Scorch never thought a year would pass this quickly.

Really, time is just flying by now that there's this stable routine that she has going on with the guild now, and what do you know, one moment there's a blizzard in wintertime and then a couple seconds later it's springtime and the flowers are blooming! Wow! The power of having a normal schedule in life, that's new!

… Normal is really weird, if she had to be honest with herself.

Sometimes, she even forgot about how used she was to a not normal life, with everything being a surprise at every turn and not knowing what the heck was going on. Remember turning into a Chimchar with no memory but her human identity and somehow getting wooshed into an actual Epic Trip™ with the luckiest Treecko anyone could have? Remember struggling as a guild apprentice with lil' ol' Scales by her side was unbelievable and she thought what? at least every few minutes?

Yeah, those first few "weird rushes" have passed her since a year ago. They've gone through graduation, explored the mysterious Sky Peak, joined that weird Secret Rank that one time… it just stifles Scorch's bum flames without any new shocks to go through.

Hmm. She took a quick look at her bum and made a face. A whole year here and "stifles my bum flames" is somehow the strangest thing I've thought to myself. Huh.

"Hey, I think we're almost there!" Well if trying to not think about the phrase "stifles my bum flames" wasn't enough to get Scorch out of her thoughts, Scales yelling out through the roaring winds definitely did. She looked up and held loosely onto Lapras' shell horn to get a better look.

Yep, this was it. "We're back at the Hidden Land!"

The Hidden Land. A mysterious island in the sky that was home to Temporal Tower and site of those two's final stretch in their mission to save the world. Here, they fought tooth, nail, and scale through lots of powerful pokémon with the help of…

With… the help of…

"Hey, Scorch… you alright?"

Once again, lost in thoughts all alone. She should really stop doing that.

"Yeah, I'm alright," She said with the usual confidence, professionally bottling up her thoughts for later like she usually did. "I'm just… prepping myself up. You never know what could change in a year, so it could be tougher to get to the Rainbow Pedestal this time. So uh, yeah, y'know?"

Scales looked a little anxious himself, with his arched back and paws obviously stuck on Lapras' neck with worry, but he never tried to hide it. "I understand what you mean… I mean, it's been a whole year since Grovyle took Dusknoir back to the future, and that's a long time. I actually have no idea what's going on in there by that point, but, uh… well, we gotta at least try, right? You taught me that." He glanced back at Scorch with a small smile, which was a little hard to do with the wind stinging his face a little.

It was enough for Scorch to smile back and feel better about this whole plan.

She put a paw on his shoulder. "...You got a point, bud. C'mon, the shore is right there."

Getting off was easier than the first time they went to the Hidden Land. The first time, Scales had been stuck to Lapras' neck in fear of falling so badly it took Scorch, Grovyle, and a nearby iron thorn to peel him off. He apologized profusely after that happened.

Second time took at least twenty minutes less and Scales could peel himself off. He still apologized profusely for being stuck.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm reeeeaallly sorry, Ms. Lapras," He sputtered out, bowing up and down at quite a speed.

"It's fine, little one, just as it was before…" Lapras sighed, then turning to a spot in the sand to rest. "I'll be waiting here on the shore until you return from your mission together, just like last time." She gave an exasperated look at Scorch. "And this time I do dearly hope that the both of you come back for the ride home."

Scorch chuckled awkwardly and suddenly the back of her bandanna seemed to be the most interesting thing on this beach as she fumbled around with it. And her bag full of seeds and berries. And the sand, wow that was some rad sand. "Don't- don't worry, I'm not going anywhere this time. Promise."

…

The Hidden Land actually hasn't changed at all. Same pokémon, same weather conditions, just as they remembered it. If anything changed, really, then it was that it was easier to go through. Makes sense, though, since the team has been training more than ever; barely any seeds or berries had to be used up, and that by itself was a good thing.

More gifts to bring, I guess, Scorch thought as the stairs to outside the dungeon came in sight. The time lapse between here and there was blurred and short; one moment she was a couple feet away, a blink later and it was dark as the duo climbed up the stairs into the light. And now…

They both stop.

Scales gave a quick glance around before he spoke again. "We're finally here." The Old Ruins; the spot where Grovyle sacrificed himself for the good of the world and the future. This is what Scorch and Scales have been preparing for.

Scorch stepped forward first, clutching the bag to her heart. Time to get this started. Without a word, she walked and slowly to the end of the Old Ruins where the battle between them and Dusknoir conspired, Scales carefully following. Then, with just a silent nod from her friend, she kneeled over the spot and took a peculiar stone from her bagㅡ a Gone Pebble. Then a bunch of berries, then various seeds, and finally a Joy Ribbon. Scales kneeled down and took out a couple of scratch drawings he made of him, Scorch, and Grovyle beating up Dusknoir and the Sableye in epic proportions.

Scales looked a little hesitant with the drawings, and then back at Scorch. "Do you think-"

"Yes, the drawings are perfectly fine with the other items, Scales," Scorch reassured him, placing a hand on his scaly shoulder. "Remember, it's the thought that counts, and you've put a lot of effort into them. Of course Grovyle'd like them."

Feeling a little better about his gifts, Scales sighed in relief as he laid them down with the other tribute items. "It's… it's nice to hear that, Scorch."

Scorch smiled warmly as she thought about the time she had spent with Grovyle… well, at least the time she remembered with him and Scales. Grovyle had said that she was the best partner any pokémon could have back when she was a human, and that that hadn't changed when she lost her memory. But exactly how much was lost when she went through the Passage of Time? Would she ever get those moments back so she could truly understand how much she had lost? Scorch had only about a week's worth of time actually getting to know and fight alongside Grovyle, and those moments were probably only the tip of an iceberg too submerged underwater to bring back…

The air was still, and all that could be heard was the flicker of Scorch's flames.

"Hey uh, Scales…" Scales looked up at Scorch.

"Yeah?"

Scorch looked at the Gone Pebble surrounded by items and drawings and her eyes were filled with a silent sadness. "Could I really call myself Grovyle's partner if I can't even remember what we were like before this whole mess? I mean…" She crossed her legs and rested her head on her arm. "I dunno, it's just… jarring my head open that I could've had memories of him, and… would they be painful? Would they be even worse if I had my past on my back and he's gone now… so am I supposed to hold onto a bunch of stuff I can't remember or… or what…?"

Strange. For a fire-type, Scorch's cheeks suddenly felt cold and salty instead of warm.

Scales looked at her for a second and felt a little uneasy. He could easily mess this up now and Scorch could start crying now, and for his life he will never be ready to see her crying again.

Slow and steady…

"I'm… not really good with these kind of situations," He decided to start with, almost regretting each and every word coming out of his mouth. But there's no stopping here, his mind already is set on making this right. "You're usually the one who does the pep talking when I'm feeling down. But if there's something I can say…" Scales clutched the Relic Fragment tied to his necklace and inhaled. "I don't think your memories can come back. But I know that we can make new ones for you to fill in the holes. Together."

Scorch sniffed back some tears and rubbed her nose. She turned to see Scales. "...Together?"

Scales gave a soft smile and nodded. "Together. I mean, I think that might be what he would want, right? To move forward into a new future with the winds of time?" As he said that, Scales moved his paw across the air for dramatic flair.

Scorch stayed quiet for a bit, and snickered in spite of her teary face. "Gosh, you make it sound so cheesy and stuff…" They both chuckle a bit at that moment. But after the moment died down, Scorch looked up to the sky with a wistful expression. "But… yeah. You're right about that." She put an arm around Scales, who more than welcomed the side hug. "Thanks, buddy. I really needed that pep talk… you should do it more often."

"Well, m-maybe not too often… but I get what you're saying."

"Heh."

…

They stayed at that spot for the whole day, talking with playful banter at some points and staying silent to remember Grovyle at others. It wasn't until sundown that they decided to head back to the shore and ride Lapras back to Treasure Town. Almost as quickly as they walked into the Old Ruins, the team picked up their pouches and prepared to go through the dungeon again to reach their ride back. With the bags empty without barely any items left, there wouldn't be any dead weight on them; it wasn't like they needed them anyway, with how easy the dungeon had become over time.

Scales crawled his way back to the dungeon entrance as Scorch stopped to take one last glance at Grovyle's memorial.

"Hey, Scorch?"

"Yeah, um, I'm gonna catch up," She yelled back, not bothering to turn her head. "Give me a sec." A faint "okay" could be heard from behind her.

One last look at this place, at those drawings… they weren't going to come back here in a long time.

Scorch sighed and turned her back to follow Scales' way back, but then, seemingly from out of nowhere, a strong brusk of wind blew through her back. Chills ran down it, and she could barely hear a faint voice whispering through the gusts.

A familiar voice…

"Scorch! Scales! Can you hear me?!"

That voice…!

Scorch's fur stood on end. It shouldn't be possible… he's-

"We're still alive! The world is moving forward!"

"Grovyle?!" She whipped around to face the memorial, and the winds stung her face when she faced it.

Nothing there but the things they left there.

He's not here anymore. At least not in flesh. She knew that.

"We're going to make this new future a bright one. Maybe someday… we'll cross paths once more."

And the winds stop.

...What? Was the first thing to come to Scorch's mind when that happened. And here she thought all her what? moments were all behind her, what do you know. A familiar yet forgotten feeling of rushing adrenaline going through her blood came back to her after who knows how long. This feeling, plus the hunch of… conclusion…

"Scorch? Are you alright back there?" Scales' concerned yelling broke her train of thought once more. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time it's happened; Scorch simply shakes it off and scampers off to catch up with him.

She jumps down from the stairs and lands right next to Scales, giving him a slight scare before he regained his composure. "Yeah, I was just… thinking."

Scales looks confused as they start moving deeper into the Hidden Land. "Thinking about what?"

Scorch simply smiled and looked forward, her pace much more confident than before. "I mean, it could be just a hunch…"

"Eh?"

She shrugs. "Grovyle might not be with us anymore, but you know what? If anything, his spirit lives on."

Happy 10th Anniversary, Explorers of Sky! This was one of my favorite games when I was younger, and it still holds the rank of top 5 til today! I hope you enjoyed this story.