Long ago, I was always a carefree and friendly individual. And to some extent, that very personality hadn't changed a bit as the years went on. Whoever it was that needed help, I was there. I always do whatever I can to bring justice when needed, and to be a shining paragon of virtue. Back then, life was so simple, and I always dreamed that one day, I would be a true hero, and be there as a young man who would save anyone and everyone around me.

Of course, dreams like that weren't exactly bound to happen like that. Reality was always complicated. For starters, I was still relatively young back in the day, around…say, 17 or 18. And one thing that always held me back from doing hero work in the real world was because I wasn't actually going to do so overnight. If I was to be a hero, I needed to start small.

So, naturally, that's where I picked up Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Online. Not only was it suited to my…particular interests, but I got the opportunity to play the role of a hero. But of course, going in there alone as just a small Riolu wasn't going to get me anywhere. I needed a partner. And I was considering on having my younger brother, Adam, take that mantle. Unfortunately, he's about as stubborn as you can imagine. Not only did he lack any sort of initiative, but I felt that if he didn't take that chance to step in and pull his own weight, I was going to see him going through a downward spiral. Granted, I was no better, but I was more than encouraging to convince him to join the game (after a long time trying to argue my point to him on how I want to help him).

We were a peculiar duo at first, as I showed him the ropes of how to play the game. But nevertheless, we took things slow. We made our base of operations primarily at the town of Oina, merely because it was a relatively easy place to start gaining battle experience. The dungeons we explored weren't that complicated, but at the same time, provided an easy challenge for the both of us to navigate through…

Well, at least it was for me. Adam still had some adjustment periods. No matter how many hours we've spent in the game, he never once managed to get used to being on all-fours, which only managed to slow things down to a crawl. He evolved from a tiny Litten to a frisky Torracat, but despite having grown stronger, he unfortunately didn't grow much wiser. Being relegated to an all-fours position wasn't his forte, and he felt like he was just slowing me down.

Luck would change when I met Ace for the first time. Adam and I managed to meet with him and fight alongside him on a mission outside of Volcanica, and surprisingly enough, Ace was the one who suggested we form a team together, since Adam and I were merely partners without a team name. We called ourselves Team Ignis, which was Latin for the word "fire." I felt like we were going to be an amazing unit.

Unfortunately for me, that meant that Adam was going to have to leave me with my new friend. He didn't even log back in for months after that day. And while I ultimately did what I could to be heroic and daring alongside Ace, knowing how perfectly in sync we were, I still felt a pit in my stomach that Adam was now going to be backpedaling towards that downward spiral again. I felt as if my main objective of helping Adam grow strong was doomed for failure, and it left me feeling depressed deep inside.

Ace then suggested we try to liven things up with the inclusion of a new teammate, and while I really liked his sympathy, Ace probably didn't understand how much I was worrying for Adam above all else. I just wanted Adam to be more involved and active, rather than sitting still doing nothing but writing things down and cataloguing his activities. I welcomed the idea of a teammate to accompany us, so we held auditions. And ironically enough, there were a few who took notice of a Silver Rank team looking for team members, but none of them seemed to radiate this similar feel that Adam did.

That was when I soon came across a Beautifly just flutter on in as I sat down in my seat with my head slumped onto the audition table. Ace was out to get something for the both of us to drink, but I simply just wanted to be alone. I missed Adam. I worried about him, even going so far as to beg for him to come back, but to no avail.

Anyways, the moment the Beautifly ended up approaching the table, he asked me "Um…are you still auditioning for a new teammate?"

"I'm not in much of a mood," I groaned. "And besides, my partner is out getting drinks for the both of us, so we can't really audition unless he's present…"

"Oh. I see. It's just that…you seemed to be rather lonely, that's all," the Beautifly said with worry.

A moment of awkward silence followed as he just waited there for me to speak up. I saw the Beautifly's expression, seeing him looking back and forth around the hotel with a bunch of nervous energy. Curious, I asked him "Are you looking for something?"

"It's just that…" He soon took a deep breath, and he told me "I'm just waiting for my brother, that's all."

I stifled a laugh. "Join the club. I'm looking for my brother to arrive as well."

This soon caught the Beautifly's attention, where he soon started to take pity on me. "Did you…get separated because of family drama?"

I sighed deeply, sitting up straight and eying the Beautifly carefully. "Who are you?"

"Uh…Flutterfly. My username is Flutterfly," he answered with unease in his voice.

I snickered a little at the mention of his name. "Really? That's your name?" I could then tell that I slightly offended him, and I immediately recoiled in shock and said "I'm sorry! I meant no offense!"

Username: Flutterfly Species: Beautifly

"No! It's alright! It's just that…" He tensed up, and anxiously, he added "Y-you see, it's just that my favorite Pokémon is Beautifly."

"I don't see someone admit that very often," I commented. "But…I guess I won't judge you. EmanationJ, at your service."

It was around that time that Ace returned, complete with two cups of apple juice. He was quick to mention "Am I interrupting something?"

I gave an awkward laugh at my partner, where I said "No, Ace! It's fine. It's just that it's been a while since I met a particularly interesting individual."

Ace eyed me curiously, before the Raboot ended up taking a look at Flutterfly. Curiously, he saw that the Beautifly was nervous, and made a fair assessment, which he couldn't help but lean close to me and whisper in my ear. "I don't know about you, but this guy looks like he might snap like a twig, he's so tense."

"I'm aware of that," I whispered back to him intensely. "Though, judging from the way he was speaking at first, he seemed like he needs someone to help him."

"A rescue? Exploration? What do you mean?" Ace asked curiously.

I rolled my eyes as I then looked at Ace directly, and whispered "He seems to be suffering from some sort of family drama back where he's from. I don't know what it is, but it would appear he can only interact with his brother in this world."

"No kidding?" Ace took a glance back at Flutterfly, who seemed to be blushing a little as he tried to hide how timid he was. Upon looking back at me, he then whispered "Well, what do you suppose we do about it?"

Flutterfly was quick to tense up, fluttering his wings as he then said "I think I might be interrupting something, so I think it's okay if I just stay away for now. Sorry to have bothered you."

"Wait!" I yelled out, stopping Flutterfly from taking off as I leapt onto the table. As I saw him turn to me anxiously, I said "Look, you seem nervous. I want to do what I can to help, if it's possible. Just say the word, and I'll be there to make sure you're right as rain, alright?"

This ended up causing Flutterfly to eye me with a look of sheer gratitude. "You're going to help me?"

"Anything you want," I offered with a smile. "A trek through a dungeon? Waiting for your brother as present company? What'll it be?"

Flutterfly ended up fidgeting nervously in place as he wasn't sure if the answer he wanted to give would really help him. I could tell that Ace was watching us with intrigue, but kept quiet so he doesn't sour the mood. I gave as gentle a smile towards the Beautifly as I could, trying to be as friendly as possible. Flutterfly soon gained some resolve after thinking things over, and looked at me.

"May I…join your team?" he asked us.

"Wait, you want to join us?" Ace questioned. "Why?"

"Because…when I looked at that Riolu, I was…looking at myself," Flutterfly answered. "He looked lonely. And I…couldn't help but relate. So…if it's alright with you, may I please be a part of your team?"

I grinned wide as I couldn't help but find Flutterfly's honesty so endearing. "Of course," I answered. "But only if you promise to pick up the pace with us, because we intend to go and give it our everything, alright?"

Flutterfly perked up, and nodded profusely as he understood what I was saying. "Of course! Of course! Anything you say!"

Ace and I both smiled as we then held out our paws for Flutterfly to shake. I could see the Beautifly apparently smiling like there was no tomorrow. Hopefully, this was going to be the start of something new. In my mind, upon recruiting Flutterfly, I felt compelled to try and save him. I wanted him to stick up for himself. I really believed that if I could give this nervous wreck some confidence in himself, then perhaps I could've applied the same for Adam back home.

Of course, that was what I wanted to believe would happen.

Reality, however, wasn't exactly as fair as I would've wanted.

In truth, progress with training Zach (which was Flutterfly's real name) wasn't easy. It was a long process, considering over the next few months, he tried to gain some sort of comfort alongside us. He even told us he got to make contact with his brother again, mentioning how he's been given some sort of angel in disguise…which he referred to in the same vain as me.

He never once told us what his life was like back home. He only mentioned he moved away over a family dispute. Ace and I both agreed that it must've been a parental divorce, because why else would he be talking about only being able to properly be like a family with his brother in a virtual world? He preferred to be here, saying that whenever he returned home, he was more at peace. I wanted to be there for him. So, whenever he logged in, I would always try to greet him with a friendly smile.

We did everything together as a team. We battled tough foes. We explored numerous territories around the game. We even shared some amazing memories together as we all enjoyed our time in the virtual world. In a sense, we were all like a family. Zach felt like a younger brother in need of guidance, and I ultimately was there for him whenever he needed me. He was happy with us.

Then, a few days before I ended up trapped in the virtual plain, that was where things went horribly wrong for everyone.

It all started when Zach and I were by ourselves as we stared at the sunset while resting on the branch of a tree. Out in the distance, we saw a huge swarm of Beautifly flying together, and the powder of the pollen they seemed to gather was sparkling behind them as they flew. The both of us were in awe as we both managed to see just how beautiful it all turned out to be.

"This is so cool," Zach said in awe.

"I'll say," I replied with a cheerful smile.

Zach seemed overjoyed, as I could sense his aura and see just how much he seemed to radiate this positive energy that I could feel from inside of him. He radiated some sort of yellow aura about him, though it was only in small ripples, since I've still had yet to fully sense and master my capabilities. I just assumed he seemed happy, since I couldn't help but see that he was more than overjoyed.

"Hey, Josh?" Zach asked me.

This immediately got my attention, and I asked him "What is it?"

He lowered his head as he stared at the horizon, before confessing to me "I just… I just wanted to say 'Thank you.'"

"For what?" I asked him.

Without turning his head, still staring forward, he confessed "For the longest time, I've been waiting for a family that I could be happy to be a part of. Before I met you and Ace, I could only interact with my brother because I was so lonely. Not everyone seemed to really care about me back home. I didn't even have any friends." He turned to me suddenly, where he then gave a smile. "And now, I feel like I have myself another family. You guys. You helped to make me feel more at ease in this place. Thank you."

I couldn't help but smile as I patted his head. "Anytime, Zach."

As I petted him, I soon caught a clearer sense of his aura, finding that it was indeed yellow in color. However, there appeared to be some…erratic pulses from it as well, almost like he seemed to be scared of something. Nervously, I asked him "How's…everything at home? Are you holding up alright?"

Zach soon stopped smiling as he lowered his head, and returned to his timid self. He turned his head away, before telling me "I…I guess so… It's just so lonely, though…"

"I know," I said as I returned to petting him. "I understand how you feel." At least, I hope so. Usually, yellow auras indicate a more chipper personality, right? But why is it so erratic? Why is he so scared? Quietly, I stopped petting him, and asked him "So…what's your brother like? How do you describe him?"

"Well… He's rather nice," Zach said with a bit more confidence. "He's like a brave knight as we both grew up, swearing to protect me."

"Protect you?" This had just caught my attention, and I was now starting to wonder what it was he needed protecting from. "Protect you…from what?"

I may have unintentionally pinched a nerve there, as he just tensed up as I began to start probing him. Nervously, I reiterated "I-I'm just curious. Honest. You can tell me anything."

Zach fidgeted for a bit, before he then gave a look towards me as if he seemed to be horrified about something, and was just begging for some sort of way out. Immediately, I was thrown for a loop, and the Beautifly couldn't help but feel remarkably panicky. It almost made me scared for my own life.

"Josh… I don't know what to tell you, other than I want to be here with you guys!" he uttered with anxiety in his voice. "You and Ace, you guys are like the older brothers I never would've thought I needed! You gave me strength! You helped me! You showed me that life in here is truly amazing! I wouldn't want to change it for the world!"

Jesus, what in the world is he jittery about? I've never seen someone so nervous before! What am I supposed to say? What should I do? Awkwardly, I didn't know what else to say, so I just patted Zach on the head with a nervous smile, letting him know that I was always going to look out for him. He appeared to calm down as I placed my paw on him, which made me sigh with relief.

This, ultimately, was one of the biggest blunders I could've made. I should've asked more questions. I should've done something to cheer him up. But he didn't seem to be right in the head, and I was afraid of what to do as he was so jumpy. It made me so scared, since I didn't know what was going through his head at the time. I was ultimately afraid that perhaps life back at home for him was a lot rougher than I could've imagined.

I logged out that night, contemplating what went through Zach's head that day, as I couldn't help but worry that something might've been going on with him.

Then, the next day, after school was over, I logged back into the game, and I soon waited for Zach to log back in. Only…he didn't. In fact, he was clearly offline, as for some particular reason, he seemed to be withholding certain info.

I tried sending DMs to him, asking how he was doing, and that I was worried for him. Every ten minutes, I just kept on trying to figure out what was going on back on the homestead, and I couldn't help but feel immensely worried.

Ace soon logged in after two days of inactivity from Zach, checking up on me with worry. Nervous, he asked "Anything yet?"

"Nothing," I answered with worry. I groaned a little as I stared out into the horizon. "What do you think is happening back there?"

"I don't know," Ace added with worry. "Whatever the case is, I don't think we're going to get any answers the way we're currently doing it."

I couldn't help but be afraid for Zach, as mumbled "What if his home life is horrible…?"

Ace overheard my question, before asking me "What did you say?"

I want to help him at his home, but unfortunately, I don't seem to know where he lives… If he's unable to speak regarding his stance on his life, then maybe… What if he's being compelled not to reveal it? Someone is preventing him from saying anything, aren't they? …This is worse than I thought.

"Josh?" Ace asked with concern. "Are you alright?"

I sighed, before I then told him "I just…need time to think about things, Ace. I've lost all interest in exploring today."

Ace couldn't help but take pity in my inability to help someone like Zach. With a sad face, he too began to admit defeat in this instance. "Yeah… This is putting a damper on things…"

I nodded, before I then accessed the menu for my avatar, telling Ace "See you tomorrow."

I pushed the "Logout" button on the menu, as the whole world around me enveloped in white around me before suddenly, that white light faded out into pure black. My eyes were closed, and I could feel the world around me begin to form again as my mind readjusted to my surroundings. I could feel the sheets of my bed beneath me. I opened my eyes, and there I was once again in my bedroom back home.

I slowly removed the headset from my face, setting it on the dresser next to my bed. After that, I just gripped the sheets of my bed tightly, as I couldn't help but feel so afraid and worried for my friend. I wanted to help him, but I was afraid that I couldn't really do anything to help him.

As I returned to see my family during dinner, I was deep in thought as I was picking at the steak on my plate with my fork. My mind was full of questions, and I wanted to give some honest answers out of them. But more than that, I couldn't help but imagine different possibilities on what could've happened to Zach. It made me worried stiff.

My mother took notice of me sulking, before asking me "Is something the matter, Josh?"

I sighed, slumping myself back in my chair. "It's nothing, Mom. Really."

"Sulking at the dinner table isn't nothing," Mom stated. "Now, what's going on? Is something at school bothering you?"

I shook my head. "It's not school that I'm worried about."

"Well, clearly, something is on your mind," Dad said. "Are you even studying for your finals so you can graduate?"

"I'm fine, Dad," I reiterated. "It's just that…a friend of mine hasn't really made any contact with me, so I'm scared of what happened to him."

Mom and Dad looked worried about me, looking at each other with the same expression on their faces. Adam couldn't help but notice as well, taking pity on me. He simply didn't know what to say during this conversation, so he ultimately kept quiet as he ate his dinner.

Mom soon looked sternly at me, bringing up "Josh, we know you're worried sick about your friend, but you need to focus. After all, you need to focus more on your future. Where do you see yourself in three years?"

I grunted as I started cutting up the steak on my plate and taking a bite. I didn't want to have this conversation, because every day after I log out of the game, Mom would always ask me where I saw myself in three years. Every. Single. Time.

Of course, she was primarily focusing on finding a means for me to think about what sort of opportunities awaited me ever since I turned 18. Adam only turned 17 just a couple of days earlier, and I could tell that he hasn't really figured out what he wanted to do either. I mean, I figured that perhaps a career choice for me would either be as a writer or an actor. But the odd thing was, I didn't know if I could actually take off as either, so I kept those thoughts on the back of my mind as I kept thinking about other things to occupy my time. Studying for finals, sure! Easy! I would've graduated on the 8th of June, anyways! No problem!

"Josh, I'm only asking what you want to do after graduation," Mom insisted. "You need to think about life outside of that video game you're obsessed with."

"She's right, Josh," Dad uttered. "Besides, you hardly even know the people in that game, right?"

"We at least hang out and have a good time," I mentioned. "Not that you would understand as much…"

"Yeah? And how do we know that they are who they say they are?" Dad asked me. "For all we know, they could be…predators, trying to learn all of your valuable secrets and online search history. Face it, Josh. These people you meet with online aren't exactly trusting."

I wanted to argue back, but I refrained myself as I sighed and began to contemplate my next words carefully. It didn't take me long before I added "Well…I'm only saying…"

Just then, there was a rather loud alarm noise coming from Mom's phone, which also seemed to start blaring on mine and Adam's phones as well just moments later. Mom was quick to pull it out, and she sighed as she mentioned "AMBER alert."

"A child went missing around here?" Dad asked. He groaned in annoyance as he finished his steak, before getting up from the table. "In any case, we need to have a serious talk regarding your future, Josh."

I ultimately didn't respond to him as my mind was still thinking deeply about Zach. Dad noticed how distracted I was, sighing as he couldn't help but find me worrying for my friend's safety to be quite the difficult thing for me. He then returned to the kitchen and placed his finished plate into the sink, before turning to me and saying "Let's just…take some time to think about it, alright? We really want you to consider some things, Josh. For your future, you know."

I ultimately nodded in silence as I continued eating my food in quiet contemplation. I blocked out almost everything around me as I kept on eating my dinner, my mind too distracted to the way that Zach was acting a couple of days ago. He looked like he was afraid of something, but didn't want to go and confess it.

To me, Zach looked like he was desperate.

The next day, May 28, 2027, would ultimately be the very day that changed my life, for better or for worse.

I was sitting in class during third period, by which time, the day was already starting to get repetitive as I was just going through the motions in class. The lingering thought of Zach and his behavior struck a chord with me to an insane degree, as I just sat there, waiting for class to be over with.

That was when I saw the door to class open, and the school nurse opened the door, asking the teacher "Um…could I have a word with Joshua Benson? The principal wants to see him. It's rather important."

This made me suddenly aware that somehow, I was being brought down to the principal's office. I knew I didn't cause any trouble, so what exactly did the principal want with me?

I would later find out when I arrived at the office. Adam was sitting down in a seat as well, taking notice of me entering the office, as I asked our principal "You wanted to see me?"

"That I did," he responded. "Please, take a seat."

I did as he demanded, and took a seat next to Adam. As we both stared at the principal, I asked him "What's going on? We're not in trouble, are we?"

"No. But unfortunately, I have some bad news…" He sighed, staring us both down, before saying "We just received a call from your mother. Your grandfather has passed away."

This came as a shock to both me and Adam. "He's dead?" Adam asked with alarm. "How?"

"Throat cancer," the principal answered out of pity. "He put up a good fight, but…sad to say, he didn't make it. You mom took time out of her schedule just to visit him before he passed away, too. I am so sorry for your loss…"

Adam and I were devastated. Adam, especially, as he began to start weeping into his hands, while I ended up wrapping my arm around him and patting his back. The principal soon mentioned to us "Take as much time as you need to yourselves. Your mother will be arriving here shortly to pick you up."

I suggested that Adam and I go to the library and find something to do to pass the time. The principal allowed us to do so, but only to the library, and nowhere else. He also gave us both some water to drink in order to try and calm our nerves. After we had some water, we both made it to the library to think things over. We both chose to sit in the back corner of the library, where nobody else could see us mourning.

"I just…can't believe he's gone…" Adam grieved.

I completely understood Adam's pain in this. Adam loved Grandpa quite a lot. Whenever he visited us, Adam was always so happy to have him around, he'd completely forget about whatever he was writing down in order to spend the day with him. Hearing the news that he was gone was a bitter pill to swallow. For the both of us, really…

I gently rubbed at Adam's back, telling him "I know… I miss him, too…"

It was there that I suddenly heard my phone beep as it buzzed in my pocket. I was quick to look at it, and found that it was a text message from Mom. Her message read "Almost there. Pick up your things, and meet with us at the front."

I sighed, placing my phone back into my pocket. I told Adam "Mom's almost here. We'd better go."

Adam sulked a little, leaning forward as he tried to calm his nerves. I heard him sniff a little as he still had tears on his face. Patting his back, I then tried to get him back up, before he muttered "Can I just…stay here? I need some time alone…"

I nodded, telling him "I'll go get your bag from the office, then." I then walked away and left Adam all by himself in the library, giving him time and space to try and process things alone.

THIS was another mistake I would later regret heavily. Looking back, I should've just stayed there with him, or forced him back into the principal's office. However, for reasons I didn't know why I went through with it, I just believed that any actions with either staying there to comfort him or forcing him out of the library would've resulted in him crying loudly, causing the other students and staff members to get annoyed quickly.

So, yeah. Dumb, boneheaded move on my part in retrospect. But at the time, I knew that Adam preferred to be left alone, so I did just that. I simply just wandered over to the office, closing the door behind me as I looked at the principal. "Our mother's almost here, so she wants us at the front of the building."

The principal nodded, before asking me "Where's your brother?"

I sighed. "He's in the library. Coping."

The principal couldn't help but agree that maybe Adam is not taking this news too well, and simply sighed out of pity. "Well, I hope you both feel better."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir. We appreciate i-"

Just then, a loud scream was heard from the hallway, jolting the both of us awake. There were a few students that were running for their lives, as what appeared to be a deranged teen with a knife was wildly swinging, his expression clearly showing signs of distress. Out of instinct, I hid along the wall, avoiding the windows, while the principal was smart enough to go underneath his desk. He took the intercom microphone, pushing the button on it, before announcing to the students "Attention! We are now in an emergency situation. If you are in a classroom, lock the doors and remain inside until the emergency situation is cleared. Everyone who is in the halls, please remain calm, and locate the nearest possible exit and leave in an orderly fashion! I repeat, remain calm, and exit in an orderly fashion."

My own heart was racing, as I narrowly avoided detection just in the nick of time. My anxiety was not exactly something I could really go into further detail about in regards to this incident. Needless to say, it was pretty intense, and I tried to steady my breathing as I waited in the office.

That was when I looked at the live security footage of the school on the TV as it jumped towards the hall that led towards the library. Much to my horror, the deranged teen ended up already ended up viciously lashing at staff by the door, before being blocked from view by the blind spot on the camera. However, just a few seconds later, that was when I soon saw the staff member that was attacked, fallen over towards the edge of that blind spot. I let out a shrilled gasp, noticing that the staff member was dead. After that, I could see a bright light among the shadows of that corner of the hall, indicating that the library door was opened.

I panicked. I soon got up, and I made my way towards the exit of the principal's office, fear and adrenaline being the things that kept me going. The principal shouted "Mr. Benson! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Adam's in the library! I have to save him!" I shouted as I fumbled with the lock to the door.

"You can't go out there! It's too dangerous!" He then stood up and yelled out demandingly "Wait in here, otherwise your behavior is deemed a breach in school rules!"

Furiously, I turned towards the principal, screaming at him "MY BROTHER IS GOING TO DIE IN THERE! I CAN'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE I CARE ABOUT!"

Soon enough, I unlocked the door, and opened it as I ran as fast as I could towards the library. I ignored the principal's shouting, as my mind raced and my heart was going a mile a minute. My thoughts ranged from a number of things, but top of the list, I saw the memories I've shared with Adam flashing through my mind. Tears were in my eyes. I wanted to get to where Adam was before it was too late.

Once I arrived at the library and opened the door, I saw the deranged teen was flailing around, swinging the knife this way and that, while nobody moved, frozen in fear. And there, backed into a corner was Adam, panic strewn across his face as he was afraid of the absolute worst that could happen.

This frantic person, the knife-wielding maniac, was not one to fail to notice my entrance. As I entered, he pointed the knife towards me, and yelled out "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! JUST STAY BACK!" A panicked smile showed on his face, where he yelled out "MAKE ANY SUDDEN MOVES, AND I'LL KILL YOU!"

I panted, sweat beading down my face as I saw the maniac forcing me to stay back out of fear. Meanwhile, the maniac gave a scared laugh, all the while he was shedding a few tears. "I…I can't go back there… I am not going to go back to my father, you hear me!? Not after what he did to me!"

Taking a look towards Adam, he seemed to try and stand up, sneaking his way out as best as he could as he backed away along the shelfs. Immediate fear enveloped me, knowing fully well that if Adam is caught, he was as good as dead. ADAM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? HE'S GOING TO NOTICE YOU!

Unfortunately, Adam's little escape attempt didn't pan out too well, as he inadvertently knocked a few books off of the shelf he was backing away on. The maniac took notice, turning to Adam's direction as he yelled out "I SAID DON'T MOVE! TIME TO DIE!" Fear lumped up in my chest as the maniac then made his move towards Adam, and the next thing I knew, I could feel my body move on impulse, as I ran towards the maniac out of pure adrenaline and fear.

Everything was all a blur… I don't remember all of the details, but I distinctly remember tackling the guy. We fought, maybe, but I don't know. I was so fear-stricken, my mind sort of blanked as I acted purely out of instinct to save my brother's life. I don't even remember how long it was, but clearly, the battle felt like it went on for far too long for me.

To spare the details, the end result was that the next thing I knew, there was a knife in this killer's chest, I panted while I was on top of the guy, and the next thing I knew, he muttered out "Josh…Ace… I'm sorry…" He drew his last breath, and his eyes shed one final tear before his head slumped over to the side.

As I panted, I slowly got up from the body, as I looked at my hand. There, I saw my palm had blood coming from it, causing me to gasp, tears in my eyes. I then slowly turned towards the body, and found that he muttered out my name. Realization dawned on me, as I could feel my tears coming out, and I cradled the dead body.

This was Zach. And I killed him.

My mind blanked for the next few hours. I was taken in by police custody, but was thankfully bailed out by my parents. As I walked forward, my face showing clear signs of trauma and anguish, my mother brought me in close for a hug, crying deeply as she couldn't believe the horrific event Adam and I both went through. Adam, meanwhile, sat in the waiting lobby with Dad until the police came to attempt an interview with Adam.

They questioned him, since he was one of the witnesses, but unfortunately, his mind was clearly shaken, his eyes wide awake as nothing at all seemed to register to him on what happened. He was so traumatized, he ended up practically unable to speak or react to anything for the longest time.

We were given the pardon to return home later that evening, as Adam and I journeyed to our rooms once the day was over. Adam gave a look to me, asking me "Josh…are you alright?"

I sniffed, as tears were coming down my face. This is it. My life is over. I'm as good as finished.

The sad thing is, neither of us made a move to hug each other that night. Adam needed my comfort for barely surviving a school attack. And I needed comfort because I had blood on my hands. Unintentional, I might add, given I didn't want anyone to die. I had no idea what happened back then, and sadly, I will never know for a long, long time…

Late at night, I ended up having nightmares regarding that day's events playing off in my head. I was unable to sleep. I couldn't breathe. My mind was broken. Nothing was going to change what happened. That day would be the worst day of my entire life. Nothing was ever going to change that.

For comfort purposes, I was curious if Ace was online, given that it was a weekend, after all. I needed someone to help comfort me, after what happened. So, I placed on my VR headset, took a deep breath, and muttered out "Connect: Start." My vision went white, and after calibrating to impact my five senses in a virtual environment, everything was white before it all turned to black.

I awoke inside of Hotel Nocturne in the southernmost town of the game, Viribus: The Town of Strength. I checked my hand, seeing it has been made into a Riolu paw, and I couldn't help but weep a little. I took about a few minutes just to quietly weep as I was alone in the game, just hoping there was some light at the end of this dark tunnel I'm going into.

I tried to DM Ace, messaging him about what happened, and suggesting we both meet in the game. However, as I waited for what felt close to half an hour, I soon gave up hope of him responding. "He must be asleep. Obviously…"

Then, just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming the whole scenario where I killed Zach, I ended up once again trying to DM his account. However, once more, there was no response. In fact, I soon quickly found something that only made my heart sink. There was a message that was placed there that was dated to about three days ago. There, I saw a message that said "My father suspects that I'm telling people thanks to me sneaking into my private hiding spot that he doesn't know about. Hopefully, he doesn't find out. If he did… God, I hope he doesn't… You guys are the closest thing I have to friends, and I don't want to lose you. You guys are my personal heroes."

Once more, tears started to come down my face as I looked at the message. Not wanting to look at it anymore, I put the DMs away, intent to find a way to break the news to Ace when he wakes up. I fell down to my knees, unable to find the right words to describe how I felt on that day. It was as if my whole body was shutting down, and no amount of therapy was going to make me feel better.

Just then, the clouds above me started to thunder, as rain slowly but surely started to pour down. I looked up at the clouds, feeling the raindrops as they hit my face, wiping away the tears in the downpour that was to follow. I gave a loud scream of anguish, crying as I have come to realize that there was no salvation for me. I was as good as dead. My life was over. I couldn't even begin to imagine if I was given some sort of criminal record. Did they give criminal records if it was technically out of self-defense? Honestly, I didn't know, and I didn't really care. I was just in absolute agony.

I soon took shelter under a tree to hide from the rain, curled up into a ball as I was truly afraid of what would happen if I was going to return home. In many respects, my worst possible nightmare was there, clear as day. I'm no hero… I guess, I never will be, since I just squandered that opportunity…

I soon heard the sound of rustling in the bushes, and immediately looked in the direction of where the noise came from. I didn't even get up, because if it turned out to be a wild Pokémon, I was more than willing to just let it beat me senseless. Whoever this was, I simply didn't care. Nothing could make me feel better.

And there, emerging from the underbrush, was a Nuzleaf. He held out his hand at me, before he told me "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you."

I sulked, turning my head away as I just sat there in absolute silence. The Nuzleaf was quick to notice that I was devastated, as he soon walked up to me, asking "What's wrong, squirt?"

"I don't want to talk about it…" I mumbled. I gazed over towards the Nuzleaf, asking "What are you doing up so late?"

The Nuzleaf just chuckled awkwardly, before he then said "Well, I was planning on going over to a hotel and call it a night. Unfortunately, things only became a bit more complicated once I soon came upon a random player who seemed to be going through a bit of depression."

I just grumbled as I looked away from him. "Why do you care? There's nothing that could ever make me feel better after all of that."

The Nuzleaf couldn't help but take great pity over me, as he looked at me with concern. He then heard a beeping come from his badge, where he then told me "Hold that thought."

While the Nuzleaf was talking to whoever was on his badge, I just sat there with the sound of the rain and my own thoughts to keep me company. Deep inside, I just wished that I found myself in a different timeline. I wished for Zach to still be alive. I wished to still be able to live a relatively normal life back home.

Then, I recalled something people muttered out when I was crying over Zach's dead body. I only heard one thing: "Monster." I didn't remember anything else, I was so tramatized, but that one word was more than enough to cause me to start reflecting. As I stared at my paw, I trembled, as the mental image of my own human hand coated with blood shook me to my core. What if…I am a monster? Did I look that way when I fought against Zach? Why can't I remember things clearly? What did…Adam think of me?

It didn't take long until the Nuzleaf finished his call, where he then looked back at me. The look I saw on his face indicated some sort of…fear? Concern? Pity? I couldn't really figure out what it was, but I could sense in his aura that it was erratic, much like with Zach a few days ago. But with a quick deep breath, he said "Listen, kid. If you want to cheer yourself up, you need to be with some friends, or anybody, really. You can't be sulking all day. Where's your fighting spirit?"

I whimpered as I said nothing to the Nuzleaf. This caused him to grit his teeth, and say to himself "Nice one, Locke. You're really not helping here." He then knelt down as he told me "Look, what I mean is that you can't be so fixated on the past and moping all the time. You need to lighten up."

"Why do you care?" I gave my situation some thought, and now, I only wanted one thing to focus on. My life is as good as over, anyways. What's the point, if it means I can no longer be happy with my life? I sighed, before shamefully admitting to the Nuzleaf "I just…want to share one final adventure before I'm gone from this game forever. Be with my team. Enjoy the sights one final time before… Before…"

The Nuzleaf gave a pitying smile towards me, and he admitted "Look, I get it. You're not happy with things. But… I guess it's something I can relate to…" He then looked into his bag, before asking me "How many are in your team?"

"Just…two," I answered glumly. "It's just that…" I wanted to speak up further, but I was just so grief stricken, I couldn't really form any words. It didn't take long until I sensed something about this Nuzleaf's aura that…caught my interest. All of a sudden, his aura wasn't as erratic as before, and it also seemed…different, though I didn't know what, since I was still in the process of learning to sense this sort of thing.

As I looked at the Nuzleaf, he held out a pair of cards for me to take, his gaze turned away from me. "These passes are supposed to make your experience in the game more authentic. It could change your life, so to speak, if you take it. The game has been distributing these things lately, so perhaps you'd be happy to share this with a friend."

I took the passes from him, noticing the official seal of approval that was emblazoned on the corners of both passes. These are authentic passes by OrigiNerve. What in the world is this Nuzleaf doing with these? Why haven't I seen something like this before?

"You can thank me later, sure," the Nuzleaf said as he looked at me again with a smile. "Besides, if you want a true adventure, all it takes is a single step in the right direction."

I looked at the Nuzleaf with confusion, noting how his smile seemed to be hiding something more…mysterious. Who is this guy? Once I looked once again at the passes, I took a note over how they both carried a particular symbol on it. Curiously, I pondered "This looks familiar… Where did you find…?" I turned towards the Nuzleaf's direction, only to then find he was gone from sight. I searched high and low, only I could no longer feel the Nuzleaf's presence, as his aura was no longer within range.

I didn't know what this was all about at the time. Back then, I was just desperate. He said that these passes were to change my life, but I highly doubted that at the time. After all, where else was I supposed to go once these passes were in effect?

However, it was then that I soon sensed a familiar aura fumbling through the rain. Looking at it carefully, it was a rather faint red. That's not the Nuzleaf, that's for sure. However, as I looked a little bit closer, I could tell that it was not only a faint red aura, but I could also see the glow of a small yellow orb that only grew brighter as it drew closer in the rain.

I almost gasped when I soon saw that the person, fumbling through the rain, was Adam. I mean, who else would be having difficulty on four legs like that? Overjoyed on seeing him, I shouted "Adam!"

The Torracat soon heard me, and tried to run closer towards the sound of my voice, only to trip over his front legs and start rolling forwards towards me. I narrowly avoided the impact as Adam faceplanted onto the tree, before falling backwards and resting on his back. Yup. That's definitely him.

Adam shook himself back into focus, standing on his feet before asking me "Josh, where were you? I've been looking everywhere!"

This made me slightly relieved, knowing how much he cared for me. "You…were looking for me?"

"Of course I was! I mean, I saw you had the headset on, and Mom and Dad wanted me to check on you, since I had an account I haven't been using for months. And…well…" He then lowered his head in shame, mumbling to himself "I can't believe I had to go back to being on all-fours for you…"

I smiled at him, patting his head and saying "Hey, thanks for finding me."

Adam smiled back, before he then noticed the passes I was holding in my paw. Curious, he asked "What are those?"

I held up the passes carefully, and I explained "I was…apparently given some passes to gain access to the adventure of a lifetime in this game. There was this Nuzleaf, see, and he mentioned that this could help me."

"A Nuzleaf?" Adam doubted. "Josh, you know you shouldn't just take something from strangers like that. What if this is a trick?"

"The passes have the official seal of the company in charge of this game, so they have to be authentic, right?" I then showed one of the passes to him, pointing out the seal that was on the corner of the pass. "OrigiNerve hasn't gone so far as to forge a pass before, so I bet this can be quite helpful."

"Helpful?" Adam questioned. "Josh, Mom and Dad are worried sick about you! They want you to come home. I want you to come home… We can sort things out. Try and talk to Mom and Dad. Maybe we can still save your life, Josh."

I doubted that, as I sighed deeply and admitted "Honestly, I just want to go on one more adventure before I face the music…"

Adam groaned upon hearing me relent. However, he could clearly see I was still bummed out over what we both went through. We both just stood there in silence as the rain poured overhead, and he muttered out "You really are persistent…"

"Adam, just one adventure? Please? I need time to collect my senses." I ultimately gave him these adorable puppy dog eyes. He knew for certain that I tried begging for him to experience new things with me all the time, so the fact I was this desperate to him seemed to make him start to feel sorry for me.

He sighed, before snatching one of the passes from me. "Fine, if we go on one more adventure together, just you and me, then will you log out and return home? I can't stand it when you make those cute eyes at me…"

I smiled, happy to see he was willing to care for me. "Thank you, Adam."

And just like that, we both activated the passes, seeing them both disintegrate completely upon activation. Just like that, we both looked around curiously on what would happen next. And soon, Adam asked "Now what?"

"I don't know… I just thought something was supposed to happen…" But then, I could feel like a sudden jolt shot through my whole body. And judging from Adam's expression, he felt something similar.

As we staggered in place, I placed a paw on my head as I felt like something took us both by surprise. I felt dizzy, my breathing becoming ragged as I felt like a cold sweat was coming on. My fur stood on end, and I began to start feeling scared over what might be happening.

Then, I heard Adam start to panic, as he then looked at his paw, which started to disappear into pixels before his eyes. I turned to him, shouting "Adam!" I then felt like something was wrong with my legs, as I just fell forward onto the ground. Upon looking back towards my legs, I saw that they were both vanishing before my eyes.

The fact that our avatars were disintegrating like this was like witnessing something out of a horror movie. Only this time, it was affecting the both of us in real time. My lower body was all but disintegrated into pixels, all the while the same happened to Adam, who looked at me with fear in his eyes. He held out his only remaining paw, screaming to me "Josh! Help!"

"ADAM!" I screamed as I tried reaching out to him. I was in full panic mode, trying desperately to reach towards him. The spread of our bodies vanishing was picking up pace, and the both of us were in a panic to try and reach for one another. I was afraid of what would happen to us. I was afraid of what would happen to Adam.

But soon, both of our avatar bodies vanished completely in a series of pixels, as everything around us both went white.

I had no idea how long I was out for. But as I slowly started getting my bearings, I could clearly see that it was still raining, and I was still underneath a tree in Ethereal Forest. I groaned as I got up, resting a head on my hand as I sat up straight and tried to figure out what happened.

Well, when I looked at my hand, instead, I was greeted with a paw. I was still in PMDO, at least. That's when I quickly realized that Adam was also caught up in whatever affected us. I turned as looked over whichever direction Adam could've been in, worried that he might've been gone. However, much to my relief, as I looked over to my right, I found that Adam was with me in this world as well, just out cold.

I sighed with relief, placing my paw onto my chest as I caught my breath. We're still here. That's a relief. But then, I felt something in my chest that caused me to suddenly jolt as I let out a gasp. I moved my paw away in a panic, trying to steady my breathing. However, that was when I began to start theorizing what that feeling was, and I didn't know what to think. "Wait… What is…?"

I wanted to be sure if what I felt in my chest was correct, or that I was just dreaming. Slowly, I placed my paw onto my chest again, and once again, that feeling emerged. This beating in my chest that caused me to be wide-eyed in shock. Impossible! How is this even happening?

I soon heard Adam groan as he started to wake up. He turned to look at me, seeing how we were both still in PMDO. But the moment he saw my shocked expression, he asked me "What happened?"

"Adam… I don't know how I can explain this… But…"

Adam looked concerned, asking me "What's wrong?"

I turned to face my brother, and I asked him "I can feel my heartbeat."

Adam was slightly puzzled about this, asking me "Are you okay, Josh? You didn't hit your head or anything, did you?"

"No, I am not making any of this up, Adam! I am feeling something that shouldn't even be possible!" I said in a panic.

"What, you're telling me that none of the players have hearts? That's pretty cold, Josh…"

"No, I just…" And then, I began to rush over to Adam, realizing that if I was affected, then what if Adam was also affected? I rushed over to him, placing my paw close to his chest.

"Josh! What are you…?"

"Shh!" I carefully felt Adam's chest, looking for the place where a heart should be at. And soon enough, I found what I was looking for, and felt a heartbeat in Adam's chest as well. I slowly backed away, my paws up to my mouth in shock. "You have a heartbeat as well…"

Adam was still confused by this. "Josh, you're just being paranoid."

"No, I'm telling you that something like this is impossible!" I reasoned. "I checked my chest multiple times over in case of injury, but NOTHING indicated a heartbeat! I swear!"

Adam sighed at my response, telling me "Look, it's raining out, we're soaked, and Mom and Dad are waiting for us back home. I think I'm just going to log out."

"Adam! You can't tell me you don't believe me! You've played this game before, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I'd much rather be on two legs, thank you very much!" Adam complained. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to-" However, as he swiped his paw to access the menu, nothing appeared, causing him to start feeling frustrated. Multiple times, he attempted this, and I was only baffled by his behavior. "Why isn't this working?"

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"I can't seem to open the menu," Adam remarked. "Is this a glitch or something?"

"What are you talking about?" I tried to reassure him. I swiped my arm, telling Adam "The menu is right-" However, I too began to face a similar dilemma. I swiped my paw again to access the menu, but nothing appeared. Hold on… Why can't we access the menu?

However, our moment of pondering soon turned to blood curdling terror as what appeared to be a trio of Vigoroth appeared out of nowhere. They all took notice of the both of us, and Adam almost started screaming. "Oh crap! Vigoroth!"

I knew Adam was lacking in proper practice, especially since he wasn't as refined as I was. So, I made the only logical thing that made sense. I turned to him, and shouted "RUN!"

We both tried running for the hills, looking for a way out as the Vigoroth pursued us. Adam and I tried what we could avoid them, all the while he shouted to me "Why won't they go away!?"

"Just hang in there, and keep running!" I shouted back.

Unfortunately for us, one of the Vigoroth ended up leaping ahead of us, catching the both us off guard. And without warning, the wild Vigoroth ended up using Facade, striking a significant blow on Adam. He screamed as he was knocked away towards a nearby tree, colliding with the trunk before he was knocked unconscious.

"ADAM!" I screamed. I then turned to see the Vigoroth in front of me attempt to strike me down with a Slash attack. Anticipating this, I tried leaping away, as the claws ended up barely scratching my chest. I winced as I felt a slight bit of pain, before I turned towards the other two Vigoroth, intent on saving my brother.

I ended up using Circle Throw as I grabbed the arm of one of the Vigoroth, before I ended up tossing it towards its companion. Once both Vigoroth ended up colliding with a nearby tree, I saw one of them disintegrate into pixels as I panted over my victory. I could still feel a stinging pain in my chest, and I ended up placing my paw on it, noticing that there was indeed a scratch mark on it. But that wasn't all.

As I lifted my paw up to my face, I saw blood. It wasn't much to worry about, but it still ended up scaring me stiff. I was completely horrified. And unfortunately, I failed to notice the third Vigoroth lunge towards me, striking me hard with a Focus Punch. I was knocked away towards the same tree as Adam, as I fell forward and I ended up noticing something on Adam upon landing on top of him. There was blood coming out of his mouth.

Horrified, I put the pieces together. I realized that we were both in some sort of intense situation, where if we died, that was it. Worse yet, Adam was clearly far less experienced. I was worried for him, and I didn't want him to die on my watch.

The two remaining Vigoroth ended up slowly approaching us, ready to finish us both off at a moment's notice. I staggered myself back up to my feet, ready to face these things alone to protect him. However, I could feel my head was aching badly. A mild concussion, I think, since I hit that tree pretty hard. It was beginning to become difficult just to stand up. However, I muttered out to the wild Pokémon "I…will never…let my brother die… Not as long…as I draw breath…" I glared at the Vigoroth, before I ended up shouting to them "I'll take you both on! You will know what it feels to be against the likes of me! Stand down, or suffer the consequences!"

I made my threat, but unfortunately, I was nauseous, on the verge of collapse. I stood no chance. However, I wanted to prove that I was there to protect someone. I had already been through the emotional wringer, and I didn't want Adam to die so quickly. He doesn't deserve this. I felt like I did, as punishment for what happened back home. But NEVER would I subject this sort of punishment on Adam! If I was to die here, I would've been happy if I died protecting Adam until the very end.

However, that moment of heroism soon ended when a powerful jolt of lighting and a strong burst of flames ended up striking both Vigoroth from behind, causing the both of them to disintegrate into pixels. I gasped, and I barely saw two figures. An Electabuzz. And a Braixen.

My head was hurting too much for me to process things. However, I did see the Electabuzz walk towards me, his face showing genuine concern, as he asked me "Are you alright?"

That was the moment where everything faded from my sight, as I slowly collapsed, knocked unconscious from the concussion. Everything around me went black.

My name is Joshua Benson. This is the story of how Adam and I both became Team Inferno.

Chapter 46: Book of J