#wieldershipping

Posts I wrote highlighting his sympathetic and redeeming qualities have been subject to harsh judgement, one of which was even referred to as "ignorant bullshit" and was then passed among the members of the commenter's inner circle who shared this opinion and left similar remarks.

On another post I wrote discussing the ways Volo's dialogue was unfaithfully translated, I received a dismissive comment along the lines of, "this isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be". And I disagree with that, not as someone who is fond of Volo's character, but someone who has strong opinions towards preserving the text's original intentions when translating any work. I would have felt the same were it any other character whose speech was altered to come off as more aggressive than it was in Japanese.

Additionally, I have been repeatedly accused of repulsive actions due to pairing Volo and an adult aged Akari together, some of these individuals even enthusiastically wished for my demise despite there existing no true difference between what I do and them creating an OC for shipping purposes - regardless of what the protagonist is named or how they may be customized, all players receive the same line from Cyllene about them appearing to be fifteen or so.

And the few who stumble across my work and don't take issue with my Akari being depicted as an adult have occasionally expressed the belief she shouldn't be in love with a villain. As though Volo can't be anything more than who he was up on that mountain - that he can never express remorse, be forgiven, and find happiness and love.

I do utilize the block button - liberally so. But it feels as though with each tormentor I block, three more take their place. This is, in all honesty, why I struggle to make significant progress on the story I've been writing the past three years (previously titled 'What Once We Were', but is now 'Desiderium'). While it is true I have continuously found new ideas I want to add to the narrative, I am mostly filled with apprehension towards the possibility of my work, something I've poured so much passion and consideration into, being subject to unfair criticism and used to harass me further.

Now, before someone suggests for me to simply not share my work if I can't handle harsh criticism, I offer this rebuttal: would you tell a child to never show their art to anyone again because a bully at school laughs at them and tears up their drawings? If the answer is yes, then you are no better than the bully.

And yet, here I am, choosing to hide my work away for the time being. Volo's reputation in the fanbase may never recover from what has occurred in Masters EX, though. Therefore, I truly can't say when or if I will feel safe once again to share my writing which involves him. Even though Sisterhood is contained in an alternate universe, that doesn't matter to these people. The fact Sisterhood's version of Volo is a victim of eldritch manipulation will especially be under scrutiny despite the level of nuance involved.

Certain asks may remain unanswered for a while longer as a result of my decision. As a matter of fact, I had a post about Volo meeting Akari's Alpha Froslass completed and prepared to share for this week, but I may not have a replacement written by the week's end, so... see you next week, I suppose.

Volo curled around her smaller frame effortlessly, shallow breath tickling the nape of her neck. His chest was pressed against her back, forehead nestled in her dark hair. His large hands rested idly on her stomach, one folded on the other, keeping her close. Akari was acutely aware of every point of contract against her body. 

Specifically, she was aware of the firmness pressed against her backside.

She angles her head to study his face from the peripheral of her vision. Volo is sound asleep save for the occasional twitch of his brow or hum from the back of his throat. She shifts her hips backwards and is rewarded with more pressure against her rear. Her hand moves of its own accord, reaching around her back before she can consciously question the decision.

Volo is just… so lovely. He’s kind to her, gives her helpful items and words of encouragement. He keeps her safe and warm, like now, in the frozen Icelands as the snow piles up outside their shelter. Her fingertips brush against a swell of cloth and she follows its line, wrapping her fingers around his length.

Volo towers over her in every respect, but in this she has no basis of comparison. He feels… sturdy is the only word she can think of, solid and weighty in her hand. She skims her fingers along the shaft, the fabric of his nightwear smoothing the way. She swallows thickly when he twitches, and she again drives her hips backwards, struggling not to rut against him openly.

She likes him - that much has been obvious from the start, but only now, with his unconscious responses making her morals loose and her mouth dry and her panties wet, does she realize how much. She removes her hand, replacing it with the slide of her thighs against his increasing protrusion, biting the meat of her hand when he prods the gusset of her underclothes.

His hand clenches over her stomach and she goes rigid, hardly daring to breathe as he shifts and settles again. Akari eases her hips away with a relieved sigh, most of her daring having been shot down in this one instance of fear.

Most, but not all; slowly ghosting the tips of her fingers over the blue veins below the pale skin of his hand, she traced the ridges of his knuckles, slipping her fingers in between his, palm pressed against the back of his hand. Volo does not stir as she lifts his hand and places it over her breast. 

Even this mild touch had her squeezing her legs together, tightly. She doesn’t move, fighting to keep her breathing slow and even. A faded nightshirt was the only thing separating his palm from her chest, and she worried that her thundering pulse would be enough to wake him. Her fingers play with his, base to knuckle to nail and back again, each finger twice over. His hands are calloused, but soft, and so much larger than her own; the man at her back makes her feel tiny in every way, and it sets something below her stomach alight.

“You know,” the sleepy rasp at her ear nearly has her jolting out of her skin. “If you wanted me to touch you, you could have simply asked.”

Akari jerks her hand away from him the moment he whispers, futilely trying to steady her racing pulse.

“I - I’m sorry,” her face is flush with remorse. “I shouldn’t have done that, I don’t know what came over me…”

Though she removed her hand, he didn’t remove his. Instead, his fingers knead her soft flesh experimentally, and she gasps sharply when his palm grazes over the perk of her nipple. Volo pauses and she breathes heavily into the silence. His cheek presses against the top of her head as he leans in, lips just above her ear.

“Do you want me to touch you?” 

Her mouth is bone dry and she swallows audibly, trying to regain some sense of equilibrium. Volo is patient, thumb idly stroking the curve of her breast. His calm acceptance is reassuring, but she can’t quite speak around the shame of having made such an intrusion at all. Volo sighs at her back, lowering his head further to place a feather-light kiss just below the shell of her ear.

“I am not in the business of taking unwilling partners, my dear,” his voice smooths over her anxieties like river water. “If you want something from me, I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask for it.”

“I - I, uh…”

His gentleness makes her chest ache; she does want it - wants it very much - but can’t bring herself to ask, not after what she has done. Tears prick at her eyes, and she wipes at them roughly.

“Akari? What is it?” He moves, lifting himself up to better see her face. More tears leak and slide down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she buries her face into her hands. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… it was wrong of me.” His thumb brushes the tears from her cheek.

“You don’t have to apologize for your body’s harmless wants, dearest.”

“But I do have to apologize for imposing them on you,” Akari can’t bring herself to look him in the eye. Volo cups her cheek and turns her head towards him, nudging her forehead with his own.

“I am… not opposed to a bit of playfulness. As you well know,” he smirks a little and it’s like throwing kindling on a low flame. The arousal that had been crushed by her shame flares to life again in an instant. She shakes her head.

“It was still wrong.”

“Very well,” Volo moves and lays himself down at her back. 

“You did something you shouldn't have,” his arm curls over her torso. 

“And I forgive you for it.”

He presses a kiss to her temple, content to leave the matter there. His hand is warm against her torso. Akari slots her fingers between his and twists her body, craning her neck back to meet his gaze.

"Volo…"

The fingers between hers flex and settle into the empty spaces of her own, his thumb rubbing a callus just inside her palm. She lifts his hand again, this time bringing it to her lips to kiss his knuckles. Volo nestles closer, breathing against the curve of her neck. She does want it, but more importantly, he wants it as well, and is willing to give her leave to express the desires she has long pushed down.

"Please… touch me." She can feel him smiling against her skin.

"Of course, dearest."

His hand slips up her shirt and she gasps in surprise, unprepared for such boldness. Her breast sits comfortably in his large hand as his fingers glide across skin, leaving pinpricks of feeling in their wake. He teases her nipple to pucker, running little circles about the perimeter before plucking her erect. The brief flash of pain makes her inhale with a squeak, but also heightens the sensation of pleasure. He repeats the process with her other breast and palms her stiff nipples until she whines in arousal.

"My, what cute little noises you make," Volo's voice is smooth, honeyed vanilla, sweeping her ears like crushed velvet. "I can't wait to learn them all."

Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise her - Volo has always allowed her space for the things she is passionate about, happily listening to her prattle on about her latest research avenues, from migration patterns of the Starly to the mating habits of Nosepass. Where even Rei gets glassy-eyed as she fills out the minutiae of the Pokedex, Volo listens and comments, adding his own knowledge and anecdotes, even guiding her to hidden meadows and shaded glens where she can study without need to keep an eye open for the presence of an Alpha. Volo has never made her feel strange or unwelcome for her unconventional loves.

What is Volo to her, if not another one of her passions?

The arm underneath her is beginning to feel uncomfortable, so she rolls from her side and rests her head just above the inside of his elbow. She hides behind a curtain of hair, embarrassed at needing to ask, but not brave enough to simply take.

“Volo, can I… can I kiss you?” 

Even as a nineteen-year-old, a chill which has no relation to the frigid temperatures surrounding him still runs down his spine whenever he hears her haunting cry echo across the white landscape...

So one can only imagine Volo's astonishment and inner dismay when he discovers that exact Froslass in Akari's company!

Volo: Might that be a sixth occupied Poké Ball in your possession? You truly are a wonder! You're the sole member of the Galaxy Team who has managed to accomplish such a feat! Won't you allow me to meet this fortunate newfound friend of yours? Akari: If you insist. *she retrieves the Jet Ball, undoes the latch with a flick of her thumb, and allows it to roll off her palm* *The summoned Alpha Froslass lets out a familiar echoing cry, then eyes Volo with apparent interest* Akari: Her name is Faustina. Volo: *violently shuddering* ...Hello, Faustina. Akari: Is something the matter? ...Ah. Faustina's presence must be freezing those digits of yours. Volo: *has taken several steps backwards* Yes! That's... precisely what's the matter! My freezing digits...

In spite of Volo's apprehension, he truly has nothing to fear from her (until he betrays Akari, that is). She even makes several attempts to bring the two Wielders together as mates.

In actuality, this Alpha Froslass possesses a warm heart! Metaphorically speaking.

Which beats only for Akari's happiness...

(Following his betrayal, she desires to freeze Volo then present his ice-encased body to Akari under the mistaken belief it would bring her Wielder happiness because he can no longer flee from her.

Seated next to a cute little table at the far end of the room a safe distance away from the action soon to arrive is a tall, blond young man who bears a striking resemblance to the previous Champion. Resting in his lap is a teeny-sized Togekiss, and placed on the surface of the table are several sandwiches with sweet berry fillings as well as a few glass bottles of Moomoo Milk.

He offers the befuddled challenger a brief wave of his hand accompanied by a whimsical smile, and Hikari's serious expression softens in a manner entirely foreign to anyone aside from himself. Nevertheless, no matter how often Volo witnesses it, that radiance only he has managed to manifest in her countenance, it still leaves mass outbreaks of Beautifly fluttering about within his belly.

Hikari: This... is my beloved. Challenger: ... ... ... Volo: Pay no mind to me! I am an observer of battles, nothing more! Participating in them no longer captivates my interest...

Although Cynthia relinquished her title three years prior, she's still involved in maintaining Sinnoh's Pokémon League and staunchly opposes Hikari bringing Volo along to watch her battle - in addition to every aspect of their relationship and the fact it even exists.

Unfortunately for Cynthia, her efforts to prohibit him from entering the Champion's Room regardless of his supposed separation anxiety are overruled by Bertha, Flint, and Lucian.

In actuality, Aaron's perspective on the issue is relatively neutral. He honestly couldn't care less whether Hikari invites her new boyfriend (and Cynthia's younger brother who nobody seemed to be aware existed until recently?) to act as her audience of one, provided his presence won't negatively affect her performance.

However, Cynthia frightens him to some degree, Aaron being the lowest ranking member of the Elite Four may factor into that, thus he feels compelled to take her side of the argument for purely self-preservational purposes.

But Bertha is firmly supportive of the lovers who defied the barrier of space-time to be together, simply stating she was young and in love herself once when an explanation behind her decision is demanded. Flint finds amusement in Cynthia's steadily increasing exasperation towards the two, and the answer Lucian supplies is his loyalties lie with the current Champion.

Yet she suspects the true reason behind Lucian's stance is, along with Bertha, he's deduced Volo's identity and has become invested in his ardent devotion to Hikari, looking upon the pair with a similar form of enrapturement as when he peruses one of his favorite novels. Much to her chagrin at this moment in time, Lucian can't resist the allure of a heartfelt love story.

So as a result of Cynthia's protesting, Volo gains official permission to observe Hikari's battles against challengers on a regular basis. And the more she vocally disapproves of this in addition to his romance with Hikari, the further she's forced into her newfound role as a third wheel - one she could escape from with ease were she to cease shoving her way into their affectionate affairs.

Hikari is also almost always the half of the couple who sentences Cynthia to witness these hilariously uncomfortable situations involving audacious displays of adoration, since the former Champion and self-acclaimed researcher of Sinnoh's myths repeatedly mentions certain events of the distant past Hikari would rather remain buried, along with refusing to leave her remorseful beloved be.

Volo refrains from retaliating against Cynthia's assertions; he's unable to refute them - he is responsible for the space-time rift's appearance and every terrible event that followed.

Volo won't defend himself, he quietly accepts her scornful remarks just as he did Cogita's. In moments such as these, his guilt-ridden conscience convinces Volo he deserves to be spoken to harshly, if not worse. So Hikari comes to her lover's aid and attempts to alleviate his concerns - by reminding him without a shred of restraint the reasons he's become her beloved.

He's proven his loyalty as well as love, has renounced his previous obsession towards Arceus. She takes Volo's face into her hands, strokes the soft skin of his cheeks, then gently guides him down to her height, so that he may receive the reverence she has to offer in return.

It's super effective.

These sweet words and gentle gestures simultaneously reassure Volo and spite Cynthia. All according to plan.

Whenever Cynthia simply can't stomach being subjected to their love a single second longer, she makes a tactical retreat and shares her collection of complaints with her trusted friend Perrin.

Perrin provides her a space to share those feelings of frustration while also addressing Cynthia's concerns and grounding her in logic. After all, if Volo is spectating Hikari's battles at the Pokémon League, then he isn't being left unsupervised - he's in the same structure as some of the strongest Trainers in Sinnoh.