Summary: After returning from a darkened future, a young human-turned-Meowth named Maddy reflects on her journey thus far. About friends. Foes. And Questions. Lots and lots of questions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Pokémon in general, or the scenario of the PMD games.
Warning: Contains lots of spoilers for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness!!
Summer night had fallen over the coast outside of Treasure Town in a warm, dark curtain. The indigo-black skies were scattered with silver stars and guarded by the slanted ghost of a crescent moon. A few clouds, gauzy and thin, drifted lazily at the horizons to cloak the distance in glowing shrouds. Crowds of Illumise and Volbeat danced through the darkness, their flickering tails creating new stars to light the night. Flitting among them were the sleek shadows of Zubat and Golbat, drawn from their deep caves by the setting of the sun and a day-long hunger. Their leathery wings beat in a steady counterpoint to the humming of the firefly Pokémon's wings, and their supersonic cries sent the sky ringing.
Far below the vaulting heavens, the ocean's tireless waves battered the rocks of Sharpedo Bluff. Their endless hissing and rolling, like the sound of a great monster breathing in sleep, seemed to fill the small cave the cliff sheltered. The sound echoed off the walls, bouncing back and rolling over itself in the unending song of the sea. To those sleeping within the cave, it was a pleasant noise that drowned out nightmares and memories best left forgotten, leaving nothing by a calm, empty mind. It was a welcome reminder that this world, the world of the past, still had life and motion. It was evidence that there was still time to right the wrongs of the future, before the events of the past set them into full motion – or lack thereof.
The eyes of the Meowth lying on one of the straw mats opened slowly, blinking twice in the darkness before widening to a wakeful degree. She had awoken for no visible reason; neither the pounding murmur of the waves nor the raspy breaths of her Charmander partner had brought her from her dreams. Nor was it the doing of a well-rested mind, for sleep had been scarce for her in the past few days (if one could use such a word to describe time spent in a timeless place). No, the stimulus seemed to have been internal. The Meowth stretched gently in her bed, twisting her back like a towel being wrung and splaying her pink-padded toes away from each other. She yawned, then curled herself back into a tight ball. But her eyes remained open, their pupils round and wide as they sought to bring in whatever light there was in the night-world.
The fire her partner, Red, had kindled earlier that evening had died to a small pile of embers and ash. The Meowth (or, to call her by her human name, Maddy) gazed at the glowing heap with a kind of meditative curiosity, her eyelids relaxing to a peaceful droop. Every so often, a stray sea breeze would whisper through the Bluff's rocky teeth, and a few of the coals would send up dancing tongues of flame. Their flickering life would be brief, fading into nothingness as soon as the breeze was gone. Maddy lifted her head the barest of inches into one of these gentle winds, feeling it stroke her face and ripple her whiskers with smooth, cool, salty fingers. A quiet sigh escaped her, and she laid her head back onto her front paws. I never realized how much I would miss the wind, she thought. It feels like we were in the future for such a long time, and in all that time, I never once felt a breeze. A shudder rippled her fur. Did I really come from a world like that?
Her amber eyes shifted to the side, and there she found Red. It had become somewhat of a habit for her to look to the Charmander when she was anxious or upset. Red was lying with his belly towards the ceiling, his head tilted far back, his mouth wide open. The fire at the end of his tail was held safely away from his straw bed; it burned low and dim, as it often did when he slept. Maddy watched his pale chest rise and fall with every breath, listened to the snores that tumbled out of him in a steady purr. She'd seen him sleep like this before. Nothing but a dire emergency (or a solid shout from Loudred) would pull him from his dreams. I wish I could sleep as soundly as Red does, the Meowth murmured in her mind. Look at him! He had a far rougher time in the future than I did, but he still managed to push it out of his head to sleep. She grinned. He looks so peaceful. Maybe being back in his own time has helped.
Some days, Maddy felt as though she had just met Red; others, it seemed like they had known each other since birth. With fondness, she recalled how timid and unsure of himself the Charmander had been...and how easily he had been heartened by her words. He had certainly come into his own as their explorations had led them into more and more dangerous areas. True, sometimes his newfound courage would falter, but it didn't take much encouragement to get him back on his feet and ready to face the challenge before him. He was admirable, Maddy realized, for pushing through his fears so relentlessly. She trusted him deeply and loved him like a brother. A serene smile stole across her broad, furry face, and she was perfectly content to drift off with those wonderful thoughts in her head.
As that train of thought pulled away from the station, Maddy felt a darker, more sinister train come puffing up to take its place. In the red of the glowing embers, she saw the ruthless gleam of Dusknoir's eyes. A chilling combination of hatred and fear flooded her tiny body, making her eyes narrow and her claws ache to be unsheathed. He had hidden himself behind a well-crafted mask of humble wisdom and gentility. He had won over the hearts of the guild and Treasure Town with hardly any effort at all. He had made himself out to be perfect, and everyone saw him as such. But lurking beneath that gentle and caring facade was a heart far blacker than any night. He was not the friendly hero of the Pokémon of Treasure Town, but the servant of a maddened timekeeper from a bleak and lifeless future. He cared for no one but himself and his master, worked for nothing but the assurance of a world without time. He had lied and deceived so many in order to achieve his goals. In the night, in a past to which she only thought she'd belonged, the Meowth gave a disgusted spit. The fire hissed in angry response.
Maddy admitted to having fallen for his lies, believing him every step of the way. She had come to trust him as a friend and respect him as an explorer. He had seemed to genuinely care for the wellbeing of the Pokémon around him. She felt her heart leap at the memory of their meeting in Crystal Lake, and how he had flung himself between thief and exploration team. She had been so relieved to see him that, as heavily wounded as she was, she had tried to rub her head against him in affectionate thanks. What a wonderful creature he had been then, so caring, so gentle, so just and strong. And his address to Treasure Town, his plan to capture the Time Gear thief, Grovyle. How selfless he had seemed, willingly putting his own safety on the line to protect the flow of time! How loudly she had cheered along with the others! How glad she had been to stay away from Crystal Crossing, to obey the words of the great explorer Dusknoir! That was the Dusknoir Maddy wanted to believe in. Those memories made her heart glow and swell with pride.
Just when she felt as though the second train's dark appearance had been mere imagination, the Meowth forced herself to recall her most recent experiences with Dusknoir. The Gripper Pokémon had lived up to his species' name; Maddy swore she could still feel his ice-cold hand wrapping around her throat as he dragged her into the future. The memory set the fur on her shoulders stiffly on end, and she quivered in the darkness.
Never mind that Red's world had fallen apart when faced with Dusknoir's treachery; Maddy had felt used, as well as betrayed. Dusknoir had used her Dimensional Scream ability to see where Grovyle would strike next. She had been fine with it, almost flattered, at the time. Eagerly, she had pressed her paws to Bidoof's crystal in hopes of seeing a vision of the next Time Gear. And when it had come – how excited she had been, to have helped the great Dusknoir! Now she regretted touching that stupid stone, regretted sharing the details of her vision with him and the Guild. If it weren't for my big mouth, Grovyle would have been able to retrieve the Time Gear from Azelf's lake, she told herself bitterly. Then, he would have been able to put that one, and the ones he already had, in Temporal Tower and stop that dark future from ever happening. Maybe then, Red and I would still be working at the Guild.
Longingly, she thought of Wigglytuff's Guild and the friends she'd made there: Bidoof's cheery chatter, Sunflora's overwhelming optimism, Loudred's blaring greetings. Chimecho's colorful cuisine. Croagunk's mysterious mutterings. Chatot's harrumphs and squawks. Wigglytuff's bizarre and charming behavior. Did they all still trust Dusknoir, even after he dragged the two guild members into the dark future? Were they worried about her and Red? Or had Celebi sent them to a point in the past before she and Red had even joined the Guild?
With a quiet sigh, Maddy tore her eyes away from the embers and stared back at Red. The Charmander had shifted onto his side, curled up with his back to the dying fire. Another breeze stirred the coals, and the flickers of light that followed it painted his back with shifting shadows. If Red hadn't found me on the beach, who knows what would have happened? she mused. I probably never would have joined the guild...and neither would he. The Meowth felt a smile sneak across her muzzle, stretching from ear to ear. She was eternally indebted to the Lizard Pokémon for all that he had done for her. When she had been all alone in the world, with her name and former humanity as her only memories, Red had been there for her. When she had been without a place to sleep or food to eat, Red had brought her to the guild. He was her friend, her most trusted partner.
She uncurled briefly, stretching her hind legs in turn, and returned her focus to the coals. What if Red hadn't found me? she asked herself a second time. What if I hadn't joined the Guild? Would Grovyle have succeeded in his mission? Our mission?
Grovyle.
Maddy turned her gaze away from the embers, blinking away the dark after-images its glow had left in her eyes. Grovyle lay on the mat across from her, his arms folded under his head. The Meowth thought back on everything she had heard about him before their meeting. He was cruel, cold-hearted, a thief from the future bent on stopping time to avoid his eventual capture. He was callously throwing the world into chaos to save his own skin. He was to be feared, hated – a black-hearted scoundrel who cared nothing for anyone but himself. What a fiend! What a monster!
Maddy bit her lip. Their escape from the stockade had planted a small seed of trust in her heart. Though she had hated to admit it at the time, she had started to put some stock in believing Grovyle; after all, he seemed to be at least a little less evil than Dusknoir. Harsh, brisk, and rough, yes – but not necessarily evil. Now, looking back on all of that, Maddy began to wonder if it was worry that had made him act that way. Worry for his lost partner, who he had not seen since leaving the dark future that first time.
Grovyle...tell me your human partner's name.
My partner's name...is Maddy.
All four of her paws had failed to keep her upright when she'd heard that revelation. She'd fallen flat on her belly, her eyes the size of dinner plates, her fur standing up all over. Red had also fallen over onto his tail, gaping open-mouthed at Maddy and Grovyle.
Grovyle...her old partner. Her fellow future-changer. Her trusted friend. Once Grovyle had realized just who Maddy was, his entire attitude had changed. His serious nature was no longer so icy and scathing. He became much friendlier and warmer. He no longer snapped or snarled, never grew impatient when Red doubted him. He seemed saner, gentler. Like his world had fallen back into place again. Like a missing piece of his heart had come back to him safely. His partner, his Maddy, was still alive and well. And she'd been following after him the entire time.
Once they had safely returned to the past, Grovyle's reunion celebration had begun. His cold facade crumbled away like the walls of an old stone castle. He'd swept Maddy up into a bone-crushing hug there on the beach, holding her close to his heart again. She'd found herself wishing that the reunion could have been as joyful for her as it had for him. A single tear of pure, unbounded joy had streaked down his face, to land in the former human's tawny pelt. He'd whispered in her black ears how worried he had been when he had awoken in the past without her by his side. He'd clung to her helplessly, like a child grips a toy it fears will soon be taken away. Maddy had certainly felt like a toy, unable to move or speak. On the sands of the shore, she had been swept along with Grovyle's sudden burst of emotion, and had shed a few tears of her own. But they were not tears of joy. They were tears of guilt.
Though she hated to admit it to even herself, Maddy felt incredibly guilty. Grovyle had been worried sick about her, and she hadn't even given him a thought. Scratch that, actually. She had thought of him, quite frequently, as she had progressed along in her journeys with Red. She had thought of bringing him down, of capturing him, of stopping him from laying his hands on another precious Time Gear. Guilt gnawed away at her heart the more she thought of it now, until she thought the horrible feeling would drive her mad. Never mind the fact that now she trusted him as she assumed she once had; she had hated someone who had cared deeply for her.
Her brow furrowed with worry, the Meowth stretched a paw closer to the sleeping Pokémon. It was mere inches from Grovyle's hand when his eyes snapped open. They were soft as they focused on her fear-creased face, like two golden half-moons on a warm autumn night. Grovyle placed his hand, so cool and smooth, atop Maddy's paw. The Meowth shivered at his gentle smile. "Can't sleep, Maddy?" he asked in hushed tones, glancing at the snoring Red. "What's wrong? You seem...like something's bothering you."
Maddy could hold his eyes no longer. She dropped her gaze shamefully. How could she face up to him now, after all she had done and thought before? Surely he knew of her numerous attempts to stop his work, work that she had once promised to help him accomplish. She had...betrayed him! How could he still be so friendly towards her? How could he still care about her? She felt him squeeze her paw, and lifted her eyes timidly to meet his own.
"Is it...is it everything that happened before we truly met?" Grovyle whispered. "When the two of you tried to keep me from gathering Time Gears? Is that what's got you so upset?" Maddy squeezed her eyes shut, turning her face away from his. How? How could he be so gentle? It was almost torturous!
He squeezed her paw again, this time a little more firmly. Maddy couldn't bring herself to meet his friendly gaze. She kept her eyes closed tightly, her head turned away. "Maddy, you lost your memory," Grovyle murmured reasonably. "It wasn't your fault you forgot about me...about us." She flinched, and he sighed, sounding almost as heartbroken as she felt.
Maddy opened her eyes, but she kept them low. Her face remained turned to the side. Grovyle shifted himself quietly so that both of his hands were holding onto Maddy's paw. He stroked the top of it delicately with his thumbs. Maddy found herself wishing that this motion would feel familiar to her – something to reassure her that she had not forgotten her old partner entirely. But there was nothing, no burst of memory, no sudden revelation. Nothing. Her heart dropped even lower.
The Meowth held her position, frozen with guilt. Grovyle sighed. "You shouldn't blame yourself," he told her; the volume of his voice rose slightly, but its tone never changed. It wrapped around her, soft and warm, like a blanket left out in the sun, as he continued, "But you do anyway. I want you to know that I don't blame you, Maddy. You didn't know what you were doing at the time. I understand that. I don't blame you. In fact...I forgive you."
Maddy turned her face to Grovyle's, her eyes wide and prickling with tears. The Wood Gecko Pokémon smiled gently, and with the backside of a finger, he brushed away her tears as they fell. "It's all behind us now. We're together again, and we can fix Temporal Tower if we work together." Maddy nodded. "Maybe you'll get your memories back somewhere between here and there, Maddy; but if you don't, I want you to know that I still care about you more than I do myself. We're friends, partners...And that's how it will always be. Even if you never remember our days together...I will. And I'll tell you anything you ever wanted to know about those days."
Maddy nodded again, and Grovyle turned his eyes to the sea behind him. The silver moonlight seemed to soften the rough edges of the waves below, dappling their peaks and brightening their curls. The ocean murmured and roared peacefully, whispering spray and sea-secrets to the darkness. A cool wind slipped between Sharpedo Bluff's rocky fangs, brushing over his face and lifting his green crest slightly. Maddy felt the same breeze tickle her whiskers. Grovyle sighed calmly, quietly. "But it's late. We need to be well-rested if we're to have any kind of success with our mission. Close your eyes, Maddy...get some rest."
Maddy obeyed, resting her head on her free paw gently. She heard Grovyle move as well, and felt his hands shift around her paw. He settled down to rest holding it with one hand. Maddy liked that. It was subtle, a friendly gesture that she had shared with Red many times...but at the same time, it meant more. It was a connection between the two of them, a sign of their shared experiences – even the ones only Grovyle could remember.
Once she was sure Grovyle was asleep again, Maddy opened one eye a narrow slit. The other eye slid open as well, and both blinked to a more wakeful width. The sleeping Pokémon lying before her had been her partner once, her loyal friend. He knew things that she only wished she did, had memories that her mysterious transformation into a Pokémon had stolen from her months ago. He knew her past and her present. He knew her. And he had offered to share his knowledge with her, if only she asked. Though she still lacked even the slightest inkling that she and Grovyle had once known each other, Maddy now trusted him completely.
Early on in their journey, Red had asked her if she remembered what kind of a human she had once been. Grovyle would know for certain, Maddy thought, smiling a little. Although, looking at the kind of Pokémon he is, I doubt he would ally himself with anything less than a good person. She sighed. But there's so much more about myself that I want to know! So many questions that I want answered, that I can get answered now that Grovyle is here.
Maddy closed her eyes lightly, searching her heart for the ultimate question, the question she wanted answered the most. How did we meet? At the same time, though, it had to be simple enough that Grovyle would want to answer it tonight rather than wait. What did we use to do, before we set off to set the past right? It had to be something he could answer right off the bat, too. Something he would know very, very well. How old was I? Where did we live? It should also be something that she wanted to know. Questions, all of them begging for an answer, whirled around in her brain like leaves caught in a violent windstorm. Her eyes snapped open as her mind lashed out and snared one question from the rest. Grovyle, who had been feigning sleep as well, it seemed, also opened his eyes to study his old partner curiously.
"Yes, Maddy?" he whispered.
And Maddy asked him.
It was the question she had chosen from all the rest; it was something she had often wondered, something easy to answer, and something Grovyle would know very, very well. Unfortunately, it was not a question that he would answer that night. He had not spoken, merely given her paw a loving squeeze, the corners of his mouth curling up into a gentle smile. That smile, it seemed, was enough to set Maddy's worried heart at rest, for soon after she'd asked him, she had dropped back into sleep. She remained in her dreams until the sun rose the next morning, when Red and Grovyle both called her name softly to rouse her. Her question would be buried in the back of her mind, and remain forgotten for many years to come. The memory of that night would return to her one day as she sat deep in thought on the beach outside of Treasure Town.
Later in life, when she looked back on that breezy summer midnight, Maddy would realize that Grovyle had never answered it or any of the other questions she'd been dying to ask him. She would wonder if that was as it should be, for up until the end of her life, she would never remember anything about her days as a human. But some nights, when the wind was cool and the air was warm, when the sea below Sharpedo Bluff would hiss and pound against the rocks – Maddy would remember. She would remember the look in Grovyle's eyes and the tender way he had held her paw. She would remember how he had smiled that night. She would hear her own voice, so young and strong, asking the question that had provoked such a warm grin from her old partner:
"Grovyle...When I was a human, what did I look like?"