The Messanger of Time

Chapter 18: Unpredicted Assault

Vincent is sitting on the bed, with his back against the wall, as he looks through his phone on various news topics in the Hoenn region. However, he hasn't come to anything that catches his interest yet. He soon drops his phone on the bed and lets out a quiet breath in annoyance.

Melissa looks at him from the chair by the table. "Still nothing?"

He shakes his head slowly. "No... I'm beginning to wonder if Hoenn really is the best place to start. I mean, what could possibly be there?"

Hector folds his arms, leaning against the wall by the door. "What could possibly be anywhere, Vincent? Sometimes you just have to go out there and look. Jack once told me, an idea isn't going to get anywhere unless you develop it. It's how he designed the system that our phones run on."

Vincent eyes him. "And that means something... how?"

"It means you won't ever get anywhere by just thinking about things. You have to go and try it for yourself. We're going to Hoenn now, so we might as well make the most of it."

Vincent slowly nods and then rubs his face. "Alright, then... But where do we even start?"

Christina looks over at them from her sitting position on the floor by the wall. "Guess we'll see when we get there..."

Vincent gets up and goes over to the window, looking outside. All he can see is the ocean below and the sky above, with the occasional Wingull and Pelipper flying around. Christina watches him for a moment, before speaking up.

"Hey... I was wondering."

He looks down at her curiously.

"When our necklaces were lit up... I saw your pocket glowing too. You still have-..."

Vincent reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lace with a white stone attached to it. Christina stares at it for a short time. It's the very stone he had retrieved from their house after the fire.

"Do you think you'll find anyone to give it to?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know... If I do find someone, it has to be someone special."

She nods slowly, and he puts it back into his pocket. The room is quiet for a time, before a sudden rumbling is heard. Christina blinks and looks around.

"Umm..."

Melissa looks at Vincent in surprise. "Was that your stomach?"

Vincent shifts a bit. "...It may have been."

Raven eyes him with a small chuckle. "Dude, you're gonna start rattling the ship if that keeps up."

Melissa giggles and Hector smirks. "I think Vincent's gonna be on another task pretty soon."

Vincent rolls his eyes and goes to sit back down on the bed. "Yeah, yeah, hush."

Christina shakes her head with a small smile, before looking back at Vincent. "Hey... When's the last time you ate?"

Vincent blinks and looks at her, then sits back against the wall. "...I spaced it today."

Christina looks at him in surprise at this. "You... spaced it all day?"

"Yeah, I... wasn't thinking about it."

"We were just at a restaurant earlier. You didn't think to order something to take out?"

"I was conserving money..."

Raven looks at him and raises a brow. "What money?"

Christina looks back at Raven. "We all had access to our parents' account so we could do shopping whenever they were away. We agreed only to spend that money on things we needed, after what happened..."

Hector stares over at Vincent. "Looks like Vincent hasn't been keeping to that. How much have you been eating lately?"

Vincent shrugs a bit, growing uncomfortable. "I had some things here and there, alright? I didn't want to use too much, so I've been using it scarcely."

Christina sighs. "Vincent, it's okay to eat when you have to, you know... I don't care if you're special or not. You're still a person. I don't think mom and dad would want you to starve yourself."

Vincent stares off in silence at this. There isn't anything he can say to oppose her words. Christina then looks over at Hector.

"Could you go get some sandwiches? You're the only one who can order things here."

Hector nods and stands up straight. "Right. I'll be back in a bit then." He goes out into the hallway and shuts the door behind him.

Raven sits down by the door after he leaves and looks at Christina curiously. "So how do you know you have enough to last you?"

Christina peers over at him and then smiles a bit. "Our parents had a lot saved up. They were Dragon Tamers, actually. Our family policy was never to put a pokemon into a pokeball. But otherwise, they were as close to trainers as you could be."

She stretches her legs out and then continues. "They worked around Blackthorn. So they were going to Johto constantly. At times, they even took us along on trips there. We got to meet the gym leader Clair, and so many other people they knew. They did many things there. Mostly watching over the Dragon's Chamber. It was a home to many dragon pokemon, either born there or left there by trainers who couldn't look after them."

Raven thinks for a bit. "So your parents were there to help keep them safe."

Christina nods. "Yeah... They were pretty well known too. But we never spent much money. At least... not after the house was done. Mom and dad got lots of help building it, before we were born. It could power itself with its own sources of electricity. Meahwile, they made sure to keep payments to a minimum. Mostly getting food and internet. They were saving to pay for our classes later on. Melissa and I wanted to take music. And Hector..."

She giggles softly. "He was more interested in technical research. Our brother is such a geek."

Vincent smiles a bit. "But he is smart..."

Christina nods. "Yeah... But what about you? You never did take any of those classes."

Vincent becomes silent, and she sighs. "You know... The more you worry about it, the worse it's gonna become. You did promise to come back. So why do you keep acting like you won't?"

Vincent looks down. "...It's more that... I'm not sure. With everything that's going on, I don't want to go into anything else. Not yet... After my task is finished and we're settled down again..."

Christina puts her hands in her lap, not saying anything else. And he looks over at her for a moment.

"I will come back, Christina. I won't hold back on that promise. I just need to focus on what's happening now. Once it's all over, we can live normally."

She slowly nods. "Alright..."

As Hector returns, they all eat, before deciding to take a rest for the night. They know that they would have to be up earlier the next day to leave when the ship reaches Slateport. And they would have to be ready for when it does.

- - - - -

~Several hours later... late at night~

"Your resistance is intriguing to me... I never would've thought a physical embodiment of an entity such as yourself would hold out for this long. It seems this shell of yours is much stronger than I originally thought... You've even managed to avoid striking down that annoying dragon this whole time..."

Dialga growls deeply at the cloaked individual, not moving but glaring down at him with growing anger. But the person just smirks, taking no heed to the deity's warnings.

"Can you truly resist the chaotic powers much longer? The force which ever grows stronger within your very being... I'll say your time is about up."

Soon, a loud growl emanates throughout the island, causing every stone and every speck of dirt to radiate with blue energy... the power from the Temporal Seal within slowly being taken by the controlling force.

- - - - -

Vincent looks quietly around the timeless, dark plain as he comes to a stand. He knows this is the fourth dream he has had of this place since his time in Pallet, when he was affected by the mysterious presence in the Western Forest.

As he walks on, he soon comes to see the Grovyle he'd met before. It would appear that this time, they have grown familiar with one another. And the smaller grass pokemon is the first to speak.

"I see we meet again, Vincent..."

Vincent slowly nods in response. "...How are things where you are?"

The Grovyle folds his arms and looks around. "I would say they're about the same. However, Dialga's presence seems to have faded from here. Somehow... it feels as though he's gone missing. But no one dares venture to the tower to find him. Some have gone out before, but few have returned. The investigation team appears to be falling apart from this crisis. Many have given up hope."

Vincent shakes his head with a soft sigh. "I wish I were there right now to do something... But I don't even know how to get there. It seems I have to do something in Earthrealm before I can cross over to there. At least... I hope so."

Grovyle turns off and looks towards the decayed tower floating on a tiny island in the sky. "Yeah, well... there may not be much that can be done here either. So if you're to come here, you'd best think of a plan quickly. With time at a standstill, the pokemon here are gradually wasting away and succumbing to the darkness."

Vincent stares up at the structure in silence, overlooking the many pieces of it locked in a timeless stance, floating in place amongst one another to form the remains of Temporal Tower.

After a short time though, they notice a faint blue glow come from the structure, quickly drawing their attention and curiosity. But before they can say anything about it, Grovyle vanishes from sight, and soon along with the rest of the area. Vincent looks around and utters a quiet growl, knowing that their connection has, once again, been severed. But this time, it feels as though something has purposely interfered and cut them off.

- - - - -

Vincent opens his eyes and looks around, a growing tension being felt in the area. He pulls his blanket off himself and gets up, glancing around the room and seeing that the others are still asleep. So he gets up and quietly walks to the door, opening it and going out, and then closing it as slowly as he can so as not to wake anyone up.

He then goes down the hall and to the rear deck of the ship. A soft breeze can be felt, and the sounds of the small waves rolling past the ship are heard in all directions. It is a quiet night, and it would seem that nearly everyone on the ship is asleep.

Vincent goes to the guard rail and looks out over the ocean for a while in thought. He can't get over the feeling that something is about to happen. After a while of thought, he begins to hear footsteps on the deck and looks off in the direction they're coming from.

Christina can be seen coming from the cabins and looking at him curiously. She walks over and puts her arms on the rail, staring at the ocean for a moment, before speaking up.

"...So have you figured out anything we can do?"

Vincent sighs and shakes his head, looking back out. "No... The thing is, I'm not sure that my task is even supposed to end here."

Christina blinks and looks back at him, and he bows his head down. "The thing is, those who took the Temporal Task before me didn't come to this world. Each of them were sent to another place we call the Dusk Realm. There the planet has been paralyzed already. I've been in contact with someone who lives there for the past couple weeks. But at this point, hope there has seemed just a thought."

Christina then looks down over the rail for a moment, before speaking. "You said there were others... How many have taken this task? What happened to them?"

After a short time, Vincent looks back out at the sea. "I'm the fourth one to take on this task. The three before me..." He shakes his head. "I'm sure they were attacked by someone..."

He stares off in thought for a moment, before continuing. "All of them have been brought to failure from the attack. But only the last one has returned safely. His name is Gerald. But the other two weren't so lucky..."

Christina looks over at him, then shakes her head. "Sounds like this task is a lot harder than we thought, isn't it?"

"You didn't have to come."

"I don't care..."

Vincent looks back at her as she gazes out at the sea with a serious look.

"We're a family. It doesn't matter how hard it is. We're all in this together, and we'll finish it together. Whatever it takes."

He stares at her for a bit, before slowly nodding. "Right... But I have to ask you." He takes a deep breath, then exhales softly. "...If we're under attack... will you be prepared to defend yourself?"

Christina blinks and glances at him. "What do you mean..?"

"I mean... can you fight for your life? And strike down someone who threatens to take it from you?"

She grows tense at the question and turns around, leaning back on the rail. "I... don't know..."

Vincent shakes his head slowly. "Messangers have been taught to defend themselves against anyone who opposes them on their task... Death is no easy thing to deal with. We've already learned this. It is never the life of the one taking on the task that drives them so hard... but it is the lives of the many others who support them. And the countless lives of those who would be affected thereof. If you come with me and we're drawn into a battle... I can't always protect you."

Christina stares down at the deck with uncertainty. It's true neither she nor the other siblings have ever had to fight. And the few times they did, they had help from their pokemon. But she knows this will be personal. They will have to be able to protect themselves on their own. And she isn't sure if she can do it.

Larisa and Lasuno are soon seeing flying down to them, Larisa looking curious at Christina's expression. But she then looks up at the Latias and starts to brighten up a bit. "Hey, Larisa... Hey Lasuno."

Larisa makes a quiet coo in response. "Are you okay?"

Christina nods slowly. "Yeah... I will be. Just a lot to think about, that's all."

Larisa nods back and then looks at Vincent. "...How are you?"

Vincent looks back at her. "I'm okay... It's just the same as Christina said. There's a lot ahead of us, and we don't know what we can expect. We'll have to be ready for anything."

Lasuno looks at him for a moment. "But we will be ready, right? We've been working towards this for a while."

Vincent nods a bit. "Yeah..."

After a moment of silence, Christina speaks up in a different, suddenly more uplifting tone. "You know... I've always wanted to do something."

They all look at her curiously and she smiles a bit, fidgeting her hands. "Well... Melissa, Raven and I have taken music classes for a while now. Supposedly there's a place in Slateport that a lot of people go to. It's like an outside shopping center and draws a lot of people. But from what I've heard, not everyone who goes there is there to shop. Some go there to watch others perform various acts. So I thought about us trying out there." She looks down a bit. "Just a silly thought..."

Vincent shakes his head. "No, you should. I think you'd do great."

She blinks and looks back at him. "Really?"

Vincent nods slowly. "Of course... I've heard you play before."

Christina smiles a bit, but is clearly still somewhat nervous at the idea. "Well... Thanks."

Vincent reaches over and pats her shoulder. "Don't worry. It's only nerve-wracking the first time you go out there. But just get into it and let the music drive you on."

She nods slowly, then looks at him with sudden curiosity.

"...Vincent? You talk as though you've played in front of an audience before."

He blinks, then pulls back and leans against the rail. "I... may have."

Christina stares at him and folds her arms at this. He obviously isn't being very subtle, and she's easily picked up on it. "What aren't you saying?"

Vincent fidgets a bit and then lets out a soft breath. "...Back in the Council, most people have taken to musical performances. A number of us have our own instruments to play on stage."

He then lifts his arm and waves it out in front of himself, and a set of keys appear and roll out under his hand. They are transparent, and take the appearance of a regular piano. And the keys that are normally black are a deep blue, while the white keys are silvery, and seem to have a faint glow.

Everyone stares in awe at the musical instrument which has formed in front of Vincent, and he smiles a bit at them. "This... is my own instrument. I would play it now, but it's meant for staged performances in front of a large audience, so it's rather loud."

Christina looks over the keyboard, and then up at him, before slowly nodding. "I bet you're really good though..."

He shrugs at this. "I suppose so. I haven't played in decades."

She blinks, and then ushers a defiant huff. "You're so old!"

Vincent looks at her with a blank stare, which quickly turns into a sharp glare. "Hey! I'm only... probably a few centuries..." His voice lowers to a mumble at the end, before he snaps out again. "I'm not that old!"

Christina and Larisa giggle at that and Larisa then retorts back in a playful tone, "Old!"

Lasuno grins at Vincent, who puts his face in his hands, releasing a long sigh. "Alright, alright, I get the idea."

Christina reaches over and pushes him on the shoulder. "And yet you're still younger than me now."

He mutters and looks down, defeated, and then waves his arm out again. The keyboard then quickly fades away and he folds his arms. "That reminds me... You and Hector are turning seventeen soon. Like... in three days soon."

Christina blinks, and then nods slowly. "Yeah, we are..."

"...Any ideas on what to do then?"

She goes over to the rail and leans back on it again, shaking her head. "No... To be honest, I've been avoiding the subject because it's not really the best time to have any kind of birthday party, with all that's happening."

Vincent looks over at her. "When is the best time, if not now? It's your birthday, Christina. You only have so many of those in your lifetime. You and Hector should enjoy them when you get the chance to."

Christina sighs softly and rubs her arm. "I guess. It just seemed kind of awkward of a thing to bring up now."

Vincent shakes his head slowly. "Maybe now's the best time to bring it up, before everything does start taking a turn. Don't you agree?"

She looks at him, then nods slightly. "Yeah..."

He smiles a bit at her. "Christina... Whatever happens, don't ever worry. In the end, it will be okay. Always remember that."

Christina looks back at him and makes a small smile in return. "Alright, Vincent..."

- - - - -

"It's time, Dialga... He is in sight."

Dialga makes a low growl, his body no longer fighting off the control. His gaze is fixed to the south. And while it would be a great distance from the island, he can see a ship sailing across the ocean and going towards the west.

The cloaked individual waves his arm out. "Do it."

- - - - -

Vincent is staring out at the sea once more. Christina has gone back to bed and Larisa and Lasuno are resting on the roof of the cabins nearby, and Larisa is looking down at him quietly.

As he continues to gaze over the water, he begins to get a strong feeling of tension and pulls back from the rail. Larisa lifts her head in curiosity, noticing that something's come up.

"Vincent? What is it?"

He shakes his head and stares off to the north, as if to look at something in particular. "I can't tell... It feels as though something is coming... Every nerve in my body is tense, like something's going wrong..."

Larisa and Lasuno come down from the roof to him, and he keeps his gaze fixed in the direction.

"It's hard to tell... but I feel like we shouldn't be here... I can't..."

He winces and quickly shakes his head, looking back to the north. He then gets a split shot of something in that very direction... an island cloaked in darkness. And deep within a valley surrounded by tall mountains, a pair of red eyes can be seen... staring directly back at him, locked on his own. This causes him to grow almost an unbearable sense of danger, as he finally realizes just what is about to come.

He looks back at the two, and immediately shouts to them, "Go! Get the others up! Something's about to attack us!"

Larisa hovers back, and Lasuno narrows his eyes with clear concern. "How do you know..?"

Vincent clenches his fists and looks back to the north. "Don't... question it! Just go!"

The two hover back, then Lasuno nods to Larisa and they both quickly fly into the cabins, towards Hector's room.

Vincent growls quietly as he keeps his gaze towards the island. "I knew you'd find me eventually... I just didn't know it would be this soon..."

Dialga growls in response, then his eyes shine brightly, as well as his chest diamond. The fins on his back then start to expand as he opens his maw and builds up energy throughout his body, before concentrating it and firing it as a powerful beam... directly at the ship.

Upon seeing the rapidly approaching attack, Vincent can sense a great distortion in the field following the beam. It is clear what Dialga has just done... and that he would go through such lengths to use this attack proves just what he is willing to do to stop him.

With little can he do to stop the attack, all Vincent is able to manage is run for cover behind one of the vents as the side of the ship is struck. The attack nearly flips the vessel outright, and it shakes violently from side to side... as if just a mere fish in the middle of the great expanse of the water, with the shark being the deity of Time himself.

Vincent strains and drops to his knees as the distortion of time in the area greatly impacts him, his head feeling as though it were splitting in two and his mind racing loops. His vision blurs and then fades to white. And soon, he finds himself in a forest... a familiar forest in which he has ventured for many years of his life.

He looks around in disbelief at the scenery, knowing this place all too well. But why was he taken here? There is the scene of numerous vehicles driving towards the forest, and the many people in Pallet watching in distress. And then, the light... the green light. The very same light which carried off the group of workers who sought to tear down the forest.

Vincent watches on as waves of energy are sent throughout the forest. The trees around him flash as each pulse passes them. But this time, it seems to have less of an effect on Vincent than before. He takes a few steps forward as he can see a small creature appearing from the light. And soon, it hovers down to him, revealing itself finally. The one who had been protecting this forest.

Vincent looks in awe at the small pokemon. "You're... the one who's been here this whole time. The reason no one's dared venture into this forest. You're the one who took those people away... Celebi."

Celebi gives a brief smile and nods slowly to him. "You didn't think you had a particular interest in this place for nothing, did you?"

Vincent shifts a bit, suddenly uncomfortable. But Celebi then takes a more serious, and almost seeming to be a desperate tone.

"I can't stay for long, Vincent... I've been watching for a while, from the other side..."

He looks back at her with a blink. "The other side..? What do you mean?"

"Ever since Dialga's changed, time has been split in two. And... while I can cross between the timelines, I can't stay in this one for very long. The other timeline... It's unbearable to be in such a place..."

Vincent shakes his head. "But what do I do? How can I help you, Celebi?"

Celebi hovers back slowly. It appears that she is starting to strain to stay here. "You have to stop Dialga... Bring him back to who he was... It's the only way..."

Vincent runs forward to her. "But how?"

"It's all I know... It's all I can say..."

She begins to fade away, and Vincent holds his hand out to her. "Celebi! Take my hand! Celebi!"

But it's too late. With a final call, Vincent is forced back into reality. He looks around, finding himself back on the ship. And around him are numerous people, frantically trying to find out what just happened. And coming from the cabins are Larisa and Lasuno, along with the others.

He staggers up and gets to his feet, leaning against the vent for support, before turning to face them.

- - - - -

"Oh..? So they survived. Well then, let us see to it that they don't make it out of the next one..."

Dialga growls deeply as he stares at the damaged ship with great intent, and starts to charge for a second attack.

- - - - -

Melissa shouts out as she runs over to her brother, along with the others. "Vincent! What was that?"

Vincent grunts and steps out from behind the vent, turning his gaze towards the island in the north. Although no one else can see it, he knows well where it is.

"That was Dialga..."

Christina gasps in shock. "Dialga..!? Dialga attacked us!? But why? How did that happen?"

"He's not himself... He's become corrupt, and has set his focus on taking me out at all costs."

Hector looks around the deck. "He's doing a damn good job at that! What are we supposed to do?"

Vincent goes over to the rail and stares out. "...I have to stop him."

Christina stares at him, dumbfounded. "You've... got to be kidding! You'll die!"

"I have to! You need to make sure this ship makes it to shore. I have to see to it that Dialga doesn't land an attack that sinks it. There's no way around it."

He holds his hands out and a light forms in front of them, and Christina puts her hand on his shoulder, staring intently at him. "You'd better not get yourself killed, Vincent... Remember what you told me."

He looks back at her for a second, then slowly nods and looks ahead again. "Right..."

They all move back a bit, and Vincent faces the island, looking at Dialga. Hector goes over near the rail and looks in the same direction. "Go, Vincent. Before it's too late. And get back in one piece."

Vincent nods and then draws his hands back. And he soon sees Dialga start to glow again. He speaks in a low tone of warning. "Brace yourselves, everyone... Here it comes..."

Christina shouts out, "Everyone, get down!" She and the others crouch down on the deck and Hector grips the rail. Everyone else, in response to her warning, starts to kneel down. At this rate, they know better than to question someone who's trying to help, among everyone else who is of no use. But a number of them look towards Vincent, as though he were crazy to still be standing up.

But there is no time to react, as Dialga has now launched a second beam on the ship. And at the same time, Vincent releases a streak towards the island. As it comes past the beam, it suddenly turns from silver to a brilliant blue, following the path of distortion as a guide directly to Dialga. And soon, both of the projectiles would reach their mark.

The ship shakes violently once more as the attack strikes it directly in the side this time. And many screams can be heard. But amongst it all, the rocking causes Hector to flip over the rail and lose grip, then fall into the ocean below.

Vincent shouts out to him, but is able to do nothing in response as he almost immediately vanishes, following the path to the Flare Continent.

Christina screams out to Hector and jumps up, running over to the rail to look down for him. But he is nowhere in sight. And with Vincent now gone, there is nothing they can do to help him, as jumping down after him would be suicide.

- - - - -

The cloaked individual smirks as he watches the ship get struck by Dialga's second attack, and smoke starts to bellow from the side. But again, as if by some miracle, it seems to stay afloat.

But he then notices a smaller, blue streak of energy strike the side of the cliff where Dialga is standing. And soon after, Vincent appears in its place.

He looks around, then quickly up to face Dialga. And immediately, he notices the figure standing to his side, staring down at him with piercing green eyes. He then clenches his fists and glares back at him. "You..."

The individual makes a small scoff and then turns off, and Vincent casts his sword. "Don't walk away from me!"

But the person steps off and fades away into darkness, as Dialga makes a low growl, directing Vincent's attention back to him.

"...Do you know just how many lives you've just taken? Innocent people were on that ship! And several of them must of died from that last attack! I may have just lost my brother, to you!"

Dialga lets out another growl in response as his eyes start to glow once more. Vincent steps back and readies his sword. "No... I won't let you do this. You won't have your way with this world, Dialga! I will bring you back to your senses!"

Dialga roars out and releases a ball of purplish-blue energy directly at him. And in response, he jumps out of the way. But immediately after, Dialga launches another one at him.

This time, he is unable to react, and simply holds his sword in front of himself in desperate hopes to stop the attack somehow.

But a high roar can be heard from the distance as a blast of dark blue energy impacts the ball, and causes an explosion on the air. Vincent grunts and moves his arms to cover himself from the shockwave. And as it clears, he looks up to see a large, black dragon standing between him and Dialga.

He then stands up and gazes up at her in surprise. "Eriah..."

The dragon snarls back at him. "You're an idiot, Vincent! You're going to get yourself blown apart at this rate!"

He staggers and looks away. "...I had to protect my family..."

She stares back at him, before Dialga roars again and Eriah growls and gets into a stance. But something else gets in the way... Something around Eriah's neck causes Dialga to draw back, and simply usher a low, deep growl in anger.

The black dragon glares at Dialga for a moment, before turning back to Vincent and lowering herself down. "Get on... now."

He blinks, then with little hesitation and not a word in defiance, he quickly jumps up onto her back. She then rises up and looks back at Dialga for a moment.

He glares at her, his deep, red eyes piercing her threateningly. And with a snort, she flaps her wings and takes into the air, before flying off the island, as Dialga watches, not making a move. Clearly, something has vexed him. And this makes Vincent wonder just what Eriah did to stop him from attacking again.

Eriah flies out of sight of the island and to the southeast. and Vincent looks off to where he remembers the ship being. He only hopes that his family made it to safety, as he is taken elsewhere... only Eriah knows exactly where they will go.