EPISODE 45: Eye of the beholder!

Things were starting to get confusing. The golden rings just don't make any sense. All the visions are gobbledygook, they lack answers that me and Glade seek for. Who is the man with scars? Why was it trying to persuade the two Pokemons? What does the man mean when he said "You could have the power of Gods!" Do all of these connect to the mystery behind our parents?

We won't give up. There is a reason why those rings showed up. There is a reason why those Pokemons were created. A certain enemy, it was loud and clear. Could the man with scars be my parent's rival? Things were starting to get suspicious, especially Zorua. Is she hiding something? Something only she can understand?

Zhery and Camellia were also starting to see suspiciousness between me and Glade. Once in a awhile, I and Glade would disappear, lurking into the deep wilderness. It was time that I pay attention to these phenomena, the voice, I haven't heard it since I was in the Citrus home for the lost. Something strange is going on, and I'm not going to like it.

The Pokemon in Zorua's necklace seems to be suspicious as well. Who is the bearer of the rings? A loop or ring Pokemon I guess?

It is the pinnacle of the day, it was time to move to the next route. Everything seems normal, the Pokemons playing while we walk, Riolu in my shoulder, Petilil jumping and sniffing the lush green grass of mother nature, and Ivy playing along with Zorua. It is indeed fun to play with your Pokemons, playing with Pokemons can warm our heart, they're cuddly faces and cute little bodies can make up one's day.

If you're wondering about our Z-move, me and Riolu haven't mastered it yet. Training and experience is our teacher in order to achieve greatness. Once you achieve a full bond with your Pokemon, once you are connected, unlimited possibilities open up. You could be a champion, you could be a master, you could achieve anything your heart wishes.

We thought it would be a typical summer day, until something unexpected happened.

We came across an old abandoned sea taxi station. The purpose of a sea taxi is to bring people to the other side of the region by passing a large sea or river. This was used when bridges were uncommon, but after the construction of bridges, sea taxis serve no purpose since people could just go to the other side of the region by passing through a long bridge. Sea taxi companies began to shut down afterward, that's why the sea taxi station we saw was closed and out of business.

Beside the abandoned Sea taxi station, there was also a mini convenience store in the side. In front of it was the long Skymore bridge which connects the east and the west areas of this region. And my friends I decided to buy some snacks in the convenience store when the unexpected happened.

"Alright, let make a quick stop here, then we'll cross the bridge!" Glade instructed.

We did enter the convenience store, only to see empty shelves and empty stocks. The cashier was also packing up. We decided to ask what was going on.

"Excuse me, but may we ask what's happening?" Zhery queried.

"We're closing, no one comes to this place after all. The manager has given direct orders to close this shop for good." the cashier lady uttered as she lifted her bag.

"No costumers? But why?" Camellia queried.

"Ever since a new convenient store opened at the other edge of the bridge, no one wanted to come here anymore, the place got bankrupt and we couldn't pay electricity and water bills anymore. So it was time to close the shop." the cashier lady added.

The cashier lady asked us to leave, the shop was close and this side of the bridge started to feel like a ghost town.

"Guess, all we have to do is to cross the bridge to buy some snacks." I hunched with uncertainty.

We were about to cross the bridge when suddenly I saw a blue pretty flower. I told my friends about it, and they were in awe.

"I've never seen a flower like that before," Glade uttered as we went closer to the blue flower.

Petilil, a Pokemon who loves flowers rushed to the blue flower and sniffed it.

"How's the aroma Petilil?" Camellia queried.

Petilil nodded her head, she really loved the blue flower when all of a sudden a Pokemon showed up in surprise.

: Kirl! Kirl! The Pokemon badgered as it tried to protect the flower. We were unable to react quickly, the Pokemon's eye turned violet and the fog debuted.

"Where are all these fog coming from?" Zhery asked.

The Pokemon disappeared together with the blue flower.

"Guess the weather is always unpredictable, come on, we have to cross the bridge before something bad happens again," Glade advised.

It took ten minutes for users to reach the other side of the bridge. As we got closer to the other end, the fog lessened and the surroundings became clear.

"Finally! The fog is gone and we finally reached the other end of the Sky more bridge." I said with relief.

As we stepped out of the bridge, the place looked familiar. "Hey, isn't that the convenient store on the other side of the bridge?" Camellia asked.

"Yeah, and there's the sea taxi but... it's open." I observed. Everything looked the same as the ones on the other side. But this time, the sea taxi station was opened. It was filled with a lot of passengers waiting in line to buy their tickets. There were also dozens of customers in the convenience store which recently closed.

The four of us looked behind, and we saw the bridge was under construction? There were engineers, building the long bridge. It was like the bridge led us to its own history.

"Where are we? Why is the bridge under construction?" Zhery panicked.

"I think, this is the bridge at the time it was being built." Camellia hunched.

"B... But how could a bridge lead us back in time?" I queried.

"I don't know, let's just see what's happening around," Glade suggested.

The place was filled with people and most of them were overjoyed. We decided to buy tickets from the sea taxi station, there we met the captain and his daughter. His daughter had a Pokemon and it looks familiar.

"Four tickets please." Glade paid for the four of us.

We took the tickets from the cashier and entered the sea taxi. The daughter of the captain was handing out some juice boxes for us.

I saw her, and asked her a question.

"Excuse me, but may I ask what kind of Pokemon is that?" I queried.

"Oh, this is Ralts... She helps me and dad during work." the daughter smiled and introduced.

"Mind if I scan Ralts with my Pokedex?"

"Sure Mr., no problem at all!" the daughter smiled.

I asked Irys to scan the Pokemon for me, the girl was unfamiliar with the Pokedex.

"Hey Mr., why does your Pokedex talk?" the daughter asked.

"Oh no... I forgot that HPP's weren't invented yet during this time." I uttered in my mind.

"Don't expose the technology, everybody will start to query," Camellia whispered.

"I forgot that we were in the past," I whispered back.

"Umm so yeah, my Pokedex is... talking because it wants too." I excused worryingly, If I tell her what Pokedex Irys is, she'll know that I'm from the future.

"Umm, that's not a valid answer." the daughter uttered.

"Umm, you see-"

"We are from another region, that's why his Pokedex talks." Camellia interrupted me as I didn't know how to make an excuse.

"Oh, what region?" the daughter asked. Things were getting anxious, we didn't know what to answer.

"Umm the... Kanto region" Zhery answered worryingly.

"Kanto region doesn't have a Pokedex like that, my dad is from the Kanto region." the daughter explained.

"What she was trying to say is the Kannon region. He he" Glade excused.

"Oh, the Kannon region! Where's that, I've never heard of that region." the daughter asked.

"It's in the left of the Sinnoh region." Camellia excused.

"Oh, if that's the case, then scan my Ralts mister!" the daughter smiled.

I scanned Ralts and this is the info about her. [Ralts! The feeling Pokemon! A Psychic and Fairy type. Ralts senses the emotions of people using the horns on its head. This Pokémon rarely appears before people. But when it does, it draws closer if it senses that the person has a positive disposition.]

Ralts smiled back at us. We arrived on the other side of the bridge and the sea taxi went back to the other side.

When we took a closer look, we saw the same scenario. The sea taxi is open, the convenient store is open. But it seems like, the captain and the daughter were packing up. The bridge was finished, and a ribbon tied the two edges.

"We're at another point in time," Glade observed.

"I agree, but it seems like the bridge is about to open tomorrow," Zhery added.

"Yeah, I guess the old mayor is about to cut the ribbon tomorrow." I hunched.

We hid behind the tree to observe Ralts and the daughter of the captain.

"G... Goodbye Ralts. Tomorrow, me and dad I will be going back to the Kanto region." the daughter sobbed as she hugged rates. Ralts seemed to look confused.

"The sea taxi will be closing, since the bridge is done. I'm sorry Ralts... Here, take this flower, this will symbolize that no matter how far we are from each other. I'll still remember you." the daughter sobbed. Ralts began to cry.

As tears fell off from Ralts' eyes, she started to glow. Ralts became bigger, Ralts was evolving.

"R... Ralts?" the daughter was confused.

: Ki... Kirlia the newly evolved Pokemon cried as she hugged the daughter.

"Hey, isn't that the blue flower we saw earlier?" Glade asked.

"Yeah, and that's the Pokemon trying to protect the blue flower," I added.

I scanned Kirlia and gathered information about her. [Kirlia! The emotion Pokemon! A fairy and Psychic-type. Ralts senses the emotions of people using the horns on its head. This Pokémon rarely appears before people. But when it does, it draws closer if it senses that the person has a positive disposition.]

"So, Kirlia was trying to protect the flower... As long as Kirlia sees the flower she'll remember the captain's daughter. That's why she was trying to protect it." Zhery concluded.

"So Kirlia isn't the daughter's Pokemon, Kirlia is just a friend of the daughter. They must've met when the daughter and the captain arrived from the Kanto region for their job here as a sea captain." Camellia concurred.

"It's heartbreaking to see people leaving their Pokemon friends. Pokemons that they played with for a long time." Zhery felt sorry for Kirlia.

"Don't worry Kirlia, I won't forget you. Thank you for being my friend." this was the last words of the daughter towards her Pokemon friend.

Then all of a sudden, the four of us woke up. We were in a dream, a dream that the four of us experienced together.

"Where are we?" Glade queried as he looked around.

"Hey look! We're in the present. The sea taxi and the convenient store is closed." Camellia pointed.

"Wait, so all of this gobbledygook is just a dream!?" I queried.

"I don't think so, for me, I think we just entered Kirlia's memory." Camellia hunched.

"How could you say that it was just a dream?" Glade wondered.

"Simple, Kirlia did something to us before we crossed the bridge remember?" Camellia recalled.

"Oh yeah, Kirlia's eyes turned purple then we were teleported back in time," Zhery recalled.

Before we left, we saw Kirlia looking sad. Tears fell down from her eyes. She was sitting beside the blue flower. I went closer and comforted Kirlia.

"You missed your friend right?" I queried softly. Kirlia nodded as she wiped off her tears.

"Did she say she was coming back?" I inquired solemnly. Kirlia nodded sideways. The daughter wasn't coming back, that's why she gave Kirlia the blue flower.

"Why don't you come with us? I'll take care of you." I comforted as Kirlia continued to cry. I hugged Kirlia tightly.

Riolu smiled at Kirlia and comforted her as well.

"You can join me and Kalem Kirlia!" Riolu smiled.

"But... What about my friend?" Kirlia queried solemnly.

"We can be your friend, Kalem is a good trainer. He'll take care of you, just like your old friend." Riolu tried to convince Kirlia.

"So Kirlia? Wanna come with us? It's ok if you don't like it. But if you're with us, we can be your best friend." I comforted.

Kirlia nodded, she decided to join me and Riolu in our journey. she touched the blue flower before entering the Pokeball. "I won't forget you... friend" Kirlia uttered to the blue flower.

"Whenever you're ready, just press the Pokeball Kirlia!" I smiled. Kirlia pressed the Pokeball and she didn't resist being caught.

"So, how's Kirlia Kalem?" Camellia queried as I stood up and walked towards my friends.

"Kirlia joined me and Riolu, together... we'll be stronger and closer," I uttered softly.

"That's amazing, now you have four Pokemons!" Glade complemented.

"Thanks Glade, hopefully, Kirlia will be happy with me and Riolu."

"Of course she will, just treat her with love and care," Zhery advised.

And that was the day Kirlia got caught, a new addition to my team. A new member of my family. We crossed the bridge and reached the other side without teleporting to the past. Kirlia's eyes are truly the eyes of the beholder. Her eyes behold memories she'll cherish. Memories she'll never forget! A new adventure begins for Kirlia, a new beginning, a new life, and new friends as the journey continues.