There was no option Eevee could choose that would leave everyone happy. Abandon his friends for a once in a life time opportunity? Stay behind and miss out on the chance to see the future?

Either way there would be someone Eevee would never see again. His idol or his guildmates? Both options left the possibility that he would live the rest of his life in regret. The only bright side was that he wouldn't lose Sol, no matter what he may decide.

They had decided to choose together, lay out the risks and rewards, the pros and cons. The lists were equal in length, and when it came down to it, they were explorers, were they not? Wasn't it their jobs to venture into the unknown, and the future was about as unknown as something can get.

That said, they were also apprentices, friends and teammates. Could they really leave that all behind? What was more important, being a friend or being and explorer?

In the end, all Eevee and Sol were able to agree on was that they had no idea what they should do.

The others at the guild were oblivious to the inner turmoil Eevee experienced. Of course, they had other thoughts twisting around their mind and demanding their attention. There was a tense, nervous anticipation in the air of the guild. It was hard for everyone to sit back and wait for Dusknoir to return, their instincts screaming at them to go out and do something.

Eevee had noticed that Jak seemed particularly effected. The Charmander was more aggressive than usual, an air of hostility hanging around her. For some reason, her ire seemed to be mostly directed at Sol, who made a point to ignore the glares completely and would barely even glance in Jak's direction.

Ren was a welcome source of calm amidst it all. The silent conflict between Jak and Sol didn't seem to effect him in the slightest, nor did the tense atmosphere of the guild seem to touch him. He just watched it all through tranquil eyes, content to just observe.

"Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself."

"What?" Eevee asked, shaking himself from his thoughts. He was currently sitting with his back against the wall in the guild's main room. Most of the other apprentices were out on jobs, and Jak was currently glaring at Sol in their room while Sol pretended not to notice, and Eevee didn't want to be stuck in the middle of that.

"You face remains as calm as still water, but your eyes betray you," Ren said, standing next to him. Bandages still covered his side but the wounds were quickly healing. "A burden weighs you down."

"A lot has been going on lately..."

"It is more than that. Having a burden of heavy thoughts is like being tethered to a stake in the ground. All you can do is run in circles around it, never getting anywhere."

"Well..." Eevee said, biting his lip. He wasn't sure if he should tell anyone, but he supposed they would all find out eventually anyways. "Dusknoir said something to Sol and I..."

Eevee told Ren about the Dusknoir's offer, how they had been given the chance to go to the future but would have to leave everything behind.

"I just don't know what we should do," Eevee finished.

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph," Ren answered, his expression never changing throughout Eevee's explanation. "You will feel better once you make a choice. There is none more miserable than a

Pokémon wracked with indecision."

"But what if I make the wrong choice?"

"Then you make another one," Ren replied cryptically and walked away, leaving Eevee to puzzle over what was said.

Make another choice? But if you had already chosen, what good would that do?

Eevee sighed. This was too difficult. For a second Eevee wished that Dusknoir had never offered them this just so that Eevee wouldn't have been forced to make such a tough decision.

,,,

"Ok, Loudred, your turn. Try this one," Sol said, passing Loudred a glass of unknown, light yellow liquid.

Nearly all the guild apprentices were gathered around the pushed together tables at Spinda's café. Even after a day of completing jobs, the Pokémon were too wound up to just sit around the guild.

As was usually the case with Sol and Loudred, they had managed to turn everything into a competition, this time making use of Spinda's ability to make anything into a drink. They would go up to the counter, give the cafe's owner an item, then see if the other was brave enough to drink it.

Sure enough, Loudred grabbed the glass and downed it in one gulp, them slammed it down on the table.

"Easy!" he declared, the suddenly when completely still. A twitch passed through him, then he slumped forwards and his face slammed against the table. This lasted for a few seconds before he sat up with a gasp.

"Sleep seed?" he asked.

"Nope, stun seed" Sol said with a smirk.

Loudred grumbled something under his breath and got up from his seat to make his way to the counter.

"Don't you think this game of yours is a bit... hazardous to your health?" Chimecho asked.

"Probably, but I'll be damned if I let Loudred win."

Chimecho rolled her eyes and turned to Eevee.

"Is your shoulder doing ok? Any pain?"

"No, it's feeling fine. I think it's just about healed."

"Good. I wouldn't want-"

"Gah!" Sol cried and fell off her chair, coughing and sputtering. A liquid as black as tar spilled out over the table from Sol's knocked over glass.

"What the hell was that?!" Sol demanded.

"Doom seed."

"Are you trying to poison me?!"

"If you can't handle it, you can always give up..."

Sol growled and headed back over to the juice bar.

Eevee smiled at his friends' antics. Would he really be able to leave all of this behind to go to the future?

"Here," Sol said, slamming a glass of thick, dark purple liquid in front of Loudred.

He hesitated for a moment, glancing up at Sol then back at the glass.

"If you can't handle it, you can always give up."

Loudred narrowed his eyes and picked up the glass. He stared down into its depths before taking a sip. Then promptly spit it out over the Pokémon sitting opposite him.

"Ew, ew, ew, EWWWW!" he yelled, jumping up and hopping about before running over to the juice bar, grabbing one of the nozzles from over the counter and using it to wash out his mouth.

"Grimy food for the win!" Sol declared, throwing up her arms in victory.

Eevee laughed, the other apprentices joining in. Eevee looked around the table at them, at the dramatic Sunflora, the compassionate Chimecho, the solitary Croagunk, the quiet Diglett, the hard working Bidoof... Could he really them all behind?

The he looked over at his grinning partner, standing triumphant after winning a competition that had no meaning or lasting impact, always taking the smallest things and acting like they're vitally important before forgetting all about them an hour later. Complaining and ranting, teasing and joking, forever immature and sarcastic but still able to get things done while never giving up. But it was a mix of all these things that made her great.

Eevee supposed he would be able to leave as long as Sol was with him.

...

Everyone was running. Chatot had called for order at first, telling them to stay in a group, then quickly disobeyed his own orders and ran off to Treasure Town along with the stampede of guild apprentices.

Word had just came in as they had been forming up for their morning addresses. The plan had worked. Grovyle had been captured, the Time Gears recovered. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf had already left to put the relics back where they belonged before the situation could worsen. Now all that was left was to see Dusknoir off as he returned to the future along with fugitive in tow.

Now was when Eevee and Sol would have to give their answer to Dusknoir. He was glad that they had finally been able to reach a decision the night before, otherwise they would have had to come to a split second decision. Already knowing what he was going to say gave Eevee a sense of peace amid all the excitement and relief of Grovyle being caught. Gone was all of his earlier apprehension. He supposed Ren had been right. There was nothing worse than not being able to make up your mind.

The town Pokémon were already gathered in the square. The relief in the air was palpable. Some talked amongst themselves, but most of them stared at the pulsating black and blue... splotch, for lack of a better word, that hung suspended in the air on the edge of the square.

"What's THAT?" Loudred asked, stepping in closer for a better look.

"ZZZT! Step back!" Officer Magnezone cried, quickly blocking his path. "ZZZT! This is a dimensional hole! ZZZT! Dusknoir will use it to return to the future, and you must not go near it! ZZZT! The smallest of touch would send you to the future! ZZZT!"

Loudred quickly backed away, giving the portal a wide berth. Eevee found himself mesmerized by the shifting colours of the portal, and found it he looked hard enough every hue imaginable could be seen within, not just the dominant blue and black.

"Here comes the great Dusknoir!" the green Kecleon Grecks suddenly cried.

"Everyone make way!" Chatot said and the Pokémon moved aside to clear a path to the portal.

Dusknoir strode confidently down the street, head held high. Behind him, surrounded on all sides by twitchy looking Sableye, was Grovyle. Thick ropes bound his arms to his side and others wrapped around his muzzle to keep his mouth held shut. Eevee felt saddened by the sight. How far did a Pokémon have to fall to be treated like that, prohibited from even talking?

Everyone was silent as the group made their way to the front of the crowd and Dusknoir faced them all from in front of the portal.

"Everyone! Today I would like to share excellent news with you! Finally, Grovyle has been captured and no longer will any of you need to live in fear of disaster! This was all made possible because of your cooperation and selfless effort! I can't thank you enough!"

Dusknoir smiled at the round of applause and cheering.

"As you can see, Grovyle is a vicious and wicked Pokémon. His capture will result in lasting peace for your world."

At that, Grovyle began to twist and struggle at his bonds, his attempts to speak coming out nothing more than a muffled and unintelligible garble.

"But, I must also deliver a piece of sad news. For now I must leave all of you and return to my own time. I bid you all farewell."

The Pokémon's joy quickly turned to sorrow. They all had known this would happen, though they hadn't wanted to admit it. Many said called out that they would miss him, that things would never be the same and the world was a better place since he had arrived. Chatot was reduced to tears, a reaction Eevee hadn't been expecting.

With a wave of his hand, Dusknoir signalled to the Sableye. They pushed and dragged Grovyle to the front of the portal then kicked him through. The purple Pokémon followed behind.

"Before I go, there are two Pokémon I must speak with," Dusknoir declared. "Sol, Eevee, please come up here."

Eevee's stomach tied itself up in knots as he approached his revered hero. Having finally decided have given him some peace, but now that he actually had to give his answer...

"Have you considered my offer?" Dusknoir asked. Whispers erupted from the crowd, wondering what Dusknoir was talking about.

Sol stared down at her feet, a pained expression on her face. It would seem that she was just as uncomfortable as Eevee.

"We have..." the Rioulu began. "I'm sorry, but no, we can't leave. This is where we belong."

She continued to stare down at her feet, not meeting Dusknoir's gaze. Eevee felt relieved at having that over with.

"I see..." Dusknoir said. "Then I suppose this is goodbye..."

Dusknoir shuffled backwards slightly, then turned as if he was about to enter the portal. Then he suddenly lunged forwards and grabbed onto the two Pokémon, taking them both by surprise.

"It's too soon for farewells!" he yelled. "You two are coming with me!"

Eevee cried out as he was dragged towards the portal, trying to dig his feet into the ground to no avail. Dusknoir was just too strong. In seconds, the three disappeared into the dimensional hole.

There was a fierce snarl from the back of the stunned crowd. While the others were far too shocked to do anything, Jak pushed her way to the front and dove into the portal with a roar. Ren too ran forwards, stopped just short of the pulsating void, then reached out one hand to touch the portal. He disappeared the moment his finger made contact.

Then, with a flash of light, the portal collapsed in on itself, vanishing completely. The assembled Pokémon in the Treasure Town main square stared blankly at the now empty air. Then chaos erupted.

...

Eevee was scared.

He sat alone in a cell carved from rough, solid rock, the only source of light a dim glow stone embedded in the ceiling. It was cold here, a cold the seeped into Eevee's bones and refused to leave. The door was thick, made of heavy metal. There was a small, barred window in the door, too small for even his paw to fit through.

Eevee didn't know where he was, or how long he had been there. He remembered Grovyle's captured, the meeting at the square, then... had Dusknoir pulled him through the portal? Was this the future? Why would Dusknoir do such a thing, and, more importantly, where was Sol?

Jak was here. Eevee knew this because she had howled and screamed, her angered cries accompanied by the whoosh of flames. She must have been put in another cell nearby. Ren was here too. Eevee had heard him say something about keeping calm, but he had been far too panicked to listen to the Cubone.

How did they get here? Did Duskoir somehow take them too? Eevee found he couldn't bring himself, too gripped by fear to talk. Instead he stayed in the center of his cell, tail curled up tight around his body and wished he was back at the guild, witnessing another one of Sol and Loudred's ridiculous competitions.

Where was Sol? Was she ok?

After some time, which felt like days but was more likely just a matter of hours, he finally found out.

There were footsteps outside that stopped just outside the door of his cell.

"Eevee?" came Sol's voice, tiny and scared, so unlike her.

Eevee ran to the door. He looked through the tiny window, large enough for him to only see the Riolu's face. The sorrow, mixed with no small amount of guilt and shame, shocked Eevee. "Where are we? What's going?"

"Eevee," Sol said, the name coming out slowly, as if she was trying to stall what would come next. "I... I can't explain everything to you, but..." She squeezed her eyes shut, as if what she was about to say physically pained her. "Dusknoir made me an offer. A new one. I can't say no this time. This is something I have to do. If I don't..."

She opened her eyes and looked directly at Eevee.

"It's the only way to make sure you, all of you, stay safe. I'm... I'm sorry."

Sol turned and hastily walked away, not looking back once. Eevee called after her, crying for her to come back, tears streaming down her face. Long after Sol was gone, Eevee was still calling out in a voice gone hoarse.

"Save your energy," a cold, hard voice finally said. It took a moment for Eevee to realize it was Grovyle. He must be in one of the cells as well. "Your friend isn't coming back. She has abandoned you here for comfort and reward. She works for Dusknoir now."

Tears continued to fall down Eevee's face. Grovyle was wrong. Sol would never abandon him.

It wasn't until much later that Eevee realized that Sol hadn't been wearing the Team Wanderers bandana.