o-o-o- Chapter 7: Mysterious Return –o-o-o
I know. I was a bit too harsh, wasn't I? But, no matter… so long as Leonna and Grovyle had returned to the past safely, I can handle myself, even with four Sableye and a Dusknoir trying to capture me. Hah, these Pokemon were foolish enough to think I'd be captured.
I waved my hand, and willed the Passage of Time to disappear. "No!" Dusknoir bellowed, "Capture her!"
I turned to them and winked, "Impossible!" Sparkles of light began to envelop me as I told Dusknoir, "The Passage of Time has been moved. It is no more, even if you search the whole forest."
It was then that Dusknoir realized what was happening to me. "Stop her at all costs!" He yelled at his minions, and shot a Shadow Ball at me. But just before the attack hit me, I disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
The next thing I knew, I was back in my comfy tree. But now, I had no companions to share it with. I sighed a little and fluttered towards my little cot in the bedroom beside the kitchen. Once I was comfortably lying down, I let it all out.
All the tears I withheld, all the emotions I felt, came out like water from a broken dam. I sobbed uncontrollably and kept muttering Grovyle's name, again and again. It took a long time before I calmed down, but even then, tears silently fell down my cheeks as I murmured, sleepily, "Oh Arceus, watch over them. Both of them…"
And I succumbed to sleep.
That was the beginning of my long and boring time alone. Every time I woke up, I took to the habit of talking to Arceus. Well, more like talking to no one, out loud, but thinking that Arceus was listening… Okay, fine, call it praying, if you want. Although, I must say, it did help me stop thinking about some depressing thoughts. After my little quiet time, I prepared my own breakfast, which usually consisted of a berry or two, before going out on a stroll. Of course, I was careful not to get spotted by the occasional Sableye that scouted the forest. If I could, I picked berries to restock my storage supply at home, before flying back to my tree. It was the same schedule every day, and you know what was weird? I never ever saw Dusknoir again. Well, at least, before my dear Grovyle came back.
Ah, the day I first thought of Leonna no longer as a sister, but more of a… daughter. Why? Well, of course, I couldn't resist that adorable little Vulpix!
I had been out on my daily strolls when I heard footsteps getting closer. I made myself invisible and waited to see who were the newcomers. Only very few Pokemon were able to, or even bothered to, reach the deepest part of Dusk Forest. Not even the Sableye came here, so I wondered who had come…
"Is this…" I heard a young male voice ask behind me. I turned and saw three Pokemon, the one in the middle being my dear Grovyle. "Is this where Celebi is supposed to be?"
I tensed, Oh Arceus, please don't let him remember what I did… please…
I glanced at the one who spoke, it was a young Riolu, and with him was a Vulpix. "That's right." Grovyle answered. "It was around here that I met her the last time."
Oh dear Grovyle, have you already forgotten? I thought, We last met at my tree… I shook the thoughts away and realized why they were here.
He continued, "But if Primal Dialga knows of this place… Celebi will have fled from here. If this place isn't known to our pursuers however…" They looked around, unaware that I was merely in front of them. Grovyle had failed his mission in the past, I thought. But what of Leonna? And who are these two Pokemon with him…?
"Hello?" Grovyle called out, "Celebi? It's me! Grovyle!"
I inwardly sighed. What happened to Leonna?
"Reveal yourself… if you're here!"
I would not. Not yet. Silence stretched.
The Riolu spoke again, now with a hint of worry in his voice, "She's…not coming out. Did she get frightened off by Primal Dialga?" Then he gasped, as though a frightening thought occurred to him. "What if… What if she's…been captured by Primal Dialga?"
Now, that was enough to make me reply. I half-pouted, half-glared at him, even though the Riolu could not see me. "Captured?" I said indignantly.
They were all surprised at my outburst, but as they could not see me, they turned and looked around them. "Where'd that voice come from?"
I smiled at him as he continued, "But now… I don't hear anything."
The Riolu turned to his Vulpix friend and muttered, "That voice…was I just hearing things?"
"Tee-hee!" I giggled, "You didn't imagine it."
Their eyes widened in surprise as I continued, "Me? Captured? !" I had a feeling Grovyle had already pinpointed my location, as he was not frantically glancing around like his companions behind him. "Impossible, that's for sure! Tee-hee!" And in a flash of light, I was right there in front of my dear Grovyle, visible for all to see.
I grinned at the wood gecko Pokemon, "It's been too long, my dear Grovyle!" I could see the faint smile on his face when he replied, "Yes. It has been a while, Celebi." Our little moment was ruined by an exclamation of, "What? ! This tiny thing is Celebi?"
I glared at the Riolu, "Now that is down right rude! How inappropriate! To poke fun at my petite proportions…"
The Emanation Pokemon flinched, "Uh… I'm sorry. I heard you have the ability to cross time… So I expected you to be some awe-inspiring Pokemon…"
My glare had not faltered when I replied, "How uncouth! Never judge someone by appearance! But…" I knew I couldn't stay mad at these Pokemon too long, after all, he did apologize, so I decided to tease him instead. "I forgive you… After all, you must find me cuter and more special than you imagined! Tee-hee!"
I chose to ignore the fact that they sweatdropped and instead faced Grovyle, who explained why they had come. "Celebi. I need your help again."
I inwardly sighed again, and told him, "I know. Seeing you back here, my dear Grovyle, tells me everything I need to know." I stared into his eyes solemnly, "You're back because you failed your mission in the past, yes?"
Although he tried to hide it, I could see that Grovyle flinched from the insult to his pride. "Urk… Yes, it's true."
"I hope you manage this time." I said, my voice a lighter note, "I've had quite enough of this. Living in this dark and dreary world is so depressing."
My dear Grovyle cut me off before I could continue, " Sorry, no time to chat… The Sableye are tracking us. If we don't leave soon, we'll have brought trouble to you."
I let out a hearty giggle. "It's quite fine. There is no need to be worried, my dear. Let those Sableye come. They're of no concern to me, after all, what can they do if they cannot catch me?" I giggled again before glancing at the Riolu. "Besides, if you would be so kind as to prevent the planet's paralysis… We'll finally be spared the agony of this world of darkness."
I took in a deep breath before stating, with flare and firmness, "My dear Grovyle, I will devote my whole life to achieve that end!" I didn't need to tell Grovyle this, of course, he already knew what I meant, and even agreed with it. I said it for the sake of the two Pokemon behind him, whom I had a feeling did not know what was to happen if they changed the course of the future.
Grovyle nodded, "Alright… Where is the Passage of Time?"
"It's ready. It is nearby. The Passage of Time is on a plateau above this forest."
"That's good. Can you guide us?"
"Of course!" I grinned, then glanced at the other two Pokemon. "Are all three of you taking the Passage of Time?" I barely heard Grovyle's affirmation when my gaze settled on the Vulpix to his right.
"Oh? !" I gasped, "What's… this? You're friend…!" T-That's not possible, right? I thought. "…That…can't be…" I muttered, my eyes wide in shock. L-Leonna…my darling Leonna… is that truly you? I thought dreadfully. That…That psyche… only you have that psyche…Leonna…
Grovyle looked back and forth between Leonna and I, obviously confused. "Celebi, is something the matter?"
Leonna, er… the Vulpix tilted her head as if asking, 'What?' I wondered why Grovyle did not notice. Perhaps I was wrong. Or he really couldn't tell because he isn't Psychic. I slowly shook my head, opting to ignore the fact that Grovyle didn't seem to recognize his best friend who had turned into a Vulpix. "No…it's nothing. Shall we continue?"
All three of them nodded, and we set about for our destination. When we reached the Kangaskhan Rock, Grovyle immediately went over to fix his supplies. I merely waited near the entrance of the forest, while the Riolu and Leonna chatted. A few minutes later, they came over to me and the Riolu introduced himself, although his voice was quiet, so Grovyle couldn't hear. "Um…Hi, Celebi, I'm Liam, and this is my partner-"
Don't say it. Please not the name…"-Leonna." My heart broke at the very word. How could this be…? "And we were wondering…"
I tried to shake out of my reverie and tilted my head, trying to hide the powerful waves of sadness and guilt that hit me. "Hm?"
Liam scratched the back of his head sheepishly and asked, "Why is Grovyle so…"
I smiled, despite the heartbreak I was going through, "Impatient and hasty? He's really like that. I just wish he could slow down a bit, really." We glanced at the said wood gecko Pokemon, who didn't seem to notice us. My gaze turned wistful as I muttered, "I want to spend as much time as I can with him…"
Only when I noticed the grins that the two of them were wearing, did I realize my mistake. I felt my face grow hot as I quickly explained, waving my arms in front of me, "N-No! I didn't mean it that way! I-I have no special feelings for him, whatsoever!"
Liam and Leonna smiled slyly at me, obviously not believing my claim just now. "Okay~" They both said and turned around. I sighed. Great, now two kids find out I like Grovyle, but he doesn't even suspect a thing…
Grovyle called all of us and said, "Alright, we're all set, so let's get going." We all nodded and entered the forest.
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Phew! This one took a while, even though it's pretty simple. I had to watch the walkthrough videos in Youtube to get the script, since I couldn't just play my game all over again. Although I did edit some lines and I just made up the reason why Celebi could sense it was Leonna… I mean, in all PMD games, it's usually the Psychic ones that can tell you were human, right? Anyway, thank you for your reviews, Eeveesin98 and FictionaryMan03895 I hope you enjoyed~