Hey guys, shield here. I'm so sorry that this took so long. I recently bought Fallout: New Vegas, and I can barely put down the Xbox remote. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. On to the reviews.

Monpoke: What I had planned was that Teresa is the trainer's first Pokémon. Since he is mute, Teresa will learn how to talk in his place. Brand would be the second Pokémon the mute trainer would receive. Elweard would be the lat, and by the time he appears, Teresa would have already mastered speaking in a human tongue. I figured that Celebi would pick someone that knew something about the Pokémon world. As for the request part of the plot. I was going for the machine as a means of getting to a certain point. I wouldn't say that it was a request as much as a 'Here is what you do; go do it' type of thing. The last thing you mentioned about the embarrassment factor, I don't feel that I am over doing yet in this story since it is so new. I have been cutting down on it in OMAA. Thanks for your input.

Philip Harbindinger: I was being more realistic. Out of all the animes, Ash always seemed to lose except for the Orange league. Elweard actually is a real word. Believe me I suck with making up names, lol. I just typed in 'old English words that mean protector'. That is how I found the name. You can also find it by typing Elweard into the search engine.

Mades: The simple answer is that NASA is apart of the research. It said that in the first chapter. Since NASA is a government agency they have to let the government know what has happened. If the media got a hold of something like that, it would explode.

This union has been divided in like a civil war- brother against brother- sister against sister. And I'm pulling it together. We've already seen evidence of that in New York, in Pennsylvania, in California. The first thing is we have to get on the same page. We have to be united in one cause.

James P. Hoffa

Chapter 4

Devin's POV

Teresa woke me up at around six-thirty in the morning. I tried to stay in bed but the dinosaur grabbed me firmly and lifted me out of bed.

"Put me down! I can get up on my own, you stupid, overgrown lizard!" I yelled as I struggled in her grip.

"It is very rude to tell others they are stupid. Do you need to be placed in the corner?" the lizard asked me.

"What I need is for you to put me down and leave me alone." I shot back. Teresa held on to me even longer. I tried my best to struggle out of her grip but it was futile. Even if I had been my normal self, I wouldn't had been able to get free. After about five minutes of struggling, I gave up out of exhaustion.

"Are you done struggling?" Teresa asked almost mockingly.

"Yeah." I mumbled quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Teresa asked.

"I said that I would quiet struggling." I said a little louder. My voice, despite its childish pitch, leaked with irritation. Teresa was satisfied and put me back on the ground. I looked around and noticed that Austin and Emily were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They went down stairs to get some breakfast for everyone and to turn in the room key. They didn't want to wake you and told me to get you up at six-thirty." Teresa replied. "They also said that they would be back in about ten minutes. And they would need you to be ready to go."

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a few moments." I said.

I went into the bathroom and got dressed. In a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a Pokémon on it. I didn't know what kind it was. It was shaped like a bipedal lizard. It was orange with a tail. The tail had a small flame. I knew that it had an even bigger form from the small bits and pieces of the show I have seen, but it didn't help place any names into my head. I went over to the sink to brush my teeth. When I looked on the counter for my toothbrush, I noticed that it was missing. There was only one place I could think of where it may have been placed.

"The medicine cabinet." I said begrudgingly. I looked at the small box. Its mirrored door seemed to taunt me as I sat staring at it. "I freaking hate this." I grumbled. I thought about just asking for some help but I let my pride cloud my judgment. I climbed up onto the toilet, and from there, climbed on top of the counter. I easily opened the cabinet and found the toothbrush. I took it and the toothpaste and slowly climbed down. Just as I had gotten halfway off of the counter, my hand slipped out from underneath me and I whacked my head against the counter top. Tears sprung to my eyes as my brain registered the pain. I let out a small whimper, but quickly clamped my hand over my mouth in a futile attempt to stop it from escaping. Unfortunately for me, Teresa heard my commotion.

"Are you alright? I knew I should have helped you. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry." the large lizard apologized. She swept me off the floor and checked ever inch of me despite my protests and squirming. She put me down once she had finished her examination. "You have a nasty bump on your head. I should tell your brother." she concluded.

"No!" I yelled frantically. Teresa looked at me in confusion. "He doesn't need to know anything that happened. I was being a wimp, ok? It didn't even hurt!" Teresa wasn't convinced. If I didn't think of something fast, I would have to face the embarrassment that would come when he got back.

"He needs to know that you got hurt. He wouldn't like it if I kept the fact that you got hurt a secret from him." the dinosaur replied.

"Please don't tell him! I'll do anything! The last thing I need right now is for him to start getting overprotective!" I pleaded.

"Anything?" Teresa asked with a dark glimmer in her eye. I hesitated for a couple of seconds.

"W-within reason." I replied nervously.

"Alright, you must obey whatever I say, without hesitation. You will also help me take care of Hope when I need help." Teresa said, laying down the terms.

"I don't know anything about taking care of human babies, much less dinosaur babies!" I protested.

"Then I guess I will tell Austin all about your little incident in the bathroom." Teresa threatened.

"Fine, I'll do it." I muttered in total defeat.

"I honestly don't see why you don't want to tell him. It wasn't that bad."

"You know that I'm supposed to be nineteen, right?" I asked. The Kangaskhan nodded. I continued. "People my age don't cry when they get hurt like that. You just shrug it off."

"But, you aren't nineteen anymore. Your body is that of a young human. You don't have to shrug anything off. You can seek comfort." Teresa replied. She completely missed my point.

"It's hard to explain. Forget about it." I sighed. I walked over to the bed and meticulously climbed up. I leaned onto the nightstand and picked up the remote to the TV.

"Don't climb onto the furniture. You can be on the beds but not on the tables." Teresa chastised.

"I was just getting the remote." I replied. Then I mumbled. "It wasn't like I was tap dancing on top of it."

"I heard that. You do not have to be a smart mouth. It is very unbecoming. Especially, when coming from a child." Teresa chided. She picked her words very carefully. It was obvious that she was going to remind me that I couldn't do whatever I wanted.

"Fine, I won't be a smart alec." I muttered.

"And?" Teresa prodded.

"And" what? I already said that I wouldn't be a smart mouth. What more do you want?" I asked angrily.

"I want an apology. You may have heard of them. They are things people say when they do something wrong. Have you forgotten the manners your mother have taught you?" Teresa said, exasperated.

"What do you know about my parents! For all you know they just tested that machine on us just for the fun of it! For all you know we were raised in a cave somewhere!" I exploded. I was sick of the belittling behavior I was receiving. Teresa glared at me coldly. I felt as though she was shooting ice through me. Seeing as how we were in the Pokémon world, that could have been true.

"Your brother has manners." she said in a cold, level voice. "He knows how to act, even when things aren't going his way."

"How would you know? You met him yesterday. You can't possibly know anything about him, me, or Emily." I pointed out.

"I know that you are the reason that you three are younger. I know that you would bully him because he liked something you didn't. And, I know that you were the one that dragged Emily in this as well." Teresa said coldly.

"How did you know any of that? None of us ever mentioned any of that." I asked out of bewilderment.

"We all were briefed on you three." Teresa said simply. "Elweard was tasked with protection. Brand is here to be a friend and partner to Emily. I am here to teach you."

"Teach me about what?" I asked scornfully. The dinosaur seemed thoughtful for a second.

"To teach you the golden rule. Do unto others as you would want to be treated. You have treated your brother horribly. I know that I wasn't there to witness any of it but even if a fraction of it is true..." Teresa trailed off.

"Even if a fraction is true" what?" I asked. "I'm a terrible person? I deserved what I got? This is all a big wake up call? What?"

"Did you get what you deserved? Yes, you did. I think you should experience what it's like to be the younger brother. He has a lot he could teach you about being an older brother, and he hasn't ever been one. Is it a wake up call? Yes, it is. You need to learn not to judge others. Everyone is different. You aren't the same as me. We are both different. Are you a terrible person? No, you are not. You are just rough around the edges."

"I don't think I deserved this. I had my life ahead of me. I was going to graduate from high school and go onto getting a degree in welding. Do you know how humiliating it is to be a year older than everyone else in the senior class? If and when we get back, everything is going to change. I don't even want to think about school. I may become some lab rat for the government, or they may cover everything up and make me start completely over, or they could be especially cruel and give me some kind of special exception that allows me to continue high school. The embarrassment from before was bad enough. Now I have to deal with all this… this… this crap." I muttered. Of course, in the middle of my confession, my body misinterpreted my emotions and my eyes began to tear up. "I really hate being young again. I can't control my feelings anymore."

"I can see your problem. You just carry around your anger. You don't express it in any way and you take it home, then you take it out on your brother." Teresa said understandably.

"That's part of it. I really did feel that he had spent to much time on Pokémon. He was, is, obsessive about it. It bothered me a lot." I replied truthfully.

"At least you are being honest. Most people like you won't even admit something is wrong." Teresa replied. She looked at the clock then sighed. "Your brother is going to be here any minute. You better get ready." Teresa was going to say something else, but the door began to rattle. I scrambled in my mind to make it look like I hadn't been crying. When Austin and Emily got in the door, my heart went cold. Emily was the one person I could talk to and she was hanging around my younger brother. The very idea made my blood boil.

Austin's POV

When we got back, Devin was sitting quietly on his bed. I was surprised to see that he was not some grouchy monster he normally is when he gets up early.

"I brought you some food. It's nice to see that you aren't destroying anything this morning." I said as Devin began to eat his food. Devin didn't say anything. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, let's just go." he said as he wrapped up half of the breakfast biscuit I got for him.

"Aren't you going to finish eating? If you hold off it's going to get cold."

"I'll just eat the rest of it on the road. The faster we finish this job, the sooner we get to go home." he replied moodily. He he opened the door and went out into the hall.

"Emily, could you watch him and see what he is up to?" I asked. "I need to talk to Teresa."

"Sure. Never thought I would have to babysit my boyfriend." she muttered as she too, left the room.

"Teresa, what happened this morning? He is acting really odd." I asked plainly.

"Nothing happened. I had to drag him out of bed, but other than that, it went smoothly." she replied.

"Maybe it's just me." I shrugged. "Come on, I need to turn in the room key."

Devin's POV

"Where are you going?" Emily asked me as I tried to get away from her.

"Nowhere. Is it alright if I walk around for a little bit?" I replied irritatedly.

"What's wrong? You have been acting weird all morning. You are starting to worry me."

"Nothing is wrong. I just don't like my role in all of this." I partially lied. My role was only part of what was wrong. I didn't want anyone else knowing the second part.

"What role? It's not like we assigned positions or anything." Emily replied.

"You didn't do it consciously, but you did do it subconsciously. You have been supporting my younger brother the entire time we have been here." I emphasized the word younger to remind her that I am four years Austin's senior.

"The only reason I listen to him is because he knows this world. He knows more about it than both of us combined." Emily replied. I sighed. She was right. I didn't know jack diddle squat about this place. There wasn't a single thing I could do either. "Devin, I've known you ever since we were in fifth grade. There is something else bothering you, isn't there?"

"Emily, why have you been treating my like I don't exist anymore? For the past couple of days, it has seemed like you ignore me. You talk to Austin just fine, but haven't talked to me all that much."

"I do talk to you. I talk to you everyday." she replied.

"Taking sides with my brother isn't the same as talking to me. You don't talk to me as a friend anymore. You shy away when I ask you things, and sometimes you flat out ignore me. What's the deal here?" I asked a little more assertively.

"I… I feel so weird about it. You are you, but you aren't you at the same time. It's the same thing with Austin, he is himself but he's not the same. I don't know. I'm confusing, aren't I?" Emily admitted. "This world, this reality. None of it should be real, but it is. You, me, and Austin should be older, but we aren't. I'm not trying to ignore you. I'm just trying to figure it all out. Just give me some time."

"Alright, I will." I sighed.

After our conversation, Austin had turned in the room key and we left the center. Everyone was fairly silent. It seemed that everyone knew that somebody had something they didn't want to really talk about. The lack of communication was beginning to become disconcerting. Finally, it was Austin's Pokémon that broke the silence.

"What is going on with you three. There is unbelievable amounts of dread pouring off each one of you." He said. Nobody said a word. "The longer you three keep your feelings bottled up, the more likely it is that we fail this mission. If you fail you don't go home."

"If you really want to know, it is a lot of things. Emily won't talk to me much anymore, Austin is treating me like I'm his responsibility, and some stupid fairy decided I needed an overprotective, mother dinosaur to help me." I unloaded.

"That is a start. Emily, Austin, what do you need to unload." Elweard probed. Austin was next.

"I'm scared and angry. I was thrown into this whole mess with no information except for a notebook saying we need to meet up with someone. My high school student brother, looks like a kindergartner and has given me crap the entire time we have been here. Despite his new size his mouth hasn't shrunk at all." I looked at him out of shock and anger. Austin wasn't known for losing his temper.

"I've been giving you nothing but crap? You are the one that have been treating like a child ever since we got here! You have no right to say that I have been the problem!" I yelled furiously.

"You have been cynical, sarcastic, and rude ever since we have been here!" Austin yelled back.

"You have been condescending to me! You never ask my opinion. You also leave me out of the decision making! You never wanted to be around me! Even if I did treat you right!" I shot back.

"You are the reason we are like this! You couldn't keep your mouth shut! In fact, you can never keep your mouth shut!" Austin looked as though he was going to burst. That last comment really struck a nerve. Luckily for me, I had the exact weapon to shoot back at him.

"It was your obsession that got us in this mess to begin with. It was your DS that was taken away. It was your DS that you went back to get. It was your DS that caused every single one of these events to happen. It is your fault that Mom and Dad are wondering if there is a slim possibility that we are still alive." I said with cold calculation. True to my prediction, Austin froze. His face reflected so many emotions at the same time. He didn't know if he should be angry, or sad, or unemotional. He just sat on the ground, unmoving. Emily, who had said nothing the entire time, whacked me up side the head.

"What was that for!" I yelled.

"That was a very low blow. If I could I would beat the crap out of you for that one. He knows that it was his fault. When you are asleep, I wake up and hear him muttering in his sleep. He apologizes over and over again in his sleep. The least you could do is treat him kindly. You asked me earlier why I treat you differently. That is the reason. I didn't really see it before; after the past few days, I saw you cause nothing but strife for him. Once you learn how to be a good brother, I'll think about talking to you again. Until then, try being a good little boy and be quiet until you can apologize to him." I opened my mouth to say something, but Emily cut me off with a fierce glare. Her words stung like salt in a fresh wound. I guess my words were like vinegar in Austin's wounds. Emily got Austin back to his feet and they continued on. Emily made me release Teresa, so I stayed back with her. I explained to her what I had said. She shook her head in disappointment.

"You need to apologize, obviously. There is not much else you can do. You created a gash. That gash needs to heal. You destroyed every single bridge to Emily and Austin. Until those bridges are repaired, expect to be treated differently. Your brother won't want you around because you will remind him that this was his fault. Emily, won't want you around because she knows that you have a very dark side. I know all of this because I've been through the exact same thing." she said.

"What happened?" I asked. The dread that had once emanated from me now felt like it was crushing my very existence.

"I was about your original age when it happened. My species does not have any males at all, so we look for mates of other dinosaur types. Mostly of the Tyranitar and Rhydon types. I met a Tyranitar, but my mother disapproved of him because he was from a clan that had been in competition with ours for hunting privileges. One day, my mother caught me with him. She was about to attack him when I stepped in the way and used a moved that I had just learned. I used Hyper Beam. It hit and knocked my mother unconscious. When I turned to see what my friend would say, he had left. He said that he was not going to be around someone that would raise their hand against their own family. I never saw him again. My mother then banished me from the clan, I was never to be seen there again. Everyday, I regret what I did. My choices were poor and the consequences were great. Later I did find a mate and later came Hope. I named her that, in hope that one day I would be able to repair that bridge." Teresa said.

"Did you every make it up to her?" I asked. Teresa sighed and shook her head. "Oh."

"Time just wouldn't allow it. I met my first trainer about two months after Hope was born. After my trainer died, Celebi gave me, Brand, and Elweard the job of looking after you guys." Teresa walked silent for several long minutes. I walked quietly beside her. Austin and Emily were both farther down the path; nearly out of sight.

"We better catch up with your brother. He may be mad at you, but he still cares about your safety." she said.

"That's what I wanted to hear. You will make a great way for some sweet payback." a voice laughed darkly. "Get them, guys!"

Just then, three or four teens jumped out of the bushes. They all had Pokémon out and were raring for a fight.

"Devin! Get out of here and get your brother!" Teresa yelled. I was paralyzed. Every single one of the teens were shrimps compared to Teresa, but they were several heads taller than I was. They also had Pokémon out, whereas Teresa was the only one that I had near me, that could fight. I took off running when I realized that Teresa was yelling at me to go. I didn't get far because the leader of the small gang, the same jerk from before, shot his hand out and latched onto my wrist.

"Let go of him!" Teresa roared. An intense amount of heat and light began to focus at her gaping mouth. Seconds later, a large beam fired at the nearest Pokémon. The large rat-like creature was fried by the beam and fell over. I couldn't tell if it was dead or just merely unconscious.

"You idiots, do I have to do everything myself? Take care of that stupid Kangaskhan!" the leader of the gang yelled. Almost simultaneously, everyone in the group yelled orders. Some of the attacks were as trivial as small sparks, others were like large pillars of flames. Teresa let out a roar in pain, then fell to the ground.

"Hey Trevor, hand me that note we wrote earlier." the teen who had my arm said. A black haired kid dug in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to the leader. "Who has the tape?"

"Right here boss." another kid said. The kid tossed the roll of tape to the "boss".

"One of you hold him while I tape this on. We wouldn't want him escaping." Another teen stepped up. The leader was already about six foot. This other guy hovered over the leader by a good three inches. He also looked as though he could bend a cast iron skillet with his bare hands. I looked up at the guy and felt all hope of escape, leave me.

Austin's POV

"Where in the world is Teresa and Devin? Devin wouldn't have been doing anything stupid, not with Teresa around." Emily wondered out loud.

"At the moment, I don't care. I need a break from Devin's mouth anyways." I said bitterly.

"He is still your brother. That should make you worry about him. If we were normal, we probably wouldn't have to worry about it, but we aren't. We do have to worry about him." I looked down at the ground and sighed.

"If he isn't here in five minutes, we'll go looking for him. He is probably just dragging his feet."

Five minutes passed by rather quickly yet there was still no sign of Devin or Teresa. It was beginning to worry me so me and Emily walked back down the path. To our horror, we found Teresa partially unconscious on the ground. She was scarred and severely beaten, but was still breathing. She cracked open a single eye and stared deeply into my eyes.

"They… they took h-him." she muttered.

"Who took him! Teresa! Who took Devin!" I yelled when her words sunk in. Teresa passed out. Emily and I began yelling Devin's name but we didn't hear a single response.

"Austin! I found this on top of Teresa!" Emily handed me a piece of paper.

"If you want to see your brother again, you will meet me under the great oak by sunrise tomorrow. Be there." I read out loud. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I collapsed to my knees.

As usual, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. If you have anything you would like to say, be sure to leave a review. If you are enjoying the story, be sure to smash that favorite/follow button. This is shieldliger001 signing off.