AN: While this is the first fanfic I've published on here, it's certainly not my first fanfic. But this is based on that tear-jerking scene in PMD:Explorers where the team contemplates suicide to save the world. :c The team is the one I use in Sky, Team Corona. I hope I did this scene justice.

The Meowth stood at the edge of the cliff, tears welling up in his eyes. His legs were shaky, and he was on the verge of just collapsing.

"I... I can't bring myself to do it..." he mumbled to himself shakily. "I'm a coward... Everyone's going to d-die because of me..."

He reflected back on the events that lead him up to this point. The dreams of Cresselia haunted his mind, as he had came to realize what they had meant. He needed to die, or spacial distortions would end the world. He was a spacial anomaly, and he didn't belong in this world. Didn't belong, didn't belong, didn't belong.

It would be so easy to just jump. He would plunge into the ocean and drown and the world would be saved. But he knew he was too weak. Too scared.

The only reason he was ever brave was because of Kitsy.

Oh, Arceus, he had failed Kitsy. He wasn't brave. He was a coward. Standing at the edge of Sharpedo Bluff, about to bawl his eyes out.

Why would anyone want a coward like him? Why did Kitsy care for him? She deserved a better friend. She didn't deserve to disappear as well - maybe if he jumped now, Kitsy would be okay. She wouldn't have to go and the world would return to normal.

His last conversation with her had been awkward and full of doubt. Neither of them wanted to kill themselves, but they didn't know any other way. It was what Cresselia told them.

A Meowth who didn't belong in this world isn't wanted in this world. It was the only thing he could believe now. He let everyone down. Kitsy, the Pokémon of Treasure Town, the Guild... everyone.

"Stardust?" a voice called behind him. The Vulpix who was his best friend stared over at him, a mixture of relief and concern in her eyes.

Stardust nearly hopped up in surprise, but upon seeing it was Kitsy, wiped up his tears and pretended to be fine. "S-so, Kitsy... You're awake too, huh?" There was a slight stutter in his voice, he hoped it wasn't too obvious. "I couldn't sleep at all..."

"I was so worried about you, I thought you had..." Kitsy trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Stardust sighed a little, trying not to sob. "I know. But, Kitsy? Why can't we stay in this world? W-why... Why aren't we allowed to stay?"

Kitsy took a step towards Stardust, wishing she had something reassuring to say. But she had nothing this time.

"You know... When we fought Dialga at Temporal Tower, you fought even knowing y-you were going to... g-going to... v-vanish." He stumbled at the end of the sentence, reluctant to mention it. "Because you knew that even if you were gone, the world would be saved. So that's why you did it, right? And this.. This is just like that, right?"

Kitsy struggled for something to say. "P-please, we shouldn't do this..."

"If this is the same way, I think we should do this. I should do this." Stardust's eyes were watering up, he wished they never needed to have this conversation.

"Stardust..." Kitsy began. "It- It may be true that I knew I'd vanish, but I knew if I didn't, the future would have been dark and bleak. I was willing to die, because there was no other way, but I feel like this is different. Something about this situation just feels... wrong."

"But Kitsy..." Stardust said, trembling near the cliff's edge. "Should... s-should we really kill ourselves?"

Kitsy's tails drooped. "I-I don't know. I don't think I know anything anymore."

"I feel like there's no other choice for me. I don't belong in this world..." Stardust whimpered.

"S-something isn't right, though. I know it." Kitsy said, unable to take the sight of Stardust like this. "I feel like there's something weird about everything Cresselia said..."

"But we know we're causing a spacial distortion! Even the Luminous Spring told us! There's something wrong with us, wrong with me..." Stardust replied, anguish in his voice. "And if the distortion is why Azurill's locked in a nightmare, that's our fault too..."

"That... That's true... But something is different about disappearing this time around!" Kitsy paused to think for a few seconds. "With restoring time, that wasn't a choice. We knew changing the future was what we needed to do. My disappearance was just a nasty but necessary side effect. But this time, we don't know what will happen. We're working entirely off Cresselia's word-of-mouth. For all we know, it might not even work!"

"You have a point, but so did C-Cresselia..." The tone in Stardust's voice was one of hopelessness. "We both time-travelled from a future that no longer exists, a future you even originated from. And everything's pointing to it being our fault. We changed the course of history. It's got to be true..."

"B-but... Stardust..." Kitsy stammered.

Stardust then gazed up at the sky, gone from being dim and starry to being aflame with a bright orange. "Look, Kitsy... The sun's rising."

"It's another beautiful dawn," Kitsy said, staring at the glow the sun cast upon the distant mountains.

"Oh, Kitsy... Seeing the sunrise here like this reminds me that this isn't the first time I've watched it rise up here." Stardust was about to cry again. "The first time here... It was with Grovyle. He had asked me how I didn't lose hope, even when it seemed there was no hope to have. I didn't know how I could answer, I didn't know why. That's when I realized I was so brave because you were there with me."

Kitsy wanted to go over, to hug her weeping partner. "Stardust, I'm glad I've helped like that, but..."

Stardust started talking again. "Grovyle told me to promise him that I'd watch your back, take his place. He entrusted me with his last wish, and... I fell into despair like this, right in front of you. I'm... so ashamed." But then, hope began to light up in Stardust's eyes, and he stepped away from the edge of the cliff. "But Kitsy, if you're not giving up, I'm not giving up either!"

Kitty's eyes shined with surprise and happiness. "That's the Stardust I know!"

"There has to be a better way to fix things! A way in which we don't need to disappear! And we have to find it! Let's keep going! Let's find a way out of this!" said Stardust with determination.

To Stardust's surprise, Kitsy ran over and hugged him, tears of joy streaming from her eyes. "...Stardust, I'm so happy you're okay."