Chapter Text
The new campsite in the Coronet Highlands was next to a river, and every so often Laventon could see Pokémon eyeing him as they took drinks on the opposite bank. Laventon wasn’t sure what to make of it, but he appreciated the opportunity to observe them from his safe distance.
While Laventon waited for the field research team to return with their specimens, he liked to take notes on what he could see around him: the way golduck’s powerful webbed claws cut through the water, or the strange pattern on the backs of every bronzor he saw. Sometimes he drew little sketches in the margins of his notes. They were more to pass the time than anything else, so they weren’t much like the in-depth, anatomically correct sketches in his office. He was always careful to cut them out before turning in his notes to Captain Cyllene.
“That’s a good parasect.”
Laventon jumped at the voice behind him, letting out an involuntary yelp. Embarrassed, he turned to find Volo standing behind him, bent over to get a better look at what he was drawing.
“Volo! Yes, I was just drawing the one across the way.” He gestured with his pencil across the river, but his subject must have wandered off. “Er, well. It was there a minute ago.”
“Even with the security corps around, you sure are jumpy out here,” Volo said, sitting down next to the professor. He leaned over to try and catch a glimpse of any other doodles he could find in Laventon’s field journal. “Are you that afraid of Pokémon?”
“I am afraid of surprises, more like,” Laventon responded, shutting his book with a pronounced slam. “Which is precisely why I’ve chosen to study Pokémon. The more I know, the less afraid I shall be.”
Volo beamed. “That’s very admirable of you, Professor.”
The compliment sent heat to Laventon’s cheeks, which he chose to ignore, along with Volo’s smile and his closeness and the way in which he was now drumming his fingers on top of the field journal.
“Yes, er, well. Everybody’s got to do something, I suppose.” Then, internally: Laventon, what does that mean, old chap?
If Volo thought it was silly, he didn’t say. Just continued to smile like Laventon had said the most astounding bit of wisdom.
“What business brings you to Mount Coronet, then?” Laventon asked, looking down at the closed journal in his hands (anywhere but right in front of him).
“Not business,” Volo said with a grin. “Pleasure.”
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“When I heard you relentless Galaxy Team folks were headed this way, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to scout on my own here and there. This place is full of pieces of the past, if you know where to look.”
“And I’m guessing you do know where to look.”
“Oh, have I caught your interest, professor?” Volo leaned forward when he said it, which only served to push Laventon off his balance.
The professor cleared his throat. “I’m afraid the things you find interesting and the things I find relevant to my research are not always compatible.” He scooted back on the ground to give himself some space. “If I understand correctly, Volo, you chase stories. As a scientist, I chase facts.”
“A practical man, if I ever saw one,” retorted Volo. He hugged his knees to his chest. “But what if I told you this time it was something that concerned both of our fields? What if I told you I found fossilized evidence of two very, very old Pokémon?”
That did pique Laventon’s interest. He caught Volo’s eye, any ounce of hesitation gone. “Where?”
“A ways away,” Volo said coolly. “It’s a bit of a hike.”
“I shall have to inform my field researchers,” Laventon said. “Perhaps they could find something to bring back for me to analyse. But what I wouldn’t give to see something like that for myself!”
“Then come with me.”
“I’m sorry?"
“If you want to see it, then you should come with me.”
“Volo, I couldn’t. There’s too much work to be done–”
“Like doodling parasects.”
Laventon opened his mouth to respond, but he found he had no answer.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Professor,” Volo said. He picked himself up and dusted himself off. Then he stretched a hand out to Laventon. “After all, you’ll be with me! I’d never let anything happen to you. It’s bad for business, after all.”
Laventon stared at Volo’s hand for what was definitely too long. He knew he should stay here, that it was safe at camp. There were rules, directives, and Cyllene would kill him for breaking them if a Pokémon didn’t manage to get to him first.
“Fossils, man!” Volo urged.
“Alright, Volo,” he said, grabbing the man’s hand to pull himself up. “You win. Show me.”
Volo’s hand was soft, not a trace of callus or blister on them. To contrast, Laventon knew his own was coarse and clammy, skin peeling off of a particularly nasty burn from cyndaquil. Self-conscious, he pulled his hand free from Volo’s grip and thought he saw, just for a second, disappointment wash over the other man’s face. But it soon faded back into excitement as Volo forged ahead, leaving the professor little choice but to nervously follow.
They had been walking for what felt like an hour. Along the way, Laventon listened while Volo pointed out small pockets of places where the ancient people of Hisui lived. It was like his own private tour of the old Celestica civilization. Though Laventon admittedly was not one for history, he hung on every word. Even the most boring of subjects could be made interesting when told through the lens of someone who truly cared about it. And Sinnoh, did Volo care.
As they traveled, Laventon’s thoughts wandered to Volo himself and why he’d been so insistent on bringing Laventon all this way to look at some bones. He never did see Volo traveling with other Ginkgo Guild members, even though they usually came to Jubilife in pairs. Perhaps he was lonely.
Of course, it would be impolite to ask. And it would especially be impolite to interrupt the monologue Volo was currently giving about the Celestica’s relationship to almighty Sinnoh. Nevermind that he missed half of it because he was too busy…thinking about Volo.
Volo finished his tour at the mouth of a cave. “Here it is,” he said with a grand, sweeping gesture. “After you, professor.”
Laventon peeked into the cave tentatively. “Are there… Pokémon in there?”
“I do believe we came here to see Pokémon.”
Laventon shot him a look. “I meant living ones.”
Volo could only laugh. “They won’t hurt you, as long as you’re respectful. Now come on.” He grabbed Laventon’s arm and dragged him inside.
They didn’t have to walk far to see it: two massive Pokémon skeletons jutting out of the cave wall. Laventon’s jaw dropped. He could feel every part of his body, every breath, every heartbeat. Suddenly he was aware of just how small he was, and just how alive he was, and how young he was, all at once.
“Neat, right?” said Volo, his voice echoing through the cave.
“I suppose you could use ‘neat’ to describe it,” Laventon breathed.
“What word would you use, Professor?” Volo was right next to him now, beaming at the look of wonder on Laventon’s face.
“Astonishing. Magnificent. Unbelievable. Colossal. Indescri-”
“Alright, alright! You win.”
As their voices lingered as echoes, Laventon felt Volo’s elbow poke into his ribs. He looked to see Volo nodding in a direction off to the side of the cave. Laventon followed Volo’s gaze to see it: a nosepass sitting there, facing the fossils, as though it were just staring at them. Just like Laventon and Volo were staring.
“I suppose we have more in common with Pokémon than we realize,” he said aloud.
“What a lonely thing,” Volo mused, “to sit here by oneself and stare at dead Pokémon.”
Laventon tore his gaze from the fossils to look at Volo. “Is that why you wanted me to come with you? So you wouldn’t be… lonely?”
Volo snorted. “What? No, I brought you here because I thought you’d like to see it, is all.”
Laventon wasn’t sure he bought that explanation. There was something in the way Volo shrank back when he said it, and how quickly too. Laventon had made Volo go on the defensive, which he didn’t mean to do at all.
“I do like it,” said Laventon. “...Thank you.”
The solitude of the cave only served to magnify every bit of the moment. He could hear everything: Volo’s breath, his own breath, the quiet thuds of the nosepass rocking back and forth against the cave floor. It magnified the gesture, too. Volo had gone through so much trouble to bring him here. Whatever the reason, Volo wanted him to be here. And now they were alone here, except for the nosepass, and Laventon couldn’t stop thinking back to how Volo was behaving at the camp.
“Have I caught your interest, professor?”
“Not on business. Pleasure.”
Was Volo trying to tell him something, or was he reading too much into it? There wasn’t enough information to draw a conclusion. And moreover, what did that mean for him and what he wanted? Volo’s closeness, the soft touch of his hand, his playful manner of speaking–they set Laventon on edge.
But Pokémon made him nervous, too, and he loved them.
Laventon thought about reaching down to catch Volo’s hand with his little finger. Just to see what would happen. But burdening Volo with his sudden feelings, when so much of Hisui seemed to be falling apart at the seams lately, felt cruel.
“You should take a picture with that camera of yours,” Volo said suddenly, his voice clearing the fog of Laventon’s own thoughts. “So you can have something to study later.”
“I have enough plates for two,” Laventon said, digging through his bag. “I should like to take one of you, if you don’t mind.”
“Me?”
“It’s only a shame our friend the nosepass couldn’t take one of the both of us,” Laventon continued, loading the plate in his camera. “I think it would be nice to have something to remember this moment, you know?”
Laventon let the sentiment linger as he looked through the viewfinder to line up the shot of the fossils by their lonesome. He thought he could see Volo moving out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his attention on the fossils until… click!
“I’m not sure how nice they’ll come out, seeing as there’s not much light in here, but…” Laventon trailed off when he saw Volo holding a Pokéball in his hand. He stared down at it, as though he was considering whether or not to throw it. “Something the matter?”
Volo looked up and smiled. “Oh, no. I just didn’t want to startle you again. I have a friend who can take our picture. He’s a quick learner!” With no more warning, Volo tossed the ball onto the ground, letting out a purple dragon-like Pokémon. A gabite, if Laventon was not mistaken.
“That is… if you can trust a Pokémon with your camera.” The gabite held out its taloned claws and chirped rather politely.
The two worked together to set gabite up in front of the fossils, Laventon finding the perfect angle for the Pokémon to hold up the camera by checking the viewfinder himself. Once the angle was perfect, Laventon let gabite hold onto the camera. The dragon did this ever so carefully, every ounce of his concentration focused on not dropping the expensive device.
“It’s this button here,” Laventon said, pointing out the button on the top of the camera. If gabite was listening, it didn’t indicate that. It just kept on looking at the camera it held like a delicate newly-hatched gible.
Then Laventon joined Volo, who had been standing in front of the wall.
“One more thing,” he said, holding up a finger. He fished in his bag for a second pokeball, which he released next to gabite: a togetic. The winged fairy followed Volo’s direction, flitting to a corner of the room her trainer had designated for it.
“Now we’re ready,” said Volo, reaching his arm around Laventon’s shoulders and pulling him in. “In three!”
Laventon, caught off guard, did not know what to do. Was he supposed to put his arm around Volo?
“Two!”
But wouldn’t that be weird? If not that, then what else should he be doing with his hands in the photo? Think faster, Laventon!
“One!”
Laventon’s arm shot around Volo’s waist as he forced a smile. Just in time, too. Togetic let out a flash of light as gabite brought its snout down on the button. The camera clicked, and it was done. Laventon felt Volo give his arm a squeeze before he let go.
“You’ll have to show us how that one comes out,” Volo said, strolling over to pet gabite on the head. “It was a real team effort!” Togetic danced around the both of them as Volo took the camera and handed it back to the professor. Laventon felt there wasn’t a happier sight in the world than Volo with his two Pokémon.
But it was curious how much Volo’s Pokémon had grown. He wondered if that was a natural side effect of how much wandering the merchant did. With no place to call home, Hisui certainly did follow the principle of “survival of the fittest.”
“Well,” Volo continued, letting his Pokémon back into their balls, “I suppose I should get you back to camp. I’ve taken enough of your time already.”
“By all accounts,” Laventon said, taking care to pack his camera back in the bag, “you’ve taken nothing. But you've given me plenty.”
“So the professor enjoyed this diversion, did he?” The corners of Volo’s smile rose wryly up his cheeks. “Then I shall have to find more opportunities to steal you away from your unending work.”
“I-I-I- that- that is- I would- I would like that,” Laventon stammered.
Volo only laughed. “We’ll rid you of that nervous habit yet. Like I said before, Professor. You have nothing to worry about when you’re with me.”