Chapter 20
The Final Adventure
When Tim and I made it to the top of the temple, the Rainbow Stoneship was glowing brightly. Tim and I stepped on with just enough time to spare. The ship shook itself free of its chains and started to hover. Then, without warning, it shot up. We broke through the clouds, taking in the beauty of the scene in front of us.
The Temporal Tower stood tall, but a huge red cloud swirled right above it. I looked behind us.
"Well, no wonder it's called the Rainbow Stoneship!" I said. Tim also turned and looked. A beautiful rainbow was flowing from the ship as it moved forward, showing the trail that we had been taking.
In a matter of minutes we were at the path that lead to the tower.
"I hope that it stays there," Tim said.
"I think that it will until we get back on," I said, forgetting for at least a short while about my eminent disappearance.
We started walking up the path. Eventually, we reached the tower. Tim waited patiently as I checked our bags and grabbed some things out of the Kangashkan Rock. A sudden jolt went through the ground, knocking Tim and I off balance. I landed on him. I looked at his face for several seconds, blushed, and then got off of him.
"Earthquake," Tim said, dusting himself off. He made a suggestive coughing sound, and then continued, "I think that Temporal Tower is already starting to collapse. We need to proceed with caution,"
I agreed and we started climbing the tower, my Silver bow fluttering slightly as we went.
The first half of the Temporal Tower wasn't that bad. I had learned all of the moves that I could, as had Tim. We were both at about level 50. Timothy had actually learned a move that he shouldn't have until his next evolution- Dark Pulse. That one didn't last long though. You'll see what I mean later on.
We reached the half-way point. Another tremor went through the ground. This time, we were better prepared for it.
"That tremor was worse than the last one," I said.
Tim nodded. "We need to hurry. We're running out of time,"
We continued. This leg of the Tower was much more difficult because of the small quakes that would send us tumbling one way or the other. On the final floor, floor 10, I looked up at Timothy. We were right in front of the steps, leading up to the pinnacle. I hopped up onto my hind legs so I was almost as tall as Timothy. I set my paws on his shoulders and looked at him in the eye.
"No matter what happens up there, don't lose hope," I said. Then I gave him a kiss. It was more than what I had given him at Fogbound Lake. It was a real kiss.
We went up the stairs, well prepared for what awaited us up there. Or were we?
The sky above us was in a tumult of red and bright splashes of lightning here and there. The fur on the back of my neck stood up on end. I looked forward.
"There it is," I said. There was a huge stone panel with five gear-shaped slots gouged out. "That's where we need to put the Time Gears,"
Tim nodded and started to walk forward. He was stopped short by a bolt of lightning. We both jumped back. That's when we heard Him.
"YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE!" he said.
"No, you're wrong!" I shouted to the skies. "We are here to save time from stopping!"
"TIME… STOPPING…" the voice growled. Then, he roared. Dialga appeared in front of us, blocking our way to the stone panel. He roared again.
"He's out of control!" I said to Tim. "We are going to need to knock him out!"
"YOU WILL NEVER DESTROY TIME!" Primal Dialga roared.
And thus, Dialga's fight to the finish started.
Heart pounding, I blew out a Fire Spin at him. It smashed into him, taking out quite a bit of damage. Timothy ran up and started pounding at his leg with Force Palm. Primal Dialga was unfazed by this. He opened his mouth and let out a tremendous roar, the Roar of Time. I was able to evade it by ducking underneath the shock wave, but Timothy was not nearly so lucky. He was caught up in it and carried to a far corner of the pinnacle. He crashed up against a column and fell to the floor.
I was seeing red now. I let loose with a barrage of Fire Blasts while Dialga was still recharging from Roar of Time. But when he was done, he was not happy. He lifted one claw and slashed me with a mighty Dragon Claw. That one move alone took out a huge hunk of my HP, and I felt dizzy. Dialga came towards me, rocks already floating in preparation for Ancient Power.
I closed my eyes and waited for the end to come. But that's when a miracle took place. A blazing blue Aura Sphere came and hit Dialga in the chest plate, knocking off his concentration. I looked over at Tim. His aura was shining bright blue, like the way it should. He was already charging up another Aura Sphere. That filled me with hope. I jumped up and went over by Tim. I blew Flame Thrower after Flame Thrower, while Tim fired off more Aura Spheres than I would ever be able to count. Both were super effective.
Dialga went down on one knee, and then fell over onto his side, breathing heavily. He was unconscious. But then another tremor went through the ground. And this time, it didn't stop. Tim and I crawled past Dialga to the stone panel. Tim got up and ran up the stairs. I tried to follow him up, but a sudden shock threw me off balance. I tumbled down, boing boing boing. Ow ow ow…
I looked up and watched Tim set the Time Gears in place. As soon as the final one was put in its place, they were absorbed into the panel, and the patterns started glowing. A huge jolt went through the ground and Timothy fell. Head over heels, I watched in horror. I closed my eyes as everything became pure white.
I opened my eyes again. Everything was still white, but I saw someone coming towards me. She smiled at me.
"You have done it," she said. "You did what I couldn't do."
I looked at her, and then I realized who that was.
"Jet?"
"Of course! Who else could it be?" She said. The black Ninetails came over to me. "You probably don't remember this, but I'm the one who saved you when you encountered trouble during time travel- well, really it was my spirit, but… you get the picture… And now I'll save you again!"
"I-I don't understand…" I said.
"And you never will," She said. Her face was grey with age, similar to Senior's face. She put it towards mine and breathed on me.
I opened my eyes. I was on my side, and my entire body hurt. I saw Tim laying a little ways away. He wasn't moving. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing. I stood up, slowly and painfully, and walked over to him. I sat down next to him. I looked at his face. His eyes were closed. I didn't even notice that tears were filling mine. Eventually, one small tear slipped down and landed on his face.
Tim snorted and opened his eyes, trying to wipe my tears from his face. I gasped and hugged him long and hard, tears streaming down my face.
"I thought I lost you…" I whispered. Tim tenderly wrapped his arms around me.
"THANK YOU," said the booming voice behind us. We turned and saw Dialga, no longer tormented by the darkness. "YOU HAD THE BRAVERY TO STAND UP TO ME, EVEN AS I RAGED OUT OF CONTROL,"
"Um… you're welcome…" Tim said unsurely.
"NOW, LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING," Dialga said. Then, using his psychic powers, he showed us…
"This is… Tree Shroud Forest…" I heard Tim say.
'Dialga must be using telepathy,' I thought. We both watched as Tree Shroud burst into movement again. The winds blew softly, rustling the leaves of the trees.
That image faded, and we saw Treasure Town. Summer and Quinton were chasing Azurill and Marill down the street. Marowak was taking a leisurely stroll back from Spinda's café. Teddiursa and Ursaring were holding a friendly conversation with Basil and Grant. Bidoof and Sunflora were at Kangashkan's storage, and Myuki and Sikyatavo were at Keckleon's store, buying something.
Finally, Dialga brought us back to reality. He thanked us again and asked us if there was anything he could do for us.
"No…" Tim said. "We're fine, thank you,"
"WELL, YOU TWO NEED TO GO HOME," Dialga said. "YOU MAY HAVE SAVED TIME, BUT TEMPORAL TOWER IS STILL IN BAD SHAPE. I MUST REBUILD,"
"Ok, thank you," I said. And so, Tim and I walked down out of Temporal Tower
(Author's note: I'm crying as I write this, just to let you know… If you don't, then you either haven't read the other chapters in this story, or you have no emotions)
"Hey, Alex!" Tim called. "Hurry up! I want to get home!"
I was moving slowly. Why was I moving so slowly? It was as if my legs were weighed down by the heaviest lead. Perhaps… Now that we've changed the future… my own disappearance is coming…
"Alex, come on!" Tim said again. He surged forward. I took one step, and then another. That's when I noticed it.
"This… this light," I whispered, watching the small white orb float up. It disappeared into thin air. Then I noticed another one float up. And another. I knew what was happening. "My time with Timothy… is ending now,"
"Alex?" Timothy said once he noticed I wasn't following him. "Alex, what's wrong? Why… what are those lights?"
I looked at Tim, tears already starting to form. "I am sorry Tim," I said. "I've kept this to myself for a while, but… I'm disappearing,"
"What?" he said. He took a step closer to me. "What do you mean? Is this some sort of joke?"
I shook my head. "No… It was Dusknoir who told me… Once we changed the future, the future that I came from would cease to exist… That's why I'm destined to disappear to… It's not just me, either! Grovyle, Celebi, Whione, everyone will be gone," Now my tears were falling thick and fast. I ran up to Timothy and threw myself into his arms. I sat in his arms, sobbing.
"Why do you have to go…" he whispered as he ran his paw through my hair.
I noticed that the lights were starting to get brighter. "Tim, I'm going to disappear soon, but I just want you to know… I love you Tim,"
"I… I do, too," Tim said. Tears were starting to fall down his face, too. "I don't know what I'll do… I don't know if I can make it… Please, stay…"
"No, Tim…" I said. I stared him in the eye. "You have to be strong! Get back to Treasure Town, tell everyone what happened here… Tell them so that… So that nothing like this ever happens again,"
I started feeling light-headed at that point. Shaking, I reached up to the top of my head and pulled off my Silver Bow. I placed it gently in Timothy's paw. I looked up at him for one final time, closed my eyes, and kissed him good bye. And then, I knew no more.
Timothy closed his eyes. Tears were slipping down his face. His paw made a fist around the Silver Bow. When he opened his eyes again, she was gone. He looked around, calling her name. He looked up to the sky and screamed.
"I have to get home," he said to himself over and over. "Because it's Alex's last wish…" He must have said that a hundred times before he reached the Rainbow Stoneship. He actually tripped on the uneven ground before reaching the ship and stepping on. Several seconds later, the ship started moving.
"There it goes," He said out loud. "Temporal Tower… I'm getting farther away from Temporal Tower… And I'm getting… Getting farther away from… From Alex… Alex, why did you leave me?"
And so, Timothy made his way back through the ravaged Hidden Land and got to Lapras. She seemed to understand his silence, and she ferried him back across the sea of time.
Summer and Quinton had been going out to Sharpedo Bluff every evening to watch for the trio's return. When they spotted Lapras on the horizon, they ran back to the guild, shouting and laughing. But when only Timothy arrived at the guild, everyone had questions.
"She gave her life… They both did…" He said. Then he told the story. He told the story of how they had traveled across the sea of time, across the hidden land. He told them of how Dusknoir had ambushed them at the temple, and how Grovyle had sacrificed himself. He told them of how he and Alex had battled Dialga on top of the Temporal Tower, and finally of Alex's tear filled good bye. He also spoke of how time had been set right and the world had been saved.
And just as Alex had asked, he told the story whenever and whenever possible, to as many other Pokémon as possible. And she had been right. It was a story of peace and a story of hope. It was a story of the hope that nothing like this would ever happen again.
So, the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. At one point, Team Skull made a small appearance to offer their condolences to Timothy. After that, Treasure Town returned to its cheerful routines- somewhat. No one could quite forget the spunky explorer who had touched everyone's lives. The scars from the planet's paralysis slowly healed. But Timothy's scars… Those were emotional scars. And those never heal.
One day, many months later…
"Hey, where're you going?" Bidoof asked. Timothy was exiting the guild just as Bidoof was coming in.
"Just for a walk," He replied. Timothy had grown silent and serious ever since… well, that time.
"Well, don't be late for dinner," Bidoof said light-heartedly. He had tried so many times to make Tim smile- even just once. But no one had seen him smile in ages.
Timothy nodded and went down to the beach. His heart was lifted by the beautiful sight. The Krabby had long since come back, and tonight they were blowing bubbles.
Timothy sat down and watched the bubbles float, and then pop, one by one.
"It's been forever since I've been down here," Tim said. After a few moments of thought, he said, "How long has it been?"
And then he remembered. "The last time I saw this… was when I met Alex," he said. He looked to his left. "Yes, it was right there… there, where our adventure began…"
And so, for a very long time, Timothy sat and remembered all the fun adventures and scary scrapes they had gotten into. Everything, from when they first met, all the way to their parting kiss.
Timothy let the tears fall. The flood gates had been opened, and now he let all of his emotions spill out, laying them out on the sand. He had become uptight, and now he was letting everything go.
"She's gone… And I'll never see her again…" he said as he drew his knees up to his chest. He put his head down and cried. Not too much later, he felt a paw on his shoulder.
"We all miss her," Summer said. She and Quinton had gotten worried and come down to the beach. Timothy looked at her, and then shouted to the skies,
"ALEX, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? I LOVE YOU!" and then he fell down on his back, letting the tears fall.
Now, Timothy had just shouted that out of sadness. He never imagined that someone other than Summer and Quinton had heard him, but someone did hear him. Actually, several some ones…
I opened my eyes. I felt cold, but I could still feel the sun on my skin. I sat up, looking around. I saw several forms laying a short distance away. And then I happened to look down.
I was human again.
I crawled over to the others- Grovyle, Celebi, Whione, and Dusknoir- and shook them awake. Whione looked at me, surprised.
"Alex? I thought…"
"YES, SHE IS HUMAN AGAIN," an echoing voice said. We all looked around, but saw nothing.
"But if she would like, we could change her back into a Pokémon again," said another voice.
"OR SHE MAY REMAIN A HUMAN," said yet another voice. "IT IS HER CHOICE,"
I sat in silence. I looked down at my hands. I was wearing a black dress that fit perfectly on me.I looked up to the skies and gave them my answer.
"Both," I said with a wry smile on my face.
Timothy had long since stopped crying, but had yet to get up or even open his eyes. Summer and Quinton had remained with him, though. Summer looked up. The sun was just about to slip below the horizon. He turned to Timothy to tell him it was time to go, but stopped short. She nudged Tim and pointed.
A soft, pale light had appeared. It was taking a shape. Timothy looked on as tears started to run down his face. He crawled over to where she lay.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. She smiled, and then stood up. She looked Timothy in the eyes, and then kissed him. Timothy hugged her back. Summer and Quinton watched on in silence, tears falling from their eyes.
Timothy looked at her again, hardly believing. But then he whispered in her ear, "I love you,"
"I love you too," she replied.
Alex had come home.