Linkage

7

Cynthia looked at Lance. She didn't understand why she'd been needed to fly out to Johto to see this. Yes, it came from Sinnoh's ancient peoples, but it had already been established by the Sinjoh ruins. This wasn't pertinent, it was just there. There was no inscription. What did he want her here for. There were more important things to be doing. Cynthia almost wished Lance were tied to a tree. She wouldn't feel as much of an urge to punch him.

The only thing there of value was a square stone with a singular scale carved into the ground, two pillars on either side.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cynthia asked Lance. "You are wasting my time. We already know that the people of Sinnoh came here in the past

Lance looked at Cynthia. "That's not it. Yesterday, the person who found this saw a black light fill the sky coming from this spot. Something happened here Cynthia, and we need your answers."

Cynthia watched as Lance stepped up onto the scale and pointed at something. She was frustrated, and wouldn't budge. Light from the sky or not, her region needed answers. Lance sighed and opened his mouth to the frustrated champion. However, Cynthia was too in her thoughts to pay attention. Instead, the bile rose in her stomach and she took a deep breath to inhale. Something was off, her intuition told her that.

"Tell me," said a voice, "what do you have in the ways of infrared sensors? I can't afford one."

The champion blinked. She felt off, like the frustration she was feeling was not her own. She looked at Lance, and had to turn around because of a horrible feeling. Some force, an invisible one she couldn't decipher, made her angrier and angrier. The more she tried to fight it, the sicker she became. Cynthia walked off to one of pillars and vomited. But suddenly the feeling dissipated, and Cynthia felt less angry. She just felt confused.

Cynthia, ready to be over with everything, stumbled onto the stone square. Around her, in the edges, black light began to surround her. It made its way to the scale, where a moon in the right dish lit up. There was a sun on the other side. To her right, the pillar she threw up at, began to show letters. The champion gasped, as she saw an illusion off in the distance. Down the path she came down she could see something. In front of the Ilex Shrine there was something mysterious.

There was a Pokémon, but it vanished.

Cynthia began to panic. She didn't understand. What was this? Why was this happening? The light around her vanished and once again she felt sick. Cynthia took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she found herself within a building. One she recognized. It was Team Galactic HQ.

"What's wrong? You look sick," said someone.

Someone else said, "I'm...fine. We need to get to work."

Cynthia was out of it as quick as she was in. And she was confused. Was what happened because of the scales? Cynthia stepped off of the stone. Lance gave her an astonished look. She glared at him and kept walking to the Ilex Shrine. There was green light surrounding it, however, when she touched the shrine, it all disappeared.

Cynthia turned to Lance. "I—I'm sorry. As much as I want to stay, I have to go."

"Why?"

"Sinnoh..." she said. "I need to go back to Sinnoh."

And then she took off.

<><><>

It was night. Wes had been in Saturn's office all day, working on his handcuffing gun. The two were working together to try to figure out what was going amiss with the galactic grunts. Wes's arresting stunt was fun, but now he to get to the bottom of what was going on. Tonight was the night. They were off. Wes laid out a map on the table.

"What do you think Saturn?"

Saturn peered over the map and Wes sighed. "Where's the last place you saw them, Wes?"

"The Sinnoh underground, not sure what they were doing, but they were there," said Wes. "They were towards the south east."

"Alright, do we want to return?"

"No," said Wes, "That's too obvious. And besides, when I was scouting them out they looked lost."

"Go to Solaceon Town," said Saturn, "I've been getting some complaints today."

"Okay," said Wes, "I'll look into it. Nightfall is going to be soon, which is good."

He sat down in the corner like he did last time he was there. Saturn sat at his desk. The two gazed at each other, bored. Until Wes began to feel something odd. Some force made him feel fear, a deep fear that he didn't understand. Wes didn't like that feeling. He hadn't felt fear in a long time, and it was better that he didn't. So he didn't want to. He gripped his hair and tried to make the feeling go away, but it stayed, making him more nauseated as he tried to push it away. He closed his eyes, and found himself on a plane.

There was pacing, shaking. Wes knew this feeling. It was like the feeling from the ritual of time, where Cynthia and him were totally connected. He saw hands, Cynthia's hands, and realized he was seeing through her eyes. Now he felt his own fear. Could she do this? But more importantly, what was she doing. She was pacing, muttering to herself, but Wes couldn't understand Cynthia. He just knew that she was terrified.

But he didn't care. He opened his eyes and found himself back in Saturn's office. Cynthia's fear still welled in his stomach as he tried to remain calm in his corner. His deep breaths didn't do much against his racing heart and sweating palms, but they did prevent him from wanting to scream in terror at the feeling of another's presence in his own mind.

"Wes?" asked Saturn. "Do you think I'm on way to redeeming myself? For participating with Team Galactic, you know?"

The vigilante grit his teeth and looked at the wall. "Why do you think I would be the one to answer that question?"

"You're a really good guy. Sitting here, spending hours working on your tech. Dedicating yourself to catching criminals. I think that's above and beyond what anyone would do, and if anyone could be the judge of redemption it would be you," said the former criminal.

Wes tried to make the fear that Cynthia gave him go away, but he couldn't. It only made him more nauseous as he tried to stand. He remembered this feeling, like in the ritual of time, which pulled him back even though he wanted to let go. He wondered if he pulled away even more that I would give him another vision into the future, more clues about how to stop it. He tried but only got so sick that he threw up in Saturn's trash can. The executive gave him a look as he submitted to Cynthia's feelings.

"Odd things," said Wes, "have been happening since the festival of time."

Saturn laughed. "Are you sure you're just not sick?"

"No," said Wes. "I have to go now, it's nightfall."

"About what I said..." Saturn trailed off.

Wes look at the exasperated man. "I'll give you an answer some day."