It's Grovyle who takes the hit while time traveling, not his partner. Alone in an unfamiliar land, the human partner collects the Time Gears, all the while being chanced herself. Meanwhile, Grovyle joins the guild as a Treecko with no memory of who he is or his mission. This is a twist on Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Sky with mentions of PMD Blue/Red. Rating may go up. Please review.

She was silent as she crouched down behind a bush. Keen brown eyes scanned the surrounding clearing, looking for any sign of danger. She felt movement on her left but paid it no mind. It came close beside her and crouched down. Without glancing at it, she stood up and kept moving. She reached the end of the clearing and looking around, doing a full 360 degrees of the area.

"What's wrong, Stardust?" A deep yet caring voice called to her in the darkness. She stopped looking around and focused on her friend. He was just over half her height and calm like always, yet his eyes showed concern and confusion over her recent behavior.

"I don't know, Grov," she had another glance of the area. "I swear, I feel as if someone has been following us since we left the dungeon." She looked him in the eye, "And to top it off I feel as if-" she stopped suddenly, her head snapping to her right and her hand going to the gold handled, white bladed dagger on her right hip.

Grovyle glanced in the direction she was looking. His eye sight was far better then hers, yet he could see no one anywhere. He came up beside her and put his claw into her left hand. With a light squeeze he gently spoke to her. "I don't see any anyone there. It could be your imagination, we're so close to finishing this I'm feeling a bit paranoid myself." He finished with a smile.

She looked at him as he finished talking and tried to smile back, but failed. Letting go of her dagger she brought her hand up and rubbed her head. She took a deep breath with her eyes closed. After a moment she looked down at her friend and gave a light chuckle. "Your right," she agreed, actually smiling this time. She brought her hand down and took both of his claws into her hands. "I probably just need rest, we have walked a long way after all."

Grovyle gave her a small nod. "Come on, Cel and Pup are waiting for us," he said as he started walking. She didn't follow him right away, looking back at her right she still felt someone there. Grovyle was right though, she couldn't see anyone. Not even the faint shimmer of a Pokemon under the effects of a Vanish seed. With another deep breath she followed her partner, all the while trying to shake the feel of being followed.

xxx

About five kilometers later they made it to their destination. It was deep in a forest where the trees met the mountain side. It was the kind of place that you had to know of to find as the entrance was well hidden by shrubs and rocks. No large Pokemon could fit through the opening since it was a fairly thin passage through rock.

Grovyle moved the main rock covering to let Stardust fit through. Once passed she held the rock to let him follow and together moved in back in place. Stardust went first through the opening, she found it easier to move sideways instead of forward. Grovyle, being smaller, walked in his usual way.

Escaping the narrow corridor on the other side, she walked out into a large, rock surrounded area. There were trees throughout the area, all illuminated by a faint blue/green glow. The glow grew brighter as the pair walked closer to the source.

"Grovyle! Stardust!" A young voice cried out with joy. The pair watched as a small Pokemon ran as fast as he could on three legs to them.

"Hey Pup!" Stardust cried back as she run up and caught the gold furred Poochyena mid air. She fell to her knees as she ruffed up his fur with affection. The young Pokemon happily accepted the attention as he buried his snout into the crock of her right shoulder. Grovyle came over to the two and rubbed the youngsters head.

"About time you two showed up," A light, feminine voice said from the trees to the left of them. Both Stardust and Grovyle looked up to see a small pink Pokemon with green tipped anteater smiling happily. Grovyle stopped what he was doing and folded his arms at the her.

"Come on, Celebi," he said with a frown. "You should know better then anyone time doesn't exists any more."

Laughter, that sounded like bells on the wind, filled their ears Pokemon glided down and hovered in front of Grovyle. "My dear Grovyle," she said with a hint of longing. "That ironic since we plan on bringing time back. Don't you think?"

"Are we really going to the past?" Pup asked as he broke from Stardust's grasp.

Stardust shook her head, "Not you, just Grov and me."

Shock covered his face, "But- But we're all going to disappear anyway! Why can't I come and see the world you told me about in your visions!?" He argued, desperation clear in is voice.

Grovyle knelt to the left of the nearly crying youngster. He made a small gesture at Pup's back left leg. "Your leg slows you down too much to be effective in combat. You are also only a level 12, making you an easy pray in high end mystery dungeons, where we need to go." He looked sadly at the young Pokemon, who was now looking at the ground, "Lastly, there is a chance that Primal Dialga will sense the use of the Passage of Time and send Dusknoir after us. Stardust and I can barely match him together at our best. With you, he and the Sableye will have a weakness to target at and we don't want you hurt." Grovyle finish, sadness clearly evident in his voice and face.

Stardust scratched the back of the child's neck. "We've told you this before Pup, so why is this such a shock to you?"

Poochyena whimpered and looked up. Tears started flowing from his eyes, "You're the only family I have left."

Grovyle looked at Stardust. The benefit of knowing someone completely is that you can tell them many things without speaking. Stardust agreed with him and let him take control.

"Hey," Grovyle said, getting the attention of the child. "Stardust and I are not leaving till we are well rested. Let's go talk inside be with each other before we leave."

With a small nod the child followed Grovyle to the small hut deeper in the area. Stardust stayed back with Celebi.

"Thanks for looking after him, Cel," she thanked her small friend.

Celebi smiled, "It's nice to have someone to talk to. He's always waiting for you two come back though."

"I wish he could have follow us on our search, I really do. Hell, I want him help us in the past but-"

"But what?" Celebi cut her off. "Stardust, that kid looks up to you as his sister and Grovyle as his brother. He's also right you know it. We are planing to erase our own existence here after all."

"No," Stardust firmly stated. "We are planing to restore time to it's natural place in existence. Our disappearance is just a side affect of that restoration."

"Same difference, Stardust," Celebi accused. "You stayed back to ask me what I think about Pup following you. I say to let him go to the past. Doesn't matter what might happen to him. He is going to suffer if you leave him behind this time. As for Dusknoir, the kid's got good reason to want to go up against him."

"That's what's got me worried," Stardust quietly said.

Celebi shock her head at her friend, "He's a good kid, made better by you two. He won't do what you think he might."

"I would, ten fold," Stardust responded.

Celebi didn't respond to that right away. She gave Stardust a crude nod before flying off to the others.

Stardust was about to go with her when she felt the same feeling of being followed from earlier. She looked around, franticly trying to find the source. After a moment she stop dead in her tracks, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "It's just your imagination, Stardust. Your just being paranoid," she said to herself as she walked to her friends.

Xxx

With a smirk he moved away from the rock surrounded 'sanctuary' the four below had going for them. He went up, above the rock face and regained his true form. From a shadow, nothing more then a dark patch a shade darker then the surroundings, it began to shrink. As it shrunk, a black figure with white hair and blue eyes emerged. Once done he sat down, watching as the teenage human girl walked into the hut.

He smiled at her. Even after everything she could still feel his presence. He had to get her back to save from herself. Damn that green skinned Wood Gecko. He didn't know she was alive till only recently. Upon finding out of her quest he cursed the so called 'partner'. She was safe, hidden from the world until he entered hers. Convincing her to trust him and using her Dimensional Scream for his ridiculous self righteous, self appointed mission just made him want to kill that little son of a gun now.

However he knew the value of patience and timing. He would wait for the right moment to kill him and get her back. Time travel can be hazardous they say, and who was he not to enforce rumors.