Pokemon: Incarnation
Chapter 3: Lock and Key
The day had only just begun and it was already as dark as a black hole. Worse than the time I almost got eaten by a feraligator while I was lost in the swamps of Louisiana, and just as bad as when my father died in a car crash four years ago. The skin on my body was becoming even paler than usual as it shuddered at odd intervals, and it took me a lot of concentration to not have my fingers pierce the skin of my hands as I made some of the tightest fists I ever had in my life. What could I do? How do I act when life throws you a curveball of malice like this? What should I plan? Is there anything that could be done aside from sitting around in despair until I eventually move on with my life? She was gone, just like that. Didn't even say goodbye to me; not even a single last word.
"Why didn't you take Omar instead?! He won! He's the one you want!" I said, screaming angrily as I kicked the bedside table out of sheer fury. "Fuck you, 'Guardian of Forever', whatever the fuck you actually are!" I screamed as I collapsed on the bed, not caring whether I got any unwanted attention or not. My rage was still pounding through my muscles as I breathed deeply, tensing all my muscled with each inhale. I was furious, yes, but the quiet voice of reason in my head told me that lying around in an angry stupor wouldn't change anything.
I should be doing what I always do in life – plan ahead. What happened? Melinda, alongside other top trainers, was taken to another realm of existence by a mysterious entity. I could perhaps at least assume that she was alive, at least for now, and that all hope for her was not lost. Maybe she could return at any moment? Maybe The Guardian of Forever saw that he meant to take Omar and not her, and that he'd send her back right where he found her! Looking round at the bed she lied in, I stared for a few minutes. Any moment now, she'd be back, and with an experience to boot! Maybe this won't all be so bad...no, she's not coming.
"Of all the people..." I said miserably, trying to think of what could be done. Hah, I suppose I could just visit that world myself and drag her back to where she belongs. If only...if only...
My musings were cut short by Melinda's phone going off. At least her choice of song for the phone ringing, 'Show Don't Tell, was good. I pretty much felt obliged to scrape the bottom of a bottomless barrel for positives in my current situation to help keep me grounded. I knew her pin number, so I decided to answer it, though I was unsure how I could answer questions on her whereabouts.
"Hello?" I answered softly.
"Could we speak with Melinda please?" A very formal voice sounded from the other end, so I assumed it was one of her sponsors. "Who is this?"
"I'm her brother, Basil. Listen, Melinda's not here right now. Truth be told, I have no idea where she is, or when she'll be back. I'll tell her to phone you back as soon as I see her again." I said, my voice wavering as I was forced to subtly reference the situation.
"Well, try to make it sooner rather than later." The voice on the phone said before they hung up. It reminded me of another big problem that sent another dose of panic through every nerve end – I wouldn't be the only one wanting to see Melinda. Should I just flat out tell them what happened? No one would believe me without evidence, and they might even see me as being suspicious. There was the note she left, however, but I still had a feeling that people might think it was forged. What to do...I guess the best that I could do for now is tell the police. They'll probably declare her as missing in a few days if I never said anything anyway, then I'd be at the eye of the storm of the law, and I hardly needed more stress than what I was going through right now. I suppose I could go to the local police station and hand in this note she left me. Given she was able to identify an alias of the one who took her away, it would be a start.
My car was hardly a Barchetta, nor was it red, but it still had a fair share of modern luxuries. I was well paid for my services as a battle analyser, so I could afford this sort of thing. Entering the coordinates to the nearest police station, I set the car off to drive there through the streets of Edinburgh. The entire city looked like it was in war between the modern and the ancient, as it was fighting to keep up with all the modern metropolises of the world, but always remembering and honouring its heritage, like so many capital cities do. It wasn't quite as beautiful or as historic as York, but that was probably my home town bias speaking. It's a tragedy really; by now, I'd probably be wandering the streets with Melinda if it weren't for that bastard.
The car parked itself in a nearby car park that was almost full as I saw the police station from across the street. As much as I wanted to dash across the street, jaywalking had become a more serious offence lately, and I wasn't wanting to get caught doing so outside of the police station of all places; I didn't want to make my already dire situation even worse. I shivered slightly as I opened the door slowly as I saw a policewoman behind the counter, looking at a her computer before she noticed me.
"Excuse me, I'd like to report a missing person." I said slowly before I saw another law enforcer enter the entrance hall to my right. The entire place felt squeaky clean, as if not a single dust particle was out of place. The walls, ceilings and floors were almost stark-white, with only the blue doors providing any sense of variety in colour, making things feel slightly less sterile than they could have. I felt the need to stay in place too with how orderly things seemed here.
"Ok sir, who is this person? I'll ask you for details afterwards." She said, getting ready to put the details into her computer. Another member of the police force suddenly entered the room. He looked oddly familiar, and he didn't make me feel good.
"It's Melinda Squire. Yes, that one. I'm her brother, Basil, and she left this note behind." I said as I handed it over to her. The policeman looked over her shoulder as she started entering the details onto the system. His eyes seemed to widen slightly as he asked for Melinda's note, prompting a quiet gasp from him.
"...Chief Superintendent Munro?" She said as I looked at him. It was that same guy that Omar invited! I instinctively narrowed my eyes at him, as if he could lash out at any second.
"If you have finished making a copy of the note, then I shall deal with this from here until further notice. Please, stay put here and continue your work. Mr Squire, come with me and I'll take the details." He said firmly, gesturing me to follow him. I began to feel quite suspicious as to why such a high ranking police officer would want to take command here instead of delegating, though it was more likely to create a minimal panic when a famous person suddenly vanishes.
"Sit." He said formally, pulling out the chair for me as he sat down at his desk in his poorly lit room, almost as if he was trying to make me feel uncomfortable. His office was still covered in the same white walls as the entrance, but they didn't help much when he only had the desk lamp on. Something felt very wrong about this, but I couldn't quite pinpoint why. Was he going to try and accuse me of being behind this?!
"When did you discover that Melinda had gone?" He asked, holding onto her note, staring at me with eyes as grey as his hair.
"On her bedside table at about quarter to nine in the morning. That's what she wrote, and I think it's linked to the disappearances from professional trainers all over the world." I said, feeling uneasy. Floyd adjusted himself in his chair and cleared his throat before starting to read the note again to himself. He retained his stoic expression for about five seconds before his eyes widened noticeably as he put his face closer to the note. His breathing had become slightly quicker and deeper as he looked into it further. It was almost like he had to read it twice for it all to sink in, and it seemed like he may have been hiding some emotional involvement, even though he was clearly trying not to show it too much.
"Found something?" I asked, though he ignored me until he had finished reading it again and slowly put down the note on the desk with an expression of shock and dismay, as if the words there found a way to injure his middle-aged, yet muscular frame. He looked around his office for a bit as if he was looking for something, but when I tried to speak, he put up his hand to silence me.
"I shall only tell you the truth, Mr Squire, but I can't promise you'll like it. I think I know where your sister is and who's been behind these kidnappings." He said with a concerned and horrified expression on his face. I heard him mutter something under my breath, sounding vaguely like 'I can't believe I was ever your friend,' and I started wondering if he knew who this 'Guardian of Forever' could be.
"Who?! Where is she?! Is there a chance you can bring her back?!" I said desperately, as I started to feel as though he had the answers. Floyd didn't look to comfortable about this, and I began to speculate why. Was this guardian guy a friend of his at one point? Was he involved? Was he the guardian? Would revealing why end his career? Or was the truth too absurd for anyone to believe?
"Mr Squire, what I am about to tell you will seem completely absurd. Quite frankly, I find it hard to believe myself, but I can only offer what I know, or at least what I believe to be true." He said, laying his hands gently on the desk, still staring at me, refusing to break eye contact. "Don't spread this knowledge until I say so. I don't want the public or even my other officers to start panicking. Of course, I technically can't force you..."
"...Fine." I said slowly, but I had every intention of breaking the news to the public should I feel the need.
"The Giratinan faith and the other world...that's where I think she is." He said with the most sincere voice, though I couldn't help almost spitting in shock when I heard this. Was he really implying that he thought it existed?! I thought that was just a bunch of nonsense from Giratina worshippers!
"That's where The Guardian of Forever comes from, and it seems like he's drawing trainers into his world from what this note says. I'm very grateful that Melinda thought to write this down. While it's a tragedy that she got taken along with the seventeen others so far, she was at least able to get an idea on what's happening here." Floyd said as I noticed him subtly get angrier the more and more he spoke.
"You know this guardian?" I asked, eager to try and find out more. Nothing scared me more than going into a situation blind, and while the truth would probably be unpleasant, it's still better than not knowing at all, since I can at least act accordingly.
"...Yes, and that's all I'll say. Obviously, I think you can see the problem we have here." He said, grinding his teeth ever so slightly as he spoke. It was such a disgusting, horrible sound that made me irrationally hate him even more.
"If you know him, can you get him to see you so you can get him to get my sister back from goodness knows where?" I said, trying not to be pushy. I didn't want to antagonize a police officer, let alone one who looked almost twice my size. His ramblings seemed be utter lunacy, but I was willing to take anything, and I mean anything, that might help me find Melinda.
"Only seen him once, and that was thirty years ago. He left for his own world after our brief meeting. Regardless, that's all I can go into for now." He said and stood up slowly. "I will try to find a possible solution, but, as I'm sure you you've already figured out, one can't simply go to a different dimension." He said as I tried to hide the glare I shot him. He was probably taking the piss, but I wouldn't be taken for a fool.
"So you're saying you can't do anything?!" I said, feeling my resentment grow, of both The Guardian of Forever and Floyd.
"Look, I promise I'll do everything I can." He said sternly at me. "I've been tracking down these incidents ever since the Australian champion vanished a month ago, who was the fifth one recorded as being missing. Of course, if you can make any suggestions that can make this case easier, then I am all ears."
"How do you expect me to know?!" I blurted back.
"I understand that these are very stressful times, but please try to remain calm. I shall escort you to the station entrance and order a couple of investigators to have a look into the hotel room. Given this is a British victim, I can imagine all the police forces from around the country will put a lot of efforts into the investigations. Maybe they'll find something useful." Floyd said, his formal nature never wavering, though I could tell that he was very bothered about something. He took me to the doors before I walked out onto the street. That wasn't very useful, I bet he's not even going to try!
How could he think he could confuse me with such rubbish! Melinda, taken to that Giratina world, or whatever it was?! Preposterous! He must know, and he's hiding it! Why, perhaps he could be behind it all! It makes sense, given how suspicious it would be that he suddenly intervened to talk to me the way he did. He flat out admitted to knowing who The Guardian of Forever was. He had to know more than he was letting on, and I would find out one way or another, regardless what that crooked man thought of professional conduct or legislation!
How could I get more information? This proved to be a tricky endeavour, since I doubt he'd give it over willingly, and I couldn't exactly force it out of him...or could I? Reaching into my bag where I put Melinda's stuff, I felt the pokeballs. I'm sure her pokemon would be just as invested in seeing her again as I was, and since they were tough enough to reach the finals...yes, this would be the way! I did not care about what would happen to me regarding the cops – I will find Melinda! However, I wanted to make this work well. Obviously, storming the police station wouldn't end well, but if I could catch Floyd on his own with the entire team behind me, he wouldn't stand a chance, and then I could call the shots!
Where did he live? Well, I'm sure I could get help in the form of Fearow. Yes...all I'd need to do is to find out which one of the cars within the station walls were Floyds and have Fearow follow him from high above. Then he'd be at home, where I could enact step two. I could throw all the pokeballs in right through a window so that the pokemon would be in the house where they can apprehend him. Then I could begin my interrogation and find out where that bastard took Melinda. Hang in there sister, Basil is coming! This wasn't too different to planning out a battle for Melinda – take it step by step, and be sure to execute everything well, and then you win.
The nagging voice in my head telling me that this was a reckless idea that would get me arrested and imprisoned was silenced, as the voice telling me that this was Floyd's fault became dominant. Moving to a fairly secluded location that was still near the police station, I sent out all of Melinda's pokemon, and as expected, they were looking around expecting to see her. They couldn't speak, obviously, but I think they'd understand the message.
"Melinda has vanished, been taken away by The Guardian of Forever, and I think I know who it is." I said, bringing up a picture Melinda took on her phone of Floyd. Perhaps the moment was ruined slightly by having a picture of him in a scizor costume, but the point still stood. They looked collectively horrified that their beloved trainer had been taken from them, but I'd soon turn that horror into determination. "I have a plan though, and I'll need all of you on board..." I said as I began to tell them in great detail, much like I would tell my old team in my trainer days. They all seemed to get angry and on board, and with our goals aligned, we were now a force to be reckoned with. It was just as well that Weavile and Fearow didn't know that my sister planned to boot them from her team!
"Fearow, I will strap Melinda's phone to you so I can keep track of you using mine." I said, making a makeshift strap so the phone was secured tightly to her body. "I'll need you to hang around by the tall tree and keep watch of the police car park. When you see Floyd enter his car, follow him to his house and when you do so, fly in a circle four and a half times. Be discreet, and don't let Floyd get suspicious. Understand?" I asked as she nodded as I returned the rest of her team to their balls. Unfortunately, Floyd would end up taking his sweet time leaving as I got more agitate by the hour. Did Fearow miss him somehow? Eventually, five hours later, I saw Fearow suddenly fly off and follow a car from high above. That must be him! Checking my phone, I was able to track where Fearow was flying off to, and it seemed to be towards the edge of the city. Hopefully it wouldn't be busy there.
After a few short minutes, I got into my car and kept track of Fearow's location on my phone. I didn't want to set coordinates until I could see what house he lived in. Questions started swarming my head, especially about whether this was really a good idea or not. Regardless whether I was right or wrong about this man, I'd probably go to prison for several years for what I was about to do. Maybe Melinda will show up the next day, and everything would be fine again.
It wasn't too late to back out after all, yet I started suspecting something. Who else could my sister's mysterious kidnapper be except for Floyd! He must be The Guardian of Forever, or at least working for him! Was he even really human? No human can just walk between the worlds and send helpless victims there! It'd explain why he seemed to know a lot about this, not to mention why my skin crawls with fury every time I see or think of the guy. There was something very wrong about him, and I'd expose it to the world, prison be damned!
Getting the signal from Fearow, I set my car off as I watched the sky turn dark above me. This would help cover me and my ambitions from any onlookers who could ruin it all for me. The sun had now set on Floyd's reign of terror, and I would be the one to bring it to its final close! From what I could see from Melinda's team, they were just as determined as I was as I felt the most important 'battle' of my life approaching quickly. My car pulled up to a car park nearby as I saw Fearow fly around the area. She noticed me as I thanked her for a job well done and returned her. Seems like the street of Buckstone Crescent had some trees behind them. Excellent, I could approach Floyd's house from behind.
No one noticed me as I was able to sneak between a couple of empty looking houses and I hid in the woods. The creatures there, if there were any, paid no heed to my sudden intrusion as I made my way to the back of Floyd's house. Peering through the leaves and bushes, I could see a light on in one of the rooms, leading me to believe that he was in. His house looked fairly basic and plain, considering he was probably pretty well off for being a high ranking law-enforcer. Guess living conditions were one thing we grudgingly shared in common. Question is, was he alone? Hah, I doubt a loathsome man like that would ever have a family, so he was probably alone, but I couldn't be sure.
Regardless, I have six pokemon behind me – I'd just have to apprehend anyone with him as well! I crept up quickly, seeing that he wasn't in the room, and I hid behind the window. Now, I'd need to be quick for this. I'd need to throw six pokeballs hard enough to break the window, but if I took too long, Floyd may be able to call for help. Maybe he was armed too, and I suddenly feared for the safety of Melinda's pokemon. No, they'd be too quick for that bastard; they'd surely be fine. I'd make sure of that.
...No, I couldn't do this. What if I was making a mistake? What if I was wrong about Floyd, or what if Floyd legitimately couldn't do anything about this? I'd be setting myself up for imprisonment for several years, and I might never be able to get a job again. Maybe Floyd will just tell me if I ask him. Maybe he'll be a bit looser now that he's off duty, though I still wanted a backup plan. I guess I could wait an hour if he turns me down, then proceed with my original plan, though then again, perhaps I was just letting the raw anger and grief that I was suffering get to me too much. I needed to think straight here, now more than ever. As much as I loved my sister, I couldn't afford to get too reckless.
Sneaking round onto the street, I slowly walked into the driveway and approached the door. I was about to press the bell, but I stopped when I heard voices coming from inside. I guess he wasn't alone after all! Naturally, I put my ear to the door to see if I could hear anything. It was too quiet for my phone to pick up and record, but I could do that once I got inside without them noticing.
"Floyd, I'm going to be blunt here; you need some time off. Badly. Just call your boss, he'll understand. Probably, I've never met the guy." Another man said, his voice being somewhat recognizable to me.
"If I take a break now, I'll only be thinking about all this shit. I need to keep going Omar." Floyd responded.
"You didn't seem like you even wanted to have fun at the party, and you've been acting strange since last week. Sorry to bring this up, but I'm only assuming it's because your father died last week." Omar replied, clearly sounding concerned.
"I've seen officers die on the spot and I moved on just fine." I heard Floyd say, though he was clearly grumbling as he spoke.
"I've been close friends for about thirty five years, and I know that this is the first time you ever lost someone that was close to you." Another, really strange voice said, sounding rather raspy and hissy.
"Sceptile, I won't pretend that it didn't get to me, which is why dwelling on it will only make me feel worse. I need to push on with this for my sake, as well as the public's. Speaking of my duties, I'll need a strong word with the officers that let you go." Floyd said, his voice still carrying grumbling undertones.
"See Floyd? This is exactly what I'm getting at? If I didn't know any better, your decisions are becoming a little erratic. Besides, don't you think your obsession over the missing trainers is starting to interfere with your work?" Omar asked as I suddenly heard Floyd shout in anger.
"Because no one will truly believe what's actually going on here!" He yelled, as the sound of him hitting something made me jump slightly in surprise.
"Remember what I told you earlier? About The Guardian of Forever? Remember who referenced himself as that at one point, thirty years ago?! You know why I can't lie about anything, but how can I convince the others in the police department? It'll sound like I'm barking mad to them! And even if I could, what can be done about it? According to the note Miss Squire left, he visits you in a dream before taking you away! He doesn't even materialise on this planet! Oh, and before the two of you try to calm me down, the only way I can deal with this is if I can find a way to stop him!" Floyd said, finishing his rant. Well, that mostly proved he wasn't actually The Guardian of Forever. On the one hand, I felt highly relieved I decided to not break into his house, but on the other, I was a very, very long way from finding the actual villain.
"I see...well, I certainly hope you're not acting like this at work." Omar said as I heard Floyd scoff.
"Of course not, I have to be professional. However, you may be right. The police have a bit of a lead since Miss Squire was wise enough to write the note in advance before she was taken, and I have been a little sloppy in some areas. The others will at least have some kind of a lead, though I don't expect them to get anywhere. Maybe I should call for a holiday soon, and keep myself occupied with some independent research." Floyd said, sounding a little calmer.
"Good to hear man. I'll open the window to help you cool off." Omar replied as I noticed the window to my right. I'd be seen! Quickly thinking about what I could do, I looked around behind me. The driveway...I just happened to walk up it just before Omar went to the window! Taking the opportunity, I pressed the bell hard. It sounded harshly as the conversation inside was cut off.
"Probably an evening salesman. I'll deal with this quickly." Floyd said as he swung open the door. He didn't seem to react much initially as he looked down at me, though a frown was slowly making its way onto his face. "...Have you been stalking me?!" He said after growling slightly under his breath.
"Er, I...I, I wanted to talk more about Melinda and The Guardian of Forever. Also, we both know that I haven't done anything illegal, so you can't arrest me." I said, stuttering slightly from nervousness. My breathing became a little faster as he stared at me, though I was able to quickly collected my thoughts and composure. "Now, Floyd, I'm pretty sure we both want to know about what happened to Melinda and how The Guardian of Forever is involved, so maybe we can discuss this now that you're off duty. Perhaps I can help you."
"...You really are a presumptuous, intrusive little cretin, aren't you? I was kind enough to share information with you given your familial relationship to Miss Squire. I assure you, the disappearance of your sister will cause a media storm, which, naturally, my men and women would rather not deal with, so we will do everything they can to find her and bring this mysterious culprit to justice." He said, still stuck in his perpetual frown.
"I think we both know they won't get very far with that." I said, hoping I wouldn't reveal my eavesdropping. "If The Guardian of Forever is some kind of supernatural entity that lives in a different world, then it's clearly beyond what regular cops can deal with."
"Clearly, it's beyond you too, unless you've discovered anything else that can help me." Floyd responded, still casting his narrow, judgemental eyes down at me.
"Who's at the door?" I heard the sceptile say loudly from inside the house. "Doesn't sound like a salesman."
"...A moment, Mr Squire." He said as he shut the door on me. This time, they talked rather quietly, and I couldn't make out a word. With any luck, the other two would convince him to let me in so I can wring more information from him. Even if Floyd would be useless to me, the least he could do is tell me exactly where Melinda and I stand with all of this. I tapped my feet on the ground with anticipation as I kept checking the time on the phone. Three minutes, four, five...they were taking their time!
"You're lucky the other guests persuaded me to let you in." Floyd said after opening the door. "Empty everyone of your pockets, and put all of their contents in your backpack, and let me see that they're empty." I couldn't really hold a grudge for this, given I already felt fortunate that Floyd was letting me in. I had to put all my pockets inside out so he could see for sure that they were empty. As soon as he did so, he asked me to give me his backpack so I could inspect it.
"Phone, wallet, an out-of-date store bought sandwich...and six pokeballs. Mr Squire, you will show me, one by one, what these pokemon are. Do so in the front garden." He instructed as I showed them off one by one. Well, so much for recording his voice in secret then. Thankfully, I never had the app open at the time, so he hopefully wouldn't suspect anything. "Interesting, this must be Melinda's team. I trust you're looking after them now."
"Not officially. It'll be a lawyer issue to see where they go." I said, but as soon as I sent out Rhyperior, he suddenly growled aggressively at Floyd. I returned him immediately as Floyd turned to look at me.
"Now you understand why I do safety checks. Pokemon-assisted assault is an extremely common crime. One that I trained extensively to deal with before moving to supervisory and organizational roles." He said, wondering if it was to intimidate me into toeing the line. "I shall keep a hold of this until you leave, which will hopefully be quickly. Now come inside." He said as I walked into his home. It was startlingly clean, leading me to believe he hired a maid of some kind or had an extremely loyal wife, though I doubt anyone would marry the guy unless he was after his money.
"Funny how we keep bumping into each other, eh? Just visiting Floyd to make sure he's ok since he's been under so much stress with everything. He's not normally this grouchy, so go easy on him, ok?" Omar said as I entered the living room. Floyd sighed as he got a stool from the kitchen for me to sit on, leaving my bag in the kitchen. The living room was covered with two distinct things: Dialgan imagery, and music memorabilia of what I only assumed were some rather extreme metal bands. Yup, he's definitely not married. While I thought Dialga worshippers were a bunch of self-righteous pricks, they always put truth above all else, or so they claimed at least. Maybe there was a chance Floyd was being completely honest about all this after all.
"Well, I suppose I should tell you everything I know. This will likely seem completely crazy to you. It was to me, but when Melinda mentioned The Guardian of Forever in her note, things I thought were highly unlikely suddenly became far more plausible. Not a word to anyone about this, ok? This isn't exactly the most professional course of action for me to take." Floyd said, making himself comfortable on the large sofa. He inhaled slowly and deeply through his teeth and began to tell his tale.
"Ok, it all started when The Guardian of Forever paid me a visit about thirty years ago. I just came home from church at about one in the morning and then he came in and started hugging me, saying that I was a lost friend of his. Now, this is where things got really off the wall, so bear with me. He said that the both of us stopped time itself from collapsing, which I thought was completely ridiculous, even if I found the idea to be pretty interesting. He did come up with a degree of evidence however, since he seemed to know me quite well, including the strangest ability I one time possessed for a few months when I was twenty years old – the ability to see into the past and at any point in the world. It was all completely random, but my father managed to perfect it. We swore not to tell anyone, but for some reason, The Guardian of Forever knew." Floyd said as I found it hard to believe a single word he was saying.
"...What." I said in the most extreme of monotones. I really didn't know what to expect from this guy, but even this was too out there for me to believe. "Uh, you two...do you believe him?"
"Floyd proved to us that he did at one point have that supernatural ability." The sceptile said, who was remarkably well spoken. As curious as I was as to how he learned how to speak English well, there were more pressing matters. "We kept it a secret, so there's no way anyone else aside from the three of us, Floyd's father and Dusknoir would have known."
"It gets even stranger: He even claimed he was the reincarnation of one of my friends who died almost forty years ago." Omar said, looking like he was finding it outlandish, yet couldn't find any flaws in his logic.
"As I was saying, even then, I found it really hard to believe, but throughout my life, I at least entertained that the idea was possible. However, when I heard that Melinda disappeared and saw she left a note, I had to investigate immediately, and when I saw that she said she was taken by The Guardian of Forever, everything fell into place. I then believed that everything he told me was true, and the alternate version of myself was actually one of, if not the greatest hero of all time. This version came from about a year in the future, but in the efforts to undo the eternal night, he caused a paradox so massive that it deleted that entire timeline, leaving the one we live in right now...I'm just saying what he said." Floyd said, breaking the slightest of smiles, though whether it was because of how ridiculous it sounded or because he fancied the idea of being a legendary hero, I couldn't tell. His smile soon faded as he returned to his usual scowl.
"However...to think this 'friend' of mine could do this to all these innocent humans! How could I have ever been friends with him?! That foul bastard kidnapped eighteen people, including your sister!" He said angrily at me as I pieced together his insane ramblings within my head. Was any of this true? Was it even at all possible? Did he honestly expect me to believe such a far fetched tale?
"I'll humour you for now. It said on the note that his world needed saving. Know anything about that?" I inquired as Floyd shrugged and shook his head.
"That I do not. To think I only gave the world another thirty-five years." He said, giving a hollow, sarcastic laugh. "Maybe it's all hyperbole though. From the few days I saw him, he was kind of a weirdo. A weirdo that's causing worry across the entire world...needless to say, whatever friendship this alternate me supposedly had with him, it's gone now." He said, growling slightly as he spoke of The Guardian of Forever. At least it was something we had in common. Even though there was still something inexplicable about him that I hated, maybe Floyd was a good person. Something we didn't have in common, however, was his supernatural power he once had. Was this the thing about him that made him rub the wrong way against me?
"So, you could see into the past, future and any point in the universe, huh?! Are you exactly human?!" I said as he nodded.
"Just as human as you." He replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" I retorted, raising my voice as he put up his hand to try and calm me. The sceptile glared at me, and there'd be no way I could dash to get ahold of my sister's pokemon before I'd experience the pain that Blaziken did yesterday. I started to feel even less at ease, as if I had unwittingly wandered into a den of vicious krookodiles. I wondered if the three of them were just toying with me, having secretly planned this. Was Floyd lying about having lost his powers? Did he somehow know that I'd track him down? I half expected them to gloat about how I knew too much, and thus could never leave this place.
"That Palkian pokemon soul nonsense is true too, according to The Guardian of Forever. I was a snivy in that world, supposedly." He said as I decided to quiz him more about my sister's kidnapper. I guess we needed to know what we were up against.
"Who or what exactly is The Guardian of Forever? I'll beat the shit out of him if I ever see his face! Please, just get to the point!" I yelled, the very thought of the kidnapper making my blood start to simmer with anger. Worry was starting to get the best of me by now as Floyd stood up, looking down on me in an imposing fashion. He briefly curled his bottom lip inside his mouth slowly before speaking to me.
"You should have more respect for your host, Basil, especially one who took pity on you throughout this whole event. As I stated before, it's rather unprofessional of me to let my two friends talk me into this. I guess I was foolish enough to believe you might have known something that I don't." Floyd said, clearly wanting me to leave.
"I just thought that you might feel better speaking to someone who's also been troubled by these kidnappings." Omar said, before standing up and walking towards the living room door. "I'll go get you two some water."
"Regardless, If we do see that bastard together, I might actually join you in beating him to an inch of his life." Floyd said bitterly. "As for exactly who he is, he's a-huh?!" He said, suddenly looking a little fearful as he looked down at himself as his balance seemed to sway. He held onto the sofa, as if he was trying not to collapse as his body began to heave. Sceptile rushed quickly helped support him, constantly asking him what was wrong. I wondered if he was about to throw up all of a sudden, but looking at him his body, his very frame seemed to be fading and wavering slightly, as if otherworldly forces were at force here.
"Right, what are you doing now?! Answer me!" I said loudly as Floyd collapsed to the floor, struggling slightly, as if he fell right through Sceptile's arms. I initially feared that the strange vision abilities he told me about were flaring up again, though this looked like something completely different. Sceptile leapt back in shock, looking at his friend convulsing on the floor. Omar, who just entered the room, dropped both of the glasses in shock as he yelped in an oddly high pitched tone. Yet, as soon as it had begun, Floyd returned to normal. "...What did you just do?! Or was that The Guardian?"
"I've no idea...maybe he tried to take me for spilling too much information! I didn't think he'd go for me, given he was only after top level trainers, and before you ask, I've no idea why he's after trainers!" Floyd said, grinding his teeth as he spoke. He pushed himself to his feet and stood firmly. "If you're out there, 'friend', I'll tear you limb from limb and make you live the rest of your days on permanent life support!" He declared loudly. Well, as a Dialgan, he was forbidden to kill under any circumstances, so I guess his odd threat was consistent. However, I suddenly I felt some kind of presence on me, as if seven pairs of invisible hands suddenly grabbed my entire body from behind.
"Floyd, what's happening to me?!" I yelled out in fear as Floyd and the others tried desperately to hold my arms, trying desperately to keep a hold of me. It was like I was being dragged away somewhere without actually moving, as if my soul was being ripped from its body.
"I don't know Mr Squire!" Floyd said, his serious gruffness fading away to reveal someone a bit more empathetic. "Let him go, you can't take him!" He continued, but his hands suddenly phased through my arms as I collapsed to the floor.
"Floyd, do something please!" I said, suddenly screaming for help from the one who I once was going to beat up using my sister's pokemon. I must have made a terrible mistake looking for Floyd and losing my temper with him; perhaps this was The Guardian of Forever's revenge for assaulting someone close to him. "I'm sorry, I..." My voice faded to the point of becoming almost inaudible as I started feeling weaker by the second. I came to regret ever feeling contentious towards the man as he seemed to try everything he could to keep me in this world. Yet, I could still see him in a state of dismay and helplessness as he stared at me, his mouth agape.
"Basil, I...I don't know what to do!" He said desperately as he and the others kept trying to get a hold of me, but I was almost completely transparent as my physical form started fading and waving quicker and quicker. Everything around me faded as I felt myself being dragged further and further away, even though I was in the exact same place the entire time. I couldn't hear much either aside from Floyd yelling in shock and horror.
"How could you do this?! How many more will it take?! Why, Se..." He said before my vision and hearing blacked out completely as I felt myself being ripped completely through the world as I started to fall endlessly into an abyss that I didn't recognise. I had no idea what this place was even supposed to be, or where I was, but all I could feel was gravity pulling me down, quicker and quicker as I struggled to stay awake. All my eyes could make out was a blur of colour, whizzing by so quickly that no shape or form could be distinguished. Faster and faster, spinning, whirling, still descending.
Looking at my arms, they were starting to lose their shape completely, elongating as if they were on a medieval stretch rack. Eventually, the skin on my fingers started peeling horribly as trails of blood started being pulled from them. My arms also started losing their skin as ribbons of red shot up from above me as I saw the bone on my fingers start disintegrating. Looking all over my body, or what was left of it by this point, I could see this terrible degradation spread like a hyperactive flesh-eating virus. Screaming in horror and agony I started down into the void below, as if it was an unending spiral sea, dreading to think what could be on the other side.
I felt my entire body starting to fall to pieces, being unable to withstand all of these alien forces acting upon it from all sides. My arms barely even resembled arms any more and looking at my body, I could hardly even recognize it as my own any more. Tiny fragments were starting to be torn right off from my fragile frame by the sheer force and magnitude of being sucked through this black hole, or whatever it was. I gave one final scream of terror as I saw every nerve being torn to pieces in my body as my consciousness eventually gave way as I accepted my impending death, if I wasn't dead already. If this is where Melinda was taken, she'd stand no chance, and neither would I. If The Guardian of Forever wanted us to save his world for him, making us to the legwork for him, then he done an awful job. No, I bet he just wanted us to die.
I swear, if by some incredible miracle I survive my body being shredded down to a molecular level, then I would kill him. No, I will do what he did to me, what he did to her. I will rip his body to pieces! I may be weak, but I'd figure out a plan to make sure this happens.
Yet, if this miracle happens, then Melinda may also be alive. The last thought I had before my brain started being broken down was that I needed to find her. Somehow, somewhere...I'd do it.
Regardless of what 'the other side' represents in my current situation, I'd find her there. I promise.