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"Don't move!" You tried to open your eyes. "Oh my, didn't you hear me? I said, do not move." A familiar voice faintly echoed in your head. Once again, you tried to open your eyes, but to no avail. A groan escaped your lips as you attempted to move despite the warning. At first, you felt only a slight tingling in your extremities, but it quickly turned into an unbearable burning sensation.
"See? You should have listened. But no worries, my friend—it doesn't look too serious." The voice echoed much louder in your mind this time. You tried once more to open your eyes, and this time, you succeeded. Your vision was blurry. Shades of grey, red, and blue blended into an indistinguishable haze. You struggled to focus on your surroundings. The sound of waves crashing against boulders. The smell of salt and dirt. The metallic taste lingering in your mouth.
"Are you awake?" Something wet hit your face. You winced as your vision slowly cleared.
"What the-why did you do that?" you groaned, wincing again as speaking brought pain.
"Ah, there you are. For a moment, I was afraid I'd lost my favourite customer."
"Volo!" you whined, trying to turn onto your side, but a sharp, burning sensation stopped you in your tracks.
"Is that any way to thank your saviour?" the merchant gloated, pulling something from his giant backpack. "You really are strange. But now, tell me did the potion heal you at all?" he asked, beginning to tear your shirt open.
"What are you doing?" you muttered angrily, blood spilling from your lips.
"Your manners are dreadful," he said with a smirk. "I'm helping you -you should be grateful." He pointed to your abdomen. You raised your head with great effort. Everything from your waist to your ribcage was red, mangled, and drenched in blood.
"Shit." You tried to take a deep breath, but the pain was too overwhelming.
"Indeed. It seems someone got a little clumsy and tumbled down the cliff," Volo said cheerfully. "But no need to worry—I'm here to save you. Luckily, I happen to sell a variety of medical supplies."
"Lucky me," you winced as something cold touched your skin. "What—?"
"If you continue to act like this I won't be able to clean your wounds." Volo scolded you. "I can bandage you up, but there is nothing more I can do unfortunately. The rest will have to be handled by your medical corps." You felt a thick paste being smeared over your bruised skin.
"Thank you, Volo," you muttered, exhausted.
"Anything for my number one customer. My investment in your well-being is an investment in my success as a merchant. I do need you.," he said with a smile, pulling a pack of bandages from his backpack. "Now hold still—this might hurt."
You tried to stifle a cry, but the burning was too intense. You tossed and turned, using the last reserves of your energy, but finally, Volo managed to bandage your wounds.
"From now on, I'll tip you even more than I usually do," you mumbled sheepishly.
"See? That’s how you do business!" Volo declared proudly and chuckled.
"If you can help me up, I’ll try to walk to the next base camp," you tried to sit up straight. Since the burning sensation was slowly subsiding.
"How honourable of you. But I’m afraid that won’t be possible today," the merchant replied, pointing to the sky. "Dusk is already setting in, and the path to your base camp is too rugged to guarantee a safe journey in the dark. We’ll have to stay the night."
"Doesn’t seem like I have a choice. Good thing I have a tent in my—" You groaned as your memories returned. "I lost my saddle when I fell off that cliff."
"How unfortunate. And I don’t sell tents either. But fear not, my friend! A good merchant always carries a tent in case of emergency." In the blink of an eye, Volo pulled a tent from the top of his backpack and set it up. "This will be fun—just me and my favourite customer!" Volo exclaimed cheerfully as he pulled you into the tent. "I’ll make us some food, and you can share valuable information with me. It’ll be great!"
The tent, while surprisingly sturdy, was unfortunately rather small. You wondered how Volo fit inside in the first place—and even more so, how both of you were supposed to sleep here. But the merchant didn’t seem the least bit concerned. He hummed happily while rummaging through his backpack before crawling back into the tent beside you.
"I have some vegetables I could make for dinner. I'm sure after a good meal you will feel much better." He smiled and turned around to leave. "You should relax now. I’ll be back with our food soon," Volo whispered, his voice lower than usual. "And don’t die—death is terrible for business." He chuckled and stepped out of the tent, leaving you alone behind. "See you soon!"
You let out a deep breath and tried to relax, but it was no use—the pain was still too strong. You groaned, shifting uncomfortably. The ground beneath you felt hard, like solid stone—nothing like what you were used to. You tried to recall how you ended up here. You remembered fighting a powerful Bronzong on your way to the Celestica Ruins. Your team had been too exhausted to handle the battle, so you hid, hoping to catch it. But none of your Pokéballs were strong enough to contain Bronzong’s power, and in the end, you had no choice but to flee.
You shuddered at the thought of how Captain Cylene would react when she found out you’d slipped up. She wouldn’t be happy, that much was sure. But that was a worry for another time. Closing your eyes, you focused on the sounds outside the tent. You heard a sizzling sound, followed by a sharp noise.
"Food's ready." A plate of roasted vegetables was shoved next to you into the tent. "It’s important to eat well when you’re hurt, so go on, eat up."
"I can’t reach it," you said, trying to extend your arm.
"Well, I guess I’ll have to feed you then. How awkward," Volo said, picking up a vegetable.
"Can I just sleep?" you groaned.
"We can do that too," the merchant replied with a smile. He took off his hat, loosened his blonde bun, and stripped off his coat and pants. "So, how do you like your new life in Hisui?" he asked, turning toward you with a smile.
"Hmm. I’m not sure," you replied, trying to crawl away to give yourself more space. "I don’t think I was bleeding out as much in my old life." You would have giggled if it didn’t hurt so much. "But I’m still alive, so... it’s fine, I think," you sighed. "At least I have great friends like you who care for me, so I guess I can count myself lucky."
"Of course," Volo nodded. "But do you ever miss your old home?"
"I—" You whimpered. "I barely remember it. Sometimes I get bits and pieces. A boy—my neighbour, I think—who used to travel with me. We were friends, and our Pokémon were our friends too. Occasionally, I hear my mom’s voice. But that’s all."
"That’s interesting," Volo yawned. "I’m sure they miss you." He smiled. "If you ever want to go home, I’ll help you, of course. Even if I’d miss you too."
"I’d miss you too, Volo," you yawned. "I think I should sleep now. I need to get healthy... to be a good customer and all."
"Of course. But you—" You didn’t hear the rest as you drifted off into a bumpy, uncomfortable sleep.
"Good morning." Something hot hit your face. You groaned and opened your eyes, looking up, down, left, and right.
"You look better today. Did you sleep well?" Volo’s face was pressed right up against yours.
"Volo!" you exclaimed, annoyed.
"You’re quite loud in your sleep, did you know that? I could barely close an eye because of you, little Snorlax," he snickered, pushing himself away. "Now that you’re awake, you should eat your dinner." He shoved the now ice-cold plate into the tent. "Are you feeling better?"
"I think so." You inhaled deeply. The burning sensation had completely left your body, and you could move your limbs again. You grabbed a vegetable and popped it into your mouth. "You’re a good cook, Volo."
"Thank you, you’re too sweet. That’s why you’re my favourite customer." He scooted closer to you, cupping your cheeks gently with his hands. "Your fever’s gone down. That’s good." He smiled softly.
"I guess so," you coughed. "I think we can leave soon."
"The sun’s already up. I’ll pack up the tent, then I’ll carry you to one of your base camps." You rolled out of the tent, still groggy, and tried to sit up straight. It was a laborious task, but you managed.
"You look almost as good as new," Volo said cheerfully, kneeling down beside you. "But I still think you need to be carried." You tried to protest, but he had already scooped you up. "And off we go."
You hiked over the rocky surface of Clamberclaw Cliffs, making your way up to the Celestica Ruins. After some initial hesitation, you allowed yourself to sink into Volo's arms, taking in the view. The vast pillar paths and ancient statues surrounded you. A small group of wild Shinx darted around, but nothing else of note approached.
"Why were you out here anyway, Volo? There aren’t any other Gingko Guild merchants around," you asked, curious.
"Oh, I was just strolling through the ruins on my break. Nothing special," he beamed. You couldn’t help but wonder how he’d even made it up here, given that the Pokémon were far too strong for your own team. There was no way Volo’s Togepi could win a fight here. Maybe he was just lucky. You sighed—something you certainly weren’t.
As Volo carried you onward, your thoughts drifted to all the reports Captain Cylene would make you fill out once you recovered. You’d likely be stuck at Jubilife Village for a while. Still, maybe it would be a good opportunity to train your Pokémon even further.
"I think we’re almost at your camp. The summit one, isn’t it?" Volo asked. You nodded, feeling exhausted.
"Oh dear!" A familiar voice called out. Footsteps echoed across the ground, and you felt something tug at your arm.
"Volo! What happened?" A man in a purple hat leaned over you—Professor Laventon. The sound of his friendly, smooth voice made you smile.
"Someone was a little clumsy and took a tumble off one of the Clamberclaw Cliffs," Volo explained as he passed you into the arms of a guard.
"Oh dear, don’t worry. We’ll get you back to the village safe and sound." Laventon tried to smile, but his worry was evident.
"I hope you have a good recovery, I'm sure your medical corps will take good care of you" Volo said, leaning over you before readjusting his backpack and turning to leave.
"Are you leaving already, Volo?" you muttered.
"Well, I still have business to attend to. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon—we always do," he grinned, then added in a softer voice, "If I have time, I’ll visit you in the village. But for now, I have to go. I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with Ginter." The merchant turned and started heading back toward the Celestica Ruins.
Meanwhile, Laventon and the guard were discussing something anxiously, but you didn’t listen, just hoping the journey to the village wouldn’t take too long. And as Professor Laventon carefully began your descent, your eyes stayed fixed on the merchant disappearing into the distance. Your new life in Hisui wasn't so bad after all.