Gale of Darkness - Chapter Two

After telling Professor Krane and my mother what Adon had said and about the news on the television, I set off towards the southeast towards Dr. Kaminko's manor where Adon had said that Jovi would probably be. It wasn't a long drive there on my moped.

As I pulled up to the main gate of the Kaminko Manor, I found that it was almost in a world of its own. The sky above was dark grey with swirling clouds, all the plants around the house were dead, and the land itself was bizarre. The house was one-story with two windows on the front of the house on either wise of the door. The point roof bore two Frankenstein-like contraptions with sparking bulbs on top of each pole. On the drive of the house was a very large fountain with a Groudon statue acting as the spout but the water had long since been cut off but the basin was still full of sparkling water.

As I approached the strange house, a voice yelled out to me. "Stop right there!" A man yelled.

I turned around and found a very short, blue-haired man approaching me with the weirdest glasses perched on his nose. If I thought Professor Krane was a strange man, this dude was not only the definition of eccentric but also the epitome of mismatch. He wore a white lab coat that trailed down to his knees, a maroon button-up, a bright yellow bowtie, bright blue pinstripe pants, and red dress shoes. He was short, too, standing probably at four-foot-four with blue hair that was slicked back and those glasses…. "You must be a burglar!" He exclaimed in a voice that seemed way to high-pitched for any man.

"No, wait, I'm not-" I began almost frantically.

"Chobin will put you straight! You better not move!" He shouted.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked but continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"Chobin in the name and Chobin is the number-one assistant to Dr. Kaminko!" He cheered and I figured that he was talking in third-person and he was actually Chobin. Well, Adon was right in calling this place weird. That was for sure. "Chobin is the only assistant, so Chobin has to be the number-one assistant." He claimed and threw out a Pokéball.

I stared at the man before letting Soarelui step forward. "Ok girl, time to take this guy down. Maybe then he'll listen to reason." I ventured and faced Chobin and his Sunkern.

"Soarelui, use Bite!" I commanded and my Eevee obeyed, launching forward and snapping her fangs down onto the Sunkern, weakening it severely. The Sunkern retaliated by using the attack Absorb which brought back a bit of its power but, after another Bite, it fainted and was called back to its Pokéball.

Chobin stood there in disbelief. "Chobin lost…" He whispered before glowering at him. "You've made Chobin angry now! Even though Chobin lost, you're still not getting past Chobin!" He all-but yelled and the paused, cocking his head slightly. "Huh? Closer observation reveals that the subject is a child. Ergo, the subject is not a burglar!" He said, his eyebrows rising on his forehead.

I rolled my eyes. Just because I was a child didn't mean that I couldn't be a burglar but there was NO way I was going to tell him that so I did the smart thing – I shut the heck up. Though it really took him that long to figure out I wasn't a burglar? Jeez, how in the world was this guy a good assistant?

"Chobin wishes you had spoken up sooner!" Chobin said.

"I tried." I replied, shifting my weight over to my right leg as I put my hands on my hips. "My name is Grace, by the way." I told him.

"Grace? Chobin apologizes for jumping to the wrong conclusion." He said and, right as he finished, the door to the manor opened and a young girl hurried out. I crossed my arms, straightened my back, and glared at her. "Jovi," I growled.

She turned and looked at me with huge blue eyes. She was wearing a white dress with long poufy sleeves and a hem that went down to her knees and blue boots. She had styled her hair as she usually did, most of it falling naturally to his shoulders in light blue waves with two odangos on the top of her head. Odangos were two balls of hair on the top of her head. It always amazed me that she could even do that because she had tried to do so on my hair but my hair just wouldn't have it.

"Oh, big sister! What are you doing here?" She asked curiously, cocking her head slightly. "Did you get lost?"

"Of course I didn't get lost. I came out here looking for you Jovi." I said.

Jovi shook her head, holding her hands behind her back and grinning. "Uh-uh-uh; there's not hiding things from Jovi because Jovi knows!" She beamed and I suppressed a sigh. Apparently she was picking up on this third-person-talking from Chobin. "Anyway, this big house is Dr. Kaminko's. Dr. Kaminko's job is to make incredible inventions!" She explained with a look of awe on her very young face. "There's a whole bunch of neat machines just like the Pokémon HQ Lab. You should come in too, big sister!" She practically begged and ran off back inside, leaving the two front doors open behind her.

"Grace, you are that girl's older sister?" Chobin asked, drawing my attention.

"Uh, yeah." I said. How was that fact not blatantly obvious?

"Sometimes, she comes here. She comes and wanders around everywhere. Chobin finds it hard keeping an eye on her so that she does not bother the Doctor." He said and sighed. "Oh, yes, Grace, will you have a look at Dr. Kaminko's inventions?" Chobin asked expectantly.

"Um, sure?" I replied skeptically. Something told me this would only further prove the weirdness of the manor and the people that ran it.

"Oh, good; come this way, then." He beamed and hurried up the stairs after Jovi. I followed, unsure of what I was getting myself into. Once I was inside, Chobin turned towards me from in front of a large computer screen. "Chobin will now show you the inventions of the inestimable Dr. Kaminko! Dr. Kaminko's inventions, it needs to be said, are number one in the world! Chobin is full of admiration!" He practically shouted.

"How do you know they're number one in the world?" I asked, walking over and crossing my arms. The lab was far colder than outside and I found myself covered in chill bumps.

"That needs explaining?" He questioned. "In the whole wide world, no one but Dr. Kaminko would invent such inventions! Therefore, they are number one in the world without question!"

I sighed. This was going to be weird, I just knew it.

"Our Dr. Kaminko, who is verily great, is inventing in that room there." He said and pointed to the room to my left. "Anyway, let Chobin acquaint you with just some of Dr. Kaminko's greatest inventions!" He was practically hopping from foot to foot as he turned the computer screen on.

Suddenly, Chobin's face was on the computer screen and so close to the camera that I jumped back and even Soarelui hissed. Then he spoke very loudly. "Dr. Kaminko's inventions are number one in the world! Chobin's choice is this, tadaah!" The Computer-Chobin shouted. "The Unhealthy Sandals! The insole is studded with lumpy nubs that fail to stimulate every pressure point in a fabulous way! Keep wearing these and Chobin will guarantee painful feet and chronic worsening of your health. Chobin thinks it is superlative." The Computer-Chobin said and his face vanished from the screen.

I face-palmed. I really did. I could suppress a giggle, a sign, a roll of the eyes, but this was too much. I couldn't help it, I really couldn't! Come on, how stupid was that?! This idiot, Chobin, was insane to think that Dr. Kaminko had such fantastic inventions. I rubbed my hand down my face and look down at Soarelui. She looked up at me with those nearly black eyes that just shouted a what-the-hell-was-that expression.

"Incredible, is it not? There is much more than that, too. The Doctor's inventions, which are fantastic, can be seen on this monitor." Chobin explained, directing back to the screen. "Chobin give you permission to use this anytime you like." He said.

"Thanks, but I really have to get Jovi home before mama blows a gasket." I said evasively and hurried into Dr. Kaminko's invention room. Upon entering, I stumbled back a step in absolutely shock.

Dr. Kaminko was sitting at his desk and, this man, had, by far, the tallest hair I had ever seen! His hair alone gave him an extra two feet of height! And all that grey hair stood on end, angled back but all going in the same direction.

I walked over to the man that stood in front of Dr. Kaminko's desk and he turned towards me, smiling. "Did you come from the Pokémon HQ Lab?" He asked.

"Yes sir," I replied.

"Ah, very good; my name is Makan and I run the Parts Shop in Gateon Port. How is the Lab's director, Professor Krane?" He asked.

"He's doing fine." I answered.

"Ah, good, good; if you'd be so kind, please tell the Professor that the machine part he needed is ready, and that he should come get it anytime." He said.

"I'd be honored." I grinned and walked over around the desk and found myself facing the Doctor himself. If Chobin had looked weird, this dude was a whole new level.

Dr. Kaminko wore a white lab coat, pink pinstriped pants, a bright yellow top, and round-framed glasses. In addition to his crown-like hair, he had an equally spiky white beard and mustache.

Jovi turned and looked at me, thankfully drawing my attention away from the doctor. "Hi, big sister! Doctor Kaminko is making a really funny drawing. It's a really detailed drawing of a really weird machine!" She exclaimed.

"Jovi, we need to get home. Mama isn't happy that you're way out here." I told her.

"But you just got here!" She wailed and then stopped. "Oh… Jovi gets it! Jovi has to show you how to go home, right? Ok, that's what Jovi will do! Jovi will take you home!" She laughed and then turned to her Minun. "Come on Mimi; let's go home with big sister!" The little Minun hopped over to Jovi and leaped into her arms as Jovi turned to face the Doctor. "Jovi will visit again, Doctor! Bye-bye!" She said and we, finally, left the manor.

I prayed that I would never have to visit the manor again.