Stupid Cubone.

Jak sat outside of the room where her injured teammates were sleeping. Eevee's back and shoulder were bandaged up after having an oran berry poultice applied to the wounds. The one on his back was progressing quickly with the aid of the berries, nearly completely healed, while his shoulder would take a little more time. Sol's stomach had been treated, nothing more than a superficial injury and she had been given something to calm her down and help her sleep. Ren was bandaged up much more heavily, a rawst berry ointment speeding along the healing of his burns. Again and again that same thought entered her mind.

Stupid Cubone.

If it wasn't for that Dhiren getting in the way, Jak would have been able to take down the Grovyle, ending the Time Gear crisis once and for all. But he had stood in the way of the attack, acting as a shield for the thief. And if that hadn't been bad enough, his dead weight had pined her to the ground, and Jak had been unable to move the heavy ground

Pokémon, and so she was unable to help Sol when she had faced the fugitive.

And then, as if wasn't completely Ren's fault that the Grovyle had gotten away, everyone expected her to apologize to him! It was his fault that he had gotten in the way of her fire, not Jak's!

Ren thought he was so much better than Jak, with his big words and his small, difficult words. He was mocking Jak every time he spoke, purposely trying to confuse Jak with his little riddles. He may not have said it outright, but Ren thought he was so much smarter than Jak. Or maybe he did say it and Jak just couldn't understand him.

Stupid Cubone.

Jak turned and peered into the room, spying the sleeping forms of the Eevee, Sol and Ren. She growled softly as she saw Ren on her own bed. There was no other place to put him, they had said, there were no other extra beds and he needed it, they had said, it would only be until another arrived from the town, they had said, just a few hours, they had said.

Jak didn't care about not having a bed for a little bit, it wasn't even night time after all, but it was the fact that Ren, at the guild for less than a day, had the audacity to take her bed. That he wasn't even conscious when he had been placed on it didn't matter to Jak. Back in the wild, such an action would have been considered a challenge, one that had to be answered. If a wild Pokémon did such a thing, they were basically saying that the original owner was too weak to keep control of their territory, that they were stronger than them.

Jak growled again and turned away from the room.

Ah, but at least there was an upside to this whole thing. Jak finally had concrete evidence that the Dusknoir wasn't telling them everything! Sol and the Eevee had refused to listen to Jak's warning. They had done quite the opposite, the Eevee worshipping the ground he walked on and Sol slowly but surely falling under his spell. But they couldn't ignore her now.

The Grovyle had known the Dusknoir! They had met each other before! So why hadn't the Dusknoir mentioned this before? Proof that he was hiding something!

Jak was excited about this. Even the Eevee had heard the Grovyle's and the Dusknoir's exchange, so they couldn't just say she had misheard them. They would finally see the truth that their 'hero' couldn't be trusted.

And this revelation couldn't have come at a more imperative time. After a long and steady fall, Sol was now among the Dusknoir's loyal admirers. Why was this more concerning than the Eevee's blind devotion? Because it was Sol that the Dusknoir had plans for.

The first thing that the Dusknoir had asked after the Grovyle had disappeared was where was Sol. That by itself didn't hint at all that much, but it was the tone of his voice and the expression on his face that had tipped Jak off.

The Dusknoir had acted as if a favorite toy had gone missing. Worry and concern, but that had been more at the prospect of having to do without than being solely about the Riolu's safety. And when Sol had eventually been found, soaked and in shock, the Dusknoir had looked at her possessively, much like how Sol looked at a new staff.

The Dusknoir planned to use Sol. Jak guessed it was for her Dimensional Scream ability. Sol would be blinded by admiration and misplaced trust, and wouldn't be able to see what was truly happening before it was too late. But if Jak could force a public confrontation, than perhaps Sol could be saved, or at the very least warned. Jak would do her best to help Sol any way she could.

As Jak often found herself doing, she compared what was happening to how it would go in the wild. There help only ever came from oneself, and in the wild Sol would have been completely on her own, left to learn things the hard way.

Jak remembered when she was young, barely older than a hatchling. She had found a berry, plump and round, hanging from a branch just out of reach. Instead of figuring out a way to get at it herself, as she later learned she should have done, she went to her older sister for help.

Jak had shown the taller Charmander where the berry was, only for her to knock her down and run off with the berry herself. Crying, Jak had ran to her brothers only to have them laugh in her face. She still didn't know what they had found funny, that she had trusted her sister to help or that she had thought they would do something about it.

In the wild, you helped no one and no one helped you. But this wasn't the wild, and Sol's trust wasn't something to exploit. The Dusknoir would learn that, and Jak would be the one to teach him, hopefully with lots of fire and screaming.

The Chimecho walked down the hall carrying a basket filled with berries and various other medical supplies. She nodded at Jak as she entered the room of injured Pokémon. Jak watched her pass but didn't acknowledge her presence in any other way.

There was a moment of silence followed by some rustling, and then...

"Danger! Danger!"

Thwack. Yelp. Crash. Shouts.

Jak got up off the ground and entered the room.

"Well you shouldn't touch me while I'm sleeping!"

"I was trying to check your bandages!"

"Wh-where...?" came the Eevee's groggy voice, awoken by the sudden commotion.

"You're in your room at the guild. You three were badly hurt and have been sleeping all this time, and Sol here thought I'd like to get on all the cuts and bruises."

"If you don't want to get punched, don't touch me while I'm sleeping!"

Jak thought Sol had a valid point. Reacting quickly after having ones sleep disturbed is a valuable survival trait.

This view was obviously not shared by the other Pokémon. The Chimecho was looking extremely annoyed, the Eevee looked at Sol with exasperation, as if it were a bad habit he had tried and failed to get her out of, and Ren watched the events play out with a tranquil expression mixed with slight curiosity.

Stupid Cubone, looking at everything like some giant play meant solely to amuse him.

"Wait," the Eevee said, turning serious. "I remember passing out at Crystal Lake... What happened to Azelf?! Is he ok?"

"He's fine," Chimecho said. "Eevee, compared to you and Ren, his injuries weren't that severe. He was mostly just drained of energy and completely exhausted. He's in the guild now. I should let the guild know you're awake."

Chimecho rang her bell, the sound of the chiming reaching all areas of the guild's lower floor. The apprentices all stampeded in and Jak backed up against a wall, putting as much distance between her and crowd as possible, which wasn't much in the cramped quarters.

"You're awake? AWESOME!"

"Oh my gosh! That's totally wonderful news!"

"Oof! I'm mighty glad! If anything would've happened to you all... I'd... I'd... Oof..."

"You guys are getting so emotional about this!" Eevee said with a laugh.

"Yeah, but only 'cause I haven't gotten Sol back for that bag full of butter thing yet, and if she died I'll never be able to!"

"Loudred, you'll never be able to top that," Sol snickered.

"Not unless I build a never ending pie throwing robot!"

"Good luck with that."

"Enough!" Jak cut in. "That is not important. This one has something important to say. The Dusknoir has been deceiving you all!"

"Not this again, Jak..." Sol muttered.

"The Dusknoir and the Grovyle knew each other before all this happened! Jak heard them say so!"

"That can't be RIGHT! He would've told us something like that!"

"I..." the Eevee began. "I heard Dusknoir talking with Grovyle, too. I think they do know each other, but there must be a reasonable for it all!"

"We can't just jump to conclusions, Jak," Sol said. "We should try talking to him about it before deciding if he was 'deceiving' us or not."

Jak growled softly. Faced with evidence they still clung to false hope.

"Did they, like, say anything else?"

"Well, Grovyle mentioned something about being surprised to see Dusknoir in this world, whatever that means..." the Eevee said, but was then cut off by the blaring wail of a siren.

"What? The EMERGENCY siren?" the Loudred said questioningly.

They all ran to the guild's main room, the wounded Eevee and Ren following a bit more slowly and watched carefully by Sol and Chimecho.

"Hey, what's going on?" Dugtrio asked Chatot and Wigglytuff.

"There's been an alert from Magnemite," Chatot explained. "All the Pokémon in the area have been called to gather at the main square in Treasure Town."

"What's this about?" Sol asked.

"I don't have any more information than that."

"Hey, hey! Then let's get going! We won't learn anything by sitting around here wondering!"

The guild members, along with Azelf, left through the main entrance and followed the road to town. Jak tried to figure out just what the meeting would be about. Something to do with the Grovyle and the Time Gears would be most likely. But why then were all the Pokémon in the area being called, and not just the those in the guild who would be the ones to actually use and act on whatever was revealed?

Whatever was about to happen, Jak had a bad feeling about it.

It seemed the entire population of Treasure Town had congregated in the main square. Mesprit and Uxie were there and Azelf quickly broke off to join them, the three legendary Pokémon's eyes glowing pink, yellow and blue as they communicated telepathically amongst themselves.

The apprentices mixed in with the townsfolk and Jak stood far at the back, away from the main crowd and watched what everyone else did and said.

The Corphish and the Bidoof got into a conversation with a Teddiursa and an Ursaring. An Espeon squealed and ran over to Sol and the Eevee, asking them how they were and what had happened to them. Ren stood silently beside an equally quiet Xatu, before they both started spouting nonsensical phrases at each other, and from their tones Jak got the impression they were trying one up each other. The Chatot and the Wigglytuff were talking, or at least the Chatot was talking while the Wigglytuff spun around in circles balanced on one foot while repeating 'when's it going to start?' over and over.

And then there was the Dusknoir, looking out over the crowd with an unreadable expression. Contempt? Sorrow? Disgust? Loss? A mixture of all four? Jak couldn't quite tell, but she didn't like it.

"Zzzt! If I may interrupt! Zzzt!" the officer Magnezone called out, quieting the crowd. "Zzzt! Now that everyone is here, we my begin. Zzzt! Everyone here knows about the rash of Time Gear thefts by the Pokémon Grovyle. Zzzt! However, his last attempt to steal a Time Gear failed! This one was protected! Zzzt!"

The crowd burst into applause.

"Zzzt! And the hero who protected it was the mighty Azelf! Zzzt! And the hero who saved Azelf and chased off Grovyle... The great Dusknoir! Zzzt!"

The applause grew louder, accompanied with cheering. Jak glared at the Dusknoir, standing way up at the front.

"Officer Magnezone, I'm sorry to interrupt," he said in that far too polite voice of his. "Perhaps I should take it from here."

"Zzzt! Of course! Zzzt!"

Jak growled, unheard amidst the cheering crowd. The Dusknoir was planning something, this Jak knew for sure.

"Everyone! While we should be happy that we protected the Time Gear this time, the fact is that Grovyle remains at large. Therefore, we cannot afford to feel safe and secure. Grovyle will most certainly make another attempt."

A faint unease fell over the assembled Pokémon, but it was ever so slight. Each and every one of them was convinced that the Dusknoir held the answer, that he would save them all. They were fools. Could they not see he was hiding something?

"There is a matter that is tied to all of this. It is an extremely important matter that I must share with you. For, you see, I know Grovyle from before all of this started."

Son of a- That was what this was all about! The Dusknoir knew that the Eevee and Jak had heard what the Grovyle had said, so he had decided to tell everyone his version of things before the rumors had a chance to start, before the seeds of doubt could be planted. Jak highly doubted this meeting would have been held if no one had been around to hear what the Grovyle had said.

Jak's anger and frustration grew as hushed whispers passed through the crowd.

"What I'm about to say may be beyond your belief! But it also happens to be the truth. Furthermore, if what I'm about to reveal isn't stopped, calamity is certain! I must ask for your undivided attention. First, Grovyle is... Grovyle is a Pokémon that came here from the future."

One could have heard a pin drop as the crowd was stunned into complete silence, Jak included.

"Grovyle... In the world of the future, he will be a notorious criminal. He has a large bounty on his head. To avoid capture, he fled here, to the world of the past. After arriving, Grovyle plotted until he hit upon an utterly catastrophic plan. He wants nothing less than causing the planet's paralysis."

"The planet's... paralysis?" Chatot asked.

"Yes. If a planet becomes paralyzed, all movement upon it ceases. When a Time Gear is removed, the flow of time slows in the region. The effected area grows as more are taken, and eventually the flow slows down to a point where it stops entirely. Ultimately, the planet reaches a state of paralysis... No wind blows, the day never comes, neither winter nor summer... the world is shrouded in darkness. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the world's ruin."

Worry bordering on panic gripped the crowd as they stared wide eyed at the Dusknoir.

"The way time has been going out of control lately... That, too, is caused by the thefts of Time Gears. If they continue to be stolen, the world will end in ruin."

"How do you know all this?" Jak snarled. She couldn't believe what he was saying was true. Or maybe she didn't want to. The planet's paralysis... that sounded bad, very bad. But the Dusknoir was a liar, a deceiver, and nothing he said could be trusted.

The Dusknoir sighed. "I know because I, too... am a Pokémon from the future."

Questions were shouted out, some in anger, others in disbelief, others in confusion. Dusknoir waited calmly for them to settle down.

"My objective is to catch Grovyle, and that is why I came here. I am sorry for deceiving you, and I have felt terrible not saying anything... but what if I had been open about my identity from the start? Who would have taken me seriously?"

Any anger the Pokémon in the crowd were feeling quickly dissipated. All except for with Jak, who's anger and frustration only increased. They were all buying his ridiculous story! Could none of them think for themselves? What had Ren said that one time? Something along the lines of Pokémon being smart by themselves but becoming stupid in a crowd. Jak had to admit he had been right about that. If the Dusknoir had explained this all to them one by one, a great many more would have doubted his story.

"But... It is a fact that I have been deceiving you, and for that I sincerely apologize."

"No, no!" the Chatot exclaimed. "Please don't apologize!"

"Chatot's right!" the Eevee said. "You can't blame yourself! You had no choice!"

"Zzzt! I concur! Dusknoir has done nothing wrong in my books! Zzzt! We should focus all of our anger on Grovyle. Zzzt!"

"Yeah! We're in DEEP trouble if we let Grovyle go on!"

"Dusknoir, sir! I'll be, like, totally glad to help!"

"M-me too!" Diglett joined in.

"We shall cooperate as well," Uxie said, speaking for the three legendries.

"Everyone, thank you so much. We, as Pokémon, must all work together to capture Grovyle... but I must ask that you stay here out of the direct fighting."

"WHAT!?" everyone cried, especially the guild members.

"I have concocted a plan earlier with the help of Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf. We will all spread a rumor that the three plan to go to Crystal Lake to seal the Time Gear away for good. They shall add some legitimacy to the rumor by actually going to the lake. This will provoke Grovyle to strike, and I will be waiting for him. I ask that you all stay behind, because an overly large ambush will be easy to spot, and Grovyle will be cautious and notice an unusually large number of Pokémon in the area. If that happens, he will not allow himself to be lured out."

"Oh, I see... I guess that makes sense..." the Eevee mumbled, clearly disappointed.

"That's how it stands, guild members," the Chatot announced. "We'll provide support as needed, which in this case means we will do are best to spread the rumor far and wide! But not so much as to make Grovyle suspicious. Try to be natural!"

The crowd took awhile to break up, everyone discussing what had been said. Jak sensed a lot of wonder and hope, but no doubt or suspicion. The Dusknoir had done it. He had successfully put a spin on everything so that people didn't just continue to trust him, but actually admired him more.

But then, Jak noticed Sol. The Riolu stood, rooted to the spot with unfocused eyes staring out into the distance. Did she sense that something was amiss? Could she, at least, tell that something was off?

Dusknoir must have noticed Sol's behavior as well for when he caught sight of the Riolu he quickly came over.

"Sol? Is everything all right?"

It seemed to take a long time for Sol to translate her thoughts into words.

"You're a Pokémon... from the future... sent to catch an escaped fugitive..."

"Yes..." the Dusknoir answered cautiously.

"That is so... Awesome!" Sol yelled, throwing her hands into the air. And with that, all of Jak's hope was gone. "That would make, like, one of the best stories ever! The intrepid detective, forced to leave behind everything he knows to hunt down the dangerous and ruthless outlaw. The fight for the future begins in the past... Coming soon to a theatre near you!"

The Dusknoir didn't seem to know how to react at first and just stared at Sol. Then he smiled.

"I can assure you it's not quite as heroic as that."

"Like Hell it isn't! What part of journeying to the past to stop the destruction of the entire world isn't heroic?"

"Well, that's one way to put it..." Dusknoir stared off into space, seeming to think something through. Then he turned back to Sol. "Before I head back to Crystal Lake, there is something I must discuss with you."

"Sure. What about?"

"Something important. Would you mind coming with me to the Broken Shield Inn?"

"Lead the way."

Jak watched the two leave with narrowed eyes. The Charmander remembered her sister, her brothers, and knew exactly what they would do in this situation. Absolutely nothing. They wouldn't care about the fate of some Riolu, even if the Riolu was the closest thing they had ever had to a friend. Actually, they wasn't quite true. They'd be happy that a stupid Pokémon was probably going to get herself killed soon. That would mean one less obstacle for food and territory.

But Jak wasn't her siblings, and she was no longer completely a wild Pokémon. And for the first time, that gave Jak a feeling of pride.