AN: Kate, Grovyle, Thief, and Aubrey are original characters created by me and Reshiramgirl88 in our respective explorers of darkness/time stories, so I don't own Pokemon, Kate, or Grovyle. To differentiate between our Grovyles, the one from my universe is Thief(long story), while hers is just Grovyle.
Third Person Point of View
In a place where neither time nor space exists, where the laws of physics hold no meaning, lives a beast that defies all rules of the universe. This beast is the balance of time and space, the ruler of chaos, and a supposed master of death. He is known by many names. Some have called him a demon, an outsider, even Death himself.
His brothers used to call him Antimatter.
In an era before time, there was once a God, a Creator of the world. His given name was Life, and he sought to shape a world to call his own. He devoted every waking moment to sculpting it, the place he could call home. But this world was too still, and the laws of physics fell apart the moment he concentrated on developing another aspect of his world. Life was God, but he could not upkeep this world on his own.
Stabilizing the world was his first priority, lest it fall apart. From the depths of nothingness, he birthed a new creature of pink and white who would maintain space. With the creation of space came a need for its counterpart, time, to come into being, to move the world into motion. A being of blue and silver was created to suit this need. Life was certain the world was perfect now, for not only was it stable, but he now had a family to share it with.
His youngest however, was troublesome. Time was territorial, possessive, and oh so temperamental. Space found great joy in goading his brother into destructive fights that would destroy parts of their father's world. It was nothing wrong in his eyes, as they both grew stronger and Time was much more bearable when he was worn out from fighting. Life was not amused. These clashes would cause time to stop and space to distort wherever they took place. In short, these fights were destroying the balance and harming much more than just the juvenile masters of time and space. These destructive behaviors needed to end. There was a need for a balance between the two.
Life pulled a new being from antimatter, where neither Time nor Space could rule, during a particular damaging spat. The beast looked at him, red eyes hard behind a golden mask. Sensing the fight immediately, he nods soundlessly at his creator before blending into the shadows, racing to his older siblings.
Antimatter's very presence halted the fighting, his siblings staring at him in wonder. They had thought themselves to be the only beings besides Life, and the arrival of a new creature in the world had shocked them to a standstill. Even more when his gravelly voice filled the air, speaking the first words to ever be said.
"Do not fight any longer."
Whines of protest erupted from Time's mouth, but Antimatter sharply cut him off. "No. Being opposites is no excuse for such meaningless and destructive battles. You may embody time, but you are not time itself, just as I am not antimatter itself, our brother is not space, and father is not life. We are merely the conductors and the enforcers of them. It would do you well to remember that."
This wisdom had humbled them all, even Life. They discarded previous notions of being anything other than servants to what they represent and gave themselves new names as a reminder of what they truly are.
Life chose the name Arceus.
Space became known as Palkia.
Time decided to be called Dialga.
And Antimatter from then on was Giratina.
Millennia passed with little incident in the humbled family, lest they be human caused. Contrary to his time of birth, Giratina acted as an older brother figure to Dialga and Palkia, and nearly an equal to Arceus. With the birth of Mew, more and more pokemon began to inhabiting the world, from the bidoofs in the rivers to the clefairy on the moon. As the world became more heavily populated, the original four created their own havens, monitoring their elements from their isolated bubbles. Arceus remained in the Hall of Origin, his original home. Palkia took refuge the Spacial Rift secluded in the middle of the sea, but still close enough that he could easily emerge and fix any problems should there be a need for it. Giratina, the only one that didn't need to actively contribute to the world, made his home in the Distortion World, where he entertains the souls of the dead while monitoring the parallel world occasionally. Dialga holed himself in the Temporal Tower, which resides in the Hidden Land. Unlike his twin, Dialga's home made it so that he was not readily available to regulate time and perform his duties should the need arise. This was a problem, and both his brothers and creator protested against it. However, Dialga was still incredibly territorial and introverted, and he preferred to live away from the mundane mortals who would only annoy him. He proposed a solution to his solitude in the form of time gears, which would monitor and regulate time in his place as he resided in Temporal Tower. Blessed with his power, they should well be able to do his job, and should one fail, the four others would sustain the world until he could fix the malfunction. Reluctantly, his brothers agreed to this arrangement.
This arrangement failed miserably. The time gears all failed as Temporal Tower, the source of their power, began to crumble. Dialga was too isolated from the world for his brothers to even realize what was happening, let alone help.
As time collapsed, the balance of the world tipped, rendering Arceus weak and unable to move, let alone leave the Hall of Origin.
As the tower crumbled, the entrance to the Spacial Rift disappeared, trapping Palkia in his own realm as it descended into chaos.
As Dialga lost his mind, the Distortion World automatically shut out the mundane world in order to survive, leaving Giratina unable to leave his home, only able to helplessly watch as his brothers and equal were caught in a web of deadly destruction. The years had only made them closer, made their elements weave and intermingle until they were so closely linked together that one always affects the rest. The result is that time's collapse has disabled the being that represent not only time, but life, space, and antimatter as well.
Giratina was brought into this world as a source of balance. It was the core of his very existence, and it's disruption was not only an insult, but a direct attack on him. Needless to say, Giratina's roar of fury when he noticed the destruction of the mundane world shook the very foundation of the Distortion World.
The damage to the mundane world had been so great that several parts of it had taken on a form not unlike what can be found in the distortion world. Gravity didn't have the same hold it should, the world's suspension in time overpowering basic laws of the world. Mystery dungeons were all that was left, not one inch of space was ever the same as when one left it. At the top of it all, ruling over the entire world was a corrupted Dialga, driven mad by the fall of his element.
Giratina was disgusted, and set about to work quickly. However, there was little he could feasibly do. The Distortion World has shut out the mundane world, meaning that while souls could come in -and they came in droves- Giratina himself could not leave. He also could not send the souls of the dead back to the world as they no longer had living bodies to return to.
The king of the Distortion World would not let himself be restricted in such a way. He was the voice of antimatter, the absence of time and space. He could touch the very foundations of time and space, and while the lesser would go mad, he would remain unaffected. Giratina will do the unthinkable. He will meddle with what is left of time and space. The beast of antimatter will be the master of the elements that his brothers can no longer control.
Time and space are incredibly fragile with the collapse of Temporal Tower. Once continuous, straight courses of time are now fragmented and twisted, various timelines crashing into each other and destroying themselves, never to reform. Ripping and stitching holes in space to travel between timelines is nigh impossible, as the very fabric of space has been tattered already. It seemed impossible to work with either medium. However, Giratina does not care to know the meaning of impossible. Sifting through countless fragments of time, he finds two somewhat stable timelines that aren't completely broken even though invariably twisted. One look shows why. They are parallel timelines, timelines that are similar with several key differences. They both have the same start and end, but everything in the middle is different. In those timelines, Celebi may have died as Dialga turned primal, but she left behind her hope for the world, a small little green egg, holding her legacy. The hatched Celebi must have been trying to work the miracles her mother was renowned for. She surely must have made some impressive leaps, for in those timelines are humans! Humans, of all things. They had died out centuries ago, and all that are left of them are horror stories and tall tales.
These timelines are the only ones that can possibly be used to summon people into the Distortion World to send them back to the original timeline. They aren't too fragmented, and Giratina can just barely manage to tear a small hole in space to create a portal. Now all that's left to choose are the ones to speak to...surely the humans Celebi brought from the past are worth Giratina's time, but humans alone aren't very powerful. It's their wits and bonds that made them so dominant all those years ago, not their strength. They're going to need partners. Perhaps the new celebis themselves would have been a possible choice had they been more familiar with the intricacies and consequences of meddling with time. They aren't old enough to even know of the legendaries they are related to, let alone the extent of their powers. One of the girls has a pokemon partner whose bond with her is close enough to be that of a brother, but his state of mind is deplorable, especially with a mission such as this one. That leaves one option each, their partner. Ironically, they're both grovyles. Some things just stay the same no matter what in parallel timelines...
With the choosing of just who to contact, Giratina has little else to do until either of the girls walk by a reflective surface where he can communicate. One of the girls, Kate, is much closer to it than the other girl. The other girl, Aubrey, is currently in the middle of the woods, at least a day's walk from any lake nearby. All that is left to do is conserve his energy, as bending elements that don't belong to him will truly be a taxing task.
Surprisingly enough, the first girl Giratina had managed to make contact with was Aubrey. The forest that the somewhat tall brunette was currently trekking through with her partner Thief was riddled with little puddles from a rainstorm that happened just before time's great freeze. All Giratina needed was one puddle and for her to stay in one place long enough to talk to her.
This opportunity presented itself when Thief stopped and told Aubrey to sit down while he scavenged for some food. Aubrey, physically exhausted and emotionally spent, did not protest at all. Rather she flopped to the ground as her dark brown eyes lazily wandered to a puddle, her mind wandering to both her brother Lucas's betrayal and her own. Her brother's betrayal came from him trying to turn in Thief to Dusknoir in exchange for a marginally safer life for her and him. Luca made a deal with the devil, a devil who has hunted them down for most of her life and haunted her nightmares for as long as she could remember. On the other hand, Aubrey has her own betrayals to account for. She chose Thief over Luca, choosing to save the life of a pokemon over living a life with the last of her family. She and Thief have a rocky relationship undoubtedly, with him infuriating her to no end and her irritating him beyond words, but she would never want him dead. Aubrey did hurt Luca though. That is something that she doesn't doubt in the least, and the thought made her physically ill. Fretting endlessly over a choice that was already made the moment she ran away with Thief, she didn't notice the slight shimmer of the puddle in front of her nor the golden mask and blood red eyes that stared at her curiously.
She did notice, however, when he rumbled, "You're Aubrey, correct?"
Eyes wide and heart thumping, Aubrey snapped out of her thoughts as her eyes met those of what she could only believe is Death himself, her mouth forming the beginnings of a scream.
"No need to be scared, human," Giratina chuckles. "Although that does seem to be the expression most of your kind prefers when meeting me for the first time."
Those eyes, that mask. Memories from long, long ago filter through her frightened mind, memories of a story her mother often told her. A story of Death taking people through their reflections and dragging them to his domain. It's hopeless to resist, for Death always wins in those stories. Regardless, a terrified scream escapes her lips.
Giratina sighs, as if this has happened over a million times. It most likely has. "That is a common reaction as well."
Aubrey scrambles to her feet, despite knowing from the stories the futility of it all. Just as she's about to make a break for it, Giratina's chilling voice commands, "Halt."
Aubrey freezes in place, feeling as though she has been hit by an ice beam. She slowly, reluctantly turns her head back to the puddle. She's met by an approving nod.
"Good. Now, fear not, human. I'm not here for your soul. I am here to speak with you and your partner," He states simply.
As if on cue, Thief bursts through the undergrowth, leaf blades glowing and a snarl on his face. In that moment, yellow eyes narrowed to nearly slits, teeth bared, the small amount of light streaming through the trees highlighting the scars the riddle his body, particularly the long one running down his leaf, and his stance tense and ready to pounce, Thief looked absolutely feral. A small bit of relief wiggled its way into Aubrey's mind despite the terror flooding her body. Despite their differences, she truly trusts him, a trust that she knows isn't misplaced when he comes to her rescue at the first moment of trouble. His eyes seek out Aubrey's terrified and overwhelmed ones as he realizes that there is no one there except the two of them. His eyes skim over Giratina, not registering his presence.
"Why did you scream?" Thief demands as his leaf blades power down. "I had to rush over here!"
Aubrey merely points a trembling hand to the puddle that serves as a connection point between their world and Giratina's, and Thief's eyes finally meet the embodiment of antimatter's. His eyes narrow as his leaf blades glow and hum lightly with energy. He, like any pokemon recognizes The Lord of the Distortion World on sight, instinctively knowing his role as Death. He protectively crouches in front of Aubrey, waiting for what he sees as an inevitable fight.
Giratina is pleased at the gecko's arrival and even more so at the fact that he is so protective of the Aubrey. Humans are so fragile, especially in such dark times like these. While the pokemon's protectiveness over the girl is impressive, however, Giratina doesn't find much to be amazed at by the girl. She must be extraordinary in some form to be specifically taken by Celebi into the far future, but there is little that shows her to be more than average. That is, until he hears her whispers to the gecko in front of her.
"-is a legendary Pokemon said to be able to quell even Dialga! You can't seriously think you can handle him head on alone! I didn't save you just so that you could kill yourself, pokemon! He came for me, so just let him have me!" Aubrey whispers furiously into the Thief's ear, hoping to at least have him live and be able to go back to Celebi and his mother.
"You are insane!" Grovyle growls. "Pick a better plan!"
"And you're stubborn, so we're even! If you wanna risk your neck too instead of just mine, then fine! We need to get away from reflective surfaces so that he can't contact us. Run somewhere dry; like the desert west of here."
What Giratina hears is that she's human with a bit of a hero complex but can be logical as well. While a knack for heroism is not necessarily rare among the species, it is certainly a worthwhile quality and a bit necessary for what Giratina has in mind. No, the girl is not exceptionally strong or smart, but being reasonable, logical, and just a little bit selfless is all Giratina needs. She can be a hero in the right conditions.
"I've seen enough," Giratina rumbles lowly. "And what I see is promising. I will seek you out again."
The two hold their breath as the basilisk disappears from view, not quite believing what just happened. All is silent once he is finally gone, and Aubrey and Thief stare at each other in disbelief.
The silence is disrupted by Thief snarling, "What the HELL did you do to get the attention of Death! Is everyone after you now?"
The two fall back into their easy and familiar pattern of bickering as they set off towards the Northern Desert, which neither would admit is comforting after a visit from the embodiment of death.
The other girl, Kate, was much more difficult to get a hold of. The girl was constantly bustling about, and unlike her counterpart, she only took short breaks when Grovyle absolutely needed it, which was not often. Thankfully, even though his brother's blood runs through her veins, Kate is still half human. She herself would eventually need a break.
That break came after a particularly tiring day of attempting to tame her powers. After washing up in a lake and redressing, Kate spent some time there just resting and restoring her energy. It seemed to her that every break through she makes comes at the expense of using more energy and basically bleeding herself dry. More control over fire? Expect to sleep an unhealthy amount of time. New lead? She and Grovyle have to get there immediately before Primal Dialga destroys any evidence of it. She almost longed for the days she lived at the ruins of Temporal Tower for it was a far less tormenting existence. She shook her head to clear her head of those types of thoughts, thoughts that she had started to have more often. Yes, her life as daddy's little princess was easier than most, but at what a cost it came. She is sure that she saved as many lives outside the castle than she had seen murdered by her own father in it. Well, she'd like to think she saved their lives, but living in this hell of a world isn't necessarily being saved...and they're going to cease to exist anyway when she goes back in time. It was just a necessary side effect of ensuring that time had never stopped in the first place. Kate didn't necessarily like it, but sacrifices have to be made. In the end, the world would be better for it. Hopefully, Arceus will forgive her, Grovyle, and Celebi...they just have so little to lose while the world has everything to gain.
Red eyes peered from the lake's glassy surface at the girl who may as well have been Aubrey's twin, were it not for her eyes. Red eyes muddled with dark brown belied her mixed heritage if anyone so wished as to look closely at the girl. It was a wonder her head wasn't mounted on a stake for it. However, the girl seemed to faire well at defending herself if her latest practice session was any indicator of her prowess. She had skill to spare in the martial arts without a doubt. The powers given to her by heritage...not so much. She tired easily and didn't seem to be able to control herself. Giratina inwardly lamented at that; such a skill would be so useful in the job he was hoping she would qualify for. So far, however, she seemed to have the makings for said task. She was hard working, a decent fighter, set in her beliefs, willing to make sacrifices, and most importantly, determined beyond belief. Aubrey may not even be needed if he could simply take Kate.
Giratina is roused from his thoughts by the girl drawing up and glaring at him.
"Who are you?" she hissed. "Leave now if you know what's good for you!"
Giratina mentally sighs at this behavior. How hardheaded and cocky of her to think she could simply threaten him away.
"Didn't you hear me the first time? Scram!"
Perhaps she is not the perfect hero after all. What a shame. She may have many ideal characteristics of one, but she will certainly get herself killed should she go on unchecked. She is an impressive fighter, not infallible.
Kate, growing increasingly impatient with the basilisk, summoned a small ball of fire in her hand and took aim at him. Giratina looked on in disinterest, already knowing that it can't reach him. He opened up a gateway of communication, not a portal.
As the fire fizzled out harmlessly, Giratina took a moment to enjoy her utterly astonished face that immediately turned into panic as she launched a frenzied attack of fireballs at him. With each one thrown, she tired out more and more, eventually reaching the point where she slumped forward and collapsed on her knees.
"What..." she gasped, "are...you?"
"A friend," Giratina deadpanned. "That's all you need to know."
"Kate!" a voice called out.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Kate mumbled slightly to herself, not expecting an answer.
Giratina's answer was prompt. "You don't. But nothing is this world is ever certain."
A glare. "Not good enough."
"Kate!" The voice now carried a hint of fear.
"You're not in much of a position to say such things."
"I will say them anyway."
Giratina merely grunted in response. Both girls had faults, but what one didn't have, the other seemed to make up for. Kate's power counteracted Aubrey's average fighting skills and dependency on others. Aubrey's logical way of thinking things through nicely complimented Kate being a hothead. It must be a side effect of being in parallel timelines. Giratina certainly wouldn't complain, however. Together, they could fix the original timeline. That much he could tell.
"Very promising," he murmured.
"What did you just say?" Kate demanded, not quite losing her spirit despite her lack of energy.
Any reply from Giratina was cut off by a green blur bursting onto the scene and immediately racing to the kneeling girl. This must be Grovyle, Kate's partner, and Thief's counterpart. As Giratina takes a moment to study him, he couldn't help but be mildly pleased. It seems that much like Kate and Aubrey, Thief and Grovyle are opposites as well. While both have a similar build and seem just as battle-hardened as the other, Grovyle shows markedly less scars, most prominent though is the lack of a scar running down his leaf. This is a sure sign of him being much more careful in battle than his counterpart, which can only do good in the long run.
"Kate! What happened to you?"
"No weakness..." she groaned. "We have company."
"Company..." Grovyle trailed off, his eyes landing on an image in the water. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "It can't be..."
"She became rather alarmed by my presence and attacked me," Giratina supplied dryly. "It seemed to have drained her energy quite quickly."
Grovyle stands still, shocked. He recognized Giratina as Death on sight, much like Thief had, but there had been absolutely no sightings of him since before time collapsed. There were even rumors that said he could not leave the underworld. Why appear now, in front of them?
As much as Grovyle wanted to stand there and demand answers from the ancient being, he had to think of Kate first. Kate who, despite the mask of bravado she put on, is terrified out of her mind right now. After being so close to her for what was probably years, he could see straight through her hard eyes and stiff upper lip. He needed to get her out of here. Immediately, he scooped Kate up into his arms and was about to run when-
"It seems I've seen all I've need to. Very well. I will contact you in the future."
The duo watched apprehensively as the basilisk disappeared from view before looking at each other.
"We-"
"Need to pack up camp and leave?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I got you."
No others words needed, Grovyle carried his exhausted partner over to their camp where he packed up their things, going a little slower when he realized she had fallen asleep. He knows she needs the extra sleep, so it doesn't hurt to pack a little slower and procrastinate just a tad so that he doesn't have to wake her up so soon.
Four heroes, two human and two pokemon. Is this really what it had come to?
With Giratina at his wits end, it seems that this is indeed what it has come to. This is his final hand, and he has to play it.
Happy late birthday, Reshiram! Hopefully I finish up the rest of this by Christmas so that you actually have your present on time for once:p. I hope you liked part one though. *whispers* Thief, Aubrey, Kate, Grovyle!
Kate: Happy birthday, author lady!
Grovyle: *smiles* Happy birthday, Reshiram.
Aubrey: Happy birthday!
Thief:...*mumbles* happy birthday...