Loving the Enemy

[Volkner'sfan]

Chapter 1


Tears and dust covered my face as I was beaten once again by my rival, Volkner. He liked to use electric type pokemon in battles against me, because I had chosen Squirtle as my starter pokemon. His Pikachu had once again whipped me in a fight.

"Volkner, that's not fair!" I whined. "You used revives every single time I beat one of your pokemon, and you know that your pokemon are good against mine!"

"Sorry, Harmony," he laughed as he expertly twirled a poke ball around on his finger. "You'll just have to learn to get tougher if you want to beat me for once! I'm going to be way stronger though, so keep up your training!"
With that, my rival sped off towards the next Gym.


BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!


I groaned as my alarm clock went off. It was time for another day of training my pokemon in the Sinnoh region. I had hardly slept for several nights, because lately I'd been having dreams of my childhood rival, Volkner, whom I'd never been able to beat. Though I wouldn't have admitted it then, I had also been hopelessly in love with the blonde haired, icy-blue eyed trainer. I wondered what he was doing now. He was probably around age 20, as I'd last seen him long ago when we were both young, him at 14 and I at 12. I had watched him disappear away into a sunset after he'd beat me for the final time. I could never be as
good as him.

I got up about ten minutes later, quickly put on my clothes, which consisted of an ocean blue halter, and a pair of tight black jeans.In my bag I put five poke balls , which contained Steelix, Dragonair, Blastoise, Donphan, and Leafeon. Secretly, I was leaning towards pokemon that would be good against electric, because I was hoping that I would once again meet up with Volkner and show him that I was worthy of becoming a Master.

After finishing all of my morning activities (brushing hair, teeth, etc), I walked out of the pokemon center and into the sunshine of Sunyshore City, where I'd just arrived the night before. There was something strange, something familiar about this city, but I couldn't figure out what exactly it was.

"Today is the day I challenge the gym leader!" I sang out loud to myself.

"Sssssshhhhh," a fat man whispered. "You'll wake the town. The gym leader hasn't even been at his gym for days. He's been rather depressed lately. No trainer has been able to beat him. He's kinda, uhhh… lost his battling spirit. Say, you look like a strong trainer! I bet you could beat him! Now all we have to do is find him…" he muttered.

"Is he in the city?"

"I don't know! Why don't you find out and tell me?"

"Well, do you at least know his name?"

"Who doesn't? Don't tell me you haven't heard of the famous Volkner of Sunyshore City!"

"I must've heard wrong, but… did you just say Volkner?"

"Sure did, young'un. He's the best gym leader this region has ever seen!"

My head spun in shock. Surely this must be another man with the extremely uncommon, never heard elsewhere name of Volkner. Surely this was NOT my rival. I was now very curious and anxious to find this man.

"Okay thanks… uh…"

"The name's Volkner," the man smiled. "Odd that I have the same name as the gym leader, isn't it."

"…Volkner. I'm gonna go find this dude and show him the meaning of battle!"

I got on my bike and rode off towards the ocean. Maybe he was there. No? Maybe… the Seal shop? Still not there? Where WAS this guy anyway? Was he in the city? Was he in the region?!

I was about to give up when this weird man with orange hair
came speeding at me. "Hey. You looking for Volkner?"

"WHAT IS WITH VOLKNER?!" I yelled, frustrated.

The man gave me a bewildered look. "I'm Flint. I'm part of the elite four, also known as the pokemon league. I'm a good friend of Volkner's and I just heard that he has been really down lately. Were you going to challenge him?"

"Yes, actually, I was, thank you. Do you have any idea where the heck he could be?"

"Volkner gets like this a lot. Usually he goes and mopes at the Vista lighthouse. He enjoys the view of the pokemon league that you can see from the binoculars there. Have you checked the place out?"

"No. I didn't know that such a place existed. Thank you!"

I started to run towards the lighthouse, but Flint caught up to me. "Not so fast, buddy. I'm coming with you."

"Fine."

"So… what's your name?"

"Harmony."
The rest of the walk was silent as we climbed the winding stairs that led to the top of the tall building.

As soon as we got all the way up, I was panting in exhaustion, while Flint hadn't even broken a sweat. He jogged up to a man who was sitting there with a bored expression on his face.

"Harmony! Come here! You should meet the gym leader, Volkner!" Flint yelled to me.

People stared at Flint with annoyed expressions on their faces. "Flint, dude, you're too loud," Volkner whispered.

I walked across the room, my heart pounding so loud that I wondered if people could've heard it above Flint's yelling. Volkner was more gorgeous than I'd remembered him to be, with those sapphire eyes, long shiny hair, and wow- he must've worked out a lot since I'd last seen him. He wore a long blue coat with a low-necked black muscle shirt underneath. I wanted to lay my hands on his chest. I bet it would've been really warm. So here I was, falling in love with my rival all over again.

"Harmony? Harmony Burg?" Volkner stood up. "Sure enough, it is you. Long time no see!" He hugged me for a moment. I hope he couldn't feel my heart pounding like a drum and my body shaking like a leaf. I hope he couldn't feel my temperature rising to what felt like 1000 degrees.

Volkner let me go, and began talking to Flint. "Harmony was my rival when we were kids, just beginning trainers. She was good at first, because she had chosen a Squirtle from the start, and my choice was Charmander. Needless to say, she was pretty good, so I began catching all the electric type pokemon that I could find, just to beat her. That's when I realized that I really liked electric type pokemon, and I wanted to permanently be an electric type trainer. My main goal was always to be better than her."

Flint laughed. "So Volkner, it's been- what, six years since you've seen her? I wonder if you could still beat her now!"

Volkner walked to the door. "Let's find out. Besides, you do need my gym badge to challenge the pokemon league anyway! Harmony, I challenge you to a battle! Tomorrow, 4:30 PM, be at my gym!"

With those words, he walked out.

 

[Feign]

I didn't notice many spelling/grammar errors, so far just one (correction in red):

I started to run towards the lighthouse, but Flint caught up to me. "Not so fast, buddy. I'm coming with you."

I'd recommend sticking with the normal sized font, as it is easier to read.

As for general thoughts, it does seem like this story has lots of potential and doesn't simply seem like it will end up strictly as a romance, with a few Pokemon battles in between, as that doesn't really allow for a lot of development or conflict for that matter.

However, I do find that your story lacks in detail. I did like how you introduced Harmony's Pokemon in the middle. But there were quite a few questions that exploded in my head. (Though of course I wouldn't know if such details would be released later on). Sure, we've seen the show, and we can understand why two trainers can become rivals, but it would still be nice for some kind of explanation or hint perhaps.

Also there is a bit of a conflict in terms of emotions, Harmony can't beat Volkner, and they've been rivals for so long, and haven't seen each other for 6 years, and yet she has a love interest in him? Perhaps something yet to be mentioned in the past?

If I can make a recommendation, adding hints, or dropping clues, can sometimes help to capture the audience.

That is all I can think of right now, I hope my feedback helped :)

Found a word-choice error:

he must've trained a lot muscle-wise.

Instead, you could write: 'He worked out' or 'he toned his muscles', as training, for the most part, comes hand in hand, with working the muscles.

 

[Volkner'sfan]

Chapter 2

It was about 6:30 PM when Volkner left. Flint walked over to the door, and I followed. He began chuckling. "So, Harmony, what was with you and Volkner? Your face was so red I thought you were going to turn into a Mew or something!"

I blushed again. Flint put his hand on my shoulder. "Harmony, I don't know who else was watching, but it's very obvious that you have some feelings for Volkner. Why is that?"

I considered Flint a friend, so I decided to tell him. "Back when Volkner and I were kids, before we were even rivals, we were best friends. We would play together almost every day at this local playground. Secretly, I'd always thought Volkner was cute, but I didn't tell him. Well, one day, a kid showed up. He was older than us, and he began picking on me. He started by calling me names, and then claiming the whole playground for himself. If I tried to retaliate in any way, he would send out his pokemon to attack me. Volkner went up to this kid and stood up for me. The older guy just laughed and jumped down from a slide he had been standing on. Volkner was afraid, but since I was younger and weaker, he felt he had to protect me. The enemy beat Volkner up with his fists and with his pokemon. I screamed in fear seeing my friend and love covered with bruises and blood. I ran home and got my mother, who called an ambulance to take the unconscious Volkner to a hospital. That night, as I looked at my sleeping friend's rising and falling form and listening to his gentle breathing, I realized that I was actually in love with him despite our young ages. But then later, we became rivals, and that was that."

Flint's expression changed from amused to caring. "V-Volkner really did that for you? Wow. No wonder you like him."

"Yeah… Flint, please promise me that you won't tell anyone, especially NOT Volkner."

"I promise."

Flint showed me to the city's pokemon center before leaving. "Harmony, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm coming to watch the battle between you and Volkner."
As I got myself something to eat, little did I know that Flint was in Volkner's gym telling him the whole entire story about why I liked him. As I got ready to go to sleep, I had no idea that Volkner was listening intently, wondering if he should tell me that he felt the same way. I fell asleep thinking of Volkner and what it would be like to battle him the next day.


When I woke up, I immediately finished my morning routine and walked to Lake Valor, where I decided I was going to train for a bit before my upcoming gym challenge later that afternoon. I sent out my Steelix first off, and paired it up against Dragonair.

"Alright Dragonair, use blizzard aginast Steelix! Steelix, use…"

Dragonair stopped moving in midair, a few snowflakes harmlessly falling away from Steelix's face. On the other side of the lake was Volkner, training his Raichu and Luxray. "Alright Luxray, use shock wave! Raichu, dodge and use double team!"
I pinched myself sharply. "I can't let a silly crush get in the way of this, I have to get my pokemon strong enough to defeat Volkner's pokemon!" I thought to myself.
I couldn't help looking over at Volkner again and seeing his pokemon battling. As his Raichu jumped in the air and used double team, my Blastoise remembered all the fights against that Raichu's pre-evolved form and popped out of it's poke ball. It used a long range hydro pump attack on Volkner's very startled Raichu. It fell into the lake, unconscious. The double team attack faded and Luxray's shock wave had no where to go. Volkner was unable to dodge in time. "Uuunnnggghhh…" Volkner moaned before collapsing on the grassy shore of the lake.

"Oh my gosh!" I screamed. I turned to my pokemon, panicking. "You guys stay here. I need to go help Volkner out!"

My pokemon watched anxiously as I used Dragonair's surf attack to get myself across the lake and to Volkner's side. I put my hand on his chest to see if his heart was still beating. It was, very faintly. I had no idea how to help him. He appeared to be in some sort of a coma. "Blastoise, carry Steelix over here!" I yelled.

Blastoise swam across the lake with Steelix on it's back. "Alright, Steelix, um… Dragonair, take Volkner back to the south side of Lake Valor. Steelix, I need you to rescue Volkner's Raichu."

I picked up Luxray's poke ball and made it get back into it. I put that in my pocket to give to Volkner later on. "If there even is a later on for him," I thought grimly.
Steelix carried Raichu over to where we were and I surfed across the lake with Blastoise, Raichu, and Luxray. Dragoniar was waiting for us with Volkner. Blastoise stood up and carried it's worst human enemy to the Pastoria City resort, where we rented a room and care for Volkner. "That will be 30,000 poke dollars." Said the man.

I paid him my money and went up to the room with my pokemon. Blastoise laid Volkner down on the bed and I pulled the covers over his shivering body. I stayed with him, stroking his soft blonde hair until the doctor came. So much for a gym battle at 4:30. Still… if I hadn't been there, I didn't want to think what could've happened to my favorite gym leader. He could've died, wounded, and alone… An involuntary tear slid down my cheek. The doctor turned away to grab a towel from the bathroom. I quickly kissed those perfect lips of his, ones that looked like they were meant for kissing. I handed the doctor 4000 poke dollars, thanking him for caring for Volkner. I walked out of the hotel to go tell Flint.

 

[Volkner'sfan]

Chapter 3

(By my sister Ashangel899)


When I woke up, I immediately finished my morning routine and walked to Lake Valor, where I decided I was going to train for a bit before my upcoming gym challenge later that afternoon. I sent out my Steelix first off, and paired it up against Dragonair.

"Alright Dragonair, use blizzard aginast Steelix! Steelix, use…"

Dragonair stopped moving in midair, a few snowflakes harmlessly falling away from Steelix's face. On the other side of the lake was Volkner, training his Raichu and Luxray. "Alright Luxray, use shock wave! Raichu, dodge and use double team!"

I pinched myself sharply. "I can't let a silly crush get in the way of this, I have to get my pokemon strong enough to defeat Volkner's pokemon!" I thought to myself.
I couldn't help looking over at Volkner again and seeing his pokemon battling. As his Raichu jumped in the air and used double team, my Blastoise remembered all the fights against that Raichu's pre-evolved form and popped out of it's poke ball. It used a long range hydro pump attack on Volkner's very startled Raichu. It fell into the lake, unconscious. The double team attack faded and Luxray's shock wave had no where to go. Volkner was unable to dodge in time. "Uuunnnggghhh…" Volkner moaned before collapsing on the grassy shore of the lake.

"Oh my gosh!" I screamed. I turned to my pokemon, panicking. "You guys stay here. I need to go help Volkner out!"

My pokemon watched anxiously as I used Dragonair's surf attack to get myself across the lake and to Volkner's side. I put my hand on his chest to see if his heart was still beating. It was, very faintly. I had no idea how to help him. He appeared to be passed out. "Blastoise, carry Steelix over here!" I yelled.

Blastoise swam across the lake with Steelix on it's back. "Alright, Steelix, um… Dragonair, take Volkner back to the south side of Lake Valor. Steelix, I need you to rescue Volkner's Raichu."

I picked up Luxray's poke ball and made it get back into it. I put that in my pocket to give to Volkner later on. "If there even is a later on for him," I thought grimly.

Steelix carried Raichu over to where we were and I surfed across the lake with Blastoise, Raichu, and Luxray. Dragoniar was waiting for us with Volkner. Blastoise stood up and carried it's worst human enemy to the Pastoria City resort, where we rented a room and care for Volkner. "That will be 30,000 poke dollars." Said the man.

I paid him my money and went up to the room with my pokemon. Blastoise laid Volkner down on the bed and I pulled the covers over his shivering body. I stayed with him, stroking his soft blonde hair until the doctor came. So much for a gym battle at 4:30. Still… if I hadn't been there, I didn't want to think what could've happened to my favorite gym leader. He could've died, wounded, and alone… An involuntary tear slid down my cheek. The doctor turned away to grab a towel from the bathroom. I quickly kissed those perfect lips of his, ones that looked like they were meant for kissing. I handed the doctor 4000 poke dollars, thanking him for caring for Volkner. I walked out of the hotel to go tell Flint. It was sunset outside. He was standing outside of his gym.

"Hey Harmony. I… heard about Volkner." He said. "What? Who told you?" I asked.

"Word gets around fast if it's about a famous gym leader." My mind ran out of things to say. I was too worried about Volkner to think straight. I lowered my head so that my hair covered my eyes. Crystal tears slipped off my face. Then I felt arms around me. I looked up, surprised. It was Flint. "Don't cry Harmony. He'll survive." I buried my head in Flint's chest. " No. I can't help it. It- it's partly my fault. If I hadn't been there, my Blastoise wouldn't have been there to ruin everything… but I was there to save him… so I don't know if it was a good thing that I was there or not. I'm just so confused!" I sobbed. All of this drama was giving me a headache. Flint put his hands on my shoulders.

"You just go to the pokemon center and rest. We'll find out what's happening with Volkner tomorrow. If I hear any news, I'll call you." He said reassuringly.

"Okay." I said quietly. I turned and walked to the Pokemon Center. I got a room and threw myself onto the bed. I hid my face in a pillow and cried. Then I heard a knock on the door. I dried my eyes on my shirt.

"Come in." I called, trying not to expose the tears in my voice. Nurse Joy stepped in.

"Flint called from the hospital. He said it's urgent!" She said. I took the phone from her.

" What is it Flint?" I asked.

"It's Volkner. And he keeps mumbling *crackle* 's name. Uh, we're breaking *crackle* up. Just come-"

Then the line went dead. I shoved the phone into Nurse Joy's hands. "Sorry Nurse Joy, I have to leave." I grabbed my bag and rushed to the hospital. Most of my sadness was pushed to the back of my mind and replaced with wonder and worry.
When I entered the hospital, Flint was waiting for me.

"He's in this room." He guided me to room 145. I pushed open the door and saw a doctor frantically trying to put a wet cloth on Volkner's head, with Volkner feverishly pushing his hand away.

"Oh no, it's gotten worse." Flint said with a look of worry on his face. I knelt down by the side of Volkner's bed.

"This is horrible! He's in agony… I want to do something to help." I said sadly.

"Unngghh… H- harmony… No. No. Noooo!" Volkner moaned. "Harmony!!!" Volkner hollered. He slowly sat up. His eyes shot open. "Where… where's Harmony?!!" Volkner yelled. "What Volkner? I'm right here." I said softly. "You - you're okay..? Volkner questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, confused.

"You're not evil or anything, right?"

"No."

Sweat dripped down Volkner's face. "Volkner, why would I be evil?" I said.

"I, I don't know." He said. "I just had this dream that you were chasing me around and zapping me with all of my pokemon that you stole, to get revenge on me for beating you when we were kids."

"I would never do that!" I exclaimed. "I know. It was just a weird dream, right?" Volkner said.

"Right." I said.

"I'm feeling better now doctor. Can I just take a quick walk to my gym, just to make sure I'm ok?" Volkner inquired.

"Yes, but someone has to go with you." The doctor said.

"I'll go with you." I volunteered.

Outside the hospital…


The sky was a deep blue color. It wasn't very dark yet. The sliver of a silver moon hung in the sky.

"Volkner?"

"Yeah?"

"Here's your Luxray."

I handed him Luxray's poke ball.

"Thanks." He smiled. "This is kind of romantic."

I turned red. "You really think so?" I said.

"The truth is, I kinda like you…" Volkner admitted.

"Me too… I know I do." I couldn't help but be honest with him.

"Ha-choo!'' Volkner sneezed. "Are you cold? It's a pretty hot night,and it's summer." I said, concerned.

"No, it must just be my fever, that's all." He reassured me.

We got into his gym and walked up the stairs, which was where his house was. He sat down on his bed and sighed. "Hey Harmony? Can you tell the doctors that I'm going to stay here tonight? I think I'm going to be fine." I nodded.

"Okay." I ran down the stairs. I heard Volkner sneeze again. "Bless you." I called and shut the door behind me.

I ran to the hospital, which was very close to his gym. Everyone was still in Volkner's room, having some sort of a meeting.

"Well, will Volkner be okay?" Flint was asking.

"Yes," the doctor said. "But he should stay here tonight. Just to be safe."

"Uh, hello?" I said.

"Oh, hi Harmony. Where's Volkner?" Flint asked.

"He wanted to sleep in his own house tonight." I answered.

"What?! That's very unsafe!" The doctor said.

"I'll see if Volkner lets me take care of him tonight, okay?" Flint said.

"That'll be fine." The doctor answered. So Flint called Volkner and Volkner let Flint stay at his house for the night.

I went to the Pokemon Center and fell asleep wondering what was happening to Volkner.

 

[YourSaturnLullaby]

Awesome. Very awesome. Nice job, but could you add a little more romance? I like Saturn, Volkner, Sir.Aaron, and Flint.

 

[Volkner'sfan]

Chapter 4

The next morning was cloudy. A thick fog hung over the city. I jumped out of bed, hurriedly got dressed, and ate a quick breakfast. The only thing I thought about was Volkner. I ran out of the pokemon center, when I bumped into Flint. "Flint, I'm so sorry-"

"Never mind that, Harmony. I came to tell you about Volkner. He's not doing very well.
He was brought back to the hospital in an ambulance around 2:30 AM."

Hot tears pooled in my eyes and spilled down my face. "Flint, you have to let me see
him. Tell me why he had to go back to the hospital. What happened?"

Flint hugged me close to him. I was starting to get the feeling that he liked me. "I was with Volkner from the time we left the hospital. He layed down in his bed and told me that you liked him. He was wondering what to do about it, because obviously he had to stay in Sunyshore City and you were going to travel other places like the pokemon league. Volkner also told me that you two were rivals in the first place because he wanted to impress you. He did a good job of it, because he was always able to defeat you and become a gym leader. Plus, he earned your love."

I broke free of Flint's hold and ran to the hospital before he could even finish the story of what happened to Volkner.

I burst through the door and skidded to a halt at room 145. Two men stood guard.

"You can't come in here," one of them said.

"Why not? This is my friend's room. He wanted me to visit him."
The other one blocked my pathway. "Volkner is very sick. He could die at any moment."

I didn't want to hear anymore. My heart was hurting enough already. I sent out Blastoise and Steelix to attack the men guarding the doorway, who looked oddly like they were from outer space.

Once they layed motionless in front of the door, I opened it carefully and walked inside. Tears immediately began falling from my face. Volkner's breathing was shallow and labored, his chest barely rising and falling. His face was red and covered in sweat, and he was very hot when I gently layed my hand against his burning cheek. He was shaking uncontrollably like he'd just fallen into Lake Acuity. I kissed his forehead gently, and he cried out like he was being tortured. I wanted to hold him gently and stop his trembling, but I knew how much it would hurt.

I slipped out of the room and sat down on a couch in the hospital waiting room, burying my head in my hands and crying uncontrollably. I heard a familiar voice next to me, and strong arms holding me tightly.

"Harmony, he'll be alright. I promise. I know how much it must hurt to see the one you love like this…"

I looked up to see Flint, who also had tears in his eyes. He squeezed me even tighter.

"For now, you and I will help each other. We just have to stay strong."

I looked into his dark eyes. "Flint…" I whispered, letting his comforting warmth overtake me. I bathed his heart with my tears until I couldn't possibly cry anymore. My eyes were swollen shut, and I was exhausted from the crying. I snuggled closer against Flint's warmth and fell asleep until I woke up again around midnight, still cuddling Flint. I apologized to him, and without another word, I walked off into the night.


I woke up on the beach with water lapping around my cold, wet body. I stood up and walked into a small cave that I had found the night before. I took off my wet clothes and put on my dry pajamas, which were still in my bag. I sat there shivering, watching the beautiful morning view of Wingull flying over the sparkling ocean, and Magikarp, Feebas, and the occasional Wailmer swimming around.

The sun was beginning to rise, and I began thinking of Volkner again. Was he alive? But even more than Volkner, I was starting to have a place for Flint in my heart. Was he alright? I had been cruel last night, just crying into him and than walking off without a word. He'd loved me, and shown concern for me, he'd held me when I needed a friend… and he'd known Volkner longer than I had! I couldn't imagine what it must've felt like for him to go through this. He'd cried too last night, I could feel his chest heaving and hear quiet sobs. It took a lot to make a tough man like him cry. I was crying a lot lately, and I wasn't half as strong as Flint. Suddenly, I realized that I liked him more than Volkner. I didn't know what to do about it. Either way, one man would be crushed. I decided to not do anything until I felt the time was right.

An Officer Jenny came zooming by the cave on her motercycle. When she saw me, she stopped and walked in. She told me that Nurse Joy had a message for her from Flint and that she needed to go to the hospital right away.

I thanked Jenny, stood up, stretched, and walked toward the hospital. I began running when I saw all the police cars and motorcycles parked in front of it.

Flint was standing there, waiting for me. "Is Volkner all right?" I asked him, breathless.

"Volkner's doing better. Harmony… it's your mother. She's dead."

I couldn't take all of the death and destruction anymore. I wanted to cuddle with Flint and Volkner and feel both of their comfortable bodies close to mine. These two men in my life were all I had left now. I was in love with them both. Suddenly, my need overtook me. There, in front of all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennies, I put my arms around Flint and kissed him passionately. He kissed me back, gently yet firmly. He stroked my hair. Finally, when our lips were aching from the long kiss, we broke apart.

But not before I said "Flint… I love you. More than Volkner."

With that, I once again ran back to the beach and cried.