A few days after that visit to the forest temple...
In a coastal city, where a refreshing, salty breeze flows, a large lighthouse can be seen illuminating the town, guiding sailors through the dark night.
This was Olivine City, the largest port city in Johto.
Walking through the bustling streets of the city were Andrew and Victor, leisurely exploring the area.
"So, Grandpa, should we visit Mr. Thorsen first, or should we check out the shopping streets?" Victor asked, looking up at his grandfather with hopeful eyes.
"Hm... Since old Tobias is still preparing the boat, we can stroll around for a bit," Andrew replied thoughtfully while glancing at the messages on his Pokégear.
"And we can also take the opportunity to visit a friend of your father's."
"A friend of my dad's? Who is it? Do I know him?" Victor asked curiously, tearing his gaze away from the food stalls and turning to face his grandfather.
"I don't think so, since he visited me in Purple Town before you came to live with me. And as far as I know, he hasn't seen Johan in a while," Andrew replied after searching his memory.
"What's his name?" Victor asked, growing even more curious.
"His name is Norman, a good kid," Andrew answered, revealing Johan's friend's identity.
'Wait! Norman? As in the father of May and Max?' Victor thought in shock, considering the possibility, given that they were in Olivine City, it seemed entirely possible.
"And how did you meet, Grandpa?" Victor asked, narrowing his eyes in curiosity about how Norman had come to know his grandfather.
"Want to check out this shop?" Andrew said, pointing to an old pawnshop.
Turning, Victor nodded as he looked at the shop his grandfather had pointed to, Bonds of the Past Pawnshop.
As they entered, Victor said, "You can keep telling your story, Grandpa."
"It's actually not much of a story. I met him when he was just starting his journey, a young boy traveling through Johto with a Slakoth, quite the peculiar combination. Then, he arrived in Purple City. While staying there for a while, he learned about my history with the Bureau of Investigation and asked me for advice," Andrew explained as he examined the items on the shelves.
"I see."
Suddenly, Victor's eyes locked onto a set of three finely ornamented boxes, feeling strangely drawn to them. Stepping closer, he slowly opened the middle box, revealing a mask.
A black mask, so dark it seemed like the embodiment of shadows. It was hard and durable yet incredibly lightweight. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with red lines intricately detailing the face of a Fu Dog. It was equipped with reflective red eye lenses, giving it a menacing appearance, complemented by a flame-shaped engraving on the forehead.
'How strange... The energy in this mask...' Victor thought, narrowing his eyes as he picked it up, sensing a peculiar flow of energy.
"Interested in that? Are you planning to play the hero, just like your friend Tyson was saying on the way back from Violet City? Hahahahaha," Andrew said with a laugh, watching Victor examine the mask.
"Be careful not to break it. If you damage it, you'll have to buy the entire set," an elderly female voice suddenly called out from the back of the store.
Turning toward the voice, both Andrew and Victor saw an elderly Asian woman emerging from the shop's depths. Her graying hair was neatly tied in a bun, and she had a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her gaze was sharp behind her large glasses.
"Wait a minute..." she murmured as she adjusted her glasses, looking at Andrew.
"Are you Andrew Black?" she asked in a doubtful tone, studying him carefully.
Hearing his name, Andrew focused his attention on her, trying to recognize her.
"Naname? Naname Watanabe? Is that really you? How long has it been, decades?" Andrew asked, smiling as he finally recognized her.
"Yes, it's been a long time. Almost thirty years, to be exact," the shop owner, now revealed as Naname, said as she approached Andrew and Victor. She then turned to Victor and asked, "Is this your grandson?"
"Yes, he is. His name is Victor, my dear grandson. Not as talented as I was at his age, but I have to love him anyway, right? He is my grandson, after all," Andrew said, playfully boasting.
"Hey!" Victor protested, slightly offended.
"As shameless as ever, I see," Naname responded with a sarcastic laugh.
Glancing at the mask in Victor's hands, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Interested in the Guardian Beast Masks?"
"Guardian Beast Masks? Are they connected to the Legendary Beasts?" Victor asked, looking at the mask in his hands.
"Yes. According to legend, when the three Legendary Beasts were revived from the flames of the Burned Tower in Ecruteak, an artist passing through the city caught a glimpse of them as they emerged from the tower and fled into the wild. Inspired by that vision, he created these masks. However, as time passed and people had more encounters with these creatures, the masks lost their value due to the differences between the actual Legendary Beasts and their artistic depictions," Naname explained, recounting the history behind the masks.
"That's so cool!" Victor exclaimed as he opened the other boxes to examine the remaining masks.
The mask on the left had a calmer expression, with blue lines outlining the face and a water droplet engraved at the center of the forehead. The mask on the right had a fiercer appearance, with yellow lines resembling swirling clouds.
"Normally, a shopkeeper wouldn't talk down their own product like that. Most would try to squeeze every last penny out of their customers," Andrew commented, raising an eyebrow at the story.
"If it were any other customer, the story I'd tell would make them pay with the clothes off their back, and they'd still owe me. But since you're an old friend, and this boy is so adorable, I don't need to do that," Naname replied sarcastically, shooting Andrew a look of mild disdain.
"How much do the masks cost?" Victor asked curiously.
"Thirty thousand for the full set," Naname said, adjusting her glasses.
Cough.
Victor coughed upon hearing the price and asked again, "How much? I think I misheard."
"Thirty thousand."
"Grandpa, please..." Victor pleaded, giving Andrew his best puppy-dog eyes.
"Where did you learn to be so manipulative, you little brat?" Andrew said, looking at Victor with amusement before sighing and relenting. "Fine, I'll buy them."
Hearing this, Naname gave a satisfied smile.
"Thank you very much. I thought we would never sell these; these masks have been here since my grandmother ran the shop."
Hearing Naname, Andrew gave an ironic smile before making the payment.
After receiving the payment, Naname placed the masks back in their boxes, put them in a bag, and handed them to Victor.
Now holding the masks, Victor smiled as he crossed one item off his future disguise list.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Watanabe."
"See you later, Naname."
"Visit me again when you're in town, Andrew."
After bidding farewell to Naname, the two headed north through the city.
Walking through the streets of Olivine City with the masks in his arms, Victor had a wide, happy smile on his face.
"If you keep smiling like that, your mouth is going to swallow your ears," Andrew said playfully, noticing Victor's grin.
"Oh, shut up," Victor replied, giving Andrew a cheeky look.
Hearing Victor's response, Andrew let out a satisfied laugh.
"So, about Mrs. Naname, how did you meet her?"
"Hahahahahaha—"
Cough
Andrew's laughter froze at Victor's question. Looking away, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Wow, look at those waves! Do you want a surfboard? I can get you one," Andrew said nervously, trying to change the subject.
"Don't change the subject," Victor replied expressionlessly.
"Alright," Andrew sighed, lowering his head.
"She was one of my travel companions."
"And?" Victor asked with a suspicious look.
"We had a relationship," Andrew admitted, looking up, embarrassed.
"You?" Victor asked incredulously.
"No! No! I hadn't met your grandmother yet," Andrew quickly interrupted, waving his hands frantically.
"And what happened after that?" Victor asked.
"I joined the Bureau of Investigation, but she wanted something different and thought my new job was too dangerous. So we went our separate ways. In the Bureau, I met your grandmother. We crossed paths once while I was on a mission, but after that, I didn't see her again until today," Andrew explained with a nostalgic look on his face.
Victor remained silent, absorbing his grandfather's words. With that, the two continued walking in silence.
"We're here. We've arrived," Andrew suddenly said, looking at a large house with a dojo attached to the south side.
"Huh?" Hearing his grandfather, Victor snapped out of his distracted state.
Looking at the house, Victor noticed a few Slakoths hanging from the trees, completely motionless, exuding a lazy aura.
Reaching the entrance, Andrew knocked on the door.
Knock knock
"Who is it? Mr. Black? Please, come in. What are you doing in Olivine City?"
The door opened, revealing a tall man with black hair and eyes. He exclaimed upon recognizing Andrew and invited the two inside.
"I came to visit old Thorsen and heard that you were living in Olivine City. So I decided to stop by," Andrew explained as he entered the house.
"Tobias Thorsen? The old fisherman?" Norman asked curiously.
"Yes, but honestly, I thought he'd end up with the nickname 'Town Drunk.' From time to time, we go on fishing trips together with some old Bureau of Investigation comrades. And since my grandson is living with me now, I figured it would be a good activity to do with him," Andrew said, laughing at his own joke about David before pointing to Victor with a smile.
"Oh, hey there, kid. You've got a pretty strong grandfather," Norman said with a kind smile as he noticed Victor standing beside Andrew.
"Hello, Mr. Norman. My name is Victor Black. It's a pleasure to meet you," Victor said, shaking Norman's hand.
"The pleasure is mine," Norman replied.
The three entered the house, where they found a beautiful woman with brown hair tending to a little girl with the same brown hair, around three years old, holding a baby with black hair in her arms.
'May and Max,' Victor thought, looking at the two children.
"And who is this?" Andrew asked, looking at the brown-haired woman.
"This is Caroline, my wife. And these are my children, May and Max," Norman introduced his wife and children.
"Pleasure to meet you." (x2)
After that, they split up, Andrew went to chat with Norman, while Victor played with the kids.
Victor released his Pokémon, Furret, Gastly, and Marill, and took an incubator out of his backpack.
"Furr!"
"Mari"
"Gast"
He let Furret and Marill play with May and Max.
"Furret"
"Marill"
__________________________________________________________________________________
I'm thinking about rewriting this fanfic, but I'm still undecided. So, I'd like to hear your opinion. Are you enjoying this fanfic, or do you think I should rewrite it? Please leave a comment.
Support me on Patreon
patreon.com/DarkThorn1