A bit of a short chapter today, but an interesting end...

The first thing that Espir noticed was that they were not still in the Oreburgh museum, but somewhere else entirely. They were outdoors, atop a grassy hill, looking out over… he believed it to be Jubilife City, though with all the travelling around, his memory was becoming a little spotty in some areas.

Why would they be somewhere different though? Espir didn't understand what had been different this time. Usually, they jumped from one portal to the same location in a different world. He didn't know why he was even trying to work out the logic behind this mindboggling issue. There was something else that was itching away to do with this problem that he was beginning to think he was on the verge of figuring out. He would just have to mull it over while they decided on their next course of action.

"I'm not too sure where we are?" Alexis said, looking around. "Don't we usually just pop out wherever the tear happens?"

Espir walked up to her and got her attention, miming his hands out for a map. As she laid it flat before him, he pointed over to Jubilife City and then pointed at it on the map.

"Oh… yeah, that makes sense. These hills are just right for this part of the country," Alexis nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Let's just hope this is our country and not one with rampant raving giants, hmm?"

"That would certainly be pleasant," Espir said, sighing alongside Alexis.

"I don't think I've been here yet," Shane said.

"So far nothing bad has happened in this place, not for me at least," Espir said. "Jubilife City- though there's always a first."

"No need to sound so down in the dumps," Shane said, "we survived- again- and we're still riding the high of beating the gym. We're one step closer to achieving our goals, we just need to figure out where to go next."

"That's just it," Espir mumbled, "where do we go next?"

"Well, I don't feel the magnetism anymore, not at the moment, at least," Shane said.

"Come on gang, let's get moving," Alexis said, "we should be able to get into the city and find somewhere to get some proper rest by nightfall."

That much Espir could agree with. He could do with a good rest after the ordeal of the oversized Pokémon.

The three of them walked down the hillside towards the city, taking their time now that they didn't have to hurry to avoid any ridiculously large predators. It was a calming thing, being able to take their time and not have to rush for once. It was so calming that Espir instinctively knew it wouldn't last.

They found a room in Jubilife City and made the most of sleeping deep into the next morning. So far, it seemed like they were back in Alexis' version of reality. Nothing appeared to be askew, thankfully.

As Espir awoke, following a deep and dreamless sleep, he noticed Shane was also just waking up.

"Huh, déjà vu," Shane mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Espir asked.

"Just feels like I've seen this before- probably from us staying in a different hotel or something," Shane said, shrugging.

Espir felt the last piece click into place in his mind. That missing puzzle piece that he couldn't figure out. The portals only appeared when he was close to where he had been previously. Not all the time, but usually- whenever he returned to a location, a portal appeared.

Could he possibly use this knowledge to find a way home? He had to find where he had first arrived in this world and work his way back from there. That meant going north, but from the way Alexis was excitedly chatting, it sounded like she wanted to go west.

How could he convince her to deviate that much from her path without even being able to get her to understand him. Not only that, she would be giving up half of her team of Pokémon. Then again, he was never her Pokémon. It was an arrangement they had made right back when they first met up. He just had to hope she hadn't forgotten it.

"We just have a little longer to go and then we will be in Canalave City for the next gym badge," Alexis was saying. "Gosh, we really are rattling through them!"

"We can't go to Canalave City," Espir said. "We need to head north, to Eterna Forest."

"Why's that?" Shane asked.

"I think I've cracked how to get a portal to appear. We need to return to where I first arrive in this world, for the right portal to appear- but I've never been to Canalave City. I woke up in Eterna Forest."

"If you're right, that's amazing," Shane said. "So, we just take a detour to Eterna Forest on the way to the city?"

"It's a little more than a detour," Espir said. "Alexis won't be onboard with it."

"She has to be," Shane said, positively. "She's our friend, right?"

"We can only hope."

Alexis was just about finished packing up their supplies, so that they could leave the hotel room, and looked down at the two Pokémon with a smile.

"What are you two nattering about now, I wonder?" She chuckled, starting to head for the door- but Espir blocked her path and mimed for the map, once more. "You want the map? But I know where Canalave City is."

Espir shook his head and mimed for the map again.

"Fine," Alexis said, "but then we really need to be getting going."

She handed the map to Espir and he unfolded it on the floor, so that everyone could clearly see what he was doing. He then pointed at Alexis and then at the location for Canalave City.

"Yes?" Alexis said slowly.

Then, he shook his head and pointed at himself, before pointing at Eterna Forest.

"Why would you need to go back there?" Alexis asked, "we're doing so well on this badge hunt."

"You don't understand me, nor understand this conversation, but I can get home if I go back to that forest, to the right spot. That means more to me than any number of silly trinkets," Espir replied.

"I'm sorry I-"

"-Don't understand, I know," Espir huffed. "That isn't going to stop me from heading there by myself, or with Shane, if I have to."

"Look, I get that you want to go there, but that's just backtracking," Alexis said, "we can head there for a little after this badge, okay?"

"No," Espir snapped. "It's always 'after this next badge' with you. If we go with you now, we'll just end up being dragged along to the next one- or worse, being pulled into a different portal before we get to the one we actually want. I don't want to end up stuck somewhere else all because of some stupid chip of metal. The portals are becoming more frequent and are clearly deadly, so no. We are going north."

"Are you done?" Alexis said dryly, picking up the map from the floor. "Got your little tantrum out? We're going to Canalave City and that's the last I'll hear on the subject. It's final. Got it?"

Espir had had enough. Alexis couldn't understand him and that was resulting in her treating him not as an equal at all. If she was going to ignore him, he would ignore her.

"Come on Shane, we need to go. We have nothing left for us here," Espir muttered, starting to walk towards the hotel door.

"Are you sure?" Shane said. "It doesn't feel right, just, y'know... leaving her here."

"Shane, we have our own priorities, our own worlds. We helped her get five gym badges, she can manage on her own."

Espir turned from the hotel room door to look at Shane, but was greeted with a red flash as he was pulled into a Pokéball, while he was looking towards Espir.

"What the hell?!" Espir shouted at Alexis.

"It's for the best," Alexis said, though her tone was an odd mixture of emotionless, angry and sorrowful, all bundled into one. She held out another Pokéball towards Espir and he tried to dart towards her, to free Shane, but the red flash was all too soon upon him, and there was no fighting it.

"It's all for the best…"

Darkness.

LukarioLM64: You deserve it :) You made a great review!