I did two chapters at a time again. Enjoy! :) I don't own Pokémon, I just write about them. Thank you all for reading! Happy Holidays!
Astray
Dusknoir had left even earlier than Shiloh and I had anticipated, so we didn't get a chance to talk to him. We wanted to go exploring and help spread the rumor about the Time Gear, but Doctor had insisted that we take a day to rest. The fight with Grovyle had really taken it out of us. But we'd woken up the next day ready to go, our injuries only hurting a little. Doctor had given us the OK to take our bandages off, and now Shiloh and I were walking with Jasper and Kit in the beach cave.
"So, how do you like the beach, Kit?" Shiloh questioned, smiling down at the Pidgey chick. We'd been walking for fifteen minutes or so through the damp cave that periodically opened up to the sea.
"Yep!" Kit replied eagerly, nuzzling up to Shiloh. She picked him up and hugged him, then set him down quickly when he started squirming to get free.
"Heads up, you three," Shiloh announced sternly. "Here comes a Shellos."
"I got it," I said, taking a step forward, but before I could do anything Kit dashed past me and pecked at the blue Pokémon, who gave a yelp, then turned and scuttled away. The Pidgey chick began to run off after the Shellos, but Jasper darted up and grabbed him.
"Don't, Kit!" Jasper shouted. "You beat him!" Shiloh and I approached Jasper, looking at each other in surprise.
"Did you see that?" Shiloh asked in astonishment.
"I saw, but I can't believe it," I answered, staring at the Pidgey chick. "He just...attacked."
"Dad!" Kit chirped happily, flaring his wings.
"Uh...good job, Kit," Jasper said, patting the Pidgey's head. "Do you like fighting?"
"Yep!"
"Whoa," I muttered, then jumped in surprise when Kit took off again.
"No! Come back!" Jasper rushed off, and Shiloh cast me a startled look before running after the Psyduck. I hurried after them and quickly caught up just in time to see Jasper lunge at Kit and grab him in both paws. The Pidgey flapped his wings frantically, scattering white and brown feathers. "Don't run off like that, Kit!" Jasper scolded angrily. "We need to stay together!" Kit shrank at Jasper's tone and folded his wings.
"Sorry," Kit mumbled, lowering his head.
"Just...be careful," Jasper sighed. "I don't want you to get hurt." He gently set Kit down and patted his head gently. "Let's keep going." Kit shuffled along beside Jasper in silence while Shiloh and I walked behind them both.
"At least Kit's getting some experience," Shiloh whispered to me, and I nodded.
"Yeah. He wasn't scared at all. Shellos aren't very scary, but still." A thought struck me as I watched Jasper smiling at Kit as he walked.
"When should I tell Jasper I used to be human?"
"Well...whenever you want, I guess," Shiloh told me. "It's not like you did anything bad by being a human. I know you were a good one."
"Thanks," I said gratefully. "Maybe I'll tell him soon." I heard leaves crunching and glanced up to see Jasper walking towards us with a drowsy-looking Kit in his arms.
"Kit's pretty tired. We weren't here very long, but maybe that should be all for today." He glanced back briefly. "It's a dead-end up there anyway."
"Sounds good to me," I said.
"I'm feeling tired, too," Shiloh murmured. "Let's go back." I walked in the back, while Jasper stayed in the middle and Shiloh took the lead. It didn't take long to leave the beach cave and soon we were heading up the stairs towards town.
"Sorry the exploration was short," Jasper said. "We'll be able to explore again tomorrow, though."
"Definitely!" Shiloh told him with a grin.
"See you around," Jasper said before turning and heading towards his house. Shiloh yawned quietly and stretched her arms.
"I'm still feeling tired from fighting Grovyle," she sighed. "I want to explore some more, but I don't have enough energy."
"That's alright," I said. "Doctor said to get lots of rest, anyway." Ran quickly opened the grate for us and we clambered down the ladder and saw that the Guild was pretty empty; Rin stopped us and told us that most everyone was out on explorations, as well as spreading the rumor about Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit sealing the Time Gear.
"Dusknoir is with them," the Chimecho said. "No word's come from him yet." He looked Shiloh and me over carefully.
"You look like you're exhausted."
"Yep...we're going to take a nap."
"Take care, you two," Rin said kindly. "Don't push yourselves."
"Thanks, Rin!" Shiloh said. "See you later." Once back in our room, I curled up on my bed and yawned loudly. Shiloh sat down on her bed with a sigh, then leaned back and put her arms behind her head as a pillow. "We didn't do much today, but I guess it couldn't be helped."
"We'll work hard tomorrow," I said. "And maybe Dusknoir, Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit will be back by then."
"Right! Maybe they'll have caught Grovyle!" Shiloh burst out excitedly. "Then time can go back to normal!" She beamed, then stretched her arms and legs. "Let's get some rest."
"Mmhm," I agreed. "Have a good rest." I rolled over and drew my legs up to my chest, closed my eyes, and tried to fall asleep but didn't have any luck. I wonder if Dusknoir's found my satchel. I sighed. That's not the most important thing, though...
"Gale? You still awake?" I heard Shiloh ask a moment later. I rolled over and nodded.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"I'm thinking about Dusknoir, Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit. I hope they're alright."
"Me too. But Dusknoir's helping them, right? They should be fine."
"That's right. Dusknoir's really strong." Shiloh drew in a sharp breath. "I can't believe he and Grovyle are from the future."
"That was crazy, wasn't it?" I asked. "Do you think it's true?"
"I don't think Dusknoir would lie about that," Shiloh answered, her brown eyes distant. "It's crazy, you're right, but it does make some sense." She closed her eyes. "If the future is that bad, then I want to do everything I can to stop him."
"So do I."
"Heh...sorry for keeping you up." Shiloh chuckled a little. "I admit I was worried...so I wanted to talk," she confessed. I felt a little startled.
"You were? You seem so...confident all the time, though." Shiloh glanced at me, looking a little awkward.
"Well, I hide it. Acting like nothing's wrong helps, at least sometimes. I want to be strong for everyone and help them."
"Wow...that's really good," I remarked with a smile. "You're a great leader for Team Seekers." Shiloh looked surprised for a moment, then beamed.
"Aw, you think so? Well, great! That's what I was going for!" She laughed happily. "OK, I'm really going to sleep now."
"Me too," I said with a laugh, then closed me eyes and rolled over. After a few minutes I felt drowsy, and yawned one last time as I fell asleep.
"...and, three! Smiles go for miles!"
"Many much miles!" Kit cheeped from beside Jasper, and everyone started laughing, including Chatot.
"Alright, everyone!" Chatot declared. "It's time to get to work!"
"HOORAH!" The triumphant shout went up.
"I think the rumor is working!" Callo spoke up excitedly.
"Now we just need to hear from Dusknoir!" Lysa exclaimed while dancing her feet.
"E-everyone!" I whirled and stared towards the tunnel and saw Duthie pop up from the ground. "Magnezone just told me! The trap worked! Dusknoir, Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie are back, and they have Grovyle with them!"
"They have? Really?" Rin gasped.
"Yes!" Duthie told him emphatically. "He wants everyone to meet in the square. Dusknoir is getting ready to take Grovyle back to the past."
"Huh? Back?" Ran's shoulders lowered. "He's leaving?"
"Let's go, everyone!" Duthie urged. "Dusknoir can't wait for long!" With that, he burrowed back underground.
"Come on!" Chatot ordered. "Let's go!" There was a rush of paws as everyone rushed for the ladder, and I hung back with Shiloh, Jasper and Kit.
"So he's leaving," Shiloh sighed. "We weren't able to ask him if he knew anything else about you, Gale." I looked at Jasper and took a breath to explain.
"Dusknoir knows about my ability. It's called the Dimensional Scream, and I wanted to ask him if he knew anything else about me, but I guess it's too late."
"Maybe not," Jasper said. "What are you two waiting for? Let's go see him!" He gave me a push and I ran for the ladder. It didn't take long to reach the middle of Treasure Town, but it felt longer somehow. But when we finally got there, Shiloh pushed her way though the crowd and stood in front. Jasper and I walked after her and stood a few spots away; Duthie and Simeon had burst up through the ground right as we'd reached the square near Duskull's bank. I spotted Leon and Ezra standing beside Auntie and waved at them, but they weren't looking in my direction. Shiloh caught my arm and pointed to a strange circle of flowing darkness. Two dark purple Pokémon were standing on either side of it, their eyes glinting; I realized they were Sableye.
"What's...that?" Lysa murmured in alarm. "It looks scary."
"I don't know," Ran told her anxiously. "Maybe Dusknoir will explain soon." Jasper mumbled something and picked Kit up, holding him tightly against his chest.
"Dusknoir!"
"And Grovyle!" Teddiursa and Ursaring were in the crowd, and they exclaimed sharply when they saw the two Pokémon. "You caught him!"
"Well done!" Rin cried, chiming his tail eagerly.
"We knew you could get him!" Yabi put in, snapping his claws together. I stared at Grovyle and saw that he was tied up and muzzled, but struggling faintly, his yellow eyes sharp. He turned suddenly and glared straight at me, and I took a step back, then looked away. Everything in his expression was accusing, but he also had looked desperate and maybe had even been asking for help. Glancing back, I saw that Grovyle had shut his eyes and was shaking his head.
"Grovyle," I muttered quietly; he looked up and met my eyes. "Why did you steal the Time Gears? You knew that time would freeze...and that you could get frozen too." Grovyle narrowed his eyes, then nodded sharply once. "Then why would you do it just to..."
"Don't get too close," Dusknoir warned, floating up and blocking Grovyle from my sight. "He's captured, but he's still dangerous."
"Everyone!" Magnezone announced. "Grovyle, the dangerous criminal from the future, has finally been caught!" Cheers rang out from the assembled crowd.
"The planet will be back to normal in no time!" Ran burst out enthusiastically. Dusknoir floated over to Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit.
"You'll make sure the Time Gears are returned?" The trio of guardian Pokémon firmly inclined their heads.
"Leave it to us," Azelf assured Dusknoir.
"We know what to do," Uxie declared.
"Everything will be fine now," Mesprit added. "We can't thank you enough for capturing Grovyle."
"It was my duty. I leave the rest up to you." He raised his voice and turned to the crowd. "My friends, it's been my pleasure to get to know all of you. But I must leave now. I'm returning to the future with Grovyle." He floated over to the dark circle. "This Dimensional Hole is how I got here, and how I'll take Grovyle back."
"What is that?" Yabi questioned curiously, taking a few scuttling steps forward, but Dusknoir held out his large hands and barred the Pokémon's way.
"Be careful, Yabi!" He ordered harshly. "You'll get taken to the future if you touch it!"
"Wh-whoa!" Yabi shuffled backwards rapidly with a panicked expression, his body shaking. Ran nudged Yabi in the side and gave him a little grin.
"It wouldn't be the same at the Guild if you got sent to the future," Ran chuckled.
"Are you really leaving, Dusknoir?" Duthie asked sadly. "Will we ever see you again?"
"Probably not, Duthie," Dusknoir replied slowly. "I have a job to do."
"Oh...sir Dusknoir...I can't bear that thought!" Chatot sniffed a bit, then began crying loudly. "You've been such a great help and an inspiration!"
"That's right," Lysa said mournfully. "I wish you could have stayed longer."
"This stinks..." Yabi muttered unhappily, "after all you've done...you're just leaving..."
"We had so much to ask, too," Shiloh added, and Dusknoir seemed to hear her; he faced her sharply, then he turned and nodded at the Sableye; they surrounded Grovyle and forced him towards the portal. Grovyle grunted and dug his feet into the ground, struggling fiercely, but eventually the Sableye gave him a sharp push into the portal, then leapt in after him once he'd vanished.
"That reminds me," Dusknoir stated. "Shiloh, Gale...I have something to tell you two." Shiloh moved to stand in front of Dusknoir, and I followed her, standing close to her right side. "You did your best to prevent Grovyle from taking Azelf's Time Gear, and it's led to all this." He lifted his head, and a peculiar look was in his eyes as he added, "We all worked together to bring Grovyle to justice."
"It was because of you, Dusknoir, and Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie," Chatot sniffled. "We can't thank you enough."
"Think nothing of it." Dusknoir glanced down at Shiloh and me. "It's time to say goodbye now."
"We won't forget you, Dusknoir," Shiloh told him quietly.
"It's time for me to go. Protect this world." He turned and floated towards the portal, and I waited for him to leap in as the Sableye had done, but with a quick movement he whipped around and lunged towards Shiloh and me, his huge hands coming too close for comfort. I heard Shiloh's breath leave her in a loud gasp, and saw that Dusknoir had wrapped his hand around her body tightly. I jolted, startled, and then I felt like my body was being crushed as Dusknoir grabbed me, too.
"Dusknoir!?" Callo exclaimed. "What in the..."
"H-hey!" Yabi cried in confusion. "You're hurting them!"
"What's Dusknoir doing?"
"Are those two from the future as well?"
"S-Sir Dusknoir...?!" Chatot's voice squawked over the crowd's puzzled and alarmed chattering.
"It's not over yet!" Dusknoir shouted over everyone, and his voice had the same growling tone it had when he'd chased after Grovyle at Azelf's lake. "You two are coming with me!" I tried to thrash and fight to get free, but Dusknoir was too strong. My uneasy feelings about Dusknoir were now pure fear. Now that I knew I had been right, I wished I'd been wrong. The portal was coming closer as Dusknoir began floating backwards towards it. Glancing around, I watched Shiloh jerking her head from side to side and grunting in protest as she struggled, but it was no use; Dusknoir was too strong.
"STOP!" A voice shouted across the square, and I painfully turned my head to see an angry Torobi shoving his way through the crowd, and saw that Sarah and Sakura were right behind him, expressions of urgency on their faces. "Dusknoir!" The Charmander yelled again. "Let them go!"
"Wait!" Callo wailed, and I saw him rushing towards the portal before darkness swallowed me up.
YEAH! I did it! Second part of this story, completed! I feel great! I loved writing this and I can't wait to get started on the third and final part! All a y'all have been great readers and reviewers. Thank you! I hope you have all enjoyed the story thus far! :) I've definitely enjoyed writing it and I feel really great about sticking with it.