The Messanger of Time

Chapter 15: Rocket Speed

"We're coming up on the gate to Saffron now. Won't be too long."

Christina nods as she shifts the gear in the car and speeds up down the street. It seems that there is no one driving along the way, giving an eerie silence to the area as they near Saffron. Though it wasn't surprising due to the gates being closed off.

"Luckily those guys left one of their phones in here to charge, or we'd be out of luck." Melissa looks at the GPS on the phone, seeing that they're now within a mile of the gate. As they look ahead, they spot a small group of vehicles lined up in a roadblock to prevent cars from passing through. They slow down to a stop about fifty yards away from them.

Christina puts the car into park and looks ahead. "...So how do you go about doing this? I don't think just breaking through is much of an option, do you?"

Melissa sits back in her seat and sighs. "Seems not."

But before they can begin to formulate a plan, the phone starts ringing, and Melissa blinks, staring at it. "Uhh..."

Christina looks at it, seeing a name in the caller ID... Darwin. They look at each other and Christina nods, before Melissa answers.

Immediately, a male's voice speaks up on the phone. "What's going on? Did you three wimp out? I should've known you weren't fit for the job."

They are silent, and Umbros pokes his head out from between the seats, in the back of the car. After a moment, the person speaks again. "Are you there?"

Melissa hangs up and looks at Christina. "Those aren't city guards..."

Christina stares at the roadblock, then rolls down her window. "Well, maybe breaking through just doesn't seem so bad. At least they think we're those three... for now, at least."

She pokes her head out and waves for Aerthos and Sierra to come down. Once they get to the side of the car, she looks at them, then back at the roadblock. "We're gonna need you in just a moment. On my signal, I need you two to direct an attack at those cars. Nothing really big, just clear us a way through, okay?"

They nod, and she looks at Melissa. The phone then rings again and they eye it. "...Time to settle this."

Melissa answers it again and the voice chimes in. "Who are those two pokemon? What's going on?"

Christina puts the car into drive and responds. "You guys better look out, cause things are about to get really ugly."

"Who is thi-" She reaches over and hangs up the phone, and Melissa looks ahead.

"You really think we can make it through?"

"I'd give it a fifty/fifty chance..."

She eyes Christina, who takes a deep breath, then drives on towards the roadblock. Upon coming near them, several of the people outside their cars are seen sending out various pokemon.

They aren't fazed by the small show of resistance, however, and upon coming near them, Christina waves her hand out the window. The two dragons then release their combined Hyber Beams at the center of the group, blasting a nice hole in the back of one of the cars and causing all the others to scatter from the attack.

Christina smiles and finds an opening in the mayhem they just created, then speeds through. Umbros looks out the back window as everyone seems to be trying to recollect themselves, and some of then move up to give chase.

Melissa looks in the side mirror, spotting them. "We've got some company, sis."

"Right, let 'em come." Christina picks up speed and races down the street while the others behind follow, a few of them easily catching up.

As one of them comes to the side, it moves over to try and ram them. And she tries to maintain control of the car. Melissa looks out the window at the driver, who smirks at them as he rams them again.

"Crap! He's gonna spin us off!"

Umbros moves over to the window. "Just a second..." He then disappears, ending up in the other car, shrouded in purple energy. "Hey, guys!"

The two in the car blink and look at him as he releases a Dark Pulse in the car and causes the driver to lose control.

The car is seen swerving off to the side of the street and then crashing into the wall. Melissa looks in the mirror in concern, just before Umbros reappears in the back seat.

Christina meeps in surprise and swerves just a bit, before bringing the car back into control. "Don't do that! You scared me!"

Umbros snickers. "Seems I scared them too. You're welcome."

Melissa sighs and lays her head back. "You're crazy..."

"Jealous?"

She eyes him in the rear-view mirror, before noticing the other cars behind them. She then pokes her head out of the window and calls out. "Aerthos, try an Ice Beam!"

The Dragonite nods and turns to face the others. He then releases a light-blue beam across the street, freezing a portion of it and causing the cars to spiral out of control. He then turns back and races after Christina's car, catching up once again with her.

Melissa and Umbros watch as most of the cars slide off and crash on either side of the street, while only a couple of them manage to make it across the ice in one peace.

Sierra takes the chance to make a move, stopping behind them and flapping her wings. She then roars out and a wind almost immediately blows over the street, sending sand everywhere to block out their view. She then flies back to meet up with Aerthos in following Christina, and Melissa shifts back in her seat.

"We've gotta get off this street..."

Christina nods and they spot an off-ramp where the street is about to bridge across a lower city road. She turns off and then pulls under the bridge, before stopping the car.

As they wait, they hear the others who were behind them race across the bridge, and she sighs in relief. "Glad we don't have to deal with them anymore."

They get out of the car and look around, then at the two dragons, who came to hide with them under the bridge.

Melissa goes over to pet them and they both nuzzle her hands, making her smile. "Thanks, you two. You did great."

Christina smiles and then looks at Umbros, who jumps onto the roof of the car. "Well... welcome to Saffron."

He laughs a bit. "Best welcome ever. Now I feel more at home."

"Right... Black City's like this, isn't it?"

He shakes his head. "Almost... It's a lot larger, and it's always cloudy there. We almost never see the sun..."

She blinks, then nods slowly. "I guess that would be fitting for an Umbreon..."

Melissa comes over to them and leans against the car. "I think we should get a move on. They'll be coming back once they realize we took this exit."

Christina looks at her and nods. "Yeah. We might as well keep going..."

They turn back to Aerthos and Sierra, and Melissa goes over to her side of the car. "Are you two ready?"

They nod, and she nods in return, before getting in. Christina and Umbros then get into the car as well and start off, the two dragons following.

- - - - -

"Raven, hold on."

Raven stops and looks back at Vincent, who appears to be staring off in the distance. As he looks towards the northwest, he can catch the sight of what seems to be a small sandstorm and the figures of two pokemon flying in the air.

Vincent looks intently at the scene, becoming curious. "Now what do you suppose that is...?"

Raven shrugs a bit. "I dunno. Could be anything."

"Yeah, but in a seemingly deserted city like this? Something's obviously up. And I'm willing to bet that has something to do with Team Rocket. Call me crazy, but I think I know exactly who those two pokemon are..."

Raven looks at him, then back at the pokemon as they fly down and disappear behind the buildings.

"...Let's go. I need to find out something." Vincent runs down the street in the direction of the incident, having his sights set on finding the certain individuals he'd been searching for since he returned home. And both Raven and Larisa follow after him.

After running through the streets of Saffron for a while, the three come to a stop when they hear an engine in the distance. They turn towards the sound, only to catch a glimpse of a Dragonite and Flygon flying over the buildings near them. And upon seeing them, they quickly go around the corner, in hopes of catching who Vincent has now confirmed to be his sisters... Though what he sees is rather unexpected.

Down the street, Christina is driving on, followed by Aerthos and Sierra, as she and Melissa are looking around the local area for anyone who might be around. However, after having driven for half an hour through the city, not a single person has been seen, making it seem as if all of Saffron has been deserted. They come to believe that everyone has locked themselves in their home to avoid any confrontation with Team Rocket. But they haven't even come by any of their members either.

Upon nearing an intersection, they finally get the sight of two people coming around the corner, along with... a Latias?

Christina blinks and looks closer at them, finally realizing who they are and coming to a screeching halt in the street by the three.

Melissa looks at them in surprise as Christina rolls down her window and calls out to them. "Hey, Vincent!"

Vincent looks back at her, rather dumbfounded, and then notices Melissa in the passenger's seat with her, waving at them. He runs over to the car, along with Raven, who speaks up to her. "Hey, Alice. How's it going?"

Vincent blinks and looks at him with a look of confusion. "Alice..? What are you..."

"Raven, I didn't expect to see you here. How've you been?"

"Just fine. Hey, wanna give us a ride?"

She nods. "Sure, get in."

Raven goes around to the passenger's side and then gets into the back, while Vincent looks between them, uncertain of what just happened. Christina looks back at him with a smile. "I'll explain along the way, Vincent... Larisa, it's good to see you!"

Larisa coos and smiles at her, then looks at Vincent, who nods back to her. She then goes up to meet Aerthos and Siera, who look quite happy to see her again. And Vincent goes in the back seat behind Christina.

When entering, Umbros looks at them both and, to their surprise, starts speaking. "Hey guys, join the ride!"

They both look at him, and Raven appearing even more surprised than Vincent. "The heck? You talk?"

"Got a problem with that, goth boy?"

He stares down at the Umbreon, before pulling a seatbelt over himself. "No, no problem."

"You look like one of those biker guys I know from a club back home. Look, ya better not give me any issues, alright?" Umbros smirks in a joking way, and Raven just idly nods.

"...Right, whatever."

Christina starts driving on, looking in the mirror back at the three. "Oh yeah, guys. That's Umbros. We found him in Cerulean. Umbros, that's my brother, Vincent and my friend, Raven."

Raven mumbles a bit. "Yeah, kinda met him."

Vincent shifts in his seat, looking down at Umbros, who turns towards him and blinks, then gives an intent stare back at him. He then blinks and shakes his head. "Sorry... You just remind me of something. I'm not sure what..."

"Uhh huh. You're just shocked I can speak. Don't hide it, it's okay."

Vincent folds his arms and sits back in his seat. "Actually I've known a few pokemon who can speak."

Umbros eyes him for a moment, then twitches his ears and looks between the front seats out the windshield. It is clear that even he is acting differently in the presence of Vincent, though it is unclear why.

Vincent looks at Raven, then towards Christina. "So how do you two know each other. And who's... Alice?"

Raven scoffs somewhat. "Alice is what we called her in music class. Raven's not my real name either, but I don't really tell anyone that."

"Wait, so you both went to that class?"

Christina smiles, taking a turn around a corner and speading up. "Raven was a basist. We performed together with me playing an electric guitar. Even Melissa was there, doing acoustic. Though unfortunately she wasn't able to go there as long as we were, since..."

The three siblings suddenly become rather silent, and Raven looks between them. "...Right. You don't have to bring it up."

Christina nods slowly. "Yeah..."

Melissa looks back at them, then more towards Vincent. "So what's gone on? It's been almost three months since we've seen each other."

Vincent sighs. "A lot happened... To put it into words, I..."

- - - - -

Melissa and Christina both appear shocked at his story, and even Raven seems rather surprised at what he heard.

Melissa looks outside her window. "...So you're saying James is now..."

Vincent nods slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Vincent... I know what he meant to you."

Vincent shakes his head. "I have to get through to him... But I just don't know what to do."

Christina looks at him through the mirror, then back to the road. "We'll think of some way. Don't worry too much about it."

He nods slowly, and Raven shifts in his seat.

"When you told me what you were, I thought it was cool and stuff. But I didn't know that kind of stuff happened. Why didn't you say anything about it before?"

"I didn't want to bring it up. Besides, why didn't you tell me you knew my sisters, so I didn't think you were just some crazy stalker out of nowhere?"

He eyes him for a moment, then shrugs. "Just cause."

"Just cause you wanted to creep me out. That's okay, no problem."

Melissa then decides to butt in. "So you two are yapping at each other. Meanwhile, we're pulling up on Silph Headquarters. I'm pretty sure Team Rocket's gonna be there. There's no other explaination for them holding up the city like this."

Vincent looks over at her. "Silph..? They already tried to attack them before and failed. What would they want now?"

"Who knows? But if they're there, then we'll definitely have to be ready for them."

He and Raven look ahead at the tall building they're approaching, seeing countless cars gathered around the lot, along with people seeming to be crowded in it.

Vincent stares at the scene, becoming somewhat concerned about the situation they're getting into. "Well... Now we know where everyone is."

Christina nods. "We'll have to be careful. I expect we'll be dealing with more trouble than just Team Rocket..."

As they drive on to the site, a growing tension arises among them, as they prepare for what stands right ahead of them...

- - - - -

In a darkened plain surrounded on all sides by stone cliffs, James comes to a stop in his movements, and looks up at the sky. He stares up at the moon with intent, the light reflecting off his pale, green eyes.

"The time is growing near, to take action... Prepare yourself, Vincent. For you're about to enter your biggest challenge yet..."

He smirks and walks on, soon fading away and leaving the valley in silence...