The journey through Dusk Forest was long for Grovyle and Dusknoir. Grovyle was beginning to grow anxious. They had been traveling through the forest for hours now, with absolutely no sign of either Dialga, or Celebi. Dusknoir wasn't helping either. "We're likely too late. If Dialga did come here..."

"Shut up, Dusknoir!" Grovyle said. He would refuse to believe Celebi would allow herself to be captured so easily. But his mind was like fireworks. Did Dialga come here? Did Celebi get chased down or captured? Or...had Celebi disappeared? Were Layne and Pyro successful?

Grovyle didn't feel any different, and the world was still dark. That couldn't be the reason...yet.

"I'm sorry, Grovyle, but perhaps she was already captured and taken away..." Dusknoir began.

"Dusknoir, I swear, if you do not get that conclusion out of your head-"

"Or..." Dusknoir said, "She sensed danger perhaps, and relocated herself. Because I never said it was impossible for her to outwit them. For all I know, she could be nearby, in hiding."

Grovyle didn't know if Dusknoir was being serious or just trying to regain possible lost trust in Grovyle right then and there, but Grovyle was focused elsewhere. The air here felt different than before. It was almost as if...something had been here before.

Did Celebi flee?

It was then that a Sabeleye laughed, and that got the attention of both Dusknoir, and Grovyle. Six Sabeleye ran in from the trees, and surrounded Grovyle and Dusknoir. This meant a lot of things. Dialga perhaps had been here now. And his absence from Temporal Tower proved he had went somewhere. But if he had come here...

Where was he?

The Sabeleye moved in on Dusknoir and Grovyle. Dusknoir cursed. "I knew it!"

"A trap." Grovyle said. "We were meant to come here! This new agent Dialga has...he's just as crafty as you, Dusknoir."

Dusknoir greatly disliked that and immediately rebuked, "I am Master Dialga's only agent! I will not let some second-rate agent Dialga has found ever replace me!"

The Sabeleye charged. Dusknoir's fury returned. He threw a Shadow Punch which landed swiftly on the first Sabeleye and Grovyle followed with a Leaf Blade on a second.

Grovyle and Dusknoir were indeed a deadly duo. It almost made Grovyle think that they would have faired greatly together had Dusknoir been with the Union all this time. Perhaps enough to be one of the council members. Grovyle shook that thought away immediately. He could not afford to think such ways of Dusknoir. Dusknoir was still technically his enemy, and once Dusknoir had what he wanted, chances were very likely that he would resume with Grovyle, their old hatreds.

But for now, they continued to fight.

And they as usual, drove off the Sabeleye. Dusknoir however, as last time, caught one of the Sabeleye. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Please!" The Sabeleye said, "Loosen your grip!"

"I will not!" Dusknoir said. "You're not going anywhere!"

Grovyle came over, "You better start talking! What happened to Celebi?"

Grovyle was now very worried. He and Celebi were...old friends. He owed so much to her. He would not let her be taken away from him so easy. Grovyle...wasn't sure why he was thinking such things, but perhaps things were different.

Back in the past, Layne saw he had made more friends than simply Pyro. Before he and Pyro went to find the pattern, he noticed Layne was talking with another Buizel. A female...

Did Layne show such feelings toward her...of affection? Did Grovyle perhaps...share those feelings with Celebi?

Who knew...probably not. But perhaps Celebi did...

"Ce-Celebi is gone..." the Sabeleye said shaking.

"Where?" Grovyle demanded.

"M-Master Dialga...is pursuing her...they ran to the Frozen Island."

"You mean the solitary island to the south?" Dusknoir asked. "Is that where Dialga ran off to?"

"Y-yeah!" The Sabeleye shouted in fear.

Dusknoir with a shout of frustration, threw the Sabeleye, and the Sabeleye ran to catch up with it's friends.

"The Frozen Island. Is this perhaps a different land?" Grovyle asked Dusknoir.

"You know not of it?" Dusknoir asked. "It used to be called Blizzard Isle due to it's rash nature of intense weather. However, due to the paralysis of time, it's become much hard to get to. In order to reach it, we'd have to travel across space."

"Space?" Grovyle asked. "Just how do you suppose we do that?"

He knew Palkia had aided them before, but he had no clue on how to contact Palkia. The only time he'd even seen Palkia was when he and Giratina had distracted Dialga long enough for them to travel back to the past. But...

"Do not worry." Dusknoir said. "If we follow the cliff south from here, there is a pokémon by the name of Porygon that can travel us across space."

"Porygon..." Grovyle said. Something about those pokémon didn't sit right with him, but perhaps that was just him.

Dusknoir didn't say a thing, but he stopped and looked at his hands.

"What's wrong?" Grovyle asked.

Dusknoir paused but put his hands down. "It's nothing... I feel...like I've regained strength in my arms, suddenly..."

Grovyle wouldn't deny that. Dusknoir's power was indeed growing by the minute. The injuries both had suffered in the past seemed like it happened so long ago...but...

Dusnoir laughed. "My strength...is returning..."

Grovyle said nothing. He was actually beginning to worry some. If Dusknoir was indeed feeling the strength return in his arms, then there was a chance that Dusknoir would possibly turn against Grovyle. He had said he wouldn't do such a thing, but Dusknoir still...was unpredictable. Who was to say he wouldn't turn on Grovyle and bring his body to Dialga for a chance of redemption?

A couple hours later, Dusknoir and Grovyle were walking through the cliffs. The cliffs were barren and pretty beaten. Grovyle wasn't so sure how these Porygon that Dusknoir had talked about would react to them. With hostility? Respectfully?

Grovyle had very few experiences with Porygon, and though it didn't know most moves or abilities that certain pokémon knew, it was not to be underestimated. Grovyle had a close call once because of this pokémon. But perhaps that wasn't the reason they sat so shaky with him. Their origins of this world were unknown. Rumor had it that these pokémon were man-made. Made by humans. Grovyle knew that Layne wasn't the only human to visit this world, but...had humans perhaps come here and introduced a pokémon here, or even made it here? The idea sat wrong with Grovyle, simply because it reminded him of the way Layne had described humanity. Layne had not denied the good that humanity was capable of, but it just seemed that the bad outweighed the good.

Who knew what man was thinking when making such a pokémon. Were they capable of making monster pokémon, bred only for battle? Worse than Dusknoir? Worse than Primal Dialga?

"There's a couple..." Dusknoir said.

Grovyle sighed, and said, "Do you think they'll resist?"

"Absolutely not." Dusknoir said. These Porygon are well acquainted with me. They will not resist."

"What about the new agent? What if he gave them orders to take us on sight?"

"Then we will give them reason to work with us." Dusknoir said. "Come on."

They entered the sights of the strange polygon pokémon and they saw Dusknoir, and were taken by fear almost immediately.

"M-Master Dusknoir!"

"Yes." Dusknoir said. "Me. It's been a while. The reason I've come here is quite simple really. You know what I am going to request."

The Porygon looked at each other. "Well, you see...that's...difficult."

"Oh?" Dusknoir asked. "Why so?"

"We're being held back by the Sabeleye."

"The Sabeleye are here?" Dusknoir asked.

"Yes..." Porygon said. "And...behind you...is-"

"Are you saying you won't listen to me?" Dusknoir asked. "I know damn well who is behind me! Grovyle and I are traveling together! Now transport us, immediately!"

The Porygon shook in fear and said, "Okay! You win! We'll do it!"

"Good." Dusknoir said. "Very good. Grovyle! Step up here."

The Porygon parted and faced both Dusknoir and Grovyle. "Don't move." They said. "We'll transport you both to the Frozen Island."

Grovyle relaxed himself and felt his body materialize. He closed his eyes, and suddenly...he felt very cold. He opened his eyes to see Dusknoir materialize next to him.

"Here we are..." Dusknoir said. "As I said before, this was once called Blizzard Isle, but because of the darkness and time's paralysis, it's become very severe here. We must be wary. The temperatures here, though time has stopped, can become very harsh to us."

"So where do we go?" Grovyle asked. "If Dialga is here, where would he-"

Grovyle never finished.

Coming in their direction, were three pokémon he had never seen before. They saw the two and froze in fear.

"What...who are they?" Grovyle asked.

Dusknoir said, "Snorunt. They are one of the few species that live around here."

The Snorunt began to turn and leave in peaceful fear, but Grovyle stopped them. "Wait!"

The pokémon's tongue confused Grovyle and he didn't know exactly what they said, but they stopped at least. Grovyle thought to himself, then approached and knelt down to them and said, "I have to ask something. If you live here, as my companion says you do, you should have noticed if anyone other than us came through here recently. Did you see anyone?"

The Snorunt chattered amongst themselves in their own language. Grovyle suddenly wished Layne were here. He had a gift for understanding them. He said Palkia had granted him such a gift, and perhaps he would have known what they said. Maybe. Just maybe.

"If you've noticed anyone, anything at all, please tell me." Grovyle said, hoping they would understand. "This is really important."

The Snorunt then began to chatter excitedly, and had an expression that gave Grovyle some hope. "Did you understand what I'm asking?" Grovyle asked.

However, instead of an answer, as he expected, the Snorunt suddenly got angry and attacked Grovyle with an ice attack. Grovyle, being a grass type, did not do well with Ice moves, and felt freeze burn on his right upper arm, and it didn't help that it was already very cold.. He looked up as he had fallen, and saw them laughing and running off merrily.

"Bah!" Grovyle simply said. "No help at all! They were just raising my hopes for nothing!"

Dusknoir was laughing. "Very smooth, Grovyle. You certainly have a way with pokémon."

"Can it, Dusknoir." Grovyle said.

"Relax, Grovyle. We both know that the attitudes of pokémon living here are warped and changed. I actually suspect you'd have more experience with this than I."

Grovyle sighed and stood up. "Perhaps."

"Still," Dusknoir said. "I don't really know where it would be best to go. My only guess is that we follow this path that lies ahead of here. That's my best guess."

Grovyle said nothing.

Dusknoir also said, "I also suspect that the Sabeleye, if they are indeed here, as the Porygon said, they will have laid out traps here, so we must proceed with absolute caution."

"I see." Grovyle said. "But the ones we just met...those Snorunt. If we see them again...!"

Dusknoir laughed. "Calm yourself, Grovyle. They may poke fun at you, but they most likely mean no harm." Dusknoir laughed some more heartily. And that laugh made Grovyle feel uncomfortable. It just wasn't like Dusknoir to laugh heartily like that...

Dusknoir was also thinking a bit on how Grovyle could just be so innocent sometimes. Perhaps that was why his heart was not influenced by the power of the world's darkness, like other pokémon were. Who knew...

The walk through the Frozen Land was not one Grovyle would wish to endure again. The temperatures of the land did indeed get harsh, and had Dusknoir not gave some encouraging words, much to Grovyle's surprise, then Grovyle probably would have given in to the cold of the frozen mountains they were now hiking through. This was not easy for him. His leaf bladed arms were starting to get unhealthily hard. And though this journey was a bit perilous, they were making time.

"It would seem the trail heads down this set of mountains from here." Grovyle said.

"Then this should be much easier." Dusknoir said.

They continued, when something caught Dusknoir's eye. A floating ice boulder above Grovyle...was starting to shake unstably! And then suddenly it came plummeting down! "Grovyle! Above you!"

Grovyle looked up, "What?"

Dusknoir jumped at Grovyle and...shoved him out of the way! Grovyle recovered and saw Dusknoir face down. "D-Dusknoir!" He wasn't sure he would believe he said the next words that came out of his mouth. "Are you okay?"

Dusknoir sat up with some difficulty. "I'll be fine..." he said. "I've experienced much more injuring things than that."

"You protected me." Grovyle said. "Why?"

"Nevermind that. Here they come..." Dusknoir said.

"Who?"

Suddenly a familiar chattering came into Grovyle's ears. The Snorunt?

No...

Suddenly, four ice pokémon, unlike anything Grovyle had ever seen before came into view. All wore a fearsome look of hostility. "What...what are these things?" Grovyle asked.

"Glalie..." Dusknoir said, still crouching. "They are very talented in their power with ice."

"That would perhaps explain the falling ice boulder!" Grovyle said.

"Perhaps...but looking at them," Dusknoir said as the Glalie closed in with a look of hostility at the two pokémon strangers, "It would seem that the darkness has influenced them so much, they've lost all control over their former selves. They're now more vicious."

The Glalie made a sound that only made Grovyle stand tall. "Then we will take them on!"

"You think they are the only ones, Grovyle?" Dusknoir said.

"What do you mean?" Grovyle asked.

Suddenly, a roar unlike anything Grovyle had ever heard sounded. Footsteps began to be felt in the snow beneath him. And a huge mammoth-pig-like pokémon came crashing down.

"That's a-" Grovyle began.

"Yes." Dusknoir said. "A Mamoswine. One of the most strongest ice pokémon known to our world."

"Think we can take them?" Grovyle asked.

Dusknoir stood up. "What are those words you once told me? They won't find us, easy prey." Dusknoir said.

Grovyle smiled to that. Perhaps Dusknoir wasn't such a bad traveling companion after all. "Then, let's show them this won't be our final fight."

Two Glalie charged forth first. To both Dusknoir and Grovyle, the Glalie weren't much of the fighters. Glalie were evolved forms of Snorunt, apparently. And those Snorunt from earlier didn't seem much like fighters. It was the same way here. The Glalie seemed a bit more confident knowing that a Mamoswine was there. And the Mamoswine roared and charged the two pokémon, it's tusks ready to stab both pokémon. As far as Dusknoir was concerned, stabbing wasn't that big a deal to him. For Grovyle however, he would have to get out of the way, which he easily did.

As far as how to defeat such a creature, Grovyle had to think fast. If the Glalie were confident because of the Mamoswine...

"We have to find a way to bring Dusknoir down! Without Dusknoir, the Sabeleye will be helpless, and left afraid!"

"And they'll run..."

"Exactly..."

That was it! The same strategy they had used in the Hidden Land! If Mamoswine could be brought down, then the Glalie would be left afraid and helpless!

"Dusknoir! We have to bring down the Mamoswine!"

Dusknoir punched away a Glalie. "How do you suppose we do that?"

Grovyle smiled and leaped up and ran up the back of the Mamoswine. The Mamoswine felt him on it's back and began to thrash, hitting some of the Glalie, or the wall. Grovyle struggled to keep hold. Dusknoir kept the Glalie at bay, and the Glalie were trying to attack Grovyle, but Dusknoir made sure they didn't get to him. Grovyle was once again reminded about how skilled Dusknoir really was as a fighter sometimes. He began to unleash Leaf Blade attacks into the back of it's head. He then charged up an Energy Ball and fired it in the back of the Mamoswine. The Mamoswine shrieked in pain, and stood for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Then it collapsed. Grovyle rode it on the way down, and landed easily.

As predicted, the Glaie saw what had happened to Mamoswine, and ran off within seconds.

"Looks like we drove them away." Grovyle said.

Dusknoir then collapsed again. "Good..." he said. "That chunk of ice is still giving me trouble..."

Grovyle looked around and spotted a small cave not far from where they stood. "Dusknoir, perhaps it would be best if we hid for now. There's a small cave over there, can you move?"

"I'll manage," Dusknoir said. Grovyle then came over and helped him up. "I didn't ask for your help," Dusknoir said.

Grovyle said, "Be thankful for it. I didn't ask you to take that chunk of ice in my place."

Grovyle and Dusknoir sat in the cave. Grovyle was wishing again that Layne was with him. There was very little firewood here, but Layne at one point had surprised Grovyle by making fire with a simple thing he called flint. Pyro had once activated them as well at one point accidentally in an area they had once rested at. But now, there was no option for fire.

The thought of Layne made Grovyle once again think of the mission. It had been a while. Was everything going well? Did Layne and Pyro complete the mission yet?

Grovyle didn't think so. The changes had yet to show. But once they did, things would be noticeable. Very quick he guessed.

They wouldn't rest here long, because chances were the Sabeleye knew they were here, which meant this new agent and Dialga also knew. So...they could only rest briefly here.

Dusknoir looked at Grovyle. Truly during his time with him, Dusknoir had noticed his amazing judgement and leadership abilities. It was no wonder he had made it through so many tough situations with Layne and Pyro back then. His strength and endurance as well, his will was strong, and Grovyle no longer believed in failure.

"Dusknoir," Grovyle asked again, "When the ice chunk started to fall for me, why did you do what you did?"

"It's a misunderstanding, Grovyle." Dusknoir said. "Don't even start to think I'm becoming friends with you. Our old rivalries will always be a part of us. To be truthful, Grovyle, I really despise you. I didn't want to help you in any way."

"So why did you-" Grovyle began.

"Let me finish." Dusknoir said. "I still protected you, because as much as I don't wish to admit it, I need your strength right now. I need your strength to help take down this new Agent."

Grovyle crossed his arms, "Are you saying I should help you do that?" He asked. "Why should I do that?"

"This agent will be the final agent, to be sent to the past, Grovyle. Even if I hadn't asked you, you would have challenged him, or he would have a chance of stopping Pyro and Layne. But, I'm starting to think that in order to take him down, you and I will need to team up. Depending on the situation, we may even need to challenge...Master Dialga as well...which would be an ideal situation for you, I believe."

Grovyle sighed and looked out over the land. "How are your wounds from the ice chunk?"

"Nothing to worry about." Dusknoir said. "Compared to earlier, my strength has returned. The damage I had taken from the fight between you, Layne, Pyro, and I was much more intense."

Grovyle simply said, "Yeah, if you can complain like that, then you must be fine. We'll be heading out in a little while."

"Before we do, Grovyle, I have been wanting to ask." Dusknoir said.

"And what's that?" Grovyle asked.

"Grovyle..." Dusknoir began, "Why do you fight so hard like this? Before you said it was for the future, you said, you fought for a new life. But doing what you're doing, will force you to disappear. Your existence will end. Like you were never born at all. For me...I simply cannot bear that idea. I just can't allow myself to bear the idea of disappearing at will. With this all said, why do you strive for such a goal?"

Grovyle thought about the question. It was a fair thing to ask. Why did he strive for such goals as he did?

"Dusknoir," he began, "I understand you don't want to disappear. But me, this is what I truly think. Even if we were to disappear, even if I were to disappear...I wouldn't truly disappear."

"What do you mean?" Dusknoir asked.

"Everything ends eventually." Grovyle said. "Even if history is not changed, even if the darkness continues in it's current state, sooner or later, the day will come when I will die. To me, I'd rather my...death...if you want to call it that, have some meaning. The timing of it doesn't matter anymore. It's not how long you live, but it's what you accomplish with the life you live, in the time you're given, that's what's important.

Dusknoir looked deep in thought. "With my life..." he mumbled to himself.

"While I live," Grovyle said, "I will shine on. I will prove that I exist. If I could do something really important, that will carry on into the future." Grovyle paused, then said, "No. Not just into the future, but the future of Layne...and Pyro, too. My spirit has bonded with the both of them, I believe. In them, my spirit will live on. And it will be passed on to others as well. And so even if I do disappear, Dusknoir, all I have worked for to accomplish, alongside Celebi and Layne, will live on. This means, that though I am gone, my spirit in what I have done will live on. My legacy will be forever."

Dusknoir was silent. He looked deep in thought at Grovyle's words. Grovyle wasn't so sure, but he was feeling something he had not felt from Dusknoir before. A part of Dusknoir, that seemed to be...perhaps, understanding in areas. Was it possible?

Grovyle forgot about it for now and simply said, "We've rested enough. We should go."

Dusknoir got up, and said, "Very well. Let's go."