "...well. I'll try to write you when I can. If I can."
He sighed and looked up. His mom and Rashid smiled, giving him separate nods as if to say it was okay. That made him feel just a bit better about this. Which left one other person, who took the initiative herself.
"Um, Nori?" Maylene shuffled towards him. She twirled one of her pigtails.
"Yes?"
Without a warning, Maylene leaned forward and pressed her lips against his for a brief moment. The young girl held her mouth in disbelief at herself. She giggled. "Bye!" With this, she ran off.
Nori was left frozen, and not because of the cold. In fact, he felt his cheeks were about to burn right up.
"Haha!" Rashid gave him a hearty clap on the back. "Congratulations on the girl, Norcar."
That snapped him out of his stupor, but Nori continued to stare blankly. He knew Maylene had kind of a childish crush on him. He didn't do anything, since it'd be really weird given he was twelve and she was nine. Still, he wasn't expecting her to do that! Especially now!
"Well I, uh...should get going soon myself. My bus leaves soon, and...you know..." This was too flustering. She kissed him right in front of his mom and his neighbor and who knows who else saw that! He felt so, so red in the face right now.
His mom patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much for now, Nori."
"Yeah..." Not that he could do anything about it right now. Things were going to be really awkward when he saw her again. He gave his mom a hug and slapped hands with Rashid before picking up his carry bag and heading out.
Nori took one last look at the trailer park, and the vehicle he lived in. He wouldn't see it again for a long time. It had been his home since he could remember, and the longest he'd ever been away from it was a week. That was when his mom won a cruise that she hauled him along on.
The boy paused in his tracks.
Bad memories came flooding into his mind. He shuddered. That was the only time he had been far out of Veilstone before this, and he really wished he hadn't. Nori managed to suppress these thoughts, and continued on his way to the bus depot.
##########
December 29th, 2014
Nori made it to the NR Bus station without incident. The Officials had sent him a ticket for the 4:00pm. Everything went smoothly, aside from witnessing some towering woman flipping out over a form she filled being declared invalid. It seemed to be a minor issue. He heard the shrinking receptionist nervously say something about not capitalizing Gloom - as in, the Pokemon. The woman screamed it was an outrage, a waste of time, and threatened she knew a land development person. The only thing stopping the boy from yelling at her was that it happened shortly before boarding time, and that a security guard appeared to be headed to remove her anyway.
The ride went smoothly. Despite the snow-covered roads and even a brief blizzard, the bus kept rolling on. Nori marveled at the sights of Sinnoh's wilderness during the ride, even as the sun had set and others were falling asleep around him. He wondered, is this the kind of thing that traveling trainers get to see regularly? It almost felt like it'd be worth it.
Once the bus arrived at the depot, a cab was waiting to take him the rest of the way. That drive felt as if they had to go from one end of the city to the other. There was little traffic because of how late it was, so it didn't take as long as it could've. It was just past midnight by the time he finally arrived.
He was dropped off before a large two-floored square building with a domed roof. A series of solar panels encircled the silver and red structure, although it was hooked up to the power lines. Though the neon sign over the front door was off, Nori could still see that it read Sunyshore City Gym.
A strawberry blond man with a short mop of hair was leaning against a streetpost in front of the building. He was in an orange blazer over a thick white sweater, with dark brown work pants and black gloves. He looked up, equal parts relief and irritation in his blue eyes.
"Hi, I'm Nori Carino," the boy introduced himself. "I was told to come here. Are you, um, the Gym Leader?"
The man scratched his cheek. He took five seconds to reply. "Volkner Denzi."
"Nice to meet you!"
Nori extended his hand for a shake. It was polite to do that, right? Volkner stared at him blankly, not accepting the gesture. The boy eventually retracted his hand in dejection. Did he not want to? Maybe he was just too worn out. It was late, after all. "So I guess you're the official who's going to be training me?"
Volkner rolled his shoulders, then shrugged them. "Seems so."
"Good to be working with you!" So this was the official who was going to teach him how to ‘train'em like the pros’ (as that guy put it)! Nori may not have been into Pokemon until last August, but even he knew Volkner was renowned as one of the strongest Gym Leaders in Sinnoh, alongside Clint, Flint, or whatever his name was. The Officials had gotten him one of the best teachers possible.
The Gym Leader straightened upright. "In." He pointed at and started walking towards the automatic doors. Nori dutifully followed behind.
Only around a quarter of the lights were on in the Gym. Made sense, that saved power when barely anyone was in there. The entrance lobby was fairly open with a couple monitors that were off, a few tables alongside seats and cushions, some vending machines, and reception desks near each far corner. There was a shuttered concession area on the left with a menu over it. There were fancy-looking yellow doors straight ahead, and two hallways leading off between them and the reception areas.
Nori stood quietly, Volkner not doing anything for about ten seconds. The Gym Leader eventually sighed. "I'll give you a tour."
That would be helpful! Nori smiled as Volkner started explaining. "Lobby. Challengers and visitors can stay here and register to battle. There's concessions too." As he went along, he gestured to each place with a palm. "Public bathrooms and spectator entrances are down the right hall. Challengers come in through the front. Left hall is Gym Trainer's entrances, treatment facilities, supply closets, and administration. Back end of the Gym is restricted. You can't go there."
Nori nodded. He liked exploring, enough that he knew almost all of Veilstone like the back of his hand. But he respected things like private property and restricted areas. Most of the time.
Volkner led him through the big yellow doors. "Here's the Gym's puzzle. Off right now." The room was strange. The sides of the room were higher than the middle, which led down into a 4x4 grid of gears with different colored markings on each. There appeared to be switches on the inside and outside. A pair of similar doors to where they entered were on the other side.
"A puzzle?" Nori tilted his head. "Veilstone's didn't have one."
"Some don't. These and the Gym Trainers are to weed out challengers not worth a Leader's time." Nori tilted his head. There was a lot more to Gyms than he thought.
They passed through into the room beyond. "Here's the battlefield." It spanned both floors of the building. Nori had only seen Veilstone's Gym before, and this was quite ordinary compared to that. The only distinguishing features about this one were the tall pillars on the battlefield. Six in total. One near each corner, plus two along the sides. The latter were closer towards the middle rather than being parallel with the others. The floor was like, well. What you'd see in a gymnasium. There were also a pair of balconies to watch from above on the bottom left and top right corners, from where he walked in.
"That's it here." Volkner turned and left so quick, Nori almost didn't realize. He had to hustle to keep up as the Gym Leader kept moving, towards the doors leading into the left hallway from earlier.
As they emerged, they were in a slightly open area. There was a door leading to a small office here, another vending machine, and two sets of steps that led up and down. "Other floors are staff only. You count as one." The Gym Leader glanced. "Downstairs is just generators and maintenance rooms. Let's go up." Volkner motioned for Nori to follow.
As they went upstairs, Nori spotted a black and yellow humanoid critter wandering about. It had a rounded body and its head looked like an electrical plug.
"An Elekid?" Nori asked. "In the halls?"
"Gym Pokemon. Helps with image and security. They're tame. Just don't provoke them." Nori nodded. He wasn't planning to, though made a mental note to keep his Nidorina in check. "Staff rooms are up here. Just read on what's the door."
They rounded a corner immediately on the left and walked down the halls. Nori took stock of the label plates. Security. Bathrooms. Showers. Laundry. Training room. Exercise room. A couple that read Storage. Balcony, which Nori presumed there were two of as well.
For one room, Volkner did speak up. "Trainer's lounge. Kitchen and food's in here. Don't pig out, don't burn the place down."
Nori felt insulted. "I've been cooking since I was a kid, who do you think I am?"
Volkner didn't even slow down or acknowledge this. He rounded the next corner and continued walking until they came to a room at the end of this hallway. "And here's your room."
"I get to stay in the Gym?"
"It's easier." He reached into his coat and threw a keychain at Nori. The boy nearly fumbled it after making the catch. "Here. Your room, security room, training rooms, front door. Lock up if you go out and no one's here."
The boy looked at it in wonder. His mom never trusted him with a key for the longest time. Now here he was getting a key to a Pokemon Gym of all things! He'd get to stay there, and he'd have his own room too! This was great!
He did a small hop. "So are we gonna get started tomorrow?" he cheerfully asked.
A blank stare. "It's winter break."
"So in the new year, then!"
Volkner sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can't believe this..." He walked off without giving Nori an answer.
Well, maybe Volkner was just tired. He was too, but was just too excited to let it get to him. He unlocked his door and went inside. It was clearly makeshift, but it alone was bigger than his family trailer. There was a dresser with a mirror, a cot, a desk, a clock radio, and even a whole extra closet! He put his bags down in front of the dresser, and on a whim decided he'd check out the rest of the upstairs before even thinking about sleeping.
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