Chapter 50 – Not closure, but hope.

  When I looked at the mask, I reflexively turned back to watch Cailin.

  That explains the amusement in her eyes earlier... and it’s still there.

  “What? You said you didn’t necessarily want him to know it was you. You never said how” she said with a serious face \.

  “... I think that would be more convincing if you didn’t quite literally radiate amusement from every pore of your body. I’m any other psychics in the town can locate you right now if they focus just a bit.” I deadpanned.

  “Nonsense. Now get ready I will have Gothitelle teleport us to his place. It would also be better if you returned Nike. It would defeat the purpose.”

  By now, I was so used to Nike staying on my head that if she hadn’t mentioned it, I might as well have forgotten that she was there. Even while talking to her.

  “Don’t worry little princess I will tell you how it went later,” I reassured her after I felt her stiffening.

  ‘Want to see him not sad’ She quietly spoke in my mind.

  ‘I know and I promise I will memorize everything for you. But for now, I think we should do as Caitlin said.’ I tried to reassure her.

  In the end, it took more time to convince Nike to return to her capsule, but she agreed after Gothitelle offered to show her memories. In addition, I suggested looking for him afterward if she wanted to see him. Although I doubted it would be easy, I at the very least hoped that giving him closure on where his brother went would alleviate the sadness that he felt.

  I said sadness, but all of us here knew that it went far deeper than that. Maybe the one least aware was Gothitelle, but even she could feel the echoes of his aches. It was like a bottomless abyss that suck all the joy that was in his life. For Nike, who was particularly sensitive to emotion, I can’t even imagine what it feels like.

  After I returned her, I stuffed my different Pokeballs in my bag and only kept Lilligant’s Hyper Ball on my belt. Thankfully my bag wasn’t nearly as noticeable as anything else I had. With the mask, Caitlin also brought plain clothes that wouldn’t stand out either. Given that I would probably stay for a little long in Nimbassa, the chances of bumping into Emmet were far from small. Especially since I planned to visit the Gear Station.

  Gothitelle teleported me back to my room and to the alley after I changed into the clothes. That way even if someone got curious and checked the camera from the hotel. All they would see was Mathew coming to talk to me, then Caitlin and me leaving with Caitlin. That alone would seem suspicious, but I doubted someone would try to poke around an Elite 4 member. Since she teleported me straight into my room, I wasn’t seen. Just before teleporting me back, Gothitelle stopped me.

  “Goth, gothi,” she said while waving her hand in front of her face.

  “Right... the mask.”

  I looked at it once more. It looked like a fox mask, only in the colors of Zoroark, black and red. Ironically enough, with only my blue eyes visible, I would match the face of a Zoroark. I sighed and put the mask on before we teleported.

  Click.

  The first thing I heard when appearing was the sound of a shutter. I looked to see Caitlin holding her phone.

  My eye twitched when I saw that, but before I could comment on it, we were in front of a closed gate. Evidently, that was a setup and judging by Gothitelle's apologetic look, not her own.

  ...Somehow, that’s not how I imagined Caitlin's character to be. She is much more lighthearted than she usually presents herself. Then again, she was always friendly even back in Virbank.

  I didn’t get much time to ponder about Caitlin’s attitude because only seconds after we appeared there was a reaction from the residence. The two lights that face the interior of the gate came to life while the one outside the premises started to flicker erratically. Instinctively I took a step back because nothing screamed more ‘ghost’ than that.

  ‘don’t panic and stay close to me.’ Caitlin reached out mentally; her joking attitude evaporated to the wind.

  When an Elite tier trainer told you that, only two things could keep you panicking. A Champion and a Legendary and clearly neither was there. I started to calm myself down only to realize that the two ghosts were now fully visible, with Shadow Balls at the ready.

  “Laaa”

  “Pent”

  I didn’t need a Pokedex to recognize the Pokemon in front of me. Two Lampent now floated behind the gates. They shouted warily in warning but didn’t fire. There were a few seconds of standstill before something else occurred. Shadows seemed to pool on the ground behind the two Lampents before gaining a third dimension as something rose from the ground.

  “Lure...”

  The ghostly blue flames were the first thing that exited the shadows, shortly followed by the body of the actual Pokemon, resembling a chandelier that floated centimeters above the ground.

  “Chandelure.” the ghostly Pokemon’s yellowseyes scanned the both of us lagering on each one for different reasons, I was sure.

  “Could you notify Emmet that I would like to talk to him please?” Caitlin spoke after letting the Pokemon fix us for a while.

  The Pokemon hesitated to leave, looking at Gothitelle standing to the side. In the end, he didn’tneed to make a decision because the intercom at the entrance crackled to life.

  “Lead them in please.” Hearing its trainer's voice, the Chandelure nodded before dismissing its two pre-evolution.

  The shadows that had been gathering in front of the lamp –like Pokemon dispersed, merging back with the night while they returned to their position. I was intrigued as i saw them hanging themselves on a protruding part on the wall and closing their eyes. They really looked like ordinary lamps...

  I was brought out of my mind by the gate rattling open. Fixing my gaze forward, I noticed the Chandelure’s eyes gleaming blue from the Psychic that was keeping the door open. It even shut it behind us before turning around and floating toward the entrance of the house. The garden itself was fairly big but also felt empty. Yet the carefully tended grass flanking the walkway was proof of how much effort went into the estate.

  The short walk led us straight to the door and after a few clicks, it swung open, revealing Emmet in shorts and T-shirt as he looked at Caitlin curiously.

  “Elite Caitlin. I wasn’t expecting you to visit. Also, I hope the next time you wish to come, you will not teleport straight to the door and startle our poor guards at the entrance.” He said with a hint of disapproval in his tone

  “Good evening to you too. Although I admit it wasn’t proper it is a matter that will interest you so I hope you disregard the intrusion.”

  Emmet raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything more on the topic. Instead, his eyes flicked to me. “ Friend of yours? I have to admit coming to someone’s home while wearing a mask isn’t very polite.”

  Caitlin chuckled. “I was expecting you to dig deeper into the matter that would interest you, but fair enough. They are actually part of the reason for my intrusion, and we would like to talk to you. As for the mask, the topic is a bit sensitive and they wanted to keep their identity hidden for now, so I assisted their wish.” She shrugged.

  This time Emmet’s eyes narrowed and he fixed the both of us. “You keep dodging around the topic of your visit which I can’t help but find suspicious. If you wish to say something say it or you can leave,” he said curtly.

  I was taken aback by how he was talking to one of the Elite 4 of the region. I could agree that wearing a mask could appear suspicious, but with an Elite 4 member by my side I expected him to realize that it wasn’t anything suspiscious.

  It seemed as though Gothitelle had an idea of what I was thinking because soon her voice sounded in my head. ‘ His relationship with the League has been on a spiral since the disappearance of his brother, esteeming that we didn’t do enough to look.’

  Next to me, Caitlin let out a dramatic sigh. “I was hoping we could at least get inside before explaining some things, but it seems that will not happen.” She ignored the small scoff coming from Emmet and straightened herself. “I am here on official league business to inform you that we got a lead. Now would you mind talking somewhere a bit more private?”

  Emmet froze on the spot hearing what Caitlin said, knowing immediately what she was talking about. I also had questions, but I could ask them after we were done here. Ten seconds later, we were still standing on the porch, with Emmet fixing us with a mix of emotion on his face. Once he seemed satisfied with whatever he was looking for he breathed and turned back inside.

  “Fine, follow me,” he called out after noticing that we didn’t move.

  He took us to a large living room with more than a few Pokemon. There were about a dozen Pokemon all lounging in the living room. And all of them were Pokemon I recognized not only for their species but also for what they meant.

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  Conkeldurr, Gigalith, Eelektross, Klinklank, Galvantula, Excadrill, Durant, two Crustles and is that a Garbodor in the back? And an Archeops? I don’t recognize all of them, but if I add the Chandelure, I am sure they all at least appeared in their team of the battle subway...

  And all of them didn’t belong to Emmet.

  Ingo’s team was also mixed in the bunch. And judging by their reactions to Caitlin’s presence Emmet wasn’t the only one blaming the League for a lack of effort. Unperturbed by the atmosphere, Emmet strolled in the middle of the pack before plopping down on the couch and gesturing to the one opposite.

  That by itself wasn’t an issue but the positioning already indicated that things were tense. Emmet and twelve Pokemon on one side directly facing me and Caitlin with only Gothitelle by our side. Yet when Caitlin followed with hesitation I wasn’t left with any choice in the arrangement.

  While we were moving to sit down Emmet’s voice sounded once more.” They said they have a new lead so settle down.” With that, the hostility coming from the Pokemon decreased a bit. Only then did I notice the sweat soaking my back.

  Damn. That’s not how I expected things to go... I thought somewhat bitterly.

  “Well? Out with it,” he said as poured himself a glass of what looked like alcohol brought by the returning Chandelure.

  Caitlin waited for Chandelure to deposit some glass before speaking. “Before we begin I need you to understand that anything that is revealed today is confidential. As of now only the Elite 4 onward are aware of this.” Emmet glanced toward me but Caitlin was already getting to it. “Some exceptions were made for specific individuals. As for the one next to me, they are the reason we are even able to share this information with you. Therefore I would recommend calming your Pokemon. Those who cannot contain themselves better leave please.”

  As she said that she was unusually serious. She had none of the joking, or lazy attitude that i had seen so far. Even the first time in Virbank she wasn’t this intimidating. I felt like it was the first time I actually saw Caitlin the Elite 4 member.

  Her comments however didn’t have the effect she wanted, at least initially. The wave of anger that wafted from the arrayed Pokemon as she asked the emotional Pokemon to leave was enough to overwhelm me to the point of flinching slightly. Something that didn’t go unnoticed as a transparent shield instantly isolated me from the outside. Gothitelle's shining eyes told me who was responsible for the timely Protect.

  It even cuts out the sound. I realized as I saw Caitlin speaking but couldn’t hear her.

  From my point of view, her narrowed eyes seemed to glow from the inside. Even without a sound the reaction from the opposite side was visible as the Pokemon that were in an uproar settled down immediately. Once that was done, the shield was lowered, and I could hear again.

  “...further outburst. I will have you know that they are also the one who insisted on informing you at this stage.”

  Emmet’s eyes on me were a mix of emotions. I could see anger, desperation, hope, and guilt maybe? He seemed to be struggling with something inside before depositing his glass on the table in silence. Under Caitlin's questioning glance, he simply nodded.

  Meanwhile, I tried to ignore the lingering headache I had from the earlier outburst. I was only thankful that Nike was in her ball. If it was this bad for me, even with mental shield that Caitlin put in place in Virbank, I couldn’t imagine how it would have affected her. She would have undoubtedly lashed out.

  Before I explained anything, I turned to Caitlin. “ How-” I stopped myself when I heard my voice. It was distorted. That was something to address as well later. “How much can I share?”

  She seemed to think for a bit before answering. “Anything you think is necessary for him to fully grasp the situation,” she said.

  ‘But stay away from anything related to ‘Dawn’ and ‘Lucas’ since we are still looking into that.’ She added discreetly via telepathy.

  I nodded I thought a bit about arranging the conversation so that it made sense. I took a deep breath before starting. “First of all, let me begin by saying that I am sorry for what you went through. I know a bit of what happened and that is also why I asked to share this with you myself.” I said not only looking at Emmet but also at the Pokemon. After all, it was clear that even when Ingo was here, they were essentially one big team instead of two teams.

  “Now apart from that you also need to know that I am a psychic, even if not as powerful as Caitlin. Also, everything I will share with you has been at least somewhat verified by the League.” I looked at Caitlin again and she nodded.

  “To avoid giving you false hope we verified what we could and are still looking as we speak.” She confirmed. “I also personally checked in the presence of the Champion that he was telling the truth.” That added weight to my claim at least.

  After that, I resumed. “I don’t want to call it a vision per se but let's go with that for the explanation. I had a vision where I saw your brother-”

  “Where?!” he jumped from his seat, several Pokemon reacting as well.

  I raised my hands in a gesture to calm down. “Please calm down. Things are a bit more complicated than that.” I began and continued once he sat back down. “Have you ever heard of Hisui?”

  He frowned, trying to recall the name but shook his head in the end. Yet something in his gaze already shifted compared to the previous void when he looked at someone. That was probably the first concrete lead he had since the disappearance, and I kicked myself mentally for starting with that.

  “Hisui is what people used to call what we now know as Sinnoh.”

  “So, he is in Sinnoh?” he asked again, this time more calmly but the excitement was still there. Which is why I hated that I had to burst his bubble.

  “As I said things are a bit more complicated than that. It is not only a matter of where, but also of when.” I said frowning before remembering that he couldn’t see my expression. “What I saw wasn’t something recent. If I had to guess it was at least a century if not centuries ago. The timeline is blurred so I don’t have an exact timeframe. Or even if it is correct.”

  “I don’t understand.” He replied cautiously.

  At that I scratched my head, careful not to dislodge the mask before settling on another course. “ Do you believe in Legendary?”

  He frowned but at least answered. “Of course I do.”

  Maybe that was a stupid question. But it was easier to ask.

  “If you are not familiar with the Legendries of Sinnoh, let me explain. There is Dialga that controls Time, Palkia with Space, and Giratina for the Distortion. They are supposedly the three first creations of Arceus.”

  “Everyone knows that. But I still don’t see how that relates to my brother. Unless you want to tell me that both legendries worked together to bring my brother to the past.” he interrupted me, irritation bleeding through.

  “I don’t believe they did on purpose, or even if it was them or Arceus himself. Let me finish this part please” I sighed. “ As I said I don’t know but I do know that I saw your brother in Hisui. At that time, an anomaly was occurring and I believe because of that Anomaly your brother was,.. Moved or more likely dragged through Space and Time.”

  “And how did you even see this? Do you do divination? If so, why can’t you tell me how I can bring him back, assuming I believe you? You are telling me that you saw him when even Caitlin couldn’t. Even after admitting that she is better than you. Forgive me for doubting you.” he scoffed.

  At that time I could only blurt out what I had told Caitlin. “I don’t know but believe it was a dream.”

  This time Emmet laughed. Only it was a joyless laugh. More like one of sheer incredulity. “You Believe. You Think. You Dream. Oh, mighty Elite Caitlin, I didn’t know someone could trick even you. You speak of all the hypothetical and yet here you are talking to me like it was the truth, and I should just accept it. You have wasted enough of my time. Please leave because wasting” he said standing up while muttering loud enough that we could hear. “That will teach me to still trust your so-called League.”

  “Wait I wasn’t done!” I shouted. Even Caitlin seemed taken aback by my reaction but right now I couldn’t really care. “Tell me what do I gain from tricking you or Caitlin for that matter? Yet when I try to explain you simply dismiss it because what? You cannot believe it is possible? What does it cost to at least listen to what I have to say?!”

  While I was shouting at him, it wasn’t because he pissed me off by talking like I was a fraud. That was something I was used to before waking in this world. It infuriated me, yet somehow the part that pissed me the most was how he spoke of the League and Caitlin. I knew perhaps better than anyone what the League dealt with, at least on a surface level.

  How many cataclysms were already stopped through their interference? Heck, Caitlin already told me that Team Galactic was already dealt with by Cynthia. Yet people didn’t know that. He didn’t know that. Was the League perfect? No. I had no doubt that corruption sunk its claws even in the league, maybe even traitors working for other groups. But I also believed that they were the best chance to stop what was coming. How many more potentially world-ending events were brewing? The world where Nana and Pops lived and were Pokemon, my Pokemon live. Mathew, Arnold, Sera ...even through the short journey I had, I learned to know people that I wouldn’t want to lose.

  I could understand his anger at losing his brother if just thinking about losing these people I knew for far shorter impacted me that much. Yet I couldn’t understand his refusal to do everything he could to at least move on, if not reunite.

  Yet my outburst wasn’t met passively. A wave of anger unlike the one before washed over me once more before the shield appeared, cutting me from the outside world for a second time today. Through the shield, I could see many eyes glaring at me, while Emmet shouted, and Caitlin responded calmly. Her eyes flicked to me and there was worry in her gaze before she resumed speaking with Emmet.

  I tried to at least read her lips to get an idea of what was going on. It wasn’t a skill that I had but it beat doing nothing. Yet I couldn’t even begin when a voice in my mind interrupted me.

  ‘Settle down for now.’ Gothitelle reached, her voice soft but firm.

  ‘What is happening outside? I can’t hear anything.'

  ‘I know it is my doing. Know that Caitlin is trying to calm him down. But we also need you to settle down. You have already made a crack in the shield I had crafted.’

  That served to throw a bucket of cold water on my anger.

  A crack? But how/

  When I asked her, the answer was unsettling to say the least. ‘You were unleashing some of your Gift in your outburst, it is also why I isolated you. Now please work on your emotion and let me fix what I can.’

  I sat down and tried to take a sip of water before remembering the mask on my face.

  ‘Do not worry I have blurred the sight from outside.’ Gothitelle told me.

  Just in case I only lifted the mask enough to uncover the lower part of my face while trying to distract myself from the arguing figure outside. Thankfully I had someone to distract me and a topic I was curious about.

  ‘Is this a Protect? I didn’t know it could block sound and sight’ I spoke absentmindedly.

  This time Gothitelle's telepathic voice held a bit of relief and pride. ‘You will find that the move is quite versatile should you have the imagination and power to alter it.’

  That was a piece of interesting information, and we spent the next few minutes discussing things. I knew that moves were somewhat malleable, but I never thought you could push to this instant. This Protect essentially seals completely from the world. Plus, Gothitelle was clearly able to make it so I could see outside but not the opposite. It had its uses I guessed.

  Before I realized had calmed down, with my mind wandering about using moves in a more creative. Only when Gothitelle told me that she was about to lower the barrier did my mind drift back to what happened. A sense of embarrassment washed over me as I thought about what I said. Once the Protect was lowered, I was about to apologize but was stopped dead in my track.

  “Just finish your story,” Emmet said curtly.

  I wanted to argue and just apologize but a mental prod stopped me. I sighed and continued where I had stopped before, carefully controlling my emotions and watching Emmet. His face however revealed nothing. He just listened.

  I went on to explain the disruption of space-time that happened regularly, bringing not only Items but also Pokemon. That seemed to at least reignite his interest somewhat. Finally, I was getting to the main argument. I fiddled with the Ultra Ball on my belt as I spoke.

  “Earlier, you said that we came to you with only abstracts but that is not the case. We came because we found proof that Hisui is still somewhat connected to our time. Various Pokemon that we know today had different forms in Hisui. Similar to some species in Alola.” I turned toward Catilin, and she nodded.

  She pulled out a Pokeball and showed it to Emmet. He seemed intrigued by it, but once he saw the Lilligant appear in front of him, he lost all interest and went back to being annoyed.

  He was about to speak but I stalled him by raising my hand. “Yes this is just a Lilligant. But I assure you it is necessary for you to understand why we are a bit surer that Ingo is at least alive.”

  I didn’t leave time to comment on my last sentence as I threw the Ultra Ball next to where the Lilligant stood. Once the second form materialized, I could see Emmet’s eyes grow wide and he rose up in a daze. His eyes were darting between the two Pokemon, taking in the obvious similarity, but also the differences. After a while his eyes turned to me, no longer a pool of void, but something I was happy to see.

  “This is a Hisuian Lilligant. And as you can see, she is really here, today. This part is speculation on my part but do you still want to hear it?” I asked and continued only once he gave me his permission. “The anomaly that I mentioned earlier distorts both Space and Time, bringing items, Pokemon, and even people back to Hisui. But it is not only in one direction. I think it also brings Item, Pokemon, and perhaps even humans to our Era. Meaning that...”

  “There is still hope...” Emmet murmured, and I ignored the tear that rolled down his cheek.

  Seeing this, I hesitated before speaking once more. “There is something else. Something that I didn’t tell Elite Caitlin because it didn’t feel right.” Cailin eyed me but didn’t say anything in the end.

  Once Emmet turned to me, I continued.

  “In the vision, when I saw Ingo, there were other people. Locals from Hisui. They explained that he appeared one day on the beach with no memories except for his name... but in another, I saw Ingo speak to a young person. Another person who was transported... he explained that while he doesn’t remember much. He remembered guiding people to their destination while fighting next to someone who looked like himself with Pokemon he didn’t recall the name of anymore, but cherished all the same...”

  Both trainers looked at me in surprise, for different reasons.

  “You did not tell us that.” Caitlin protested, but there was no reproach in her voice.

  I shook my head. “I didn’t. It wasn’t relevant to what we were discussing, and I felt like should tell that to the person it mattered the most for.” when I said that I looked straight at Emmet.

  This time it wasn’t just a single tear running down his cheeks, nor was he alone. Behind him, all the Pokemon shed tears, even Chandelure’s face changing shape. Yet none was more affected than the Conkeldurr standing in the back.

  “I am sorry that I cannot give you closure. I did not see if Ingo ever returned to his home. But this Lilligant is proof that there is at least hope.”

  As if waiting for my words, Emmet's legs gave up, causing a small ‘plop’’ as he fell back on the couch, his face in his hand and shoulder shaking.

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  Nexon’s team (Bold moves are the ones used often)

  Team Summary

  Nike [Hattrem]/ Premier Ball

  Ability: Magic Bounce

  Moves: Confusion, Play Nice, Mystical Fire, Disarming Voice, Psybeam, Calm Mind, Heal Pulse, Teleport, Protect, Brutal Swing, Misty Terrain, Psyshock.

  Item: Fairy Feather

  Skoll [Riolu]/Poke ball

  Ability: Steadfast

  Moves: Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Bullet Punch, Protect, Brick Break, Detect, Ice Punch, Work Up, Force Palm.

  Item: None

  Tiamat [Vibrava]/ Safari Ball

  Ability: Hyper Cutter

  Moves: Astonish, Sand Attack, Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Bulldoze, Dig, Crunch, Protect, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Earth Power, Dragon Breath.

  Item: Life Orb

  Tyr [Dewott]/ Dusk Ball.

  Ability: Torrent

  Moves: Water Gun, Razor Shell, Water Pulse, Aqua Jet, Aerial Ace, Fury Cutter, Night Slash.

  Item: Mystic Water.