I just had to do this, it almost made me cry but I just had to! Ever notice how the ending is the only time we get a true insight into the Partner's feelings? And that even then it isn't that much? I changed that and we now have the ending allllll from the partner's POV! Enjoy!
Losing you, Finding you
Blaze's POV
I guess I should have known better, I should have known that when Gemma and Grovyle were talking to Dusknoir. I saw them as I readied the Rainbow Stoneship, talking to the battered Ghost Type. Gemma looked shocked, her normally calm and determined face in shock and complete disbelief. I guessed after a while that it was Grovyle telling her what he was about to do.
How wrong can a Chimchar be?
The Eevee looked more than upset when Grovyle made his Sacrifice for the team, leaving behind his best friend to keep Dusknoir from stopping us. I always put his words – 'Parting is such sweet Sorrow' – down to him leaving someone so close to him; I didn't even consider any other meaning. I was still stunned; I knew I had to look after Gemma, for Grovyle's sake. But I didn't understand the request; Gemma was more than capable of looking after herself, if it weren't for her I wasn't sure I'd still be there. But I tried to do as he said.
Gemma had seemed distracted on the way up to Temporal Tower; Grovyle's request came into play several times. She kept missing, not noticing attacks heading her way. She took a lot more damage than normal, even after eating her share of our berries she was low on health and I had to – much to her annoyance – share my half with her. Gemma kept telling me to keep them, insisting she was OK and that she didn't need them, that I needed them more than her. Eventually I got her to eat them before continuing up to the top of the tower.
Dialga was by far the hardest Pokémon we've ever had to face, we were lucky to have gathered so many Reviver Seeds on the way up or we would have been out several times over. Gemma was still hurt, and truth be told my body was aching all over too, but we defeated him and put the Time Gears into the right slots. Time was saved from collapse, along with all our friends.
All but one.
Gemma was sluggish on the way back, I was cheering happily about how we needed to get back and tell them that we managed to do it, only to find she wasn't following me. I ran back and found her, a small wince on her features as if she were being held down. But what I noticed first was the lights that surrounded her, flashing past her body.
"Huh? Gemma... What is it? What's happening to you?" I asked, stopping a few feet away from her. Gemma smiled sadly.
"...Sorry, Blaze. I kept this to myself for a long time." She said. "It looks like... I have to say goodbye..." I was shocked.
"What? Goodbye? What are you saying?" I exclaimed. I thought what I considered the worst at that moment, which she was going to leave me and go back to the future to see Grovyle again. That I wasn't going to be her best friend anymore, and that I didn't matter.
"Dusknoir told me. If we changed the future, the Pokémon from the future would disappear... That's why... I'm destined to disappear too, Blaze." Gemma said, somehow she was smiling. Still smiling even when she was dying. I didn't understand, I was in denial at first.
"Huh? What? W-Why? W-Why...? I don't understand!" I yelled. Gemma winced slightly, I wasn't sure whether it was from pain or my yell.
"Thank you for everything. I'm going to disappear from here now... But Blaze... I'll never forget you." I walked closer, still denying what my partner was telling me. She couldn't disappear, in my eyes she was the most important thing ever.
"W-Wait a second... I managed to make it this far only because you were with me, Gemma. Don't you understand...?" I asked. "You made me strong, Gemma... If you go... I... I don't know... what I would..."
"No, Blaze. You have got to be strong on your own, you have to live! You have to go home... Tell everyone what happened here." I could see the lights getting brighter, I took a step closer. "So that... Nothing like this ever happens again." I took another step. "Please."
"Urk... Gemma..." I said. The lights got brighter, brighter and brighter the more time we stood. "Don't, Gemma! Don't... Don't go... Don't leave!"
"Thank you for everything, Blaze. I'm glad we got to train together at the guild, I'm glad we went on adventures together, I'm glad... I got to know you Blaze."
"Please... wait Gemma!" I said, tears getting thicker and thicker in my eyes, blurring my vision, I stepped closer.
"I'm sorry." Gemma was tearing up too now; I've never seen her cry. "I-I'm so lucky that you were my friend, Blaze. You silly little talking Chimchar." She choked out a laugh.
"I feel the same, Gemma! You're more important than anything to me!" I said, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. I tried to push the back, but it was no use. I was losing my best friend.
"Me too, Blaze. Even after I disappear, I'll never forget you! Promise." Gemma said, I moved the last few steps between us and grabbed the Eevee in a hug, letting my sobs come as they pleased. Gemma's paws patted my back before I felt her disappear, as if she were never there.
"Gemma! Gemma! ... G-Gemma... she's gone... she's really gone..." I collapsed, tears flowing freely. My best friend was gone, never coming back. I felt her disappear... and Grovyle, Celebi... they're gone too. They knew this would happen but they still saved our future, destroying their own. Gemma... Gemma the best, best friend you could ask for (in my opinion anyway) was never gonna come back. Never going to go on adventures, never going to see anyone ever again. I could only pray there was a heaven, because she deserved it.
"You strange... crazy little Eevee." I sobbed. "You stupid... you shouldn't have let yourself die for us."
I should have known something was up when I saw them talking to Dusknoir.
~X~X~X~
I lived up to her last wishes, telling everyone I could and trying to live on without my best friend at my side. I knew I wasn't the only one who missed her, but sometimes I just felt alone. No one could feel exactly the same way I did. Not anyone.
"Please! Wait Gemma, please!"
"Goodbye Blaze..."
"GEMMA!" I yelled, shooting up. I heard a collective groan from all around the guild's many rooms. Cold tears were in my eyes again, I blinked them back quickly, rubbing at my already red eyes. I saw a groggy Bidoof hop into the room.
"Blaze, are you alright?" He asked. I nodded. "Blaze, that's what you say every night."
"I'm fine, the dreams will stop soon, promise." I repeated. Bidoof sighed.
"You say that too. Blaze... we're all getting worried. It's the same every night... she's gone, Blaze." Bidoof said. As if I didn't know!
"I know that... but... dreaming is the only way to see her, Bidoof. I want the dreams to end... but I also don't." I sighed.
"Want Chimecho to use Hypnosis?" Bidoof asked. I shook my head. "Alright... yell if you need us."
"I will." I said, lying back down and closing my eyes. I heard him leave the room and then let a tear dribble out of my eye before falling asleep.
~X~X~X~
When I walked into the food hall everyone looked tired again, it was the same every morning. Apparently my yells were louder than Loudred and even woke Wigglytuff once.
"Morning." I muttered, grabbing an apple and sitting down.
"Blaze... there has to be a way to stop these dreams." Sunflora said. "We all feel sad about Gemma..."
"Not in the same way..." I murmured.
"We know we can't empathise, Blaze." Chatot said. "But please do try and stop the dreams, we're all suffering from it."
"I know..." I sighed, eating slowly. "I'm gonna go for a walk around Treasure Town..."
I stood and left the guild, walking down the steps and then into Treasure Town and toward the Kecleon Brothers. They were right, I needed to move on.
"Hello Blaze, what can we do for you today?" One asked. I placed a red scarf on the stores desk. "Blaze... this is..."
"I know its Gemma's." I replied, cutting him off.
"Blaze, we can't take this." The other said. I shook my head.
"I want you too. I need to move on, harbouring memories like that will just make it harder." I said. "No need for money."
Slowly I walked off, back toward the crossroads and then back to the guild where I went straight back to the room. I better catch up on my sleep, and at least this way I don't wake anyone up if I have a nightmare.
And I did. Many.
~X~X~X~
The dreams weren't getting any better with time, if anything they got worse. It was no longer just Gemma disappearing, but her getting mortally injured, her leaving of her own free will, anything about her that could hurt me. But the nightmares weren't the worst.
"Blaze, hurry up! I thought Infernapes were faster than this!" A Flareon teased as she ran off ahead. The yellow fur on the top of her head was brushed to cover one eye, leaving only one brown orb showing. I felt myself laugh.
"Normally you wouldn't have eaten loads of Quick Seeds, Gemma!" I called after her. Gemma just ran off faster. "I'm getting you for that!"
"Nah you won't." Gemma grinned. "You never do."
"Just you wait!" I chuckled. Gemma stopped until I caught up and then we both sped toward the guild. "Outlaw Board or Job Board?"
"Hmmm... Outlaw." Gemma replied. I nodded as she climbed down the ladder to the lower floors whilst I just jumped.
"Blaze!" Chatot shouted. I just snickered and ran to the outlaw board. Gemma wasn't far behind me.
"Hmmm... what about 'Rogue Staraptor, Mt. Bristle 6F'?" She asked me. I shrugged and she picked the notice off the board before we waved goodbye to the other guild members and ran back out.
But as if that dream, showing me what we could never have, wasn't hard enough. What happened next just added salt to the wound.
"So... easy mission, right?" I asked. Gemma grinned up at me. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Too bad we can't do the water dungeons, they seem to be giving the higher points and money these days." She said. I shrugged. "Ah well, money don't matter. We have each other." And then she put her front paws on my shoulders and stood on her hind legs. Before I realised I was leaning closer too and our lips touched.
"WAH!" I yelped. The same groan I heard every night filled my ears. "Sorry..." I murmured.
"Blaze." Bidoof said. "What happened this time? Nightmare again?"
"No."
"Then why are you crying?" I hadn't realised there were tears in my eyes until he mentioned it.
"It... was a good dream." I said. Bidoof looked even more confused.
"Then... why?"
"It ended, Bidoof." I sobbed. Bidoof shouted to everyone to go to sleep and then ran over.
"By golly, Blaze. Are you sure you two were... just friends?" He whispered. I looked at him. "You know... were you more?"
"No." I said.
"I'm being nosey now, yup-yup. But... did ya wanna be?" Bidoof asked. I looked down. "I get it, personal stuff. Not my strong point either."
"I guess I did... I never really wanted to mention it though." I said. "It could have ruined everything."
"I don't think it would, yup-yup. Gemma really liked you ya know. You both meant the world to each other, yup-yup." I shrugged. "Chimecho?"
"No. I'm not gonna sleep yet." Bidoof nodded and left. I guess... he's right. I did want to be more than just best friends. Would she have accepted that, or me?
~X~X~X~
"Huh? Howdy Blaze. Going out?" Bidoof asked me a month or so later as I left the guild. I turned to him.
"Yep. Out for a walk." I nodded with a smile.
"Sounds nice, yup-yup. It'll be dinner time soon, though. You don't want to be late for that!" He said. I nodded.
"Yep. I hear you." Before walking down the stair toward the crossroads.
I headed down to the beach, the Krabby were blowing bubbles again.
"Wow... this is so beautiful." I said aloud, staring at the bubbles as they floated through the sunset. "I haven't seen this is a long time. It's a pretty as I remember. I've been too busy to come and see it. But I've missed this... fantastic sight... when was the last time I saw this anyway? The last time was..."
And then it came to me. The last time I saw this, was when I met her.
"Last time I saw this... was... was when I met Gemma." I gasped.
"Wah! Someone has collapsed on the sand!" I ran over to them. "What happened? Are you OK?"
"The view... was like this that time too." I walked closer to where I found Gemma. "That was when Gemma and I... That was when our adventure began."
Memories flooded back to me, happy times and the occasional sad times.
"I remember it all so fondly, all those memories of my time with Gemma." I could feel tears welling in my eyes slowly. "...Memories... of Gemma... But now... Gemma is gone... And Gemma... isn't here anymore..." the tears pushed forward and I collapsed onto my knees, crying.
"Wah! Blaze!" I heard Bidoof exclaim. His feet ran along the sand and stopped behind me. "You've been gone so long, I took to worrying about you. W-What's the matter?"
"B-Bidoof!" I sobbed before collapsing crying in front of him.
"Wa-Wah? What's the matter?" He asked, alarmed. I continued to sob.
"Gemma! G-Gemma and I m-met here!" I cried. Bidoof was still stunned. "I-I... I can't take it!" Somewhere far away I heard a loud roar, it sounded very familiar.
"Wah! What the...!" I heard Bidoof exclaim. "What is that light?" I didn't look up. A few seconds later Bidoof yelped again. "Blaze! Blaze! Look behind you!"
Slowly I stood up and turned around. When I saw who was there I blinked several times.
"G-Gemma?" I stuttered. Gemma's face broke into a teary smile.
"Blaze!" She exclaimed, running. I ran and we met in the middle where I grabbed her in a tight hug.
"It's real... you're really here..." I sobbed. Gemma patted my back, hugging me tighter than I thought she could.
"I'm gonna go tell the guild!" Bidoof said, and I heard him run off toward the crossroads. Gemma moved back slightly so I was looking her right in the face.
"I missed you." She said.
"I missed you too." I replied. Suddenly Gemma moved her face forward and her lips crashed onto mine. I gasped, the feeling was so foreign, but I found it so... perfect too. Gemma the pulled away, blush on her cheeks.
"Sorry..." She said, about to pull away from the hug when I pulled her back, pressing my lips back against hers. She tensed for a second before relaxing.
A few minutes later I pulled back, smiling at her before hugging her impossibly tight. "I-I... Iloveyou!"
"I didn't understand that." Gemma laughed.
"I love you." I said again. Gemma grinned.
"I love you too." She said. "I think we better get to the guild."
"Unless you wanna be squished by tons of hugs, then I don't think we have to just yet." I said. Gemma pushed so she was on all fours again.
"I guess you're right." She smiled. I grinned back, her big brown eyes, one hidden behind that unusual piece of pale brown fur, were staring up at me. I think I owe Dialga one. (It's so obvious he's behind this)
Maybe that dream wasn't so impossible after all.
~X~X~X~
If I made any mistakes about dungeons, blame it on the fact I have a lack of game playing recently, hehe.