Alma Venus, coeli subter labentia signa
Quae mare navigerum, quae terras frugiferentes
Concelebras...
Quae... rerum naturam sola gubernas
Nec sine te quidquam dias in luminis oras
Exoritur, neque fit laetum neque amabile quidquam...
Life-giving Venus, who beneath the gliding stars of heaven
Fills with your presence the sea that bears our ships
And the land that bears our crops...
You alone govern the nature of things,
And nothing comes forth into the shores of light
Or is glad or lovely without you...
-Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, I
Prelude
The beach — it is an extraordinary mode of conception, perception, resolution. It is the conjoining point of rationality and irrationality, where logic and emotion yield to each other, when what is called the paradox has justified its existence. It is the union of everything imaginable and unimaginable, possible and impossible.
The beach — in solitude, it indicates the intangible beauty and truth, justly metamorphosed into the illusion called reality, into what is known as existence.
The beach — it is a unique mode of setting. It is the only setting in the world where water meets land. Both prevail in their vying for dominance, yet their integrity remains true: they are sincere equals.
For all that is said for the future, it is universally agreed that it is here where two ordinary, remarkable beings met, setting forth the manifestation of an intense, crystalline ripple of the Spacetime Continuum, of the Universe, so far and so long into the distance that it only echoed into its endless mirrors, its endless cycles…
Of course, they had their own beginnings too. After all, they were never Arceus, never God. They could never be.
But never did they think that they would conquer the imperial enormities of the Spacetime Continuum…
Chapter 1: Where the Waves Touch the Shore
On the late afternoon of what had been a brilliant day filled with sunshine, a gallade with a small pouch hung around his neck walked down from the high coastal city of Treasure Town to the low shores of the nearby beach. It was something he liked to do every once in every while: the promenade around the enchanting seashore gave him the sense of an infinite and natural beauty that was a distinct contrast from the bustling civilization that was Treasure Town. It was today especially that this retreat would grant him temporary relief from his current worries that he would have preferred not to deal with, and though it would eventually have to be taken care of, the escape would be worth the while.
In this untouched location, the gallade was reminded of the pristine quality of nature, radiant and glowing, a welcome revitalizer from the ever-busy city he lived in. What he cherished most was the fact that it was hardly visited, so the place became almost a sort of rarity, a jewel for most of the pokémon living up in Treasure Town. Ultimately, it was his, in a manner that no one else could take away from him. There were many solitary walks that he had taken upon himself around this beach, and he knew the very geography of this location by heart from its multitude of scattered, shallow pools bordered by surrounding tall rocks to the steep slopes that stretched the entire distance of Treasure Town's upper coast and beyond.
It was especially at times like now he loved most: the sun, now the color of soft gold, was just beginning to set, the sky shades of warm marigold and amber, the clouds illuminated with light overtones of peach, light rose, and lavender. The ocean glittered from the sun's casting rays like stardust sprinkled against its waters, while its buoyant waves leapt against each other, revealing momentary translucent turquoise colors visible in the waves' formation one second and forever gone the next when it subsided back into the ocean waters. Locally-residing krabby, small but noticeable in their number, blew sparkling bubbles, mirror-like and celestial-blue, into the air, adding an inimitable magic to the beach. The overall harmony of the scene was uplifting, and it was enough to grant the gallade a slight, content smile.
The smile didn't last long: it bent into a slight frown as he turned to the left. The gallade caught the unfamiliar sight of something in the distance, close to a cluster of tall rocks near a shallow puddle. There was a huddle of white, accompanied with a muted shade of light green. It was a curious phenomenon; he had only been expecting an empty and solitary beach as it had been on other days.
The gallade picked up his pace, and walked closer. His eyes grew wider as he began to register what he had seen, thoughts progressively disconcerting and anxious. With increasing alarm in his expression, he grew to realize that it wasn't something, but someone.
There was a gardevoir lying on the beach, her body fixed uncomfortably into a fetal position: a side of her face lay flat against the soft beach sand while her arms were crossed closely in position together over her chest. Her hands lay half-open hands near her face, her legs pulled up directly in front of her arms, and her back arched into the shape of a semicircle. Her shoulder-length hair and her gown had recently dried from the day's sunlight, the sand dry in between the folds of her white gown and in wisps of her hair. She was rather skinny, almost as if she were undernourished. Her eyes were closed: was she sleeping? No, her body seemed too still: unconscious?
The gallade stood before her in shock: what was he to make of this situation?
In silence, he crouched down to his knees. He saw that she was still breathing, still alive. Myriads of thoughts multiplied in his head: was it possible that she was a resident of Treasure Town? No, it couldn't be. The only other gardevoir who lived in Treasure Town was the gardevoir of Team Charm, and he knew there was no way this gardevoir and the gardevoir of Team Charm were one and the same. So, a foreigner? An outsider? That would explain why he didn't know her then again, now that he thought about it, he knew without a doubt that the last time he had checked the Treasure Town Census, the only gardevoir residing in Treasure Town was that of Team Charm's. Alright, she was certainly a stranger then, but then how did she end up here? Sand over her entire body… washed up perhaps, here, on the beach?
Aha! There was a thunderstorm last night! She was washed up?!
"… Hey," the gallade said, his voice quiet but assertive. He dismissed the swirling cloud of thoughts madly blowing in his head, leaning modestly closer to her. "Are you…?"
The gardevoir stirred gently against the sand, groaning incoherently as her body shifted slightly from its original position.
"… Can you wake up?" the gallade half-murmured to her, and to himself in curiosity.
Once more, the gardevoir stirred against the sand. What was that voice permeating into her head? A voice that belonged to a male, for sure… As his words echoed into her ears, she groaned again. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, and, without quite realizing she had, she turned her head groggily up to face the direction of where the voice came from.
The gardevoir found herself looking up to a gallade with a concerned face, her eyes meeting his: a silence cascaded over them, and for a long moment in time, their eyes held each other's, and they could only stare at each other in wonder. Only tender ebbs of waves washing to and from the shore were heard in a soothing and quiet rhythm, but even that sound seemed distant and faraway from the two of them.
The gardevoir blinked, and suddenly, she was wary. She brusquely straightened herself, twisting her head back and forth swiftly in an effort to exercise her muscles, sat up and asked the gallade before her in as careful and stern of a voice she could muster, "Who are you?"
He was taken aback by her sudden harshness. "My name is Redley."
The gardevoir paused, and registered his name. "… Okay. Where am I?"
"You're here at the beach, close to Treasure Town above." Redley tilted his head to one direction, giving acknowledgement to the city above the rocky slopes. "Where did you come from? I've never seen you around here before."
This time, the gardevoir was taken aback. She opened her mouth, as if she were confident in her answer. Instead: "… I…" Her eyes darted away from the gallade's. "I don't know… where I came from?"
A frown twisted her face, and then with worry, embarrassment, and confusion, she said, "I… don't know where I came from. No, I don't remember where I came from, how I ended up here. I… lost my memory?"
Redley blinked once. How was he to respond to this statement?
The gardevoir moved in an attempt to stand up, her body stiff and sore. A dull ache was pounding her skull incessantly as she turned her head right and left to scan her surroundings, acquainting herself with the strange, unfamiliar landscape around her. Without thinking, she began walking, though she almost tripped over herself on her first step in the sand. Redley caught her before she could hit back down to the ground, extending his arms safely in front of her.
"You need help," the gallade said, now standing fully next to her. "I can walk with you up to Treasure Town and check you into a hospital." He was careful around her, as if to fence her in with his arms were she to fall down again.
"No," the gardevoir gasped, struggling to stand up. "Anything but that. I can't… I can't…"
"Why?"
"… It's nothing but a sore body. I…"
The gardevoir slumped back down back to her knees, momentarily putting her face in her hands. Redley stopped, unsure how to assist her any further.
"But," Redley began, "how could you refuse? Who knows what's happened to you?"
"Listen," the gardevoir snapped abruptly. "I just know I can't. I'm not…" The gardevoir breathed in harshly. "I'm not from around here, and I know that much. Where I'm from…" She shook her head. "My identity, my name…"
The gardevoir attempted to stand up again as if to prove her self-sufficiency, refusing to meet Redley's expression of concern. Her head was throbbing painfully, and it wouldn't be going away anytime soon. Medical care sounded welcoming and relieving to her now, yet why she asked herself in a frenzy as her body moved stiffly, mechanically why would she refuse such an offer?
"Who am I?" she asked herself at last, leaning against a ragged stone column with an arm.
Redley stared at her in astonishment. Her adamant refusals were unusual, enough to bring in more concern than usual. Nobody would have normally reject any offer of help like this!
"Listen, I can help you," Redley started again. "I work with the Exploration Federation and the Magnezone Police Department in Treasure Town." He indicated the civilization above the distant coast, and then looked back to the gardevoir. "Do you remember your name at least?"
She looked at the direction he had indicated: she saw weathered stone stairs along the slopes leading up to a small strip of colorful, bright buildings on top. She shook her head once. "I'm sorry, but… I can't afford…" The gardevoir struggled with words. "But my name! My name… is Genevra…?"
A silence went by, the gardevoir's eyes focused into a distant space beyond the gallade in front of her. "Yes," she said, nodding her head slowly. "My name is Genevra, I remember that."
Suddenly, the gardevoir flinched. She stood up again once, standing up for a better view of her surroundings. "There are pokémon nearby," she said quickly, and Redley spun around behind him to see two pokémon floating towards them: a weezing and a golbat, their presence ominous, casting a foreboding atmosphere around them. Redley's expression shifted abruptly; it didn't go unnoticed by Genevra. All of a sudden, it seemed to Redley, the beautiful oasis of the beach was ruined, tainted by their arrival.
"Ah, so this is where the esteemed Bounty Hunter Redley wanders off in his spare time. Or at least, it's one of his secret places, isn't it?" the goldbat started with a sneer.
"Wilben, and Gare." Redley said in greeting with a controlled politeness, and then gave them a nod. "How unexpected that I should meet the both of you here after work." Then his tone became more clipped, impatient. "What do you want?"
"Whoa-ho-ho," Wilben the weezing heaved, poisonous miniscule billows emitted from his pores, "no need to act so tough like you do in work. We only came here for one thing."
"That pouch hanging around your neck," Gare the goldbat continued. "We need that, at the request of our boss."
Everyone's eyes shifted immediately to the gallade's beige pouch, hanging on a string around his neck.
"Senler asked for it?" Redley eyed them warily.
Both Wilben and Gare laughed. "We wouldn't be here otherwise if he hadn't requested so."
The gallade narrowed his gaze at them, cutting their laughter off sharply. "Absolutely not."
The two toxic pokémon gave Redley a scheming look. He, in turn, raised his hand to firmly hold his pouch, anticipating the next to come.
"Well, well. So that must mean it has some serious value then." Wilben smirked.
"The boss did say that that was possible." Gare narrowed his eyes. "I guess that means we're only left with one choice..."
Without any warning, both pokémon flew towards Redley. Wilben casted a Clear Smog to Redley, Genevra caught in the midst of it. The gallade was momentarily distracted, covering his face with his arms, and Gare took the opportunity to snatch the pouch, ripping the string around his neck in half. No time was allowed for Redley to retaliate, and faster than the eye could perceive, the two thieves rushed away, disappearing into the dark depths of the nearby arched Beach Cave.
Both the gallade and the gardevoir coughed, still shaking from the sudden attack. Genevra had collapsed back onto her knees in the meantime, and when she stood up again, a fury flared inside her. Now, she stood upright without any trouble, as if the previous pain from her body had gone.
"Rude!" Genevra snapped, coughing up the last of the smog inhaled. "Just who exactly does that?!"
The sudden outburst from the gardevoir shocked Redley. He could only look at her for a second, speechless, but quickly proceeded before anything else would happen.
"Are you alright?" Redley quickly asked the gardevoir.
"Oh, I'm just fine!" The gardevoir was shaking, her hands curled into fists as she stood straight. "Though I might not be in the best state of health, there was no reason for them to attack that way! Inconsiderate jerks!"
Her temper was almost frightening to witness, Redley thought. Where did that come from?
"That item was important to you, wasn't it," Genevra continued, her eyes peering in the direction the two had fled. It wasn't a question. A slight pause occurred, but Redley spoke again before it could turn into a silence.
"Listen," Redley said as he swiftly shook his head once, refreshing himself, "you're hurt! I've only found you here just a few minutes before! It is important, but I'll chase them later it's not so much big of a deal any "
"Sure." Genevra's tone was snarky, though Redley could sense it was directed towards the weezing and golbat. "But the point remains as you said, the item is important to you. If anything, we should after chase them."
And with that, Genevra briskly began striding towards Beach Cave. When she realized Redley wasn't following her, she turned back around, giving him a questioning glance. "Are you coming to get your item back or not?"
Redley blinked, and then nodded once slowly. "Yes, I'm coming."
Then, he hurried to catch up with the gardevoir.
Their chasing after Wilben and Gare went more slowly than either of them would've liked it to have been Genevra eager to get back at what she now called them without fail jerks, and Redley in hopes of retrieving back his stolen item. At first, the direction they flew off was simple to follow: there was only one path to continue going through.
However, as they continued deeper, there were multiple paths taken leading to dead ends and empty pits. They were careful not to separate as they advanced further in the cave, occasionally glancing at one another to check each other's presence. As time wore on, the fear of not finding the thieves slowly grew between them, though neither of them would acknowledge it out loud with words.
Occasionally in the silence, practical conversation taking place occasionally. ("Let's try this direction," or, "We've gone through this way before, right?", and making sure that the landmarks they had passed by were distinctive enough to mark as having passed by previously.) Water dripped from rugged stalactites down into their respective puddles in uninterrupted rhythms, helping to distract the silence, providing a soothing sound that echoed all around. But the overwhelming silence couldn't be helped as they went along:
"Listen," Redley addressed the gardevoir, looking towards her. "About earlier, are you sure you'll be okay? You decided to help me, but you're hardly in any condition to help anyone. You've lost your memory."
The gardevoir arched an eye. "It's cute that you think I'm helping you. Don't forget that I'd like to get back at them for needlessly attacking me earlier back there."
To this, the gallade was unsure of how to respond. He struggled to think of something to say in reply, but he could think of nothing, and when he had noticed that more silence had accumulated, he realized saying nothing would save himself an awkward position.
The Beach Cave Pit was modestly sized, its large arched ceiling providing shade from the sun and allowing the cool sea breeze to blow into the clearing. The soft sand beneath led to the mouth of the sea, where a grand view of the distant shorelines stretched beyond.
Wilben and Gare floated in the middle of the clearing, inspecting Redley's item taken out of its original pouch in the grip of Gare's foot. Upon sensing the gallade and gardevoir's arrival from behind, they both turned around immediately, greeting both of them with smug smiles.
"Whoa-ho-ho, look who came back," Wilben greeted with a cough, toxic clouds puffing out from his pores.
Redley frowned, unimpressed. "Give it back."
"You mean, this? This rock?" Gare sneered, lifting it up as if to tempt him into taking it out of his grasp. "Well, Wilben, it seems like we should have fled sooner back to Senler."
"Not if I can help that," Genevra interrupted coolly. Both Wilben and Gare were ready to skedaddle through the opening out of the pit, but the gardevoir had distracted them.
"Whoa-ho, so it seems like the girl's decided to start talking!" Wilben laughed. "If you really want it that badly, come and get it!"
Genevra gritted her teeth, curling her hands into fists. "You'll regret ever calling me that!"
Without another moment to spare, Redley picked up immediately after Genevra's sentence, preparing a Psycho Cut to slash at Gare. Gare dodged the first time, flying rapidly as he tried to tighten his grip on the stone. It took Redley a third try for him to finally hit the bat, and its super-effectiveness knocked the bat into the water. Redley caught the stone midair with his hands.
Meanwhile, Genevra hit Wilben with a Psychic once, which did much damage, though the Wilben wouldn't get down very easily as he sprayed Clear Smog all around the gardevoir. Trapped in the white haze, Genevra stilled herself, breathing as little as possible. Feeling a soft breeze come from behind her back, she sensed it was Wilben, and forced herself to drop down into the sand before he could hit her with a Sludge Bomb. When Wilben realized his attack had missed, he struggled in the midst of his own haze, trying to determine where his foe had gone.
The golbat pulled himself out of the water in a furious demeanor, his wings wet and dripping with seawater. Screeching, he prepared a Giga Impact. Redley sensed the opportunity: he led the bat towards the Clear Smog, running into the haze before dodging to the floor.
At that moment, all four pokémon heard screams as Gare smashed into Wilben with his Giga Impact, the bat deflating the air out of the toxic puff-cloud pokémon. Redley had rolled out from under the Clear Smog just before the impact had hit. Genevra, who had already gotten out of the haze a moment before Redley rolled under, stood panting at a distance, comprehending what Redley had just done.
"OWOWOWOW," some unrecognizable voice said—the exclamation of pain was so distorted that neither Genevra or Redley could perceive who's voice it was.
Without another second to waste, Gare flew away from the Clear Smog, his wings flapping lethargically. "Don't.. huff… think… huff… you're done… with… huff…"
Genevra rolled her eyes, clearly unmoved by Gare's words. Redley simply stood there.
The Clear Smog cleared up immediately as Wilben inhaled its own toxic haze. "Don't think you've won this time! Your victory is a fluke!"
"Not only that, you stole that item!" Gare went on, his accusatory tone growing. "Chief himself witnessed it!"
Redley flared. "You have no right to accuse me of stealing anything!"
Wilben laughed, his cloudlike body taking shape again with air breathed in. "We could report you to the higher-ups for illegal handling of an ongoing investigation! Doesn't help that you're already having trouble with some of them anyway."
Gare cackled. "That's right! We could ruin you, Redley, if you continue to mess with us like this."
Genevra shot Redley a questioning look, wondering what was going on. Redley stood very still, though upon closer inspection, Genevra could see his body was trembling. She sensed a threatening aura coming from the gallade, and she became wary.
Thinking fast, the gardevoir casted a piercing glare at both pokémon. "Would you so care as to battle again?"
The pokémon looked at each other, and then looked at the gallade and gardevoir. They had just finished one battle, and they were already exhausted enough it was best to leave the matter as it was for now.
"This isn't over! Remember our warning!" Gare declared, and with that, they both skedaddled out of Beach Cave Pit as fast as their fear took them.
Genevra blinked, watching the two figures grow smaller further in the horizon. She let out a breath, and proceeded to walk towards the beige pouch with its broken string. She leaned down, picking it up with both hands, and walked back to Redley, who was looking at her intently.
"I believe this is yours," the gardevoir said simply.
Redley nodded, taking it back. After opening the pouch, he slipped his stone into the opening, and for a moment, Genevra caught a glimpse of the stone: at first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a chunk of the hardened dirt of earth, but very briefly, on its seemingly dull luster, she could make out a smoothly cut surface, and on it was a curious and foreign design intricately carved with miniscule precision.
The next moment, the stone had shifted back inside the pouch. Redley tightened the pouch by pulling apart its strings, and proceeded to make an improvised knot with the neck string that had snapped apart. Satisfied afterward, he placed it back around his neck.
"Let's head back to the beach."
The walk back to the beach was much shorter than it was to navigate to the Beach Cave Pit, both Genevra and Redley felt. During then, both were content to walk in silence, neither saying a word.
The sun had set more than halfway under the ocean, the entire seaside brimming with gold and amber. Krabby were still blowing bubbles, which sparkled in celestial blue against the afternoon light. The ocean waves continued ebbing back and forth against the sand, each wave growing louder as it slid inward, softer as it receded away back into its waters.
Redley and Genevra stood facing across each other, the sunlight outlining both pokémon. There was a moment of silence, and then:
"I have to thank you for this, for helping me get my item back." The gallade unfurled his fingers that had tightened around the beige pouch. "What they stole from me means a lot to me. I'm sure you know that, but..."
"Glad I could be of some help," Genevra said quietly, "especially if it's personal."
Redley nodded, still looking at the pouch. "There is a lot of history I share with this item." The gallade looked back to the gardevoir.
Suddenly, as if on cue, Genevra felt her migraine from earlier hit back again. Immediately, the gardevoir put her hands to her head, as if to subdue the throbs pulsing around her skull. After the encounter with the weezing and golbat, her body had completely forgotten about the pain. Genevra inhaled deeply, doing her best to keep from whimpering out in pain. Redley started towards her, only for Genevra to put a hand out in front of her.
"I'm sorry for any trouble I might've caused you earlier," Genevra said quite primly, letting go of her head from her hand. She sighed raggedly. "I'm fine for now, and I think I'll be able to find my way from here."
That said, the gardevoir turned around, starting in the opposite direction from Redley.
"Wait." The gallade ran, circling around to stop her, lifting a hand to prevent her from moving any more. "You can't be serious. You admitted earlier to losing your memory. You need help."
The gardevoir looked away from the gallade, unable to meet his eyes.
"Why don't you just accept it?"
"I'm okay. I'll regain it eventually."
"I don't think that's how it works."
The gardevoir said nothing, keeping her gaze down to the sand, remaining adamant about her answer. Redley stood there, looking at her expectantly. The silence held for a long moment, and the gallade began feeling defeat. The gardevoir was stubborn, and at this rate, he felt forcing her to accept help was wrong.
Then: "I just know I can't be known. I know it sounds weird, but I can't let others know of my existence."
"… What?"
"I know! It sounds preposterous, really strange. Just, believe me when I say that! Maybe it has to do with something about my memory, maybe I somehow remember that I can't be known. Because that's what it feels like, to be honest with you."
Redley could only look at gardevoir in surprise.
"Listen." The gallade's voice was gentle. "You're so adamant about not wanting any care, but if you don't know why you keep doing this, then what's the point? How can you even say that when you're basing what you know about yourself on uncertain memory?"
Genevra looked defeated. "All I can say is that I can't trust myself to accept any offer. I need to spend some time by myself to figure myself out."
"Then you can trust me when I say that all I want to do is help." Redley was doing his best to be persuasive.
"I barely know you; I've just met you today! I don't really know who you are, or who I am. I don't even know how I wound up here."
Redley's eyes widened slightly. "The thunderstorm last night! Do you have any memory of that?"
Genevra blinked. "There was a thunderstorm last night?"
"Yes! That may explain why you can't remember anything." Redley
Genevra faltered at Redley's response.
"And even if you say you need time alone, you don't have anywhere to go afterwards, do you? From what I gather, it seems like you don't know this area very well. If you stay here for a little while, maybe you'll discover something about yourself."
The gardevoir frowned. His words were not enough to make her feel any more secure about her current situation.
"I can't compromise others finding out about my existence." Genevra spoke quietly under her own breath. Redley nearly missed her words, but he heard them. "This is the one thing I must absolutely hold true to myself. I don't know why, but that's how it is."
The headache was pounding incessantly, and only getting stronger and stronger. Genevra stood still for a moment, breathing deeply, balancing herself. She saw before her line of vision a gallade, Redley, looking at her with a concerned expression… A too-concerned expression, she thought to herself, slightly annoyed at the fact he happened to care this much.
But before she could tell him to leave her alone once more, her eyelids closed, her knees collapsed, and without realizing she had, she collapsed downward. Only Redley, with his swift reflexes, caught her in time before she fell completely to the floor.
"Genevra!" The gallade hoped his voice would reach her ears before fainting. "Hang in there!"
There was no response from the gardevoir. She hung in his arms, limp and unanimated as she had been before.
Redley sighed, doing his best to collect Genevra in the least painful posture as possible. …I have no choice now, do I.
The gallade stood there quietly for a moment, studying Genevra intently. He knew right away what he was going to do next would not please her in the slightest, but he hoped the next time she woke up she'd come to her senses.
Author's Notes [6/11/17]: I admit I've taken a lot of liberties that deviate from the original gameplay of Time, Darkness, and Sky and I will admit I have no apology for it. Not only have I taken plenty of liberties deviating this from the original gameplay, I've taken a lot of liberties in modifying my original story as well: Redley and Genevra, for example, have had more character fleshed into their actions, and as well, I hope that they've become more authentic and genuine rather than typical caricatures of archetypes that everyone can easily put a label to.