Chapter 29: Search For Family


Vincent shifts in his sleep, one of his long ears twitching before he quickly jerks his head up and opens his eyes. He glances around, coming back to reality as he remembers where he is.

A vast grassy field spreads out as far as the eye can see from the rocky cliff under which he had taken shelter for the night, having found a tiny cave just large enough to comfortably sleep in, near a large river which leads straight from a waterfall streaming down the side of the cliff.

He gazes down at the faint, orange glow radiating from the small stone still laced around his neck, even in this new form. Since he has left Christina, Raven and Silva, his necklace has given this same glow, which has pushed him on his search for Melissa, in hopes that she is actually the one trying to call out to him. Soon afterwards, it starts to glow purple, signalling a response from Christina, before he presses his snout to it and it starts to glow light blue. He closes his eyes for a brief moment. With his necklace, he feels as if his family were with him. It's something he never wants to lose sight of, not even for a second.

After a short time, he opens his eyes once more, then stands up and stretches out his limbs. The glow of his necklace fades and Vincent takes one more glance at it. He is determined to find his sister, no matter what.

He steps out into the field, the rays of the rising sun setting upon his black fur. From above, he would easily stand out in the grassy plains which go on for miles. He wanders over to the nearby river and peers into it, the running water clear as crystal. He takes solace in the idea that this realm is much like Earthrealm in nature, and hopes that it will remain as calm as he's remembered it. He closes his eyes and leans down to take a drink of the cool, fresh water. It is something he hasn't done since his previous task, but is something he has taken to enjoy.

As he opens his eyes, his reflection in the water reminds him once again of his current form. He stares at it and it stares back at him, and he can only ponder the reason he took this form in the first place. Of all the pokemon he could have been...why Umbreon? It is as though nature were speaking to him- trying to tell him something he may have forgotten. But the only thing he can put together is that this is somewhat...familiar.

Vincent sits down with a quiet sigh, borne of fatigue and frustration. He glances down at his necklace once more, before slowly getting back to his feet. He gazes around the field, then turns towards where he has confirmed to be the east. As he sets off, he can't help but feel that he is going the right direction, and just hopes his intuition proves to be right.

- - - - -

After having settled into the exploration guild run by a rather intriguing Wigglytuff and his assistant Chatot, Raven rests on a patch of hay that has been clumped together to make a bed of sorts. He was given a room to share with Christina and Silva and has already handled a mission earlier this day, which was admittedly a bit of a letdown from what he had expected.

Still, he can't help but feel that Vincent may have been right in having him join this guild. Christina, who has been lying on a patch just a few feet from him, gives him a curious glance as he appears to be deep in thought.

"Raven...? What is it?"

He suddenly jerks back into reality and looks back at the other Pikachu with a blank expression, before shaking his head with a few blinks. "Sorry. Just been thinking of things, is all. I can't get this idea out of my head that we've really gotten ourselves into something much larger than we bargained for. I mean, look at us. Look at where we are. Did you ever in your life think that we would, one day, wind up in a totally different world, transformed into pokemon?"

Christina rolls over and then sits up, rubbing her face as she gives a small yawn. "Well... If you look at it this way, my family has never really been of the norm. Like, think of our parents. They were really popular amongst the people of Pallet, as well as Blackthorn. They really knew what it took to help others in need. Mom once told me that if everyone in the world gave a little bit every day, then maybe everyone would be able to live comfortable lives, like we used to."

She looks down to the ground in thought as her pointy ears droop both in sleepiness and in sadness. "But unfortunately, there are people like Team Rocket, Cipher, Team Galactic... People who would stop at nothing to get what they want from the world, even if it means stepping on others to do it, no matter how innocent. Even this world has its own share of corruption, as we saw just the day we got here. Had we not helped Silva that time, who knows where she'd end up."

Raven folds his arms as he lies back on his bed. "I know what you mean. But being here... I don't know. It really gets you wondering just what else is out there. Vincent talked about that Spiritual Council he's a part of. Apparently there are even more places like this. Even more worlds that we never even knew about. Who could've thought something like that was even possible? Are they connected? What do they look like? Do they have pokemon like our own world, or other things we've never even heard of?"

Christina smiles a little at his pondering and then falls onto her back, gazing up at the stone ceiling above. "Who knows... But whatever they are, I'm sure they're all in the same position, living their lives one day at a time, among many others just like them."

Silva shifts somewhat on her bed and Christina gives her an idle glance, then turns back to Raven. "I think we should get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be another busy day, so we should be ready for whatever happens."

Raven sighs and nods slowly. "Right... I hope we get to see Vincent and Melissa again soon."

Christina closes her eyes and rests a paw over her own purple necklace, as though keeping it close to her so that she doesn't lose it. "I'm sure we will."

The male Pikachu shifts on his side and closes his own eyes, then utters a moment later, "Good night, Christina."

"Good night, Raven..."

- - - - -

Vincent makes his way to the top of a hill and takes a glance around the area, before sitting down and letting out a soft breath, taking a moment to rest. He has been walking for several hours now, and finally come to what appears to be the entrance of a small forest. As he gazes on, he can recognize the sight of countless trees bearing a familiar blue berry known to most pokemon in this realm.

"As I thought. The Oran Forest." The Umbreon soon gets back to his feet and begins to wander into the forest, his blue rings flickering slightly to the darkness cast by the trees looming above him.

As he wanders on, he begins to slow his pace and look around quietly, peering through the thicket which now surrounds him in every direction. He would catch the passing glance of the occasional pokemon resident, particularly grass-types, as expected. The further he travels into the forest, the more anxious he becomes. Uncertain of who or what he might find, whether a friend or a foe, he keeps his guard up and continues on.

A few minutes later, Vincent comes nearly to a stop. His nerves are set on edge and his ears perk as he feels as though he were being closely stalked. Within seconds, his mind flashes through numerous possibilities, and almost an instant later, he jerks his head in the direction of what would appear only for a wink as a blob of dark purple, ghostly energy compressed tightly into a small projectile aimed straight at him. He whirls around to strike the object swiftly with his tail, creating a dark cloud to envelop the area for a short period. He immediately after stamps his paw in the grass to release a line of light beams from the ground towards his hidden assailant.

In response, a Mightyena appears to leap from a bush and glance at him, before growling and releasing a burst of black, spiraling streaks at him. Blinking in sudden realization, the Umbreon quickly rolls out of the way, hesitating for just a brief second, and then doing a flip. His tail swings down and releases a blade of silver towards the larger canine, which is swiped through by a set of furred claws, in turn causing a short burst of compressed force to strike Vincent.

He recoils from the blow, as though he were hit in the face by a blunt object, and quickly shakes his head, only to get a glimpse of his opponent rushing at him. His image blurs as he blinks through the Mightyena, before firing his own ghostly ball at him. This time, he is able to land the attack and the larger pokemon grunts and skids to a stop. He then turns around to face a crouching Umbreon staring at him in a defensive stance. He squints for a moment, then utters a quiet scoff.

"Your reflexes haven't diminished over the years."

Vincent makes a fervent growl in response, but appears to grin just a little. "Of course not, Lucas. You of all people should know I keep my abilities sharp."

The Mightyena smirks a bit and then takes a few steps towards him. "I always did know you to be in top shape. I'd just hoped you didn't lose that since you began your task."

Vincent stands back up straight and utters a quiet huff. "I've still got plenty of life in me, old man. But you look like you're losing your touch a little. Fifty years in the physical world getting to you?"

Lucas snorts dejectedly to these words and circles around the Umbreon, eyeing him over attentively. "I don't know. I didn't want to push you too hard, knowing what happened last time we sparred. I'm sure the Glaceon in you remembers rather well, doesn't it?"

The smaller pokemon shoots him a fierce glare and utters in a low, albeit withdrawn, grumble, "Shut it..."

The Mightyena steps back in front of Vincent, his gaze moving to the Umbreon's. "You know why I'm here, I suspect."

"I think I've pieced that much together."

Lucas pauses for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he glances down in thought, and Vincent eyes him with a concerned look.

"Vincent, this task isn't something a normal Messanger should take. I'm sure you know that by now. But you're not a normal Messanger."

The Umbreon shakes his head. "I'm not an Elite Messanger like you either. I turned it down. I prefer it like this."

"Yes... I'm aware. Even so, this is a task that you should never have taken."

Vincent freezes in place with an aporetic and uncertain stare, and the larger canine shakes his head.

"Since the previous three who've taken the task have failed, the Council was reconsidering its approach. But there was no time to make a decision. William... went over the Elder's head and took it upon himself to send you on the task. You should not be here."

Vincent is in disbelief at these words. To think the very person he'd spoken to upon entering this realm is the one who sent him here in the first place. That he was brought into the physical world by mistake, and the family he has grown so close to, he should never have known. He stammers a bit and shakes his head, his mind rushing with many questions and thoughts. But one thing sticks out in his mind that shakes him to the core.

"...William came to me when I entered this realm a few days ago. He told me something that really made me question his intentions. That James has to be Released. He told me that I have to take James out because of his other side. William has done some questionable things in the past but I've never thought he could do something like this. What is the Council thinking, letting his actions go on like this?"

"Things aren't doing so well in the Council lately."

Vincent lets out a quiet sigh. "I know. Lou told me. And that's what concerns me. I've been wondering for some time if I should stay with them."

Lucas turns off and looks up through the trees to the sky above, catching the first glimpse of dusk as day is rolling into night. "It may be imperative that you don't. But that will be a decision you'll have to make."

Vincent looks down to the ground, the lush grass beneath his Umbreon paws being slightly swayed by the soft breeze blowing through the forest. And then, a thought comes to his mind.

"Hey...Lucas? Can you tell me something?"

The Mightyena turns his gaze back to him questioningly, and he looks back up at him.

"What was I? In my first life. You know, right?"

"I think you've figured that out by now."

Vincent nods slowly in response. "An Umbreon. But...do you know anything else? Like where I lived?"

Lucas shakes his head and takes a reserved step back. "I can't tell you that. To do so would be sending you off someplace which is no longer there. And the drastic changes would tear you apart, this soon. I'm sorry, Vincent. But this is all I can say."

"You're not serious right now. You're just gonna leave me in the dark?" Vincent makes a rushed pace around to meet the Mightyena's gaze once again, who utters a hushed growl in return.

"My words are sincere. That is all."

The Umbreon stares at him for a moment, but it feels far longer. He stares, prying for answers, desperate to get anything else- anything at all.

That is all.

Vincent turns away with a defeated grunt and wanders a few steps. "I need to know, Lucas..."

"You will, in time. Just not now."

He gazes off into the distance, as though peering right through the trees and into the seeming endless plain which lies beyond the forest. The irony of the statement bleeds into him almost unbearably. The task on which he is set: he has nothing but time. And if he fails, he won't even have that.

But he has his family. He glances down at his necklace. The light-blue teardrop-shaped stone hangs passively on its lace. The one thing he holds with him that reminds him of those he cares for. Certainly it must've been more than chance that he met them. That he was never meant to know them but still does. He has to hold onto that conviction...the certainty that he belongs here, with them.

Vincent turns back to face Lucas, his hopes lifted once again. He is reaffirmed his determination to bring his family back together, and is returning his focus to the goal he set out towards.

"I have to look for my sister. She's around, somewhere. I can't stop until I find her."

The Mightyena nods back to him and motions on from the clearing. "I shall not impede you then. You already know, you will need the help of your loved ones to face the endeavors down the road. I will do my best to assist."

Vincent walks on past him and comes to a stop a short distance ahead.

"Thanks, Lucas. For being here."

Lucas glances towards him, gazing at him as a loyal friend. Someone who is ready to venture into the depts of the abyss and back to ensure their success. "I stayed with Gerald until the very end. I will remain with you the very same. Take care, Vincent."

The Umbreon says nothing more. He's exchanged all the words he needs to with Lucas, and now begins to push on towards his objective. Leaving his ally, and the forest, behind, he proceeds north. At this point, he is more set on finding Melissa than ever. He has to...for both their sakes.

- - - - -

"Raven? Hey, Raven, snap out of it!"

Christina snaps her fingers in front of Raven's face and he wakes from his haze. His blank stare is replaced by a disoriented gaze towards the other Pikachu before he shakes his head.

"Are you doing okay? You've been acting weird since we met that Azurill kid earlier. You've zoned out three times now."

Raven turns his gaze down the dirt path where a Drowzee is barely seen in the distance, walking with an Azurill and his older Marill brother, and eventually going out of sight.

The two, with Silva, had just parted ways with the trio after learning of the siblings' sick mother and their efforts to take care of her. After supposedly having come across an item the pair has been looking for, the Drowzee offered to lead them to it. However, now Raven has strong doubts about the truthfulness of the psychic pokemon's words.

After a short moment, Christina taps her paw on his shoulder, releasing a sudden jolt to get his attention, and he jumps in place, turning back towards her.

"Hey, cut that out!"

"What. Is. Wrong with you? You're not acting right."

The male Pikachu sighs and rubs his paw on his forehead. "I don't know, I just get this sinking feeling. I sort of...saw something. I'm not sure what, but it felt so real."

Christina moves in front of him, and Silva looks at the two with mild confusion, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Go on."

Raven stares towards the ground for a brief moment. "After that Drowzee bumped into me, my head started to hurt. I felt dizzy. But then I had...something like a dream. I saw Drowzee...threatening Azurill. They were on some mountain somewhere, and Drowzee told Azurill that if he didn't do as he said, it'd end badly for him."

Christina appears somewhat taken aback by what he said and folds her arms. "Threatening? I mean, we just met them. That Drowzee didn't seem to be bad, but looks can be deceiving. Still, I wouldn't go so far as to accuse him of wanting to hurt Azurill."

Raven stares down in thought for a bit, before starting off down the path, and Christina shouts out after him, "Hey, where are you going!?"

"This isn't right. I'm going to follow them."

Christina runs ahead and stops in front of him, pushing him backwards. "We don't know anything about this world, Raven. Going after him is reckless. We have to trust that those two will be okay with him. We need to go back to the Guild, alright? Bidoof is waiting for us."

Raven grumbles and kicks some dirt off into the distance in annoyance. But Christina maintains her cool.

"Look. Vincent trusted us to stay with the Guild for now. Let's do one thing at a time until he comes back. Then we'll go from there, okay?"

The other Pikachu shifts a bit uncomfortably, but comes to resign to her request. "Fine... But I don't like this."

Christina pats his shoulder and then looks over at Silva, who seems dumbfounded by Raven's choice of action. "We'll do what we can. Let's just go back for now."

The Chikorita steps up to the two and looks at Raven, almost appearing intimidated by him, but comforted to Christina's proposal.

After a brief time, the three start back towards the Exploration Guild to meet back with Bidoof. After returning, the brown, rodent-like pokemon immediately calls them over to him. He appears to be standing in front of a large bulletin board of sorts, with various papers tacked onto it, similar to the one on the other side of the room where they took their first mission as an exploration team. Christina remembers the admittedly underwhelming task they were set on to retrieve a lost pearl for a Spoink the previous day. But now it appears they'll be doing something different. She hopes it will be a change of pace to something more interesting.

Bidoof explains the different jobs that exploration teams would be taking while in the Guild. While one board has postings for search and rescue missions, the other has notices of various outlaws who have been reported. They learn that the Exploration Guild is working with the authorities to capture these pokemon and bring them to justice.

As the group starts looking over the board, one post catches Raven's attention- and it sends chills down his spine. Every nerve in his body is set on edge and he begins to feel an overwhelming rush of tension.

Christina, noticing his reaction, comes over to his side and looks up at the board. "What is it? What do you-"

And then she sees it. The post that Raven is staring so intently at, as though it were the one thing that mattered more than anything else in the world. An outlaw notice which was just posted today. The pokemon in question: Drowzee.

"...It's him..."

Silva turns her attention towards the post as well and gasps in disbelief. She can't believe it. The pokemon they'd been talking about, the one they just let wander off with the two young siblings to who knows where...is an outlaw!

As though pushed forward by a huge rush of adrenaline, Raven runs off and climbs the ladder leading out of the Guild building, followed shortly after by Christina and Silva, and leaving a baffled and confused Bidoof behind, wondering what just happened.

After making their way back to the crossroads of the town, the three find Marill hunched over, out of breath. Christina runs to his side and kneels down to him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The smaller blue mouse pokemon looks up at her with an expression of great worry. "We were with that Drowzee, Azurill and I. We were talking and having a good time, and he assured us he'd take us to find our lost item. But before I knew it, he'd wandered off with Azurill! I tried to run after them but I couldn't catch up and they were gone..."

Raven moves in front of him and looks him directly in the eyes. "Do you know where they went?"

The Marill takes a few quick breaths before looking off to the open wilderness. "They were going to the northeast. I think they were headed towards Mt. Bristle."

Christina looks over at Raven. For a moment, she feels guilty for having turned his suggestion to go after Drowzee down. But now, she's determined to find him and rescue Azurill. "Get the map out. We're going to find them."

Raven nods and stands up, sifting through the bag strapped over his shoulder and then pulling out a rolled up sheet of thick paper. He then looks back at the Marill. "Get the authorities. We're going after Drowzee."

The smaller pokemon nods and Raven, Christina and Silva turn off to wander into the wilderness, going in the direction of where Drowzee and Azurill were heading: Mt. Bristle.