Chapter 14: Past

Steve opened his eyes, but quickly shut them when he was blinded by sunlight. He heard the sound of gentle waves washing a shore. Opening his eyes again, he saw a blue sky decorated with a few clouds. Turning to his side, he could see he was on a beach. A familiar beach. Steve stood up, stumbling a bit.

"Ugh…" Andy sat up, wiping his eyes. "Are we… are we back?"

"Looks like it, doesn't it?" Grovyle said, getting up. "There's sun, flowing water… hey, we're back."

Andy glanced around. "Hey! This is where I found Steve!" He walked over to a spot near a cluster of rocks near the local cave. "I found him passed out right here."

"Hmm… our first trip sent me into the Eastern Forest," Grovyle said. "We ended up miles from each other that first time…"

"I wanna hear a little more on how this time travel thing works," Andy said. "We should find someplace a little more private. How about Wigglytuff's Guild?"

"Excuse me," Grovyle said with a smile, "I'm still an outlaw to everyone there, remember?"

"Oh, heh, heh," Andy chuckled nervously. "I forgot…"

"You're right," Steve said. "We gotta find somewhere more private, and the guild isn't an option now."

Andy thought, until he perked up. "Wait a minute, I know a place! But we'll have to go through Treasure Town to get there."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Grovyle said. "We can sneak through."

It was a wonder how they didn't attract any attention. A Riolu, Pikachu, and Grovyle sneaking across town tended to turn some heads. They arrived at a cliff a bit beyond town. A large flag was posted there, blowing in the gentle breeze.

"We're pretty good at being sneaky," Steve remarked, glancing back. "I don't think anyone saw us."

"This is Sharpedo Bluff," Andy said to his companions. "I think it's because the cliff face looks like a Sharpedo."

Sharpedo Bluff indeed, looked like a Sharpedo, which was a shark‑like Pokémon.

Andy pulled aside several clumps of leaves and grass. To Steve and Grovyle's surprise, there was a hole in the ground with a dirt stairway going down under the foliage. Andy gestured for them to go in. They all went inside.

A spacious room with a wide opening in the cliff‑face greeted the explorers. Teeth‑like spikes of rock, pointing up and down, kept the opening secure. The back of the cave had a small fountain of water. Straw and other materials for making beds were in the corner.

Andy went to cover up the entrance from the inside and came down. He looked around the room and sighed in relief.

"Good, no one's come in here," he said. "I lived here before Steve and I joined the guild."

"I guess this is the inside of the mouth of the cliff." Grovyle glanced around the room, taking it all in. "A very suitable place. Well hidden."

"We'd better rest up here." Steve grabbed some straw and made a bed. "We've been through a lot lately."

Grovyle and Andy nodded in agreement, making their own beds.

Later that night, they struck up a conversation.

"So, Steve," Grovyle said. "You sure look different."

"Yeah, I can see that." Steve laughed.

"I found him unconscious on the beach," Andy added. "He said he was a human and didn't remember anything except for his name."

"Can you tell me about your adventures?" Grovyle asked.

Steve and Andy told him how they had met, joined the guild as Team Galaxy, and went on adventures. It took about twenty-two minutes to get to how Dusknoir had dragged them into the future. Grovyle listened silently, his attention never wavering.

When they were finally done, Grovyle sighed, a look of guilt on his face.

"You're actually the same Steve… my partner back in the future. In Crystal Cave, I had almost…"

"It's okay," Steve said with a small smile. "You were on a mission. You did what you had to do."

"So, you and Steve worked together in the future, Grovyle?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, we were searching the the locations where the Time Gears would be in the past," Grovyle replied. "Steve's Dimensional Scream was key to doing that."

"How'd you know there was a Time Gear related every time?"

"The Dimensional Scream only works under two conditions," Grovyle said. "Perhaps you don't know them?"

Andy shook his head.

"First off, it requires the presence of a trusted Pokémon partner," Grovyle explained. "Steve never had visions unless I was around."

"But he was having visions only a few days after we met!" Andy pointed out.

Grovyle quirked an eyebrow. "So? Doesn't that show how much you trusted each other from the start?"

Andy was momentarily stunned. "Well, if you put it like that, it's kind of embarrassing…"

"The two of you became fast friends..." Grovyle trailed off, looking as if he'd noticed something. He blinked and got back into the conversation.

"Anyway, as I said, the Dimensional Scream only works around a trusted partner. The second condition is that it only activates where Time Gears are involved."

"What's kinda weird is that Drowzee or the waterfall had nothing to do with Time Gears," Steve said.

Andy nodded. "Yeah, the Dimensional Scream did activate in a lot of places."

Grovyle shrugged. "Perhaps it just works differently in this time."

"That explains why I didn't get anything from that time‑frozen waterfall back in the future," Steve said.

"What did you two do?" Andy asked, regarding Steve and Grovyle.

"Steve and I traveled all over the land searching for the Time Gear locations," Grovyle said. "Steve impressed me several times when we were trying to find our way to those places. Crystal Cave, for example-"

"Those three crystals connecting?" Steve cut‑in.

"Yes, I didn't know much about Azelf, but apparently you did, and solved the problem in the end," Grovyle said, smiling fondly.

The voice I heard... It sounded so familiar. Wait a minute...

"That was my own voice in that Scream, wasn't it?" Steve realized.

Andy turned to him. "Really?"

"You gave yourself the answer, then." Grovyle chuckled. Then his expression turned grim. "I can't state how much I worried about you, Steve. Something happened in that time tunnel. I don't know what, but in generated a lot of turbulence, and we got separated."

He sighed, covering his face with a hand. "But I never once thought I was fighting you at any point. Steve… I'm just so glad to see you again, no matter what you look like. Again, I'm so sorry for attacking you…"

"I get it, Grovyle. It wasn't your fault!" Steve insisted. "We thought you were the bad guy. I guess we were all made fools of."

Grovyle nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"Alright, so we're all together on this?" he said. "We're going to work together to collect the Time Gears?"

"Time stopping at the places around the Time Gears is only temporary, right?" Andy asked, making sure.

"Right. When we get those Time Gears in place at the top of Temporal Tower, it should restore time to normal," Grovyle confirmed.

"Okay then. I'm in," Andy said.

"Count me in, too!" Steve raised a paw into the air.

"Then let's get some sleep," Grovyle said. "It's late, and tomorrow will be a busy day for us."

Grovyle woke up several hours later. He glanced around the room. Steve was on his side, sleeping silently. Andy's bed was empty.

Where did Andy go? Grovyle thought. He glanced at the exit. Maybe he went outside.

He carefully tip‑toed around the sleeping Riolu, then headed up the stairs.

Grovyle emerged through the hole. A cool, gentle sea breeze blew on the bluff‑top, giving the air a relaxing quality. The time was in the early hours of the morning. The sun wasn't up yet, but there was enough light to be able to see. He looked around and saw Andy standing at the point of the bluff, looking out at the sea.

Grovyle stepped up to him. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah." Andy yawned. "I was just thinking…"

"About Dusknoir?" Grovyle asked, curiosity on his face.

"Kinda. But what I'm really thinking about is that we don't value the things we see everyday enough," Andy said sadly.

"I'd known only that darkness all my life." Grovyle looked out at the sea. "When I first experienced a sun‑rise in this time, I was just… blown away. It was so beautiful."

Andy sighed. "Yeah, we take things like that for granted. They're the most precious things to us in life."

Sunlight began to shine across the land. The top of the sun peeked over the horizon, greeting the two Pokémon on the bluff. They turned around to see it rising. Andy breathed deeply, enjoying the sun's comfortable warmth.

"I don't think I've ever found a sunrise so... renewing," he said. "That trip to the future really drove it all home…"

Grovyle nodded, watching the sunrise for a while. Then he needed to ask something.

"Andy, back in the future, I had given up. I saw no way out, yet both of you held on. Tell me, how do you hold on to hope through all that?"

Andy looked at him, a bit astonished. He thought about it before answering.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," he said. "But Steve always helped me through my troubles."

"How so?" Grovyle raised an eyebrow, his curiosity rising.

"He always seems to inspire me to do things I would never do on my own," Andy said. "I don't think I would've made it this far without him."

Andy was holding the pouch containing his Relic Fragment. He opened it and took out the rock. Holding it in his paws, he showed it to his companion. Grovyle stared at it, perplexed by the pattern engraved on the rock.

"This was my original inspiration," Andy said. "I call it my Relic Fragment. Without Steve, I would've never had chance of finding out about it since I didn't have the courage to form an exploration team back then. He's done so much for me," he finished, fondness clear in his voice.

"I think I understand," Grovyle responded. "Back in the future, I told you about not being afraid, about sometimes just going into a situation without fear of the consequences. To be honest, that's something Steve told me once."

Andy blinked in awe.

"He showed me a lot about courage and it seemed like he could just drive others to keep going even through the hardest circumstances. More than once, when we were in a tight spot, or I was facing uncertainty, he'd tell me something like that. He never failed to motivate me to keep going when time was running short for us, even if it seemed insane at the time," Grovyle said, chuckling.

After letting all that sink in, a small smile formed on Andy's face. Then he yawned again, standing up and stretching. He put the Relic Fragment back in the pouch.

"Well, it's morning," he said, raising a paw to shield his eyes from the sunlight. "We should wake up Steve and get ready to go." Andy turned around and began to walk back inside the cave.

Grovyle nodded, and glanced at the sunrise one last time.

I hope we can succeed. We can't fail.

Then Grovyle turned to join his companions down below.

Steve was already awake when they got back to the room.

"I feel so refreshed," he said, yawning and stretching.

Grovyle nodded. "Good. We need your full strength."

"I noticed that you guys weren't here when I woke up," Steve said. "Where'd you go?"

Andy shuffled nervously. "Oh, we just went outside and talked about a few things."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't wake me up. I really needed some sleep."

"True, true," Grovyle agreed.

Andy rifled through their treasure bag and took out the wonder map. He spread it out on the floor.

"Which Time Gear do we get first?" he asked. He looked through most of the places they had been to. "How about the one in the Northern Desert? That one's the closest."

"I don't think I wanna go back there," Steve complained. "It's so hot, and there's too many sandstorms."

"How about Treeshroud Forest?" Grovyle suggested, pointing to it. "That's where I got my first gear when I came here the first time."

"Where's that?" Andy scanned the map. Grovyle pointed to a forest to the northeast, north of Mt. Horn.

"It's quite far, but there's no guardian watching over that Time Gear."

"Sounds like a plan," Steve said. "I'd rather not fight Azelf or any of them right now."

"So it's settled then." Grovyle folded up the map and handed it to Andy, who put in away in their bag.

The trio set out.

The explorers traveled for a few hours until they arrived at the forest. Since they were no longer on the run from Dusknoir and his minions, they were able to go at a steadier pace.

"Alright, we're here…" Grovyle trailed off, glancing around the forest.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"It's nothing." Grovyle shook his head. "Something seemed odd but it must be my imagination. We'll go when you're ready."

Steve repacked their bag at a Kangaskhan rock before they entered the forest.

There was an abundance of Psychic‑type Pokémon in the forest. Steve took care not to get hit by any of their psychic attacks, as he was weak to them.

Ralts were Pokémon with green, dome‑shaped helmets over their head and two red horns of some sort sticking out of it. The rest of its body was white.

Abra and Kadabra were also encountered. They had yellow bodies and somewhat triangular heads. Kadabra held a spoon in their right hand.

Ninetails were fire‑type fox Pokémon with nine tails. Grovyle steered clear of them.

Steve led the way, taking out most of the enemies. Andy Quick Attacked from behind the Riolu frequently, hitting the enemy in front of him. They had definitely grown stronger during their adventures. Grovyle stayed behind the Pikachu and Riolu, assisting when needed.

They arrived at a deeper part of the forest a few hours later. It was darker, and grass was sparse on the ground. It was mostly trees and other plants around them. The trio stopped to look around.

"We're halfway there, I think," Andy said, glancing up at the tall trees above.

"Looks that way," Grovyle agreed. "If we keep going, we should get there soon."

When his two friends started to continue, Steve said, "Hold on."

Andy turned around. "What is it?"

"I need to ask you something," Steve said. He held up his right paw, and a gentle, blue energy began to envelop it. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's Aura, right?" Andy stepped closer to look. "I read about it in a book once. It's the energy that all Pokémon radiate. Riolu and Lucario are the only Pokémon who can sense it and wield it in battle. That's what I know, anyway."

Steve stared at his Aura-covered paw. "So that's what this is, huh? I somehow knew what it was called, but I didn't know what it actually does." Then the energy dissipated, leaving his paw normal. "Thanks for telling me."

"No problem," Andy said, smiling.

"Are we done with this little lesson?" Grovyle asked. "We need to get going."

"Right, sorry for the interruption." Steve and his partners marched onward.

They soon arrived at the center of the forest.

"Time… It's stopped here," Grovyle murmured.

Steve and Andy looked around, seeing his observation. The entire area was a dull grey and the air was unnaturally still.

"Uxie and his friends… they said they were gonna put back the Time Gears, didn't they?" Andy asked, feeling unsettled by the grey scenery.

"Yeah, I think they should've done that by now," Steve said.

"Maybe they just haven't done it yet?" Andy suggested hopefully.

"Only one way to find out." Grovyle walked deeper into the time-frozen area, Steve and Andy following him.

They came to a small pool with a glowing blue item hovering in the air.

"This is most definitely a Time Gear," Grovyle said, walking up to it. He didn't sound reassured from finding it.

Andy stared at a nearby tree. Dewdrops looked as if they were dropping from the leaves. One drop was falling off a leaf but the water was suspended in mid‑air.

"Then why's time stopped here? See that?" Andy pointed at the droplet suspended in the air. "What going on?"

Grovyle glanced at him, then back at the Time Gear. He grabbed it without a word.

Things instantly darkened, time coming to a complete halt in the area. Steve shivered, feeling mildly ill.

"Grovyle! What're you doing, taking the Time Gear like that?" Andy demanded. Grovyle shrugged in response.

"Time's already stopped here," he said, looking grim. "It doesn't matter what I do with the Time Gear here now. I don't like this. We need to get back to town to plan again."

"What do we do?" Steve asked.

"Andy, I want you to go around Treasure Town and listen for some information," Grovyle told him. "Once you've got the general news, return to our hiding place and let us know."

"Okay." Andy agreed and they headed back.

Steve and Grovyle snuck through town back to their hiding place while Andy went somewhere else around town.

Andy came back several minutes later.

"What's the news?" Grovyle asked.

"It's not good," Andy said grimly. "Uxie and the guardians put the Time Gears back in their spots, but time hasn't gone back to normal yet. Everyone's worried again because no one can figure out what the problem is."

Grovyle nodded slowly, his expression grave.

"What does it mean?" Steve asked.

"It means we're running out of time," Grovyle replied. "Temporal Tower must be collapsing soon."

"So what do we do now?" Andy said.

"...We're going to split up," Grovyle replied. "I'll go after the Time Gears. I can probably get it done the fastest."

"What are we gonna do?" Steve asked, regarding him and Andy.

"You two are going to need to find the Hidden Land."

"Hidden Land?" Andy repeated.

"Yes," Grovyle responded. "Temporal Tower is in the Hidden Land. But as the name indicates, it is hidden. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about how to find it or where. I wish the three of us luck. I'm moving out." He turned and headed for the exit.

"Okay. See you later," Steve said to Grovyle's leaving form.

Steve turned to his partner. "Alright, so we need to find the hidden land."

An awkward silence followed.

"Uh… where do we start looking for it?" Andy said.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck, not coming up with any ideas.

"...How about the beach?" he suggested.

"Alright." Andy shrugged and headed out, Steve following.

They sneaked through town and arrived at the beach. The sun was low in the sky, near the horizon. The beach was empty except for themselves.

"We're at the beach," Andy said, looking out at the ocean.

"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious."

"This isn't the time for joking around!" Andy said. "We need to find this place, and fast!" Desperation was edging into his voice.

We can't do this alone. We need some help.

"Andy, let's go to Wigglytuff's Guild," Steve said.

"What?" Andy turned to his partner, surprised by the suggestion. "Why the guild?"

"I think everyone should know the truth," Steve replied.

"I don't know if anyone would believe us." Andy looked doubtful. "I mean, it took a lot from Grovyle just to convince us, and everyone else respects Dusknoir…" He trailed off.

"Let's tell them anyway," Steve insisted.

"But why should we even bother-"

"Because we can't do this alone!" Steve shouted. "We need everyone's help for this!"

Andy took a step back, staring at Steve in surprise.

"After all, we're just two explorers. We need help." Steve put his two paws on Andy's shoulders. "We can't do this alone, buddy."

Andy blinked, a bit stunned. Then he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right."

"Okay then." Steve lowered his arms to his sides. "We gonna go back to Wigglytuff's Guild?"

"Yeah!" Andy pumped his paw into the air. "We're gonna tell them the truth! Even if they don't don't believe it!"

"We'll make them believe us if we have to!" Steve laughed, and the two of them headed for the guild.