There isn't much I can make sense of from the chaotic whirlpool that was the Passage of Time when my consciousness returns. I don't even remember passing out, just the electric crackle of some kind of energy surrounding us—almost like being in the heart of a thunder storm. Just like the very first memory I had that day on the beach. I almost feel like I'm reliving it. I'm so tired and can hear nothing expect the rush of waves along the shore and the soft whistle of the wind as it tickles my ear.

But just one thing is different this time, and that's that I'm not alone. I hear Ri and Grovyle's aching groans alongside me. This isn't just a memory. This is real, and we're really—

My eyes flutter open to stare up at a blissfully clear sky, the stars just beginning to twinkle into view as another day nears its end. The sun rests low on the horizon as the last light of day casts itself lazily upon the ocean. A blend of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples sing in harmony across the sunset.

We actually made it back… No more landscapes cast in a despairing monotone of greys. No more darkness. And I am never going take the life and beauty in this world that surrounds me for granted. I push myself up, laughing like an excited little kid, "Grovyle, Ri! We made it: We're home!"

Ri gets up next. Gripping onto a nearby boulder for support, he lifts himself onto his feet and looks around in a momentary daze. He looks almost sick, and I'll admit, even though I think I'm getting used to these jumps through time I still don't feel all that great after just waking up—and Grovyle and I have done it at least one more time over him.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember a conversation I must've had with my parents when I was still pretty little. It was something about these machines called 'planes' that let human fly across the ocean. For whatever reason, once the Planet's Paralysis hit they just kind of disappeared—along with most human technology back-peddling. They mentioned this thing called 'jet lag,' where you'd get sick from travelling so far across the world that you'd gain or lose a day. Well, based on what they described, I can only say that how I've felt after these jumps through time is like having the ultimate case of jet lag.

I said that Ri probably had the worst of it, but Grovyle hasn't woken up yet—and he's stronger than the both of us. I would've thought he'd recover first. I kneel by his side and shake his shoulder to try to rouse him.

"Huh? Where…" My partner shakes his head, his eyes widening as he finally takes in our surroundings. "We're home? Isn't this… where I met you Lira?" As I nod back, he throws himself at me from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders in a sudden embrace. His happiness and relief is contagious, and I soon find myself smiling as I return the hug. "We're home! Yes! We made it, Lira!" he cheers, "Were home! We made it back to the past!"

"Ugh…" Grovyle moans, snapping our attention back to him. He recovers fast, blinking around with clear focus before sitting up with a grin. "So we did it…? We made it through, back to this world?"

"Yeah," Ri beams, "This is where I met Lira. Let's see…" Letting go of me, he walks over some ways away—about a hundred meters from the entrance to the beach caves. "I think… Yes; this is where I found Lira out cold, right here."

"So that's what happened," Grovyle muses aloud, "The trip through time sent me to the Eastern Forest, and Lira and I reached your world far from each other."

And probably by a few days' time too, I think to myself. Ri said that there had been a bad storm the night before he found me. If the storm-like feel of the Passage of Time is anything to go by, then the poor weather we had after that might've been because that's when Grovyle showed up in the past. We didn't just get separated by distance: Somehow, I must've gone farther into the past than he did.

"There's a lot I don't understand, the concept of time travel being one of them." Ri scratches the back of his head. "But I guess this really isn't the place to talk so let's go to Wigglytuff's Guild. Before we went to the future, we trained and roomed there. It should be the perfect place."

Ri begins to lead the way just as Grovyle and I give each other a look. As much as I want to see everyone, even I know that it's a bad idea. The Grass-type stops him, "Hold on. Will I be well received if I go to the Guild? After all, I'm a wanted outlaw in this world. If I went to your guild, won't everyone be shocked? More importantly, don't you think they'd try to capture me?"

"And everyone's gonna wonder how we managed to get back," I add. We at least need some time to get our thoughts in order before we even attempt to explain the situation to them—if we can.

Ri's expression turns to one of disappointment. I understand: It feels like it's been an eternity since we were home. Still, at least he's taking the time to consider things. "Come to think of it, you're right…" he sighs, then after thinking it over for a moment he adds, "I think I know another good place, but it'll involve going through Treasure Town."

"It shouldn't be a problem if we lie low and sneak through," Grovyle stands, helping me onto my feet too. "Lead the way."

As awkward as it is to sneak around, it's actually pretty easy. It's already so late in the evening that almost everyone has already packed it in for the night and gone home. And when we stick to the tree line and underbrush, we can weave our way through town without having to cross through the square or the market. I'm a little surprised though when Ri takes us to Sharpedo Bluff, named for the Pokemon the side of its cliff-face resembles. We've been here before—it's one of our favorite spots because it has such a great view of the beach—but there's really nothing here. All that's there is a flag to wave down messengers from the Exploration Team Federation.

Ri motions for us to come over to a large cluster of bushes a little ways from the edge of the bluff and disappears in them. Hiding our confusion Grovyle and I follow, shuffling through the foliage until—to our shock—we find a passageway that descends into the earth. "Come on, it's down here," Ri calls out, his voice echoing back up to us in the darkness.

Not that we planned on staying out here anyway. While Grovyle checks one last time to make sure we weren't spotted, I head on in. More than anything, I'm surprised at how well made the passage is. It's a stairwell, and while it can't be any more than a story deep, it's nicely carved out of the earth. It's also not as deep as it looks on the outside, and soon enough the way gets lighter as we find ourselves standing in a large chamber hollowed from the mouth of the bluff with the 'teeth' of the Sharpedo acting as a natural barrier on the side facing out towards the sea.

"I lived here before I joined the Guild," my partner explains, "It's not much, but I like it. I'm just glad that no one's wrecked the place; it's proof of how little notice it attracts. It'll be better if we stay here for the time being." A large pile of hay that I think he once used as a bed lies to the far left corner. A pile of logs and a few barrels are stacked on the opposite end, labeled with various preserved foods. There's even a natural spring. This place seems relatively untouched considering how long Ri and I have lived at the Guild, with only a layer of dust marking the countless weeks he's been away. I head on over to the open mouth of the chamber, taking in the scent of the ocean and gazing out at the marvelous view.

I feel a needle-like prick in my heart when I think about how long he must've been living here by himself. It's spacious and homey, but it's so quiet here compared to the Guild and the thought of him being here alone upsets me. I mean, there's a reason he never brought me here before isn't there? After how many times we've visited the bluff? It wasn't just that we lived at the Guild, but he probably didn't want to bring back those memories.

"If you say so, then we should be fine here," Grovyle doesn't seem overly surprised at the set up though and takes only one look around before nodding to himself, "Now, if you want to talk, we can talk while we set up for the night and get ourselves something to eat."

There's no measure to the unrivaled joy I feel at getting an actual meal for the first time in forever.

Later that night we sit around a fire, enjoying an especially welcomed dinner of fried rice with mixed vegetables and a side of gateau. I know that we're all starving, but we each try to contain ourselves so we can savor it. It's not just because we're hungry though: The food's insanely good! Every now and then when we've had to do our share of chores Ri's joined Chimecho in the kitchen, but I never thought he'd be the one to make anything that tasted like this. "All that time on a hunger strike against the Guild and Team Salacious, and you could cook?" I press him between bites, "What was wrong with you?"

"I didn't think I was all that great at it," Ri replies with a bashful shrug. "Not that you would listen at the time. You were mad at the world."

"Did she give you the silent treatment?" Grovyle asks.

"She gave everyone the silent treatment."

I'm about to retort, but Grovyle cuts my off before I can say anything, "I've dealt with your moods and know how you are well enough to agree with Ri on this one. When you're upset, you have a way of being completely irrational."

I stick my tongue out at them both, unable to come up with a comeback. He's right, of course, but it doesn't mean that I like it being pointed out.

He smiles at me and continues, "I'm still shocked that I've found you again, but it's definitely you. Celebi was right, you know, about your eyes—the gleam in them is unmistakable. And your spirit hasn't changed either."

"Grovyle, can you tell us more about that?" Ri asks. It's a fair question, since there's still so much we don't know. We get the gist of what happened in the future, but there are still some pieces missing and we don't have any idea what happened when Grovyle and I first traveled into the past for me to turn into a Pokemon and lose my memories.

"Yes. As you know, you, Lira, and I were jointly investigating the Planet's Paralysis. We relied on her Dimensional Scream to help us discover the clues to solving it; it played a vital part."

"It's helped us a few times," Ri looks at me, "We don't need an explanation there."

"The Dimensional Scream, however, does have a drawback," Grovyle continues, "For the ability to be used, whoever possesses it must have a strong sense of trust toward other living beings. Without that trust, the ability cannot be triggered."

A strong sense of trust… Why though? What does that have anything to do with seeing past and future events? I wouldn't call myself too trusting. I mean, Dusknoir did, but he had everyone fooled and I have amnesia. I didn't know that I was supposed to be suspicious.

"Wait," my partner cuts in, "You say the user must be able to trust someone else for it to work, but the Dimensional Scream was triggered not long after we met!"

"Your point? Doesn't that show how much you trusted each other from the start?" He's taken aback by this, but the Grass-type talks over his surprise, "In addition, not only did Lira develop amnesia and you gave her someone to turn to, perhaps the feeling of already having trusted you—at least, as a Lucario in the future—remained somewhere within her."

I look down to my food, dipping my head to hide my blush. Grovyle, I think, do you really have to make it all sound so sappy? Of course I trusted Ri though. Even though he's better than I am at controlling his aura signature's shows of emotion, he has a very open and naturally gentle personality. It's kind of embarrassing to think about it now, but I think I knew I could rely on him because of that.

Grovyle gets back to the story, "When the Time Gears in our future were destroyed and you were captured by Dusknoir, Lira and I had to study and continue your work on our own. Everything we learned is in that book that I gave Lira. And when we were ready we took the Passage of Time, and it brought us from our world in your future to this world. However…" He then goes quiet, staring at the logs crackling in the fire, "We encountered some sort of turbulence while we were traveling through time… Thus we were separated. I don't understand how this would've led to Lira getting amnesia and turning into a Pokemon though. I can only guess that it had something to do with that accident."

I feel my shoulders droop. I was really hoping for something more, but I guess I can't really expect Grovyle to have all the answers either. I mean, he didn't even know I was going through any of this until I got some of my memories back. But that first memory I had when I was lying unconscious on the shore the day I met Ri… That had to have been the accident. Things are starting to make more sense, if only just a little. But it all doesn't feel quite real somehow… There's got to be more than none of us have yet figured out—just a few more pieces that we're missing.

"You have—and always will be—my closest friend, Lira. I was worried about you when we were separated. I'm glad to see you're safe. Your appearance may have changed, and though you have lost your memory, you're still you. And none of this alters the fact that you remain my friend." I look up to see Grovyle staring straight at me… "I'm glad to see you again."

Although there's a fondness in his gaze, I also see a glimmer of sadness. He says nothing's changed, but I'm not so sure if he really feels that way. It's still a little hard for me to see the person I am and the girl I saw from my visions as one in the same. And there's still a lot that we must've shared that I can't remember at all.

He shakes it off the look on the brief silence that follows—the stern, determined look I'm used to seeing him wear returning, "Now. We have to decide on our course of action. I still intend to get the Time Gears, but what will you do? Lira, I understand if you wish to remain with Ri, but it would be good if you could join me in our mission."

"We're both going," my partner answers without the slightest hesitation, but I feel myself cringe.

"Ri, no," I speak up as he looks to me, baffled, "You're staying here. Grovyle and I can handle it on our own." It's not like me to cast him out of something like this, but we've never had to take on something this serious before either. Acting as escorts, finding lost items, and capturing outlaws is one thing: Saving the world with just the three of us might just be beyond our abilities. Grovyle's strong enough to take care of himself and he'll need me to use the Dimensional Scream, but I don't want to have to put Ri in that kind of insane amount of danger.

Of course, he doesn't take to it well… "What? You can't be serious!" his voice rises to a near shout.

"I am! It'll be better if you stay somewhere safe, and if Dusknoir or the Sableye track us back here in the past again—"

"Who do you think you are? My mother? I can handle it and you're not leaving me out of this."

"This isn't a game, Ri!" I stand up, leaving my plate on the floor as I take a step closer to him, "This isn't like anything the two of us have ever had to deal with before! I'm not letting you bet your life on this: If you're killed, then… then…"

I can't find the words and instead begin to quiver. The vision that played out in my mind at the Stockade loops back. I've watched him die before. I can't go through that again. If there's one feeling I distinctly remember having in that dark future, it's that hopelessness surrounded everyone there. Besides Grovyle, the Ri I knew back then was my world, and even after coming here to the past and losing my memories Ri's still been at the center. I feel that if we fail—if I die—I can accept that, but if I lose him… I don't know if I could pick myself up again.

Ri stands up and takes my hand, looking into my eyes with absolute certainty and determination in his own. "'We're Team Crusade,'" he quotes from one of our talks from what seems like ages ago, "'we'll stick together, no matter what.' Isn't that what you told me?" I remain silent. "We've come too far together already—and you're not leaving me behind now while you go off on some wild adventure to save the world."

"The three of us were an unstoppable team once," Grovyle adds, "Our struggles have only made us and our bonds to each other that much more powerful." He looks out to the full moon, partially hidden behind the cover of drifting clouds. "The hour is late. We're all exhausted from all the running we've done. We should get some sleep tonight and then we'll leave in the morning."

It's some hours later—as I rest on the giant hay stack—that a pair of voices awaken me from a deep sleep. When we had gone to bed, Ri and Grovyle had been lying on each side of me: Now I'm alone. A moment of panic takes over, but soon the voices become clearer as my mind returns to full awareness. They're muffled, distant. They must be outside. Pushing myself up I begin climbing the stairwell, ducking my head low at the entryway as I listen in.

"What's the matter? Can't sleep?" Grovyle's voice, etched with concern.

"Yeah… Just thinking."

"Thinking about Dusknoir?"

"No, that's not it. Sure, finding out we were being deceived came as a real shock, but hearing your story earlier, Grovyle…." I hear Ri sigh, "It really drove home. What Dusknoir said was really true, and it made me realize that Lira really did come from the future." His voice lowers, "I was just mulling over things like that…"

Based on his tone, I can guess that they weren't happy thoughts. I wonder what he's thinking about though. Is he worried about me now that I know the truth? Is he worried about how it'll affect us? I hope not. Nothing that I've learned changes the way I feel about him.

I risk climbing a little higher and poking my head just barely out from the bushes covering the hidden stairs. The sky is steadily beginning to grow brighter and the calls of birds sound from the outside world. Ri and Grovyle have their backs turned to me, looking out at the expanse of clouds above us.

"Hey! Look, Grovyle! Sunlight! It's sunrise!" I see it too in all its majesty: A light, golden glow blending with the faint blues of an early dawn as it gently illuminates the hilltops and rock formations stretched over the horizon. It's so beautiful. I watch Grovyle and his face reminds me of the expression he made when we would look into my book of fairytales when I was little: Full of wonder. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yes…" he whispers in awe.

"… Is she still asleep?" I flinch, dipping low again.

"Yes. But I'd hate to wake her, even for this. It's been a hard journey for her—for all of us—and she's had a lot to absorb. Her life, an entire history, she was forced to remember within such a short time. She deserves to rest peacefully, at least for now while she can."

"I just wish she could see this with us. Maybe it's because we were in the future for so long, but I didn't think that a sunrise could ever feel so renewing. The sun rises, then it sets… We take that for granted, and that's only natural, but things we take for granted… They're really the most essential things. And they're precious."

"All I'd ever known is the future's world of darkness. Upon coming to this world… And seeing the sun for the first time… It was staggering. It strengthened my resolve to turn history away from a future of darkness. There is only one thing that I wanted to ask of you, Ri." He stares at him intently, "It's about that time in the future, when we were confronted by Dialga. Frankly, we were in a no-win situation. There was no hope. Yet like Lira, when all seemed lost, you refused to give up. Even I had given up. What compelled you? How did you manage to stay so strong?"

"Well, I wonder too. I really don't know…" he begins, turning away to look out at the water, "But maybe… Maybe it was because of Lira, because she stood by me."

Grovyle smirks, "She can have an… effect, on people like that. I don't know how or why, but she's always been like that since the day we met. You could say, I suppose, that she's always been a light in the darkness: A ray of sun born in a world of despair and pain, casting out all the evils in the world and replacing them with hope…"

I feel my heart clench and I sit down on the stairs, holding a hand to my chest.

"Yeah… Take a look at this. It's my personal treasure." Based on what he says, I know he has to be showing Grovyle his Relic Fragment. "I have this dream of one day solving the mystery behind this fragment. But I was such a coward… I couldn't work up the courage to go to the Guild and apply as an apprentice. It was then… that I met Lira.

"Lira… She was always there to cheer me up. And she gave me courage. With her… I feel like I can overcome any challenge. I think she's the reason I can keep going without giving up."

I find myself smiling and I hide my face in my knees as I draw them to my chest. A few tears drip down my cheeks, but they're good tears. Happy tears. I don't think I'm any of the things they're saying about me, but I can't help feeling grateful for them. I've lost a lot, but the both of them have done so much to make me feel loved.

"The same way I care for Lira as a friend, you, Ri, also feel that same way about her. Lira is… very lucky… To be blessed with a friend like you… I am lucky as well, having known both of you."

"Don't count yourself out either," he replies, "I saw through her aura all that you did for her. I think… I think that it was all meant to be. We all needed each other to survive and find strength."

"… You really care for her, don't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"As something more, I mean." My ears perk up.

"Something more?"

Grovyle sighs, "Even if you don't admit it—to me or yourself—you will understand in time. It's morning already, but we'll rest a little while longer and then set out." Hearing this, my eyes widen and I dart back down the stairs, diving into the bed of hay as quickly and as quietly as possible. I seal my eyes shut and go limp, controlling my breathing so that they'll think I'm still asleep as a moment later I feel them shuffle next to me when they lie down.

"Grovyle?" Ri whispers softly.

"Yes?"

"Were Lira and I… close, in the future? As friends, I mean."

I can hear the grin in his voice, "Inseparable."