Son of Arceus

Where to begin?

__"Mama! Mama? Where are you, Mama?"
__Emmaly was sitting in her computer chair in her room while playing some Sonic games on her Nintendo Switch. Quite the scene. She was thirteen years old now. She had finally made it to the age her Kuya Jin was when she was born. It had been five years since she last saw her kuyas before they disappeared. She remembered crying every single day for a whole month while she grieved. She wanted her brothers to come home safe and sound, but for some reason, her parents never reported this incident to the police. After a few years, Emmaly tried to report this incident herself, but the authorities needed her parents' approval first before they could take it on to make sure what she was saying was legit. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen. Her parents kept trying to convince her that they had to be dead and to try to forget about them. She could never, and she knew her parents couldn't either. Emmaly would sometimes catch her mother crying in the bathroom while her father would sometimes disappear into the bunker for hours at a time.
__Emmaly probably would have fallen into a depression like them had it not been for her riolu. Riolu had stayed by her side all these years and comforted her at every chance he could get. He would still call her 'Mama' no matter how many times Emmaly told him to call her by her name. For some reason, Emmaly could understand what Riolu was saying. She had been able to understand him since he first hatched in her arms. No one else could understand him, though. It was just Emmaly, and no one ever believed her when she told people he could talk to her. This drove Emmaly to never make any friends. She was slowly starting to dislike other humans. She only had love for her family and pokémon.
__"Mama! There you are!" Riolu came running in and started climbing on the back of Emmaly's chair to try and reach her shoulders. "Stop playing on your Switch and play with me instead!"
__Emmaly gave Riolu a quick pat on his head before wrapping things up. "Let me pre-order the new Sonic game first."
__"Mama!" Riolu whined as he started climbing all over Emmaly. "Hurry up!"
__Emmaly finished up and put her Switch back in its console before she quickly grabbed Riolu and playfully slammed him onto her bed. She began giggling as Riolu tried to get out of her grip. "What am I going to do with you?"
__Riolu stopped squirming before looking at Emmaly with his adorable baby-doll eyes. "Play with me?"
__This made Emmaly laugh as she shook her head. "Oh, all right. Let's go!"
__Emmaly moved first and started running with Riolu following after. She didn't see her parents at all, so they ran straight out the front door with no issue. When they stepped outside, Emmaly tapped Riolu before she bolted down the sidewalk.
__"Hey! No fair! That's cheating!" Riolu shouted as he chased after Emmaly. "You can't just tag me like that!"
__"Come and tag me back then!"
__Riolu kept chasing Emmaly down all through the neighborhood. Other people who were out in the yards would sometimes stop and stare at them playing. Riolu was basically the only 'local' pokémon here, so it was not surprising that the people would keep their eyes on him.
__Emmaly had always been a little faster than Riolu, so she turned around and started running backward while she taunted him. "What's the matter, Riolu? Can't catch me?"
__Riolu was laughing while he yelled out his frustrations. But then his eyes suddenly went wide, and he tried to push himself to move faster. "Mama! Stop!"
__Emmaly started skidding immediately to try to stop, but she ended up falling on her butt onto the road. She heard loud honking from a car and hurriedly got up and tried to run. That's when Riolu hopped up, shot out his right hand, and released hot air from his fist. That air managed to knock Emmaly back before the oncoming car could hit her. Emmaly started tumbling backward until she hit the curb. One of her neighbors quickly ran over and helped her sit up while everyone else started to crowd around. The car that nearly hit her screeched to a halt and went still.
__Riolu was hollering as he ran over to Emmaly and hugged her. "You okay, Mama?"
__Emmaly was shaking a little bit, but she smiled as she hugged Riolu back. "I'm okay. Thanks. What was that move?"
__Riolu pulled away to look at Emmaly while his tail started wagging. "My Vacuum Wave! I just learned it!"
__Emmaly quickly rubbed her nose against Riolu's before she picked him up and stood up. While everyone was asking if she was okay, the driver got out of the car and ran over here frantically.
__"You okay!?" He asked Emmaly.
__Emmaly gave him a nervous nod.
__"Hoy buang!?" He started shouting. "I could have hit you! You need to watch where you're going, babaye!"
__Emmaly turned away and muttered her apology before she started running back home. Every time an accident of this level happens with her, Riolu was always the one who everyone would eventually point fingers at. Other people have threatened to have him taken away before. Strangers would sometimes threaten to take him and sell him to a pokémon hunter. She knew her neighbors meant well, but she couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her best friend.
__Emmaly ran back into her house and sighed as she set Riolu on the floor. "That's enough play time for today," she rasped.
__"Nak!" Emmaly winced as her mother came stomping into the living room angrily. "Why did Ate Ella call me and say you almost got hit!?"
__Ella was one of the elders in the neighborhood. She wasn't really their aunt, but the sweet old lady always tried to look out for everyone here. Emmaly was just surprised she had called her mother this quickly.
__"I'm fine, Mama," Emmaly grumbled. "I got out of the way in time."
__"Anak," her mother persisted. "You're not supposed to run out there by yourself without asking! What would happen if that car hit you, hah?"
__Emmaly was trying so hard not to roll her eyes at her mother. She needed to remind herself that she was just scared for her safety. "I'm fine. I had Riolu with me. He was the one who pushed me out of the way." Riolu stood tall and proud beside Emmaly's legs.
__"Don't go running off again!" Her mother yelled before she stormed off. 
__Emmaly groaned as she made her way back to her bedroom.
__"Sorry, Mama," Riolu said as he followed after her.
__"You're fine, sweet pea," Emmaly reassured him. She went and threw herself onto her bed and sighed. "That was a close one."
__Riolu was struggling to climb onto the bed before he laid himself down next to her. "I'm starting to get stronger now! I can protect you from everything. You don't have to worry, Mama."
__Emmaly turned to Riolu and smiled as she rubbed the top of his head. "What would I ever do without you?"
__There was a knocking sound coming from her window. Emmaly sat up on her bed and scooted over to her window. She moved her curtains to the side and opened up the window. There were two guys and a woman standing outside. She almost didn't recognize them. "I remember you guys. You were Ben and Jin's friends."
__The ginger haired woman smiled at Emmaly. "Oh wow! I didn't think you would. Listen we wanna talk with you. Care to take a walk?"
__Emmaly turned to her bedroom door. "Um... I'm pretty sure I'm grounded. I'm not even supposed to be going out by myself anyway."
__The black haired man knelt down and peered inside. "You won't be by yourself. We'll keep watch for your parents. Honest."
__The younger gray haired man stayed silent.
__Emmaly wasn't doubtful of these guys in the slightest. She knew why they were here, and it was about time she properly talked with someone about her brothers. 
__"Okay," Emmaly said as she picked up Riolu and turned to them. "But if you try anything funny, Riolu will beat you up now."
__Riolu's tail started wagging as he shook his fist at them. "That's right! No funny business!" Despite that no one else could understand him, he still always tried to talk to everyone.
__Emmaly carefully crawled out of the window while keeping a tight grip on Riolu. The man with the gray hair helped her get down safely before she started walking with them down the sidewalk. 
__"Try to remember our names," the ginger haired woman beamed.
__It wasn't hard for her to remember the ginger and the black haired guy. "You're Melony, and he's Oscar." She then turned to the gray haired guy shamefully. "I can't remember yours."
__The gray haired man shook his head slowly.
__"Danny!" Melony said. "He was Jin's last boyfriend."
__That made Emmaly perk up. "Oh! So you were close to Kuya Jin, Danny?"
__Danny didn't make eye contact with Emmaly, but he nodded his head slowly at her.
__"Ugh! I still remember when you were just a baby," Melony gushed. "When you were just an infant, all Ben and Jin wanted to do was spend time with you."
__Oscar nodded along. "That's right. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't pull either of them away from you."
__That made Emmaly happy. She then frowned as she kept her eyes glued to the sidewalk. "I suppose I know what you want."
__Melony was the first to stop, signally everyone else to stop. Melony went to stand in front of Emmaly before bending slightly down to her level. "It's been over five years since we last saw those two. I never bought that bull about them going to Paldea for college."
__Emmaly tried not to give away anything, but she was caught off guard. They really told people that they went to school in another region? Them!? Emmaly shook her head and turned away. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone what happened. Those people showed up at their house for a reason, and that reason bought off her parents' silence. "I don't know what else to say. I haven't seen them once since they left."
__Melony sighed as she backed away, forcing Oscar to try something.
__"Come on, lil sis," he tried to say softly. "We were really close to those two. We're just worried since they never thought to reach out to us. You're a part of our family, too. We're trying to look out for each other."
__Emmaly would not budge. She was only here to try and give them peace about her kuyas. "They're gone. That's it."
__"Emmaly," Danny finally spoke. Emmaly turned to Danny and felt her whole body tense up. Danny looked so distraught. She couldn't help but hug Riolu tightly when he continued speaking. "I'm not sure if you knew, but Jin and I were together for over two years. He even promised me that we were going to stay together. He said that three days before he and Ben disappeared."
__Emmaly couldn't stop herself from shaking. Jin always kept his romantic life separate from her. She hadn't realized that someone else could care so deeply about him like she did.
__"I need to know," Danny's voice shook. "What happened to them? What happened to my Jin?"
__"Danny..." Melony couldn't bring herself to comfort him.
__Emmaly took a few steps back before turning away. "I really want to tell you, but the truth is even I don't know what happened. I could share theories, but I can't risk letting the situation get worse. I'm never going to see them again. That's just how it is now..."
__"Mama," Riolu squeaked.
__The three of them stood together silently. Emmaly wasn't even going to wait for them. She turned back and started walking home. She just wished now that no one else would ever bother her about her brothers again. She thinks that as she collapses back down on her bed with Riolu, but the truth was that Emmaly desperately wanted to find out what happened. She needed to know herself so that she could move on with her life. She wouldn't be able able to talk about this with her parents. She tried before and that left her being scarred by her shouting parents. She didn't know what to do.

__The next few weeks became more and more grueling for Emmaly to deal with. After talking about her brother's with their familiars, Emmaly was growing more and more anxious. Despite knowing better, she tried bringing up the subject with her parents again. She wanted to know why they disappeared and why those people invaded their home that night, but they kept telling her to drop it. When she kept trying to pry, she was immediately sent to her room. This back and forth was seriously frustrating her. These arguments just made her more and more determined.
__One night, Emmaly pulled Riolu under her bedsheets and began whispering to him. "Hey, Riolu. How would you like to go on a journey?"
__Riolu was rubbing his eyes while he yawned. "Huh? A journey?"
__"That's right. We'll set out and find our kuyas ourselves."
__Riolu was wide awake now. "Are you crazy? How are we going to find them?"
__"I don't know, but I need to do this. Mom and Dad are hiding something, and Ben and Jin might very well be alive."
__"We can't just leave, Mama," Riolu insisted. "We wouldn't even know where to start, and what about money?"
__Emmaly started rubbing Riolu's head. "I know where to get the money, and we can always find the smallest lead with it. Trust me."
__Riolu didn't look convinced. "I don't know, Mama. This is scary."
__"I know it is, and I'm scared, too," she tried to reassure him. "But I can't do this by myself. I need you with me. Can I ask you to join me at least?"
__Riolu was silent. It took a minute for him to sigh before he pressed his nose against her face. "Well, I can't just let you go by yourself. I'll go wherever you go, Mama."
__Emmaly gave Riolu a big hug. "Thank you, sweet pea."

__The next day, Emmaly waited for her parents to leave for work. Since it was summer, Emmaly would be left at home with Riolu by herself. This was the perfect opportunity. She gathered all the materials that they were going to need: clothes, brushes, snacks, water, etc. and put them all in her old school backpack. Emmaly then saw the purple teddy bear with the yellow dress while Riolu ran in with some pokémon food and treats. Despite that she wouldn't need it, she grabbed her teddy bear and put it in the bag. She then took this time to grab her old pokémon encyclopedia to add to her bag while Riolu brought over his favorite Yoshi plushie.
__"That's everything!" Riolu beamed. "Now how about the money?"
__Emmaly threw her bag over her shoulder and started walking. "Follow me."
__She led Riolu to the backyard and over to an old picnic table. She pushed the table out of the way and pulled out the carpet underneath it. There was a wooden cellar door that led into their secret bunker. Emmaly opened the cellar door and went down in the bunker. She already had her eyes drawn to the large safe. Her college funds were in that safe. She felt bad, but this was a sacrifice for her brothers after all. "Can you break it open?"
__Riolu looked uncomfortable, but he nodded anyway and went to stand in front of the safe. He brought up his right fist and threw a Vacuum Wave at the safe's hinges so that the door fell open swiftly. There was all the cash. 
__Emmaly wasn't going to be greedy. She knew an easy way for her to earn money on the road. She was just going to need an easy start. She took one thousand five hundred pokémon dollars and put them in her wallet. There was no way they were going to be able to put the safe door back. Emmaly saw the pen and papers and went to write a note. She would apologize for running away and then say that she loved them. She went to put the note in the safe with the rest of the money, and that's when she saw it. There was an old, crippled piece of torn paper at the bottom of the safe. Emmaly grabbed the paper and looked at the picture, which was something like a white diamond with a black X and C in it. She had never seen this symbol before. Something told her that this was important.

__Emmaly then put the paper in her bag. "Okay, let's shut the bunker and go."
__"Where are we going?"
__"Pallet Town."