The Messanger of Time

Chapter 10: Starting On A Clean Slate

"My lord... They have taken him to Dialga."

"Good... Things have gone as planned. Let us commence..."

- - - - -

"Vincent! Vincent, can you hear me? Vincent!"

As Vincent starts to regain consciousness, he groans to the sound of a female's voice shouting to him. He soon opens his eyes, his vision blurred as he looks around, disoriented. After a while, he begins to focus, noticing he is laying on flat, deep blue stone.

Larisa, who was hovering by him, immediately grabs him in a tight hug. "You're awake! Oh, I couldn't be any more relieved..."

Vincent struggles, gasping from being nearly crushed in the Latias' tight grip. And she blinks, then quickly lets go of him. "Oh! S-Sorry..."

He coughs and falls back on the ground, taking a few deep breaths before looking up at her. "I missed you too..."

Larisa makes a small purr. "I thought I lost you... If it wasn't for that dragon, I... I don't know what would've happened..."

Vincent looks at her curiously. "Dragon...?"

- - - - -

"Eriah, we need to act now. James has already been overtaken. He's too powerful."

A large, black dragon comes down to Lucas and Salamence, who are flying above Pyrite Canyon, overlooking Vincent and James. She is seen to have emerald green eyes and the undersides of her large wings are shaded a deep crimson. She nods slowly to him. "I will take Vincent away from here. You need hold James off."

Lucas looks towards her. "This will be our farewell then. From here on, you must watch over Vincent. His journey will be long and perilous. He will need your guidance."

"Indeed... I wish you luck, Lucas Crane."

He nods and looks towards the two below, just in time to catch the sight of James' fatal attack to Vincent. He shouts out to him and immediately pats Salamence, making him dart down towards them. As James steps towards Vincent, he soon stops to see the dragon pokemon flying towards him, and jumps back to avoid what would've been a rather brutal bite.

Salamence roars and releases a powerful Dragon Pulse at James, who holds his sword in front of himself, being blown back by the attack but having protected from much of the damage.

As they fight, Eriah flies down to Vincent and looks him over, clearly seeing that his breathing is faint. There isn't much time now, and she levetates him onto her back. She then looks at Larisa, who hovers up, still in pain from being stricken by James' curse. But the Latias turns to face the dragon, yelping in surprise and fear from the large creature.

However, Eriah shows no sign of hostility, and merely looks towards the north. She flaps her wings and takes to the air, before flying off at high speed. And Larisa shouts out to her, following her as fast as she can.

It isn't long before they are long out of sight of James and Lucas, as Eriah races towards a distant island in the north...

- - - - -

"...So that's how it happened."

A deep voice echoes through the area. "Had she brought you here much later, you may have been lost."

Vincent and Larisa look up towards one whom they see as Dialga, standing atop a nearby cliff. As Vincent sits up, he looks around at the area he's in, taking note of its entirely blue color as he finds himself in a small valley surrounded by a crescent-shaped mountain range.

"And you... saved me, then?"

"I have been able to reverse the effects of the wound to the point of never having been created. However, I highly suggest that you take care in the future. I cannot further mend your reckless acts."

Vincent sighs and rests his arm on his knee, before realizing what he is sitting on and jumping to his feet.

Below him is a huge, circular shape inscribed into the stone, patterned with an intricate design looking very much like an analog clock. He stares it over, stepping off it as it appears to be glowing faintly. "Is that..."

Dialga stares down towards the pattern. "That is, indeed, the Temporal Seal. It is the very thing that maintains the flow of time throughout this realm. And it is also linked to the task for which you have been set on."

Vincent looks at the Seal a bit longer, before turning his gaze up to Dialga. "Then that means this is the Northern Flare Continent."

"You are correct."

Vincent slowly nods and looks down in thought. "...What happened-"

"James has been forced to retreat. The Spacial Messanger is currently confronting to the countries of Chora and Nero to stop their conflict. You will not have to worry."

Vincent looks back up at him, having taken surprise at this. "Lucas is here? But his task is in the Dusk Realm."

Dialga turns his gaze off towards the ocean that is seen in the distance. "Indeed. However, the Spacial Task is linked to the Temporal Task. They are but of the same nature. And until your task is completed, he cannot proceed with his."

Vincent grows silent, looking down with a sense of discontent. "...So then both tasks ride on my shoulders. If I fail, then so does he..."

"You may take comfort in knowing you are not alone. And as you progress, you will find many allies."

Larisa looks at Vincent, who still seems uncertain, and she moves over to hug him. "Vincent..? I'll always be here with you..."

After a while, Vincent sighs and finally returns the hug, shaking his head. "I know... But the further I get, the more dangerous it will become. I don't want something to happen to you or the others."

"Something will happen to everyone if we don't help you..You know you can't take this on alone, so let us help."

Dialga closes his eyes, his low growl being heard across the valley. "Vincent... You must leave here."

Vincent looks back up at him. "What..? Is something happening?"

Dialga lowers his head, and soon, the blurred image of someone standing in front of him can be seen. As Vincent looks closer, it starts to become clear. A tall person is seen facing Dialga, wearing a pitch black cloak and speaking in a quiet voice to him.

Dialga growls deeply and the Temporal Seal begins to flicker. "Leave now, Vincent... Leave!"

Vincent and Larisa move back slowly, and Vincent's eyes flicker as a split image surges through him, making him realize what is happening. He immediately grabs Larisa's paw and turns to run off. Meanwhile, Dialga appears to be growing enraged as he opens his eyes. What were once a bright, ruby red are now a dark maroon and filled with rage as he glares at the individual in front of him.

Only a faint laugh can be heard from the person as his fades away, just before Dialga releases a deafening roar, causing Vincent and Larisa to fall forward. They both look back to see his appearance begin to change. His blue color becomes darker as the lighter blue lines on his body begin to distort, flickering before they start to turn a bright orange. And the most noticable change is that of his chest diamond, which has now turned to a deep red color.

Almost immediately on this change, the island begins to radiate a powerful ominous energy. Vincent looks in disbelief as the deity of time has now entered a Primal state. He quickly scrambles to his feet and runs off towards the ocean along with Larisa. And as they come to the shore, he looks around for anything that could get them off the island. But there is nothing in sight. As he turns back towards Dialga, he can see a field of energy building up around him, and he acts on instinct, diving into the water.

Larisa blinks and yelps, then dives down after him, just as Dialga unleashes a massive blast across the entire island and several miles out across the sea, vaporizing any living thing in the vicinity and turning the area dark as night.

Having been hit by the shockwave of the blast, Vincent is quickly knocked out by the force. Larisa, seeing this, takes action and brings him up to the surface.

"Vincent, wake up!" She shakes him desperately, but gets no response, and whimpers. "Vincent!"

The area, having now grown deathly silent, radiates an overwhelming aura, causing Larisa to pant weakly as she looks back towards the island. All she can see in the pitch black area is the dim orange glow from Dialga's body lines and the red glow of his diamond.

And as she finally fades out, the two drift off into the open ocean, left to the mercy of the vast water...

- - - - -

In a thick, snowy forest, a Suicune ventures off to the land's shore, overlooking the sea which spans as far as the eye can see. The quadrupedal water pokemon leans down to take a drink from the water, which glows in a greenish light to its touch.

As the Suicune drinks, it eventually notices two figures drift to the shore in the distance. It lifts its head to look towards the unknown entities, and cautiously walks towards the two. As it approaches, it finds itself upon a male teen and a Latias, who are both unconscious.

The pokemon curiously leans down to nudge the person with its nose, getting no more than a slight groan. It then takes a step closer and places a paw on him, radiating a soft aura over him, before moving back a few feet.

As the person starts to regain consciousness, the Suicune snorts and turns off, running away and disappearing deep into the forest.

- - - - -

As Vincent wakes up, he finds himself in a brightly lit area which blinds him the instant he opens his eyes. He yelps and covers his face with his arms, trying to compose himself.

As he starts to get a sense of where he is, he begins to feel many things.

A sense of loneliness...

A feeling of loss and hopelessness...

And... cold?

He quickly sits up and looks around, quickly being brought into the reality he's in and learning that he is surrounded by a blanket of snow and countless trees. He takes several deep breaths and rubs his hands together, putting them over his mouth to try and warm them up.

As he looks to his side, he notices Larisa lying next to him, her body shivering in her sleep. Clearly, she is far colder than he is. As he reaches over to touch her, he can feel that her feathery down is nearly frozen.

He moves over to her and puts his bag down, actually surprised he didn't lose it in the sea. As he rummages through it, he notices that everything inside is still wet, including both of his blankets. He comes to realize that covering her in one would only make it worse for her. He slams the bag back down in irritation, not knowing what to do now.

The only thing that comes to his mind is to try and carry her somewhere warmer first. He closes his bag again and straps it over his shoulder, then moves in front of her, taking her up over his back and leaning forward to try and steady her. He then staggers off into the forest.

After walking for several minutes, he starts to feel weaker, having taken a lot from the cold while trying to carry Larisa through the forest. He comes to a large tree and uses his foot to brush some snow away and clear an open spot. He then sets Larisa down, before collapsing by her and coughing.

He puts his hand on her again, feeling that she hasn't gotten any warmer. He growls a bit and sits up, placing both hands on her. He then closes his eyes as his palms glow a faint orange, uttering a single word, "Aestus," as he uses what energy he can to warm her body. He moves his hands around her body to massage her as the warmth spreads across her.

He continues to hold the spell for as long as he can, before he is forced to stop it so he doesn't pass out. He drops his hands on the ground, using them to stablize himself as he pants heavily. He looks at Larisa, then moves closer to hug her tightly, feeling that it may be too late.

But soon, a small glimmer of light comes from her in the form of a soft whine, and Vincent looks at her again with a blink. He then feels a sudden surge of new hope as he now knows she is starting to come to. He holds his arms around her and closes his eyes, uttering once more, "Aestus Magnum!"

His entire body then glows as he radiates heat all around himself. The snow within several feet of them melts and the bark on the tree turns a darker color as the temperature in the air rapidly increases.

As the glow starts to fade, faint purrs can be heard from Larisa as she begins to wake up. After a short time, she slowly opens her eyes, seeing him still holding her, and then brushing her muzzle against him.

He then opens his eyes to look at her for a moment, then smiles in relief to see that she's awake.

After a short while, the two hear footsteps through the snow, and look around, before turning towards the sound. It is then that they see an elderly woman with greyish green hair and sea green eyes walking towards them alongside two younger men. Each of them is wearing a thick, hooded, white cloak. The older woman is also carrying a staff that is oddly adorned at the top to look similar to the head of a Hoothoot.

She calls out to them immediately after realizing what they are. "Goodness, what are you two doing out in a place like this? You must be freezing!"

Vincent looks up at her curiously, but is too weak to say much of anything. She looks at the two men with her and nods to them, and they run over to help him and Larisa up. She then walks over to them. "Come, come! Let us get you to someplace warmer."

After walking a ways through the forest, they come through a stone archway that leads to a more open part of the forest, which appears to have many treehouses.

As Vincent and Larisa look around, the other three take them to a nearby home. The old woman opens the door and they all walk inside. The two men then place Vincent and Larisa onto two separate beds.

As Vincent looks around, he sees that this is a fairly small place, having no electronic appliances. These people appear to rely solely on the natural resources.

"...Where are we?"

The woman sits in a chair by the table and looks at him and Larisa. "This is the village of Arborville. It's a small and quiet place outside the Northwind Forest, where you two just were."

Vincent blinks and looks back at her. "...Is this Johto?"

She nods and smiles. "You must have drifted in from the ocean. That must've been quite a trip you took, young man. You've got to be quite cold."

Vincent sighs and looks at Larisa. "Yeah..."

The woman looks between them, before getting up. "I've got just the thing for you."

She then walks outside. A moment later, she comes back in with two steaming cups and places them on the table. Vincent and Larisa look at them, before going over.

"Not to worry, it's herbal tea. It's a village specialty."

Vincent sits down in a chair across from hers, and she does so as well. He picks up a cup and blows on it, before taking a sip, then nods to her.

The woman then speaks up again. "My name is Towa, by the way. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier."

"Vincent. And this is Larisa."

Larisa coos softly in response, and Towa smiles to her. "Glad to make your acquaintance. So where are you two from?"

Vincent puts the cup back down. "We lived in the town of Pallet, in the Kanto region."

Towa blinks at that. "You live in the Kanto region? But why were you in the sea here then? This is quite a ways from your home..."

Vincent looks down. "It's... a long story."

Larisa looks at him, then goes over to hug him, and he closes his eyes, remembering all that has happened since he left home. Joining James on his task, meeting Lou and traveling through Orre. Then the point when James was taken away, and Lou was slain. And finally, the arrival to Flare, and Dialga's turning point. It is all vivid to him still. And it all happened so quickly.

Towa looks at him with concern. "If you wish to talk about it, I would be happy to listen. I can see you've gone through a lot, by your expression."

"More than you could imagine..." Vincent looks at her again. "I'll have to start from the very beginning..."

She slowly nods, and he soon begins.

- - - - -

~Three Weeks Later~

"Hey... Larisa? Do you see that, just up ahead?"

Larisa looks through the snowy field, towards the small town that sits in the distance. The two have been traveling through Johto, having blankets over them to keep warm from the weather. "Is that... New Bark?"

Vincent nods and smiles. "We finally made it back. If we go through there, we'll make it back into Kanto. And then..."

"Back home..."

Vincent stares at the town, which has a quaint and peaceful feel under the dim light of the moon. It almost feels just like Pallet.

"I'm glad you came with me, through all this. Without you, I could never have made it this far..."

Larisa looks at him for a moment, before moving over to nuzzle at his shoulder. "I could never leave you."

He smiles a bit and strokes her neck. "...Merry Christmas, Larisa."

The Latias blinks, then giggles lightly and hugs him. "Merry Christmas to you too."

The two soon go ahead, to the town of New Bark, where they would be staying one more night on their journey back home. And once they finally arrive to Pallet, it will be a clean slate for them... a new year and a new beginning. From here on, Vincent's real task will start. He is determined to find out what happened to Dialga, and restore him and James... as his role as the Messanger of Time is about to begin...

-The first part of The Messanger of Time has come to an end. But the story is only beginning.
Read on to Part Two, where the real adventure starts, and everything we once knew changes...-