Sol could only sleep in short snatches, and soon she could not even do that. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not get back to sleep. Every few minutes she would twist to a new position with a frustrated grumble, only to twist around again soon after. The hard stone on which she laid did not help matters, and neither did the chill that permeated the cave system. The encompassing shadows that swallowed Sol's vision whenever she opened eyes was also unsettling. It reminded her too much of the future world of darkness that she had so recently escaped.

But physical discomfort was not what circled through Sol's mind. It was not what plagued her thoughts, what filled her with confusion and sorrow, anger and loss, and, for some unknown reason, an aching loneliness.

Sol was a human from the future. Sol was Grovyle's lost partner.

Others may have thought it odd, but Sol really hadn't spent all that much time wondering about her past. At times she would be curious of what she would have done in a given situation had she never lost her memory. But that was just about the extent of her questions, and most of those questions were about if she was still the same person, not about what she used to do before.

And she had been fine with not knowing. Back at the guild, Croagunk was interested in some weird stuff, a lot of which Sol didn't fully understand. He once spoke of something called Alakazam's cat. Something about how the cat could be thought of as both dead and alive at the same time, and you wouldn't know for sure unless you opened the box it was in. Well, that was similar to how Sol viewed her forgotten memories. They were good and bad at the same time, and she would have been perfectly happy leaving it that way.

But now the box had been thrown open, and it turned out that not only was the cat dead, but it had turned into a pissed off zombie kitty and was trying to devour her.

Sol gave up on trying to sleep and got to her feet. She felt along the walls until she found the exit of the small room she had chosen and entered the hallway. She could see the flickering fire down the hall and followed the light to the main cavern, then crept along the room's perimeter to the stairs leading outside.

The sleeping forms of Eevee, Jak, Ren and Grovyle were gathered around the fire. It was warmer in here, much more comfortable than the rest of the cave. But Sol hadn't wanted to be around anyone, much less Grovyle, so she had decided to use the smaller room in a self-imposed exile.

Sol silently crept up the stairs. She needed to get away, if only for a little while, to think things through by herself and burn off some energy. She couldn't risk getting seen by going through Treasure Town, so she had to settle with pacing around in circles on top of the bluff, the full moon illuminating the night.

Grovyle's attitude towards Sol had changed dramatically after her identity had been revealed. And he hadn't even tried to apologize for how he had acted! Not so much as a simple "I'm sorry"! Instead, he had the nerve to act as if Sol was the exact same person he once knew, as if everything since their very first trip through the time tunnel together had never happened. Things had changed between them, but Grovyle couldn't see that.

Sol stared down at her hands, her paws, covered in fur, those of a Riolu. Sol wasn't human anymore. That Sol was gone. And would Sol even want to go back to the way she was before? She liked being a Riolu. She was stronger and faster than any human, with heightened senses and greater endurance. Her fur kept her warm, her tail helped her balance, and being a Riolu made her a Pokémon in a Pokémon world. Why would she ever want to go back to being a human?

In the back of her mind, a little voice said this was just her anger and frustration talking. It was hard for her to accept that what she had been told was true. To have herself defined like that, for someone to try and tell her who she was, to just expect her to fill that role without complaint…

Sol hadn't wanted to think about who she once was and who she was now. So she hadn't. When Grovyle first spoke her name on that plateau, she instead decided to focus on Ren's sudden ability to talk like a regular person. When they had returned to the past, she had focused on her anger at Grovyle. The longer she could hold off having to think about her past, the better.

But Sol couldn't keep doing that forever. She was being something of a hypocrite, when she thought about it. She was made at Grovyle for not seeing that things had changed with the two of them, yet she herself refused to accept that things would be changing for her as well. She was no longer just Sol, apprentice at Wigglytuff's guild, member of team Wanderers, the amnesiac Riolu. She was now also Sol, human from the future, once partner of Grovyle and on a mission to save the world.

How would everyone back at the guild react? Would they even believe it? Either way, all of them would see her differently. Sol couldn't pretend that everything was the same with them, as Grovyle had done with her.

Sol growled and kicked a nearby rock in frustration. It tumbled over the bluff's edge, sailing down to the dark ocean below. This whole situation was getting her worked up and upset. It was so easy to hold Grovyle responsible for it all, especially since he was the only one around to blame. So Sol took all her negative feelings and added them to her anger at Grovyle. It wasn't fair, but it was easy, and Sol just couldn't sort through all that emotion right then.

Sol heard footsteps treading up the stairs. Acting quickly, Sol dove into the bush that had once concealed the entrance to the caves. She peered out from between the branches and leaves and saw Eevee emerge. He looked around for a moment, then sat at the edge of the bluff and stared off into the distance.

What was he doing up? Sol was in no mood to speak to anyone at that moment, so she stayed where she was in the bushes. Hopefully he would leave soon.

But that was not the case. Eevee sat there for a long time, completely silent. Sol was beginning to get really uncomfortable with a branch jabbing into her stomach. If she tried moving she'd make a noise, and how do you explain to someone why you're spying on them from the bushes without it being incredibly awkward?

The sky slowly began to lighten, the black fading to grey, when a second figure emerged from inside Sharpedo Bluff. Grovyle spotted Eevee and walked over to him.

"What's the matter? Can't sleep?" Grovyle asked.

"Yes. Just thinking."

"About Dusknoir?"

"No, that's not it. Sure, finding out he had been deceiving everyone was horrible, but… hearing your story earlier… it's really got me thinking about Sol…"

Ooh! Now Sol was glad she was hiding in the bushes. Nothing like hearing people talk about you behind your back to start the day!

"Yes, it must be a great shock to learn of her past."

"You knew her long before I did. She was your partner. What was she like back then, as a human?"

"The same as she is now as a Riolu. Immature, sarcastic, stubborn, more than a little crazy…"

"Yeah, that does sound like the Sol I know," Eevee smiled. Sol rolled her eyes and fought back the urge to make a snide remark.

"But she was also smart, tenacious, loyal, strong… When she put her mind to something, it got done." Grovyle sighed and looked up at the lightening sky. "And when she made up her mind about something, it was hard to change it. I doubt she'll ever be able to accept me."

Damn right, Sol thought.

"She'll come around," Eevee reassured him.

"Perhaps…" Grovyle said, but it didn't sound as if he believed it to be true. "But there is one thing about Sol that has changed."

"What?" Eevee asked, and Sol had to admit she was curious too.

"She seems… lighter, for lack of a better word. I spent a lot of time with Sol, and I could tell she was carrying a burden of past memories. She had so many secrets, none of which I could ever get her to tell me. I don't think it was out of any mistrust, it was just too painful for her to talk about to anyone."

Now that was going to bug Sol. What had her human self known?

"I see…" Eevee began, then his eyes widened as he stared off into the horizon. "Hey! Look, Grovyle! Sunlight! It's sunrise!"

Sol craned her head around, trying to get a look. But she didn't have a very good vantage point and the most she could see was the grey sky turning gold then blue. It was too bad. It would have been nice to see a sunrise after being stuck in the dark future. Eevee seemed to share that thought.

"Maybe's it's because we were in the future for so long, but I didn't think that a sunrise could ever feel so renewing! The sun rises… then it sets… We take it for granted, and that's only natural. But the things we take for granted… They're really the most essential things. And they're precious."

"All I've ever known is the future's world of darkness," Grovyle said. "Upon coming to this world and seeing the sun for the first time, it was staggering. It strengthened my resolve to turn history away from the future of darkness, even if… even if Sol wasn't there with me."

Eevee nodded. "Sol has a way of making people believe they can accomplish anything… If it wasn't for her, I'd never have found the courage to join the guild and form an exploration team. She just… makes everything seem so silly, like everything is one huge game and the only way you can possibly lose is if you don't play."

"I know what you mean. Once, I found her inability to stay serious extremely frutrating, but then I came to depend on it to keep me sane."

"Sol sucks up all the crazy so there's none left for anyone else," Eevee laughed. Sol smirked from her place in the bushes.

"Sol is… lucky… to be blessed with a friend like you," Grovyle said. His voice was tinged with sorrow and loss, but also acceptance. Perhaps he was beginning to see that things had changed. "Well, it's morning. We should be leaving soon."

Eevee nodded, and the two of them went back inside. Sol crawled out of the bushes and tried to brush off some of the dirt stuck to her fur. That was really the only problem with being a Riolu. It was so hard to keep all that fur clean…

As Sol was bending over to wipe the dirt from her knees, she heard a sudden squeal from behind and was tackled off her feet.

"Sol! How dare you come back and not tell everyone you were ok! I've been so worried about you!"

It took Sol several seconds to realize that she wasn't under attack. It took her a few seconds longer to realize the voice belonged to Espeon.

"Wh-what? How?" Sol stuttered.

"We're really sorry…" Sol craned her neck over to see a very contrite looking Marill and Azurill. "We tried to be sneaky like you wanted, but it didn't work out…"

Well, that was what Sol got for trusting little kids to keep a secret as important as this one. She had thought that giving them a 'mission' would occupy them enough to not leak the secret, but it would appear she had been mistaken.

"If anyone should be apologizing, it should be you!" Espeon exclaimed. "Now where's Sparks? And what's this about a secret mission?"

"What's going on up there?" Eevee asked, poking his head up through the cave entrance. He froze when he saw Espeon.

"Sparks! I was worried sick! How could you not tell anyone you were back?!" Espeon ran over and enveloped Eevee in a hug. "Now you are going to tell me everything that's happened!"

"H-how did you find us?" Eevee stammered.

"These two were going around town, asking rather odd questions. I asked them about it and it wasn't long before they spilled everything they knew."

"Does anyone else know?" Sol asked hurriedly. If everyone learned they were back all at once without any planning, that could prove disastrous.

"I didn't have the chance to tell anyone else. I came here as fast as I could."

It was at that point Jak stuck her head out through hole, investigating what all the noise was about. Her eyes narrowed and she called down the stairs to the others.

"It is the one who tried to strangle Jak, not the Sableye."

"I didn't try to strangle you! A bandana is supposed to go around your neck, not your wrist!"

Jak growled low in her throat, clearly unimpressed, and climbed out onto the surface. Ren and Grovyle followed a few steps behind, assured by Jak that Dusknoir's minions weren't waiting to
ambush them.

"You must be Nancy," Espeon said to Grovyle, causing Sol to smirk. It may have been a childish thing to do, but that didn't make it any less amusing. Grovyle didn't show any response to the name, just staring at Espeon. "Is it true about this mission Dusknoir apparently sent you on?"

"Yes."

"No."

Sol and Eevee answered at the same time. Sol shot him glance, but Eevee didn't look back.

"I don't want to lie to her," he said. "No, Dusknoir didn't send us on a mission… It's complicated, and I don't know how well I can explain it all…"

Sol sighed. If they were going to start telling people, they may as well go all the way. But would anyone even believe their story? Eevee had refused to accept what was going on, and he was there to witness everything first hand.

"Espeon," Sol cut in. "Before we tell you what's going on, we need to show you something."

Eevee, Jak, Ren and Grovyle gave Sol and odd look, unsure what she was talking about. Espeon looked hesitant but then nodded.

"Ok, just… give me a second."

Sol went over to the stairs leading down into Sharpedo Bluff. She took Grovyle's arm as she went and dragged him along with her.

"What's this about?" he asked her.

Sol didn't respond, just ran over to Eevee's satchel in the hollowed out cavern. She rummaged around a bit before pulling out a rolled up scroll. The Wonder Map. She laid it out on the stone floor.

"Can you show me where the two other Time Gears were, the ones without guardians?" Sol asked.

"Here and here," Grovyle said, tapping the map.

"Which one was the easiest and safest to get to?"

"This one here was the hardest to get to, even of those with guardians, at least for me. But this one, in Treeshroud Forest, it's just a hike through the woods. You hear stories of people stumbling across it all the time, and that one is probably responsible for why people haven't passed off Time Gears as a complete myth."

"Good," Sol said. She rolled up the map and made her way back to the stairs.

"What are you planning?" Grovyle asked.

"If the planet's paralysis really happens even if the Time Gears are kept where they belong, then I'm willing to bet time didn't just start back up in those regions when they were returned. If we can show people that, then there's a greater chance of them believing us."

"I thought we planned to do this in secret."

"And that plan has already gone out the window. And even if we tried, we'd be found out the moment we inevitably come across Uxie, Mesprit or Azelf."

"So you're going to, what, show Espeon?"

"Not just her. We need help on this. People are scared, and they need to be reassured, and seeing the infamous Grovyle back stealing Time Gears will not do that, even if we tell them it was all a misunderstanding. We need to get people they would truly trust on our side. Besides, I thinks it's about time the guild had another expedition."

Anyone who has ever watched Big Bang Theory knows exactly what the cat in the box was about. If not, look up Schrödinger's cat.

MrPirate461: Glad you're enjoying this and thanks for the compliments!

Mister L: If I had a nickel for every time something similar has happened to me...

darkrai6543: Great review, and I look forward to future installments. ;)

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