The Forever Trilogy: The Restored Files

~NEVERMORE~

Chapter 13: Time Traveler

TOPAZ

Tuesday, December 8th, 4998.

The days passed. We trained and trained. The weather turned cold. We had our first snow. And with Christmas approaching, everyone was getting excited—especially Jade, who was already strategically placing mistletoe. She had only succeeded in catching couples under the mistletoe though, much to her chagrin. It was crazy to think how much things had changed these past couple of months.

Still, I was happy. Probably the happiest I had been in a long time. My friends were really, truly my family. I didn't want to be anywhere else but here, on Mount Silver.

"Did you know that in Kanto and Johto, Christmas is considered more of a romantic holiday?" Rubin asked me as we were taking a break during training. "Like, on Christmas Eve, couples go out on dates. Do you think that's how they celebrate it here?"

I finished taking a drink, and reached up to wipe my sweaty bangs away from my eyes. "I'm from Johto, y'know—'course I know. But I have no idea if that's how it goes here. The Resistance is like a melting pot of all the different regions' cultures."

"That's true," he admitted, glancing down, before making a face and letting out a frustrated sigh. "It's so weird, Topaz! We've been working so hard and stuff... I thought it'd never happen, but I'm... I'm getting muscle."

Oh, Rubin. You were so cute and feminine.

"Like, my stomach is all hard and don't get me started on my arms—I hate it! I know we have to get all in shape and stuff, but... this really isn't my thing. All I ever wanted to do was be able to participate in contests like my ancestor."

To be honest, I was worried about him because of that. Rubin wasn't a warrior. He wasn't a battler. He was trying so hard, but he was still the weakest in our squad. I hated it, but I had a feeling, that if any of us were to die... he would be the first. He just... wasn't made for war.

"Someday, Rubes, someday," I sighed, looking down at my water bottle.

We both grew quiet. I checked the clock. We had about five minutes left before we had to go back to training.

"...Hey, can I tell you something?"

I looked back up at him, curious. "Sure. What's up?"

He winced, glancing down at the floor. "It's just... about this whole deal with Synis being after you. That time, when we met him for the first time... I got so... I don't know... angry. I felt... like I had to protect you."

...Well. I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. There were so many unexplained things about us—things that we all had realized since coming to the Resistance. And I had a feeling—no, I knew—that Lightning was the key to it all.

"And it's been bothering me lately," he continued, staring at the ground. "I don't know why... Maybe it's because of everything that's been happening. Like, maybe we are connected to Synis somehow..."

My eyes widened. "You can't seriously think that."

"I don't know." He sighed, finally looking up to meet my gaze. "It's just a feeling I get. I mean, why else would the people that work for him know us, not even including whatever reason why he's after you?"

"Ugh..." I gritted my teeth, knowing fully well that he had a very good point. "I don't wanna believe it..."

"Neither do I, Topaz," he said, a troubled look in his eyes. "But..."

Just then, the whistle blew, signaling we needed to get back to training.

"We can talk about this later," I said, putting away my water bottle. "Let's just focus on our training and getting stronger for now, Rubes."

"Riiight. More muscle building..."

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Oh, c'mon! Cheer up."

"It's easy for you to say!"

LIGHTNING

Wednesday, December 9th, 4998.

I finished washing my hands in the icy stream, shook the water off of them, and then wiped the rest of the water off on my jeans. Behind me, my five pokémon were out, eating some of the food that the people of Floaroma had given us in thanks for saving their town. It would last us a couple more days, thankfully. Getting food was a challenge.

I was still getting used to being here. Things were so different... I hadn't expected that. It didn't help that we were on our own. I couldn't... involve myself with the Resistance too much... even if we had the same goal.

It was just too risky.

I stood back up, and turned around to face my pokémon. Kaen, my charizard, had been my first pokémon, a gift from my mother. Then there was Akane, my arcanine. I had caught her as a growlithe. Next was Kina, my ninetales, who I had caught as a vulpix around the same time as Akane. After her, I'd got Aoi, my manectric, in Hoenn on a vacation with my family, as an electrike. And last but not least was Kiiro, my jolteon, who I caught a few years back, when my father took me to Kalos to learn about Mega Evolution.

They were all that I had left. They were my family now.

The cold was starting to bother me, so I hurried over to the fire, where I had placed my jacket and scarf to dry after washing them. I had finally managed to get all the blood out of my clothing from the Floraroma incident. I had wanted to avoid hurting the relatively innocent soldiers, but they kept on getting in my way...

I sat down on the dried out log I had pulled over, leaning forward and putting my hands close to the fire. The warmth was a relief to my chilled fingers. I immediately started feeling better. My pokémon had just about finished their meals and all moved closer, which helped warm the air around me.

The one poké ball on my belt that still had someone inside... felt heavy. I wished I could let him out, but...

No, I couldn't worry about that. He had to understand.

I shivered a little as a cold breeze blew right against my back. The last time I had been stuck out in the cold, I had had more than pokémon for company...

She had been with me... Aqua.

We had been on a mission with the others, but got separated after being ambushed by mutant pokémon. Eventually it began to blizzard, forcing us to dig a hollow into the snow for shelter. It would have been nice... if we didn't almost catch hypothermia. But that had also been the last time it was just the two of us... before she died.

My heart ached. It still felt like it had been ripped in two, on the brink of shattering entirely. That ache never left me. And I doubted it would ever go away.

"Awwww, is someone all pouty? Jeez, you sure haven't changed."

I jumped off the log, whipping around to see Mauve leaning casually against a tree, that invisibility cloak hanging from her shoulders. Other than that, she wasn't really dressed warmly. But she had always been like that—Mauve Murasaki was imperious to any kind of weather. My pokémon reacted as well, having all stood up, ready to go into battle if necessary.

"What do you want?" I demanded, on full guard.

Mauve just laughed, and pushed herself away from the tree. "Don't be so hostile! We're all family here."

I scowled. "You stopped being my family ages ago, Mauve."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "You wound me, Lightning, you really do. That is what you go by now, right? Because Mommy called you her little lightning bolt? How precious."

My hands clenched into fists. My pokémon tensed even further. I really did not need this right now. I didn't need this blatant reminder of my past shoved right into my face. But it just had to be Mauve. I would take Azo over her any day. Actually, I'd probably take Flax, who I kicked to the curb the other day, before her, and according to the records, he had been just as bad as the woman before me.

"Shut up," I snapped, trying to ignore the fact that I was getting cold, being further away from the fire. "What do you want, Mauve? Why are you here? To take me back? I'm not going."

"Oh, please," she snorted, an amused smirk on her face. "You think your father would take you back now? Nah, I'm just here to pay you a friendly visit. You looked a little lonely. Lamenting about your lost love again? Gosh, Lightning, it's really not healthy to dwell in the past."

"Do you really think I care what you think?" I retorted. "You're the last person I want to see."

Mauve rolled her eyes again, and then shook her head, taking a couple steps closer. "Tsk tsk, Autumn. Oops, my bad—you probably don't want to be called that, do you?" She laughed, like the whole thing cracked her up. "The Resistance must've rubbed off on you, with all that codename mumbo jumbo. Though it appears like they haven't adopted that here yet."

I stepped back closer to the log, moving away from her. "Is that all you're here for? To insult me?"

"Oh?" That deadly twinkle returned to her eyes. "Would you rather me do something more?"

Kaen and Akane both let out deep snarls, baring their sharp fangs. Aoi and Kiiro growled, electricity beginning to crackle around their bodies. Even Kina, who was normally silent, hissed.

Her words made me feel sick to my stomach.

Mauve laughed again, and waved them off. "Relax, I've got better things to do than mess with your trainer. Reactions are priceless, though."

I scowled, glaring at her. "You're sick."

"Ha! You think I'm bad?" she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "You met Flax, right? Kicked his sorry butt? I dunno what you've heard about him, but some people hate him more than Synis. Though I could care less about that part. I'm more curious about those delicious rumors, hmhm."

"Uh... What rumors?" I was confused.

"Oh, don't play innocent with me," she said, taking another step closer. "You're far from it."

I just scowled harder. "I'm nothing like you."

"Oh, but that's the key!" she laughed, snapping her fingers. "Flax is everything like me! Isn't that great? I wonder what he's like in bed."

I grimaced. "You're disgusting, Mauve."

She just laughed again, putting her hands on her hips. "Awwww, lighten up! Pun fully intended! You're just too young, I guess, to fully appreciate the human body."

Ugh... "I'm not having this conversation with you of all people."

Mauve shook her head, and then waved me off, turning around, as if she was finally about to leave. "Suit yourself. But y'know, if you really want to change the future... you can't go running around playing god. Even tiny tidbits of information, warnings if you will, won't do jack to stop the hell we know from happening."

I gritted my teeth, my clenched fists tightening. "How could you possibly know that?"

She reached up to brush her bangs to the side. "You don't give me enough credit. I am a Murasaki. You know that Synis recently had a machine built to monitor the space-time continuum. And guess what? Your little interference has done absolutely nothing to change the course of time."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Why are you telling me this? You're not on my side."

She snorted. "Maybe so, I don't know, you come to your senses. And for the record, love, I'm on nobody's side. Only my own."

I reopened my eyes at that moment to see her walk away. And then, once again, I was alone with my pokémon. Thick silence fell in our little clearing. A different heaviness settled in my heart. I felt exhausted.

Mauve always... confused me.

She had been like that for as long as I could remember. I guess you could say I had grown up with both her and Azo. I had convinced myself that both of them were the enemy—as they worked for Synis—but then she had to pull something like this. But regardless of what she told me, I had to keep fighting. I had to keep trying to change the course of time.

"Ugh," I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't we have been born into a normal world?"

Kaen let out a soft growl, and edged a bit closer to me. I turned back towards her and the rest of my team—my family. They were all looking at me with concern.

No... I couldn't let myself get discouraged. They were counting on me.

"...I'm okay," I sighed, sitting back down on the log. "Just why does she have to do that? She says she's on nobody's side but she's working with that bastard..."

Kaen let out another quiet growl, reaching out to rest her chin on my shoulder. Akane moved closer, curling up next to the log. Kina, Aoi, and Kiiro all padded over to gather around the fire with us. It was reassuring... knowing that as long as I had them, I would never be alone. They had been through the same things as me. They had survived with me.

I wondered... if that pokémon knew what we had to do. The pokémon that had brought us here. Maybe, if I sought it out, we could get some answers.

I knew what we had to do.

We needed to find Celebi.

RUBIN

Thursday, December 10th, 4998.

"Ta-DA! I finished Raiden's sweater! What do you think, Vera?"

I had finally found some free time to sit and knit, since everyone was busy cleaning their rooms for inspections. Mine was already spic and span. Apparently so was Vera's, as she had joined me about half an hour ago, having come from the Town, the floor that was filled with shops and stuff for all your Resistance needs.

"It's so cute!" she gushed, clasping her hands together in front of her mouth, her green eyes sparkling like we were in an anime. "You are so gifted, Rubes! It makes me a bit jealous!"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "Oh, um, it's nothing, really! Just something I like to do." I really didn't know how to respond to my crush praising me. "We all have our talents, right?"

"I guess so," she said before plopping down on the loveseat next to me. "I can't think of much I can do, other than train pokémon and first aid."

"Hey, don't say that!" I exclaimed. "Everyone has something they're good at! I bet even Gold has some kind of talent."

Vera giggled. "Well, I guess when you put it that way... Thanks, Rubes! You're really sweet!"

I could just feel myself blush harder. "Um... T-Thanks."

She just smiled before leaning flopping her back up against the couch. "But gosh, things have been crazy these days. Since Christmas is a romantic holiday here, everyone has been trying to hook up and stuff. I miss all the specials and presents and stuff."

I winced. "Yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather be in Hoenn right now. Santa Claus is so much better than this."

"I know right? I'm from Hoenn, too—Fortree City, to be exact!" She looked up at the ceiling. "The worst part is having feelings for someone off limits. Cadets can't have relationships with their superiors."

...Right, her crush on Ross. Though I already knew about it—we all did—it still hurt. Like a punch to the heart. Still, I did my best to give her a reassuring smile. Despite my own feelings, she was my friend, and I would be there to support her. No matter... how painful it was.

"Well, we won't be cadets forever, right?" I said. "And if it's really meant to be, he'll accept you for who you are."

This time, she blushed, tucking in her chin as she lowered her head. "Y-Yeah... It's kinda exciting, just thinking about it. I mean, the future, when we've won the war..."

But then her face fell. It was like a wave of sorrow washed over her. For a moment, I was confused, but she just shook her head and pushed herself up off the couch. Vera let out a self depreciating laugh.

"Better not get too excited, huh? We are still in a war, after all." She reached up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm going to look for Pink. You should probably give that sweater to Topaz."

Oh, right. I looked down at the pikachu's sweater. I had really worked hard on it. I didn't know why, but I felt like when it came to Topaz, I had to try my hardest. Chase had briefly mentioned the other day that she had inherited the Rosso charisma, which inspired us all to do our best.

But wait a sec—she was busy right now, helping Jade clean her room. It would probably be best not to disturb them. I could just leave this in her room. I hopped to my feet.

"Okay, I'll see you later then," I said. "Tell Pink I said hi."

She smiled, though it seemed a little sad, and nodded. "I will. It was nice talking to you, Rubin."

I watched her walk out of the lounge then. Something... was wrong. I always noticed there were moments when she got sad out of the blue. But, of course, I had no idea why it happened. I couldn't figure out the trend. But I had the nagging sense that... Vera was... hiding something from us.

TOPAZ

Saturday, December 12th, 4998.

After a lot of begging, we all managed to convince Chase and Am to go out and get a Christmas tree for us. They were the tallest and strongest guys out of all of us, so naturally it would fall to them. As for the rest of us, we were decorating the lounge with other things while we waited for them.

"Aha!" Jade suddenly exclaimed, catching my attention from where I was organizing ornaments with Goldy. "Caught under the mistletoe!"

She was pointing to a very confused Chase, who must have just returned, as he was holding the tip of the tree we had sent Am and him to go get, and a startled Pink, who had opened the door for them. Her eyes widened as large as saucers and her face burned red.

"J-Jade!" she sputtered.

Chase, still looking confused, looked up at the top of the door frame, where the mistletoe had been precariously placed. "Oh." He just shrugged and proceeded to walk through the door. "Sorry, but no."

"What? NONONONO you have to kiss!" Jade protested, all but throwing down the tinsel in her hands. "It's the RULE! What's the point of having mistletoe if nobody follows the rules?!"

"...Jade, calm down," I deadpanned, looking over at her. "Besides, Chase and Scarlet are dating."

"BUT-"

"JADE!" Viola and I barked at the same time.

The floor shook a little, and we all glanced over to see that Chase and Am were setting down the tree. Jade was pouting now, but she started gathering the multicolored lights, and Viola helped her. I fought the urge to sigh, and joined them. Goldy took that as his cue to go over to the boys, and moments later Pink had come over.

Jeez, what had gotten into Jade? She wanted the mistletoe thing to work so badly, she was trying to encourage others to cheat. She needed to calm down with this romance stuff. Maybe it was getting to her head.

"That was... so awkward," she sighed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Please don't do that again, Jade..."

The auburn-haired girl puffed out her cheeks. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just thought..."

Pink shook her head. "It's... hopeless."

I exchanged looks with Viola, who looked just as clueless as I was. What were they even trying to do? She just shrugged, and resumed shuffling the lights in her arms. No one said anything else, so we headed over to the tree to start decorating it. That was when Pink seemed to notice something, glancing around the room.

"Hey, where's Vera?" she asked, looking at each of us.

"She said she had something to take care of first," I told her, reaching down to string the lights along the lowest tree boughs. "But she'll probably be back any moment now."

Once the entire lower tree had been laid with lights, I stood up to see Pink frowning, like something was troubling her. Jade's turn was next, and she was continuing to lay the lights.

"Something wrong, Pink?" I asked.

She shrugged weakly. "I don't know... maybe it's just me, but hasn't Vera been acting kind of strange lately?"

"What do you mean?" Viola asked, frowning.

"Like..." She seemed to be searching for the right words. "Distant, I guess. Something's bothering her, I think, but she won't tell me anything. I'm getting worried, to be honest."

Jade came around from behind the tree, finishing off her layer of lights. "I think I know what you're talking about. Like, Rubin said he talked to her the other day, but after that she started clamming up and hasn't been much for conversation."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "That is pretty weird..."

She nodded. "At first I thought maybe he let his crush slip out, but when I tried talking to her, she was the same way."

"See? I'm worried," Pink sighed. "Vera is one of my best friends and she won't even tell me what's wrong!"

"Hey..." Jade put her hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure this out, okay? We're not just friends here—we're all a team, too."

Pink bit her bottom lip, and nodded. "Yeah, I know... I'm just... used to having to do everything myself. That's what happens when you're in foster care."

My eyes widened. "You were in foster care?"

She looked over at me and nodded. "My parents died when I was five. I don't remember how exactly, but they did. It was pretty bad... If I hadn't run away and found the rebel movement in Littleroot Town, I'd never be here."

"Wait... rebel movement in Littleroot?" Viola paused in her tinsel decorating. "What are you talking about?"

Pink looked at us in surprise. "What, you don't know about that?"

Jade shook her head. "No... We've only really heard of the Resistance here. We know a little about something happening in Hoenn, but..."

"Oh, jeez..." She winced. "Well, there's an underground rebellion separate from us in Littleroot Town. It's very small, but a lot of our soldiers stop there to recharge and stuff. That's how I found out about Mount Silver. Anyways, it's run by the Birch family—descendants of Professor Birch, in fact. They don't attack the Government, though. They're too small."

"Wait a sec—Rubin's a Birch," I said with surprise. "Why'd he never tell us about this?!"

"He probably assumed we already knew," Viola said, shrugging. "He's having the roughest time here. I'd cut him some slack."

...She had a point. Rubin had been trying so hard lately, I had kind of forgotten he was the weakest and hated battling. I looked over where he was with the other guys, laughing about something. Goldy slapped him on the back, nearly toppling him over. They all looked... happy. The happiest we had been in a while.

Putting up a Christmas tree had been a good idea. We needed this.

"We can worry about this later," I said. "Right now, let's enjoy ourselves, okay? I mean, this may be our only time to celebrate Christmas if something happens on the actual day."

"She's right," Jade said, nodding. "We're here to have fun! For all we know, Vera is just stressed and needs this more than we do."

Pink bit her lip. "Good point. Thanks, guys."

Jade just smiled, and reached over to give her friend a hug. "Don't sweat it, Pink! We all love you to death~!"

She giggled a little, returning the embrace. "Oh, I know, darling."

We all laughed—even Viola. But then the door opened, and out stepped Vera.

"Sorry I'm late!" she exclaimed. "Wow, you're already halfway done!"

"Vera!" Pink pulled away from Jade to hurry over to the other girl. "What took you so long?"

"Huh?" Vera seemed to hesitate, reaching over to clasp her arm. "Oh, um, my errand took longer than expected. Sorry."

"Well, never mind that!" Jade said, going over to join them. "It's time to put on the ornaments!"

Vera smiled a little. "My favorite part!"

"We're all going to pitch in," Plato said.

Yeah... I was going to enjoy the time I could spend with my friends in this peace. Just seeing everyone so happy made me even happier.

If only I knew that everything was about to go to shit.