Chapter 26: Escaping Danger
AN: Hey everyone! Last one before the year ends. I still can't believe the decade ends tonight. It feels so weird to look back on everything and it doesn't feel that long ago. Man, times flies. Anyway, here is my last chapter for 2019. I'll be sure to keep going in 2020. See you next year!
***I don't own anything in this story, so please don't sue me.***
Virginia returned to the conservation area and smiled. With Ghost tagging with her, she placed a hand on what would be the top of his head, but as he was a ghost Pokémon, her hand wasn't touching anything.
"Now you stay here and don't cause any trouble, ok?" Virginia said before Gastly licked her face and flew around her happily. Ghost was really trying to make her feel better and, in truth, it was working. He flew away and Samantha looked around for a moment.
'I have a few minutes to myself. Might as well have a look around and catch up with some old friends.' Virginia thought as she walked around. She came across two fierce looking Mightyena. Instead of growling, they ran up to her and began barking happily.
"Hi Lucy! Hi Max!" She hugged the two of them and rubbed their backs and stomachs. "How are you two doing? Oh you've gotten so big!" She gushed at the two of them. One began nipping at her arm and pulling her clothes like she wanted Virginia to come with her.
"What're you doing, Lucy?" She questioned and eventually stood up. "Where are we going?" Lucy let go and she ran off in a direction. Max followed her and Lucy continued barking at the young princess. Virginia walked towards them until they reached a small passage in a cave. It was well lit and inside were a dozen little pups.
"You gave birth?!" Virginia squealed with excitement as she felt to her knees. Lucy grabbed one and handed Virginia all twelve pups. They crawled all over her and barked and tugged on her clothes. They were incredibly adorable and Virginia nuzzled each and every one of them.
"Lucy, they're so cute!" Virginia gushed. "Oh goodness, they're so precious." She kissed each forehead of the pups and played with them for a few minutes. She was in bliss with one dozen mightyena pups yipping and barking and sniffing all over her. After a couple minutes of playing with the little hyenas, she put them back where they were. "Lucy…" She kissed Lucy's head and was greeted with a lick to her cheek. "And Max…" She kissed his head and was greeted with another lick. "I miss you guys. Look, I need to get back to my mother, but I'm so happy I saw you. You'll make great parents. Yes you will. Yes you will!" She rubbed their mane once more before saying goodbye. She already missed playing with the little pups and wanted to go back, but she knew she had a new responsibility. As she walked back another small animal crossed her path. It was a tiny little fennekin. They barked and growled at the princess like she was protecting the whole conservation area.
"Princess!" Virginia knelt down and the fennekin charged at her. Virginia started petting the little fox's head and she became docile. She laid down and rolled onto her stomach. Virginia complied and rubbed the little fox's stomach.
"I've missed you, sweetie. What have you been up to?" She stood up and Princess nuzzled against her arms while she walked. "You want to meet my mother?"
"Fen!" She replied with a cheerful tone and Virginia walked towards her mother. Zelda was still next to Yuki and the Gardevoir was still holding Zelda's hand, but next to her was Serena's Braixen.
"Serena, I must applaud your Pokémon's behavior. Your Braixen is so very well behaved."
"Thank you, your highness."
"Serena, please. Just call me Zelda." The queen cheerfully smiled. "And her fur…I'm a bit envious. She's beautiful."
"Thank you. Did you hear that, Baixen?"
"Brai Brai!" She held up her stick in triumph while the two women laughed. Even Yuki showed a little smile that she was included. Serena looked up and waved at Virginia.
"Well, geez…" She sarcastically responded. "If you took any longer, I'd probably have taken Genny myself."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't." Virginia smiled. "By the way, look who I found on the way here." Virginia approached the two women and Zelda started acting giddy with excitement.
"She's so small!" She cried out with a huge smile on her face.
"Mother, this is Princess. She's an itty bitty fennekin. She was the runt of her family and she was abandoned when she was little. I saved her a few months ago, and…she's my little princess." Zelda slowly moved her hand forward, but Princess growled at the queen and she quickly pulled her hand back.
"Princess, you're being naughty." Virginia quietly scolded the little fox. Her ears fell low and she bowed her head. "You'll always be my little Princess, though." She popped back up with pep and wagged her tail. "Where is Genny?"
"You'll want to see this." Serena smirked and motioned for her to follow her. She followed her girlfriend and when she finally saw Genny, to her surprise, all the eeveeloutions had taken kindly to the young laguz girl. In fact, Genny was peacefully sleeping with an arm around the flareon's body and the vaporeon behind her. It was like a mosh pit of the different kinds of eevee's.
"She looks so peaceful." Virginia whispered.
"Let's let her sleep for a while longer. We can figure out where we're going before we wake her up." Serena whispered back as the two quietly walked away from the child and returned to Zelda.
"Virginia, if I may…you mentioned something about a…Fishy? I believe that was its name? May I meet this Fishy?" Virginia's color in her face drained away.
"I…um…w-well, m-mother. Th-The thing is…"
"Come on." Serena insisted. "Fishy's not that scary."
"To us. Fishy is not scary. To. Us."
"He's not going to hurt your mom."
"He might give her a heart attack." Virginia mumbled.
"Pretty please?" Zelda blinked a few extra times. "I'd love to meet him. I promise not to get too close or anything. Honest!" Virginia thought for a few moments before sighing.
"Alright, fine. But for the record, I'm not sure this is a good idea." The three women, along with their Pokémon, walked towards the lake part of the conservation area.
"Fishy…Fishy…come on out…" Virginia said in a calming tone. Suddenly, out of the water burst a massive, ferocious looking Gyarados. Yuki cowered behind Zelda and Zelda tried hiding behind Virginia. Virginia didn't seem fazed by the giant dragon the rose from the waters and began roaring loud.
"Fishy, that's not nice!" She spoke with a stern tone. Surprisingly, Gyarados looked upset with himself before lowering his head. She stepped forward and rubbed his face. "How are you doing, Fishy? I've missed you so much."
"Th-Tha…That's Fishy? That thing is-" Fishy growled at the queen and Zelda quickly closed her mouth.
"Fishy…" Virginia spoke with a serious tone. He calmed down and Serena stepped forward and began rubbing his head to soothe his anger. "Fishy was a magikarp a long time ago. But his owner…they wanted something more…intimidating. So that…jerk face decided to have the other Pokémon beat him up to show how weak it was. I saw that guy beating him up and K-9 scared him away. I took in Fishy and raised him like he was my Pokémon. He grew up so big and strong. He's my handsome Fishy. Yes you are. Yes you are." Virginia kissed his cheek and it looked like he was smiling. He gently splashed the entire group and while it missed Zelda and Yuki, Serena and Virginia were completely soaked.
"Fishy!" Virginia exclaimed before the two girls started giggling. "You're so silly."
"I…I'm…amazed, Virginia. You've grown to be quite the Pokémon hero."
"It's nothing, really. I just like helping them." Virginia felt her cheeks blush lightly before she wiped her face of the water; secretly proud that her mother has praised her work. "Now, mother. I'd like to go somewhere and discuss our options in regards to Genny."
"Very well." Zelda bowed her head. "Come along, Miss Yuki." Yuki happily followed her newest friend.
"Mother, I'm incredibly happy to see that Yuki has taken a liking to you."
"She's such a wonderful friend. I cannot wait to bring her home. Your mother and your siblings will want to meet her and I'm sure they will fall for her just as I have." Zelda smiled while holding Yuki's hand.
"Perhaps we can wait to introduce them to the family. Yuki…she's not very fond of crowds bigger than two."
"She doesn't seem upset when you and Serena are around."
"That's because she knows us. She also knows Lillie, Francine, Lusamine, and Professor Kakui." Virginia added. They made their way to a small table with an umbrella over it. The seats overlooked most of the conservation area and it was quite a view to take in.
"Wow…" Zelda gasped in awe.
"Um…Serena…do-do you have-"
"I have it." She dug out an already mixed up Rubik's cube. Virginia took it in her hands and began turning the sides.
"So I know how Sam met Genny. But, now that I know about Sheik, can you give me anything you might've noticed about Genny?" Zelda sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I didn't really observe Genny. I was merely checking on Samantha. I haven't been able to gather any information. Samantha was heading to Tellius. I made some calls and spoke with Krystal."
"Krystal? But…bust she's dead." Virginia uttered without taking her eyes off of the Rubik's cube.
"She is very much alive, I assure you." Zelda informed her daughter. "Her instincts tell her that Genny is an adopted child. Krystal spoke with Tibarn…she wasn't able to get answers and…well, you know Sam."
"She doesn't like answers word of mouth."
"Correct." Zelda smiled. "I am sorry, Virginia. I do not have much information on the young girl. I will try my best to find out anything I can on her, but…" Zelda shook her head in disappointment.
"So, what I have to go on is Genny is from Tellius, she's adopted, she met Sam in Corneria, and the random red doors lead to places thousands, maybe millions of miles away." Virginia casually tossed the Rubik's cube on the table; now completely solved. "I…I don't…" She was upset that she didn't have any answers. The quiet princess, the one who solves problems with her mind instead of her fists, had no answers and no leads. "I need to clear my head."
"Virginia, wait!" Serena called out and the princess stopped. "Grab K-9 and a few friends. I…I have this feeling that, maybe you'll need them."
"…you're right. Sorry." She kissed Serena's cheek and walked towards the opposite direction. She found K-9 playfully chasing a flock of Flaaffy. She gave a loud whistle and her most loyal ally ran up to her.
"Hey, boy. We've…we're going to go." She pulled out his Poké ball. He nuzzled her one more time before returning into his ball. She then walked back towards the eeveeloutions and Genny. As she approached, the three Virginia named Zap, Torch, and Aqua raised their head and quietly walked over to her. Espion, umbrion, and glacion filled the spots that the trio left around Genny.
"Hey guys." She whispered and gently ran her hand through their fur. "I need to go, but I'd like you to come with me. Pretty please?" She begged. The three nuzzled against Virginia's leg. She started walking away and the three happily followed her. She walked towards a different part of the conservation area and acquired three more Poké balls. The three of them returned to their balls and she then started walking out the door. Before she reached it, she returned to the book that Samantha had and took the photo inside.
'Sam…' She thought as she exited the Aether Foundation. She had no answers and the only lead she had to go on was in Tellius. Without any answers, she needed to clear her head before making any rash decisions. She boarded the helicopter and flew back to the mainland. The helicopter landed a distance away from the professor's house and Virginia quickly exited and thanked the pilot.
"Hey." A calm deep voice spoke out from behind her. Virginia turned around to see a young man close to her age. He had golden blone hair, black ripped pants, and a black and red sweatshirt. His Pokémon was a menacing looking wolf with dark red eyes.
"Gladion! H-Hi…" Virginia quietly spoke before kneeling down and the tough-looking wolf approached her. "Hi Lycanroc. How are you feeling?" He barked happily and she smiled at him.
"What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" He questioned before she stood up.
"Yes…" She continued smiling, but after a few moments, her eyes started watering and she covered her face. "No! Everything is not alright!"
"What's going on?" He took a step towards her. Virginia continued crying and regained her composure after a few minutes.
"W-Well…" Virginia sniffled and took a deep breath. "Sam was killed by some bad guy and then I got a call from Faba and he told me that I needed to come here right away. So I packed in the middle of the night and then this bad guy said he wanted the triforce and I was like I don't have the triforce and he was like yes you do and then we were saved by a ninja who turned out to be my mother and we came here and I got scared and now I'm in charge of this girl and I don't know where she's from or what to do and I miss Sam and I want to go home!" She continued bawling once more and Gladion just stared at her with confusion.
"…um…what?" He managed to ask after a while. "Virginia, do you think…maybe we could grab a bite and…you could slow down…or something." He suggested. He took Virginia's hand while she was still crying and walked towards the town. "Hey, Virginia. Look, I…I guess things are pretty emotional right now. But…do you think you could stop crying?" Virginia rubbed her eyes and nodded; her eyes still red from crying, but she sniffled and nodded her head. The two walked to a café and ordered a couple drinks.
"Now…star from the beginning. And slow it down." She took another deep breath, but instead of rambling, she went into one sentence at a time.
"Sam is dead."
"Sam's your sister, right?" Virginia nodded once more. "Alright, that's not good."
"I…I arrived here a few hours ago with Serena."
"Where's Serena?"
"Sh-She's…She's with my mother and Genny."
"You…You have a child?" He took a sip from his drink and her face immediately turned bright red.
"N-No! No I don't!" She blurted out before turning and seeing everyone staring at her. "…sorry." She sank in her seat and tried to hide her face.
"Don't worry about them." Gadion reassured her. "Who is this…Genny?"
"She's a la-laguz child. My…My sister was taking her to Tellius and…and then…"
"Don't say it." Gladion cut her off. "So, what's the plan?" Virginia wiped her nose with a napkin and thought for a moment.
"…I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I mean, yes. I should bring her home, but…Tellius is a large country. And mother has told me that Aunt Krystal has told her that she may be adopted. So I'm trying to take that into consideration as well. If that's true, she may not even be from Tellius at all. Maybe her parents are from Ylisstol or Hoshido or maybe some smaller town or a bigger city. I don't have a plan."
"Well, if you need anything…I'm here for you." She looked up and through her red eyes and sniveling nose, she smiled at the young man who was helping her.
"Th-Thank you, Gladion. I…I think I need to clear my head though." She stood up and she knelt down in front of the Lycanroc.
"Keep Gladion safe, ok?" She hugged the wolf. Gladion stood up and she hugged him as well.
"Virginia, I'll try to pull any information I can on Genny. I'm heading to the Aether Foundation to grab whatever I can and speak to mom and try to gather what I can. You still have my number, right?"
"Y-Yes of course…I never deleted it."
"Alright. Keep your phone close, I'll dig up what I can." He began to walk away and Virginia turned to him.
"Gladion!" She called out, but he didn't turn around. "Y-You're always so nice to me…why? Why me?"
"Why not?" Gladion shrugged his shoulders and continued walking away. Virginia was left alone and she quickly finished her drink before leaving. She walked past Mallow's restaurant and turned and walked deeper into the forest. Through the leaves and trees, she was looking for something. After a couple minutes of walking, she found a nifty looking treehouse. It was pretty fancy for a treehouse, but Virginia was familiar with the place. She walked up the steps and quietly opened the door. She took a seat and silently waited. A few minutes past until she heard the door open and in stepped an orangutan.
"Ranguru…" The walked behind the counter and Virginia weakly smiled at the Pokemon.
"Hello Mr. Oranguru." She looked down and sighed. "I…I don't know what to do." He poured her a drink inside of a cocoanut and she slowly sipped it. "There's…I have a big problem and I don't know what to do."
"Oranguru." He nodded his head and she took another sip.
"First of all, the world is…something's happening. People are dying and there's no explanation for any of it. I think this one guy I met…Gannon…dorf. Something like that…" She took a bigger gulp of her drink while she talked about her problems to the gorilla Pokémon. "I think he's part of some team or something. Trying to kill as many people as he can. Then there's this book that Sam had. Sam's my sister and my very best friend."
"Guru." He nodded while she closed her eyes and opened them after a few seconds.
"She had this book that…I don't know what language it's in. I'm thinking off the top of my head, but…I don't know. It could be ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Babylonian, maybe some foreign language far beyong my comprehension. Some kind of hieroglyphics? I have no idea." She took another gulp of her drink. "The next problem I have is this young girl, Genny. She's…I don't know her very well, but she's too innocent for this world. I know she's laguz. But my aunt thinks she's adopted and the country that she comes from…I don't know if even from the continent anymore." Another gulp before sighing.
"Oranguru." He took her drink and refilled it for her.
"Thank you." She took the drink and took another sip. "And finally…that leave my home. With my sister…" She gulped hard. "…gone. That means I am next in line for the throne. And I don't want to be a queen. I don't want to stay in a castle and make rules and stuff. I want to explore! I don't want to be the next queen of Hyrule! I don't want to do it." She yelled before rubbed her eyes and pulled out the photos of Samantha and Genny they took in the mall. "…but I can't abandon my family. I know there's no other choice but-"
"God-fucking-dammit!" The door flew open and slammed against the wall.
"Guru!" The gorilla took a fighting pose before the woman took a seat next to her. Oranguru's aggression faded and he served her a drink much like what he served Virginia.
"Thank you." She replied with a British tone. She was tall and slender and one might go as far as to make the assumption that her favorite color was black. Her clothes looked like they were some kind of skin tight…was that fur? "You." She pointed at Virginia.
"M-M-M-Me?" Virginia stammered. "I…I don't have any money!"
"I'm not-"
"Alright, I lied, I'm sorry. Here." She held out her wallet and her arm shook with fear.
"No, I-"
"I don't want to die. Please…Please don't kill me."
"Will you shut up for a moment? I have a very important question for you." She yelled at the princess. Virginia's body was now shaking in fear and she was too afraid to speak. The strange woman sighed andtook a large gulp from her drink.
"I apologize. The last few days…it's been terrible. I'm looking for someone. A young girl. Perhaps you've seen her. Black wings, black hair, brown eyes. She's an adorable girl." Virginia's eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her face.
'Maybe this is them. Maybe she is-' She then noticed the woman pulled a gun from her boot and popped the chamber. She then noticed there were two holsters behind her boots and Virginia was now worried that this stranger was hunting Genny. Her smile dropped from her face almost instantaneously.
"N-N-N-No." Virginia began sweating and nervously spoke. The stranger glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you sure? It is imperative that I find her." She put the gun back and sighed.
Nope!" Virginia laughed nervously. "Um…well, would you look at the time. It-It's getting pretty late."
"It's an hour past noon." The woman remarked.
"R-Really? Well, I better get my watch fixed." She didn't sip her drink anymore. She chugged what was left and practically sprinted out the door. The strange woman looked confused for a moment before returning to her thoughts and her drink. Virginia pulled out her phone and quickly called Serena.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" She looked up and saw a bright red door in the middle of the jungle. She looked around and she marked an 'X' on the ground with her shoes so she wouldn't miss the area.
"Hello?" Serena answered the phone.
"Serena! Thank God. Grab genny. We need to go now!"
"Wait, what? What's going on?"
"Please just do as I say. Oh! And grab that weird book. I feel like we need to keep it close. Do you still have that giant diamond? We'll need that too and then get over to Mallow's restaurant as soon as possible."
"V, you're not making any-"
"We don't have time!" Virginia panicked. "Just…Just…Just FUCKING DO IT!" She screamed.
"Alright, Alright. We'll be right there." Serena said and hung up. Virginia was incredibly paranoid. That stranger…she had a gun. Virginia was certain they were going to kill Genny. Innocent little Genny. She sat on the steps and waited with her legs bouncing up and down. After maybe fifteen minutes of waiting, Serena, Genny, and Zelda landed near the restaurant and approached Virginia.
"We're here now, what's going-" Virginia took Genny and grabbed Serena's wrist. "Virginia! Where are we going?"
"Hurry! Hurry!" She ran towards the x mark she left in the dirt. She looked around and saw the red door. Zelda wasn't too far behind and caught up to her daughter shortly after she made it.
"Mother, I'm afraid this is where we must part ways."
"What?! You're…You're leaving?" Zelda panted and tried to catch her breath. "Honey…darling…I…I can…" She took a few more moments to catch her breath.
"Mother, it isn't safe. Genny's in danger. I can't really go over it, but I think this door will bring us to safety. I swear, I'll come back in one piece. Just promise me you won't do anything rash or get into trouble." Virginia kissed her mother's cheeks and gave her an extra tight hug. "I love you so much, mother." Realizing she wouldn't be able to sway her daughter's mind, she lightly smiled and kissed her forehead.
"May Hylia watch over you, Serena, and genny. And may she protect you from danger and trouble." She let her daughter go and with that, the trio ran towards the door, opened it up, and entered. Meanwhile, at Oranguru's home, the strange woman finished her second glass on fruit juice before she looked around. She noticed a small white paper on the ground.
"Excuse me, do you who that young lady was?" She questioned the orangutan. He nodded his head. "I think she…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the other side. She saw four sets of photos; all with Samantha and Genny. "…she lied to me." She quietly said before her fists clenched tight and she immediately stood up and bolted out the door.
"You just signed your death warrant! You hear me!" The woman yelled as loud as she possibly could. Little did she know that Virginia was long gone from the island and Genny was far from her reach.