Chapter 18: A Dark and Stormy Night
"Uugh…"
Where am I?
Didn't I die?
Is this…heaven?
I heard a hissing sound as I opened my eyes. Maybe several. A thick cloud of water vapor cleared from my eyes. I saw a rocky ceiling first. I looked around. Call me crazy, but I swore I then saw two elderly anthropomorphic birdlike creatures looking down upon me, and I swore they looked just like Old Bird and Gray Voice; the Chozo that raised Samus after the Space Pirates orphaned her. But that was impossible…right?
"Do not worry. You are alive. Samus Aran found the Metroid DNA that saved you," explained the short, fat one on the left, whom I was pretty sure was Old Bird.
I pushed myself up so that I sat upright. "Samus…saved me?" I groaned, testing my voice out. So I didn't die. This wasn't heaven.
My chances were absolute zero. But against all odds…I survived.
"Yeah. You and your friends. Those Zork, Zark, and Zoroark punks gave me no end of trouble, and I barely got out of there alive…but it was all worth it." There she was. Old Bird and Gray Voice moved aside to let Samus through. I noticed she was in her Zero Suit again.
"Oh! Ms. Aran! I didn't know…you were here…" I silently admonished myself for using her first name without her permission.
"You can call me Samus, kid."
Huh?
She sighed, pulled up a chair, and sat down in front of me, rubbing her temples and looking downcast. Maybe…?
"I have to apologize. You were right, kid. You were right all along. I don't know how the X Parasites ended up on Planet Portania, but…I shouldn't have abandoned you guys like that. So…I'm sorry. I swear, if there's any way I can make it up to you, I…"
I was too stunned to say anything. This was the first time she ever showed any sincere emotion like this to me. To me, someone she called a lazy civilian. What was going on in here? "It—it's okay, Samus, really, I—" I turned around to the two Chozo waking up Big Amy and Chikorita, and Celebi trying to wake up Grovyle. Celebi? "How did we get here? Why is Celebi here too? And those Chozo—by any chance, would they be Old Bird and Gray Voice?"
Samus looked up. "Yeah. Grandpa and Father. That's them, all right. We're on Planet Chozodia now. How we got here…now that's a long story."
Meanwhile, Big Amy struggled to blink her eyes open. I stretched myself, threw my legs out of the pod, and tentatively stood up. When I was certain I had my balance, I walked over.
"Uuugh…Little Amy?" she whispered.
"We're alive, Big Amy. We're alive."
"Did you see those orange blobby thingies?"
"Yeah, they were—"
We then heard Chikorita's voice come in. "Little Amy? Big Amy? You saw them too?"
I explained, "They were the X Parasites. They infect the nervous system and make an exact copy of their hosts. That's why there was that other me. She wasn't me at all. She was the Queen of the X Parasites, I think. I don't think there's supposed to be any chance of survival from an X Parasite attack…but Old Bird here says that Samus found some Metroid DNA and saved us."
They both stared. "Samus?" I didn't know if they were more surprised by the fact that she actually did save them, or the fact that I used her first name.
She sat down and apologized to them too, saying that they could also call her Samus. But while Big Amy and Chikorita managed to say that they forgave her too, I somehow felt that they couldn't be 100% sincere.
"So we have Metroid DNA now? What's it going to do to us?" asked Chikorita.
Gray Voice explained, "The most important benefit is that X Parasites will never be able to kill you again. In fact, you can now absorb them to replenish your energy. But! There are downsides. You will no longer be able to survive extreme heat or cold."
There was a long pause as we took it all in. Then Chikorita concluded as a matter-of-fact, "Oh. Well, it's not like it really matters. I mean, after all, Grovyle and I are Grass types! We were already weak to Fire and Ice-type attacks to begin with."
Big Amy and I groaned, though I wasn't sure if her reason was the same as mine. I wanted to build up heat resistance not only because of Global Warming (I mean, Weirding) but because heat was easier for me to take than cold. There went all my work, down the drain.
"What about me?"
My heart raced. Grovyle was awake. Celebi might've been shouting, "You're alive!" over and over again, but who knew how long it would be before he remembered how he was going to…? Uh-oh. I threw myself behind Gray Voice before Grovyle could catch a glimpse of me.
"Wait, was that her? Where'd she go? I'm gonna kill her for tricking us like that," he growled darkly. My heart lurched. I was right, as usual. Big Amy saw where I went and was about to say something, but I furiously shook my head and held an index finger in front of my mouth, hoping that she'd get the message.
She didn't. "Little Amy? What the heck are you doing?"
"YOU!" he shouted, leaping high into the air above Gray Voice and somehow managing to not bonk his head on the ceiling.
All I could shout was "AAAH!" and barely dodged out of the way as his Leaf Blades smashed into the ground where I was 0.1 seconds ago. I burst out the door and ran for my life down the rocky streets, barely having time to notice the beautiful scenery of the village. He ran in hot pursuit, and Samus, Big Amy, Chikorita, and Celebi followed after, trying to stop him. I only had time to pick random directions and dodge the Chozo and other sentient alien creatures along the way, shouting, "Look out! Coming through!"
I heard the beeping of Samus' Power Suit being turned on, the flash of her Ice Beam, and a few other scuffling sounds, but I didn't dare look back. Grovyle could catch up to me any second, and if an Ice Beam hit me instead…! I ran and ran through the whole village, and when I reached its exit into the vague forest-like surroundings, I ran even faster, knowing that Grovyle could catch up to me even faster in a forest.
Samus' Ice Beam barely misses Grovyle, but manages to freeze his tail leaves in place, sticking him to the ground. He howls in pain since his new Metroid DNA doubles his weakness against Ice attacks to 4 times the normal damage.
Amy: Grovyle! Why the heck are you trying to kill her? She's innocent!
Grovyle: "Innocent" my eye! She crushed you two with her bare arms!
Amy and Chikorita (really confused): Huh?
Grovyle: You forgot? That Amy [you know who] was Queen X, remember? She—
Samus: Whoa whoa whoa. Queen X? HER? That girl has Metroid DNA now, and I personally saw to that. No X Parasite can survive with Metroid DNA. Besides, Queen X is all the way out there somewhere.
She points out into outer space.
Samus: And I should know—I just ran into her. Or at least her three loyal followers.
And just like that, all his anger suddenly deflates out of him.
Grovyle: Say wha…?
Chikorita: Oh wait, you thought she was Queen X?
Grovyle: Uh…
Amy: Oh yeah! Queen X was the one who attacked Little Amy! Hey Samus, Queen X can perfectly transform into anyone she attacks, right?
Samus: Correct.
Amy: Then that means…
Chikorita: She can copy us too…!
Amy: And that evil lady wasn't really Little Amy from the future! She was Queen X!
Grovyle becomes completely paralyzed with shock and guilt.
Grovyle: …She…WAS…innocent...
Celebi: Yeah. You really messed up big time, Grovyle.
Old Bird: Children!
Old Bird and Gray Voice finally catch up to them. By this point, many Chozo bystanders have already stopped what they were doing and stare at them.
Samus: Grandpa. Father. We've got a problem.
Old Bird: I—I know…*huff*…your friend…*wheeze*…
Gray Voice: She's headed into Torgus Forest outside! Th—that way!
Amy, Chikorita, Grovyle, Samus, and Celebi: WHAT?
Amy: Let's go—!
Old Bird: Wait.
He pounds his walking stick on her head to stop her, and then turns to Grovyle.
Old Bird: You now realize the truth, do you not?
Grovyle: Yeah…What was up with that, though? I mean, why'd she run away? She wouldn't run away if she were innocent…right?
Old Bird: *sigh*…Human beings are very fragile creatures, Grovyle. You, of all Pokémon, should know that. And this is especially so for Amy [you know who]. Do you know why she intentionally deceived you? Because she was afraid that you would react like so. By reacting the way you did, you have just made her worst fear come true.
Gray Voice: We can heal physical wounds, but never mental ones. Only you, Grovyle, can cure her. You must be sincere in your apology and prove to her that you are truly sorry. Any less than your best effort, and you will fail, and if you fail to gain her forgiveness and bring her back, she will be scarred for life.
Grovyle (thinking hard): … … … (I remember…I almost killed Team Pecha too. Before I found out who Amy Vee Purima really was. Why? Why does this keep happening to me? Am I doomed to repeat the same mistake…twice?)
Amy and Chikorita: Pleeeeeease?
Grovyle: …Okay. I'll go. I have no choice.
He runs off into the forest.
Celebi: Be careful, Grovyle… (Please be safe…)
It was already afternoon, maybe even evening on Planet Chozodia, but the thick trees of the forest blocked out the sun's rays and made it seem even darker. I kept tripping over roots and rocks and crashing into tree branches and swarms of tiny little alien insects, but I didn't stop. Not when HE could catch up to me at any moment.
"Wait!"
That was his voice. I sped up even more despite the stitch cramp that was suddenly growing in my side.
"Wait up!"
Yeah, right. Stop for him to kill me? Not likely.
"I didn't know who you really were! I'm sorry!"
What was he talking about?
"That wasn't really me back there! I'm sorry I thought you were Queen X!"
I skidded to a halt, stunned. "You know Queen X?" I asked.
WHAM! He crashed into me, and we tumbled down a sudden slope. Ow ow ow ow ow. The pain! The pain! It was like being in a barrel roll, but with dead leaves and twigs. But I suddenly realized it was probably a trick. Maybe he shouted that line on purpose. Maybe it was his trap to kill me. I couldn't take any chances. As soon as we crashed on the bottom of the slope, I scrambled to my feet and took off running again.
"Where are you going?" he shouted after me.
"Away from you, you murderer!" I shouted back.
I heard him stop for a second, and then I heard him leap to the tree branches at the top. Aw, man. Now he would slash me from above where I couldn't see him. Either the Leaf Blade, or worse, the Guillotine. I was so screwed.
"That was just a reflex, I swear! Seriously, I didn't expect that you actually wrote everything that happened to us! It was a stupid thing to kill you for!"
Now he tells me? Before I could respond, he slashed at me from behind and pinned me to the ground. At least, I thought it was him, until I heard a deep, rumbling growl from behind my head and saw drool splatter down next to my face. Gross!
"HEY! Leave her ALONE!" shouted Grovyle. Then the creature behind me was kicked off me and into a tree. I scrambled to my feet and saw him fighting a beast three times his size. The creature was a four-legged canine beast with gray pale, translucent flesh, three long, hooked claws on each leg, a mouthful of sharp teeth dripping with some kind of purple ooze, and no eyes. It looked like a combination of a Vulpimancer from Ben 10 and some vague alien from one of the Metroid Prime games; only I wasn't sure which one. And this whole scene reminded me of something...was it from that Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, or what...?
Grovyle tore at the beast, taking it down in several Leaf Blade strikes. But it was all a diversion, because right then, from behind me, at least two more of the beasts tackled me, pinning me to the ground, and this time, one of them chomped onto my right arm.
"AAAAAAGH!" I shouted. The pain was intense, and burned like a fire. I was sure I would die horribly in the next two seconds, but ten seconds passed, and nothing happened. What were they waiting for?
I opened my eyes. Turned out that Grovyle managed to take on the whole lot at once. His lightning-fast reflexes and agility allowed him to dodge the beasts, and his super-accurate Leaf Blades hit them all in their weak points. Before long, all ten (!) of those beasts were finished. I stared in amazement and disbelief. Did Grovyle…just save me? Did he really…have a change of heart?
He turned to face me. I gasped. His eyes had a fierce, sharp, lizard-like glow in them, almost like when Guilmon smelled another enemy Digimon nearby, only worse. Much worse. I staggered back, away from him. It was way worse than the time he wanted me to look at him when he was talking. I panicked, and ran away, my arm throbbing the whole time. Why didn't the pain ever go away?
As I ran, I admonished myself. I couldn't believe I ever looked up to him. How could I be so naïve? Did I really think I could gain his trust? THE super-famous misunderstood hero Grovyle's trust? I was an idiot. He hated me from the start. I would never, ever, in a million years, ever be friends with him, no matter how badly I wanted to.
Dark-blue thunderclouds quickly form on the horizon as the sun sets. A few drops of rain fall. Suddenly, an alarm blares all around the Chozo village.
Amy: AAAH!
Chikorita (panicking): What is it? What's that sound?
Old Bird: It is the weather alarm. See the sky? A flash thunderstorm is coming in.
Amy (also panicking): A flash thunderstorm? Wh—when will it come?
Gray Voice: Flash thunderstorms come within five minutes. And once they come…they last for eight hours, and in this case, the whole night. Follow us.
Team Pecha, Celebi, and Samus follow Old Bird and Gray Voice back home. Right when they close the door, Amy sees, through the window, a blue-green translucent dome suddenly rise from a hidden underground ring surrounding the village.
Chikorita: WAAH! What IS that?
Old Bird: That is our Weather Shield. Flash thunderstorms harbor winds up to 350 miles per hour, which would completely destroy our homes. We can only afford to let a few raindrops through, and keep the rest of the storm out.
Amy: Will Little Amy and Grovyle…be able to walk through that thing?
Gray Voice (suddenly grave): …No. No one comes in or out when our Weather Shield is up.
Amy (dismayed): No…no…!
The two of them start crying hopelessly.
Old Bird: Do not be afraid, children. I am sure that whatever happens, they will be fine.
Samus: I can't go through either, can I?
Gray Voice: I am afraid not, Samus.
Samus (sarcastically): …Joy.
Samus turns off her Power Suit, goes upstairs, chooses the bed on the right in the guest bedroom (there are three beds total), and conks out. Adam goes into sleep mode outside.
Old Bird: How about going to bed upstairs, children? I am sure you will see them in the morning.
Amy and Chikorita (wiping their tears away): O—Okay…
Celebi: I'm not tired at all…but fine.
Amy and Chikorita also find the guest bedroom and pick a bed next to the window. Since the bed is big enough for a human 8 feet tall, they both get on. Celebi picks the middle bed. They try to sleep, but constant worrying keeps them awake until they can finally conk out too. Finally, just Old Bird and Gray Voice are left awake downstairs. The two elders then discuss things.
Gray Voice: …Old Bird? How do you know that the girl and the boy—no, the young man—will survive? You do know that if the girl dies...the whole universe will die too, and this time, there will be nothing we can do.
Old Bird: I have faith in the young man's character. Just one look in his eyes before he left…and I could tell that he would protect the girl no matter what.
Gray Voice: …You have always been a good judge of character, Old Bird. Very well. I trust you. After all, you were correct about the newborn, too.
Old Bird: Yes, Gray Voice. I know that, just as Samus Aran will one day bring our civilization back…those two will survive the night. No matter what happens.
He holds a tablet with a drawing on it that looks like a 3-year-old scribbled on it, and silently vows to give it back to Samus in the morning.
I kept on running, even as it became darker and darker. The agonizing pain in my right arm wouldn't go away. In fact, I could swear it was getting worse. I was beginning to feel more and more faint. Several times, I stumbled when I clearly shouldn't have. I could feel my strength rapidly draining away. At least it wasn't my writing arm. But I couldn't help get paranoid that it was just like a Flamethrower from a Houndoom; once it burns you, the pain would never go away. But that was physically impossible…right?
Furthermore, I haven't heard Grovyle all this time. Maybe the battle wore him out so much that he could no longer catch up. Good for me. I didn't want to be anywhere near Homicidal Man. Once again, I crashed into a tree that I couldn't see because of the darkness, and I had to slow down so it wouldn't happen again. I then began to realize that I was completely, totally, and in all ways, lost. How could I get back to the Chozo village? What the heck was I thinking? I looked up at the sky. It shouldn't have gotten so dark so fast. I had my answer. A mass of intimidating dark-blue clouds was gathering all over the sky, blocking out what little was left of the sunset. A clap of thunder made me jump. I began to panic as the enormity of the situation took hold of me.
I was lost in the middle of a thick forest on an alien planet in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night with a burning pain in my right arm that was getting worse by the minute, and a massive alien thunderstorm was coming my way.
"Jeez! Finally, you slow down!"
I sprinted again as I remembered why I undertook this insane venture in the first place: to get the heck away from Homicidal Man.
"Wait, wait! I just want to be friends again, I swear!"
I turned around and snapped at him, gritting my teeth. "My dad always told me that a true friend who really cared about me would never try to kill me, you murderer! NEVER!" That was true. I once ended up getting so mad I merely hit my brother once, and my mom and dad practically exploded at me. It was a truth my whole family taught me, one that I would never forget.
I thought I saw a pained look on his face, but I immediately turned around and ran even faster.
Hours passed. Or at least it felt like hours. It was probably only 30 minutes. But by then, I couldn't hear Grovyle anymore again, so I slowed down. The rain was soaking me. Another clap of thunder sounded, this time much closer. And a bolt of massive purple lightning split the sky, crashing somewhere close by. I jumped. The pain was even worse than before. Finally, drained of energy, I couldn't take it anymore. I quickly located a tiny cave underneath a side in a hill and crawled in. I tried to put pressure on my arm to relieve the pain, but it didn't work at all.
In the minutes that passed, several bolts of purple lightning illuminated the forest, and I swear some landed even closer. My heart raced. I shivered. I'll admit it; one of my worst fears ever was a bolt of lightning skewering me. Hopefully, this cover was enough, but I suspected that the lightning actually jumped and bounced around upon impact. Maybe one would get lucky, and…
"There you are! No wonder I couldn't find you!"
I gritted my teeth. Great. Just great. If it wasn't electrocution, it had to be Homicidal Man. Stupid alien purple lightning like from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. He must've found me from its illumination. I was a sitting duck here. Trapped in this little alcove, scared by the storm, wracked with excruciating burning pain, and almost out of energy, I was easy prey. One slash and that would be it. I heard his footsteps approach. I shut my eyes.
I felt him pull my burning arm up. He wanted to start with the one that hurt the most, huh? I tensed even more, which in retrospect was probably a bad idea since tense muscles snap more easily, and therefore equaling more pain. But I didn't care. I was too scared.
He gasped. "You're poisoned! Why didn't you tell me?" Oh, so that's what it was. Poisoning. I've never been poisoned before, so no wonder I didn't know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell Homicidal Man here.
"You're still alive, right? Hang in there! Eat this!" Letting my arm drop to the ground, he pried my jaws open and shoved something in my mouth. I kept trying to spit it out, convinced it was a poisonous mushroom or something, but he finally shoved it in far enough for me to taste the flavor.
It was sweet.
Really sweet.
So sweet, in fact, that I couldn't chew and swallow it fast enough. I finally snapped my eyes open and said, "That was great! What was that?"
He sighed in relief. "A Pecha Berry. Amy Vee Purima loved these. Want some more?" He held up another.
"Yeah yeah yeah!" I scrambled up and ate them all. So good! They were way better than any strawberry cake with strawberry icing and chocolate chip cookies with 1% milk AND cookies-and-cream ice cream I ever tasted combined, and considering how they were my most favorite foods in the whole world, that really said something! It suddenly occurred to me that I was already this far into the adventure and yet I'd never eaten a single Pecha Berry before. I then remembered why I didn't try one.
"Wait, Grovyle. Aren't Pecha Berries Pokémon food only?"
He placed a claw on my forehead. "Judging by how your fever's going down, I'd say it's working for you too."
Fever?
I had a fever?
I was flabbergasted. He knew I had a fever…and tried to cure it? "I don't get it…Why are you helping me all of a sudden? I thought you were going to kill me. Literally."
"I thought I told you. I found that none of this was your fault. It was all mine. Of course I'd save your life. Look, I'm really sorry I tried to kill you. It was wrong." He sighed. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I swear…name it."
My mind froze. Conflict raged in my head. He said the exact same thing as Samus. "I…I don't know. I really want to forgive you. I really do…but…somehow, I can't…" Tears came to my eyes. I really did want to forgive him, but my personal moral code was stronger. How could anyone who tried to kill me ever be called a friend?
Suddenly, a flash of purple lightning blasted the ground in front of us, and the resulting clap of lightning blasted our eardrums. I shouted in dismay and curled into a ball.
He asked me, "What's wrong? It's just thunder and lightning."
"I—I—I can't stand it…" I whimpered. "Don't let it hit me! PLEASE!"
Some sort of recognition flashed across his face. He looked up, glared with a kind of determination, and stepped out. The flashes of lightning created a stark, albeit heroic, chiaroscuro look to him; very much like that famous scene when I saw him for the first time in my Explorers of Time game. (I think it was at the end of Chapter 3: The Scream.) He then shouted right at the wind and rain, "So it's you and me again, huh? Well? Well? Bring it on! What more can you take from me? How could you possibly drive me any lower? C'mon! Give me your best shot, you stupid force of nature! You can take away everything that ever mattered to me, but you will NEVER hurt her so long as I live! You hear me? NEVER!"
I remembered hearing a few similar lines from The Incredibles, but the true significance of his declaration to the storm hit me when I realized that he was also referring to the fateful day that the storm at sea tore him and Amy Purima apart. That girl lost her memories, and their friendship was never the same again.
Just then, the most powerful bolt of purple lightning emerged from the sky and hit Grovyle straight on. "GWWWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" he shouted in absolute anguish. The intense heat from the lightning washed over me like a furnace. In that moment, I remembered that it was exactly like the time Dusknoir lured Grovyle into the Icicle Forest to zap him with this type of electricity that could melt his soul away. The sight of the torture lasted for several seconds, almost permanently frying the image in my head. I realized that could've been me…and if it was me, I would've surely died…but he took the blast for me instead.
And in that moment, in the midst of all three of those memories from the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, I realized that Grovyle really did undergo a complete 180-degree turnaround in his personality.
Thankfully for me, I didn't have to push him out. It ended just like that. "Grovyle!" I shouted, quickly dragging him back inside. "Are you okay? Say something! Please!"
He managed to crack an eye open. "I'm supposed to be the one…protecting…you…" he choked out. Amazingly, he then staggered back up and faced the outside again. "We'll get through this. I won't let this storm hurt you like it hurt me, if it's the last thing I do! I promise I'll always protect you…I promise I'll never hurt you again…Amy! I promise!"
At that exact moment, my heart leapt with joy higher than any other time in my whole entire life. All because of one simple fact. He called me "Amy"—by my real name—for the very first time.
Old Bird plays a mysterious instrument. It's an ocarina; only it makes a sound that can only be heard in dreams. Gray Voice hums an ancient Chozo lullaby that surprisingly sounds like the song You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins. It translates to something like this:
[Come stop your crying, it will be all right
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you from all around you
I will be here, don't you cry]
Samus: (*sigh*…It's been so long…since I've last heard this. Thanks, Father…)
Chikorita: (This is the most beautiful song I've ever heard!)
Amy: (I wish I could sing something like this someday!)
Apparently, it was a song that they played all the time when Samus lived with them a long time ago. It calms everyone who hears it, including a certain person deep in the forest in the midst of the storm.
[For one so small, you seem so strong
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm
This bond between us can't be broken
I will be here, don't you cry]
Me: (I know this song! Is this a dream? Either way…I hope it never ends…)
Old Bird and Gray Voice sense that Samus, Chikorita, and both Amys have all completely relaxed, and so prepare to end their song.
['Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart…always]
The next thing I knew when I opened my eyes was that the storm had passed. No wind, rain, thunder, or lightning. I tried pushing myself up, but couldn't. I thought back to my dream with that song from Tarzan. But I didn't think it was a normal dream. The song felt so real. So real, that it completely relaxed my nerves. And nothing could make my nerves relax after lighting struck that close. I was tempted to fall back asleep, but then I felt a mysterious weight on my back, pinning me down.
It was Grovyle.
My efforts to get up must've startled him awake. I reassured him, "The storm's over, Grovyle. We can go back."
"Wha—huh? Oh yeah, I knew that. I stayed awake the whole time until it was over. Really long storm. Must've been about six hours or so."
My jaw dropped. "You stayed awake the whole time?" True, I couldn't fall asleep with loud thunder nor this sticky lumpy moss bed, but it lasted so long, and the thunderstorm quieted down, so I eventually had to.
He slid off and stepped outside. It was still dark, but a little lighter than usual. "Yeah. C'mon. How do you feel?"
I sat up, crawled outside, stood up, and suddenly had to clutch my head. "A little weird…but nothing I can't—OW!" The bite wound on my right arm suddenly ruptured and emitted a shot of pain across my side, making me collapse onto the forest floor.
"Gotcha." He then picked me up, and I almost yelped in surprise. "Let's go."
"Wha—!" Before I could argue, he charged and sped us through the forest now wet with dewdrops and saturated with new humidity. I was more speechless by his strength. How much did this guy weigh, only 48 pounds? Yet he had to have the strength to carry stuff at least 2.5 his weight to lift me, and judging by how fast he still was, I suspected he could bench-press up to 10 times his own weight. Jeez, did this guy really lift weights or something in his spare time? And if he could carry me this easily, how come he once complained that Chikorita was too heavy? Maybe he didn't trust her very much back then…but still!
Once again, I was experiencing another Tarzan-esque ride. There were several times when he threw me into the air, and I was scared stiff that he wouldn't catch me, but he always did. I admired the guy. He really did have mad skills. No wonder Big Amy and Chikorita had so much fun with him.
Speaking of Tarzan, I also realized that elements from the movie were a common theme along my friends. Both Amy Purima and Samus' parents had been brutally murdered, leaving them the last of their kind, just like Tarzan. Both of them ended up becoming kick-butt fighter girls who eventually managed to defeat the original murderers, just like Tarzan. And…well, Chikorita and Grovyle were Grass-types who could navigate a jungle expertly, just like Tarzan. But most importantly was the sense of family and friendship that they'll never give up searching for…and neither will I. I thought about that kind of stuff along the whole ride.
Finally, he tired out and had to slow down. I suggested that I could walk, but he insisted that he continued carrying me simply because 1) he already knew the way back, 2) we weren't far, and 3) I was so dead tired, it wasn't even funny. The sky began to lighten in the east, just like on Planet Earth…and Portania, for that matter. "Look, Grovyle!" I pointed. "It's the sunrise!"
The beauty of the sun, so familiar, yet so new on this alien planet, never ceased to take our breaths away. How long had it been since I last seen a sunrise? We were in the dark future—I mean, Big Amy's memories—for so long, I was beginning to forget.
"I never, EVER took the sunrise for granted. Not one day in two years," he whispered. Looking into his eyes as they gazed into the distance, I realized right then that he meant way more than that. I was right. He never did get over his heartbreak for Team Pecha. That's why he never took it for granted—because it always reminded him of them. On one hand, I was delighted to find that I could finally make an AP English-level analysis on something someone said, yet on the other hand, I was mad at myself for taking that long to figure it out. He then interrupted my thoughts with a question. "What about you, Amy? Are sunrises on your planet the same as ours?"
"They're the same…but different, too," I explained.
"Different? How?"
"Well, on Planet Earth, the sun always rises in the east. Every day. Always, always, always. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, it will always rise in the east, guaranteed. See, back on Earth, it was impossible for the planet to be paralyzed. There were no Time Gears, nor a Temporal Tower. So almost everyone takes it for granted."
"I see…But a lot of Pokémon take it for granted too."
"But that was exactly why I loved your story. Even if it was a game, Grovyle, you taught me how things such as this sunrise, things that we take for granted, were among the most precious. I always wished I could write a sci-fi story like that. Because it made us Earthlings realize how precious the sunrise was in a way that wouldn't ever be possible on Earth. It made me look at the world so differently. See, to me, that's what sci-fi is all about—utilizing alien planets in order to for you look at your life in a way you wouldn't otherwise."
"Huh. You have an interesting way of looking at the world, Amy. I don't think I've ever met anyone who thought like that. Ever."
I had to explain what sci-fi was to him, of course. After that, we didn't say anything else for a long time. I was too busy turning the events of the past few days over and over in my mind. Finally, I had to ask, "You know, Grovyle, I've known you from TV shows and video games—I've even written about you!—but I'm still not sure if I really get you. Why was it that you hated me so much before, and now suddenly you don't?"
He thought for a moment before explaining. "You know…When I first saw you, I actually did want to get to know you better. I mean, come on! You were the first new human I've ever seen in…forever. But when I found out how much you were just like Amy Purima..." He sighed. "I guess I was disappointed that humans weren't as different from each other as I remembered them being. And when you seemed to know way more than you were letting on…well, then, I was worried you'd be another Dusknoir. Amy and Chikorita told me how much he hurt them, so I didn't want the same thing happening to us again. But at the same time, I didn't sense anything fake from you. Your kindness was real. I was so confused. I ended up following my cautious instincts, and pushed you away…If only I'd known that was what Queen X wanted me to do…and when Samus told me you were innocent all this time, I…I just wanted…to be…!"
Was he trying to blink away his tears? "I'm sorry. I have to be strong," he whispered to himself.
I quickly interjected, "Oh no! Don't be afraid of crying, Grovyle. There's no one here. Personally, I've always believed that those who cry their feelings out...are the ones who are the strongest on the inside. The people who say crying is for babies and wimps…they're wrong. They're the ones who're really not that strong."
With that, he unleashed everything he'd been bottling up, and yet he still managed to continue holding me up. "I get it now. I was wrong all along. You and Amy Purima are one and the same. You might be absurdly weak in battle…but you're a good person at heart. There's no way you could ever betray us. No matter how much suffering you might've put us through in your writing…you saw to it that we could all live happily ever after. I'm glad to have met you too, Amy. Can you…ever forgive me?"
I don't think Grovyle ever cried in his life before. Ever. Seeing him like this…it provided the proof for me that, once and for all, he would uphold his promise. He said he would never ever hurt me again. And this time, I finally believed him.
"…Yes, Grovyle. It took a long, long time…but I forgive you." It was too much. I started crying too
We watched the sun's rays peek through the trees, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. After my tears dried up, I sighed, took in a deep breath, and closed my eyes. Never, ever, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine I would live through a moment this magical in my life.
Old Bird shakes Samus awake upstairs.
Old Bird: Samus? Samus?
Samus: Wha—huh? Grandpa, what is it?
Old Bird: Here. Take this.
He hands her a stone tablet with a picture drawn in crayon. It's a picture of a little girl, two bird-creatures, and the sun in the upper-left-hand corner.
Samus: …! (This is…!)
Old Bird: Remember?
Samus: Yeah…It was so long ago...
Old Bird: You see? You and the girl are not so different after all. If you want to prove your sincerity to them, then maybe…just maybe…
He looks to Amy and Chikorita for emphasis, and Samus instantly understands. At this point, they also wake up from the noise.
Chikorita: Uugh…Wha—what's going on?
Samus and Old Bird walk right up to them and sit on the edge of their bed.
Samus: Puffball Girl—I mean, Amy Purima? Look.
Amy: Uugh…What IS that?
Samus: I drew it when Grandpa and Father took me to Planet Zebes for the first time. I was 3 years old.
Amy: …?
She takes the picture, blinks a few times, and then gasps as she realizes what it meant.
Amy (feeling bowled over): …! Samus, does this mean you…you…?
Samus: Yes. I was an artist too.
No more words need to be spoken. With that, they all hug each other and finally sincerely forgive Samus. Soon after that, they watch out the window as the Weather Shield deactivates and shrinks back into the ground. They then run to the edge of town to find Grovyle and the other Amy.
Finally, we arrived at the Chozo village. Old Bird, Gray Voice, and Samus all watched in contentment while Big Amy and Chikorita rushed up to meet me and leaped into my outstretched arms, overflowing with tears of joy and relief. Then Grovyle performed the final amazing thing. He put me down and hugged us all at the same time.
My chances were absolute zero. But against all odds…I had gained Grovyle's unconditional trust.
Forever.
To be continued…
Coming up next: Old Bird, Gray Voice, and the rest of the Chozo people welcome us into their warm, close-knit community. We meet a legendary Ylla for the first time, and learn how Planet Portania got its name. In fact, we learn everything, from Queen X's dastardly plan…to a surprising, mind-blowing truth behind my existence in this universe. What is it? Find out next time, in Answers, Part 1 of 2!