//info//

jack: my mom's name is rose and my father's name is zang, also every other character in this chapter except for me will have a "2" at the end of it to signify them being an alternate version...this IS a long and emotional chapter as well...that is all...

//start//

i stood up as quickly as i could both ecstatic to see my mother again and glad to be a normal jolteon as well

jack: oh thank arceous i found you!

rose2: um...what are you talking about i've only been gone for...wait how did you get that scar!?

jack: oh that? its a long story...anyway i-

???: mother~ mom where are you?

despite my excitement i refocused my attention toward the sound, unfortunately thats when i thought i had started going completely bonkers. cause who i saw...was me

jack2: oh mom there you are! wait who's this?

i was going back and forth between the two people in front of me, i couldn't figure out what was happening so i bolted away as fast as i could. i was so overwhelmed by emotions and thoughts that it was all i could do. i kept running a few tears in my eyes as i did until i found a small cave that i decided to rest in

jack: " what the FUCK!!! w...was that me? none of this makes sense...even mom seemed confused at sight of me-(actual me)"

i sat in that cave for hours finally crying myself to sleep from the distress and confusion

//rose2's POV//

after the strange jolteon ran off my son jack approached me

jack2: mom who was that?

rose2: i...i don't know...

i had lyed...i'd know my son's face anywhere even with that scar across his eye, but even so i couldn't figure out why there would be another of my son well...EXISTING. so i had to find out more and there was only one person i knew who could possibly help me

rose2: jack honey could you go ahead and go home? mommy needs to vist your uncle marcus.

jack2: uh...yeah mom sure. hurry home though!

once he had left i started up the main trail to the peak of the elder tree at full sprint.

rose2: "i really hope marcus can clear somethings up! cause i have no idea whats going on!"

after about half an hour run up the trail i finally reached the peak. i entered the secret entrance that the wise old absol had made me for when i had questions for him and i sure have a few at the moment

rose2: MARCUS!! marcus you here!!! HELLOOO~~!

marcus2: i'm here ms. rose...as always...

he quickly appeared from a narrow stairway in the side of the tree

marcus2: so...whats wrong?

i sat at a small table he had as he soon joined me

rose2: well i don't really know...you see earlier today i was out picking berries with jack when...i don't really know how to put this... another jack fell out of the sky nearly landing on me!

marcus2: are you sure he was your son!?

rose2: i'dput my life on it! he was definitly jack...but there was something..."differant" about him.

marcus2: by how he looked?

rose2: well yes he had a large scar across his blue eye, but thats not what i ment...when he first saw me...he was uncontrolibly excited to see me he even said that he was glad that he had "finally" found me! he undoubtedly was my son...but at the same time...

marcus2: he's not exactly "yours"...

i made a very serious expression

rose2: marcus do you know whats going on here?

he stopped for a moment in thought then continued

marcus2: not entirely no...but i think its safe to say that the "jack" you incontered in the woods... was in some way shape or form from an alternate reality of our timeline.

???: whats going on now?

i reckegnized that voice so i slowly turned around

rose2: it's a little complicated... come on over and we'll explain it to you zang.

my husband was naturaly curious about this development so he trotted over happily and sat next to me. it took a little bit to get zang to understand what marcus and i had disscused, but we eventually got through to him

zang2: huh...so an alternate version of our son has appeared in our world...is that right?

marcus2: yes thats correct zang...

rose2: so what do we do about this then?

marcus2: well its a very broad statement but i think we should try to get him back where he belongs...besides we don't know how his meer existence here could effect our universe as a whole, there could be coniquences to his precense...

rose2: WHAT!? but he's our son!!! i mean even if he's technically not ours that doesn't mean we just send him away!

zang2: i agree with rose...there must be some other way.

marcus2: "sigh"...think of it this way you two. if you did keep him around he'll always know you aren't his TRUE parents meaning if he ran away just at that realization like you said rose...he'll feel like that everytime he sees either of you! not only that, but don't you think he'll miss the family and friends of his world?

my husband and i contemplated this. we knew our old friend was right...there was no other way

rose2: ok fine...but how do we send him back anyhow?

marcus got up from his seat and walked over a balcony overlooking the island

marcus2: as much as i hate to say it...though it might be near tromatizing for him...you two are gonna need to talk to him...try to see if he has any idea of how he got here. thats the best shot we've got right now.

zang2: do you know where he is?

marcus closed his eyes

marcus2: it seems he's in a cave of some sort...it looks like the same woods you incountered him in are just outside it.

zang and i exchanged looks and we were off searchin for jack as quickly as we could

//jacks POV//

i had started to dream. however it seemed more like a nightmare...the events that had just taken place kept on repeating over and over again in my head like a broken record. i thought i had finally found them...but it was all yanked away from me in an instant. this went on for what seemed like an eternity, however eventually it did stop. it was replaced by blackness. i tried to stand as i looked around just to see ripper

ripper: so~~ hit rock bottom jacky?

i knew i was still in my head now. i hated ripper and avoided him at all cost...but when my emotions ran wild as i slept sometimes i had to talk to him whether i liked it or not

jack: what do you want ripper?

ripper: now thats not how you should say hello to somebody jack...

jack: i said what do you want!?

he layed down with his head on his paw and his blood red tinted eyes closed

ripper: "sigh" tsk...tsk...and everyone says i'm not good with people...

jack: RIPPER!

 he popped his eyes up with pleasure

ripper: oh~ fine if you really wanna know...i'm curious...what do you think about all this?

jack: you know what i think about this!

ripper slowly stood with a quick stretch

ripper: no~ i know how you FEEL about all this! and i'm sensing a lot more activity then usual jacky boy! so...what are you thinking?

this wasn't the usual conversation i got from ripper, and yet i could tell he was genuinely wanting to know

jack: honestly ripper...i don't really know myself...i mean i'm talking to you for christ sake!

he put his paw up to his mouth

ripper: ooh~ i seem to have struck a nerve!

jack: DAMN RIGHT!!! i don't have the fucking  patience or the mental capacity right now to deal with your SHIT RIPPER!

ripper was enjoying himself as he played with my termoil as always. he zoomed up into my face with his sinister little grin all the way up the side of his head

ripper: well alright... i'll just leave you to your own madness then!

he then walked right by me fading into the blackness. i soon felt myself waking up... i could hear voices...two of them...so i quickly opened my eyes

rose2: please don't run...

i stared at the sylveon in front of me totally silent then i drifted my sight to the left to see my father  zang as well

zang2: are you ok?

i slowly sat up and gave a small nod as i attempting not to make eye contact

rose2: we know its you jack...its us...but theres something we need to talk to you about dear. can you do that...can you talk to us?

i reestablished eye contact, but even before i did my face was already covered in tears

jack: i...i...i don't understand...why...why was "i" there!?

zang2: jack...as you know we are your parents...but from what we can gather... your not from here...

jack: what? i'm not...from here? what is that supposed to mean!?

rose2: we believe your from an alternate version of our world sweetie...its hard to explain, it really is, but its true. so we needed to know if you have any idea how you ended up here. do you?

my mother's question sparked my memory. the spectrum gate...that was how i got here. everything was finally starting to piece itself together

jack: i...i came here looking for you guys...my "you guys"...i traveled through a special portal called the spectrum gate. i was told if i did so...i could find you. i'm sorry...

my mom couldn't hold herself back as she suddenly hugged me letting out a few tears of her own

rose2: your such a good boy jack! i don't know what things you may have had to go through to get here and i probably never will...

she pulled away still holding me by the wrists as she looked into my eyes

rose2: but i can tell you that even if i'm not your exact mother...i am very VERY proud of you son!

next my father chimed in gently gripping my shoulder

zang2: i am too jack...and despite the fact that this isn't where you belong, you need to know that even so... we love you all the same! no matter what you got that?

my tears of sadness soon became tears of joy with every word they spoke

jack: yeah dad...yeah i got it!

finally came another flash of light from behind me making us look to the back of the cave

jack: the spectrum gate...

i turned back around to my parents

rose2: its time to go jack...

she gave me one last hug failing to fight back her tears

rose2: find us jack... and do whatever it takes to do it...

then as suddenly as she had grabbed me she tossed me into the door

//STRIDE 4 TAKEN//