The Messanger of Time

Chapter 23: Flame of Purity

"You know, I really gotta thank you, Jack. If you hadn't come to pick me up, I may have drowned out there."

Jack grunts and continues working on one of his machines. And Hector, who is wrapped up in a blanket, comes over to his side, nudging him with his foot.

"Hey, what's been going on with you? I mean... I know what's going on, with your brother and all, but Vincent's trying to get him back."

"I've told you I'm fine, Hector. You should be more concerned with getting better so you can get back to your siblings."

Hector folds his arms. "You just want me out of your hair. You know, you say you're fine and all, but I know you're full of it. Come on, man, talk to me. You helped me, so the least I can do is stick around for you a while."

Jack gets up and tosses his screwdriver on the nearby table, then grabs a towel and wipes his hands off with it, before throwing it at Hector.

"Look. I know you're convinced that your brother'll go and rescue James, save the world, Hell, even make things right for all I care. But I'm really not concerned about him, alright? I told you, the less I have to deal with this Messanger crap, the better. So let's just drop it."

Hector shakes his head as he walks past him. "You can't just run away... We were all dragged into this, Jack. You, me, my sisters. Everyone was brought into this."

"And I'm walking out of it because I have no further part in it. Now I'm going to get something to eat. Don't break something."

Hector squints as he walks off. "Break someth-... Why would I do that!? You know me better!"

Jack waves him off and goes into another room, and Hector sighs. "Whatever... At least you know me better, right, ATHER?"

The voice chimes in over the speakers, "I believe this would be a state of denial. A human conflict which subjects one to go against reasoning in any subject relating to the central concern."

"...You're very literal. If I were programming you, you'd be a little more fun to talk to."

"My apologies, sir. With limited resources, I-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Hector rolls his eyes and goes to sit down at a desk, rubbing his eyes and starting to idly browse through things on the computer, hoping to do something to make his time here worthwhile.

- - - - -

"There. That's where we need to go, Eriah."

After gazing down to the village situated on a small cliff within the forest area which shows a vast difference from the rest of the Orre region, Eriah flies down towards what appears to be the entrance of a small cavern within the village.

As they land, several people from the village are watching them suspiciously from all over, mostly wary of the large black dragon they've never seen before.

Vincent brings the Ninetales down carefully, before looking into the cavern. He sighs, trying to figure out how to carry the fox pokemon without hurting her, but his thoughts are interrupted by a small whine coming from her. He looks down at her, noticing that she is starting to wake up.

As the white fox pokemon shifts in his hold, she first appears disoriented. But when she begins to open her eyes, she grows scared... afraid of her surroundings- afraid of where she could possibly be- afraid of the person holding her. Immediately, the Ninetales struggles weakly, attempting to get away from Vincent, who loosens his grip on her but tries to keep her still as much as he can. He calls to her in a calm voice, but she doesn't respond. Instead, she fires a blue stream of flames with a cry.

Eriah, seeing this, quickly shifts to the side to avoid being struck. Meanwhile, Vincent is trying his best to calm the pokemon, but his efforts are in vain. The Ninetales tenses up and releases a burst of purple energy from her body, causing Vincent to grunt loudly in pain. But he keeps his hold on her, shouting out, "Ninetales, stop!"

Finally, in response to his voice, the pokemon comes to her senses and draws back from him. She lifts her head to face him, staring at him with almost a look of surprise. But as he stares into her deep, blue eyes, he can see all the fear, all the uncertainty and tension... all the pain that she is in. He pants, having been weakened from the uncontrolled outburst. And soon, he loosens his grip on her, letting her go.

The Ninetales pulls away from him almost immediately and lowers her head, almost as if feeling guilty for having attacked him. Her eyes shut tightly and she releases a soft whimper. Vincent then moves his hand over her and lightly strokes her neck reassuringly. He speaks quietly to her, "It's okay... I understand what you're going through... I want to help you..."

Soon, the pokemon begins to show signs of comfort, and opens her eyes to look at him again. He gives her a faint smile, before turning to look around at the people watching them. Atop a cliff, he sees an elderly man with long white hair and a white beard, dressed in purple and tan robes. Eyeing him for a moment, the man soon nods to him and he then turns to look into the cavern ahead of them.

"Let's go, Ninetales... Once we get through this tunnel, I can make you better."

The white fox pokemon turns her gaze towards the cavern, staring into it with a bit of nervousness. Vincent lightly pets her head and then places his hand on her side. "Trust me... It will be okay."

She looks back at him for a moment, before he eases her to standing. He looks up at Eriah, who nods to him and moves aside. He then starts off towards the cavern, slowly, being sure not to rush the Ninetales in and wanting her to go at her own pace.

As they come to enter the cavern, they can see an abundance of growth inside. Various plants are sprouted from the ground, the walls and even dangling off the ceiling. The sounds of running water can be heard as they pass by a small, pure river flowing through the cavern. The path through the cavern is short, but they take their time passing through. The pokemon appears to be growing slightly more trusting towards Vincent as they walk, occasionally taking a step ahead of him but then slowing down to his pace again. He gazes down at her with a comforting look, and she can't help but grow a slight smile through her still tense expressions.

Outside, some of the village residents are approaching the cavern, eyeing Eriah warily, but she merely watches them unmoving, letting the few who go to enter the cavern proceed. Vincent and the Ninetales soon approach the other side of the cavern, seeing rays of light softly shining in from a small clearing in the middle of the thick forest.

They come out to find themselves on a stone path now, approaching a small pillar of sorts. As they come near it, Vincent looks around for a moment, then takes a few slow steps closer to it. Almost as if responding to him, the pillar can be seen glowing with a calm, green light. He places his hand on it, examining it for a moment, and then taking a deep breath. He then turns back to the Ninetales, who is staring at him with growing curiosity, but also suspicion about his apparent delay.

He walks over to her and kneels down in front of her, stroking her head slowly. "...Are you ready?"

The fox pokemon makes a small sound in response. One that, while nervous, tells that she trusts him. He then looks back towards the cavern, watching as the elderly man from earlier walks out. The Ninetales peers back at him, becoming somewhat more tense, but Vincent's continued petting assures her that she will be okay. He nods to the man, and he reaches into his robe, pulling out a rather old-looking wooden flute. After a short moment, he plays a short, rising tune, which echoes throughout the surrounding forest as if the trees themselves were sounding in sync with the flute.

A soft wind blows through the forest, rustling all the trees and plants in the area. Vincent gazes around the area while still kneeled to the Ninetales. But eventually, a daunting feeling falls over him as he realizes... the one he was hoping to find here is, in fact, longer be in this realm. He looks back at the pillar, which appears to glow a bit brighter, and then he closes his eyes.

Soon, a surge shoots through him, making him grunt lightly and the Ninetales eyes him, a bit concerned now. But he keeps his focus as he hears a faint voice... almost as if echoing in the forest among the wind blowing past them. A familiar female's voice speaking to him, in his mind.

You came again...

Vincent holds onto the Ninetales as tension builds up inside him.

I don't have long, Vincent... This is all I can do for you. I wish I could do more in return for you helping me, but-

It's okay, Celebi... You're helping someone in need. It's more than anything I could ask for.

...Thank you, Vincent. Hearing from you makes being in this forsaken place a little less unbearable...

I'll get you back here, any way I can. Just try to hang on a while longer.

Vincent sighs softly, feeling almost as if he weren't entirely telling the truth. But he's determined to do what he can to keep his word. Eventually, he begins to feel a power welling up inside him and he opens his eyes, looking back at the Ninetales.

Releasing her again, he then holds out his hand to her and she looks at it curiously. He nods to her slowly and she then places her forepaw in it, staring up at him. He puts his other hand over it and clasps it lightly, and then, she can feel an unusual energy flowing into her from him. She blinks, a bit startled from it, but notices that it makes her feel rather... calm.

The elderly man lowers his flute and watches them curiously, having not expected to see Vincent himself performing the purification. He folds his arms but says nothing as waves of energy flow from Vincent into the fox pokemon. The stone pillar begins to shine brightly and Vincent grasps her paw a little firmer, feeling somewhat drained as if he were giving her his own energy. But he keeps on, not stopping until he's expelled all the Shadow within her. She watches him, becoming a bit worried at his signs of weakness, and then she leans in to nudge his hand lightly with her nose.

Vincent smiles to her and soon, the Ninetales shuts her eyes tightly, tensing up a bit before letting out a yelp as waves of purple energy are released from her body with powerful force. Vincent jerks back a bit but holds onto her paw persistently as her Shadow energy blows past him. And eventually, she settles down as the last of it leaves her body and dissipates into the air. A high pitched screech can be heard, and Vincent winces from the sound of it, before the wind finally dies down and the stone pillar fades back to its dormant state.

Vincent keeps his grip on the Ninetales' paw, shuddering a bit and she slowly opens her eyes to look at him. Soon, she nudges his hand again with her nose and he finally lets her go, dropping both hands to the ground and panting heavily.

The white fox pokemon makes a small whimper and he looks at her, somewhat delusional but slowly regaining his composure. "...I'm okay, Ninetales..."

She lets out a soft and long whine and then buries her muzzle under his arm, and he can't help but smile a little, and just pets her comfortingly. He then looks back at the man, who steps over to them, and he sighs.

"I suppose you have questions... don't you?"

The man puts his flute back into his robes and then folds his arms, speaking in a scruff voice. "A few... But something tells me it may be better if I didn't ask."

Vincent shakes his head. "It's a long story... And it's one I'm not sure I have the time to really tell."

The man nods slowly. "Very well, then... As unexpected as it was to see a Shadow pokemon in these parts after so long, I suppose it's best to put my efforts into seeing that it doesn't happen again. I will contact the authorities and see if we can't get the Cipher Key Lair permanently shut down. Perhaps now they'll see reason to do so."

Vincent sighs and then looks at the Ninetales. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this..."

She blinks a few times and looks back at him, before nudging his chin with her nose, and he makes a quiet chuckle. "I suppose we don't have to worry about it happening again..."

The man takes a step back and Vincent looks up at him. "Thank you, umm..."

"Eagun, if you will. The elder of this village."

He nods in response. "Thank you, Eagun."

Eagun then turns off and walks back to the cavern, and Vincent looks back at the Ninetales.

"I think it's best we left too..."

She nods slowly and he soon brings himself to his feet. They then start off towards the cavern. As they pass through it, Eriah can be seen lying down outside, waiting for them. She lifts her head and Vincent smiles to her, giving a small pat on her snout.

"We did it... She's okay now."

The black dragon nods and looks at the Ninetales, who backs up and moves behind Vincent. He looks back at her and kneels down to her, patting her head. "It's okay... She wouldn't hurt a Butterfree."

The fox pokemon eyes her, and she simply stares back calmly. Vincent looks back at Eriah, then at the Ninetales again. "I never properly introduced myself, have I...? My name is Vincent Verona."

She blinks and lightly nudges his side with her nose, staring at him with a small sound. And he can't help but chuckle a little. "I'm sorry for the play... I've been able to understand you for some time. Though you've never really said much before."

The Ninetales furrows her eyes and then backs up, looking away with a rather embarrassed expression. He smiles a little in response and pets her softly. "It's okay... What's your name?"

She turns her gaze back to him, and soon and speaks in a way he, out of few in the world, can fully understand, as well as Eriah. To them, her voice is very soft and quiet. "...Serenity."

Vincent nods slowly to her and puts his arm on his knee. "Serenity... That's a very nice name. And... very fitting for someone like you."

Serenity blinks a few times and then smiles a bit sheepishly. "...Thanks..." She then fidgets her paw in the grass and he reaches over to rub one of her ears.

"You seem really nice. I can already tell you have a good heart. I can't imagine why those people would come after you, of all others..."

She sighs and makes a low sound. "I can normally fight for myself... But there were so many of them, and I just couldn't do anything..."

Vincent shakes his head and looks up at Eriah, who eyes him almost intently. "She is unique, isn't she? I don't think we should leave her here... If they attacked her once, they may come back to do it again."

The black dragon slowly nods in agreement, and he looks back to Serenity. "Hey... If there's anything I can do for you, tell me. I won't let those people come after you again, alright, Serenity?"

She lowers her ears and nods slightly. The fox pokemon mumbles a bit and then looks up at him. "Where will you go?"

Vincent sighs softly and shakes his head. "Now... I'm not sure. But wherever I go, I'll have to fly."

Serenity blinks and looks up at Eriah, rather hesitant. "...Fly..."

"You've never flown before, I suspect..."

She shakes her head. "No... I've done it before. It's just... been some time. Are you sure it's safe? She doesn't look that secure."

Eriah snorts roughly and Vincent blinks, looking back up at her. For one of the rare moments, she actually appears to be mildly irritated, something he's not had the misfortune to see from her since they met. He then looks back down at Serenity and pets her head. "I... assure you you'll be fine. I'll hold onto you if it makes you feel any safer."

The Ninetales looks down a bit. "...Just don't fall off..."

He smiles a little. "Don't worry... I'll make sure we're both just fine." He then looks up at the black dragon, who narrows her eyes in slight defiance, and he sighs a little. "Right... Let's go, then."

Eriah lowers down and he climbs up onto her back, then looks back down at Serenity. He reaches his arm out to her and after a moment's hesitation, she puts her paw in it and he pulls her up onto the dragon's back with him. He then puts his arm around her while keeping his other hand on Eriah for support. After the fox pokemon has given him a small nod, he taps Eriah and she then lifts up, slowly ascending into the sky and taking off. Where they're going is uncertain, but Vincent intends to explore the region a bit more before leaving. This time, his concerns are for Serenity, who seems to have grown attached to him after having been helped in such a way, as well as James, who he keeps his hopes on being able to rescue from darkness...

- - - - -

A day has passed, and the sun is beginning to rise over the horizon. Jack is working on one of his computers in the factory, having stayed awake the entire night and is looking increasingly stressed as the hours go by. He eventually stops his work and shuts off the monitor, leaning back in his chair with a deep, weary sigh.

But as he looks back into the monitor, he can see a faint reflection of himself... and behind him, standing with a taunting smirk, is James. He clenches his fist, having seen him many times now without any physical sign of him actually being there. It's at this time he believes he's merely hallucinating due to stress and lack of sleep over the past several days.

He growls at the reflection, before punching the monitor and shattering the screen, as well as knocking it off the desk. He then puts his arms over the table and buries his face in his hands with an irritable sigh.

After a moment, he looks over through the window of the other room, seeing Hector still asleep on the couch and eyeing him for a while. He then speaks up in a low tone, almost as if resenting what he is saying at this point.

"...ATHER. I need you to send a message to Vincent for me."