Hello again! Chapters are coming pretty quickly, eh? The next one is going to take a bit longer, though. Now, I'm sure everyone is aware that the time of the big 'secret' reveal is coming up. Just out of curiosity, whose POV would you like that chapter to be in, Grovyle's or Eevee's? I'm leaning towards Eevee's because I think that would be easier to write, but I'm open to suggestions.
Back in the dark depressing future, Grovyle's stay in the past felt almost like a dream. Nothing more than a conjured fantasy, the details quickly fading from his memory. It had always felt strange, being in the past, but that didn't mean he would have ever wanted to return to his own time.
Grovyle missed the wind the most. It may have seemed an odd thing to miss, but he loved the feeling of wind gently streaming past, as if the air itself couldn't stand still. The wind had felt so refreshing after a long journey or a fight.
This was rather ironic, since the thought of the sky spontaneously shifting disturbed Grovyle when Sol had first described it to him. It seemed to him that everything in the past was moving and changing, leaving no fixed point as a reference. Mountains were eroded by wind and rain, the crashing ocean waves continuously reshaped the shore line, sometimes the ground would shake to level entire regions, volcanos would erupt to destroy their surroundings and return them to a blank slate. Nothing stayed the same, and now even the air moves around?
"But it feels so nice!" Sol had insisted. The human even went so far as to start blowing on him, much to his displeasure.
Grovyle had ignored her. He imagined that if entire walls of air were moving around hitting things, then it probably wouldn't be pleasant. Like being randomly struck by flying attacks as you're trying to go about your day. Grovyle would never had imagined it would be the wind he missed the most.
Grovyle sighed. Wishing and wanting would get him nowhere. He pushed himself faster up the steep incline. He had been traveling nonstop since escaping Dusknoir, never stopping to rest. He had taken a circuitous route, often backtracking and looping around. This had tripled his travel time, but he had to make sure any tracking him would find it as difficult as possible.
What had happened to those explorers? Had they been captured? Were they even still alive?
No, he couldn't allow himself to dwell on that. Grovyle had offered them the chance to come with him, but they had refused. Whatever happened to them was their own doing.
Grovyle scrambled up to the top of the rocky rise, mindful not to send any loose stones tumbling down the incline. If he kept a straight path, he'd be at his destination in a few scant hours. But he would have to take a more round a bout way so as to not lead any pursuers straight to it. That would lengthen the trip by one rising (or a day, in the terms of the past), perhaps two if he wanted to be extra cautious. That may be the smartest course-
Grovyle silently cursed and flattened himself to the ground, carefully edging back down the slope. He waited for several seconds. When no shouts of alarm came, he crawled back up just enough to see over to the other side.
Sableye, a large pack of them, were setting up a temporary camp in a small clearing just off a narrow, dirt path. The tall form of Dusknoir stood at their center, directing them as they set up tents and made a fire pit. It was fortunate that Grovyle had elected to keep to high ground instead of the easier path, else he would have stumbled right into their midst.
Why was Dusknoir here of all places? Was he personally tracking down Grovyle? But then how had he ended up ahead of Grovyle? Had he somehow learned where Grovyle was going, then decided to take the shorter, more direct path? But how could Dusknoir possibly have known that Grovyle was heading towards Dusk Forest?
Then Grovyle's eyes found a certain Riolu sitting atop a crate upon a wooden wagon. That Riolu, the seer, must have told Dusknoir. Grovyle felt a surge of anger. This was not the first time the Riolu had impeded his mission.
This wasn't good. If they tore apart Dusk Forest in an effort to find Grovyle, then they would, at some point, find Celebi. Grovyle couldn't let that happen. He himself was expendable. Anyone could be sent to the past to fix Temporal Tower. Celebi, however, was the only one who could work the Passage of Time. Without her, their mission would never succeed.
What were his options? He could make himself known then try to lead them away. But that was risky, and there was no telling what the Riolu saw in her vision. Dusknoir could decide to search the forest anyway.
If Grovyle were to skirt around the camp then head straight for the forest, he may be able to arrive in time to warn Celebi. There was no point in trying to hide his tracks now.
Grovyle glared at the Riolu. This was all her fault. If not for her stubborn intervention, Grovyle would still be in the past with all the Time Gears in hand. Was she aware that her team had escaped? Would she even care? Probably not. She seemed the sort to be lured in by comfort and luxury, and what were friends to one such as her when shiny baubles were offered instead?
Grovyle was about to leave when his gaze happened upon a familiar item resting in the wagon by the Riolu's feet. The object was long and narrow, wrapped in a protective covering of entwined leaves and vines. Grovyle recognized it instantly, for he had crafted that covering when he had first arrived in the past.
Dusknoir had confiscated it when Grovyle had been captured. He must have taken it along as a possible source of visions for the seer if the search turned up nothing.
Grovyle growled. He had made the covering, but the object was Sol's. It was the only part of her he had left. He would not allow that Riolu to desecrate it with her touch!
Grovyle crawled back down the slope then onto the path. He darted into the trees, the overhanging branches blocking out what little light there was so that everything was plunged into thick shadows.
But Grovyle had grown up in the darkness. It was as familiar to him as his own name and held no terror for him. He was cautious and wary, but not afraid. He brushed the ground with his foot before setting it down, careful not step on any snapping twigs or crackling leaves. He inched his way through the trees until he stood on the outskirts of the clearing.
Grovyle knew he had to be careful. The Sableye were much better suited at seeing through the darkness than he was. But there were busy setting up the camp, and none of them wanted to displease Dusknoir by pausing their work to stare off into the forest.
Grovyle skirted around to the point closest to the wagon, which was situated out of the way at the edge of the camp. Its wooden frame would shield him from view from the Sableye, so all he had to deal with was the Riolu.
But Grovyle was prepared. He was used to scavenging for items, and knew exactly where to look to find anything useful. He had discovered several different seeds since his escape, and a sleep seed was among them.
If he did this right, he could knock out the Riolu and take back that which belonged to Sol. Anyway who glanced at her would assume she had just drifted off, and when she eventually woke up, she'd be confused but wouldn't suspect anything.
Grovyle snuck up to the wagon, keeping low to the ground. He peered around the back and saw that the Riolu was looking into the camp, away from him. With slow, careful movements, Grovyle pulled back his arm...
... and the Riolu turned her head just before he was about to throw. For a tense moment, their eyes locked. Grovyle held is breath, waiting for her to shout, warn the others, but she didn't do anything.
Then, slowly with no sudden movement, the Riolu tilted her head slightly to indicate something on the other side of the wagon. Confused, Grovyle looked under the wagon and saw a pair of purple feet firmly planted on the ground. A Sableye. Of course Dusknoir wouldn't leave his precious seer unguarded.
Then the feet started to move. They headed towards the back end of the wagon, and Grovyle started to panic. Thinking quickly, he rolled underneath before the Sableye turned the corner. The feet stopped at the spot he was standing seconds before, and the Sableye stared off into the trees.
Grovyle's heart beat wildly. He shouldn't have done this, risked himself out of sentiment. He was supposed to be the level headed one, the one who thought things through and didn't take unnecessary risks. It was Grovyle who had held back Sol's impulsiveness, and now here he was, being more reckless than she had ever been.
What was he supposed to do now? He was trapped here, in one of the most pathetic and obvious hiding spots ever, and it was only a matter of time before someone noticed him. He wasn't in a good position to use the sleep seed on the Sableye, and even if he could a guard suddenly toppling to the ground and falling asleep would raise some red flags.
"Hey, Dusknoir!" the Riolu suddenly said. Grovyle was certain she was about to turn him in, but instead she jumped off the wagon and walked deeper into the camp. Her Sableye guard quickly followed after, abandoning the wagon. "I don't know if I'm comfortable chasing down this fugitive of yours, completely unarmed. Maybe I could, I don't know, hang back out of the way while you do your thing?"
Grovyle rolled out from under the wagon, grabbed the object then sprinted to the tree line. He didn't know why the Riolu created the distraction. She was working for Dusknoir, and with only the one guard she must not have tried to escape at any prior point, so this made no sense...
Perhaps she wanted to ensure it was here visions that led them to Grovyle. If they just stumbled upon him by accident, it would hardly prove her usefulness. Yes, that had to be it. She wanted to prove herself invaluable, securing her position at the top.
Grovyle wasn't about to let that happen. He darted through the trees as fast as he dared with only instinct to guide him. He was a grass type and the forest was his element, making it much easier to avoid obstacles.
The item he carried made running awkward, however. Grovyle had to be careful it didn't brush through low hanging branches, or snag on a bush, or smack against a tree trunk. How had Sol managed to sprint through any environment, all the while carrying this thing? Perhaps it was because most Pokémon were not intended to use tools like humans did.
Grovyle knew this area well. This close to Dusk Forest, he had needed to ensure there were no dangers lurking nearby that could harm Celebi. If he kept going straight, he would emerge on the other side of the thin strip of trees that enclosed the main path. Then the ground would start to keep wet and muddy, and eventually turn into a swamp. Grovyle couldn't go that way, not with Dusknoir and the Sableye camped so close by. He would leave footprints in the mud, clear signs of his passage that would never fade away, and he didn't have the time to mask such an obvious trail.
If he turned back around, he could find the path again, then cross over to the rocky area where he had started. But with his green colouring, he would be easy to spot amid the grey. But if he were to keep parallel to the path and travel through the trees, he could skirt around the camp... but if Dusknoir sent out any advanced scouts to check the path ahead, chances were Grovyle would run into them. How was Grovyle supposed to get to Dusk Forest and Celebi before Dusknoir?
Well, there was always the Sealed Ruins... No, those were too risky. But what other choice did he have?
A mental debate circled through Grovyle's mind. In the end, he decided there was no other way to ensure Celebi wasn't captured and their mission rendered hopeless.
Grovyle ran through the trees away from Dusk Forest. There should be an entrance not far from where he was, and if he traversed the underground ruins, they would lead him straight to Dusk Forest while completely bypassing Dusknoir. Assuming he survived.
It didn't take Grovyle long to find the entrance, like a gaping maw in the earth set to devour anything that stepped inside. Stone steps led down into an all consuming darkness, and Grovyle thought he heard a distant howling from inside.
He had never entered the ruins before. He didn't know anyone who had, either. Everyone knew to stay away, a warning so ingrained into Grovyle's mind that he couldn't bring himself to place a foot on the first step. But it was the only way to reach Celebi in time.
But that didn't mean he had to be stupid about it, either. He was tired and hungry. When had he last rested? Not since escaping his cell, and that hadn't exactly been a restful experience. He would sleep before entering the ruins, so he would at least be somewhat prepared to face whatever was down there.
Grovyle didn't risk a fire. He curled up just outside the entrance to the ruins, Sol's last item gripped firmly in his hands. He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep.
...
"Helllooooo, wake up. This isn't really the best time to be having a nap."
Grovyle awoke with a start when he felt something nudge his shoulder. He shot to his feet, ready to fight, startling his waker and causing her to jump back with a yelp.
"Whoa! Easy! If I was going to attack, I wouldn't have woken you up first."
The words barely registered in Grovyle's mind. His focus was immediately drawn to the glowstone the Riolu was holding up in one paw, like a beacon to the world letting everyone know just where they were.
Grovyle snatched the glowstone from her and threw it down into the Sealed Ruins.
"Hey! What was that about?!"
"Silence, idiot!" Grovyle hissed and scanned the area around him. He didn't see anything amiss, but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone watching just out of sight. "What are you doing here?"
"Other than escaping from servatude? Nothing much."
Grovyle narrowed his eyes, sure that this was a trap. Then he saw the Riolu's blood soaked arm, claw marks gouged into her flesh.
"What happened?"
"Dusknoir only bothered to stick one Sableye on 'guard the flight risk' duty, which, when I think about it, is kind of insulting. But that one really didn't want to see me go. I blame my charming personality and scintillating good looks."
Grovyle couldn't believe this. There was no way it would be that easy to escape Dusknoir, even if the Riolu truly wanted to. His thoughts must have shown on his face, since the Riolu sighed.
"Look, I know this seems awfully convenient, and I'd be suspicious too. Please, just tell me one thing, then I'll go. What happened to the rest of my team?"
The amount of emotion behind the question surprised Grovyle, as did the pleading look that entered her odd eyes. Was it possible that this wasn't a trap? Was she telling the truth?
"They escaped, but we went our separate ways," he said cautiously.
A small cry escaped the Riolu's lips, and the amount of relief and joy in her face was staggering.
"I thought... I thought... I thought Dusknoir killed them..."
Tears welled in her eyes, but they stayed there and didn't fall. The Riolu regained her composure, then glanced around at the surrounding trees.
"Do you have any idea where they went?" she asked. "I have to find them."
Grovyle was gripped with indecision. What should he do?
"I don't know," he finally said. "But Dusknoir will be tearing this place apart looking for you the moment he notices you're gone. Unless you want to get captured again, I suggest you come with me."
The Riolu looked conflicted The need to charge off to find her friends immediately was competing with the knowledge that to do so would most likely result in capture. Grovyle was unsure what to think. This could all be an act to get him to lower his guard. But if it was, wouldn't the smartest thing to do be to keep her close and in sight?
"All right," the Riolu finally said. "I already have to go down there to get my glowstone, anyway. Might as well go the whole way through."
She disappeared down the steps without any hesitation. She must never had heard the rumors of this place, just assumed it was the same as any other area of the future.
Unconvinced that she didn't have malicious intent, Grovyle decided to question her about her escape. Perhaps there would be a hole in the story.
At the bottom of the stairs, Sol picked her glowstone off the floor. She wiped a furred paw over its surface as if to remove dust, but it was unnecessary. Dust didn't gather in a place where time stood still, even in ruins.
"Where did you get that," Grovyle asked. Glowstones were valuable, and it was highly unlikely anyone would leave one laying around.
"I may have convinced Dusknoir I was afraid of the dark. I used my innocent face, so he didn't suspect a thing."
"Your... innocent face?"
"You know, it's when you make your eyes go all wide and leave your face somewhere between 'scared and looking for a protector' and 'kid looking at idol'. You got to be careful, though, or it'll come out as 'really need to find a bathroom'."
Grovyle scowled. They were in the middle of a serious situation, enemies not that far away, and she decided to joke around? Perhaps she was just secure in the knowledge that her allies were within earshot, ready for her to spring the trap shut and capture Grovyle. Or perhaps she was just an idiot.
"How did you escape?" Grovyle asked tersely.
"The good part about being a captive seer is you get your own tent. I slit open the back with a claw and crawled out. The bad part of being a captive seer is you get a guard who's only job is to make sure you don't get away. I didn't get very far before he went to check on me, raised the alarm, and suddenly I'm running from an angry mob of Sableye. One got too close, gave me this little souvenir," she gestured to her wounded arm, "at which point I punched him in throat. Very effective, even if it was a cheap shot."
"He didn't have anyone guarding the perimeter of the camp?"
"Yes and no. I held a rather interesting position over there. On one hand, I was a captive. On the other, I was a seer. The Sableye were expendable, I was not, so they didn't want to piss me off lest they find themselves on the receiving end of Dusknoir's displeasure. But they don't know how far they should stretch to accommodate me, given my captive status. So they mostly did just about everything I said and didn't tell Dusknoir, just in case they did something they shouldn't have done."
"Wouldn't they have just asked him before they did it?" Grovyle said, looking for holes.
"That's where the snobbish self-entitlement comes in. Stomp your feet, make pouty looks, and demand it gets done now. The more over the top the better. At the time of my escape, a good portion of the Sableye were off looking for a nonexistant item I dropped on the road while traveling, others were out searching for fresh oran berries because dried just wouldn't do, and others were busy looking for the spider I saw that then disappeared 'cause there was no way I was falling asleep while knowing that was lurking around somewhere. More Sableye doing pointless tasks, less Sableye to patrol around. Then it was just a matter of running and trying not to trip, and no Sableye is ever going to outrun a Riolu. Just saying."
Grovyle shook his head. The Riolu was either incredibly lucky, a genius, or insane. A mixture of all three, perhaps?
With a pang of sorrow, Grovyle was reminded of Sol. Her actions rarely followed logic, at least any logic Grovyle could comprehend, yet she almost always succeeded. But this Riolu wasn't Sol. Sol was smarter, not nearly as gullible, and she never would have worked for Dusknoir, no matter what. Sol was stronger than this Riolu would ever be. Yet whenever the Riolu spoke, he was reminded of his lost, human friend.
Grovyle felt a surge of anger. He had tried so hard to push down any thoughts of Sol, to try and lessen the pain he felt, but here this Riolu was, dredging it all up.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" the Riolu said as Grovyle pushed by her and took the lead. He wanted to get out of the ruins as quickly as possible, then they would part ways and Grovyle wouldn't have to look at this Riolu again. Then he would be able to put his memories of Sol behind him and continue on with his mission unimpeded.
The air grew colder the deeper they went into the ruins. Grovyle could see his breath in the air before him like a puff of white fog. He got the distinct impression of being watched, but in both directions there was only a continuous hall of stone bricks without any places to hide.
"I really have a bad feeling about this," the Riolu said, glancing around nervously.
"Is anyone up ahead?" Grovyle asked.
"How the Hell would I know?!"
"With your aura."
"My what?"
Grovyle stopped in his tracks, turned, and stared at the Riolu.
"Your aura. Every Riolu can sense the auras of those nearby, even if they can't manipulate it until they become Lucario."
"Oh, of course... that aura..."
"You have no idea what I'm talking about."
"Yep."
It figures that Grovyle would get stuck with the only Riolu in existence that didn't know what an aura was. How did that even happen? That would be like a Krabby who didn't know what the ocean was. Technically able to live without it, but come on, really?
Grovyle shook his head in disgust and continued on. The sooner they got out of the ruins and he no longer had to deal with this disgrace of a
Pokémon, the better.
The hallway they were in suddenly emptied into a wider room. Grovyle scanned the area before entering, checking for any ambushes or traps. Nothing but stones and old debris. He stepped inside, and the feeling of being watched intensified. Grovyle hurried to the hallway on the other side of the room.
"You there! STOP!"
It sounded as if a chorus of people were speaking at the same time, all on top of each other. Grovyle spun around, but could not find its source.
"You invade this place with no warning! Then you DISTURB our slumber!"
"And you almost made me have an accident, so I guess we're even," the Riolu said, hurrying across the room to Grovyle. "Let's go. Now." she hissed.
"Then, without APOLOGY, you try to leave?"
"Yep, very sorry," she said, then in a quieter voice to Grovyle, "We need to go."
She pulled Grovyle to the exit. The temperature dropped considerably, causing him to shiver.
"We will not ALLOW you to leave so easily!"
Purple smoke spewed forth from an otherwise ordinary stone on the ground. It formed into a vague face, its sinister eyes staring at the two intruders.
"We are SPIRITOMB, formed through the fusion of one hundred and eight spirits! We shall not let you leave her!"
Two portions of the purple smoke detached from the Spiritomb and sped through the air towards the Pokémon.
"Evil cloud! Evil cloud!" the Riolu yelled, scrambling away. A swirl of purple fog pursued after her, while the other spun around Grovyle.
Grovyle couldn't stop the smoke when it swirled around his head, then went up through his nose to take control of his body. He couldn't move, only able to watch as the other cloud caught up to the Riolu and did the same thing to her, locking her in place.
A pained look passed over her face, then an annoyed one, then a pissed off one.
"Get. OUT!" she screamed, and her whole body seemed to glow with a bright inner light. It got brighter and brighter, until the Spiritomb suddenly howled in pain and was unable to keep its hold on her. The light dispersed as the Riolu was released from the spirits that held her, and she grinned in triumph.
"How'd you like Focus Blast, bitch? Guaranteed to remove ninety nine percent of unwanted evil cloud."
The Spiritomb screamed, a sound like hundreds of nails on a chalkboard. The spirits inside Grovyle tightened their hold, and he was forced forwards, the leaves on his arms growing and sharpening of their own accord. He wasn't even able to warn the Riolu before he was forced to strike out with Leaf Blade.
Luckily, his movements were clumsy and slow and she was able to jump out of the way. The Spiritomb compelled him to pursue, slashing with his blades as he went.
"I know I'm annoying, but most people last at least a day before trying to kill me," she said nervously, dodging the blows but hesitant to fight back. She knew this wasn't Grovyle doing this, that he had no choice.
"Hit me," Grovyle finally managed to say, his voice quiet and strained.
Hesitation flickered in the Riolu's eyes, then they hardened. She nodded.
Once again her body began to glow with an inner light as she readied her Focus Blast attack. The Spiritomb redoubled his efforts to stop her. The Riolu danced back out of the way. The light turned into a ball between Sol's hands and her eyes glowed a bright yellow.
The ball rocketed out of her hands and hit Grovyle in the center of the chest. He was sent flying back until he smashed into a wall and landed in a heap at its base. The spirits inside of him were rattled from the attack, keeping control of his body but no longer able to force his movements. With great effort, he raised his head and watched the battle with bleary eyes.
The Riolu jumped at the Spiritomb, only to pass straight through the purple fog that made up most of its body. The ghost Pokémon laughed as she got to her feet, then released a stream of dark purple shadows at is it used the move Dark Pulse. The Riolu cried out as they struck.
She stubbornly got back to her feet, a fierce anger burning in her eyes. She pounced upon Spiritomb once more, ignoring the purple fog even as small lacerations appeared where ever she contacted it, and grabbed a hold of the keystone.
"Let Grovyle go!" she yelled and raised it high above her head. With a howl, she brought it down and smashed it upon the ground.
The Spiritomb howled in pain. She raised her hand again and smashed it against the floor.
"Let him go! Let him go! Let him go!" The Riolu yelled, smashing the keystone on the ground to punctuate each sentence.
The relief that Grovyle felt when control of his body was returned was indescribable. The spirits left him and returned to the keystone, at which point the Riolu whirled around and hurled it at the wall. The Spiritomb did not remerge or utter another word.
The two Pokémon hurried out of the room, and it wasn't until they were a good ways down the stone hall that Grovyle noticed something was wrong.
"Your hand!" he exclaimed, grabbing the Riolu's arm so he could inspect the hand. Her palm was burned and blistered, blood staining the surrounding fur. It was the hand she had used to grab the keystone.
"Don't pet the wildlife," she said with a strained smile.
She really wasn't looking to be in good shape. She was bleeding from a dozen tiny wounds across her body from where the cloud had touched as well the hand, and she looked completely drained of energy.
"I don't like using Focus Blast more than once during a fight," The Riolu said, fatigue colouring her voice. "It's exhausting enough using it once."
"We need to get out of the ruins," Grovyle said. "We can rest then."
If you like reading about the events of the game from Grovyle's perspective, might I suggest the short fic Tell by the author 'Team Hanabi'? I loved the story, and just thought I'd share that with the rest of you who may not of heard of it. Chosen is also good, by the same author.