BossCar
Pokémon Trainer
- Pronouns
- He/His
With his hands in the pockets of his black leather pants, a scowling Valen saunters through a busy sidewalk in downtown Angel City. As he passes rows of towering skyscrapers, Valen’s expression is one of cold indifference, unnerving any passerby who happens to look into the dead gaze of his dark blue eyes, or if they happen to look at the menacing eyes of a Salamence that decorates the gunmetal gray shirt underneath his black leather jacket. Much to Valen’s annoyance, he has to walk through a usually crowded area frequented by both locals and tourists, and he isn’t exactly a person who likes to be around tons of people. Valen wishes he had brought headphones to drown out the sound of sneakers and heels on the sidewalks, people talking and yelling in person or on their cell phones, vehicles beeping at the busy intersections, and other noises one would expect to hear within a bustling city block.
Then, Valen notices a billboard atop one of the skyscrapers. His eyes widen when he sees who's on the billboard. "It's....Melanie," Valen murmurs. Melanie and Valen were close friends in their childhood, and well into their teens and young adulthood. Despite their past, Valen’s surprise only lasts for a brief moment, before he stares at the billboard with apathy and indifference. “We may have been best friends, but we’re completely different now,” Valen remarks, believing that Melanie would want nothing to do with nowadays. “Honestly, I’d be lucky to even get five minutes to catch up with her."
Valen continues to saunter, deeply annoyed over having to walk through a crowded sidewalk. One poor soul almost runs into Valen as he dashes through the crowd. Valen brushes off this encounter as he walks off, thinking about another aspect of his past. “I also used to be a famous trainer, but nobody would recognize me now since it’s been five years since I ditched my past persona. I do miss those days, but I’d prefer it if nobody recognizes me."
Unbeknownst to Valen, Melanie isn’t too far from his current location. She's currently residing within the middle floor of a luxury suite that happens to be on the same street that Valen is walking on the side of. Melanie sits on a brown leather sofa, straightening out her elbow length black hair that’s almost as straight as an arrow, However, grooming is not what’s on her mind; she’s searched for her childhood friend, but she's lucked out so far.
“This guy's eluded me for weeks now,” Melanie laments as she glances at an old photo album that she has kept for years. “What’s his deal? The only piece of information that I know is that he works for Dimitri Liniya as one of the ex-military guys and Pokémon Trainers he uses for private security, but that’s it. I can’t even tell if he’s avoiding me on purpose or not.”
Melanie stands up and straightens out her blue jean jacket, which matches her blue jeans and the azure shirt underneath her jacket. “I suppose moping around won’t help. Let’s see if Dimitri Liniya had some success with getting this guy to finally show up.”
Melanie glances towards a large window on her right, staring into the clear skies above. “Valen, I remember you having a heart of gold, but has it since become a heart of stone? I guess I’ll find out eventually.” Melanie turns away from the window and opens a wooden door that leads to a flight of stairs. “I better take the back entrance to avoid being surrounded,” Melanie sighs. “This gets really tiring sometimes.”
Valen's arrived at Liniya Industries, and has been greeted by Dimitri Liniya within a monitor room. Liniya Co. is to Calvana what Sliph is to Kanto, and Devon is to Hoenn. However, Liniya Co. also makes equipment for the Calvana Armed Forces, as well as the region’s law enforcement agencies.”
“You are quite reliable with coming to a job that can have frequent interaction,” Dimitri Liniya remarks as he adjusts his pearly white suit, which contrasts his dark red tie.
“Hmph, zip it and just consider it my way of saying thanks,” Valen grumbles as he stares at the large computer monitors. “You gave jobs to former soldiers, and it’s not easy adjusting back to civilian life after serving in the military. Not that most people give a shit about us in the first place.” Valen hasn’t missed a single day he started working here. He never talks about anything personal. It’s like all he knows is work and serious matters.
“It is the least I could do,” Dimitri admits with his left hand in the pocket of his pearly white dress pants. “However, we will have to cut this talk short; it seems that it was not just Cipher who paved the way for General Branko Pavlović’s regime.”
“Who else is responsible?” Valen asks as Dimitri brings up information on one of the large computer monitors.
“I do not have complete confirmation at this time, but as they were combing through the messages and calls between Cipher members and Pavlović’s private army, my analysts discovered that the names Team Rocket and The Kalos Connection made frequent appearances, with The Kalos Connection being mentioned more,” Dimitri explains.
“Of course this shit would happen. I should have known that The Kalos Connection had the most involvement,” Valen grumbles with a scowl. “Lumiose City almost became a sea of red because of them.” Valen recalls a brutal attempt to monopolize the underbelly of Lumiose City by the Kalosian Mafia, better known as The Kalos Connection. He was even in Kalos at the time when this bloody surge of Pokémon attacking people and gunfights broke out.
“Both Team Rocket and The Kalos Connection has been wanting to set up illicit operations here for a long time. That makes me wonder if it wasn’t Orre that these two organizations were interested in, but Calvana. A war would certainly mean less of our stronger trainers would be able to prevent such an intrusion by criminal factions, and I don’t know how prepared our police are for the level of chaos both could bring should a turf war break out.”
“I don’t like how this sounds,” Valen groans. “The last thing anyone needs is an underworld power struggle.”
“Unfortunately, it gets worse,” Dimitri informs Valen as he pulls up additional information on the monitor. “It would appear that those responsible for thousands of deaths and disappearances have also infiltrated the seedy side of Calvana.”
“Cipher became Pavlović’s secret police afterwards,” Valen remembers. “Many of them fled before they could be captured. We weren’t able to round as many of them up as I would have liked to.” Then, Valen goes silent, thinking, “What Dimitri doesn’t know is that I swore an eye for eye for every victim of the genocide committed by the regime. If I find any of these scumbags within my home region, I’ll exterminate each and every one of them. I have no remorse. Never had, never will.”
“That’s why I suspect that those who infiltrated the criminal underworld were members of Orre Secret Police,” Dimitri replies, snapping Valen out of his morbid train of thought.
“Calvana invaded Orre due to the huge threat posed by that regime, plus Pavlović’s goons tried to hunt down defectors within our borders,” Valen remarks. “It would seem that the region is still threatened, despite everything Pokémon Trainers like myself has to go through-”
“As dangerous as this situation could potentially be, you must not fret on it,” Dimitri cuts Valen off. “You cannot spend your days solely focusing on what you could not have stopped by yourself in the first place, nor can you stop any of this by yourself.“
“What’re you saying?” Valen asks. “Not only is this important, but this is world’s too cold and cruel to be happy and have fun.”
“You are not the only one capable of handing such a situation,” Dimitri retorts. "You need to stop living such a serious life that revolves around focusing on the darker aspects of this world. This behavior is not healthy for you at all.”
”Something came up, didn’t it?” Valen asks, not wanting to talk about how he chooses to live his life. “Something or someone from my past, I presume.”
“You do not know?” Dimitri asks, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Your old friend has been attempting to figure out what is going on with you, even contacting me in person. Maybe it is time for-”
“Huh, she’s actually been asking about me?” Valen cuts Dimitri off with his own eyebrows raised, scratching his disheveled, spiky black hair that bear a slight resemblance to the spikes on a Gengar’s back. “I thought she’d be too preoccupied to have the time for me.”
“How were you a member of the military’s most elite unit, yet you remain this oblivious to certain things around you?” Dimitri sighs while placing his palm on his face, with the ends of his figures touching on part of his copper brown hair over his forehead.
”Hmph, you really think anybody actually misses me?” Valen scoffs, his stare emitting zero warmth. “I’ll bet I’ll never see Melanie again if I meet up with her. How the hell do we know that she won't abandon me after one day?"
“Well, there is only one way to find out,” Dimitri retorts. “You do know that I have the power to make you take a vacation, right?”
“Fine, I’ll go see her, so tell her I said to wait in our old spot,” Valen grunts, still not seeing any point to this. However, Valen doesn’t want to be bossed around either, so he feels like he’s in a lose-lose situation. “Gah, if it was another girl, I’d think this was a set-up for a blind date for your television network.”
“Valen, I just formed the Liniya Network,” Dimitri replies. Television is something that Dimitri has wanted to get into for a while now, as the Liniya Corporation is always looking to expand its corporate empire.
“That increases the implications,” Valen grumbles. “This is such a pain in the ass.”
”I believe that you should get going,” Dimitri comments.
”Wait, why’d you tell me all of that if you were going to pull this shit on me?” Valen asks.
”It is still important information, and I never said that you do not need to know this,” Dimitri replies. “What you need to know is that you are nor the only person who can handle this, and yet you tend to act like you are.”
”I still don’t get it, because this is a severe matter,” Valen comments.
”That doesn’t change the fact that there are others who can handle it. Not to mention that with the exception of intel gathering, you wouldn’t be able to directly partake in such operations,” Dimitri replies. “Valen, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take this seriously, but you’ve lost something big. I want you to figure out what you’ve lost as a result of solely focusing on work.”
“Dimitri, what about these vile-“
“With all due respect, there are people better suited for such tasks.”
Melanie sits on a park bench in a quaint, quieter neighborhood that is a considerable distance away from downtown. This is the same neighborhood where both Valen and Melanie grew up in. As plants rustle in the wind, Melanie quietly waits for Valen, surrounded by people walking, laughing and talking. “This spot is where the two of us used to hang out,” Melanie reminisces about her childhood and teenage years, noticing a pair of teenagers battling it out with a Druddigon and an Altaria. This sight makes Melanie nostalgic about the times Valen and her duked it out with their own dragons. “Dimitri told me that Valen said to meet him at our old spot, so I assume-” Melanie’s train of thought is interrupted as she hears a familiar roar close by. Melanie glances upwards, noting that the roar was intimidating enough to accidentally scare off a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto. “Hm? That sounds like a Salamence. Does that mean-” Another roar cuts Melanie off, as a Salamence comes into her line of sight. Once the dragon has landed, a group of kids marvel at this strong Pokémon.
Melanie’s mouth has already curved into a smile, as she’s noticed who’s slouching between the dragon's wings. After weeks of searching for him, her childhood friend’s finally showed himself.
Melanie’s brown eyes light up as she watches Valen jump off his Salamence, who’s nicknamed Kratos. Then, one of Melanie’s Pokémon himself out of his Poké Ball. The Pokémon in question is her Dragonite, Magni. Kratos and Magni are happy to see each other, giving each other a claw bump. These two dragons go way back, having had a close friendship and a friendly rivalry for many years.
Melanie’s brown eyes lit up as she watches jumps off his Salamence. Then, one of Melanie’s Pokémon lets himself out of his Poké Ball. The Pokémon in question is her Dragonite, Magni. Kratos and Magni are happy to see each other, giving each other a claw bump. These two dragons go way back, having had a close friendship and a friendly rivalry for many years.
“They haven’t seen each other in a while, so let em hang out. After all, it looks like they still have their dragon bromance,” Valen tells Melanie. As he sits next to her on the bench, Valen watches his Salamence and Melanie’s Dragonite arguing over who’s the cooler dragon. Magni lets out a lowered cry, telling Valen’s Salamence that “he’s cooler.” Kratos laughs it off, letting out a lowered roar to say “keep dreaming.”
As the dragons playfully quarrel, Valen glances towards Melanie. “I still like this park. It’s quiet and relaxing, compared to the fast pace of downtown. I always liked the old style of architecture here, since this area was first constructed and first inhabited in the late 18th century.”
“We made a lot of memories here,” Melanie remarks, sporting a warm smile as she's overcome with nostalgic, happy memories. One such memory involves Valen jumping for joy when his Shelgon evolved into Salamence. “I’m happy that you remembered this spot.”
"I believe you have questions for me, albeit I thought you’d be much more happy to see me,” Valen remarks, silently pondering about how this reunion will turn out.
“Of course I am happy to see you again, and yes I do have questions!” Melanie exclaims, scowling as she glares at Valen in annoyance. “First of all, why were you so damn difficult to find?!
“I dunno, why was I so difficult to find?” Valen retorts, slouching as he stares blankly at the sky. “I’m not a magician, you know. I’m just a guy who likes to be very discreet.”
“Oh, like I’m going to accept that reason!” Melanie grumbles. “Give me a better answer!”
"Do you think I give a fuck?" Valen barks, closing his eyes and folding his arms. “Accept it or don’t accept it. Do whatever the hell you want.”
"H-Hey, don't be so rude!" Melanie shouts, furrowing her eyebrows. "I've been looking for your ass for weeks!"
"Huh, you were indeed looking for me,” Valen nonchalantly observes with his right thumb and index finger on his chin. “Interesting, so I guess my hunch was incorrect.”
“Hey!” Melanie blurts out loudly, her eyes bulging out in anger. “Don’t act like it’s not a big deal, got it?!”
"Don't give me commands.” Valen rebukes. "You're not my commanding officer in special forces."
Melanie's noticed that the two dragons are looking at them, along with several other onlookers and Pokémon. Despite Valen's rudeness really irking her, she decides it's best that she calms down, hoping that Valen will too. “Sorry, I got a little carried away,” Melanie admits. “It’s been a while, that’s all. Moving on, you said special forces. I'd like to know at least a little bit about that, assuming everything isn't top secret."
Valen may be very distrustful, but he decides to answer her question to an extent. “I assume that you recall that the war was the first one this region's fought in decades. As a result, I initially did what our troops usually do, which I assume that you recall as well. My tasks were search and rescue, disaster relief, counterterrorism, fighting Pokémon poachers, and so on," Valen replies. "I was Third Battalion Infantry, so I was going to be part of the third unit deployed to Orre. However, just before the war broke out, my commanding officer unexpectedly wrote a letter of recommendation for me to join the SSF, or Shadow Strike Force. I can’t give much more detailed information than that. We weren’t even allowed to use our real names.”
“That’s the unit that found the mass graveyards,” Melanie thinks to herself, her eyebrows angled downwards while letting out a heavy sigh. “Valen...no wonder you changed so drastically...you saw the effects of genocide with your own two eyes. It doesn't help that a number of those evil people are still on the run.”
Valen reveals the inside of his jacket, showing Melanie a gold medal shaped like a fang, and a purple medal shaped like a shield. “Compared to you, these are my only big achievements; the Fang of Valor, and the Purple Shield. The latter isn’t exactly one to be proud about, at least for me it isn’t.”
Melanie winces at the sight of Valen’s Purple Shield "Why'd...why'd you keep that a secret?" Why didn’t you tell me you got hurt?” Melanie bows her head, wondering what else he’s hiding from her.
"Relax, I made a full recovery from those wounds,” Valen replies. “The scars are still there, though.”
"...At least tell me what happened....please?" Melanie asks, nearly on the verge of tears.
“...My unit ran into a machine gun nest near Pyrite Town.” Valen says. Then, Valen points to Kratos. “This guy took out that nest after I got hit multiple times, and all of my Pokémon made sure my unit got me to the medics safely. Both medals serve as a reminder to the horrors of war. If we don’t learn from the past, then we’ll be blindsided in the future.”
“You saw a lot of horrible things in Orre, huh?” Melanie asks in a brittle tone.
“There’s quite an interesting dynamic between us,” Valen states, having deciding that he doesn’t want to talk about Orre anymore.
“What do you mean?” Melanie asks, blinking in confusion.
“You blossomed and I withered, and yet here you are,” Valen somberly replies. Then, Valen's mouth curves into a faint smile. “You could be hanging out with big time celebrities, but you passed all that up to find a nobody like me. Heh, I can’t say I was expecting that.”
“A nobody? Is that what he thinks of himself?” Melanie laments to herself. “Is that why he didn’t bother to reach out on his own?”
“Thanks,” Valen says with a hint of gratitude, interrupting Melanie’s train of thought. “You’re still the one person who’d never gave up on me. That means a lot to me.”
“Hey, anytime,” Melanie replies in a warm tone, her eyes gleaming with joy. “However, now that we finally met up again, I expect to see you again very soon, big guy.”
Valen closes his eyes, not wanting Melanie see his eyes have moistened up. He's moved that his childhood friend went to the trouble of looking for him, and he accepts that he was at least a little bit wrong. However, Valen chooses to keep this feeling a secret. “I should be getting back to Dimitri now, but sure,” Valen tells Melanie, re-opening his eyes as he stands up and walks towards Kratos. “Believe it or not, he actually let me leave work for this, not that I have any security duties at this time. Anyway, I’ll see you around.” Kratos takes flight, and Melanie and Magni watch both trainer a Pokémon leave. Then, Magni turns his head to see how his trainer’s doing.
“I’m fine, Magni,” Melanie reassures her Dragonite, but she’s got an expression of uncertainty on her face. “Should I be happy that I finally saw him again, or should I be sad that he’s no longer the person he used to be? It’s an odd situation to be in,” Melanie admits, sporting a frown.
After a brief silence, Melanie smiles and forms a fist with her right hand. “There’s no point being gloomy myself. “I guess it’s up to us to bring back the old Valen, isn’t it? I’m sure you want another duel between dragons as well.” Magni’s expression turns into one of confidence upon hearing his trainer utter these words. “Hopefully, his battle loving side’s still in there.”
“So, how did it go?” Dimitri asks Valen, slightly worried that Valen has screwed everything up.
“It seems to have gone well,” Valen admits, causing Dimitri to breath a sigh in relief. "However, I couldn’t tell her about the other job I have, at least not yet.”
“That is some surprisingly decent social progress on your part for once,” Dimitri acknowledges with a faint chuckle. “Moving on to that other job, we have heard a rumor that the leader of The Kalos Connection plans to move operations here due to too much heat by Kalos law enforcement.”
“So, we've now identified a high-level target?” Valen asks. ”Happiness? Fun? This shit’s too serious for either of those things. Why doesn’t he get it?"
“Yes, and his name is Francis Blanchard. On the surface, Francis is the owner of an international chain of restaurants, which is a rather convenient way to launder the money the Pavlović regime gave him,” Dimitri replies. “Both him and I just happened to have been invited to same gala, albeit I am rather suspicious about its origins.”
"So, when does this gala take place?" Valen asks.
“Two weeks from now." Dimitri feels a thickness in his throat; it's actually taking place in one week. Dimitri said two weeks in the hopes that by then, Melanie will have gotten Valen to realize that a little bit of joy and fun in his life wouldn't hurt.
“Oh come on, what am I supposed to do for one week?” Valen groans. "It's not like I have any close friends these days. Even if Melanie and I do hang out, it won't be easy to reconcile our old friendship.”
“Well, I do have the power to make you take a vacation," Dimitri points out. “Or, do I have to call General Barsotti and have him make you take a vacation?”
Valen rolls his eyes, grumbling, “Fine, I’ll take a vacation, but at least you unintentionally reminded me to call my dad.”
“Somebody has to remind you to do your least favorite thing in the world, which is talking to people," Dimitri jokes.
"Be quiet," Valen retorts.
”Not happening,” Dimitri jokes, before becoming serious again. “As per usual, notify Anabel or myself if you happen to run into anything suspicious.”
“Sure, whatever,” Valen grumbles. “Pain in my ass.”
Notes:
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