Chapter 7: Vanish and Trace

Another week came and went under the guild's roof; Fera had adjusted as much as she could to the daily tasks that a "pre-trainee" such as herself would have to do, and she had grown fond of it. Even the box-carrying and equipment-sorting that once strained her arms was time spent putting something good into the guild, which she could see when those boxes were opened for food supplies and those pieces of equipment were adorned for missions. She was even graced with another chance to patrol Treasure Town's borders just the day prior, although nothing much happened outside of stopping a pickpocket from heading out into the wilderness. In her idle time, she took walks through the town; sometimes it was alongside Vivian or Bennett to enjoy another aspect of the marketplace, and sometimes she wandered on her own, acquainting herself with the townsfolk that she mostly only passed by during her working hours. It was a slow life as a budding trainee, and, at times, her mind drifted to the elusive thought of venturing out on an exploration mission of her own— but there was always more work to be done, and the thought faded as quickly as it came. At least for today, though, the work was done, and it was time to enjoy herself.

Fera headed down the guild's entrance, Valo close behind her. After the two spent an afternoon supervising some trades in the marketplace, the girl was ready to enjoy another well-earned meal with the others. The dining room rested on the floor just above the first dormitory floor, and the entrance to it was already crowded by other explorers coming for their fill. The Riolu had to halt her excited rushing just to not crash into a horde of smaller Pokemon, before looking over to Valo with confusion.

"Everyone in the whole guild is here… don't they usually space out the dining hours more than this?"

"Hm?" Valo glanced ahead at the line that they had found themselves waiting in, then grinned. "Oh yeah! You've never been to one of these before!"

"One of what?" She tilted her head, before the line quickly dissipated and allowed them entry. The Riolu followed Valo, with the two soon taking seats at one of the long dining tables. As Fera was settling on the bench, Janette fluttered by, placing a large platter of various rich foods: berry gelatin, a slice of apple pie, and even a small assortment of chocolate, alongside some berry juice.

"On the first Friday of every month, we have a buffet night! Everyone that works with the guild floods in for an hour or two to get all they can eat. Have as many servings as you can stomach, kiddo!" The Noivern chuckled as a Shedinja hovered by, bringing with it a platter for him as well, taking a moment to stop and eat a couple of the berries on his plate

Fera nodded as she dug in, having already eaten about half of her plate. "Oooh! I shee!"

"Heh! Take it easy, you're eating like you're feeding a whole exploration team." Valo smirked, taking a drink of the juice that he had been given with his meal. Fera did no such thing, gulping down her meal with delight, then having to quickly drink some juice alongside it to get down the rest in her gullet.

"I think I get it now…" Fera coughed, calming down from her near choking. She looked around at the table once more, seeing all of the pokemon that had shown up for the buffet. There were certainly a lot more people here than usual, although it seemed like a couple were missing. "Oh, uhm… where's Vivian? I don't think I've seen her for like… a couple days, at least."

"Vivian? She's right over there." Valo pointed in a direction behind Fera, and the girl's gaze followed it. Her ears and feelers drooped when she saw what he was pointing out. A bulky Crawdaunt had approached the duo, its eyes fixed on the Riolu while it towered over her.

"Heya!" A familiar voice rang out. Vivian popped out from behind the Crawdaunt's head, apparently riding on his back. The Eevee hopped down onto the bench, waiting patiently, before a Ninjask whizzed by and left a platter for the girl within seconds.

"Oh… uhm… hey…" The Riolu glanced over to the Eevee, although she was still focusing on the Crawdaunt, who slowly moved onto the bench beside Vivian and caused it to creak. "Didn't know you were friends with a big… lobstery guy."

"He's not a 'big lobstery guy'. He's a big nice guy, and he's my friend." Vivian smiled softly to Fera, motion a paw up to the Crawdaunt. "Fera, this is Hatchet. Hatchet, Fera." The dreary name didn't inspire confidence in Fera, but the Riolu waved at the large Pokemon, who chuckled and waved back.

"Pleased to meet you. The little lady has mentioned you quite a bit since you joined the guild." Hatchet smiled brightly, although Vivian's ears dipped with some bashfulness from the remark.

"Hatcheeet…" Vivian frowned, turning her head back to get the Crawdaunt's attention. "I said not to call me that anymore. It's embarrassing." The Crawdaunt could only smirk, patting the Eevee on her head as gently as he could with his massive claw, and pressing her ears down in the process.

"I'll stop saying it when it stops being true. You're still the little lady of the guild, heh." Vivian made an annoyed whine from Hatchet's comment, as Fera giggled softly at the display.

"Wow… you're a lot gentler than you first looked, Hatchet." Fera smiled, and Hatchet gave a hearty laugh, leaning closer to the Riolu and causing her some discomfort.

"Gentler, is that it?" The Crawdaunt's laughter slowly died down, before a dreadful, soulless stare came across his face. He held up one of his claws to the young Riolu, peering at her through the gap between it. "Well… would you like to learn why they call me 'Hatchet', then?"

"I-I'm good, actually! Just the name is fine!" Fera shivered with her anxious smile stuck on her face, and Hatchet pulled back, chuckling once more.

"Smart kid. You don't need to know what you don't need to know." Hatchet removed his attention from the two kids, now starting to demolish the food before him as he snatched it in his claws and ate. Vivian let out a deep exhale from the stressful interaction, nibbling on her food before speaking up again.

"All of that aside… you could probably learn a lot from Hatchet, Fera." Vivian looked over to Fera, who soon looked back after finishing up her first plate. "He's one of the best explorers we've got at the guild. They send him on all the exploration missions and all the expeditions, and even on diplomatic missions. Even if he's not much good at that here." Vivian shot him a smug, taunting look as retaliation for his startling of Fera; Hatchet responded with a lazy smile, not at all ashamed of his actions. Fera looked the Crawdaunt over again, taking in his appearance with more wonderment now.

"So are you one of the graduates then, Hatchet?" Fera pushed away her plate, barely noticing when a Ninjask zipped by and took it away.

"Yep," Vivian stated, before turning back to her own plate. "He's one of the most senior graduates, too. I think he was one of the first people to become a trainee at the guild, right?" The Eevee looked back to the Crawdaunt, who nodded.

"That's right. And, if you don't mind me saying, I'm proud of my long history here." Hatchet paused on his meal, pointing a claw to the Riolu over Vivian's head. "I'm a hard worker and a lawman. If you see a criminal, kid, I can bring them in with minimal broken bones." The comment was met with a scoff from Valo, who choked down the food in his mouth to butt in with a response.

"You can talk big, but you're not the only guy with skill at this table." Valo grunted, fiddling with some of the meal in front of him while eying up Hatchet. "I'm building a reputation for myself, too."

"Oh, come off it. You graduated, what, a few months ago? Yesterday? You're still a greenhorn, son. Take some time to mature and then maybe I'll let you tag along for an expedition." Hatchet grinned at the other graduate; he had found someone to entertain him with a verbal fight over dinner.

"Yeah, yeah. You can just worry about yourself, and about not eating my dust once the guildmaster gets me on one of the expeditions." Valo gave a frustrated stare to the Crawdaunt, who was ready to goad more insecurity out of the Noivern. Fera glanced back and forth between them, pausing from demolishing her second platter.

"Man… I've been here for weeks and I still haven't done anything 'big'. Guild stuff progresses really slowly…" She huffed out, fiddling with some pie between her paws. "I haven't even gotten to punch a shoplifter."

"Hey, don't worry about it too much, Fera. In due time..." Vivian paused and thought about what she was about to say. "Okay, well, no, don't punch shoplifters. But it just takes time and a lot of effort to move up in the guild." The Eevee leaned onto the table to relax. "Bennett's been here for a few years now, and he's still a trainee. It's not that he's a bad explorer or a bad person, it's just not easy to do these really big things."

"Yeah… I guess you're right. Still not that fun, though." The Riolu sighed, but pushed through the dour thoughts. They weren't worth ruining her buffet for, anyway. As she let her eyes wander, she scanned over the vast swarm of explorers in the room, all filling it with their own chatter amidst the feverish eating. She sat up, as something snagged her attention. "Wait… where is Bennett? I haven't seen him since breakfast."

Vivian flicked her tail and gave a glance around the room as well; indeed, the Bidoof was nowhere to be seen. It was odd for him to have not already followed one of them into the dining hall, or to not otherwise have joined them at the table shortly after. "I don't see him. Is he still working?" The Eevee frowned, as the Noivern stopped in his bickering to chime in.

"That'd be weird, since I think this is his day off." Valo stretched his back out and looked around, his natural height giving him something of a vantage point, but still not spotting the Bidoof. "Maybe he's on overtime work? The guy's had to do that before…"

"Hmm… he didn't mention it. But I don't know what'd be keeping him from all this." The Riolu spread her paws out to gesture at the packed buffet, before twisting herself around and hopping off the bench. "I'll go look around, he might just be sleeping."

"Alright. Don't be long, the food runs out fast!" Vivian went back to eating her share, albeit at a less ravenous pace than the Riolu was doing prior.

"I'll be back in five! And don't let Tai near my food, he's on probation right now!" Fera waved before dashing out of the dining hall. Tai, who had been skulking nearby, grunted and turned away to resume waiting the tables.

After consulting with Cromwell during her dash through the halls, Fera had been (shrilly) informed that Bennett indeed wasn't on any guild duty at the moment, and thus the girl had proceeded to check Bennett's bed. A quick trip down the stairs had brought the Riolu back to her bedroom's entrance, the girl letting herself in to search for the missing Bidoof. She hurried into the room, calling out as she did so. "Hey, Bennett! Buffet time, let's go!" She studied the room, soon realizing that the Bidoof wasn't resting in his bed either. The only other option seemed to be that he was spending his time elsewhere in Treasure Town, although given the tantalizing idea of the buffet and the jovial time spent chatting at the dining table, Fera couldn't imagine what would have taken precedence over it. However, as she turned to leave the room, she spotted something on the Bidoof's bed that gave clarity on what that other activity might have been.

Fera walked over the bed, leaning over it to observe the quaint object closer. Laying on the middle of the bed was a large and well-kept book. Although reading hadn't quite allured the girl, the tome's fancy exterior had caught her eye. It bore metal gildings on the edges and had the aroma of an ancient text; the cover consisted of an odd altar-esque structure, hosting a star with an eye above it. At the top was the title and author's name: "STARFALL: The History of Wish Cave - Compiled by Garrison Evios".

"Was Bennett reading this…?" Fera inspected the book a moment longer. Bennett wasn't much of a reader either, although the title sounded familiar in some way. Her paw rested on the book to grip it, before the familiarity struck her harder.

Her eyes widened in reflex, and a searing awareness crept across her mind. She had felt this before. Was it when Bennett fell? It was then, but it was more than that. It had only grazed her consciousness then. The feeling echoed out from the recesses of her mind, it was from before. It was from before… what? What was before she woke up on the beach? It bore no memory but itself, the rush of endless sight. She gripped the book's exterior tighter as she tried to endure the sudden feeling of awakening, as she tried to probe it for even an ounce of recollection. All at once, the feeling settled into her mind— it was natural to her now, and she could not remember a time when she was not experiencing it. She was still. Her eyes shone and pulsated, as they fixated endlessly on the book.

"Alrighty. That should be everythin'." Fera reeled back at the sound of the voice. The interruption came from behind her— from Bennett. He rested on the floor in the middle of the bedroom, staring down at a book spread open before him.

"Bennett!" Fera reflexively smiled at the sight of him, staring him down with her burning eyes as she held the book close to her chest. The joyous feeling faded as she tried to continue. "Where did…" She took a step toward the Bidoof. As she did so, his image flickered and faltered, as though he was smoke in the wind. Fera froze at the sight of it, and the phantasmal Bidoof closed the book he was reading. The cover, the bindings, even the scent was the same as the book resting in her arms.

"Gosh… my nerves are shot! But I gotta do this." The Bidoof clutched the book and tossed it towards the bed, right at Fera. She flinched, and held up the book to defend herself. Instead of a collision, there was a moment of confusion, as the thrown book passed through Fera's torso. She wheeled her head around, and saw the second book resting where she had found the first. Slowly, her mind came to accept that the two books were one and the same.

It's… happening again. Fera tried to breathe, but she could not tell if she was achieving it. The vision of the past was overwhelming her. The Bidoof trotted along his set path, lifting up his explorer's bag once he reached its resting spot near the entrance. Bennett already left…! She forced herself into motion, still clutching the book as she came up behind the vision of Bennett. He had paused to dig into his bag, and from it, he brought out his map of the area. Fera looked over his shoulder to observe; Treasure Town was clearly marked with its position on the coast, and, to the south, Bennett had drawn on a mark of another location with a star. As soon as it had been revealed, the map was stuffed away into the bag again, and Bennett took a deep breath.

"No turnin' back… I'm gonna make it through Wish Cave!" As soon as the resolution made it past Bennett's lips, the phantom Bidoof vanished. In an instant, Fera felt her body revert. The blistering, burning awareness was quelled in her mind, and the glow of knowledge dissipated in her eyes. The distant memory of before had once again receded, as Fera panted fearfully from the strain of it. She felt relieved, but she mourned the loss of some great epiphany lurking within herself. It would not return, no matter what manner in which she prodded her mind to experience it for a moment longer.

"What was…" She tightly closed her eyes, accepting and moving past the shock of the phenomenon. Whatever was making her experience this, it wasn't as crucial as what it was showing her. Fera took a pause to parse what she had seen, and then started to move. "Bennett… ran off to that Wish Cave place!" Her body jerked forward, starting at a slow jog and moving into a sprint as she ascended the central staircase, her explorer bag swaying behind her. Those that saw her were left baffled by the wild movement of the panicked Riolu, although her expression was calm and focused. As she ran, she dug through the bag slung around her shoulder and pulled out a map, managing to not crash or trip in the process of doing so.

"Bennett went… u-uhm, he went…" Fera desperately grasped at the memory of the vision, and recalled the spot marked on the map. Out through the eastern exit of Treasure Town, heading southeast on the trail, and finally west before the rocky plains. She managed to burn the coordinates into her mind, and soon found herself passing through the guild's top floor exit moments after.

"Fera!" A familiar voice caused the Riolu to halt her dashing, wheeling around to look toward the source of Vivian's call. The Eevee soon came out of the entrance, having spotted the other girl during her flight across the guild's lower floors. She soon came to a stop once she reached Fera, panting tiredly from the sudden exertion. Fera clenched her fists as she interrupted the girl's exhaustion.

"Oh, good, you're here! I wanted to talk to you before I left!" Fera gave a brief smile of relief, waiting impatiently for Vivian to regain her breath now.

"Why… are you leaving? What happened, did you find Bennett?" Vivian sucked in wind and recovered most of her composure, looking up to Fera and waiting for the girl's explanation. Fera, only now processing that she would need an explanation, forced herself to think through the previous events.

"It's— agh, it's hard to explain… I just…" Fera frowned heavily. What was there even to tell? She couldn't make that feeling real to Vivian, no matter how much her mind told her that it was what mattered. She could only grasp at the details. "I went into my room to see where he was, and I found this book, and…" Fera looked meekly at her paw, realizing that she was still clutching the book that had originated the confusion, and held it out to Vivian. "It made… something happen!" Her words failed to impart any wisdom, evident in the Eevee's still bewildered expression, and Fera went on. "When I touched it, I saw Bennett… but it wasn't Bennett now, it was a vision of Bennett before. He left the guild already, and he's going to Wish Cave!"

"That's…" Vivian's ears drooped gradually. She had assumed Fera had pressing information to give, but the rich buffet food was already getting to the Riolu's head, apparently. Still, she tried to give her friend the benefit of the doubt. "That doesn't make sense. You 'saw Bennett' from touching the book? ...are you seeing him right now?" Vivian stepped closer, patting Fera on the leg in concern of whatever her disoriented state was. Fera caught on to the pity, and stepped away from the girl abruptly.

"I had a vision. I had one before, when Bennett fell— when he almost fell from the tree. And now I saw him after a thing already happened. And I don't know what it is, but it's…" There was nothing for her to add on to the statement. Stating what she felt would've been difficult as is, and even an explanation of the sensation wouldn't mean anything. She pressed on. "I'm seeing things from other times… I think. And seeing it let me know where Bennett went, so I'm going after him." Vivian's worry didn't fade, as she attempted to deal with what was seemingly a more serious situation than she first thought.

"It sounds like you're being overworked, Fera. My dad has always been harsh on new recruits… and I think he's being even more harsh on you. You shouldn't strain yourself." The Eevee sighed. "And Bennett… I know he wouldn't just go running off and out of town. The Wish Cave thing got settled already, and he respects what my dad says too much to disobey that. He's probably just out in the marketplace, or, like… asleep somewhere. It's happened before." Vivian gestured a paw back to the guild's descending staircase. "Can we go back inside? You can go eat or you can go rest, and I'll go tell my dad about this." Fera glanced at the indoor stairs, then turned away from it.

"I… can't do that." Fera held the book against her chest, her paws rubbing on the coarse exterior, begging for some sign that what she had felt was real, that it could happen again. Vivian now groaned, stepping closer once more.

"Feraaa… you didn't 'have a vision', you just—" The Riolu spun around, more angered now.

"It's okay if I didn't have a vision!" Fera hissed out her words, startling the smaller girl. "It's okay if Bennett's okay! It's okay if this is just… some dumb delusion. I don't care about that." The Riolu's rage faded as quickly as it came, although a somber look stayed on her face. "But I don't know that I didn't have a vision. I don't know that Bennett's okay. And even if it's all nonsense, he still had the book on his bed. He's still thinking about that cave, and now he's not around on the one night he should be. So don't stop me from going to check."

Vivian tried to think of her rebuttal, but her shock and the girl's pleas left her with nothing. Fera turned away from her, sliding the tome into her bag and hiking her bag up on her shoulder. From where she stood outside the guild's entryway, the near-twilight glow cast her shadow across the rocky terrain. Vivian glanced down at the silhouette of an explorer.

"I wasn't gonna ask you to believe me about the vision. I was gonna ask you to tell your dad that I was going. If Bennett's stuck somewhere and I get stuck with him, someone should know about it to help us. That's all." Fera sighed deeply, trying to shake off the frustration. She hadn't meant to express it, especially not against her friend, but it was too much for her frazzled mind to keep to itself. "The place on Bennett's map wasn't that far from here… 30 minutes if I run. So when I'm back in 60 minutes, you can be right about it then. But until then…"

The Riolu marched forward.

"I have to go make sure. Seeya."

Vivian stared down at the ground, as the figure of the Riolu carried on towards the stairs that led up to the guild. It was rash, it was confusing, it was impossible. Even the Pokemon that could see the past and the future, the few that existed, were so limited in their capabilities that what they saw could only be described as glimpses of what might have occurred. It was impossible that some stray Riolu was one of them. But, ignoring the delusion, Vivian could not get herself past the truth of Fera's conviction. That girl, whose only knowledge of the world around her consisted of a small trader's town and the forestry around it, had already accepted throwing herself into some unknown destination for Bennett's sake. There was no fear in her words, while fear coursed through Vivian's mind. Fear of how her father would react, and fear of what could happen to her in the wild. In her heart, she wanted to race after Fera and join the hunt, but…

But what? Whatever it was, it was fading from the Eevee's mind. The resolve in the Riolu's eyes, in her anger, was what stayed. Vivian understood now, it wasn't anger towards her. It was retaliation against the idea that they should sit and let this situation happen to them. That retaliation burgeoned inside Vivian— that universal belief in controlling one's own life— and the fear of what could happen dissipated. She took a step forward, then another, and then another. Wish Cave wasn't that far. Fera wasn't that far.

"Fera…!" Vivian made a frustrated cry, causing the Riolu to halt. Fera looked back at her, stoic but worried for what the girl was going to say. "Fera, I'm… I'm coming with you!" The Riolu's feelers flicked up from the surprising remark.

"Huh? But I thought you said…"

"Forget about what I said!" The Eevee shut her eyes tightly as she forced out the words, stamping her paws on the platform outside the guild's doorway. "I still don't think he's actually at Wish Cave… and even if he is, I know he's not lost or hurt or something. He's a capable explorer. But…" Vivian opened her eyes to stare at the ground again. Her gaze fixed itself on the shadow once more. "Bennett's been there for me a lot, ever since he joined the guild. And if he thought there was even a chance I was hurt, he'd come running to help me. I have to do the same for him." Fera's tail started to wag at the girl's new understanding of the situation. Vivian looked up to Fera after watching the wagging shadow, now smiling in confidence. "And you were right. There's no reason not to go make sure." Fera's joy shone off of her face, even in the growing darkness.

"Vivian… thank you. We'll get in and out. And when we get home, we can both get yelled at together about being wrong." Fera clenched her fists proudly. Vivian could only let out an anxious giggle from Fera's remark, but she accepted it in her heart.

"I'll be looking forward to that. But like you said, that's later." The two nodded to each other, and Vivian took her chance to show Fera her conviction, starting to run off toward the town's exit. Fera followed in hot pursuit.

"Now, let's go!"

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I wanted to thank all of you for reading again. The next chapter will be out on 2/12/2021 as long as things go according to plan.

DM me on Discord at Roser#6562 if you would like to join the Clockwork Journeys discord.