"I can't believe you right now," Fergus yelled, standing up and stomping over to him. "Ya just admitted to lyin and now yer telling us ya don't know? AGAIN?"
Before the otter could get close, Fergus was lifted into the air by unseen energies. The angry pokemon thrashed and cursed as he was left suspended in the air. Rowan was dumbfounded by the phenomena in front of him despite knowing full well what the source was. Vrid smirked at Rowan's reaction.
"Rowan, are you telling us that you were unaware of this?" Vrid asked. He could feel doubt coming across his telepathic connection with the psychic type.
"No! I had no idea!" Rowan replied, almost yelling. Rowan felt his ears droop as they reacted to him. "Wait, you don't think I did it do you? I-"
Rowan felt his mouth clamp shut and his limbs lock into place. Vrid raised his hand.
"Do not worry, We don't believe that you are any sort of criminal. The human succumbed to the blizzard. We mean to ask if you had any relation to him," Vrid explained before freeing him from his psionic grip.
"Relax, this is not a trial."
"Rowan, if you know anything at all, please tell us." Chloe pleaded.
"How much longer am I going to be up here ya boggin bastard?" Fergus spat, his tiny feet dangling just above the ground. "I'm not yer plaything to keep manhandling with yer mind y'know."
Rowan fought back the urge to laugh at the tiny but angry otter. A scene like this came often on TV back at home, never did he expect to witness it play out before him now. As awkward as they were, Fergus and Chloe held a certain charm to them, but he knew that in order to move forward, he needed to face the past. Literally.
Vrid plopped the irate pokemon back onto his cushion.
"Okay, but first I have a request," Rowan said. "Then I'll tell you everything I know."
Chloe beamed, excited by his willingness to cooperate while Vrid nodded. Fergus on the other hand was much less accepting with his proposal.
"Oi, we've already given ya food, shelter, medicine and the like. The way I see it, you owe us!" The otter spat from his seat.
"I know, and I'll make amends for that as well. This is important to me," Rowan replied. The other two were on board as far as he could tell. He didn't need Fergus's approval, but he wanted it regardless. The thought of being looked at like some sort of mooch was bugging him. The otter harrumphed and crossed his arms before finally nodding.
"What is it that you require?" Vrid asked.
"I want to see the body." Rowan replied.
"That can easily be arranged." Motioning with his hands, he gestured for everyone to get closer. "I can teleport us to Team Cosmic's headquarters. The corpse is still frozen for preservation."
"I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore…" Rowan said under his breath as he stepped forward. Chloe seemed hesitant, but gave in regardless and stood opposite of him. Fergus walked to the center of them, too close for their comfort, and looked at Vrid expectantly.
"Well then? Let's go!"
In the time it took for him to blink, Rowan briefly tasted copper before it vanished and he found himself alongside the others in a cave. Looking around he saw lights hanging from posts every so often.
"I thought we were going to your base?" Rowan asked as Vrid began floating down the tunnel.
"Indeed. This is the entrance to our laboratory," Vrid replied. "You didn't think I kept the corpse inside my home did you? That would be absurd."
Chloe followed closely behind Vrid. The two shared glances as the group traveled deeper into the cave. The only one willing to speak was Fergus now. The Buizel muttered obscenities about the dark and about feeling claustrophobic. Rowan followed along behind them, his mind racing as he thought about who it could possibly be.
The only person he witnessed actually dying was the flight attendant. Memories of her corpse being riddled with buckshot brought bile into his throat. Despite his efforts he wasn't able to hold it in. Dashing to the cave's side, he vomited as his body purged itself.
"Rowan!" Chloe cried as she dashed to his side. "What's wrong?"
"Your mind is in turmoil," Vrid observed. Rowan wanted to rebuke him for invading his mind again but he couldn't bring himself to. "You've seen death recently."
"Yes." Rowan breathed as he licked his lips. Lacking the muscles he once had as a human, he wasn't able to spit. The unsavory taste of bile lingered on his tongue.
"We should go home, we can do this tomorrow," Chloe offered.
"No!" Rowan yelled, his voice echoing across the stone walls. Not even Fergus spoke up at his small outburst.
"Please, I need this," he begged as he pushed past Chloe. Vrid teleported his vomit elsewhere and quickly overtook him, leading the way. Vrid eyed him worriedly, but didn't push the issue. For a change, Rowan felt glad a psychic type was reading his mind. Only Vrid truly understood the maelstrom of emotions that whirled within his mind.
"I appreciate the sentiment, truly, I do. I would never dig within the memories of another without their consent. Such an endeavor would prove unpleasant...for both parties," Vrid said to him with a smirk.
After his incident, Chloe all but joined him at the hip. Regardless of how fast or slow he kept pace with everyone, she would match her with his. Rowan frowned in confusion, unable to figure out why. The cave echoed with their footsteps until they made it into a large open area.
Various psychic types floated or walked throughout the room, some carrying equipment with their minds while others observed a large block of ice in the center. Most of them sported similar bandanna's somewhere on their bodies, a star being swallowed by a black hole. The closer Rowan got, the clearer the form embedded within the ice became.
Vrid shooed away a pair of Kirla as they approached. The two seemed keenly interested in Rowan. A frown sprouted on him as he realized his mind must be an open book to everyone here, much to his displeasure.
"Clear the room!" Vrid boomed as he waved his arm to the door. Obeying his command, one by one, the psychic types stopped what they were doing and began teleporting away. Rowan blinked several times as he struggled to comprehend how their ability worked. Vrid gestured to the frozen block in the room.
Fergus seemed bored, the otter sat on the ground to rest and wait as Chloe watched him with concern. Rowan shrugged it off as her being strangely overprotective and walked to the ice.
The closer he got, the clearer the form embedded inside it became. It didn't take long before he realized who it was.
"No fucking way..." Rowan breathed. Vrid and Chloe drew closer, eager to learn more.
"That's…" Rowan turned to them in disbelief. "That's... my body!"
His vision swam before his eyes as he struggled to process everything. The proof before him was proof enough. This was another world and he was now a pokemon. He should have died in the plane crash, but ended up dying here instead.
Even Fergus seemed concerned. In his thick accent, Rowan could tell he was talking, but he couldn't make out the words. The only thing he could see was his own face entombed in ice. The skin of his human body was tinged blue by the cold while his hands were black with frostbite.
Overwhelmed by what he was seeing, Rowan collapsed to the floor. It wasn't until the floor fell beneath him and his corpse becoming harder to make out did he start to come to his senses. Vrid had lifted him up and was hurrying him out of the room. Chloe shoved her face in front of his own, yelling at him.
The Glaceon whirled around and began chewing out Fergus.
"Dammit, I told you this was a bad idea! You knew he wasn't ready yet!" Chloe yelled furiously.
"Didn't ya hear him, lass? The bastard said that was his body!" Fergus argued. "That freak either has something wrong with his head or he's feeding us another bag of lies!"
"SILENCE!" Vrid boomed within everyone's minds as he lowered Rowan back to the ground and onto his feet. Chloe ran to his side, allowing him to lean against her.
"Am I the only voice of reason here or somethin?" Fergus scowled.
"Are you okay?" She asked. "What happened in there?"
Rowan shook his head, ridding himself of the lingering effects of what he had just experienced. It wasn't every day someone got to see their literal corpse in front of them, after all.
"I'm fine," He said, his voice quivering. "Can we go back? Please? I have a lot to tell you."
"Of course," Vrid replied sympathetically. "Are you sure you're well enough to?"
"Yes," Rowan answered, taking a deep breath. "You said you don't go through people's memories without permission right? That means you're capable of seeing everything I show you right?
"That is correct," Vrid nodded. "Are you sure that's what you wish?"
"Yeah, I think that's the only real way that what I tell you can be proven. I'll give you all full access." Rowan promised. "Can you share what you see with them?"
Vrid nodded in approval at his suggestion. Things would go much more smoothly if he and the other two were able to see the truth. This way no one could doubt him and maybe, just maybe, he could gain their trust.