Though the town was small, the length in which he had to walk in order to reach his destination still proved a challenge since the town was much more than two houses and a research lab.
Eventually, with the help of a few of Littleroot's residents, and his ID, he'd finally made it 'home' or that's what it seemed like according to the card.
Sighing, not knowing what to expect, he knocked on the door, took a step back and awaited a response. Opening the door was a lone woman that stepped out to greet him.
"Hello?"
"Hi, I've um…" Vincent gulped, as he took off his sunglasses. "I heard this was Vincent's house and I was wondering if I could ask you a few things about him?"
"How do you know my son?" The woman asked.
"Well…I've been through Oldale Town and the Nurse Joy there told me about him for a moment and," Vincent removed his sunglasses and blinked. "Just wanted to know a few things."
Perplexed for a moment, the woman shivered but uttered a response as her eyes' focus sharpened as they seemed to lock onto his own.
"You look just like my son…"
"Really?" Vincent asked as lifted a brow. "That's a coincidence if I've ever seen one."
"Has it been this long…?" The woman murmured. "I've been so worried about you!"
"Woah, woah, woah, slow down." Vincent interjected as he lifted his hands, stopping her from approaching with her arms widened. "I'm sorry, I think you've got the wrong person."
"But…" The woman said, stepping back to lean at her door as she sniffled and sighed. "I'm really sorry about this I've just been…why don't you come inside? It's been a while since I've had any visitors."
"Um…sure." Vincent stoically said as he walked stiffly through the door, hearing it close behind him a few seconds after.
"Here, let me take your-"
"I got it." Vincent insisted as he hung his trench coat on the coat rack. "But I appreciate the gesture." He continued, as he kneeled to unite and eventually pull off his shoes
"Oh, I don't mind if you keep your shoes on." She gestured. "They don't look that dirty or worn out, so I don't mind you wearing them in the house."
"You sure? Alright…" Vincent shrugged. "Honestly, I'm used to taking them off whenever I walk into somebody's so much that I've...never really met anybody that doesn't care if I have them on or not. I guess you're the first."
"Well I'm glad that my house is your first! Would you like anything Mister…?" She trailed off as she had a momentary premonition. "I'm sorry we haven't introduced one another. My name is Julia."
"This actually might come off as a surprise, but your son and I share the same name. My name is also Vincent."
"Nice to meet you, Vincent. I'm very sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable. I ALMOST thought that you were…" She trailed off.
"You thought I was your son?" Vincent inquired, sitting down in the dining room desk.
"Yeah there's- I'm sure there's many in this world that share the same name as my son." Julia murmured. "Um…would you like anything? To eat, drink? You look exhausted." She nervously gestured.
"Yeah um..." Vincent spoke to help her maintain her focus. "If it's not too much to ask for, may I please have a glass of water?"
"Absolutely!" Julia smiled.
"You know…" Julia murmured aloud as she grabbed a couple of jugs and a water from her fridge in the kitchen. "My son never really used his manners and would often forget to say please. But I still love him and I'm just hoping that wherever he is, that he's enjoying himself."
"Why did your son leave?" Vincent asked, while weighing on the suspicions swirling in his head as he lay his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"When he was ten years old…" Julia started, as she walked over to the table, pouring him a glass. "He told me that he wanted to be the very best."
"Thank you." Vincent lifted his glass as he took a sip. "So, what'd he mean by 'the very best' exactly?"
"What any ten-year-old dreams of; being the best Pokémon trainer in the world. He used to sing that song all the time…even if he was a bit of a hassle at times, I miss caring for him."
"You're here by yourself?" Vincent asked.
"Yes. I'm just a single mother. My husband disappeared one day and never came back…" Julia frowned. "But, that's all in the past now." She insisted as she quickly recovered with a forced smile. "Now my son is out there on his own adventure. I haven't heard him call in a while, but I've heard of the many great thing he's accomplished by himself. And he's made some great friends too."
"That's pretty amazing." Vincent nodded as he thought to himself. "Travelling alone at the age of ten…yeah, I'd imagine it'd have been tough for him."
"But my little Vincent knows how to pull through and I'm very proud of him for what he's accomplished on his own as a Pokémon trainer." Julia smiled.
"I'm curious, if it's not too much to ask, what did it feel like watching him eh…" Vincent paused and took a deep breath. "Go?"
"It was hard." Julia exhaled. "My little Vincent was always so full of energy that he'd keep me on my toes. It gets lonely and quiet here even if I have the neighbours, my town, and even Professor Birch from time to time. As his mother, I feel like I should continue to keep rooting for him. And not just him, but his friends as well."
"Friends?" Vincent asked.
"He may be a traveller and he may be able to handle his Pokémon journey alone, but he was always eager to make friends even if he struggled to open up to others at first. I'm glad that he isn't alone and I'm glad that he's been able to share his journey with his friends."
"Well, I'm happy to hear that." Vincent replied with a nod as he sipped a little more water. "I'm actually curious, what does his room looks like without him? Did he ever…make a mess or…?"
"Actually, Vincent, if you'd like, I can take you upstairs and you can see for yourself what my little Vincent's room looks like." Julia suggested.
"Alright." Vincent replied, standing up.
"And to answer your question, yes. He did make a mess on occasion here and there and would forget to tidy up as he left a few dishes around, but he's still young…I could never get too mad at him for it. Anyway, follow me."
With each footstep up the wooden steps that created a mild thud sound, the two remained silent as Vincent trailed behind her down a small hallway. At the end of the hallway, she pulled open a door, hearing it creak as she opened it.
"I've kept it tidy and clean for him just waiting for him to come home…" Julia explained. "I think I've done my part."
"Yeah, looks pretty good!" Vincent commented.
"Thank you for thinking so!" Julia smiled.
"Anytime," Vincent shrugged. "Is it alright if I borrow a pencil or a pen from your son's desk? I sort of…broke mine not too long ago and I wanted to add to a journal that I've recently dedicated myself to." He asked, noticing a few of them neatly standing up in a cup.
"Yes! Absolutely!" She exclaimed. "Keep a few of them if you want! My son has too many of them anyway and I've always been wondering how I should get rid of them."
"You sure?"
"Yes, absolutely!" She repeated.
"Right well…" Vincent croaked. "I appreciate it."
"Feel free to take a seat at my son's desk as well, if you'd like. Come back downstairs when you're finished."
"Right. Sure thing."
Closing the door behind him, he slowly walked over to the desk and took a seat as he rotated the chair and skimmed through the details of the room while analyzing what he was looking at.
Pokémon posters hung up on the walls, some depicting Hoenn and Kanto's starter trios, others were of all eight Hoenn Gym Leaders, which is something that caught Vincent's eye the most as he glanced towards the image of Petalburg City's Gym Leader, Norman. Lastly, the other posters that covered the room's walls were of legendary Pokémon, which Vincent explicitly remembered as Hoenn's "Weather Trio", Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre.
He remembered back home that he'd put up posters on his well to commemorate his favorite things such, but not limited to, the Resident Evil franchise, the Aether Zombies storyline from Call of Duty, and John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. Unlike the posters he remembered back home, the posters in the room he sat in now felt more vibrant, colorful, and didn't seem to depict the grittiness or maturity that his posters had.
The poster themselves in that room, however, were not posters he recalled being depicted within his own adventures of Pokémon from the games he'd played.
Taking out his cartridge of Pokemon Emerald from his pocket, he placed it right next to his journal as he picked up a pencil, while packing away a few black inked pens, and a few pencils, he opened up a fresh page in his journal, took a seat at the desk, and began to write once more.
If memory serves, which is not always guaranteed, the Gym Leader of the Petalburg City Gym, Norman, is the father of the 'player' in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire.
I remember this very clearly as I stand in this room…it looks like this mother's kid hasn't been around in a long time and she misses him dearly, but in whatever version of reality this is, Norman isn't the father of the boy that set out from this house.
So, if Norman still exists…then what's the deal with him? And what's the deal with this mother's son sharing my name and looks, and why was this house on my ID? What about Max, May, or Brendan? And if so, is Ash Ketchum still out there travelling the Hoenn region?
If this is what I think it is…I think I'm in more trouble than I thought. I already have to deal with getting myself out of here…but I dunno if I want to deal with two of me.
"This is getting weirder and weirder by the second…" Vincent sighed and frowned, as it followed up with a yawn. "Let's go back to Oldale Town…"
Standing back up, he exited the room, taking one last peak inside before creaking it shut. Letting go of the doorknob, he headed back down the small hallway and went back down the stairs. Peaking around the corner at the base of the stairs, he could hear Julia sobbing and yet cheering as he could detect the faint sounds of a Pokémon battle coming from the living room.
Walking slowly towards the living room, Julia seemingly jumped from her seat as her concentration, in addition to her sadness overwhelming her, broke in an instant as he walked in to what appeared to be a pre-recorded Pokémon battle from a television broadcast.
"Sorry I um…"
"No." Julia sniffled as she exhaled and wiped her eyes. "I was just…watching one of my son's earliest Pokémon battles that I was able to catch. I recorded it and I was just um…" She paused as she held the remote in her hand and pointed one finger at the TV.
"Sure." Vincent sat down at the other end of the couch. "I'll give it a watch."
"Hello trainers of Hoenn! This is Gabby of TV Mauville and I'm joined here today with Vincent on Route 111!"
"PAUSE." Vincent demanded as he stood up and leaned closer to the TV's screen. "…what?! This is your son?"
"That's my little Vincent!" Julia exclaimed.
"No way…" Vincent murmured to himself. "No, WHAT?" He turned back to the TV.
"That's…"
"Vincent?" Julia called out, but he couldn't hear her due to being fixated on the image on the TV.
"Me…?" He turned around and looked back at Julia with a seemingly panic filled expression. "L-look, listen I uh…gotta get going. I just realized I have somewhere to be." He huffed as he rushed to the door and took his jacket and backpack as he put them back on.
"You're leaving already?" She frowned.
"I just realized that I might get a call soon from somebody for work and I feel it's important to make sure I'm ready for it!" Vincent exclaimed.
"I understand...I wish you could stay a little longer but I won't hold you back. It was a pleasure to meet you, Vincent! If by the slightest chance you run into my son out there…please tell him mom says hi!"
"Oh ho, I wouldn't count on it!" Vincent cackled, reaching for the door handle getting ready to step outside. "But we'll see. Take care, Julia."
Sprinting or running was not Vincent's forte in the slightest, but in this scenario, the rush that he felt from the panic at that house was proving enough to zoom out of Littleroot Town, back to Route 101, with the intent of running back into Oldale Town's Pokémon Center.
"There is NO fucking way…" Vincent croaked. "No fucking way." He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, leaning as he pressed his palms against his knees.
His entrance to the Pokemon Center was a bit swift, albeit rough as he slowly stumbled and caught himself to prevent any scenario where he's sustain any kind of catastrophic injury, or at least that's what was in his mind.
"Vincent!" Nurse Joy cried out from her desk.
"Hey, Joy…!" Vincent murmured, leaning his face against the desk.
"Vincent? What happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"No, no…I'm fine." Vincent insisted as he let out a coarse breath. "I'm just a little overwhelmed right now, that's all." He choked. "I'm really tired and I'm…I'm sorry."
"Vincent…" Nurse Joy sighed.
"Maybe I could just…" He groaned, pressing his palm against his eyes. "Sleep it off."
"O-okay. Wait, do you want to talk about it later?" She asked.
"Maybe. I just…need a little bit of rest." He continued to groan.
"Alright, let me walk you to the room you used before." She said as she came to the other side of her desk.
"Nobody came to use it today?"
"Not today." Nurse Joy shook her head. "I know it's a little bit early but come on," She said as she tapped the back of his shoulder with her palm lightly. "I want you to take a deep breath."
His eyes feeling heavy as though they were forcefully trying to clamp themselves shut, he did as she requested as he felt a warmth on his back, hearing and feeling Nurse Joy's hand rubbing up and down his back.
"Everything is going to be fine. Whatever it is that you're worked up about right now, I promise you that things are going to get better."
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeh…" Vincent coarsely groaned. "Sorry." He softly said.
"Don't be. Just get some rest." Nurse Joy insisted, as she tapped his back softly a few more times and then let go. "Here, I'll help you to your room." She stepped in closer to him as pushed gently under one of his arms. "One step at a-"
"I'm good." Vincent panted as he pushed Nurse Joy's shoulder lightly.
"Are you sure-?"
"I said I'm good. I can walk on my own…" Vincent cracked a weak smile. "I really appreciate you trying to help me, even if I don't deserve it." He coughed a few more times.
"Please don't think like that, Vincent. It's an absolute pleasure to help people and you shouldn't be ashamed of accepting help from others." She said, letting go of him. "But if that's the way you want it for now, I have to get back to work but you know where to find me. So, if you need anything if you wake up later, you know where to find me. Sound good?"
"Yeah."