Soooo...kinda unintentionally vanished for nearly a full year. To put things simply: Losing two family members to cancer within two months + getting diagnosed with (very minor) cancer yourself + dealing with medical bills + dealing with idiots at work + family drama = no creativity for soooooo long.

Anyway, slowly got back into writing again. I'm hoping to get back into it enough to ease back into my monthly updates but we'll see.

Hope you all enjoy and sorry for the seriously late update!

Almost as expected, it didn't take long for Sora and Mia to run into trouble. Although to be more accurate, it didn't take long for trouble to find them. About an hour after they left Foxfield, the path they were walking on started to descend into the valley that Runefall was supposed to be located in. As they walked, Mia mentioned how excited she was to possibly even visit a place called Memoria Village on the way there.

"What's so special about the place?" Sora asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if you even remember or not, but my Gym Leader nickname is the Rainbow Trainer," Mia said. "It's one of the more simple nicknames compared to other Gym Leaders, like The Tomboyish Mermaid Misty or The Shining, Shocking Star Volkner for example."

"I remember your cousin mentioning it during your Gym battle against Hector," Sora said.

"Yeah well anyway, I first gained that nickname back in Memoria Village," Mia said. "So, in a way, it's like going back to my roots as a Trainer and stuff."

"That makes sense I guess. But uh, how exactly did you gain that nickname?"

Mia blushed a bit as she glanced away.

"Well, when I first got there I was just starting out as a Trainer and a Coordinator. But I was stuck in a serious runt at the time. I ended up meeting a nice elderly woman named Sakura who ran a bakery there. She was great and gave me some great advice I still try to follow to this day.

"While I was there, I even helped out at the bakery which was a lot of fun. Plus it's where I learned to make all the treats and food for the Pokémon. But anyway, during the time I was working at the bakery I was also spent a lot of time training and figuring things out. And during that time I uh, got into some trouble when some thugs were trying to harass the place. Nothing too serious so I uh, dealt with them pretty easily but I ended up on the news. After that, the name just kinda stuck."

Sora whistled as they walked.

"So, all that leads to your Gym Leader title?"

"Yeah well, when I officially inherited the Gym the name kinda grew on me so I didn't protest," Mia said. "I mean, it was always a nice reminder of what I learned while at the bakery, you know?"

"Yeah, I getcha. So then let's head to Memoria Village and stop by that bakery. I'd love to meet this Sakura," Sora grinned.

Mia returned the smile as they continued walking. Though twenty minutes later is when they encountered the swirling black hole hovering over their heads. Before the two of them could really process what it was, there was a flash of light and a black object came falling down out of the black hole…only to land and smack Sora right in the middle of his forehead. The force sent him to the ground while the black object fell to the ground beside him.

After checking on Sora, who merely received a slight bonk on the head from the impact, Mia looked up to see the black hole in the sky disappear.

"O⎼kay, that's weird," she said before turning to look at what had fallen out of it. Upon closer inspection she realized what it was actually a Pokémon and judging from the way its appendages made it look like the letter A, she could only guess it was an Unown even before Sora scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Unown—the Symbol Pokémon. This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known," it said.

"Oh, you poor thing," Mia said, delicately gathering up the Unown in her arms. "Looks like it's sick, and injured judging by this nasty cut."

"It is sick, and it got that nasty cut by one of the other Unown due to an argument with one of its friends before ending up here. So now it's worried about going home so it could try and make up with it," Sora said matter of factly.

Mia raised an eyebrow at him. "You get all that from your little head collision there?"

"Yeah, but not from Aura. It's like, for that split second, I could actually read its mind, not its Aura. I felt its pain, emotions, and I think I could even see maybe where it's from."

"Well whatever it was, we can talk about it later. Let's find someplace to set up camp so we can tend to it."

Sora merely nodded as he got to his feet.

The two tried not to take too long to find a nice area to rest. They quickly got to work getting Unown comfortable wrapped up in some towels as a makeshift bed. Mia carefully sprayed the cut on the top of its head with a Super Potion and then placed a bandage on it. That seemed to help as the Unown seemed to fall into something of restful slumber.

Mia let out a long sigh as she placed a hand on the Unown's head. "Good, it doesn't look like it has too high of a fever. And luckily that cut won't scar. It should heal up just fine."

"What's the plan once it does?" Sora asked, rolling out his bedroll. "Any ideas on how to get it back to its friends?"

Mia groaned as she started to rummage through her backpack. "No idea. I mean, Unown are said to live in their own world or dimension depending on whom you're asking. I just hope that once it has regained its strength it can go back on its own."

Sora pursed his lips but nodded. One by one their Pokémon appeared out of their Poké Balls. Some started to help set up camp while others helped Mia tend to the Unown. Taking turns keeping an eye on the Unown for Mia while she started to cook dinner, the Pokémon each voicing their concern for it. Once or twice Mia had to remind them not to hover so much over it and to simply let the Unown rest.

Though about an hour later it woke up. Mia had to snap at the Pokémon to give it some space as to not freak it out as she came over to check on it.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" she asked, kneeling next to it.

The Unown made some weak chirps as it sat up.

Mia frowned as she placed a hand on the Unown's head, holding it there for a few minutes before removing it.

"Well, your fever is almost completely gone at least," she said. "But you should get some more rest. I'll have some food ready for when you wake up again, okay?"

The Unown gave some more chirps before lying back down. Not a moment later it was fast asleep once again. Mia then went back to work on fixing dinner while Sora stayed close to Unown in case it needed attention while she was busy. As he did, he subconsciously rubbed his forehead where the Unown had bonked him earlier.

He recalled the image in his head that appeared when Unown had accidentally fallen on him. The swirling galaxy of colors and numerous upon numerous Unown joyously floating/drifting around with some of them even opening up what Sora could only call "windows" into various locations. He remembered seeing some desert ruins, a deep jungle, and the most puzzling of all was seeing Ariel's grotto from Atlantica.

Sora couldn't stop going over that fact in his head, wondering if he just imagined it or if someway or somehow the Unown had the ability to see other worlds. And if so, it gave him a far off but hopeful idea…

Sora was brought out of his thoughts once Mia announced dinner was done. Putting all those thoughts aside, he got up to help her with handing out the food.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful with Mia and Sora taking turns keeping an eye on Unown's condition. Although they felt like they were being overly cautious, they just didn't want to take any chances since it kept varying between getting better and going back to being worse. Mia actually got worried that maybe the cut somehow got infected and was the reason for the constant switching back and forth. When Sora inquired if she could tell if that was the case and if they should try to see if they could reach a Pokémon Center.

After a lot of debating, Mia decided against it since she didn't want to risk making Unown's health worse by traveling. Sora didn't argue it and simply went to bed after his shift was over, going to sleep with the hope that maybe things would be better in the morning.

Thankfully, his hope wasn't in vain when he woke up to something poking the side of his face. Still groggy, he groaned and turned away, moaning for another five minutes but the poking didn't relent. Just as he was about to sink further into his sleeping bag he heard the cheerful chirping right by his ear, loud enough to shock him awake from the volume. Sora actually jumped up and nearly summoned the Keyblade in his surprise. Once the shock and surprise died down he finally turned to look to a happy and healthy Unown floating next to him.

"Hey, feeling better?" he asked, as he stretched to erase the last traces of sleep.

The Unown dipped in the air before gleefully circling his head.

"Yup, a full recovery thankfully," Mia said, a sleepy smile on her face.

The blonde was sitting slouched over the bundle of towels that used to be Unown's makeshift bed, looking like she had crawled out of the grave with her sunken eyes and disheveled appearance. Despite that, she still smiled at the sight of Unown joyously soaring through the air without a care in the world, like that was all that mattered to her. Mia let out a long yawn as the rest of the Pokémon started to wake up as well.

"Wait, weren't you only supposed to take watch for two hours?" Sora glanced up as the morning light started to filter through the trees, aiding in stirring all the slumbering Pokémon from their sleep. "Pretty sure it's been longer than two hours."

Mia shrugged, though such a simple action seemed to be exhausting for her as she started to struggle to keep her eyes open.

"Yeah, well you've definitely earned yourself some rest," Sora said, getting out of his sleeping bag. "Unown's feeling better now so I think once you're feeling better we'll move on."

Mia opened her mouth, whether to protest or agree Sora wasn't sure since instead she merely let out another long yawn as Aquajaws placed a hand on her shoulder. Either way, she didn't put up much of a fuss as Aquajaws and Menace both helped her into her sleeping bag. The girl practically passed out the moment she got comfortable, completely lost in the land of slumber within a minute. Aquajaws then laid down on the ground next to her while Menace went about cleaning up all her supplies that had been scattered about throughout the night.

"We should let her get some sleep," Sora said, looking to the rest of the Pokémon while putting a finger to his lips.

No one argued as everyone did their morning routine of cleaning up as quietly as they could. While Crimson led the charge of foraging around for some berries to replenish their cache, Sora took the chance to talk to Unown some more about what he saw. Taking a glance back towards their campsite, the brunet grabbed a few more Oran berries before walking over to the Psychic-type.

"Um, hey, Unown, you mind if I ask you something?" Sora asked.

The Unown titled in the air, Sora assumed like one would when they tilted their head in confusion, as it blinked at him.

"I uh, had a question to ask if you don't mind."

Unown happily nodded and twirled in the air.

Sora took a moment to figure out exactly how to word his question but just decided to be blunt.

"Is it...possible that you guys can like, open portals or something into other worlds?"

Unown seemed to be taken aback by this before doing shaking its head. And then, it placed itself under his hand, like a dog wanting to be pet. Before he could move his hand away a voice spoke in his head.

I know what you really want to ask, it said. And the answer is yes.

Sora's eyes widened as the Unown smiled at him.

Don't worry, I'll gladly open a window to check on your friends and family for you, Unown said. I can tell how worried you are about them. It's the least I can do for all you guys have done for me. Plus, I already got a glimpse at them when our minds temporarily melded when I accidentally fell on you.

"Wait...you did?"

Unown chirped in a manner that Sora could only describe as laughter.

Yeah. Just like you saw a glimpse into my world, I could see a glimpse into yours. It should be no problem to check on them.

"R-really?"

Unown nodded again before floating backward, away from Sora. It winked at him (or at least it looked like a wink, hard to tell since Unown only had one eye) before a black hole opened up behind it. Unown flew into it and disappeared along with it.

Sora blinked for a moment and by the time his brain processed what just happened, another black hole appeared along with Unown who looked delighted with itself. Placing itself under Sora's hand again, he once again heard its voice in his head.

See? Told you it was no problem!

"Wow, that...was seriously quick," Sora blinked. Then he gasped when it hit him. "Wait, then does that mean you were able to…?"

You bet! I was able to check on your friends and family easy! They're all really worried about you, and your friends are actually doing their best to try and find you.

A jolt ran through Sora.

"They are? Really?"

Yeah. But uh, not really sure how they plan on doing that.

"Well, if you Unown can open up these windows to other worlds, does that mean it's possible for you guys to actually travel or interact with them too?"

Unown looked dejected as it looked back up to Sora.

Sorry, but no, we can't. All we really can do is open a window to look into them. So uh, as much as I'd love to help you send them a message or something, I really can't. I'm sorry.

Sora had to admit, it dashed his hopes a bit to hear that. He couldn't deny how badly he wanted to send them some kind of sign to them that he was ok at least. Especially when Unown said it was possible to gaze into other worlds. But as annoying as it was, at the very least he knew how Riku, Kairi, and his mom was doing. Even if it was worrying knowing how worried they were.

"It's alright." Sora gave a small smile. "Thanks anyway for checking on them for me. I really appreciate it."

Of course!

The two smiled at each other before Sora took a step back and placed his hands behind his head.

"Well, I think we better get the others and head back to the campsite before they come looking."

Unown happily agreed.

By the time Sora and the Pokémon returned, it was already well past noon and Mia was still fast asleep in her sleeping bag. Sora decided to go ahead and let her sleep some more while they all sort the berries they had collected and make some lunch. Right as he got the small campfire started with Nicolai's help though, Mia began to stir from her slumber. Announcing her awakening with a loud yawn, she sat up, looking much more rested than earlier but also more like the undead with her massive bed hair. Sora had to stifle a laugh at the sight.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," he joked. "Feeling better?"

"Better rested if that's what you mean." Mia than glanced around with a frown. "Where's Unown? Is it still doing okay?"

Sora nodded as he placed some of the sandwiches on the pan.

"Yup. See for yourself."

Mia blinked at him confused before giving a yelp of surprise when Unown poked the side of her head. She looked at it uncomprehendingly before breaking into a smile.

"Good to see you're feeling better," she smiled, giving the Unown a hug.

"Yup, and it's mostly thanks to you, Dr. Mia," Sora snickered.

The brunet's joke earned him a glare as the said girl climbed out of her sleeping bag.

"Yeah yeah, anyway do you know what time it is?" she asked, as she began rummaging through her pack.

"Uh, somewhere around noon I guess? Grilled cheese?"

"Thanks." Mia placed her hairbrush down to take the sandwich from him. "Hmm, slept a lot longer than I would have hoped but oh well."

"Yeah well, considering how well you looked after Unown, I think you more than earned it." Sora gave a smirk. "Even if you were supposed to wake me up to take my turn."

Mia rolled her eyes at him as she bit into the sandwich. Sora merely chuckled as he passed out the rest of the food to the Pokémon. It didn't take long for everyone to finish lunch and start preparing to leave. Once the two teens were all packed up, Mia turned towards Unown with an unsure smile on her face.

"So, um, I know you're feeling better but do you need any help or anything before you head back home? I mean, I don't know what else you might need but—"

Unown cut her off with a few happy chirps and a shake of its head.

"Oh, well okay then. Safe travels then. I hope you make up with your friend," Mia smiled.

"Yeah, good luck. If you ever need help or anything down the road, I'm sure you'll be able to find us," Sora offered.

Unown nodded before affectionately poking both of them in the cheek. Unown then backed up as a black hole opened up behind it and with one last happy chirp turned to venture through it. The black hole closed up behind it, leaving no trace of it and the Psychic-type.

At that moment Mia let out a long sigh that turned into a yawn, stretching her arms out like she was reaching for the sky.

"Whelp, we better get going too," she said. "We still got quite the walk ahead of us to Runefall and Memoria Village."

"Yeah, no kidding," the brunet sighed, slumping over.

Mia giggled at his antics as they started to continue their way. Though once they got back on the path, Mia turned to Sora.

"By the way, what did you guys do while I was sleeping?"

"Oh, well, most of the Pokémon and I just picked some berries to restock our supplies really." A smile then spread on his face. "And guess what, Unown was even able to check on my friends and family for me!"

"Oh, that's nice," she replied, looking forward again.

A moment passed before she let out a squeak like a mouse and looked at Sora with wide eyes.

"Wait, what?" she exclaimed.

Sora snickered at her reaction and crossed his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, turns out Unown are able to make this like, windows or something and see other worlds. They can't interact with them though," he said. "I asked Unown if it could check on them for me and it happily agreed."

"Wow, I guess that's a weight off your shoulders. I'm happy for you. Shame you couldn't somehow send them a message though. But I wouldn't worry since we might be able to figure out a way to do so. After all, Darkrai managed to figure out a way to get in contact with you through your dreams."

Sora frowned for a moment before returning to his signature smile.

"Yeah, guess you got a point there."

Mia chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder.

"You're damn right I am."

There you have it, nine pages long so hopefully that slightly makes up for the nearly year-long absence. And now you know what Pokémon decided to pay Kairi and Riku a little visit back in the early chapters ;) Congrats to the few who correctly guessed it was an Unown!

Anyway, until next time!

Current teams:

Sora

Azurite - Lucario

Nicolai - Salamence

Davilla - Purrlion - Shiny

Primrose - Happiny

Forrest - Turtwig

Avis - Spearow

Mia

Neptune - Gyarados

Crimson - Charizard - Shiny

Aquajaws - Feraligatr

Blu - Squirtle

Hawkeye - Staraptor

Menace - Gengar