Author's Note: I got this chapter done relatively fast. Don't expect future updates to come as quickly, especially now that I've got another story up and that school is coming back. This chapter turned out much better than I expected, and I hope you like it.

Special shoutout to Darth's Daughter, who was the first user to favorite, follow, and review this. Thank you for doing all that.


The sun was shining as a Piplup, a Pokémon that resembled a blue penguin, with a polka dot ribbon and a Chimchar, a Pokémon that resembled a red monkey, with a polka dot scarf slumbered in their home. It was a cave etched onto the face of a cliff in the shape of a Sharpedo. It was a strange place for two Pokémon to live, stranger still that it was the base of Team Poképals. It was the exploration team that had prevented the creation of the Dark World, a world forever frozen in time.

Piplup woke up first. Noticing that his partner wasn't up yet, he decided to take a stroll past Treasure Town to the beach where he had woken up at when he first arrived. It was quiet in town, though he figured that it was because it was very early in the morning. Soon, he found himself on that beach, the sunrise glistening on the sea. A Krabby was up, and its bubbles made the scene quite a sight to behold.

He felt at peace and fell into a nostalgic reverie. He remembered how he had first awoken to the sight of Chimchar asking him if he was alright. He had felt like fainting because there could not have been such a thing as a talking Pokémon. The truth, however, struck him greatly when he looked into the sea and saw his reflection. For, he knew that he wasn't always a Piplup. He remembered a time when he was human, but that was the only piece of his past that he remembered. He didn't even know his own name, and it was one piece of his past that had never come back to him.

However, he didn't have time to feel sorry for himself because a Zubat and a Koffing knocked into Chimchar and stole his most important possession, a stone with a strange insignia. He immediately agreed to help Chimchar get his treasure back, and the two defeated the thieves with ease. Afterwards, Chimchar told him his dream to form an exploration team in order to find out the truth of the stone. Calling himself by his new species, Piplup was ready to trust the kind Pokémon and form Team Poképals. Thus, they joined the Wigglytuff Guild to learn the ways of the land, going on many missions to help other Pokémon. They became part of a large family which included Bidoof, Corphish, Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett, Dugtrio, Chimecho, Chatot, and Wigglytuff. All of them were quirky in their own ways, but they made a great family that made him feel at home despite the unusual circumstances.

Soon, events unfolded that took him on a journey that was greater than anything he could have imagined. Team Poképals learned of a Pokémon called Grovyle stealing the Time Gears, artifacts that were vital to keeping the flow of time going. Time froze in the areas where they were stolen, and, if they were all stolen, the entire world might have stopped. Together with a Pokémon called Dusknoir, Piplup and Chimchar were able to trick Grovyle and capture him. However, Dusknoir took them all through a portal into a land of darkness. This was the future of the world in which all time was stopped. In a twist of fate, Piplup and Chimchar learned that Grovyle was not trying to create this world. Rather, he was trying to prevent it from happening while Dusknoir, under the influence of his master, desired to keep things the same. It was also revealed that Piplup had been Grovyle's partner in this endeavor, and he resolved to finish the task.

With the help of the legendary Celebi, Piplup, Chimchar, and Grovyle were able to go back in time to try and change the future. The Time Gears were returned to their places, but time was continuing to destabilize. There was only one option: collect all the Time Gears and take them to Temporal Tower, the home of Dialga, the guardian of time. They travelled all over, collecting the Time Gears needed and locating the way to Temporal Tower. However, Dusknoir was not done trying to stop them. He assaulted them as they neared their destination with a large Sableye force. When his pawns were defeated, he desperately tried to drag them back to the future, but Grovyle kept him from taking them all. Free from further pursuit, fate rested on their shoulders to finish the job and prevent the future calamity. The destabilization drove Dialga berserk, and he threatened to destroy the two. However, Piplup and Chimchar were not to be stopped. They managed to defeat Dialga, placed the Time Gears in their proper places in the spire, and stopped the catastrophe. In doing so, the future that created Piplup never existed, and he began to fade away. He used his last moments to say good-bye to his closest friend in the Pokémon world so that Chimchar would be able to move on. Chimchar, however, never forgot about his friend, and Dialga, in order to properly thank him, used his power to restore the Pokémon in the lost future so that they might live, including the human turned Piplup.

Even though they had defied the odds and changed the future, there was still a force waiting in the shadows. This force was Darkrai, a Pokémon that fed on nightmares, darkness, and despair. He was the one who had created the bleak future that had been averted. Unable to manipulate time to create his world of darkness, he turned his attention to Palkia, the guardian of space. He used his power to create a distortion in space and convinced Palkia that the cause of it was the continued existence of Piplup, who was supposed to be dead as a result of the Poképals' success. Following this misinformation, Palkia took Piplup and Chimchar into his domain and attempted to destroy both of them, hoping that the result would mend the distortion. At the last moment, Darkrai's rival, Cresselia, intervened and shed light on the situation. Darkrai fled, but Team Poképals, along with Cresselia, pursued him. When they confronted and defeated him, Darkrai attempted to escape through a hole in time and space, but Palkia appeared and attacked as he did so. No one knew what would happen to him, though they all felt that he would no longer be the threat he was before.

"Nice morning for a stroll, huh?"

Piplup turned to see Chimchar standing next to him and smiled. "It sure is, buddy. It sure is…"

They stood there for several moments lost in their own thoughts before Chimchar asked, "So, what are you doing up so early?"

"Just remembering all of the times we've shared together. It feels like just yesterday when I woke up on this beach."

Chimchar nodded, and the peaceful silence continued. After some time, he spoke up. "We've certainly done a lot together in the past…"

"And we'll definitely do a lot more in the future…"

"But right now, we should probably rest for another big day ahead of us. It'll be at least a few hours until everyone in town gets up."

Piplup smiled. "Every day is a big day."

"And I wouldn't miss a second of it!"

"Same here. Alright, let's go." The two slowly walked back to Sharpedo Bluff, eager to take on the day.


It was a few days later when they got up when they heard a familiar squawking. "Hey! You two!"

Piplup and Chimchar turned to confirm that the voice had come from Chatot, a Pokémon that resembled a parrot with a musical note shaped head. He was often overbearing in terms of his expectations for all the Pokémon in the Guild, a stark contrast to the child-like and easy going Guildmaster Wigglytuff. Often, he acted very hot headed and paranoid, if only to protect Wigglytuff and other Guild members. However, there were two key exceptions to this rule. One of them was Wigglytuff, his closest friend in the world. For him, he would gladly do anything, but, right then, he looked extremely out of breath.

"What's up, Chatot?" Chimchar asked. "What's the big hurry?"

"Huff-huff…The beach…At the beach…"

"Is there something down at the beach?"

"Manaphy! Manaphy came back!"

And he was the other. On one particular day, Sunflora had told the entire Guild about a crack in the Surrounded Sea. There, Piplup and Chimchar journeyed to the bottom and found a mysterious egg. From it, Manaphy hatched, and he believed the two were his parents. All in the Guild adored the little guy and were happy to help raise him. However, he soon became sick because he wasn't in his natural habitat. They had to let him go so that he would grow up to be healthy, but it was a heartbreaking moment when they had to see him leave. He desperately wanted to stay, but he was dragged away by his entrusted guardian, Walrein.

Both were in shock. "Huh?! Manaphy…?" Chimchar started. "You mean the Manaphy we looked after?!"

"That's him! That's the one! Hurry! To the beach!"

"Yeah!"

They didn't waste another moment before dashing off for the beach. When they got there, Piplup and Chimchar saw a blue Pokémon staring into the seas. He turned to face them, and they saw the cute face they hadn't seen for so long. His eyes brightened as they approached him.

"Manaphy…" Chimchar started with tears in his eyes.

Tears welled up in Manaphy's eyes as well. "Piplup…Chimchar…"

"Manaphy!" It was then that Chimchar started to take in his growth. "You're really…that little Manaphy?"

"Yup, yup! I grew big in the sea! It's all…It's all because of you, Piplup and Chimchar!"

Chimchar looked like he was going to start bawling. "Oh! You remembered us!"

"Of course I didn't forget you! Not once…Not ever…I missed you!"

Neither Piplup nor Chimchar could hold in the tears any longer. As they embraced in a long overdue family hug, all expressions of happiness gushed out of each of them. They began to ask about how he had grown up with Walrein, but he first asked to be taken to the base. They obliged, and, soon, Manaphy gazed over the entire place.

"Wow…I remember this place. I hatched here, didn't I?"

"Yes, you're right," Chimchar said. "This is where we got to know each other. I'm surprised you still remember that."

"We Manaphy have the ability to remember where we hatched. So I've been told. After we grow up in the sea, we go back to the place we hatched by instinct. Mr. Walrein taught me that."

"That's impressive!"

"This is where I was hatched…That's why I felt the urge to come back here."

"Well then," Chatot spoke up, "Now that you've returned, what will you do now, Manaphy?"

"I was told that I have to decide on my own." He turned to the two. "Well, um…So, uh…I thought really hard about this and other things…I want to offer Piplup and Chimchar something for looking after me. Don't you travel and explore all over the world? I really wish I could help you when you go out on all your adventures…So, um…Uh…May I please be a member of Team Poképals?"

The cat was out of the bag. Piplup turned to face Chimchar, who looked both proud of Manaphy for having the courage to ask and unwilling to let him take that risk.

Manaphy panicked at the silence. "D-don't worry! I'm grown up now! I won't get sick like before…" Chimchar continued to stay silenced. "You don't…want me?"

Seeing Manaphy's reaction, Chimchar had to say something. "Urk…Of course we want you to stay with us! Right, Piplup?"

Piplup nodded resolutely. "Of course! We'd love to have you around!"

At his answer, Manaphy started beaming. "Really? Really, I can? Yay! I did it!" He spun around without a care in the world. "I promise I'll work hard for Team Poképals!"

Chatot was happy at the sight. "You know, we should tell the rest of the Guild that Manaphy's back! They'll be delighted to see him again!"

Manaphy was ecstatic beyond belief. "Oh! The others! I've missed them dearly, too! Let's go right away!"

As they all headed for the Guild, Piplup couldn't help but feel overjoyed to have Manaphy back. It was as if a missing piece of himself had finally come home. He knew Chimchar felt the same way, and even Chatot must have felt similar feelings. He knew that all the Guild members would feel the same way as he thought about how much of a family they all were together. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to help them out, and, now that Darkrai was gone, he was glad that there would no longer be such grave threats to the world. The future grew brighter every day.


For the next few days, Piplup and Chimchar decided to test Manaphy's abilities. They intended to take him to the Marowak Dojo, but they had a lot of work that needed to be done. However, Manaphy came up with the idea to split up in order to maximize their time. In no time at all, they had completed all the missions that needed to be done. They then took Manaphy to the Dojo where he alone conquered all the mazes offered, including the Final Maze.

The day after this final show of strength, Piplup and Chimchar woke up early, though they continued to lie down. They were wondering what to do with Manaphy next when they heard a voice coming from outside. "Oh! Piplup! Chimchar!" They instantly got up, wondering who it was. "Good morning! Are you awake?"

"Hm?" Chimchar asked. "Who's out there?"

Before waiting for an answer, Piplup and Chimchar dashed out to find Manaphy waiting for them. "Hi, Piplup and Chimchar! Good morning!"

"Hey, it's Manaphy! Good morning to you! What brings you back here so early in the morning?"

Manaphy gave a sly smile, as if harboring some wondrous secret. "Well, um, I was on my daily morning travels…And I found a really great place!"

Chimchar looked confused. "A really great place?"

His grin grew wider. "Yep, yep! It has crystal clear water and a white-sand beach…" Manaphy's eyes grew wider, his smile stretched to the limit. "And it's got plenty of totally yummy Gummis!"

Piplup smiled at the thought. When Manaphy was still growing up in their care, he wouldn't eat anything but Blue Gummis. He himself liked those things too, as any Water type Pokémon would. When they ran out of them in storage, he and Chimchar had to go search all over in order to satisfy him. If they had known that there was such a place where such Gummis were plentiful, they would have had a much easier time.

"What is this place called?" Piplup asked.

"It's named the Marine Resort!" Manaphy replied, absolutely beaming. "It's a Pokémon paradise!"

Chimchar's eyes widened. He was evidently sharing Manaphy's enthusiasm. "The Marine Resort! A Pokémon paradise?!"

Manaphy nodded. "I couldn't wait to tell you and Piplup right away. So I cut my daily trip short and came straight here to tell you! I'll show you where it is. Can you open your map for me?"

Chimchar nodded and took out the map. Manaphy marked the spot as Piplup gazed on. It was located southwest of Treasure Town, and it wasn't that far away from the beach. They all stared at the spot for a moment before Chimchar put the map away.

"Let's go play there together sometime!"

Manaphy started to turn around, but Piplup caught his arm. "Why wait? We've already finished all the jobs that we had to do. That means today's free for whatever we want. Why not check it out now?"

Manaphy's eyes widened again. "Really? Do you mean it?"

"Certainly! What do you think, Chimchar?"

Chimchar responded by grabbing Piplup and Manaphy before dashing off to the beach. He only let go of them once they got close to the waves. Piplup jumped into the water first so that Chimchar could ride on him. Since he knew the move Surf, he would carry Chimchar on his back if they needed to travel the seas. The first time he had needed to do so, he wondered why the Lapras who could take them to the Hidden Land couldn't carry them instead. Perhaps it was because Lapras wasn't actually a part of the team. He was destined only to help the chosen ones get to Temporal Tower in order to save the world. In any case, Piplup was used to ferrying Chimchar across the ocean. He and Manaphy raced to the destination, but Manaphy was much faster. By the time Piplup and Chimchar arrived, Manaphy had already started exploring the area. His words proved to be true. The beach's sand was as white as Wigglytuff's stomach. The water was much clearer than the surrounding seas.

"This place is beautiful," Piplup murmured.

Manaphy turned to face them. "Of course it is! That's why I had to tell you about it!" His eyes darted towards a group of Pokémon that was playing in the sea. They seemed to be paying no attention to anything else as they swam in the shining waters. "Piplup, they seem to be having fun over there! Do you want to join them?"

"Well, what about Chimchar? He'll get bored if we stay there too long…"

Chimchar turned towards a cave. "I think I'm going to go check that cave out, maybe look for those Gummis that you were telling us about."

Manaphy smiled. "Right, then. Piplup, I'll race you in!" He hurried off for the waters.

"No fair! You got a head start!" Piplup raced after him, leaving Chimchar to wonder about how enthusiastic Piplup was to join him for fun.

He then set off for the cave, finding that it was a dungeon. Entering the first floor, he found that there was a lot of sand that felt very relaxing to him. There were a few Gummis in the room, as well as stairs to the next floor. He scaled the dungeon with ease, finding a variety of different Gummis along the way. There were some Pokémon who fought him along the way, but none really challenged him. He easily found his way to the final floor and found several treasure chests. It was clear that this place was good for relaxing. He had cleared his head over some of the traumatic effects the last few weeks had been for him and felt he could enjoy life without ever again worrying about some evil wanting him dead.

As he picked up the last one, he couldn't help but notice the odd item behind it. It appeared to be a red and white ball of some sort. As he moved to grab it, the ball sputtered and sparked. He instantly retreated, not knowing what might happen if he actually touched it. Curiosity soon got the better of him; after all, he was an explorer by heart. He slowly approached it again, but it didn't seem to react the same way it had before. He carefully grasped it in his paws, but nothing seemed to happen.

"What a strange item…" Chimchar wondered aloud. "Perhaps it's a new type of treasure chest?" It was the only thing he could come up with at the time. There was an expert in Treasure Town named Xatu who appraised all the treasure chests the team had encountered during its travels. If this was a kind of treasure chest, surely he would be able to ascertain its contents. Seeing nothing left on the floor, he stepped on a Warp Zone tile. He was instantly taken to the entrance of the cave, though a few hours had probably passed already.

Chimchar turned in the direction of the sea and saw Piplup's head sticking out of the sand. He looked a bit irate, but he brightened once he realized Chimchar had returned. "Hey, Chimchar! Great timing! I've been stuck here for a while now, and I was wondering if you could help me get out."

Chimchar shook his head in disbelief. "I leave you alone for a few hours, and you end up getting yourself stuck in the sand…How'd you even get like this anyway?"

"It's a very long story that began a few hours ago while we were playing in the waters. Long story short, I bet Manaphy that I could beat him in a race across the island. He won, and I got buried in the sand. Now, get me out of here!"

Chimchar sighed but soon obliged. He used Dig to get underneath Piplup and break him free. Manaphy soon appeared. "Oh! Chimchar! You're back!"

Chimchar gave him a look of disappointment. "Did you bury Piplup in the sand?"

"Well…um…yes…" he sheepishly admitted.

"Well," Chimchar stated, "that's not how you bury someone in the sand! This is how it's done!" Without further warning, Chimchar grabbed Piplup and jumped back into the hole he had dug. Soon, Piplup's head stuck out of the sand a few feet behind Manaphy.

"This isn't funny! Get me out of here!"

Chimchar jumped out next to Manaphy and joined him in a bout of laughter. This went on for a while until a friendly Sandshrew dug him out.

"Ugh," he complained, "I've to go clear my head…maybe I should go into that cave over there…"

Chimchar stopped laughing. "Oh, right! I forgot! When I was exploring that cave, I found an unusual object at the end."

When he took out the ball, Manaphy gasped. "Is that…a Poké Ball?"

They looked at him in confusion. "What's a Poké Ball?"

"Mr. Walrein taught me that a Poké Ball is a device that humans created to capture Pokémon."

"What?!" Chimchar exclaimed "How?"

"I don't know how it works, but this one seems to be broken."

Piplup got closer to the ball. "But…where did it come from…?" In all his adventures with Chimchar, he had never encountered any humans. Though he subconsciously knew that he was once one, he had no memory of what it was like being one. It didn't seem like they had even encountered this part of the world. So where did it come from?

He grasped the ball and immediately dropped to the ground. "Ugh," he murmured, "I feel that dizzy feeling again…"

Manaphy gasped. "Piplup! Are you okay?"

He was going to grab Piplup, but Chimchar stopped him. "Manaphy, Piplup has this special power that allows him to see things sometimes when he touches something. It's called the Dimensional Scream."

Manaphy frowned. "Dimensional Scream?"

Chimchar nodded. "Yes. I don't know exactly how it works, but it seems like Piplup has had that power for a long time. He can glimpse into the past or the future of whatever or whoever he touches if there is something important that has to be revealed."

"But how does he know the difference between past and future?"

"He doesn't. We have to figure that out as soon as wakes up from his vision. Right now, all we can do is wait." They looked to Piplup, hoping that, whatever Piplup was seeing, it wasn't bad.