-Chapter 25: Carry on, My Friends-

-Connor's POV-

When I awoke, we were on a beach… I looked to my right, and I saw the beach cave… Vulcan sat up, "We made it…?"

Grovyle sat up as well, brushing the sand out of his leaf hair, "Yeah… This is it."

He took a step and fell on his face, sprawling in the sand. He spat a few curses, "Going that far really takes it out of you… Phoo…"

I helped him sit up, and I pointed to a nearby hole in the sand, "This is where I was washed up… This is where Vulcan found me."

I was surprised that the hole in the sand where I hefted a boulder out to sea hadn't been washed away yet, but Grovyle nodded, "So that's what happened. When we got separated, I was thrown up in Amp Plains. That means that we reached this world far away from each other."

Upon hearing that, more questions arose, and I asked, "Could you explain more about who I was? I can't seem to grasp that whole thing…"

Grovyle nodded, "I'd be glad to. But here isn't the place. We need to find a more secure location."

Vulcan nodded, "How about Wigglytuff's-" Grovyle glared at him, and he rubbed the back of his head, "Right… Wanted for stealing the Time Gears…"

Grovyle nodded, "They'd try to capture me on sight, no doubt. We need to lie low."

Vulcan smiled, "I have a place… But we need to sneak across Treasure Town to get there."

Grovyle shrugged, "Lead the way."

We went up the stairs, and we used a Vanish orb to sneak our way through without much effort. Vulcan pushed aside a fake bush near the edge of the cliffside, revealing stairs that lead down into the cliff, "I lived down here for a while before joining the guild. We should be safe here."

Grovyle nodded, "I see. A hollow chamber in the face of the cliff. It seems to be in pretty good condition."

Vulcan nodded, "I'm actually quite surprised. I let these two pokemon… A huge Tyranitar and Galvantula, if I remember correctly, stay here for a while. I half expected it to be wrecked."

Grovyle laughed slightly, "Those two…"

I tilted my head at his statement, "Were… Were they were part of the Insurgo, too?"

Grovyle nodded, "On top of that, they were my best friends after you."

I continued absorbing this information, and kept asking questions, "So… A group that huge would have a leader, right? Which pokemon leads them?"

Grovyle looked at me, "Well, for now, my father, but before all of this… You did. You were the one who started the entire resistance group. You were the one that lead us to fight Dialga's army in the war of the Hidden Land. Thanks to you, we won."

My jaw dropped at all of this, "Why did I lead them?! I was just a human, right? I shouldn't be leading a bunch of pokemon!"

Grovyle smiled warmly, "I'll admit, I didn't like you when we first met, either. But the reason that you were such a skilled leader was due to your abilities… The Dimensional Scream that Dusknoir mentioned is one ability of many that you possessed."

Vulcan sat down on a bench in the back, "What kind of power are we talking about? Dusknoir said something about failing if Connor had his power, right?"

Grovyle nodded, "Connor... you can literally do anything by manipulating aura."

"Aura… Like Lucario?"

He nodded in reply, "You could heal others, you could fly, shoot aura bolts, raise impenetrable barriers made of pure energy, anything. In fact, you've fought Dialga singlehandedly and won. You were that powerful."

I want to say I took the news well, but I practically collapsed into the hay bed Vulcan had set up while we were talking. "Wow… That… That's crazy…"

Grovyle sat in silence, probably letting me absorb all of that at once. I took a few moments, then I thought about that whole situation, "So… All of the pokemon there… They were all working to stop the planet's paralysis?"

He nodded, "Yes. We went on many adventures in our time there. Your Dimensional scream played a very vital role in locating the Time Gears in the future. The only problem that you faced was that it required a trusted pokemon partner to activate."

Vulcan raised an eyebrow, "A trusted partner…? I don't get that. Literally two days after I found Connor, he received a vision from the dimensional scream."

Grovyle glanced at him, "What's your point? That just shows how much he trusted you. Most likely due to his amnesia, but still… Anywho, that's why we worked together. The dimensional scream is set off by triggers tied to places where Time Gears are hidden. Using your ability, we had to find the locations. And we succeeded."

Vulcan interjected, "Whoa, wait… Connor's first instance of the dimensional scream had nothing to do with Time Gears! It was about an outlaw that we apprehended!"

Grovyle looked to the ground, perplexed, "That's strange. That never happened in the future. Perhaps time not being stopped contributed to the differences in the ability.

I nodded, "So… I didn't trust anybody else enough? Only you?"

He looked at us, "Well, there was sort of a prophecy about me, which is probably why it was me… Don't rub it in, it felt really cliche already."

Vulcan nodded, "What did it say?"

He recited it as if in a trance,

In the future of darkness, a Treecko is born,

into a Grovyle, he will transform

lose a brother to the primal beast

before their friendship is long deceased

travel to the past, a world of light,

to restore his world, to make things right

with a human named Connor he will go,

only to become his greatest foe

against the time lord he will stand,

with the great heroes in his command,

facing his enemies without fear,

for it is his fate to disappear

Vulcan and I both looked at each other, and Grovyle nodded, "It didn't really make a lot of sense at the time, but I understand most of it now."

I tilted my head, "And what would it mean?"

He shrugged, "You really want to know right now?"

I nodded, and Grovyle shrugged, "I guess we can't really do anything right now…" He grew a plant chair from the grass on the ground, and he began.

"I was a Treecko, in a world where darkness reigned. I evolved into a Grovyle. Along the way, Dusknoir and I… We used to be such close friends… We were almost brothers, when he was a Dusclops. Then, we were both taken under Primal Dialga's wing as apprentices, and Dusclops began losing his reason… When he evolved into a Dusknoir, he killed me, and I lost him to Primal Dialga. I travelled here to restore my future, with you, a human named Connor. The next part was tricky, but I think I get it. When it said I'd become your greatest foe, it's because you were trying to stop me from doing our mission, due to your amnesia, so I had to fight you, being the most powerful enemy you've faced so far. Then, some time in the future, I have to face Dialga. And the last three lines I have no clue about."

I shook my head, "How long have you known about that whole prophecy thing?"

He shrugged, "Since I could read, pretty much."

Vulcan nodded, "That is very- Wait, you said Dusclops killed you?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yeah. I've died… Twice, I think? I don't remember. You stop counting after it happens once."

"How is that possible? To come back to life?"

"Giratina really likes me, and let's leave it at that."

I nodded, not really wanting to press. I was still too shocked to really think straight. So… I was the leader of a massive group of pokemon in the future, and I travelled with Grovyle here… But how did I get amnesia?

I didn't realize that I asked that last part out loud, and Grovyle shrugged, "I'm not sure, but my guess is that it had to do with the trouble we got in while crossing through to this timeline."

I gestured for him to go on, and he glanced at Vulcan and I, "Well… After we found where the Time Gears were, we took the passage of time to this world. But during our journey, we ran into some trouble. There was a mysterious entity that attacked us. You shielded me from the lightning it sent out, but…" He took a deep breath, "You were stabbed. Straight through the chest with a shadow-infused blade. Then the wind separated us, and slung you through a different portal. I thought you were dead, for the longest time…" He placed his hand on the pale scar on my chest where there had been a hole through me, and continued, "And then, your friend tells me that you're Connor, you can imagine my shock, and why I thought you were lying."

I nodded, "But why did you say that hope lives on when we were cornered by Dusknoir, if you thought I was dead?"

He shrugged, "I was told by another friend that you weren't dead. That you were merely… Separated from me. So I held onto that hope." He laughed slightly at himself, "I just can't believe I didn't get your name until the last moment. That's so stupid of me not to ask... the entire time we travelled together…"

Vulcan shrugged, "Well, we got out of there, and we're all in pretty good condition. I'd say it doesn't matter, now that you know who he is."

Grovyle nodded, "You're wise. A lot wiser than first impressions had led me to believe."

Vulcan nodded, "Thanks, I guess. So… What now? We're here… And… We're doing… What, exactly?"

Grovyle pulled out his map from his wonder bag, "I'm going to have to get the Time Gears again."

Vulcan looked a little bit uneasy, "Um… I don't really like that we have to take the Time Gears… Are you absolutely sure that when we put them on top of Temporal Tower, time will go back to normal?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. As soon as we complete our mission, time will return to normal, and Dialga should put the Time Gears back, or make new ones. I don't know how that whole process works."

Vulcan nodded, "Then we're going with you. I don't want to make time stop even for a little bit, but we have to stop the planet's paralysis!"

He placed his hand on his relic fragment, which I hadn't noticed was still around his neck, and Grovyle raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Vulcan held it out, "It was a gift to me, from my father, given to me by Maris. She said that she wanted me to find out where it went, and to promise her I would. So I did, and I am still trying to figure it out. Next to our team's safety, this is the most important thing to me."

Grovyle moved in for a closer look, and I could quickly see why he and I were best friends. We were so alike in so many ways, even as a human and pokemon…

"What is that pattern?"

Vulcan shrugged, "All your studying about this world, I was hoping you'd be able to answer that.."

Grovyle blinked heavily before shaking his head, "That symbol is new to me…"

He turned to me, about to ask something, then stopped himself, mumbling, "Right… Amnesia…"

He glanced out of the mouth of the cave overlooking the ocean, watching the sunset, and he turned back to us, "The hour is late. You two are probably exhausted from all the running we did. We'll rest up tonight, then leave in the morning."

With that, Grovyle morphed the grass into a cot of sorts, we all laid down, and I fell asleep almost instantly, the fatigue in my muscles draining my energy.

When I awoke, I took a drink from the fountain at the end of the cave, and I glanced around. Vulcan was still asleep, and as I looked closer, Grovyle was gone. His bed had vanished, too. I looked around, then decided to go upstairs, thinking that he might be up there.

I moved aside the fake bush, and Grovyle was sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring at the waves in the light of dawn.

Grovyle glanced over his shoulder, "Hello… Sorry if I woke you up."

I shook my head, "No, you're fine… It's just… This all seems so surreal… Like a dream… I never thought I was that important. Like, a savior of the world or whatever. It's weird to think about."

Grovyle smiled, "I know how you feel…" He looked at me with a piqued interest, "I see it now… You're still you… With or without your memories, you still speak the same way, act the same, everything… We were best friends in the future, Connor. I'm just so glad to see you again…"

Then, I saw my shadow growing, and I turned around. Grovyle did the same, and I watched the sun rise over the mountains in the distance, dying the sky purple, red, orange, then blue.

Grovyle's eye teared up, and he smiled, "It's a sight like this that makes me want to change the world… The pokemon of this world don't know how lucky they are to be able to experience this every day."

I nodded, "It is really pretty. I never realized… With guild training and everything, we never had time to really watch the sunrise."

Grovyle smiled warmly, "Well, it's morning. We need to start moving. Do you have a map?"

I nodded, "It's in my wonder bag downstairs."

We both went back down, and I woke Vulcan up. He mumbled, and I nudged him a little bit harder, "Hey, we're about to leave. Come on."

He sat up, then looked at Grovyle kind of funny until he blinked again, like he forgot he was here.

Speaking of Grovyle, he had pulled out our wonder map and was marking locations on it.

I walked over, "The closest one would be in the Underground Lake, right?"

Grovyle scowled, "But that one's guarded by Mesprit. If we go there, not only would we have to fight her for it, we'd have to move even faster now that our presence is revealed. I'd prefer to stay off the radar until the last possible moment. Instead, let's go to Treeshroud Forest. That's where I got my first Time Gear, and there's no guardian there. Only the vastness of the forest keeps that Time Gear a secret."

Vulcan and I nodded, and Grovyle reached behind one of the crates. Vulcan raised an eyebrow as he pulled out three white sheets of fabric, "What are those?"

Grovyle smiled, "Camouflage cloaks. A friend of mine made them back when…" He shook his head, "Back when we were working together."

I nodded, "That Tyranitar and Galvantula, right? We saw you with them when we rescued you from that one group of outlaws."

Grovyle nodded, "Yeah. Let's move. These will conceal our presence to any pokemon, including psychics."

Vulcan smiled, "I like that… Is it fireproof?"

Grovyle nodded, "The only thing that breaks these is sharp objects and large amounts of water."

Vulcan took one and threw it over himself, and I watched as he vanished right in front of me. "That's so cool!"

Grovyle nodded, "I know." He tossed one on, and shortly after, he tossed the last one over me. When I threw it on, I could see Grovyle and Vulcan just fine now, and Grovyle said, "Now, we can see each other, but remember, you're invisible. You don't need to sneak around."

We nodded, and headed up the stairs. Vulcan placed the bush back over the hole, and we walked into Treasure Town. It looked a bit troubled… Definitely not the usual bustle about the town. I wanted to ask what was going on, but I decided against it. I walked past a tent with a familiar marking… Our team's tent. Vulcan walked up to it, and the entrance was already open, so we all walked in. Sitting in there was the entire team. Rose, Vincent, Atlas, Nocturne, Magnus, and Mirage.

Vincent and Atlas were sitting down, arguing about something, and Rose seemed depressed while laying on the top bunk of one bed, "I'm just so worried about them… Dusknoir freaking dragged them in, and we couldn't stop him!"

Atlas turned to Vincent, "Vince, You were literally right there! Why didn't you do anything?"

Vincent looked about in tears as well, "I did! I ran as fast as I could, Atlas! They were gone by the time I reached the portal! Even Magnus couldn't get to them in time!"

Atlas crossed his arms, "Well, it's only been a week. They'll find their way back. We need to stay focused, and keep training."

Rose sniffed, "How can you say that?! That we should just keep training after our leaders just vanished?!"

Magnus humphed, "Connor and Vulcan didn't vanish, Rose. They were kidnapped. Every one in Treasure Town saw it. And it doesn't make a difference whether they got pushed, pulled, tripped, or f***in' sucked in. They're tough, from what I could tell in brief time I've been with them. If anyone can find their way back, it's those two. So stop worrying. Worrying's for pansies."

She shook her head, "But how are they going to make it back?! They can't time travel!"

Nocturne whispered, "I wonder where they are right now… I hope they're alright."

Vincent didn't even make any jokes, which meant he was really upset, really worried, or both, "I know, Noc. We all hope they're alright."

Rose looked directly at us, and I tried to back up, but I remembered that I was invisible. She murmured, "Connor and Vulcan… Carry on, my friends…" She began glowing, and a beam of light hit her from the top of the tent. I thought she was evolving, but she simply blinked, and Magnus snorted, "What was that?"

Rose sighed, "Wish… I wished for Connor and Vulcan to come home safely."

Atlas humphed, "That's not how that move works… Is it?"

She sighed, "We'll have to wait and see."

He crossed his arms, "Well, I'm going to the dojo. I need to hit something."

He stormed out, and Vulcan just managed to get out of the way before the Machop could bump into him. As he walked past, I saw a single tear make its way down his cheek, but he shook his head, "They'll be alright. They have to be."

I felt my eyes tear up as Atlas left, and Grovyle whispered, "We need to get out of Treasure Town. You'll see them again, don't worry."

We both nodded, and we moved a few miles off of the main road. Vulcan took his camouflage off, "That sucked… It's so wrong to spy on our own team!"

I nodded, shaking the cloak off of me, "Our team… They need us."

Grovyle nodded, and stashed all three cloaks in his wonder bag, "I know. But right now, we need to keep our heads down. If you go and say that you're back, talk will start. What will you say? That I'm a good guy, and Dusknoir's a bad guy? Who will believe you?"

I wanted to argue, but he had a point.

He pulled out his map, "Well, Treeshroud forest is maybe a couple hours northeast of here. Let's go."

Vulcan and I nodded, and he took off again. This time, we didn't have to worry about stealth, so Vulcan and I rode stones floating off of the ground. I figured out how to control them so well that I could adjust how fast the boulders went. Vulcan and I could keep up easily, but after a while, my energy to use Ancient Power was drained, so we had to run the rest of the way.

We made it there in really good time, and we stopped at the entrance to the thick forest, marked with a kangaskhan rock.

"This is it. The entrance to Treeshroud Forest." He perked up slightly as he stepped forward, "Hm?" He leaned forward and extended two leaf blades. "The atmosphere feels… Different than last time…"

Vulcan and I took up positions, but he stood up and regained his composure, retracting the leaf blades, "No. I must be imagining things. We'll go when you two are ready."

Vulcan and I nodded, and we went into the dungeon. The branches closed behind us, forming a barrier, and Grovyle looked around, "I'll lead the way. I've been here before."

We both nodded, and we followed him as he weaved through the trees swiftly and quietly. After a little bit of travelling, I quickly found out how one could get lost here so easily. I couldn't tell which way was left or right anymore. Plus, the treeline seemed to mesh together to block out the sun. But Grovyle kept moving like he was right at home.

After a little bit longer, Vulcan and I both noticed that the forest seemed to get… Greyer as we went deeper. At first we thought it was just the dim sunlight, but we came to a clearing with sunlight streaming down, and yet… Everything had a grey coloration.

Grovyle looked around, shocked, "Wh-what is this?!" Everything around us was frozen. Not a breeze was felt, and the dewdrops on the trees just hung there, suspended in midair.

"Time… Is at a stand-still here!"

I shook my head, "No, no, no… Vulcan, you remember, right? Just before we were dragged into the portal, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf said that they would put the Time Gears back!"

Grovyle narrowed his eyes, "Oh… That's problematic."

I followed his gaze, and on a small stone shrine, floating in the air was… A Time Gear, glowing with its signature green luminescence and everything.

I felt my entire being sink as I saw it, "A Time Gear…"

Grovyle nodded, crossing his arms, "No mistaking it."

I looked around at the frozen forest, and I wondered aloud, "Why is time still frozen if the Time Gear's here? Everything's still like Chatot told us when it froze the first time."

Grovyle glanced at me once as he walked up to it, then grabbed it right off of the stone altar thing, slipping it into another cloth bag that he had. The glow of the Time Gear faded, the pattern vanishing, and the entire area dimmed.

Vulcan gasped in surprise, "What'd you do that for?!"

Grovyle shrugged, "Time's already frozen here. It makes no difference if I take it now. But there's something more worrying…" He looked back at the altar, then to the ground in silence.

Vulcan tilted his head, "What's that?"

He shook his head in reply, "Forget it. Let's leave."

As we were whisked out of the dungeon, Grovyle turned to us, "Hey, I have a question for both of you."

I nodded, "Yeah, what is it?"

"Which one of your team members can keep a secret the best?"

After a brief hesitation, Vulcan and I said in unison, "Rose. Definitely."

Grovyle nodded, "Tomorrow, I want you to find her, and bring her to Sharpedo bluff. I want to know what's happening in this world, and I don't want you two going and asking around Treasure Town, and I don't want your team starting talk that you're back."

We nodded, "Will do, Grovyle."

He smiled, "Good. I'm counting on you."

We began the trek back to Sharpedo Bluff, discussing how Vulcan and I would go about the plan.

Chapter 25. We're about two-thirds of the way there, guys! It's been pretty difficult to include all of the OCs that you have submitted, but It is worth it! As always, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you all in the next update! Also, the poll is still up. It's going to be up until the end of the story, so be sure you get your votes in sooner rather than later! Much Love!

-PL