Chapter 10: A Bit of Solace

"Is something on your mind, Rio?"

Zero and Co had just set foot on Route 32 with everyone excluding Shade and Rio safely in their Pokéballs when Zero noticed Rio seemed lost in thought. "(…I've just thinking about the Shinx from the day we met and Falkner's Pidgeot. You know the Pokémon I'm near before my blackouts,)" Rio admitted

"Speaking of them, what is the last thing you remember from before your black outs?" Zero asked.

"(…Well remember when you got that call last night about Atlas. You paled, and I could see yellow tendrils wrapping around you. I think I felt your fear too,)" Rio began. Zero nodded, an eyebrow raised. "(Well, with those Shinx and Pidgeot, I saw the same tendrils wrapped around them, red auras surrounding them like fire, and a dark haze around them too. And I think I felt their emotions out of control. I think they were too much for me all at once, so I get headaches and black out.)"

"Well… Honestly? I didn't notice I could feel the emotions of Pokémon around me until you pointed out feeling something off about Falkner's Pokémon. I couldn't even tell what Pidgeot was feeling though," Zero replied.

"(There's something I wanted to find out involving my blackouts, but in order to do that, I need them to keep happening,)" Rio mentioned. Zero and Shade stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the Riolu in stunned silence.

"(…Are ya really thinkin' about puttin' yaself through dat on purpose?)" Shade asked.

"I'm with Shade on this. Do you really think this is such a good idea?" Zero agreed. "I mean, those headaches are pretty bad just from the sound of it, not to mention the evolution that happens when you black out looks like it uses a lot of energy," he pointed out.

"(Well…)" Rio stopped in his tracks and turned to face Zero and Shade. "(I think I'm on the right track to figuring out who I was, or at least how I lost my memories, but I won't know for sure unless it happens at least one more time,)" he responded.

"And…? There's got to be more to it," Zero pointed out.

"(When I was out cold both times, I could hear a voice. It wanted to borrow a body for its power in return, and then I woke up. Both times, I heard it say that, but last time it warned someone that using too much of its power would make them lose themselves,)" Rio explained.

"And when you connect the dots, the voice, the black out, and that evolution, it sounds like you accepted the offer before you lost your memories, which explains why you don't evolve normally and so suddenly and why you don't remember what happens while you're evolved," Zero summed up.

"(Dat does sound very suspicious. Looks like we have a lead on your past,)"

And we have a possible lead on Shade's trainer too, Zero added mentally.

"(…So why did ya think you're on the right track again?)" Shade asked Rio, seeming to have already forgotten the Riolu's explanation. Rio and Zero simultaneously face palmed in response. Zero imagined Zephyr hanging his head inside his Pokéball.

I swear they messed up something in his head when they attached that armor plate to his forehead, Zero thought.

"(I think I see something,)" Rio warned. Zero followed his gaze and saw two small figures darting into the trees.

"After them. Find out who and what they were and why they were watching us," Zero ordered. Rio and Shade shot off after the two figures. Zero started after them as well, albeit a slower pace even with his skates. Sure, they could just be a couple of curious wild Pokémon, but I don't want to take any chances, he thought.


Rio sprinted his way toward the fleeing figures with Shade right behind him. Why do I feel this connection? Rio wondered as he slowly began picking up speed. It's not the same as with Leifa, River, or even Zephyr and Shade. They just felt oddly like I should know them. This doesn't feel like that at all. Rio had broke into a Quick Attack without noticing. I think I can finally make them out now, and they still don't seem familiar. Wait…

The figures both appeared to be Riolu, like Rio, but they didn't seem to be the same color. As he got closer, he could see that the first was a brighter blue than he was, and where Rio had black fur, this one had light blue fur. The second did in fact have black fur in the same places as Rio, but she was red instead of blue.

"Hey, stop!" Rio called after the pair of Riolu.

"Oh great, they're catching up to us," the red one complained as she looked over her shoulder. "This is all your fault, Xander!" she shouted at the blue Riolu.

"My fault? How is this my fault? I couldn't have known they would catch up to us this easily," the blue Riolu responded. "Oh well, I guess we can stop now." The pair of Riolu skid to a stop. Rio stumbled a bit before stopping.

Now that Rio had a closer look, he could see that the fur around their necks weren't cream colored like his. The blue Riolu had black fur instead while the red Riolu had white fur. The blue Riolu's eyes were blue much like the majority of his fur. The red Riolu's eyes were entirely bright blue.

"Who are you?" Rio asked.

"I'm Xander, she's my sister, Yuki, and we're Team Solace," the blue Riolu responded.

"Team Solace?" Rio questioned.

"That's right. We're a Rescue Team that helps other Pokémon who are in trouble," the red Riolu, Yuki, confirmed as Shade came to a stop.

"Did either of ya happen to escape from a lab?" Shade asked.

"No? We actually came from a land without humans," Xander responded.

"We've been watching your Riolu friend since he fought off those Shinx," Yuki mentioned.

"You were stalking me?" Riolu asked.

"More like scouting," Xander corrected. "We could use a Riolu with your abilities. If things don't work out with your trainer, you're more than welcome to join our team," he offered.

"Thanks?" Rio responded as he cocked his head. "Anyway, why do I feel a connection with Xander when he doesn't even seem familiar? I've met Pokémon I couldn't remember but still felt like I should know them somehow. Pokémon that also didn't even know me at all, but you, not only do I not recognize, you don't even seem familiar," he mentioned.

"Huh, weird. I thought the feeling that drew me to you was just my imagination," Xander responded. He put a paw to his muzzle as if he were thinking, but eventually gave a halfhearted shrug. "I've got nothing. Then again, I'm just weird," he responded. "I'd talk more, but I'm afraid your human friend should be catching up soon."

Suddenly, Yuki twirled on one foot and winked, sending hearts flying into Rio and Shade. Infatuated, they could only watch as the siblings ran off.

"Well?" The duo was snapped from their infatuation as they turned around to see Zero approaching.

"They were both Riolu like me, but they were different colors. They called themselves Team Solace and invited me to join their rescue team, but I'm not interested," Rio explained. "I thought I could learn something about myself from them, but I didn't have any luck."

"Well shoot. It'll take us a while to get back on track too," Zero commented. Then the bushes nearby rustled. A little girl tripped as she stumbled out of the bushes with bits of twigs in leaves sticking out of her unkempt pine-green hair, hitting the ground face first.

"Owwie…" she groaned. Zero and Rio stared in bewilderment while Shade wore a bemused smile.

"Well dat was random," Shade stated.

"What's a little girl doing out here?" Rio wondered aloud.

"Hey I'm not a little girl!" the aforementioned child snapped as she suddenly pushed herself back onto her knees. Rio and Shade gaped in shock. The child pouted, seeming unaware of their surprise.

"You can understand Pokémon?" Zero asked, addressing the Donphan the room.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?!" the girl responded.

"Because you're a human," Rio answered.

"What does that have to do with it?" the girl asked.

"Us humans can't usually understand Pokémon even with a lot of practice," Zero pointed out. "Anyway, where are you from?" The girl's aquamarine eyes found a sudden interest in the ground.

"I don't know where I'm from," she replied.

"Cheer up, I'll help you find where you came from," Zero told her. He studied her a bit more closely. She was dressed in a white gown.

Like her skin, which was covered in strange markings that were barely noticeable, it was tarnished with dirt and mud. It also had a few grass stains and small holes where it was torn. It covered her down to her knees, and left her shoulders bare. Her face was also covered in dirt, most likely because of her fall. Looking at the back of her left shoulder, Zero could make out something tattooed in black ink.

"…C-14?" he read aloud. Then it clicked. She must've escaped from a lab. Locking eyes with Shade, he knew that he arrived at the same conclusion.

"That's my name," the girl responded.

"Hmph. Well it's a dumb thing to call a pretty young girl like you," Zero stated. "How about I call you Cia instead?"

"I like it. It sounds pretty!" the girl responded.

"Then Cia it is," Zero decided. Still, the thought of someone performing experiments on an innocent little girl like Cia is pretty messed up. I can't let this continue, he thought. …How do I keep getting sucked into these things? he then found himself wondering. "C'mon, let's try to get to the Pokémon Center so you can get cleaned up. I think we could use a bath by the time we get there."

363 DAYS REMAINING


Short chapter is short. I wanted to make it longer and include a trip to the Ruins of Alph, but I scrapped the idea when I realized that they would logically be closed off at that point in time. So instead, after messing around with a random plot generator, I added Cia to the cast and ended the chapter there to avoid a repeat of Chapter 6. I kept it separate from Violet Blues because it didn't seem to fit as part of the chapter. Anyway, until next time, aura master signing out!