I don't own Pokémon games, including the dialogue from the games that I include in the story, or the Pokémon franchise. I just write about them. Thank you for reading!
Cherish
The three of us whirled quickly when the front door opened, but it was Jasper and Kit. Jasper held an armful of apples and gummies, while Kit was clasping a light blue gummi in his beak.
"Shiloh!" He chirped, dropping the gummi as he hopped towards her. Once he was close enough, he spread his wings and wrapped them around Shiloh's middle. "I missed you."
"Hey! Look who can talk!" Shiloh exclaimed with a grin as she hugged Kit back. "I missed you too."
"He started talking a lot recently." I glanced at Kit and tried to approach him slowly with an outstretched paw, but he hopped backwards and shook his head.
"No!"
"Hmm," I muttered, giving a short laugh.
"Around Pokémon he likes, at least," Jasper said, rubbing his neck while looking uncomfortably at me. "Sorry."
"I don't mind," I told him, then looked at Kit and smiled, causing the Pidgey to narrow his eyes, but look at me with a slightly more friendly expression a moment later. "He's little. But maybe even when he grows up he won't like me."
"You got a lot of food, Jasper," Shiloh noted, moving forward stiffly to help him carry the apples and gummies. I walked closer to Jasper and held out my arms.
"I'll help too," I offered, knowing she was exhausted. We'd been chased around by Dusknoir and his Sableye for what seemed like forever.
"Half of it's for you," Jasper responded. "Go ahead and take some." I took two apples and gave one to Grovyle and then one to Shiloh. She gave me a look, then took a blue Gummi from Jasper and set it inside her satchel. Jasper pulled an apple out of his satchel. He looked at Shiloh and gave her a worried look. "You feeling alright, Shiloh?"
"Fine, just tired." She smiled faintly. "Thanks."
"What are you all going to do?" Jasper questioned, looking uneasy.
"Tomorrow we'll start searching for the Time Gears," Grovyle explained immediately.
"We shouldn't stay here, Jasper," Shiloh explained a little guiltily. "If we do, we'll be found, and probably get you in trouble."
"Do you have somewhere else to stay?" Jasper asked quickly. "I guess you're not going back to the Guild."
"No, we're not. I have somewhere we can stay." Shiloh smiled reassuringly. "I'll come and tell you where it is later." Jasper gave a nod.
"Alright, then...take care of yourselves." He glanced at me briefly, then looked back at Shiloh. "If you need help, come and get me."
"Thanks, Jasper." Shiloh headed for the door, and I followed closely behind her. I could hear Grovyle's footsteps behind me and turned to look at him as we walked, but couldn't think of much to say. "It's not too far, but we should hurry, since we have to walk through town." Grovyle and I picked up the pace and a minute later Shiloh stopped on a cliff overlooking the sea. I hung back, noticing that it was even darker now, making it hard to see very far. There weren't many landmarks around, as far as I could tell. Suddenly Shiloh approached a mat of leaves I hadn't noticed and stooped over. She tugged at it and eventually dragged it across the ground. Realizing I should help her, I rushed forward and grabbed the leaf mat and began pulling. Soon I noticed that some stairs that had been shaped from dirt and led down into a hole. "See?" Shiloh asked proudly. "They lead to my secret base. I made a sheet of leaves to hide it." She eagerly led the way down the stairs and I followed, then glanced back and saw Grovyle pulling the leaves back over the hole before he descended the stairs as well.
"This is cool," I exclaimed, staring around at the large underground room. It had two piles of straw in the middle, as well as a little pile-up of rocks that formed a basin. Sparkling water was running from a hole in the wall into the basin.
"I like it." Shiloh moved slowly around in a circle, observing the room. "It was my home before I joined the Guild. I'm glad that no one has found it."
"Clever," Grovyle murmured. "This place is a crevice in the sea cliff, isn't it?" Shiloh nodded brightly.
"It's in the side of Sharpedo Bluff, and it's hard to spot."
"We'll really be safe here until we've found all the Time Gears," I sighed, feeling relieved. "Dusknoir might not even find us here."
"About the Time Gears..." Grovyle spoke up, and I faced him and nodded, listening hard. "I have a job for you two."
"What is it?" Shiloh wondered, taking a seat on one of the straw beds. Grovyle frowned and looked like he was thinking hard; finally, he spoke.
"It's not enough just to find the Time Gears," he said with decisiveness, his arms folded tightly. "We need to find a place called the Hidden Land, or we won't be able to return the Time Gears to Temporal Tower."
"Isn't Temporal Tower still around in the future?" Shiloh asked. "We can take them there." Grovyle shook his head.
"It's too dangerous because of Dialga," he reminded. "Also, the path to Temporal Tower began collapsing in the future, and it's frozen that way now. It's impossible to reach."
"So we need to find the Temporal Tower of the past," I said. "Hey…" I exclaimed suddenly. "Did…did you and I go through the Passage of Time when I was human?"
"Yes, we did," Grovyle responded. "If we had just been a little later, then you, me and Linné would have been frozen too."
"So all of the Pokémon are stuck in time, and my family and friends, too?" I asked, biting my lip hard. Grovyle hesitated just for a second.
"Yes….but once we put the Time Gears back into Temporal Tower, everything will be back to normal."
"How do we put the Gears back into the tower?" Shiloh asked, and I nodded, wanting to know the same thing.
"There are six slots in the highest point of the tower," Grovyle explained, "and the Time Gears go there. Linné told me about it." Shiloh yawned, and I couldn't help yawning along with her. "Let's get some rest," Grovyle said. "Tomorrow I'll go to the Eastern Forest and get the Time Gear there."
"What should we do?" I questioned eagerly, wanting to hurry and find the Time Gears and Hidden Land so everything would go back to normal. The faster I did that, the better I'd feel knowing that my family and friends were safe—and not just my human ones, either.
"You two should find out as much information about the Hidden Land as you can," Grovyle stated resolutely. "I suppose you will have to show yourselves in Treasure Town, after all."
"It'll be alright," Shiloh said firmly. "Everyone at the Guild will be able to help. They'll believe us." I nodded, knowing that it was our only option.
"They're sure to want to help stop the Planet's Paralysis," I put in, trusting that they'd be able to believe in Grovyle, too. "That's what the Guild is for, anyway. It's just another mission." Shiloh grinned at me.
"That's right!" She laughed jubilantly. "It's a plan, then!" She moved towards her straw bed and began pulling armfuls of straw up. "I'll make another bed."
"No need," Grovyle said. "I don't mind sleeping on the ground."
"You sure?" Shiloh asked, and the taller Pokémon nodded.
"Yes. But I'm grateful. Thank you." I watched Shiloh hesitatingly curl up on the straw bed and close her eyes. Soon she was breathing steadily, fast asleep. I sat on the other bed and looked at Grovyle.
"Aren't you tired?" I asked him, frowning.
"I'm fine," he told me. "I'm going to stay up for a bit. You need to get some sleep." Grovyle moved towards the stairs and sat down. Slowly I walked towards Grovyle and sat just below him on the steps.
"Grovyle?" He looked steadily at me. "Could you tell me more about what it was like when I was human?"
"There isn't much to tell," Grovyle said with a light shrug, staring down at me with a distant expression. "We didn't have much time together. But I'll tell you all I can."
"I had a vision about you being taken away from me once," I began quietly. "I had it when I found the picture."
"Do you remember that happening?" Grovyle wondered, looking up the stairs. I shook my head.
"Not really," I told him, frowning. "I only know about it because of the vision."
"I remember it," Grovyle muttered. "Your parents probably just wanted to help." He gestured towards me and I followed after him as he ascended the stairs. I watched him sit down near the cliff edge. I started to approach him, but stopped and stared uneasily at him. "What's wrong?"
"The cliff," I mumbled, shaking my head, and heard Grovyle chuckle softly.
"You've always been afraid of heights," he said with a knowing look. I laughed nervously as he stood and approached me. "You lost your memories, but you're still the same." Swallowing, I pressed Grovyle for answers.
"Why do the visions happen?"
"Anything and anyone can trigger the Dimensional Scream," Grovyle began, "as long as there is someone in your life that you trust." I nodded. "Your parents didn't know that. I didn't know what your ability was until Linné told me." Grovyle eyed me carefully, crossing his arms. "The time I started living with you was the time you began developing your Dimensional Scream abilities. Your father found me on the edge of Fallabor Town. I was young, but I remember...the air was hot, there were ashes everywhere…lots of mountains and some volcanoes." He shook his head. "Anyway...your father took care of me, and started letting you take care of me too once I was better."
"Fallabor Town," I muttered, closing my eyes as a sense of familiarity came to me.
"I wasn't supposed to be there," Grovyle said. "I don't know why I was there. I must have been lost."
"My dad helped you...but later he just abandoned you?" Grovyle nodded slowly.
"He took me to a forest near a small town with clean air," he explained, a faraway look in his eyes. "I don't know how far away I was, but I asked Pokémon who lived there, and they told me I was in Verdanturf and that Fallabor Town was far away. I decided to run away and find you, but from what I heard, I was going to be given to a trainer. I didn't stay there long. Eventually I made it back to Fallabor, but when I found your house, you weren't there. Another family had moved in."
"They…they didn't have to get rid of you!" I snapped, and was a bit surprised to hear myself so angry. I didn't remember any of what Grovyle had told me, but it was as if the memories—unclear as though they were—were still bringing out old feelings in me. "They could have done anything else and…and figured out they were wrong."
"They weren't completely wrong." Grovyle paused, then added gruffly, "It's because we were friends that you got visions at all." He smiled. "I wasn't angry for being taken away. I knew I could still find you, and Linné helped me. She said that she travelled through time and found you. She could tell it was you, even though you were older." I clenched my paws.
"I'm glad that we're together," I muttered, "but still...I don't care if my parents were worried. They didn't have to take you away."
"Like I said, I knew they'd do anything to help you," Grovyle reminded me, his faint smirk still in place. "But I'd go to any length to get back to you, and when I finally did, I didn't want to wait for your parents to get back. I convinced you to leave, and then I led you to where Linné was hiding, and after that we went into the Passage of Time." I unclenched my paws and glared at the ground. "Do you remember any of that?"
"It feels familiar...maybe I do, a bit..." I admitted, thinking hard. "I remember...we never had much time together..."
"...But that the lack of time made us cherish the moments we had," Grovyle interjected, and I glanced sharply up at him.
"That's right," I sighed, leaning back onto the grass and gazing up at the darkened sky, which was now beginning to be dotted with stars. Night had crept up without me noticing. The dark of the future world had been unsettling and too quiet, but right now, the dark was comforting. The stars gave off light, and a breeze was blowing, causing the grass to rustle softly. "We spent just a couple days in the future, but it felt like a long time." I picked out a couple familiar stars and eventually Grovyle reclined in the grass as well, having moved away from the cliff. We stayed there, quietly looking up at the sky for a while. "The future should be like this again."
"I won't fail this time," Grovyle spoke up confidently. "I knew what the future would be like if the Planet's Paralysis happened, but seeing it for myself just made me work harder to try and prevent it." He glanced at me. "Oh, Gale…it's good to see you again."
"You, too," I told him softly. "Even if I don't remember everything, I'm sticking with you, no matter what." Grovyle turned away, then glanced back at me. "Tomorrow, Shiloh and I are going to ask the Guild to help us. I'll ask Jasper and Kit to come with us, too. We'll find out about the Hidden Land with everyone's help."
"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow," Grovyle announced, getting. I sat up and clambered to my feet. "I need to start getting the Time Gears back right away." I pulled my satchel off and gave it to him.
"Take this," I said firmly, pushing it into his paws. "It still has a couple Oran and Pecha berries."
"Thank you," Grovyle said, taking the satchel and putting it over his shoulder. "I'll be gone for a week or so. The Time Gears are far away."
"Whenever you need more items, come back to Treasure Town." Grovyle nodded. "We'll have explained to the Guild and everyone in Treasure Town what's going on." I yawned, and Grovyle gave me a little push towards the stairs.
"You need to rest," he stated. "You've been through a lot." I nodded, rubbing my eyes sleepily. He pulled something out of the satchel and handed it to me. "Keep this." It was the two torn halves of the family picture. I stared at it and felt my throat tightening. I swallowed heavily.
"Um…could…could I come with you?" Grovyle was quiet for a moment; I thought he was going to agree for a second, but then he shook his head.
"You need to stay here in Treasure Town with Shiloh," he reminded me softly. "You have something to do, remember?" I nodded, though couldn't help but feel disappointed, though I knew that I wouldn't be able to leave her behind. It'd be like what my parents had done with Grovyle, and if that had made me angry, then I couldn't do it to Shiloh. "I'll be back soon," Grovyle said, and I scuffed my feet against the ground, nodding.
"See you…later," I told Grovyle quietly before turning and heading back to where Shiloh was. I curled up on the remaining straw bed and closed my eyes, thoughts of all that had happened swirling in my head.
When I woke up the next morning, Grovyle was gone. As Shiloh and I walked to Jasper's house, I stared up at the sky, wishing I had woken up earlier. Shiloh knocked twice on Jasper's door and the Psyduck walked out with Kit beside him.
"Ready?" Jasper questioned warily, his arms crossed. I swallowed hard, then turned around and nodded. "You'd better be ready for an uproar."
"Especially from Ran," Shiloh said, lifting her chin and smiling. "Right?"
"Yeah," I laughed. "I'm ready to go." The four of us took the stairs steadily and once we crested the hill I halted and stared at the entrance to the Guild. "I'll do it," I announced, and moved forward to stand over the grate. Balancing on my left foot, I held the other over a gap and was getting ready to call down to Duthie when a shout came from below.
"Whose footprint is it?" Ran hollered, and I threw my paws to my head, wincing.
"It's a Treecko!" Duthie replied. "Ran, it's a Treecko!" He repeated urgently, and suddenly I heard thumping coming from below, and the gate over the entrance suddenly rolled up.
"Heads up, Gale," Jasper cautioned, and I took his advice and hurried away from the entrance. I'd been just in time, because a second later a large group of Pokémon spilled out, with Callo at the front.
"G-G-Gale!" He stuttered in disbelief. "Sh-Shiloh too!" Rin, Phyllo, Simeon, Lysa and Yabi were waiting just behind with looks of relief on their faces. "I c-can't believe you're back!" He crouched on the ground. "I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!" Lysa patted Callo's head gently and smiled.
"Are you alright?" She questioned. "Where did Dusknoir take you?"
"That's right!" Yabi interjected hotly. "And why?"
"You'd better EXPLAIN!" Ran shouted while he stomped his feet. "The Guildmaster wants to see you! So HURRY UP!"
"He hasn't changed, as you can see," Lysa whimpered, holding her head. "We'd better go inside before he yells again." Rin shook his tail and a gentle chiming noise wafted through the air.
"Let's give them some space, everyone," he announced sternly. "We all want to know what happened, but we need to be calm." Shiloh gave him a grateful look.
"Thanks, Rin," she sighed. "It's great to see you all again. We'll explain everything." It took a while for everyone to go down the ladders into the Guild, but eventually we managed, and were standing in front of Wigglytuff's room. Yabi scuttled up and rapped his claw on the door. It opened and Chatot hopped out, followed closely by Wigglytuff.
"They're back, Chatot!" Yabi announced eagerly. "And they're okay!" Chatot flapped his wings wildly, scattering a few feathers, and pushed his way around the Pokémon. "Watch it!" Yabi grumbled.
"Shiloh, Gale…it's good to see you're both well." He folded his wings, calming down a bit, but his eyes were wide with curiosity. "What happened to you?"
"It's a long story," Shiloh replied with a nervous grin. "But we'll tell it." She turned and faced the rest of the Guild members. "It's complicated, and may be hard to believe, but it's the truth." She took a deep breath, then let it out quietly. "It's very important." She spoke deliberately and loudly. "It concerns all of us, and all of the Pokémon in the world." Everyone was dead silent, focusing on Shiloh. Lysa and Callo were nodding their heads slowly. "Gale, Jasper," Shiloh announced, turning towards us. "I'll need your help."