Temporal Tower. With old eyes the Feraligatr looked upon the blue and silver spire that stood above all else up in the sky here. He had fought hard to make it to the Hidden Lands. Grail was not chosen to save time nor was he welcomed by the god that stood and watched over time itself from the top. No. Through his own endless endurance he brought his claws to stand upon the gateway into the unknown, this door radiated energy like any other mystery dungeon he'd faced. Even to the touch it didn't seem real, the Tower doors creaking open as if there were rust building up on the hinges as all that energy flows outward like a river against his body. Grail knew he would be the first to set foot in this place. His life had led him to many mystical places, but this… it was something else.

Just as he admired the shape of the tower's construction did a pulse of red light shoot up the veins that formed columns. Around the tower itself rocks of all shapes and sizes that seemed cut to fit the tower inside of them. Holding onto the bottom floor as if to keep the tower from blowing over in the wind, but it's construction was anything but weak. From what little experience the old man had with construction, this looked to be steel. Examining the door closer revealed no bolts, nothing patching all of this heavy material together, it was simply one whole mass of steel cut to form the shape before him.

For the first time in a long time his stomach turned, his body telling him to turn back. Like the world itself was pulling at his scales. Yelling at him, "Don't enter! Grail!" But there was someone yelling at him. A young Ninetales stood at the ridge just behind him. Her bright red eyes were filled with worry as the sun set behind her, hopping over to him as if she were dodging some unseen traps that littered the ground that somehow he had not triggered. "Grail! You can't be serious! Dialga would- will end your life if you-"

"I know." A certain sadness fell over the old Feraligatr's face as he put a hand on her head. Stopping her endless worrying as she tended to do. "Nina, I know." The lumbering water type turned to look up at the looming tower as it seemed to curl over his head. "If he could kill me then it would be a merciful death." Even though Grail had pictured Nina as a young Ninetales, she was still old in years. About 400, but with how long they lived, she wasn't even a third through her species' lifespan. Grail himself, having already lived double that. His scales were still dark as the day he evolved, though with time they slowly faded out. More so at the band at his arm, gold and shimmering in the light of the setting sun. His claws slipped under it, toying with it for a moment before letting it go. "I'm just ready to see it end, Nina. I want to see my wife again."

The fox looked at him with tears in her eyes, her ears folded down as her tails curled around herself as she sat. "What about our deal? I'm supposed to watch you and report back to the clan, you know?!" She was yelling now, but the Feraligatr was unphased by it. "We were supposed to be partners! And suddenly you just- vanish without saying anything to me! Grail, listen to me!" He took her scolding, ignoring it even, as he pulled a bottle from his bag and turned up a flask that made him grimace.

As cold as he was to her, her face still had tears rolling down her cheeks that soaked into the crimson scarf around her neck. Tears that he could not ignore. "Go home. Have that daughter you always wanted. Forget about me."

"Forget?! Grail, how could you say that! We've been partners for years investigating your immortality! And now you want me to just forget all of that?!" Her yelling voice twisted into a whine by the end. "I'm coming with you."

"NO!" He snapped, the fox jumping back a couple feet as he bared his teeth. "You will not follow me in. If something happened-" The large pokemon trailed off, his silver eyes drifting to the amber clouds that surrounded this little island that the Tower called home.

"How do you think I feel then?" Nina squeaked out through her tears. There was silence after her statement, as much as Grail knew this place would be his end, he had also spent much of his extended life with Nina. After all, she was tasked with journalizing his journey and his life, but that did not mean she could throw her life away here for that task. She had so much to live for. "Grail, please. Come home with me…"

There was no moving this man, he was ever one to stick to his path even if everyone was against him. No one could stop his march. "No. This is where I'll find my answers, and who knows if it will always be here." He turned away from the Fox, a soft huff flowing from his nose. "Nina, if you wish to come along. I will allow it… but-" He dug into his bag as he spoke before revealing a small orb in his hand. It shimmered with an aqua hue as the light of the setting sun glimmered off something inside of it. A symbol that was engraved into the center in the shape of a fleeing pokemon. "If your life is in danger, use this. Do not worry about me. Just use it and go." His eye trailed down to her as she stepped up, wiping her face with her paw before taking it and shoving it into her bag with a nod.

"I'm with you to the end, Grail."

Temporal Tower: F1

It was a sight to behold. Beyond that dark blue gate was nothing that the two could believe. A vast field of yellowing grass stalks blew in the cool winds as the sun set just over a hill, each hill contained a tree each branch grew out to mark the hours of a clock if looked at from the right angle, which, following the sun, that clock could even be seen in their shadows. Above all else though was a sound, a constant low twack of metal that had both of their eyes peeling off the peaceful landscape before them. Up in the sky where clouds and blue sky would normally be, and still is. Yet, seemingly engraved upon the sky and clouds was a symbol which anyone who could tell time knew. A clock ticked above them, spanning this whole field and most likely beyond. It's design was extravagant, black lines joined to make points around the intercardinal directions while large beams of what was assumed steel formed the hands of the clock. The clock moved at a slow pace, the constant ticking was actually off rhythm from the second hand but only barely so. Giving Grail a good judge of distance from the clock itself if the sound was delayed that much. Nina pulled a pocket watch from her bag into her paw, it was obvious to tell it was wrong but not by much. Or perhaps their clocks have been wrong all along.

Another more pressing question came to the old man's mind. Where is this place? It's much too large to be inside the tower. But this is a mystery dungeon, and as the name implies, no one really knows what they're capable of. Perhaps the gods placed it here to protect themselves? Even then, this field seemed almost… meticulously crafted down to the trees that swayed in the gentle breeze. There was that breeze too, this place could not possibly be in the tower, could it?

Grail was instantly on edge however. He felt a powerful aura wash over his body. Nina must have felt it too as she stumbled behind him. "You alright?" He said, his tail moving to support her as her legs faltered for a moment.

The fox shook her head, standing straight as she nodded with a serious look up at him. "F-fine. What was that?" Her nose pointed around the grassy field but she saw nothing other than what Grail did. Even the gate where they came in from was gone and all that was left were the swaying stalks of grass.

"I'm sure it was a warning to turn back." Saying that, he started marching forward. The grass brushed at his knees as he stomped a path forward to the first tree he could reach. Even if he was far past his prime, he had the experience to carry him in a puzzling place such as this. Twelve. There were twelve trees all around this room, as far as his eyes could see past them were just endless fields of grass. Mountains seemed to coat the horizon and yet even to his withered eyes they looked almost… fake? "Nina, what do you see beyond this plain?"

She came up to sit beside him, squinting at the mountains beyond. "You mean those mountains? If you can even call them that…" The Fox mused but Grail pushed her to look a little closer, "Um… well, these over here to the north have green trees while the ones to the south have snow built up on them. And, uhg- Those have been burned to sticks it seems." She turned her nose up looking east as if the sight of something burned was uncommon to a fire type like her.

"Seasons?" Grail wondered to himself, rubbing under his chin with his claw. "What does the burned forest have anything to do with time?" He turned his body west as did Nina, both of them looking on to the fourth mountain. Before them on that far mountain pass was something completely different than what they had expected. Lava flowed from the peak of the mountain top. Covering the sides of the mountain in a glowing light much like the sun that was ever so slowly creeping down behind the volcano. "More fire?" He reviewed it all in his head. Twelve trees, matching hours on a clock. Four mountain peaks. North had green trees, South was a snow covered peak, East was a burned forest, and west was the volcano, and a clock above their heads which ticked onward.

"Grail?" Nina's voice rang in his ears, snapping him out of his thought driven trance. "Can't we just find a staircase up? Why are you thinking so hard about this?" Her first question was obvious, looking around the area you could see just about everything. No stairs, only the distant view of the grass shimmering as a breeze blew over the hills. Secondly- "Would you allow just any strong pokemon to wander up your tower? No. This tower is testing our minds." The Feraligatr's eyes narrowed as the sun that started to hide behind the volcano. "And that sun is our time limit. It was lower than that before we entered the tower." Before Nina could turn to look or question his words, Grail had already started down the hill, sliding down the last bit into the bowl-like center of the hills before climbing the hill to the north. Here, he noticed, the mountains started to move. Playing on as the night started to set on them. It was different for each one. The forest to his north shook and crumbled parts of its peak under the power of the shaking. His eyes caught something else though. Birds. Moving backwards from the treetops as they tried to escape the disaster.

East was the same, there were smoldering trees soon turned to flames that travelled like a wave across the mountain pass. Leaving in it's trail… a flourishing forest of berry trees? Lava flowed upwards back into the volcano in the west. South he could see the snow rise back to its rightful place on the peak as if the pointed top of the mountain simply willed it back into place. Grail looked to Nina who moved clockwise to him, her eyes examining the peaks the same as he was. "Nina what do you see?" He spoke up as the area was getting darker, and darker.

"I-I don't know? Suddenly the fires started in that forest again and-"

"Does time flow normally there?!"

As Grail yelled the fox took another look around before shaking her head, "Everything seems… faster here. The lava speeds down the mountain at lightning's pace."

Grail was stumped. There was no question here. Unless he had missed it? Each tree seemed to make time move around the peaks of the mountains at a different speed. Where he stood it moved backwards, where they stood before it simply stood still, and Nina had found the tree that made time move faster. Each of these peaks also told the tale of a disaster in some way. Was this… a test of the soul? If you had the chance to turn back time to stop a disaster, would you? This tree was that answer. But was it the right answer?

His eyes watched as Nina continued around the clock until she met with him at the north most tree. Her gaze looked hopeful as the disasters were undone before her eyes. "This has to be the right one, right? I mean it makes it so the disasters are healed!"

"No." The Feraligatr's deep voice almost growled as he spoke up. "It's too easy. Even if we were to undo these disasters, time must flow forward. It cannot go back forever." As much as he wished he could go back, that wasn't the answer the great dragon was looking for. Grail wandered down the right side of the clock of trees, the sun ever closer to fully falling over the edge of this plane. Each passing tree, time moved gradually onward until he came to the east most tree. The fire raged, the volcano boiled, the earth shook, and the snow fell. All to the ticking of the clock above. And the sun set…

Temporal Tower F2

With a blink of his eyes, the glowing fields of grasslands had vanished. A slight gasp filled his mouth as he turned around to find his companion. Thankfully, she was right behind him looking around the room they now found themselves in. If she had stayed at the north tree, who knows if she would have joined him here. As his worry passed his eyes joined her's in looking the room over once more. It certainly looked more like a normal mystery dungeon. The cramped cave-like system that started to branch out from a larger room, but even then it felt off to Grail. The normal browns and grays that lined the stone walls were replaced by that of blues and gray just like the outside of the Tower, and a strange red ore was sparsely placed along the walls. "We made it up? But how?" The smaller fox turned up to Grail who merely shrugged it off as a guess. "Well, if you don't tell me I'll just write it in as pure luck." She huffed, taking out a rather large tome which she used her telekinetic powers to scribble some words into.

"That's fine…" Grail said, his low and powerful voice echoing through the corridor before them. He's old eyes caught a light at the end of the corridor at the other side of the room, something moved and illuminated the walls along the way. He was between Nina and it as his eye caught what it was that illuminated the dark hallway- FWOOSH!

"Grail!" Nina yelled as his body was covered in smoke as fire washed over his body. The flames danced for a moment then died, unable to grab hold of his slick scales and as the smoke cleared he seemed unphased other than a slight cough. A blush of embarrassment fell over Nina's face as Grail grinned at her worried shout. "Whatever. See if I care when you get hit by the next one…" Yet the next one that flew down the corridor was simply swiped away with a claw as he pushed onward, leaving Nina to gather the book and follow along. Grail continued to bat away the fireballs that were flung at him, his skin hardly showing any signs of being burned as they turned down a separate hallway away from the barrage of flames.

The next room lay open before them, it was a wide open space that had pillars shooting from the ground to a ceiling above that was far out of sight in the darkness. Grail took one long look at the floor before pulling his bag from his hip as he produced another small orb which he held skyward. "Yes." He said aloud, before a wave pulsed down through his body from the orb and out at his feet. It rippled through the room with the sounds of loud crashes, stones collapsing, and floors falling out from the room and the Feraligatr grumbled at the sight of it all. "Traps. You have got to be kidding me..."

"Trap burst orb?" She asked, as if she needed an answer seeing all of these broken before her. The fox stepped out from behind him and deeper into the open room, admiring the pillars that crowded around them in a consistent pattern. Some of them had small holes filled in, probably where the Trap Burst orb did it's work. In a way she wondered just what the trap would've done if not for the orb's effect. There was even this strange, sticky string on the ground that seemed to have little purpose. Perhaps it was a slowing trap? There was another trap over here, a box of squares that were small enough for a Joltik to fit into but as her nose got closer to them she could feel the heat of a fire down below, even smell the smoke of it rising from what was left of the trap. Huh. As her head turned back up towards the pillar she was just examining a moment ago, her ear twisted the other way. It sounded like a constant sliding across the floor, a gentle but violet hissing that moved and grew louder.

Before she could turn it was already upon her. The fangs shined in the dim light of the dungeon floor as Nina flung herself back against the pillar to dodge its first strike. She felt her breath leave her lungs as she collided with the stone wall and now she could feel the Arbok glaring in her direction as it reared its head back. A gasp couldn't fill her lungs fast enough, she needed the oxygen for her fire. Dodge! One part of her mind thought, while the other screamed for release! Push out the fear, the uncertainty! Use your Psychic! It said, and with glowing eyes she answered. Bits and pieces of the walls and traps came to her aid, pushing back the snake as it's fangs barely missed her shoulder. Throwing it against the pillar opposite of her. She took her breath, finally. The exchange was only a few seconds but she was already out of breath.

The beast wasn't done, even if the attack was effective it quickly regained its senses and rushed in for another attack. This time she was ready. Putting herself onto all fours she braced herself and used her breath to pull in her flames. Fueling them before releasing a wave of light at the Arbok. It slithered and coiled around them but for a moment before it was overcome with the white flames she spewed. A violet hiss accompanied the crackle of flames before the room was silent again.

Nina gathered herself, grunting softly as she stretched her back out and happened to glance over at Grail who watched the whole thing. "What? No help?" Her anger was apparent, but again he smirked at her.

"You have to be ready for this Nina. I'm not going to babysit you through this whole dungeon." A sigh fell from his maw, walking over to the girl and standing with his hands crossed over his front. His eyes told her his disappointment, but his words were soft as he gave her some solid advice, "Stop getting distracted." His last few words were punctuated as if to make sure she understood. The fox took offence, turning her head up and away with a grunt. Grail led the way for a little while, out of the big room and into another where traps lay destroyed over the floor and walls. Blowback, spin, attract, you name it. This floor was filled to the brim with traps, or was, rather…

Nina was still fuming over her last encounter, mumbling to herself about how unfair he was being to her. Not like she had ever really explored a dangerous and deadly tower made to one of the gods above before! "You know if I knew you were going to be such an ass the whole time I wouldn't have come." A sigh filled the hallway, Grail's, it was the only reply she was going to get from the big guy which only egged her on further. "You could at least work with me like a partner should be!"

There was a slight annoyance as Grail finally spoke up, "Or you could pay attention instead of gathering notes for that worthless book." Worthless book. That hit a sour spot and the Ninetales didn't answer for a time. Her brows were furrowed but her posture changed as her tails dropped a little as she trailed behind him.

"You know how important that book is…" Her voice didn't echo in the halls as she spoke quiet enough so he wouldn't hear. Nina scowled up at him, how could he say that? What an asshole… Maybe I shouldn't have come.

The silence went on and on as they explored the floor, coming upon a room with an actual staircase instead of the usual broken bits and pieces of traps. More pillars lined the sides of this long hallway like room, only two rows of them one on either side. The stairway itself sat square in the middle without much opposition, so it seemed. Grail was a bit more perceptive than the fox, his eyes locking on those that shined in the bugs which he'd seen plenty of times before. One red with a hard shiny shell, while the other was dressed up like a leaf. Neither of which he would have a great time dealing with, with what skills he had; Surf, Waterfall, Slash, and Crunch, his best option would be to flood the room and get to the stairs as fast as possible but Nina would be washed away in the process.

After thinking for a moment he stepped out of the doorway and into the open room, judging their response by his slow approach. The glaring green bug on his right simply backed off, hiding one pillar down. The steel type on the other hand stepped up and out from behind the pillar, raising its claws as it's steps clanked against the hard floor. The right hook was obvious, brushing it aside his claws went to work scraping at the metal hide of the bug's stomach. It didn't flinch at all. Swinging another claw in like a bullet against Grail's arms as he blocked the flurry of hits. Until a pulse shocked down through his body, the claw landed a hit square on his jaw as he felt his body go almost numb from whatever shocked him. Stars spun around his head, his gaze trailing upwards as a blanket of fire cased the upper layers of the pillars at his side and a yellow blur zoomed by.

"Grail! Galvantula!" Nina's words fell on ringing ears as the Scizor continued it's assault. It's claws making dull thuds against the Feraligatr's scales, it's impacts were heavy but he didn't move an inch. Flames saved him from more punishment, Nina joining him at his side as the Scizor's wings hummed and it scurried off. "Grail! Snap out of it!" With a moment to gather himself, he did just that. The sparks that covered his body were almost wiped off as he brushed his hands over the scales on either arm.

"Where did it go?"

"I don't know." There wasn't much room to hide here, just behind the pillars, but all the way up into the darkness above you could see webs that hung down from each pillar. It's as if the Trap Burst orb had disturbed a… nest. Nina took a deep breath, above them were many more eyes. Glowing blue in the dark as they scurried about on their way down the pillars. In the next moment there would be none as the Ninetales unleashed a flamethrower that would blind anyone in the room. The skittering above was nothing to the crackling of her flames as they rose higher and higher. The heat singed the walls and she held onto the Flamethrower as long as her breath would allow.

The Scizor returned as the deafening wave of fire spilled out above them, intending to end it at the source but Grail was ready for it's strike. Grabbing it's claw before throwing it down onto it's back before raising his arm up, a bubbling pool of water appeared under the struggling bug as a flow of water rose up from the cracks in the ground. The Scizor joined it's hive in the flames above, it's burned shell falling along with a dozen Galvantula. Grail held his hand up to Nina to stop her but it wasn't needed as her fire was already dying down. The girl gasped as she filled her lungs once more. "Guh- Gods... Bugs, spiders, snakes, and traps…? This floor feels like it was pulled straight from a child's story." Grail didn't bother replying to her, simply watching as the Leavanny dashed back towards a path out of the room they were in. Odd.

The pair examined the stairs leading up as they approached. Though there wasn't a ceiling above them, the stairs seemed to lead into a black swirling void gleaming with purple and blue spots. This, surprisingly, is normal for mystery dungeons. So it seems the tower itself isn't special in this case. The pair took a moment to rest, and also so that Nina could take some time to write some notes in another, smaller book. Neither said a word to each other. Once she was done, the pair walked up the stairs. The swirling darkness almost reached out to them as Grail's head was the first to meet it's oozing form. Swirling down and swallowing the stairs with them.

Looking back, Grail would miss these floors as they would be the easiest he'd face going forward.