((Author's Note: Hello and a big thank you to the fans who've stuck around to read the sequel to PGL! Without your support, I likely would have given up on this some time ago, so again, thank you.

I am going to warn you ahead of time though: As you follow Lira's adventure here in part two of her story, things are going to take a very different twist than that from the game. Due to the circumstances, it won't even be much of a PMD story until the very end, which will continue on into Part III. As for what to expect… Well, guess you'll have to find out on your own. However, I will say that we'll see just how tough our Aura Guardian girl is on her own.

Enjoy reading!))

…

I am silence. I am stillness. I am nothing.

No movement. No soul. No spirit. No memory.

Well, maybe that's not entirely true… I do have one memory- the one good thing that I hold onto in this nightmare of a realm in between time and space. Something warm, bright, and comforting. Something that made me smile when I had no reason to and laugh when I was afraid. Something that made me… happy.

It's so dark. Dark, and quiet, and lonely. Through the vastness that is an eternal pitch black void, I hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing. It's so awful that I grow desperate to escape, but from what and to where? I try to call out, but it's like my voice has gone mute. Try to reach out, but have no form. Why? Because I have ceased being. I no longer exist in any time or any world.

Yet how can I still think and know? Know that I am gone. Shouldn't there have been an end? No thoughts to think or care about; simply nothing at all? Just another empty speck in the void. In all honesty, this might be an even worse fate than never existing at all.

From the edge of my sights- yes, sights, I can…see? That can't be right- a small blip of light, like one of those small sparks one sees shooting in the air off of a warm fire, flickers into view and then disappears once more. I stare at the spot it came and left at, unable to move. Suddenly, there's another. And another. One by one, the small lights flicker at me, as if waving hello. They seem so familiar, yet my- what's it called again- mind can't fathom why, especially not in this place.

Then, they're getting closer… closer and closer until they overwhelm me with their luminescence; until there's nothing in my sights save their bright, cheerful glow and then…

And then it all goes dark again…

…

Wherever I am, it's very nice. Something warm radiates from above, heating my back. A soft caress of nothing brushes past my cheeks, toying with my hair. Beneath me, something soft and fresh-smelling cushions the spot where I lay. It's quiet like before, but it's a peaceful kind of quiet.

Then I'm suddenly jerking myself up as three words come to mind: Earth. Wind. Sun.

Slowly, as if afraid, I open my eyes and gasp in amazement. I'm in a forest, lush and green, blooming with life. So many colorful pastels of purple, and pink, and blue, and red, and any more one could imagine have been sprinkled around a field of wildflowers. A sky, never so blue or clear, hangs above me with a brilliant yellow sun radiating everything below. The air is clean and cool, tickling every inch of my body.

My body... Am I… whole?

I look down and it's true. I can breathe. I can move. I have hands, and feet, and fingers, and everything else that would make up a person. I have a heart that's beating like music to me. And it's all enough to make me want to cry, because I can hardly believe it.

I am alive.

As memories pour in though, questions also begin to form. So to make it easy, I go over what I do know.

My name is Lira. I'm sixteen years old. I lost most of my memory, but I made even better ones. I had a friend… no many good friends. What were their names? Sunflora, Chimecho, Loudred, Diglett, Wigglytuff, Chatot, Dugtrio, Croagunk, Corphfish, Bidoof, Celebi, Grovyle. And the last one? I smile. Ri: my teacher, my partner, and my best friend.

We went on many adventures together and helped so many people. We saved the world and ended a future of darkness. I am from that future, so I had to go away… but I'm back.

I was once a human, but I turned into a-

Wait… I look back at my hands. Where there was once fur, I now have soft peach skin. I have five fingers, not three. I feel at my face: two ears along the sides of my head, nothing dangling from the corners of my temples down to my shoulders, and a nose instead of a snout. I'm wearing clothing; a black tank top, denim shorts, a pale yellow scarf, and black footwraps. There's a black masquerade mask attached to my belt loop.

I'm not a Riolu. I'm not even a Pokemon at all anymore. I'm human again.

"What?" I can't help but whisper to myself, still staring down at my returned form. Nothing adds up anymore. I shouldn't be here. And how did I get back to normal? "Where am I?"

"Lira," a deep, soothing voice rumbles. Looking back behind me, I see that I'm not alone. It's Dialga; the guardian of time. At first- and after everything I've been through, it's only natural- I flinch, scooting away from him some before calming down enough to remember that he's not the same as he was when he fought Ri and I on Temporal Tower or in the dark future. "You are home." Noting that I continue to stare at him, confused and bewildered, he explains further, "Time has been repaired. The world is once more balance. All is as it should be."

It takes me a moment longer to piece together what he's saying, "You mean… I'm back in my own time? Everything's back to normal or at least… how it used to be?"

"Yes, although…" he pauses, as if finding it difficult to continue. Suddenly, his eyes begin to glow and I find myself looking at what he sees through telepathy. I find myself looking at my own face and I'm not quite back to normal. My hair, instead of brown, has remained a vivid blue. My eyes have stayed a striking shade of reddish–orange. "Whatever occurred in the Passage of Time that caused your transformation has made a- as of I know now- permanent effect on your genetics. You're still very much human- that much was fixed when the planet stabilized itself, but there remains some that couldn't be changed back."

"I…I'm human again…" I begin to quiver and shake, joy overwhelming me. "I don't care how I look; I'm me again!" I cry out happily, standing with a wide grin on my face. At first I stumble forward, tripping on my own two feet. It's been so long since I've walked with these legs- human legs! I focus the next few minutes- with Dialga watching me silently- on taking small steps on my tiptoes. Then, the steps turn to a walking, then jogging, then jumping, until I'm bounding all over the place!

Yet despite my happiness, I find myself very confused, slowing to a stop as it all hits me hard. "But… Dialga, how am I still here? We changed the future, so how am I still alive? That future doesn't exist, so I shouldn't exist, right?" I need answers.

"You are not wrong, child," he assures me in a steady voice, "However, you aren't quite right either." He paces in back and forth in front of me. "As many would assume- as I would assume, you should not be here… not now. Yet a higher being, a greater force than I may hold that power to keep you and every creature on this earth alive despite whatever change of fate."

I shake my head, even more confused, "I… I don't understand."

"Everything in this world is connected," he says, facing me, "Some way, somehow, we are all pieces of the same puzzle fitting together to create the world. And while tides may turn in an instant, dramatically changing the world as we know it, it remains whole, sharing the same past, present, future."

I remain silent, still, in awe at what he's telling me.

"The future itself is always changing. Every decision we make can lead us on a different course than what was once believed or planned. This strange, ever unknown variable is… somewhat of a flaw in the course of fate and the universe.

"But the bonds we make with others, with every friend or foe, love and hate, create an infinite amount of ties that bind the world and stabilize it, testing the boundaries of fate and the supposed inevitable. The bonds of nature, which continues to thrive despite whatever evil is thrown its way. The bonds of you and your friends, which have kept you going in the hardest and most trying of times. The bonds of your mother and father, who brought you into this world… We are all bound. And we are all one."

I blink up at him, gaping… Talk about some food for thought. "How do you know all that?"

It might just be my imagination playing tricks on me when I see him smile, "I am the Guardian of Time, and have been so since this world's beginning. Why would I not?"

"Guess you have a point there…" I say, a little embarrassed.

"In all honesty…" he says, his face turning upward toward the open sky in self-musing, "As a time-traveler herself, Celebi should have known all of this as well. It is easy to understand why most wouldn't know all of this- only those who have swam through the seas of time would even remember a change in the world- but never would you or any future being have truly disappeared. Everything would have just reset itself, creating new memories and new histories…"

"So… Grovyle, Dusknoir, the Sableye, and I… We'd still remember the dark future because we've time-travelled?" I ask.

"Having done so, you've all personally created a disturbance in the fabric of time, influencing it, so yes."

"Why wouldn't Celebi remember? I don't think she'd lie to us about disappearing on purpose; that's kind of a big thing." What is Dialga saying? What he's talking about now makes even less sense.

"I don't believe she would either. Her heart is pure and she would never do any ill will. By all accounts, I should have known during the planet's paralysis of this, but the being I was then…" he shakes his head in dismay, "Primal Dialga, I believe you all called me? That wasn't who I am, and I'm not saying so in defense. In no way can I ever defend the actions I did in that future. But that darkness… it was overwhelming and it seemed like some of my thoughts weren't my own. Like something buzzing in my ear, clouding my knowledge and judgment, hiding it all from me… There is a chance that darkness likely caused some distortion in Celebi's mind as well, making the both of us forget.

"But whatever it was is gone now, and is something I intend to investigate. Either way, it is not why I'm here."

I peer at him curiously, one eyebrow raised, "Why are you here? No offense or anything, but don't you have a tower to guard?"

He ignores the second question, "I am here, child, because there is much you need to know. And your journey is not through."

"Another suicidal quest?" I ask with a smirk.

"Perhaps not," Dialga replies, giving me his version of a shrug, "A new future, young Lira, awaits you, and I come with warning. The road ahead will bear many struggles, challenges, and choices. Your heart will break. Your mind will try to snap. You will face pain I would not wish on the worst of my enemies."

"So much for optimism," I mutter.

"Hush!" he yells, obviously through with my sarcasm and shutting me up fast, trapping me by the direness in his tone. "I understand the emotions and confusion that stir within you, but you must listen," he continues, his voice returning to a calm level.

After some hesitation, I nod, sitting on the grass and looking him in the eye with all seriousness.

"Your life- in that dark future and in this one- has never been easy…. And yet… you stay pure. How? Perhaps that is a thing I will never know. Yet it is all the same for you, for Ri, for Grovyle, Celebi… and yes, even Dusknoir."

I'm about to open my mouth to retort in anger and indignation, but quickly hold back my words, fearing another reprimanding- one in which he, literally, tries to knock some sense into me.

"That innocence, I believe, is why you were chosen for something far greater. As the Relic Fragment chose Ri, as the Dimensional Scream chose you to master it, as I choose Dusknoir to lead an army and fate choose all five of you to find each other… You all were chosen for a title befitting your deeds and your heart.

"I am the Guardian of Time. My counterpart, Palkia, is the Guardian of Space. You were born a Guardian of Aura, but you're so much more.

"You and your friends, the protectors of the sun and the heroes of a new dawn, are the world's Guardians of Light. Despite the darkness that may surround you, you have the will to fight through your despair and remain uncorrupted. Actions of hate, or jealously, or destruction you are aware of, but remain foreign. Your pain sharpens your heart into a fine blade not of fury, but of a hidden sense of strength. And you, the warrior, shall wield it with in defense of the innocent. It is no easy life, but it is your duty."

I stare at my own twiddling fingers, my jaw dropped slightly, and find myself shivering. His words are humbling, inspiring, but at the same time, an unknown sense of fear creeps up my spine. His words also seem well rehearsed; as if this has been something he's been holding back, just waiting for the right moment to reveal it. Not all of it, I think. There has to be more he's hiding, more that he won't tell me because he thinks it's not time for me to know. What duties, what forces will I need to overcome because of this suddenly dubbed title?

Only a low, throaty rumble and the nudge of something against my forehead make me look back up. Dialga's face in barely three inches from my own, his eyes staring deep into mine. "The title of a Guardian is that which you were prophesied with since birth." He rises once more, "Yet as I've said, your journey is not through."

"What… do you want me to do?" I ask, "What am I supposed to do?"

He shakes his head, "That, I believe, is up for you alone to make. Yet you are given many options as of now."

"My options?" I wonder aloud.

"This world, this form, this is who you were born to be. To live in this time as a human," he grins sadly, "But… things can change, can't they? And they have. Your spirit now connects to that of Pokemon of the past. And seeing as how I owe both you and your friends a debt of gratitude, I will allow you to go back to that time to return to him."

"I can see Ri again?" I say, nearly ready to break down.

"Yes, but it will not be without its price. To return is to never come back to this time; you get one chance. One too many rips in the fabric of time can prove catastrophic." My smile falls after hearing this. "And, seeing as how in that time you took a different form, you must return to it as well."

"You mean I'll turn into a Riolu again…" I say, staring at my feet.

"I will give you time to think about your answer," he says after a moment of complete silence.

I nod; I'm going to need time to sort all this out. But, as I've learned of late, time goes awfully fast. In the following stillness, with Dialga watching me expectantly, I think back to something he mentioned earlier and question, "My parents? We saved Ri from what happened in that future. Did they-?"

He interrupts with after shake of his head. "I am… sorry," he states solemnly, he eyes starting to glow again, "There was… an accident."

Images flash through my mind: A family drive. A young child strapped in a car seat, looking with wide eyes out the window, her hand in her mouth, in the back while her mom and dad chatted up front. The screech of tires skimming on hot pavement. The chaotic whirl of the vehicle as it spun about, suddenly slamming to a stop as it collided with a tree. Pain cutting deep into the right side of the child's skull and liquid life running down her face, an atonement to the fresh blood on the shattered glass just ahead, just in view. A shrill, sad, and lonely scream piercing the air.

"…Mommy? Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! WAKE UP!"

Brought back from the all too real and now very familiar vision of the past, I cry out, grabbing at my arms and going into spasms as the memory overwhelms me. My memory. From this future. The tears begin to fall just as they had on that day so very long ago.

Dialga- ever patient, but hardly ever consoling- waits for me to calm down some before speaking again, "Your only memories of your past being in the dark future, I know that this life is a lot for you to take in. However, I will help you try to remember enough to know how to interact with people you will- as you once did- encounter. That is, saying your Dimensional Scream doesn't tell you enough. Things are very different here than they were in your world of the planet's paralysis; it is kinder, but it is not without its dangers." He nods off to the side and I look over to spot a camouflage pack lying up against a tree. It's only vaguely familiar.

"What?" I sniffle, still hurt by the replay of my parents' deaths and anger slowly bubbling and brewing inside, "You… You're just gonna leave me here? Without a clue?!"

"I'll be waiting for you and your answer by the Passage of Time. Near there is where you can reunite with Grovyle if you wish."

"Why not just teleport us there now? Save us both some time."

"There is still much you need to learn, young Guardian," he says, already fading back through time, "And how can you learn if a choice is made for you?"

With that, he's gone, his words echoing around me.

"Great, Lira," I grumble to myself, "just great." Heading over to where the pack lies, I continue the small rant to myself, "Help a legendary Pokemon by doing his job for him, save countless lives, and prevent a future of eternal darkness," I heft the pack up into my arms, trying to ignore the ache of my head and the few second vision of déjà vu, "then die and come back right smack in the middle of nowhere, only for that certain Pokemon to send you on another journey for a lesson about life! Then pick between the people you care about most!"

Everything hitting me at once, the loss, the confusion, the pain, and the fear of choosing builds up into a fury I can't control. I feel like I've been led on this entire time, as if this all just some twisted game of Skitty and Rattata that someone is playing with my life. And for what? I changed the future, but I'm one out of only a few who even know about that now. If I hadn't been me, if I hadn't been born with this stupid ability, I could've been just an oblivious and carefree as the rest of the world. If the Dimensional Scream had picked someone else to be saddled with, I could be out there with Grovyle and Ri right now, living my life as a normal human being: no powers, no world to save, no abandoning anyone.

Why did it have to be me?

"I'm so sick of this!" I scream, throwing the pack with all might as far as I can. It's the one act of retaliation I can think of against the hand I've been dealt.

Yet after a moment, I pick it up once more and start walking. What choice do I have?