**Route 28**<br/><br/>The old man hung his head for a moment, wringing his hands together with nervous energy. Alphonse had a point, albeit one that Samuel didn't like at all.<br/><br/><em>It had to be destroyed.</em><br/><br/>A wave of nausea came over him, but he swallowed it and hid his discomfort well.<br/><br/>"You might be surprised." Samuel admitted. "But the circumstances of the creature's death must be very specific in order to have any positive effect at all. Regardless....." He gestured ahead of them, as the path opened up to a wider road leading into Viridian City. "That's something that we can talk about later. We're almost there."<br/><br/><br/>The rest of the on-foot trip was silent for Samuel, if only because he couldn't talk anymore. It was painful--beyond painful--to think about Ace. He honestly wished that he didn't have to deal with this, but he knew that there was no going back. As the two men walked into town, Samuel remembered the future memories imprinted on his mind as a warning not to come after Ace prematurely.<br/><br/>Everything had to be in order if Ace was to be recovered alive. Dialga and Palkia were only a minor worry. It was Arceus that would kill Samuel and Ace both if even one thing was not in place.<br/><br/>They stopped in front of a bank, and Samuel's presence of mind slowly returned. He went to the ATM and put in his personal information, talking over his shoulder.<br/><br/>"I can transfer the funds to your account, or give it to you right here in cash. There's always more where it came from too, Al." A bit of a pause and then a slightly clownish smirk. "You don't mind if I call you Al, do you?"<br/><br/><hr/><br/>((XD, Savant, your rendition of Gary is priceless. I approve))<br/><br/>**Palette Town -- Hospital**<br/><br/>The only family? Micah's thoughts drifted back to the girl's tragic story. Having her family killed by monsters must have been a nightmare, but then to be held captive by the very beast that destroyed them? That was much, much worse. Micah had had a rocky past himself, but not one quite so tragic. At least he'd gotten his mother back, and he hadn't ever lost his father. Appreciation for his own situation instantly took away any negativity that might have been steeping in the back of his brain.<br/><br/>"Maybe she can include us as her family." Micah said aloud after a moment. "We have a lot of friends, and a few of them really are like we've known them forever."<br/>