A Second Chance

Ilex forest was old when I was young. She was a proud beauty, unbroken despite man's attempts to tame her. Here among the trees, amidst the wild call of nature, was a different kind of life. It's simpler place, a more peaceful place. It was my home, the place of my people. It was the only home I had ever known.

Ilex forest was strong, her pious trunks standing strong and tall. Her canopy was thick, defying attempts to map her from above. Of course, that hadn't stopped the logging companies from trying anyways.

They came as they always do, bearing fancy contracts full of words that simpler folks could never hope to fully understand. When we didn't leave, they came back with money. Most folks took that offer, selling the homes and land that our families had lived on as far back as we can remember. A few stayed, mostly old bats like myself. We're stubborn, and we remember what this forest means to the land.

Without Ilex, Johto dies. Without Ilex, we all die. The forest protects our people, just as it protects our planet. I just wish that somebody else would help me protect it. Either way, I will do what I must. I am the last storyteller of my people, the last person who holds onto hundreds of years in oral history. I will protect my home.

I woke before dawn on the day they came. I could hear them, driving along the worn dirt path that led into Arborville. Their mechanical monstrosities shook the earth as they closed, flattening and widening the winding forest path as they came.

The trees along that path were old when I was a boy. I silently raged at the injustice as I sat on my balcony, watching and waiting while I boiled the kettle. I finished my last journal entry. I'd make my move when I got that chance.

It wasn't long before they came into view, bright yellow machinery trawling through the forest on great tracks. Men in bright reflective vests rushed forward, the sounds of chainsaws roaring over the forest's quiet voice. A hulking machamp walked ahead of the great machine, clearing away the logs that had fallen in its path.

I grimaced. The machamp was a problem. Terra could destroy the machines easily enough, but my aging meganium would have trouble with a machamp. I didn't have the rest of my pokemon anymore, I'd have to be clever to take out the massive fighting type.

Towa appeared from the walkway deeper into Arborville. Every house in our village was connected, just like the forest itself. Towa was one of the few who remained, one of the few who still cared about the forest. There were so few of us left.

"They're here to stay this time," she started. She sat down in the seat beside me, in Natasha's seat and not the guest seat. "Diana read me the last letter they sent. It said it was the final notice. We can't fight this one and win."

"I don't care," I replied, letting my scowl fade. Towa meant no disrespect and I couldn't stay cross with one of the few remaining residents. "The forest is our home, is my home. I will not leave this place." I clenched my fists. She was wrong. Someone had to fight them.

Towa sighed heavily as she leaned back in the chair. She sipped on her tea and looked at me pensively. "Y'know, you've been in a bad way since Tasha pass-"

"Don't you dare. She loved this place more than any of us." I turned away and scowled back at the encroaching loggers. "Don't go putting words into a dead woman's mouth."

"I wouldn't dare, old friend. I know she'd be fighting these bastards tooth and nail, right at your side." She sipped cautiously on her tea again. "My words are my own. Tasha's passing hurt you. More than you've ever been hurt before." She smiled softly. "Even more than when the boys disappeared."

I stared at the machine, stonewalling her. "And your point?" I asked. I knew I was being rude. I was too wrapped up in myself and my defiance to care. "This place is all I have left of her. They're not gonna take it away."

"I lost Don almost fifteen years ago," she continued, unperturbed. Towa was good like that. It didn't matter that I was in a bad place. She was there for me all the same. "It was hell for a long time. I threw myself into my work."

"Our harvest was never better," I remarked. "We sold the surplus and

"You're doing the same damn thing," she said. "Arborville is dead. Stop clinging to old memories. Go enjoy what time you have left with your family."

I clenched my fists, desperately trying not to lose my cool with Towa. "They moved on. They left this place behind. They don't care-"

Towa cut me off with a stern glare and a heavy hand on my shoulder. "They don't help you because you won't let them. You cut them off for daring to leave home. Your brothers, your sister, everyone. They never stopped trying to help you." She rose from her seat and sighed heavily. "Diana is almost done packing up our things. I'll have her come by once she's done. I'm sure she'd love to help you pack."

I sighed heavily and hung my head. "No," I said quietly. "I have something I have to do."

She disappeared without another word. I glanced down the walkway, eyes painfully lingering on each of the hasty repairs I'd made over the years. She was right. Arborville was dying. The trees were struggling under the weight of the village, and even the hundreds of repairs I had made couldn't hide that.

"Hello up there!" shouted a voice. "Is a Mister Jameson home?"

I rose and leaned up against my balcony. "Leave my home," I started, summoning up the strength to project my voice. "This forest is not yours."

A younger man slipped down off the massive machine, pokeballs worn on a bandolier that wrapped over one shoulder. He was a trainer, probably employed by the logging company to deal with stubborn old Arborville.

He smiled up at me, a genuine smile that took me off-guard. "Would you mind if I came up there to speak with you?" He gestured around at the loggers. "It's quite loud out here, as you can see."

I nodded slowly. Without another word, I returned to my seat. I heard the roar of machinery grind to a halt as the engine died. A small smirk came to my face. One last warning before they tried to drive me from my home. I would show them who they were dealing with.

It was maybe another twenty minutes before Diana appeared with the trainer. He was tall, powerfully built. Broad across at the shoulders. He had a strong beard, flecked with grey hairs in the dark brown mane. More than a match for frail old me. I knew I'd need surprise on my side to take him down.

"Mister Jameson, I presume?" He asked politely as Diana slipped away. "My name is Byram, I represent the Johtan Interior Resource Commission."

He stepped through the doorway into my home, not bothering to knock. I looked up at him, sipping gently at my tea. "So the League is getting involved?" I asked calmly.

"We were from the beginning, Mister Jameson. The League takes the stewardship of our natural resources very seriously." Byram looked down at Tasha's chair. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"I do." I growled.

He sighed, studying my stoic old gaze. "Very well." He crossed his arms. "You have to leave, Mister Jameson. This place isn't safe anymore."

I sipped my tea. "I keep it standing," I said. "Arborville ain't moving. And neither am I."

"That's going to be a problem," he replied. "Because this area has been designated as a prime logging area. Plenty of perfect trees to use as lumber." He lowered his gaze to me. "I'm sure you understand the current lumber shortage has made our need dire."

I rolled my eyes. "You mean, you think the old trees in this area will fetch a pretty price right now."

He shrugged. "Ilex Forest is massive," he started. "We've been stonewalled around Azalea and Johto National Park. We need wood, Mister Jameson. I'm sorry that it includes your village, but to be honest it's falling apart anyways. This place isn't fit for human habitation anymore."

"I keep her standing," I spat. I placed my tea safely on the table beside me and rose to my feet. "You need to leave my home."

He sighed and shook his head. "Everyone else has agreed to leave. It's only you left."

I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing. "You need to leave my home."

He turned to leave and sighed. "You have until the end of the day," he said calmly. "After that, the loggers have to keep going." He stepped out of my home and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. "For now, they'll get started around here." He lit the cigarette and walked away.

I let him go without following. I had something else I needed to do. More than ever, I needed help. I needed the voice of the forest. I needed Ilex's guardian spirit. I was out of time. I needed a Celebi.

My tired old feet trudged the weathered stone path, finding the well-worn footprints that I had worn into the stones over the years. Not once had I fallen. Not once had I so much as faltered on my way up to the old shrine at the lake.

But I was not the young man I had once been. Time had ravaged my life, reduced my once young and powerful physique to a frail shell. Most of my friends had passed or left Arborville years ago, joined almost a year ago by my dearly beloved. Even my pokemon had begun to succumb to father time's inevitable pull. Only Terra was left, and the aging meganium was not what she had once been.

Still, I climbed. I had made the climb up to the old lake for decades, leaving Arborville's offerings to the guardian at the shrine that stood on the small islet on the lake. I would not fail to make the climb one last time for one last offering. The guardian was my last hope, and my last offering would hopefully be enough to gain its attention.

The sharp, piercing sound of laughter echoed through the trees, breaking nature's reverie. I heard voices clamouring over each other and then the distant roar of a chainsaw. I scanned the forest carefully. I did not trust that the loggers hadn't followed me out here to dispose of me far from any prying eyes.

I heard the laugh again and hunkered down on the side of the trail when the chainsaw roared again, abandoning my sack of offerings. My hand hovered over Terra's ball, waiting for any sign of danger. I waited a long time, but none came. The voices faded and the chainsaws moved further and further away. I carefully got to my feet, watching for any signs of movement through the forest.

I decided that I could wait no longer. I scooped up my sack and slung it back over my shoulder. I didn't look back. I was out of time.

I ran as far as I could, my old bones aching with every footfall. I ran until my lungs might burst and my back might break. I ran until my feet could carry me no further and then continued further.

Finally, when my feet were sore and blistered and my lungs could heave no more, I broke through the dense forest and splashed into the shallows of the lake. The guardian's shrine stood benevolent, watching over me like a statue.

I fell to my knees, the sores on my feet knitting shut and my burning lungs breathing deep with relief. This was the secret that Arborville had been founded to protect, the treasure that our ancestors had sworn to defend. I bathed myself in the healing waters of the lake, letting the pure water wash my bloody feet clean of sores.

Goldeen went flashing deeper into the lake, scattered by my splashing. An ursaring and a pair of teddiursa cubs watched me carefully from the far shore of the lake. I rose, my strength returned. I had only bathed in the lake like this once before, and my wounds had been far worse then.

I turned to the berry bush growing at the shore. I picked a handful of the small red berries and popped several into my mouth. The sweet fruit of the lake practically melted in my mouth, and the memories of sweet evening walks with my Natasha came back to my mind.

I hefted the sack and waded the rest of the way to the small island in the shallows of the lake. The small wooden hut sat silently, the doors shut as they always were. I pulled them open, smiling at the simple wooden carving as I always did. The little fey smiled back at me, huge oval eyes gazing into my soul.

"Greetings, guardian. I bring you the last offering my people can muster." I hung my head in shame, letting the forest's protector see my true feelings.. "I only ask that you stop these loggers before they go too far. They threaten the lake itself. The lake gives this forest life, it gives Ilex her strength. It must be protected." I looked at the carving of the fey, unsure of what more to say.

I got to my feet and spilled my sack of offerings into the shrine. Vegetables from Towa's garden went rolling, spoils from Darrick's last hunt landed in the shrine, an embroidered blanket that Towa and Diana had made landed on top. My last few cans of food landed among the offerings and I slung the empty sack over my shoulder.

I closed the doors of the shrine and closed my eyes. "Please, spirit. This is all we have left. Please save our forest. Please save this lake." I placed a hand on the shrine, praying that the forest spirit would hear me. "Please, Ilex needs you."

I paused, wrestling with my faith in a guardian that had not once made itself known to me. It was a long time until I found the strength to move. I looked up at the shrine and cleared my throat. "Please, Celebi…" my voice trailed off and died for a moment. "I need you," I said with desperate reverence. "My story is about to end. My people's story will end with it. We cannot protect this place without your help."

I turned and waded back to shore, leaving the shrine behind. I picked another handful of the sweet berries as I left, ready to begin my long walk home.

True to Byram's word, Arborville was still standing. But the trees around her were gone. Arborville had been located on the side of a small slope that led down towards the river that emptied from the sacred lake. The small hill was bare, stumps the only clue that the hill had been deep forest. Arborville stood implacably, the rickety old village standing strong on the few remaining trees.

I slipped up the ladder into the village. All was quiet save for the creaking of wood straining under my weight. Towa's hut was cold and dark and I knew that she and Diana had gone. I was alone now. Alone in a cold, dead village.

I crept through Arborville, careful with every step. The removal of most of the trees on the hill had robbed the trees our village was built upon of precious support. She was dead, creaking to a collapse upon aging bones. I couldn't help but chuckle at the similarity to myself.

I stepped into my home, looking out my grand window at what had once been lush forest. The trees were gone, reduced to stumps, and the yellow light of the evening sun painted the scene in a harsher light than I had ever seen.

"Mister Jameson, it's not safe up there!" Byram shouted. He jogged up through the stumps, his hands cupped over his mouth. "It's not stable anymore!"

Arborville shifted precariously as if on cue and groaned as the trees strained desperately. I knew that the old village had reached her end. She was stumbling to her death now. Falling down under her own weight, or rather mine.

"What have you done?" I roared. I braced myself against the wall, leaning out at him and shaking my fist in anger. "You have destroyed my home!"

A loud crack ripped through the village and splinters of wood spun through the air as support beams snapped. My house dropped several feet, catching upon the large branch beneath it and lurching dangerously. The tree groaned and my house tilted to the side as the branch bowed.

I stumbled and fell back, my home tipping dangerously to the side. I hit the thin wall of my home and grabbed tight to the support beam. My home dropped again and more of Arborville slipped from its supports. Half the village crashed down, crashing through the roof of my home. Towa's hut crushed mine and Tasha's chairs, before Darrick's hut crashed through on top of it.

Another earthshaking crack jolted my house as the branch supporting me finally snapped. It pitched backward and I saw the whole of Arborville shaking free of her aging bones through the destroyed ceiling.

I watched my village strain to hold, my makeshift repairs holding the rickety walkways and creaking shacks up for a half a moment. Then they broke with a terrible groan and pop of snapping wood. I felt my stomach drop as my home fell from the tree, the ground rushing up to meet me.

Time ground to a halt. I fell slower and slower, nearly suspended in the air. Arborville slowed down, until the village hung almost motionless in the air above me.

'Bowen,' said a voice. I strained my ears, but I knew that the voice had not been spoken. 'The forest speaks for you. It has called me here in your time of need.'

I felt a gentle touch on the back of my calf. Time grabbed hold of me again and I suddenly slammed down onto the motionless wall of my home. I rolled onto my back, looking down my old hooked nose at the little fey staring at me.

It was uncannily similar to the wooden carving in the shrine, pale, oval eyes meeting mine. 'I have come, as you have asked. What do you request of me?'

"Stop these loggers," I said, reverence deep in my mind. I bowed my head in awestruck respect. "They threaten the sacred lake. They devour the forest with their machines. My home and my people are gone, and they will soon find your shrine."

The little fey stared into my eyes. I felt an overwhelming calmness overcome me and an odd sensation that my mind was no longer alone. A musical presence surrounded me, pushing against my thoughts and brushing them away with ease. It pressed and confined me, trapping me in a small corner of my mind.

I felt strange, my ability to concentrate all but gone. Arborville righted herself, my home simply returning to existence. I looked closer as the village seemed to age backwards before my eyes. Rotten wood became strong again, support beams disappeared as the trees became younger again and could support Arborville once more.

My home was remade, returned to her glory days by some awesome power. The little fey levitated off the floor, glowing with psychic energy. Something seized me, lifting me off the ground. I felt a strange sensation as the strength began to flow in my limbs once more.

My creaking bones stiffened, sagging skin became tight over finely toned muscles. My hair grew back, braiding long and thick down my back like it had been in my youth. I was young again, moved through time by the awesome power of the forest spirit. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time.

'Come with me,' the fey said. 'We must fix this. Your stewardship of the lake has put it at risk. Loggers cannot be allowed to desecrate my home.' It lifted off the ground and moved towards the door.

I tightened my fists. "Do you not think I tried? I lost my sons, and none of the others care to remain. I am the last of our tribe, the last protector of the lake. Do not disrespect my devotion, spirit. The world was not kind to us."

The little fey turned back to me. Its gaze was cold and calculating, like its was studying my entire life in a flash. 'I have seen your whole life. Every moment, every decision is but a glance through time.' It narrowed its large oval eyes and floated closer to me ominously. 'We must fix your error.'

I relaxed my fists. I was struck with shame. The creature knew something, some terrible truth about my life that I could not even fathom. "What have I done wrong, spirit?"

Impossibly familiar laughter filled the air. The joyous exclamations of happy children sprinted past my home. I could hear the happy grunting of Terra as the bayleef bounded after my twins, a squealing baby Diana strapped to her back. The chorus of laughs chilled me to the bone. I knew what day it was. I knew what would happen later in the day.

"Why have you brought me here?" I growled. I did not want to relive this day, this terrible of all terrible days.

'To fix your mistake' the fey intoned, overt annoyance creeping into its voice. 'You would do well to hurry. You do not have much time.'

I stared at the Celebi, intently studying the mystical pokemon. It was fickle, as all the stories said they were. "Can I change it?" I asked. The stories were never clear. Sometimes the forest spirit allowed changes to be made, small differences that did not disrupt the proper flow of time. Others, the fey held firm, demanding that great tragedies remain and only small changes around the edges be made.

The fey did not answer. It just gazed at me, awful oval eyes staring deeply into my own. I turned and ran, determined to change what had happened to my children. I had to stop their disappearance. That had to be the reason I had been brought back.

I stepped out of my home, holding up an arm to shield my eyes from the sun. I thought I saw Terra's leaf disappear down one of the walkways and I dashed after the young bayleef.

Arborville was young again, full of life and movement. Towa and Donald walked arm in arm, joined in happy bliss. Their home, carved freshly from a tree the season before, stood proud and happy behind them.

"Boys!" I shouted as I ran. "Daniel, Thomas!"

The twins did not come. I came to a halt in the middle of the walkway, wracking my brain for any clues from that terrible day. They'd disappeared into the forest around mid-day. Tasha had been at home the whole day, and I had been out foraging until almost sunset.

I stopped as a stunning realization came over me. Tasha was at home. My Tasha was dead, passed on from old age. But Tasha was here and I could see her once more. I could hear her voice again, smell the sweet scent of flower petals soft in her hair.

I turned back towards home. I could see her in the window, smiling at the summer breeze. Her silky brown hair flew in the wind, obscuring her face for a half-moment. She spotted me and her face lit up with joy and life.

I was drawn back to my home, tracing the path I had run through the walkways. Every step felt wrong, like something was in my mind, screaming for me to go. I could not tear myself from my path, could not turn away from my beloved.

I stepped through the door, caution in my heart. "Natasha?"

"Bowen," she said as she rose from her chair. Her hand was draped over her bulging belly and she strained to rise with a smile. "I thought you wouldn't be back until dark?" She shuffled toward me, a happy smile on her face. "The baby's been so active today. She won't stop kicking!"

I stepped closer, putting my hand over her pregnant belly. All the worry in my mind faded and all I could think about was the future my family had been robbed of. "I've had a vision," I started. "A terrible omen. Our children are in danger."

The baby kicked and I saw my dear wife beam at the little outburst. The stress of losing our twins had wasted my Tasha away until she had lost the baby. I pulled my hand away and a flicker of hope grew in my chest. This was what I had been taken back for, the mistake I had made. My family had crumbled under the loss we suffered on this day.

I clenched my fists. "The boys are not here," I said calmly. I knew that I had to find them, that had been my mistake. "The spirit must have brought me back for them." I looked up at her. "Where are the boys?"

"They were off running with Terra. I think Towa had trusted them with the baby." She paused for a moment. "Should I be worried?" She asked. I could hear the nerves creeping into her voice, the same nerves that I wrestled with myself. She should be worried, as our lived had forever dimmed because of this terrible day, but she didn't have to know that. She didn't have to experience any of that.

I relaxed again. I was scaring Tasha now. "Diana will be fine," I started. "Terra will be fine," I recounted, remembering how we'd found the bayleef trapped under some branches less than a half mile from the village. "The boys will be fine." I refused to let my voice waver. I would find them and keep them safe.

I turned to leave but found myself rooted to the spot. Tasha's beautiful brown eyes were flecked with lines of red and gold that shone in the afternoon sunlight. "Tasha…" I started, but my voice died in my throat. There was so much I wanted to say, so much that I had never said to her when she was still with me.

She held my gaze, concern and fear etched into her soft features. "I know you'll find them," she said, her voice wobbly. "I love you, Bowen."

I nearly broke at my name, my chest constricting as I tried and failed to breathe in. I had not heard her say my name in nearly an entire year. It was intoxicating, intolerably holding me on the spot. This day had weighed heavily on my dear Tasha. "I will find them. By my love for you, I swear that I will find them." I turned away, forcing away the tears that threatened at the edges of my eyes. "If it is the last thing I do, I will find them."

"You're scaring me, darling."

I clenched my fists, my heart dying at those words. I wanted to take that pain, cut it out at the source. "Don't be afraid," I replied, choking out the words. They hurt, like they were a desperate lie to the last person I wanted to lie to. But she didn't deserve the pain of the truth. "I'll keep them safe."

We never found the boys when they disappeared. Not even bones or any signs of struggle. It was as if they'd simply disappeared. Once, near the sacred lake, I had happened across a scrap of bloody leather that might have belonged to one of their attire, but I had no way to know for sure.

So I went to the only place I could. The only place where I knew the trail might still be warm. The only clue of the direction they might have gone.

The thicket of trees was far less ominous than it had appeared to me at night. With warm sunlight beaming down through the trees, I breathed a sigh of relief. Terra was here, trapped inside the thicket with Diana still strapped to her back.

I tore a section of tangled branches away and forced my way into the small space that Terra had been trapped in. Without a word, I pulled Diana off my bayleef and held her close to my chest. "You're safe now, little one. Uncle Bowen is here."

She squealed adorably and tugged sharply on my beard. My eyes watered, but I couldn't help the goofy grin on my face. Diana had been wailing miserably when I'd found her the last time and she'd caught a terrible fever that refused to break for nearly an entire week. As far as I could tell, things were already better than they had been the first time.

I slipped Diana's harness off of Terra and pulled it over my arms. It wasn't meant for a human, but I could tie it tight enough at least to support Diana's weight. With the baby safely secured to my chest, I cleared a large enough space for my bayleef to crawl through. Terra wormed her way through the opening behind me, cooing and grunting excitedly at me.

Terra nuzzled her nose against me. I smiled and patted her happily on the back of her head.

"Lead the way," I said. "Find the boys."

Terra put her nose to the ground, sniffing intently. She looked up at me and I saw the determination in her face. She had the scent. She would lead me to my boys.

We forged through the forest and along a familiar footpath. I knew where we were going, I had been down this path more times than I cared to count. The lake lay at the end of the path, shrouded in a late evening mist.

I had always suspected that they had gone to the lake, exploring in places where I had forbidden them go alone. Ilex was dangerous, and I knew that they had never truly believed me.

I ran on legs that throbbed with every step. My back ached with each impact and my chest burned with every breath. I was hot on a trail that must have been washed away by the torrential rains that had started to fall at sunset. However, I was running out of time.

The sun was dipping closer towards the horizon, and the ominous clouds were gathering as the storm pushed inland from the sea. I ran faster, my every fibre of my being begging me to stop running and rest. My weak willed self nearly gave in, but the fading memory of my my sons' faces lent me resolve.

Then I heard it. The deep, throaty bellow of an angry ursaring. It was loud and clear, maybe twenty feet ahead of me. A terrified shriek followed a half-moment later, accompanied by a thunderous crack of lightning as the rain started to fall.

My heart leapt into my throat. I poured on what speed I had left and burst down the path. I broke through the tree line and onto the small beach in full sprint, covering the distance between myself and the ursaring in only a few powerful strides.

I didn't stop to think about my suicidal charge, nor the baby strapped to my chest. I didn't stop to formulate a plan. I caught a glance of my boys, half shrouded in the shadow of the massive pokemon. I had to save them. The ursaring reared back on its hind legs and I saw a flash of claws as it raised a paw.

I leapt with everything I had, vaulting myself onto the slick back of the furious ursaring as Diana shrieked. My lead arm hooked around the pokemon's head and my momentum dragged the unsuspecting pokemon down to the ground with me.

I rolled away with my arms wrapped tightly around Diana before the ursaring could gut me with his claws, putting myself in between my boys and the pokemon. I spread my stance, standing wide and tall in an effort to make myself as large as possible. With slow, deliberate movements, I unstrapped Diana and carefully handed the baby off to my twins without so much as a word.

There were stories among our tribe, stories of boastful warriors bragging that they could wrestle with an ursaring. They were usually little more than cautionary tales that ended in tragedy as the boastful warrior fell to the ursaring, but there was one that resonated in my racing mind.

A brave wood carver, a father whose name is lost to time, had stood between an ursaring and his children when they ventured too far from the village. He stood against the pokemon with nothing but his wits and the strength of his own body. He protected his family with sheer force of will. He fell in battle with the beast, but the tribe survived thanks to his bravery.

I had a lot more than just my will behind me. I had Terra. I had the strength of my youth. And I had the hand of a powerful forest spirit on my side. I would not lose. I would save my family.

The ursaring lumbered back to her feet as she shook the rain from her face, growling in primal fury. The guttural growl of the beast sent a shiver down my spine, but I stood tall. I grabbed up a fallen branch from the muddy ground and held it like a club. I saw the terrified teddiursa cub retreating behind his mother and prayed that the ursaring would be satisfied for both of us to escape with our families intact.

I had no such luck. In a split second, the mother ursaring was on me. I swung the branch as she swiped at me with a massive paw, snapping the branch in half on the side of the pokemon's head. She stared at me dumbstruck for a moment, as if in disbelief that I had actually fought back.

Terra was there before the ursaring could regain her senses. My brave bayleef, loyal to a fault, slammed into the ursaring's side. She thrashed at the larger pokemon with furious vines, battering it and forcing it off balance. The advantage lasted only a moment though, and Terra's momentum ground to a halt as the ursaring planted her hind feet in the mud and stood firm.

I threw myself into the pokemon's left leg, driving a heel into the back of the ursaring's knee and buckling the joint. Terra shoved again with all her might, even as the ursaring dug five inch long claws into her bloody flanks.

The ursaring bellowed in frustration and surprise as Terra toppled her over backwards. She tipped over her buckled knee, trapping and crushing my ankle in a vice grip. I swore in agony as I went down, beating on the ursaring's side with my fists as I felt my bones splinter and snap.

I heard my boys screaming in terror and caught Terra's whimper of fear. Diana shrieked madly, and the rain poured down in torrents. I screamed and shouted desperately as the ursaring moved and released the pressure on my ankle. I dropped back, panting in quick ragged breaths. I felt my chest aching as blood steadily leaked down my bare chest.

She loomed over me, looking down at me as I hauled myself up, managing to balance all my weight on my good leg. I hobbled in front of the boys, standing as tall as I could manage while the rain drenched me down to my core. I felt cold and weak, but Terra was there to prop me up while she growled protectively at the ursaring.

The mother ursaring reared back on her hind legs again, but this time there was no hostile urgency of movement. She sniffed cautiously at me, looking back behind me at the boys and sniffing in the air.

We stood there, Terra and I practically daring the ursaring to try again. She mirrored us, her cub stealing peeks at us from the tree line. We looked at each other for a long time, matriarch to patriarch. I felt an acknowledgment from the beast, her black eyes met mine and I felt an intelligence behind them. She bowed her head slightly in respect, and I did the same.

Without so much as a backwards glance, the ursaring turned and lumbered off, her cub playfully jumping onto his mother's back as if he were pouncing on prey.

I watched them go, standing still and silent as I respectfully waited for the matriarch to take her leave. Only when she had disappeared into the trees and the sounds of her making her way through the soaked forest faded away did I dare to relax.

It took me a moment, but the next breath brought burning, searing pain to my chest. I gingerly poked at the ragged strips of bloody flesh hanging from my chest, struggling desperately to draw in a breath.

I turned and looked at the boys, my heart in my throat. I had no clue what to say, what to tell them. It would be a disservice to lie, and pretend that I was their true father, so I would do the only thing I could. I would tell them the story. My story. A future that would no longer exist because of what I had done today. I might die, but my story would live on through them.

I hobbled into the shallows of the lake, my ankle burning as it attempted to heal. The shards of bone inside my ankle were too far gone though, and they refused to do much more than ache something fierce. I sat unceremoniously in the shallows, my boys taking up spots on each side of me. The water lapped at my chest, barely even dulling the pain. The skin refused to knit shut, and I knew that my time was up..

I looked up at the clouds, holding a hand up to feel the rain. The storm was loud, almost overpoweringly so, but I spoke loud enough to be heard. "Something terrible could have happened today." I paused for a long moment as I caught my breath and the boys stayed silent. "And once upon a time it did." I smiled softly and looked over at the small shrine on the island. I had been a poor teacher, a poor storyteller indeed. "Help me over to the shrine boys," I started. "It's time that you learned something."

Thomas took my left side, supporting my mangled ankle with Terra's help. Daniel held my right arm while he carried Diana, leading me clear of any underwater branches or rocks. Both of them were ragged messes, their hair tangled with dirt and twigs and matted down against their heads by the rain. I smiled despite the pain, my heart fluttering in my chest. They were safe. I was dying, but they were safe.

Terra helped me out of the water, Daniel maneuvering her so that I could easily lean against the side of the shrine. They helped me against the side of the shrine and then sat close at my sides.

Daniel on my left studied my face, with bright and inquisitive eyes. He eyed the shrine warily and I could see the questions dancing on the top of his tongue.

"This shrine is a holy place for our people," I started. I had to start somewhere, and the beginning of our people's story was as good a place as any. "Here, we met with the Voice of the Forest, and entered into a compact."

My eyes met curious, inquisitive eyes and I knew that I had them hooked. They knew the stories, knew the legends that I had imparted upon them. To live them yourself, was something else entirely. They could tell that something strange was happening, some strange power was afoot.

I felt the twins draw closer to me and smirked softly despite the pain. It was peaceful, some small measure of happiness here at the end of my life. "I did not understand what this covenant entailed until I had failed utterly."

Daniel looked up at me, huddling Diana close to me for warmth. "Father, is something wrong? You seem different."

I met his eyes and felt my own begin to water. "I was not a good father," I began. "I pushed away my responsibility to the next generation, to my own children. I did not prepare you for the world, just lamented a world that changed around me." I wiped away my forming tears, trying to pass them off as the rain on my face. "Don't let me shirk my duty to you boys. Demand that I be better," I said with solemn duty. "Our family faltered and crumbled once before because I didn't save you on this terrible night. It will not happen again, but it's up to you two to carry on once I have passed." I hung my head in shame. "I cannot say that I have been a good father to this point. Know though, that I love you boys both. Take care of each other, and your mother too."

Thomas looked at me with eyes that threatened to fill with tears. His gaze fell to my shredded chest and the tears fell freely. "I don't understand," he half-cried.

I lifted his chin, strength fading. The lake could work miracles, but even its power had limits. I had precious little time left. "Let me tell you a story, my sons." I looked over at Daniel, pulling my other son closer to me. "About a future that could have been, but will not be. About a man who failed in his duty to his family, but was gifted one last chance to set things right."

"Father?" Daniel asked, his voice wavering. He inches closer to me, Diana cooing happily in his arms. "What is happening?"

I reached out to him. My arm was frail, weak in old age. My long braided hair was gone, lost to the ravages of time. I was old again. The Celebi's power was fading. "I am dying, child. Now hush, and let your poor old father tell you one last story."

I ran harder and faster than I had ever run before. My legs were aching, my lungs burning. My arms and legs were covered with scratches and cuts, but I could not stop. I ran along the muddy footpath, body pushed long past the point of utter exhaustion. I couldn't stop, I had to find the boys.

The clouds were beginning to clear now, and I could see the moonlight reflecting off the still surface of the lake. I splashed into the shallows, letting the sacred water wash me clean of a multitude of miniscule wounds.

I rose, a stirring motion from a figure leaning against the shrine drawing my eye. I removed the bow from my back and tied the string taut. I carefully nocked a single arrow and crept across the shallows of the lake as quietly as I could.

Twin figures rose from the side of the shrine, letting a third lean back against the wall of the shrine. I swore and abandoned my bow as my boys came splashing into the shallows at me. I caught Thomas in a crushing mid-air hug as the boy leapt up into my arms. Daniel hit me in the midsection, sending me toppling over into the water with my boys.

I broke the surface of the water, tears running freely down my face. I sat up, pulling my twins closer and ruffling the now soaked mops of dark brown hair on their heads.

"I found you," I started, my voice breaking as I forced words out of my ragged throat. "I found you," I repeated.

Daniel pulled back, smiling up at me. "Yes, you did." He let go of me and looked back at the shrine. "He wants to talk to you," he said quietly. My son looked as though he might cry, the words nervously dying on his tongue.

"Who wants to speak to me?" I asked cautiously.

Thomas looked up at me, a knowing look on his face. "You do," he replied cryptically.

I looked over at the figure slumped against the shrine. "Stay here," I ordered.

The boys stood side by side, knee deep in the waters of the sacred lake. I stepped onto the islet, cautiously looking down at the figure slumped in the dirt.

Terra raised her head, blinking sleepily at me. A bundle of blankets shifted and I breathed a second sigh of relief as Diana whined at the interruption of her peaceful slumber.

"You got here faster than I did the first time," growled a hoarse voice. The figure on the ground grunted and forced himself up against the shrine. "Still wouldn't have been fast enough."

"Excuse me?" I asked in strained confusion.

"And what were you doing?" he continued, unperturbed. "Sitting around watching some forestry workers prune dead branches?"

I crossed my arms. "I was doing no such thing!" I spat indignantly. "I was-"

He cut me off with a withering glare. "I would know," he said with open derision. "I was there after all."

I stepped back, studying his weathered face. "You are me," I said, realization dawning on me. I looked down at the old man and saw the gaping wound in his chest. "What happened?" I asked cautiously. "Are you real?"

"I am," he coughed. "Or I was." He shrugged, coughing up a glob of blood that dribbled down into his grey beard. "That hardly matters anymore. Nothing that happened matters anymore." He looked up at me with a satisfied grin. "That's the point, I think."

I glanced over at my boys. They were standing dutifully in the shallows, not an inch from where I had left them. "You made a mistake?" I asked cautiously.

He forced himself up higher, grunting in pain. "We both did. And I lived the consequences."

I studied him carefully. "What do I do?" I asked. He was me, a future me. A possible future me that had averted his own future to save mine. "How do I do better?"

The older me seemed to be seized with a sudden fit of coughing. He leaned precariously to the side, clutching at his chest. He hacked and coughed, but no more words were coming. Only blood.

I knelt down in front of him, solemn respect filling my mind. I reached out and took a wrinkled and sagging hand in my own. The coughing subsided for a moment, and he looked at me with tired resignation. "I know that we never wanted the responsibility of children. I know that we saw it as a duty to be fulfilled while we toiled away to preserve the future of the tribe."

He tightened his grip and his hard stare seemed to bore down into the very essence of my being. "Never have I regretted anything more." He pulled me in with a sharp jerk of his arm, bringing my face mere inches from his. "Don't become your father," he whispered. "Be theirs."

He looked at me for a long moment, his breaths growing more shallow and ragged by the moment. He held my gaze like that, forcing me to watch as his breathing finally slowed and stopped.

I let go of the dead man's hand as the sun finally rose. Dawn hit us and the sunlight glittered on the surface of the lake.

I turned away from the old man, looking back at my boys. Daniel had picked up Diana and was cradling her in the crook of his elbow. Thomas was sitting patiently in the shallow water, stacking small rocks in a pyramid.

"Boys," I said, my voice hoarse. I had been running most of the night. I had no clue how I was even awake, let alone filled with determined purpose. "Walk with me. We have a lot to talk about."

Thank you so much for reading! This wound up being much heavier than I had intended. It was written for the r/pokemonfanfiction one-shot contest. Please drop me a review to let me know what you thought.