I don't exactly feel well-rested by the time we wake up and get moving again, but I know it's probably all the sleep we're going to see until we make it back to the past. Which hopefully won't be much longer now as we finish the long trek to the depths of Dusk Forest. Even knowing the impossible quest we have ahead of us, I can hardly wait to go home. Time might be stopped in this future, and it only felt like a few days had actually passed in it, but it still feels like it's been forever since we've seen everyone from the Guild.

"Celebi!" Grovyle's made a certain effort not to be seen or heard by a soul on the way here, but now he doesn't hesitate to shout as loud as his voice can carry through the scenery of old, gloomy pines. "Hello? Celebi, it's me!"

"Is this where she is supposed to be?" Ri asks, looking around. Though the trees surrounding us are probably the closest to resembling any essence of life left over from before the Planet's Paralysis, it seems abandoned. That's probably why Grovyle's fine with lowering his guard here: There simply isn't anyone to hide from.

"That's right. It was around here that Lira and I met her last time, but if Primal Dialga knows this place, she will have fled. If this place isn't known to our pursuers, however, then she should still be here," he starts shouting to the trees again, scanning the area with his eyes. There's actually a trace of panic breaking through his usual, outward calm, "Celebi! It's me! Grovyle! If you're near, reveal yourself!"

Only silence answers us back. "She's not coming out… Did she get frightened off by Primal Dialga?" Ri murmurs, then his eyes widen with concern, "What if she's been captured by Primal Dialga?"

I don't even want to think about that being in the realm of possibilities. More than it meaning that we wouldn't be able to get back to past, it would mean her life is in danger because of us—because she helped us. I don't have all my memories of all of the different people who must've made sacrifices for Grovyle and me, but that just makes the thought of them suffering for our sake and the sake of our mission worse.

"Captured?" an amused, feminine voice suddenly bubbles around us. Ri and I flinch, but Grovyle's fond smile of relief assures us there's nothing to fear. "Tee-hee! Don't worry, you weren't imagining things! But me? Captured? How insulting! Impossible, that's for sure!" she giggles.

Is a bright distortion of light, a Pokemon appears directly in front of us. This Celebi is different from most depictions of her species: Rather than painted in a pastel tempo of greens, her skin is a soft blend of pinks. She's so petite that she could be mistaken for a doll, and her wings seem so dainty it's as if they were made of Joltik silk. "It's been too long, my dear Grovyle!" Celebi chirps.

"Yes, it has been a while," he nods in greeting. I can't help but notice the way she eyes him: A twinkle in her gaze that's impossible to miss. She really likes him. I grin, fighting back the urge to snort when I compare it with how oblivious the Tree Gecko seems to be about her feelings.

Ri sidesteps closer to me and whispers, "This tiny thing is Celebi?"

She overhears him. "Now that is downright rude!" she exclaims, puffing out her cheeks with indignation. Her hands on her hips, she zips over to him slightly fuming, "How inappropriate! To poke fun at my petite proportions…"

"Sorry…" he murmurs, scratching the back of his head. A faint blush creeps along his cheeks at the berating. "I heard you have to ability to cross time, so I expected you to be some awe-inspiring Pokemon…"

"How uncouth! Never judge someone by their appearance!" she continues to scold, but soon a smile plays along her lips, "But… I forgive you! After all, you must find me cuter and more special than you imagined!"

I hold back a laugh, covering my mouth to hide my smile. At this point, she's just messing with him to see how far she can take this. His blush only seems to deepen as he stammers, "Um… yes…"

It's all I can do not to fall to the earth in a laughing fit as she flutters closer and gently pinches one of his flushed cheeks. "Aww, you've always been such a sweetie, Luki!"

I pull myself together enough to echo, "Luki?"

"Uh-huh! Short for Lucario! That's the nickname I gave the older Ri. He didn't like it much, but I just love to tease!" She looks at him and pinches his cheek again, "I don't think little Luki here likes it that much either though."

"He doesn't…" Ri mutters, "How'd you know who I was?"

"We've met before—or rather will meet, in your case. It'll still be a few years for you before then, and you look heathier, but I'd remember you anywhere." She gives me another glance before exclaiming, "Oh! I didn't recognize you at first! Is that you, Lira?"

At the mention of my name, I lift my head in surprise. I can't better understand how she knew Ri—Grovyle recognized him too, and his older self must've been close to the both of them—but I don't look anything like I used to be. After a second I nod, "So… We've met too, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

"How'd you know it was me? I'm not a human anymore."

"It's the eyes," she answers, floating around me in inspection, "Humans looked pretty much the same to me in the face, but you always had this look in your eyes that made you stand out! Human or not, you've still got that look!"

I turn to Ri, "There's a look?" But he just shrugs in answer.

"Celebi," Grovyle beckons, interrupting the awkward reunion, "I need your help again."

"I know. Seeing you back here, my dear Grovyle, tells me everything I need to know. You're back because you failed your mission in the past, yes?" The fairy-like Pokemon crosses her arms over her chest, but she doesn't actually seem upset over the matter. Just like with Ri, it's more as if she's playing with him. You wouldn't think she'd be able to take this as well as she is, but I guess being a time-traveler, she can give us as many second chances as we need so long as she doesn't get caught.

Nevertheless, Grovyle pulls his gaze away from her to stare at the ground with a note of shame. "Well… Yes, it's true…"

She tssks at him softly, "I hope you manage this time. I've had quite enough of this. Living in this dark and dreary world is so depressing."

"Celebi, I'm sorry, but we don't have time to chat. The Sableye are tracking us. If we don't leave soon, we'll have brought trouble to you."

She shrugs him off and giggles, "It's quite fine. There is no need to be worried. Let the Sableye come; they're no concern to me. Besides, if you would be so kind as to prevent the Planet's Paralysis, we'll finally be spared the agony of this world of darkness. My dear Grovyle, I devote my whole life to achieve that end!" It is then that a fire ignites in her eyes that I didn't spot earlier—the same intense look Grovyle had when he was going after the Time Gears, and the same look I remember having back when I was a human fighting in this future in the resistance. Grovyle wasn't kidding about her being a little odd, but there's no doubting that she's a rebel just like us.

"All right… Where's the Passage of Time?"

"It's ready and nearby. The Passage of Time should be on the plateau above the forest."

"Can you guide us?"

"Yes! All three of you are taking the Passage of Time, right?" We nod. As if we even need to be asked that kind of question! Darting forward, she motions us after her. "Then come on!"

We grin and begin running up to the plateau after her. To think that after everything we've been through we can finally get away from this dark world! No more Dusknoir or Sableye to worry about. No more running non-stop labeled as criminals. We'll be home again, back in Treasure Town with the rest of the Guild at our side to help us stop any of this from ever happening

"We're going home, Lira!" Ri announces happily to me. I smile at him…

That is, until he trips me.

"Race you!" he laughs, sticking his tongue out.

"No fair!" I shout back, chasing after him. Not wanting to be beat, I suppose, Celebi and Grovyle join in on the fun. I look back and find Grovyle looking truly at ease for the first time, like a great weight has been lifted off of him. No, I've seen that face before, haven't I? As he chased me through the rough terrain of this world and we played together when I was little?

"You're slow!" laughs the child to an unknown figure some ways behind her. Suddenly the figure zooms forward, catching her around the waist, lifting her over one shoulder, and taking off; increasing her giggling in the process.

She's hungry, filthy, sleepy, and beaten and bruised in some places, but she's happy. In what would seem to be a desolate wasteland, she's smiling as if she never had a care in the world. Although the air can't brush her face or toy with her hair, she imagines she's flying. What did wind feel like?

When the figure puts her back down on her feet, she laughs uncontrollably and wraps her thin arms around it, snuggling close. A hand runs over her tangled mat of hair comfortingly…

Yes: That was Grovyle and me. I just know it.

"Hey Grovyle!" Ri shouts ahead of us, "What is the Passage of Time?"

'It's a portal that Celebi uses to travel through time; a secret corridor than spans dimensions."

"For short trips, I can travel all by myself," she says proudly, "But for big trips spanning generations, I must use the Passage of Time… I see it!"

"Let's hurry!" Grovyle orders, and with a newfound burst of speed he begins to catch up to Ri.

Before I can urge my body to move faster, Celebi flies closer to my side to murmur with a sigh, "Grovyle is so impatient and hasty. I know that he wants to hurry, but I do wish he'd slow down a little… It would make me happier if he did: I want to spend as much time as I can with him…"

I give her a mischievous smirk. If I hadn't known it from her earlier reaction, what she just said confirms it: She's really does have a crush on Grovyle. And if my hunch is right, she's also felt this way about him for a long while. I somehow know that I've teased her about it before, and the urge to do it again rises in me before I even really think about it.

Seeing the impish gleam in my eyes, her own widen to near perfect circles, "Uh… Oh! That's not how I meant it! Not at all! I don't have any special feelings for him or anything!"

"It's fine, Celebi. Your secret's safe with me," I reassure her. For now, I think. Grovyle is going back with us to the past, so she won't get to see him again until we can fix this whole mess. I can give her that much. "Girls got to stick together, right?"

"Yeah!" she hastily agrees with notable relief, "I guess so! And even if you did tell Grovyle that…" It is then that she cuts in front of me, forcing me to grind to an immediate halt. I give her a confused look while one of mischief takes over her own expression.

She leans forward to whisper, "I guess I could just tell Ri that you've got feelings for him!"

I freeze, not fully grasping her words at first. I have to play them back through my head a second time before their meaning sinks in, and even then I still can't grasp at anything to say back—alarms blaring in my mind and leaving me in a stupefied daze as a sudden warmth slinks along the back of my neck.

"Don't worry!" she chuckles, echoing my own words, "Your secret's safe with me."

…Me? Like Ri?! A Pokemon?! No…Ri's my partner: At one point, he was my teacher—if it weren't for me already being so different, he's technically several years older than me. I've never once thought of him that way. We're just friends. And even if it weren't for all the things that would make it completely wrong, why would I fall in love with someone who can be so immature at times? "How could I ever…"

"Lira, honey, face it," Celebi grins as if reading my thoughts, "You got it bad. And I mean, like me, bad!"

That's not possible... Right? I've focused so much on becoming human again that I never even considered something like happening. I care about Ri, but to say that I've got a crush on him or have actually managed to fall in love… Have I? This is the first time I've ever really been made to consider how I feel about him. We've always been together, so I never felt any longing, and I can't think of any point where I've been jealous. Well, except maybe once with this Buneary and Meinfoo—

Oh boy…

"Up ahead… That's it!" Grovyle shouts, interrupting our girl talk. By now, he and Ri have already raced far ahead of us and have paused to see what the hold-up is on our end. "Celebi! You're the only one who can open the Passage of Time. Get ready to do your thing."

"On it!" She gives me a wink before darting off after them.

I shake my head. I can think over my feelings later, but for now we've got bigger concerns. Once everything's calmed down then… I'll just figure it out when the time's right.

Ri is the first to reach the plateau. He cheers at the small victory, turning back to us with a fist raised in the air. I guess I don't really have any reason to lag behind. I sprint the remaining distance, easily catching up to the others. Even from here I can spot the Passage of Time, a swirling, funneled vortex crackling with a light blue energy.

That's when I see it: a large, dark orb flying through the air and aimed straight for Ri. Before I can cry out in warning, it hits him in the chest and knocks him sprawling to the ground back in our direction, with a pained groan. Immeadiately, I scream out his name as I hurry to reach his side.

"Stop there! That will do!" a loud, familiar voice commands. Celebi and Grovyle had frozen in place at the sight of the attack, and reach the plateau seconds after me. I snarl in hatred, and despite the command I close the meter or so left and help my partner back onto his feet as the others scowl at our surroundings.

"That voice! It… It can't be…" Ri mumbles through gritted teeth.

"Hello to you all. It's been awhile," the voice continues with smooth, yet distasteful charm. It's none other than Dusknoir that appears from the shadows of the nearby trees. "Your scurrying carried you far, but sad to say… That's all over now."

With a wave of his hand, a gang of six familiar Sableye closes around us from their own hiding places—snickering with the maddened laughter I've always recognized from them. We were so careful, how did they even manage to find us? How did they get here before we did?!

"That's crafty, Dusknoir," says Grovyle with a grin, but his eyes aren't smiling and there's a note of malice to his tone. "You allowed us to roam free, but you kept your eye on us the whole time, so you could capture Celebi as well as us. I admit, I didn't see this coming." He gives a quick glance over to our Fairy-type friend before moving his eyes back to our enemies, "I'm sorry Celebi. This is all my fault."

Nevertheless, she just gives him a calm smile in return, "Oh? Apologies don't suit your style, my dear Grovyle! And do you honestly think that I can be caught?"

That's some confidence coming from the smallest person here. Still, if we escaped from these goons once—right out of their own base of operations no less—then there's no reason that we can't do it again. As the Sableye block our escape from all sides, we each spin around to face them with our backs to one another. "Everyone, are you ready to fight?" Grovyle asks, "We're going to power our way through! We'll push them aside, and then dive through the Passage of Time!"

"Right!"

The Gripper Pokemon barks with laughter, "Ha! So you'll resist? Spare yourself the effort; you have no chance of succeeding."

Grovyle just smirks at his mockery. "We won't know if we don't try," he retorts, spreading his arms in a wide gesture at the former, "Dusknoir! You and me! Now!"

"Grovyle, do you think of me as such a fool that I would come alone?"

It is only then that a shadow falls over his face. He bristles. "What?!" Risking a glance away from the Sableye, I'm surprised to see him look so rattled. Normally he looks so certain, like he always has some sort of back-up plan to get out a pinch at the last minute. This isn't like him.

"Now, Master Dialga!" Dusknoir shouts, turning around to face a rocky overhang that looms on the opposite side of the Passage of Time.

I gasp as everything momentarily turns pitch black just before a harsh light flashes all around us twice. Right after, it's followed by a roar that seems to vibrate the air—even more powerful than the Groudon illusion's. Through the darkness, we see a pair of large, crimson eyes glaring down at us

I must've seen depictions of the legendary somewhere once before, because I know who he is in an instant as he suddenly appears on the overhang. However, he's anything but what I remember. The once regal Pokemon now looks as if he's well beyond the brink of madness. His skin that had once been as deep a blue as the ocean is now muted and marred with scars. The markings that had glimmered like aquamarine gemstones now burn with a sickly orange glow.

"That's… Primal… Dialga…" Grovyle croaks. Looking over at him, I see the one thing I don't think even the human me had ever seen before in his expression: Raw fear.

Dusknoir laughs a second time, "What's wrong, Grovyle? Where's your bravado now?"

"Grovyle…?" Celebi looks at him worriedly, her gaze searching. I do the same. I'm waiting for the real him to snap out of it—to pull some quick trick like he always does. Because out of any of us, he always knows what to do.

But he can't look at any of us and squeezes his eyes shut, tightening his fists at his sides. And then he says the unthinkable, "This is it for us…"

"Aren't we going to fight?!" Ri exclaims with disbelief. How can Grovyle give up like this?! He never once gave up the entire time the whole world stood against him when he was collecting the Time Gears. He didn't even show any weakness when we went days without sleep after escaping a no-win situation. What's gotten into him?!

"It's hopeless…" he answers, "Dusknoir on his own is one thing, but we don't stand a chance against Dialga. You two have kept up so well… I'm sorry to let you down. This is where it ends."

"But…" No. I refuse to accept it. Not when we're this close.

Grovyle steps forward, getting down on his knees and placing his hands behind his head. I can hardly believe what I'm seeing… As his last form of resistance, he looks Dusknoir directly in his eyes—letting out every ounce of hate within him in that single glare. "I surrender, Dusknoir," he spits, "Do with me as you will."

Dusknoir tilts his head in mock bafflement, a grin in his voice, "What's the matter Grovyle? It's not like you to give up so easily."

"Yes. I'm giving up…" he seethes.

"Grovyle…" Celebi hushes, tears prickling her eyes and the confidence that had swelled in her voice gone. Even her… I look over at Ri, who by now has fallen out of his fighting stance with his shoulders fallen in dismay. And lastly, my gaze turns to Primal Dialga, whose cold stare blazes down on me with such intensity that a part of wants nothing but to run away from here.

I want to. But I won't.

Biting my lower lip, my body rigid, I cross in front of Grovyle to stand between him and Dusknoir. I notice the steady gaze at my back, focusing on the Ghost-type as I swallow hard and bark a single word. "No."

"No?" Dusknoir chortles, "You can't be serious! Give up, Lira! It's over!"

"No!" I scream at him, my voice rising loud enough that it looks like it almost startles him, "I won't! I'm not letting this nightmare of a future ever happen! I don't care if I have fight all of you to the last man—we're not finished yet!"

"Lira," Grovyle mutters, "Stand down… It's too late: We failed."

"I'm not about to lose hope and you shouldn't either!" I chide him, "As long as I live, I am never going to stop fighting for what's right. We're going back, and we are going to restore time!" Raising my hand, I summon an Aura Sphere and shout at Dusknoir, "And you're not going to stop us!"

He jumps out of the way in the nick of time, but as he avoid it the attacks hits two of his Sableye. A cloud of dust explodes on contact as it knocks the two of them to the ground. I didn't plan on it, but now that we've got this small window of cover we have to do something! "Grovyle, Ri, Celebi! We can't give up!"

The look Grovyle gives me is full of pity, but also heated after the stunt I just pulled. "You say not to give up? But what can we possibly do in this bleak situation?!"

"We have to think! And fast!" Ri nods, stepping closer to me, "Celebi, can your time travel ability transport us just the short distance to the Passage of Time?"

"It won't be easy with Dialga here!" she frowns, "Dialga is the Temporal Pokemon… He controls time itself! Even if I can make us travel through time, he'll have no trouble exposing it!"

"It just has to work for an instant!" Ri insists, "Please!"

"Attack!" Dusknoir orders the Sableye once as the dust begins to settle.

That order gives us no more room for debate. Either this works or it doesn't. "Time to travel!" Celebi hollers.

And in an instant we're swallowed by a vivid beam of light. I find myself gripping Ri's arm on instinct as we're swept away in it. It must only last for not even half a minute, but the sensation of being teleported through time and space feels like being weightlessly scrambled in an endless void. Somewhere within the depths of nothingness, I hear what sounds like glass shattering into a thousand pieces, and soon after the void around us distorts in a swell of cracks before suddenly I find we're standing right next to the Passage of Time—just past Dusknoir and the Sableye. They hadn't even moved from where they had encircled us.

"There they are!" the Gripper Pokemon shouts, readying an attack as his men charge our way.

"Dive in now! You can make it!" Celebi spins in the air to face them, motioning at us with a quick wave of her hand. "Now! Into the Passage of Time!"

"What about you, Celebi?" Ri presses. I nod: We can't just leave her like this—she should stay with us.

"Don't fret over me! I told you I can't be caught!" she reassures as her confident grin comes back to her. "Stop the Planet's Paralysis; Change history!"

Before either of us can say any other word, I feel Grovyle place a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see him give her a quick bow of his head as he smiles at her in turn. "Thank you, Celebi." Just like that, he starts beckoning us closer to the vortex.

"You're not getting away!" Dusknoir snarls. But even as he says this, the Grass-type jumps in and disappears amid the swirling lights. Then Ri. And finally, there's me. Before jumping into the Passage of Time, I can't resist turning to face him and giving him a mock salute. We'll just have to trust that Celebi can manage them from here: With all luck, he won't be tracking us down this time.

"Be seeing you in the far future, Dusknoir!" And no sooner have these words left my mouth am I gone, leaving behind a world of darkness for the bright tunnel that will take us back home.