Time Crosser, Chapter 28

Ilex Forest. It reminded me a lot of Viridian Forest, and my first days on the road. The trees were different, and they reached so high into the sky, covering so much, it was perpetual night in there. It sort of felt like I was back to square one; actually, like the entire trip thus far had been null and void. The similarities were amazing, considering: forest, two critters, sense of encroaching darkness. And like any forest, the constant little rustles and branches snapping that seemed magnified when scared.

And that day, I was scared, or at least down in spirit. For all the good those ten badges on my cards were worth, a single hasty mistake on my part cost me four of my trusted Pokemon. I had told Bugsy that I was fine, but it was eating away at me inside, and I could feel it. What's worse, I think Vulpix could see it happening as well. And there was not a soul in that forest I could talk to about it. Well, my Pokemon aside.

After spinning in circles inside my head for a while, I tried to turn the situation around. What made my time in the Viridian Forest memorable was catching Weedle, though it was more saving him than anything, as I recalled. Still, the concept applied: I needed to catch a new Pokemon.

"Come on, Vulpix," I told the small fox, "Let's go make ourselves some new friends."

I made my way through a group of trees, making as much noise as I could. Pokemon were attracted to it, and now that I needed some wild critters to attack me, not a one was showing. In fact, I started to realize there wasn't a single Pokemon in the area. It went beyond that, even: that part of the forest was dead silent. I couldn't even hear leaves rustling in the wind. That was never a good sign. I was about to turn around and head back, when something caught my eye just beyond the next group of trees. Curious as I was, I pressed forward.

The object in question was a shrine. A small replica of a wooden house, sitting silently in the middle of a clearing. I approached the shrine, seeing a faded marking on the small construct.

'Dedicated to the Protector of the Forest'

Somehow, even Pokemon could tell this was a special spot. The silence in that clearing was almost eerie. I sat down in front of the shrine, asking Vulpix to sit next to me. I put my finger over my lips, signaling to her to be silent for a moment. I clasped my hands together, and closed my eyes.

'Please', I thought, 'let my friends be safe'.

As soon as my prayer was done, a soft wind blew through the clearing, as if confirming my plea. I got up, and took Vulpix in my arms. It was in that moment, that I saw the Protector appear before me. It was a small, green Pokemon, with large round eyes, and wings like a fairy. I stood perfectly still, not knowing what would happen if I made any sudden movements. The Pokemon flew up close to me, reaching out with its arm to touch me on the forehead.

I felt something flow through my body, and my vision went colorless for a moment, before it got too blurry to make out. Yet, I wasn't afraid. There was a soft, gentle voice echoing inside me the entire time.

'Don't be afraid', it said. I closed my eyes, and let the Pokemon work its magic.

~o~

I felt a cool wind surround me, and when I finally opened my eyes, I was back in that cave. Everything looked strangely out of focus, and black and white. The only thing that was in color was the Pokemon, who fluttered around in front of me. Vulpix was still in my arms, looking around at everything. She opened her mouth to bark, but no sound came out. I tried to talk as well, but I couldn't hear anything either.

"Help!" I heard my own scream. Just ahead, I saw the lake, and myself drowning in it. I walked forward, perplexed at what I was seeing.

"Look! There's a kid drowning over there!" Nearby, I saw the two grunts from Azalea Town, the ones I battled in the well.

"I'm going in!" The grunt who owned the Arbok took off his uniform jacket, and leapt into the water. By then, I had already disappeared under the surface, no doubt the point when I lost consciousness. The grunt swam over to me, and dove under. A few seconds later, he came up, with me in his arms. The entire experience was bizarre, to say the least. Like a dream where you can see yourself, rather than be yourself..

"She alive?" The other grunt didn't seem to care either way, from what I could see. Considering I was some form of ghost, I walked up closer, so that I could examine their expressions.

"She's not breathing!" The friendlier grunt started massaging my chest, trying to force the water out of me. After blowing some air into my mouth, I saw myself cough up a great deal of water. I didn't stay conscious after, but I was alive. The friendly grunt was finally able to relax.

"She has Pokemon, take her belt." The friendly grunt looked up to the other, amazed at the order.

"Are you crazy? She nearly died!" He protested in my defense.

"She's not much of a trainer if she nearly took her Pokemon with her. Take the belt, or I will." The mean grunt ordered.

The friendly grunt sighed, gently undoing the belt on my body. He handed it to his partner. He checked each of the four Pokeballs one by one.

"Three of them are taken, fourth is empty. If that Onix was hers, it's long gone now in that lake. Come on, we have to get back to town."

"And what about her? We just gonna leave her here?" The friendly pointed at my unconscious body.

"She's alive, right? Not our problem." The mean grunt left, but the other one didn't move from my side. He took his jacket wrapped me in it, trying to keep my body warm. He picked me up and followed the mean grunt.

"What are you doing?" The mean grunt pointed at me.

"I'm taking her back to town. I won't leave her behind." The mean grunt threw his arms into the air.

"Fine, you carry her yourself."

"She's not heavy, so no problem."

As the two grunts left the cave, I looked over to the lake, spotting a Pokeball floating about on the lake's surface. Kurt and the people of Azalea said there was nothing there when they checked, so someone else had picked it up. The Pokemon flew over the lake to the Pokeball, pointing at it and looking at me. I nodded, and it touched the item. The area around the Pokeball went in and out of focus, like a ripple in water.

The next thing I saw, the Pokeball was fished out of the lake by a small blue Pokemon, one I recognized. The Tododile handed the Pokeball to its trainer, the red haired boy I had seen in the Sprout Tower. He shook the Pokeball, making sure there was something inside. After, he threw the ball into the lake again, releasing Lapras. My Pokemon saw the unfamiliar trainer, then searched around for me.

"Your trainer is gone," the boy said, catching Lapras's attention. "I'm your master now."

Lapras cried out at the trainer, turning away from him. Rather than seem hurt or offended, the young man laughed at Lapras.

"You'll get used to me eventually. Now, back in your Pokeball!" He forced Lapras back into the Pokeball, attaching it to his belt. The Tododile clapped its hands, happy it had a new Pokemon friend. The trainer shut him up by slapping it across the head. The sight shocked me. After Tododile was back in his Pokeball, the trainer left in the opposite direction of the grunts.

After another ripple effect, I was outside the cave, on the outskirts of Azalea Town. The two grunts emerged from the cave, one of them with me in his arms. The mean grunt called for the other two, and told them to find someone in town. In the meantime, he ordered the nice grunt to put me down and hand him my bag. He followed orders, but wasn't happy about it.

The grunt went digging through my bag, making a mess of everything inside and throwing anything that wasn't of value on the floor. After some scouring, he only found the Master Ball, though the box with my bike was tempting him. He threw the empty bag at the friendly grunt.

"Put everything else back inside. This Pokeball looks special, but I've never seen anything like it."

"Maybe she just painted it," said the other grunt, as he packed away my stuff. "Is it empty?"

"Yeah. I'll hold onto it, ask the exec later."

At this point, the two grunts returned, with Kurt following close behind. The older man ran over to me, checking to make sure I was okay before exploding at the mean one.

"I won't stand for this! Now you're pummeling children on the road to keep your secret!?"

"Calm down, old man, or I'll have my Pokemon rip you to pieces. He saved the kid from drowning, so be grateful we decided to help." He said 'we', but he wouldn't have cared either way had I drowned.

"I performed CPR. She's alive, just out cold. Can you make sure she stays warm?" The nice grunt handed Kurt my bag, followed by my body.

"I'll do what I can, though having the good nurse around would've been much better." Kurt insisted. The mean grunt didn't take kindly to the suggestion.

"Just shut up and do what you can, old man. When the kid comes to, let her know the fee for our help was her Pokemon." The mean grunt dangled the belt in front of Kurt, taunting him further. With me in his arms, though, Kurt couldn't do anything.

"You people are the lowest-"

"Save it, old man. And one more thing," he said, showing Kurt the Master Ball. "This a special Pokeball?"

Kurt took the ball in his hands, examining it closely. Other than the fact the ball was purple, and had a small letter M etched into it, there was nothing particularly special about it.

"Could be custom made, but other than that, no. It's not hand made, either; this was made in a factory." Kurt handed the Master Ball back to the grunt.

"A trinket to take back home, then. Back to work, everyone!"

The grunts returned to town, heading for the well. Kurt stood outside the cave for a moment, taking off his coat to wrap me in it. At that same time, I saw Vulpix and Primeape emerge from the cave. Kurt shielded me from the Pokemon, but quickly saw they weren't wild when Vulpix started scratching gently at Kurt's leg. He kneeled before the Pokemon, and Vulpix started poking her nose at me, trying to wake me up.

"You two must be hers, right?" Vulpix licked my face, while Primeape stood fast at my side. Kurt got up, making sure the grunts were all out of sight.

"Be quiet, and follow me."

~o~

After my next blink, I was back in the middle of the forest clearing. Vulpix started barking, and I knew the dream was over. The Pokemon just hovered in front of me, awaiting my response. Before it all began, I had prayed that my friends be safe, and it showed me just what had happened to them. It wasn't the answers I wanted, but at least I finally knew where Lapras was. I'd just have to find that red haired trainer again.

"Thank you," I told the Pokemon, "For showing me that."

But that wasn't everything the Pokemon wanted. Another wind blew through the small clearing, but where the first one was comforting, this one was cold and uninviting. I instinctively clutched my arms to shield myself from the sudden chill in the air. The green Pokemon hovered close to my face, and reached out to touch me on the forehead again.

'You must help me', said the soft voice in my head.

I closed my eyes again, and felt the Pokemon lift me into the air once again.

~o~

When I opened my eyes again, I was still in the same clearing as before. However, there was something different about it all. It was gray, and slightly out of focus like before. I thought the Pokemon was showing me a different point in the forest's time, until I saw someone enter the clearing. It was me!

I looked exactly the same as I did now, with Vulpix at my side and everything. I saw myself (weird to describe this) look at the shrine, which only now I noticed was slightly off. While the shrine in my time was worn down and old, this one was charred, as if it had caught fire at some point in time.

"Dedicated to the Protector of the Forest," my other self made out from the remains of the shrine. "Guess time wasn't very good to the forest."

Vulpix barked a couple times at the shrine, then looked up at the other me.

"No point staying here, girl." The other me said. She started walking away from the shrine, when she suddenly stopped altogether. "Actually, what's the point?"

Vulpix looked up at the other me. She dropped to her knees, and let her arms fall limp at her sides. I felt my own heart race a bit as I saw this happen. Vulpix tried to comfort the other me, but she didn't respond.

"It's my fault," she said. "My Pokemon are gone, and it's all my fault. I don't deserve to be a trainer; I don't even deserve to keep you."

The other me looked to Vulpix, who took a step back in fear. The other me took Primeape's Pokeball, and released the critter within. Once out and about, Primeape looked around for something to fight, but saw only Vulpix and the other me.

"Go," she said, a blankness in her eyes. "I don't want you anymore."

My own heart raced as I saw the look of confusion turn to utter fear in both Primeape and Vulpix's eyes. Primeape took a step closer to the other me, but she suddenly sprung to life and snapped at the fuzzy Pokemon.

"I said go!" She screamed, which echoed throughout the forest. "I don't want you anymore! I don't ever want to see either of you ever again!"

The forest remained silent after the echoes dissipated. Primeape and Vulpix stood before the other me, but didn't leave her side. How could they? They knew no other life outside my company. Primeape might've started as a wild Pokemon, but he had long since abandoned his feral ways. Going back now was foreign to him. As for Vulpix, the thought of being separated from me...

I clutched at my own chest. This was too much to bear. I looked at the green Pokemon floating nearby. Once it took notice of my gaze, it touched my forehead.

The vision faded in another ripple effect. Now, I was back in my own room in Pallet Town. Still, the monochrome color scheme and slight blur were in effect. I saw the other me sitting on the bed, practically motionless. Like a life-sized doll. A door opened from behind where I was standing; it was Mom.

"Star? Sweetie?" She walked over to the bedside. I noticed her eyes were red, and she had bags under them. There were also dried tear stains on her cheeks.

The other me didn't say a word. Mom reached for the plate of untouched food that was resting on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Star, you haven't eaten anything," Mom said. Still, the other me said nothing. She just sat there, hardly breathing. Mom put the plate back on the nightstand, and sat on the bed next to the motionless girl.

"Star, please," she said, fresh tears pouring down her face. "Baby, just tell me what's wrong!"

She hugged the girl on the bed, but the girl didn't even react. Whoever she once was, that person was gone. All that was left was the living body, and nothing more. I watched as Mom continued to beg and plead for the girl to say something; to say anything.

It was then that the green Pokemon hovered in front of me again. It touched my forehead once more.

'This is what will come to pass', said the voice in my mind, 'If you cannot help me.'

~o~

One more ripple effect. One more bit of time travel. Or was this the first real time?

I was back in the forest clearing. This time, rather than everything be gray and blurry, it was clear as day. However, I noticed a slight dullness in the colors around me. This wasn't the same time period as my own, which I confirmed by looking at the shrine. It was practically brand new now. Vulpix barked, and I actually managed to hear her. Whenever we were, we weren't just 'ghosts' this time.

The green Pokemon appeared before me. Unlike Vulpix and I, it was still transparent, like a ghost. Had it dropped us off to do what it wanted us to, and just leave?

"What do I do?" I asked it. The Pokemon touched my forehead again.

'Prevent the fire', I heard it say in my mind. I guessed it was talking about what would happen to the shrine in the alternate future where I...

I took my mind off that for now.

'Do not be seen', the Pokemon added, 'else a worse fate will befall you'.

With that, the Pokemon vanished into thin air. Before I could even begin to ponder what it meant, I heard the rustling of leaves behind me. Without thinking, I swept up Vulpix in my arms and ran towards the shrine. It was the only thing in the clearing I could use as cover, and I wasn't about to ignore the warning the time-traveling Pokemon had given me. After a few moments, a figure walked into the clearing.

My heart almost stopped. Time had been kind to the man in the black fedora, it seemed. Then again, I didn't even know how far back the Pokemon had sent me. But I recognized the man without a doubt. It was none other than Giovanni.

He took a step towards the shrine. I didn't move, afraid that if he sensed any movement he'd try to flush me out from behind the shrine with one of his Pokemon. Before he could get any closer, there was more rustling from a different direction. Giovanni's gaze diverted, I moved from behind the shrine to behind a tree just a skip away. The rustling stopped, and another figure stepped into the clearing.

"It's you." Giovanni's voice was as deep and menacing as always. The figure stepped into the light, and I knew instantly who it was, as well.

"We meet again," said a much younger Professor Oak. If I had to guess, I'd say he was about ten or so years younger. Probably more, since the wrinkles on his face were gone and his hair wasn't gray.

"You've come to stop me, then?" Giovanni pulled a Pokeball from his coat pocket. Oak didn't budge.

"I can't let you capture such a powerful Pokemon. Mankind wasn't meant to have such control."

"With the power of time travel at our disposal, we would be as gods. You fashioned this very Pokeball for this very reason. You'd turn away now?" I couldn't believe my ears. It was Professor Oak's idea to capture the Pokemon?

"I've come to my senses, Giovanni. And now, I'm sorry I ever came to you with this proposition. Give me the Pokeball." Oak extended his hand, requesting the device in Giovanni's possession.

"If you want out, Oak, then leave. I'm capturing the Pokemon."

"I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this." Professor Oak released a Pokemon so quickly, I didn't even see him drop the Pokeball on the ground.

Out came a Charizard, its orange skin a stark contrast to the green around him. Giovanni fumbled to release his own critter, but Oak wasn't looking to pick a fight. Charizard turned his sights on the shrine, and sprayed the entire area around it with flames. Giovanni gave up on the Pokeball, and looked upon the sight in awe. He turned back to Oak.

"You would destroy any hope of ever seeing the Pokemon again than let me have it?" Rather than seeming angry, Giovanni sounded almost pleased.

"Much as it pains me," Oak said calmly.

"Then this is of no use to either of us anymore." Giovanni dropped the Pokeball onto the ground, and crushed it underneath the sole of his shoe. Without saying another word, he turned around and left the clearing the way he came.

Oak turned to the fire he started, but chose not to stop it. No doubt he knew Giovanni would only return if he did. The power to control time was too tempting to pass up, and this was the only way he knew to stop it from ever being misused. Once Oak left the clearing as well, I got to work myself.

There was a small ravine just behind the shrine. I quickly emptied the contents of my bag, and threw the empty thing into the ravine. It wasn't the most effective way to gather water, but it was all I had at my disposal. I slung the dripping bag over the shrine, covering the wooden monument in water. Without wasting any time, I ran back to the ravine, dunked the bag again, and splashed the shrine again. Once it was thoroughly soaked, I got to work quelling the fire around it.

Fortunately, I didn't have to do everything myself. After a few moments, residents of Azalea Town appeared in the clearing. I was back by the ravine when they appeared, so I wasn't seen by anyone. One of them released a Wartortle, and quickly put out the rest of the fires. Once the danger was averted, one of the men walked over to the shrine to assess the damage.

"You're not going to believe this," he said to the others. "The shrine's fine!"

"What? You mean it didn't catch fire?"

"No. Matter of fact, it's soaked! Don't know how that happened, but it probably prevented it burning. A miracle, I guess."

I let out a sigh. The next thing I noticed was the same ripple effect that brought me here in the first place.

~o~

I was back in front of the shrine. The colors around me were back to normal. This was my time. The green Pokemon hovered before me for a moment, then touched my forehead again.

'You were always meant to save the shrine', it said to me, 'that was your reason for being here'.

"Does that mean you knew I'd lose my Pokemon on the way here? What if I had fought Giovanni and beat him in the past?" I asked through my mind.

'You would have disrupted the flow of history', it said softly, 'and it would have cost you your life'.

The Pokemon backed away from me. It was a stupid thought, and I knew it. Still, I had to ask. It showed me what would happen if I failed to save the shrine, even though that was never 'meant' to happen. Perhaps the Pokemon could see anything that was meant to happen, or would happen, or did happen. I couldn't begin to wrap my head around it all.

But one thing was for certain: the fact that I saw what could've become of me, meant I wouldn't fall to despair like that. The Pokemon realized this, and bid farewell before it rose into the sky. Remembering the Professor at this critical moment, I dug around in my magically dry bag for my Pokedex. I managed to scan the critter just before it vanished into the sky.

"Celebi, the Time Travel Pokemon. This Pokemon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared."

"Celebi? Thank you, for everything." I said into the sky.

~o~

The rustles and sounds from the forest were actually quite welcome after I left the clearing where the shrine was. All sorts of Pokemon, both familiar and not surrounded me. Vulpix was on edge, as usual, trying to keep up with all the sights, smells and sounds around us. I stopped after a while, reaching into my bag for a Pokeball. It was time to make good on that resolution from earlier. As if to make it all easier for me, a small green bug crossed my path. I reached for my Pokedex, and scanned the little critter.

"Spinarak, the String Spit Pokemon. It spins a web using fine-but durable-thread. It then waits patiently for prey to be trapped."

Right after the Pokedex finished talking, the Spinarak backed off, turning around to aim its rear end at us. A spray of white string shot out, but I managed to dodge the attack just in time. Vulpix barked at the Pokemon, running ahead without my orders.

"Vulpix, watch out!"

The small bug redirected its spray, covering her in the white material within seconds. Immobilized, the bug started crawling towards her.

"Vulpix, use Ember!"

As Spinarak got closer, it noticed the white string burst into flames, and Vulpix emerged from the ashes. Panicking, the bug turned around again, preparing another spray of sticky string.

"Quick Attack!"

Vulpix vanished just as the string escaped Spinarak, reappearing right in front of the Pokemon's face, and sending it flying into a patch of the string it just shot out. Entangled in its own trap, I took the chance and threw the Pokeball in my hands at it. The critter was absorbed into the ball for only a moment, before it burst open again. The Pokeball rolled back in my direction, while Spinarak was free of the sticky substance.

"Vulpix, Quick Attack again!"

Vulpix moved forward, disappearing for a moment. The bug didn't move, just staying place until Vulpix reappeared right in front of it. It bumped heads with Vulpix, pushing her back slightly, but still sending him flying against a tree. Vulpix started whimpering, scratching at her head where Spinarak's small stinger had hit her. Surprisingly, the Pokemon was still able to get up after that attack.

"Vulpix, are you okay?"

She barked, convincing me she still had some energy left. The small bug ran at full speed towards her, going all out now. I had been trying to avoid this, but it just didn't seem to be going down any other way.

"Vulpix, Flamethrower!"

The fox took a few steps back, putting some distance between it and the rushing bug. She opened her mouth, letting loose a torrent of flames. I heard a small screech, and quickly ordered the attack cut off. After the fire had turned to smoke, I saw the small bug on the ground, burnt nearly to a crisp. The Pokeball was too far to make a run for, so I reached into my bag for another, pulling out the Friend Ball. I hurled it at Spinarak, trapping the critter inside. It shook a few times as the Pokemon tried to escape, but it eventually died down.

After collecting the spare Pokeball, and retrieving Spinarak, I tended to Vulpix's wound with my last Potion. Spinarak was a start to rebuilding my collection of friends, and this time I wouldn't allow Team Rocket to make off with them. I swore to this before I left the Ilex Forest.

I would not allow that vision Celebi showed me come true.