Legacy of One
Part 1, Chapter 3
After the tour of the island with Calcifer was over, Vector was back to simply wandering around, exploring on his own and looking for anything Calcifer may have overlooked.
"Such an interesting place…" he said, mostly to himself, "I really like it here, so much to see, so much to explore!"
It was as he was passing a small grove that he noticed an array of lights shining from a tree. It was quite strange to see out in the middle of the forested area like this.
"Ooo… whoa…" he blinked, staring at he focused his attention on this. Someone was inside the light, moving about, though it was a little hard for Vector to see them at the moment.
The lights soon settled and started to dim, showing that they were arranged in a grid-like pattern, not unlike a net of some sort. Enclosed within was Ein, the Lucario, though Vector didn't know him personally.
Vector knew of course, that the light around the Lucario was aura. Just about any Riolu would know about it.
Excited to meet someone who could manipulate aura in this manner, Vector stepped forward, walking at a brisk pace.
"Hey! Cool tricks!" he called over excitedly.
Ein wasn't prepared for this and the sudden call took him by surprise and he let out a yell of surprise and jumped. He also lost his balance on the tree-branch he was standing on. After several moments of waving his arms around, trying to regain his balance, the Lucario finally fell right out of the tree with a yelp and landed flat on his back on the ground with a heavy WHUMP! Vector cringed in reaction.
"Ooh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that!" He called out, hurrying over and looking suitably worried.
Ein sat up, shaking his head, groaning just a bit. He soon noticed Vector and gave him a friendly, reassuring smile.
"I'm alright. Just a bit of a fall." He said.
Relief flooded through Vector at this, causing a grin to spread across his face and he even giggled a bit.
"Whew, I'm glad that you're alright. I was real worried for a second."
"I'm tough, don't worry about that." Ein answered, rubbing his head where it had hit the ground. He actually looked relatively unharmed by his landing. "So, uh… what's your name?" he asked, looking directly at Vector.
Vector came to a halt before Ein and offered his paw to help him up.
"My name is Vector Mirrodin, yours?"
The Lucario got up under his own power and started stretching and trying to work out any kinks in his muscles from the landing he'd just had on the ground.
"Name's Ein Halgan." He grunted as he stretched, then after he was done, he crouched down to Vector's level and courteously shook his proffered paw, giving him a warm smile, "Nice to meet you."
Vector returned the smile.
"Nice to meet you as well." He then back-stepped and looked Ein over, grinning.
"Nice to see you're as short as me too." He added a little wittily.
Ein caught the joking tone and smirked.
"You're got a smart mouth, don't you?" he then chuckled himself, prompting Vector to laugh as well.
"Sorry, it can have a mind of its own." He said, covering it as if he'd said something naughty.
"So, where'd you come from anyways?" Ein asked, still smiling with amusement, "Never seen anyone quite like you before now."
Vector blinked, surprised and confused.
"Never seen someone like me before? Really? No other Riolu?" he asked, a little stunned.
"No, not like that." Ein said, correcting him, "I've seen Riolu before. But not with your kind of coloration."
"My… coloring?" It took Vector a moment to comprehend what Ein was talking about but then he looked down at himself and slapped a paw over his face (with a laugh) in embarrassment as he realized the obvious, "Right! I completely forgot that my coloring was off!" He said, laughing it off.
"As for where I come from, the name of the place is Valaindust." Vector added.
"Valaindust, huh?" Ein murmured contemplatively, "Never heard of it." He said after a moment, sounding apologetic, "Sorry, I kinda have been on this island since I arrived and I haven't left." He admitted.
Vector shook his head understandingly though.
"No need for apologies. It is a small town that isn't heard of often."
Ein was understandably curious.
"What's it like there?"
Vector considered his old home for several moments, then…
"Well, it was a nice, close town where people knew each other. I had a good life there, playing with the other children and such. Really relaxed environment." He said.
"It does sound like a nice place." Ein commented, "Had your parents there, right?"
"Of course." Vector said, smiling kindly, "They were good parents, I try to visit them at least once a year."
"Good to hear." Ein responded then added in a low, sad mumble, "Wish mine were still around…"
Vector blinked, recognizing the mild depression on Ein's face.
"Oh… is something wrong?"
Ein shook his head in response.
"Nah… it's nothing. Just missing mine nowadays. But, I'm here for the time being so… I'll cope." He said, gathering himself again.
Vector nodded.
"Ah, sorry to hear that." He then tried to give a sympathetic smile, "If anything, I think you seem like a real good person yourself."
Ein accepted these words a slight smile.
"Being on this island has had its perks. For one thing, it's a pretty good location for training."
Vector grinned, getting a little excited.
"Really? That's great! Another bonus to this place." He said elatedly.
"How'd you get here by the way? How'd you get onto the island?" Ein asked, a little curiously.
"Oh, I just followed where the wind took me." Vector said a little dismissively, still smiling.
Big reason I came was to get Raine…
"You know, after leaving my little town of Valaindust… I've been looking for a place to call home, and this seemed like a great place to do so." He explained.
"Ah, alright." Ein said, then chuckled and grinned a little nervously, "I… got here my own way a while ago. Just haven't felt like leaving." He said, though his tone had just a mild note of hiding something.
"I would have to wonder why one would even think about leaving this place!" Vector commented cheerily, "It's great."
Ein shrugged a bit.
"Well, we all have things we need to do. I guess I just haven't had anything off the island to do." He said.
"Speaking of things that we need to do," Vector said, a joking grin on his face, "Some of us need to hit their growth spurt around here." He then reached up and held his paw teasingly over Ein's head.
Ein stood up to full height, putting himself well over Vector's height in so-doing.
"Heh, evolving is an exciting experience. So I bet you can't wait 'til you experience it yourself." He said, grinning as well.
"Oh I'll be excited for it for sure!" Vector laughed in response.
Ein then backed up and started leaning against the tree that he had previously fallen out of.
"So… jumping me out of nowhere aside, what are you doing around here?" he asked.
"Just exploring around the place, getting familiar with it." Vector answered with a little giggle, though he wasn't telling the whole truth…
"Ah, alright." Ein nodded lightly, "I've explored the island pretty thoroughly myself."
"I would imagine you have." Vector said then, noticing a branch just over Ein's head, he headed over and climbed the tree while Ein watched.
Once on the branch, Vector settled down, lying down on the branch.
"Well, I feel taller now." He commented a little endearingly. He glanced around at the other branches.
"I was looking for a branch more eye-level with you. But there aren't any like that." Vector finished with a little laugh.
Ein shrugged, smirking.
"Oh well, it can be hard to see eye-to-eye with some people anyways." He said, his tone joking.
Vector's mind took the comment a slightly different way though.
"I can relate to that easily." He said with an ever-so-slightly darkened grin.
I tried to show her, but she can't see what I tried to show her. I'm done trying to show her, I'm only ready to end her.
Ein sat down where he was and started shaping bits of aura into various shapes.
"Well, I think a lot of people don't see eye-to-eye… and that's why we're all unique." He said, as the shapes in his paws continually changed, never matching and always being different.
"Being unique can a good thing… most of the time." Vector admitted as he watched the shapes. Then he turned around and swung himself down so he was hanging off the branch up-side down, hanging by his legs, his floppy ears standing "up".
Ein looked up, the shapes continuing to shift as he did so.
"Most of the time? You think it would be great if someone else were exactly like you?" His tone wasn't accusatory.
"I don't think that way myself. If someone else were like me, there would be twice as many mistakes…" Ein added politely.
Vector shook his head.
"I didn't mean it like that."
I just meant that not every person is a good person…
"Ah sorry." Ein said, "At any rate, no one's perfect, which is why I believe being unique is a good thing. I personally think being unique is good in all regards. Sure, it results in some people I wouldn't like… but at least they're their own person. Their own unique personality."
Vector considered this briefly then conceded, "Alright, that's good way to look on it."
Ein murmured to himself very quietly so not even Vector could hear but there was a regretful tone to his murmurings.
Vector hefted himself back up-right on the branch and clambered down the tree.
"That might actually be pretty weird to meet someone exactly like… yourself." He commented, thinking about the idea.
Thinking on that... What would I think about meeting my true self? I personally don't think I am a wrong person, but no one is prepared to meet their true self.
"It would be weird, yes…" Ein admitted with a small nod, continuing his aura-shaping.
Vector then sat down, putting his paws on the ground and closing his eyes in contemplation.
Thinking more on weird things... I wonder why I was granted with this power of mine.
As he thought on this, his eyes flashed behind their lids and the ground under his paws shifted a little, making wave-like patterns that were hidden under his paws.
I can only do small things with my power for now, but I have improved in my training. One day, I'll be able to do great and amazing things with this gift. What if one day, when I'm a Lucario, I could even move a mountain with this power? Could I possibly be that powerful, at least with this power.
Vector couldn't help grinning widely at this prospect, the power continuing to move the small portion of earth under his paws.
Meanwhile, Ein drew his aura-shaping activity to a close and sat back, relaxing and breathing out.
A moment more, and he glanced over at Vector.
"I'd probably like to talk more with you… but I think it's probably about time I got going… I need to go tend to something." He said.
Vector nodded understandingly.
"That's fine, I was wanting to go myself. I want to get to my own training." He said, shifting the ground under his paws back into its original state.
"Bye Ein, I'll see you sometime later" he then stood up, and walked off to go train.