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Your feet pounded against the dirt on the path towards Galaxy Hall as you ran through Jubilife Village. Your lungs burned from the exertion; you’d run all the way from the Obsidian Fieldlands, and you were running low on stamina. But you wouldn’t stop now. You couldn’t stop now.
You had been out on an expedition when Rei and Akari had approached you in a rush, scaring away a Starly you were observing. You were halfway through chastising the younger surveyors when they said something that made your blood run cold:
“Volo’s been captured.”
You barely heard them mention that he was being held in Kamado’s office before you took off running.
You flung open the doors to Galaxy Hall, dashing past Bagin without a word. You knew that people were looking at you strangely, but you didn’t care. As you ran up the flights of stairs, your thoughts moved a mile a minute with potential outcomes and scenarios that could play out before you. What would this mean for him? For you? For both of you?
Well, you supposed as you scrambled up the stairs to the third floor, you would soon find out.
You burst into Kamado’s office to see the commander standing over Volo, whose wrists were bound behind him. Kamado was incensed, staring at Volo with a fury you’d only seen a few times before, once when you were exiled. Volo, on the other hand, looked terrified; he had a few superficial scratches, but nothing major, suggesting he hadn’t put up much of a fight.
As you made your way inside, your eyes met Volo’s, and something inside you snapped.
You rushed forward, placing yourself between Volo and Kamado. The fury on the commander’s face changed to confusion as you met his gaze with a glare. “What is the meaning of this?” Kamado demanded, folding his arms over his chest.
You panted as you caught your breath, placing a hand on Kamado’s desk to stabilize yourself. Up until now, you’d been acting on pure instinct; as your thoughts caught up with you, you realized that you didn’t know what Kamado even intended to do with Volo. “Please,” you finally managed to say, your tone breathy from exhaustion. “Give him a second chance.”
Kamado’s eyes widened before his frown deepened. “A second chance?” he repeated. “Need I remind you of Volo’s actions that led him to this point?”
“No, you don’t need to remind me,” you answered, standing up straight. “But he–”
“He has caused incalculable pain and suffering to the people of this land,” Kamado interrupted. “Tearing a hole in the fabric of reality is hardly the kind of thing one gives second chances for!”
“And how can he atone for that if we don’t give him the chance to?” Your voice had increased in volume to match Kamado’s, and you clenched your fist at your side.
Kamado glowered at you, his eyes narrowing. “If he is given a second chance–which I’m still convinced he shouldn’t be–then how can any of us be certain he won’t use that to stab us in the back again?”
His words stung, and you shuddered under his harsh gaze. What stung most was that he had a fair point; he had strung you and the entire village along for so long before the incident at the temple. Who’s to say he wouldn’t do the same thing again? Could he be manipulating you right now?
You turned to look at Volo over your shoulder; he wasn’t looking at you and Kamado, and his hair had fallen into his face. As if sensing your gaze on him, he looked up at you; when your eyes met, you felt a surge of emotion rush through you.
He looked at you like you held his life in the palm of your hand.
You steeled your nerves, turning back towards Kamado. “It’s true. I can’t be certain that he won’t betray me…us…again,” you began, trying your best to keep your voice even. “But by casting him out, we perpetuate the cycle of pain and anguish that led him to this point in the first place. If there’s a chance that I can help him love this world as we do, no matter how small, I want to take it.”
Kamado stared at you, saying nothing, and an uneasy silence settled over the room. Your heart pounded; the commander’s face was unreadable, and you had no way of knowing whether your words had any impact.
The sound of someone clearing their throat awkwardly caught your attention; you and Kamado looked to the doorway to see Professor Laventon meekly leaning past the doorframe. “If I may offer a suggestion,” the professor said, adjusting his lab coat as he stepped into the room, “Volo’s knowledge of Pokemon and the mythology of this region far exceeds our own. He could be a considerable asset towards the completion of the Pokedex.” Laventon turned to face you with a sympathetic smile on his face. “Perhaps he could accompany our friend here on their expeditions. And in return, they could keep a close eye on him. A chaperone, of sorts.”
You returned Laventon’s smile, hoping that your silent thank you came across loud and clear, before turning back to face Kamado. “Please, Commander,” you said softly, looking at Kamado with determination.
Kamado closed his eyes, deep in thought. “Are you prepared to accept responsibility if he betrays us again?”
“Yes,” you answered without hesitating. You would have time to think on your reservations–or lack thereof–later.
Kamado sighed through his nose, then opened his eyes once more. “For the sake of the professor’s research,” he stated, “I will allow it.”
You felt the tension evaporate from your body as a smile formed on your face. “Thank you–”
“But understand this,” Kamado interrupted, his stern frown returning in full. “If he shows any sign of foul intent, both of you will be exiled from this village. It is your responsibility to watch him carefully and ensure that this does not come to pass. Am I clear?”
You swallowed, nodding. “Yes, sir.”
“Then you are dismissed.”
You nodded again, then turned to Volo and knelt down to undo his bindings. He was silent as you helped him to stand, but you could tell he’d relaxed since the beginning of your conversation with the commander. As you left Kamado’s office together, your eyes met, and he flashed you a tired smile as he took your hand gently.
You sighed and stretched as you sat up in your bed, warm sunlight filtering through the window. You glanced to the bed next to yours; Volo had left already, as he often did, to get the two of you some breakfast. You didn’t have to stay with him so long as he stayed in the village; the other villagers did a fine job of keeping an eye on him while you were here.
It wasn’t so bad when you were out doing survey work; out in the wilds, you were by yourselves, and the only stares you had to contend with were those of curious Pokemon. Volo felt the most like himself then, smiling in that charming way you’d come to adore. Back in the village, however, almost everyone gave you a wide berth, and hushed whispers followed you wherever you went.
You’d experienced something similar when you first arrived here, but you couldn’t imagine how Volo felt. The occupants of the village had always liked him to your knowledge, even if they thought he was a little strange. Now, though, they treated him even worse than they’d ever treated you.
The sound of the door opening broke you out of your thoughts; you looked up to see Volo entering quietly, a basket of food in his hands. He had put his hair back in the bun he’d worn before, but since he was no longer in the Gingko Guild, he’d swapped the old uniform out for a simple kimono and trousers. His eyes were tired, but when they met yours, they lit up as he smiled.
“Good morning,” you greeted, standing to meet him in the middle of the small room.
“Same to you,” Volo replied, slipping off his shoes and placing the basket of food down by the hearth. “Did you sleep well?”
You nodded, taking a seat by the hearth and rolling your shoulders. “You?”
“Alright, all things considered.” Volo sat next to you and opened the basket; the scent of potato mochi met your nose, and you heard your stomach rumble faintly.
The two of you ate in silence, comfortable with each other’s presence. You glanced at Volo out of the corner of your eye; he ate slowly, appearing deep in thought about something. You inched closer to him, placing a hand over his gently. “Everything okay?”
Volo sighed, putting down his plate without meeting your gaze. “They were whispering again.”
You nodded in understanding, squeezing his hand gently. “Oh.”
“Not…just about me,” he continued, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. “About you, too.”
You blinked in surprise. “What are they saying?”
“I don’t…think you want to know.”
You sighed, not meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry.”
Volo was silent; you felt him tremble under your hand, and you saw his bottom lip quiver ever so slightly. “Why?” he asked quietly, intertwining his fingers with yours.
“Why what?” you replied, turning to face him fully.
“Why would you help me like this?” Volo met your gaze, and his eyes were filled with an uncharacteristic desperation and fear. “The commander was right. I’ve caused so much pain to the people of this world. Not only that, but I’m directly responsible for much of your suffering here.” He squeezed your hand a little too tightly, and you held back a wince. “You had every right to turn your back on me; you could have kept that same life you had here. People wouldn’t be treating you like this if you’d abandoned me. But you didn’t. Why?”
Your breath caught in your throat; you had never seen Volo like this before. There was no deception, no sarcasm, no double entendre; his heart was laid bare in front of you, and you could tell that this terrified him more than anything Kamado could do. Right now, he wasn’t the happy-go-lucky merchant or the devotee of a silent god; he was just a man who desperately needed someone to lean on.
Almighty Sinnoh, you were in deep.
You gently placed your free hand on Volo’s cheek, and he flinched slightly. “There’s a lot of reasons why I’m doing this,” you said softly, smiling at him. “I meant what I said in Kamado’s office. I love this world, and I want you to love it, too. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to see that through, because…”
You trailed off, blushing as you realized where you were headed with that sentence. Volo frowned, placing his other hand over the one you had on his cheek. “Because what?”
Well. No turning back now.
You steeled your nerves and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Volo’s lips. You felt him stiffen as you lingered for just a moment before pulling back. “Because I love you,” you whispered; despite the pounding of your heart in your eardrums, it felt like the most normal thing in the world to say.
“Oh,” Volo replied, his face flushing.
Your blush grew to match his as reality settled in around you. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable–”
Suddenly, Volo tugged you forward and crashed his lips into yours, making you squeak in surprise. You quickly adjusted, however, draping your arms over his shoulders as your eyelids fluttered closed. His hands found their way to your waist, and he held you close, almost as if he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.
You stayed like that for what felt like a small eternity before Volo pulled back slightly, gently pressing his forehead against yours. “I think I get it now,” he whispered, meeting your eyes. “I love you too. In case you, um, couldn’t tell.”
You laughed softly. “I figured after that, but it’s nice to hear.”
Volo pulled you back into an embrace, and you nuzzled into his shoulder. He began rubbing small circles into your back with his thumb, and you hummed in contentment. “I think our breakfast is getting cold,” you mused, your gaze falling on a forgotten plate of mochi.
“I know,” Volo replied; you didn’t miss the way his grip tightened ever so slightly.
“Beni would be pissed if he learned we let them cool this much,” you joked, not moving from your place in Volo’s arms.
Volo laughed softly; to you, it was a sound more precious than diamonds. “He’ll get over it. I want to stay like this for a while.”
You smiled against his shoulder, closing your eyes.
“Me too.”