Odyssey for Yin and Yang

(5)

"Amile, are you aware of legends about someone called the Electric Soul?"

Blinking in pure confusion, I looked over at N from Sparkle's back. Gladys and I were riding the Rapidash as we traveled, but M had opted to walk, the two horse pokémon keeping a surprisingly gentle pace for him.

"No, I'm not, and where did that come from?" I raised an eyebrow as Gladys perked up from Flash's back.

"There were old legends from Hisuian times about a Rotom that aided an ancient trainer in a battle against a great disaster. Though the trainer and Rotom were eventually separated by a vast ocean of time and space, the Rotom stayed for a long time in the place their trainer once dwelled, never feeding any further on electricity, either from sadness, or just the desire to see their trainer again... Over time, they grew weaker and weaker, and in the beginnings of the modern medicinal era, they were trying to use a defibrillator to revive a baby that was stillborn during a blackout. They had the idea to use the weakened Rotom, caught from the ruins of the town the ancient hero lived in, to power the machine... But as soon as they applied it to the baby, the machine went on the fritz..." Gladys whispered, "The Rotom's face disappeared from it, and the giggling baby began to give off electricity!"

"Yes. It was just an urban legend that was told in Sinnoh, but for the longest time, people were convinced that it was true..." N sighed softly, "It was a fascinating story, and for a long time, I even tried to find someone like that, but I never really could. In the end, I had to assume that the story was false, because how in the world would someone who can't understand Pokémon be able to just guess the story behind a Pokémon's life, and how would the Rotom and the human soul of the baby have coexisted in that little body together..." he rubbed his head, "It leaves one to wonder if maybe the Rotom became the baby, even if it is just a work of fiction."

"N, are you alright?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm? Oh, I'm perfectly fine. It just crossed my mind as I was walking," he chuckled, rubbing his head, "I'm not entirely sure why... Its just been a while since Musharna picked up anything worth showing. She says that the agent following you at the time... Seemed to take a lot of bathroom and cigarette breaks. His reports were rare, and we've already recorded everything that he reported along this route, and every conversation between him and his cohorts," he sighed, frowning as he looked out over the landscape.

It has only been a week since that meeting in Officer Jenny's office. Joules was proving to be very efficient and useful, capturing events from multiple angles and doing his best to get closeups of the agent. For supposedly being a newer trainee of the program Officer Jenny mentioned, he was very well practiced.
"The story actually isn't just a legend, but the parents had their records sealed long before they could know what they were. I'm not capable of accessing those records, either." Joules stated bluntly, "I'm sure that whoever they are, they've led an interesting life."
"That is probably true. There are plenty of things that such abilities could come in handy with. But that still begs the question, are they the Rotom or the human?" N asked, genuinely seeming to want an answer.
"I get it. You're bored and you're looking for something stimulating..." I groaned, rubbing my head, "Simple things become a mind game with you when you're bored..."
He chuckled nervously and sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the sky, "For a Pokémon to be so devoted to its trainer as to starve for thousands of years... And then for it to allow its capture and to try to save a baby's life... It would have had to care a great deal. But in the end, was its life stolen away, was it silenced in its new body, did it live a new life, or did its soul and the departing soul of the human baby fuse into one, and bring life back to that tiny form?"
"N, please, I get it, but you are making my head hurt..." I groaned, the possibilities making my head spin.
Someone with Pokémon powers, especially an electric type...
"Ah! Musharna says there in an inn up ahead!" N said happily, perking up at the sound of Musharna's voice.
"Oh thank Arceus..." I groaned, following him.
"It is alright, Amile. As much as I am sure they will eventually notice what we are doing, for now, we ought to have a relatively quiet journey," Gladys said softly as we continued to the inn, and smiled at me once I turned my head to look at her.
"I hope that we go unnoticed for a very long time. I don't want to have to fight before I have even been able to train a team well enough to help me get Yin and Yang..." I said softly, worried as we stopped outside and Gladys returned Flash and Sparkle to their Pokéballs.
Even once checked in, though, my mind whirled with N's story about the 'electric soul', and with worries about the journey that I was taking, fear clawing at my mind as I began to worry whether Yin and Yang would even still be alive, whether they would remember me, whether they were alright...
Closing the door to my rented room, I sat on the edge of the bed as the endless whirl and scream of my thoughts continued to grow ever louder.
"By your heart rate and vital signs, you are worrying again," Joules piped up, hovering in front of my face, "This is not good. Shall I begin playing your sleep playlist?"
Sighing, I rubbed my face, shaking as I forced myself to stand back up, "Maybe once I lay down. I should shower before I go to bed."
A slight bob of the phone translated as a nod, "Alright! I will keep an eye out for suspicious activity."
As soon as I got into the bathroom, I locked the door and shucked my clothes, turning the water as hot as it would go, and stepping under, the heat searing my skin, quickly forcing all of the negativities from my mind as I hung my head, letting waves of hot water run over my scalp and down my body to the drain.
Too much, too quickly, in the last few weeks. I had gone from thinking that my only friends as a child were gone, to knowing that they had been taken away. I needed to find that moment in time, the moment that they were taken, the place.
But obviously that could only BE one place.
So why bother with the travels? Why bother with the investigation?
I need to know everything I can about the organization, their base, location, hierarchy, intentions, methods, that I can, if I am to stand a chance of finding my Zorua.
Why not give up? It has been more than a decade. Time has passed and maybe taken their memories away.
They are my friends, then, now, and forever. Abandoning them would be abandoning the family circle and bond that we had grown.
Time has not treated your mind well, Amile. You are far from the jovial, innocent child we travelled with so long ago...
I wasn't innocent, even then... Wait, what? Who are you? Stopping myself, I reached out, gripping the handrail in shock, planting my feet as shock ran through me at the invading voice. This wasn't just an argument with my inner turmoil anymore, someone else was here.
Among the three of us, Amile, who had the power to tap into the mind?
No, no way, it can't be... Even as flashes of those first fleeting nightmares she caused when I was untangling her from the bush played, doubt still played about in my thoughts.
Yang? Is... Is that you? But how? Why, after so long? Part of me silently prayed to be wrong and just losing my mind, half of me wanted nothing more than for it to be true.
Your own anger and pain blocked me out. I sensed a shift from pain to calling out... I cannot do this for long periods of time, and once you are closer, we cannot do it at all, but I can at least lead Yin to you. He escaped just a week ago after mauling the handlers... We have both evolved with the tortures here, Amile. We are not those small Zorua any longer...
Where... Where are you? Anger quickly rose up in my chest, heating my face enough that the steaming water felt only lukewarm, my grip tightening on the handrails.
I do not know, nor did Yin. He has been running ever since his escape. The thought crosses my mind, though, that he was chipped. They would just track him to you and realize the plan, maybe even kill you... A deep sense of dread and longing managed to float through the connection as she realized what she had almost done.
No, don't just give up. I want to see him. There has to be a way that he can have a wild Pokémon somewhere remove the chip, and meet up with me, right? A steel or psychic type, they could even just disable the chip. Although the most gruesome idea to come to mind is maybe if he gets in a rough enough fight the chip would get shattered in the blows and cease all functions... Shivering at the image I had given myself, I sighed deeply, the steam filling the bathroom. I missed you two so much... I thought you had gotten sick of me.
We know. And it was likely intentional on Origin's part. But don't take their technology so lightly. I can give him your advice, and see to it that he does what he will, but where, pray tell me, would you want to meet up with him to ensure that he makes his way to you?
Tell him... Hey, tell him to go to Raihan. The kid I used to be friends with in Galar. He's the strongest gym leader there, now. He's the kid that used to train dragon types when you two were with me, remember? Tell him to do that little wave he used to do, Raihan'll call me immediately, I think. But tell him to find a way to ditch the chip first. Letting out a deep breath, I began the arduous process of cleaning myself as she contemplated, visions flashing across my mind as she no doubt reached out to Yin and was greeted with frenzied efforts to travel and listen at the same time.
It is done. He was actually quite quick to find a way to remove it, though I do not at all agree with his methods. He will have quite the stay in the Pokémon Center once he arrives in Hammerlocke.
YANG WHAT DID HE DO?! I tensed as I finished rinsing and shut the water off, the cold washing over me as the steam dissipated.
Picked a fight with a Bisharp. Of all creatures in this world, the idiot chose a Bisharp, and picked a fight until the area where the chip was was gouged. As much as I love him, he is an absolute idiot.
Here's to that, I am so sorry. You can feel his pain while doing this, right? I sighed, reaching for my towel.
Yes, I can... Speaking of which, what possessed you to shower in boiling... Oh... Forget I asked, I'm sorry.
It isn't your fault. So much is happening. Maybe hopping about like this will make what we are doing somewhat less obvious to then. I'll go collect him once Raihan has him and I will see you... When I can... Don't push yourself to do this unless you have absolutely no other choice, like, if it is important, if you hear a region pertaining to the base, or if you fear for your life.
I understand, Amile. I will see you when we meet again.
As soon as the unexpected and brief connection faded, and overwhelming sense of dread and heartbreak spread through my body, leaving my to lean against the counter and sob.
While she was okay for now, she was locked in a cage somewhere, and Yin just nearly killed himself just to make himself impossible to track.
Even once I see him again, I won't be able to hear his voice like I did Yang's, and Yang will not be able to reach me at close range. How, after all this time, and even with so little effort as what I had already put forth in the last few weeks, could I get so lucky as to have her reach out like that? And with how she worded her sentences, it seemed like she had reached out before, and failed to make contact through my grief and depression.
"Amile, is something wrong? The water was running for quite a long time." Joules quipped outside the door.
Quickly dressing myself in my spare pajamas, I cracked the door reaching out and grabbing him. "I might get a call from Raihan in Galar in the next few days. Yang... She reached out." I whispered almost silently, using sound levels that only Joules' microphone could pick up, "Yin had escaped a few weeks ago, and I had her send him toward Raihan just now. She was using some kind of telepathy, but she can't do it all the time, and she said it doesn't work at close range, and she doesn't know where she is. He hurt himself really bad because he picked a fight with a wild Pokémon to get a tracking chip out of himself. As soon as Raihan calls, I want you to book a flight for me, Gladys and N to Galar, alright? I... I want to be sure that I wasn't just hallucinating. If Raihan calls about a bleeding Zoroark, I need to know."
"Affirmative. This will likely be the only way to be sure that this communique was not a hallucination. I will keep a watchful eye on your incoming calls and encrypt any from him to prevent unwanted ears from hearing."
Slowly sinking to my knees, I shook, worried. "Arceus, please let it be real. I can't stand having it be another dream about finding them."
"Encrypted texts have been sent to N and Gladys, they will be ready for departure at a moments' notice." Joules piped up, "Telepathy would naturally be an extension of the ability of Hisuian Zoroark to flood the human mind with terrible images. It is not a large jump to summoning words into the minds of others, although the mention that she cannot do it at close range confuses me."
"Maybe they have sensors for when she does it, and closer range makes a stronger signal. The further away from her I am, the less likely that they will be able to detect what she is doing?" I blinked, thinking. Damn, and I told her not ot contact me again, so I can't even ask if that is the case.
"That may actually be it... Documenting theory for case files..." Joules buzzed, before flashing the time in my face, "Time to go to sleep. I will play your sleep playlist at the optimal relaxing volume for maximum rest potential."
"Thank you, Joules," I groaned, wincing at the various aches and pains as I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled to my bed to flop down. I didn't even have the energy to squirm enough to get under the blanket instead of on top of it anymore, my constant stream of emotional wrenching in one direction or the other had worn me out.
"Tsk! That is not a proper way ot sleep in this weather." Joules observed, and I soon heard the zapping of his energy form zipping around the bed, feeling the blanket get drawn out from under me in spite of my weight pinning it down, and soon warmth encompassed me, soft music filling the room, "Better.. A cold room and warm blanket are proven to also increase the likelihood of pleasant and fulfilling sleep. Rest up, Amile."

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The effort to reach out had been immense, especially in trying to keep the communication in two different directions under the radar, but it was a success. Amber eyes burned quietly under cotton candy eyelids as pieces of the puzzle to bring this entire mess crashing down began to fall into place.
With Yin soon on his way to be with Amile again, that left only discerning the location of the base, and breaking herself free- or simply waiting until the best chance arose.
The journey to freedom was only just beginning. The path faded into the distance, and she was only setting the first paw on it, after ten long years.
But she very well planned to reunite with the trainer that made her sane, and live out her days with the woman, and her mate.
Team Origin were fools to create her, and they were fools to rob a fear-feeder of her only dream.