Chapter 7 - The Western Horizon
"No one ever said the future would be easy. But I think we all saw the glimmer of a dream, somewhere in the sky that night. The tiniest spark of hope that we could change our fate. Who could say? That moment has come and gone." Vanille – Final Fantasy XIII
[20:45PM] – 21st May – Kanto – Lucario
Somewhere on the edge of his consciousness his master was talking with the champion. Despite the hours of the evening Erika and Sabrina were running through the plans for the millionth time. Somewhere of to his right the Eeveelution morph and the electric mouse were talking quietly, while the illusion fox stalked around in circles.
But Lucario wasn't listening.
While some grounded part of his persona remained, trapped in his black furred body, his red eyes gleamed blue beneath his closed eyelids. Aura travelled along his veins like fire, burning and calling, screaming to him.
The world was blue and black and grey, shades of living aura mapping the planet's surface, like a never ending stream of consciousness. Over and under Lucario flowed, his ghostly body lighter than air, pure aura that flowed and rippled like a small un-diverted stream. His mind was the life stream and the aura stream was his mind.
Sitting on the edge of the rivers of aura Lucario let one foot paw trail through the blue stream, watching as it parted around his black paw. He tilted his head lazily on the side, watching, eyes bright as he searched for the objects his master sought.
Behind him several bright lights gleamed like fireflies in the relative blackness behind him. He had already covered that territory and his master had located the Gears as he had found them.
The jackal gazed down at the water –like surface, watching as images floated idly beneath it; turning, spinning gears of different, bright lights, reflecting aura so bright that even non users of the energy could see it. So bright… it triggered strange visions to those nearby. The jackal stood from his perch and walked, his feet skimming the water's surface before he took the plunge, wading waster deep through aura streams that parted around him. Around him images crackled like fire, burning on the water's surface.
"The planet's paralysis?"
"We have to stop Groyvle!"
The corners of his muzzle twitched at the heroes past. Two small, un-evolved Pokémon who forged a new friendship to overcome the dangers of the world… unites to save it from a far worse fate. Lucario vaguely wondered if the heroes past would be disappointed that the world had come to this…
"Umbreon? What is that…?"
Images of the spiky haired researcher and his black fox discovering the emerald green gem hidden in the forests leafy groves floated to the surface. Curiously, one spiked paw pushed the memory… record… thought… to the side, looking for more connections. The jackal mentally winced as he uncovered a stash of images, each one flashing across his mind like lightning.
Silver-Cold-Ice-Mountain-Reaching-Into-The-Sky – Wings
Emerald-Leaf-Viridian-Gary - Bug
Water-Bay-Three-Stone-Yellow-Gear-Diving-Drowning-Boat
Ice-Elite-Red-Hair-Cave-Water - Dark- Sea- Water
Burning-Volcano-Bird's-Fire-Scorching-Burning-Exploding
Electricity-Black-Fight-Steel-Wings-Energy-Power-Shadows
Colors-Pallet-Broken-Normal - Destroyed-Crumbled-Paint
Lucario stumbled away, trying to order the various images in his head but they span alarmingly over each other. Just like before…just like they always had and again he struggled to maintain his grip on reality.
Brown-Path-War-Trap-Earth.
Dark-Tunnel-Rock-Brown-Turning-Crushing-Crumbling-Red-Hair
God-Hand-Ice-Peak-Magnetic-Line-Northern-Skies
Black-Shadow-Vault-Blue-Hair-Pewter - Psychic
Ruined-Death-Death-Death-Indigo-Fall-Death- Dark
NO! Lucario closed his eyes, struggling to escape, trying to find some once of sense again. But the images flashed. Behind him, he was dimly aware of the known points of Gears fading into the melee of memories, visions and future actions surrounding the gears. Lucario wanted to scream or throw an aura sphere at someone.
Why him?
Gym-Burning-Erika-Gloom-Green-Life-Grass
Whirls-Caves-Wings-Afar-Deep-Skills
Marsh-Purple-Poison-Burning-Run-Flee-Poison-Ninja
Ice-Cold-Wings-Sea-Frozen-Caves
Ghost-Tower-Lilac-Crumbling-Falling-Ghostly-Spirits
Dragon-Clan-Cave-Elder-Fountain
With a growl Lucario shook himself out of the visions. His red eyes snapped open and he staggered backwards a few paces in the aura stream. He stared venomously at the spot he had been, a glowing blue aura of a Time Gear nestled underneath the flowing rivulets of blue.
Sometimes the jackal thought his Dimensional Scream was no more than a nuisance. His father had once caught him staring out at the setting sun as it illuminated the Time Gear his family had guarded in Orre, deep in a desert oasis with whirling pools of fresh spring water. He had been just a Riolu then.
"Father," he had asked. "Where do the Gears come from?"
The older Lucario would shake his head and sigh, "From the rising sun in the east,"
"How far east can you go?"
"Till you reach the other side and can't turn back,"
His youthful eyes had widened, as he held this piece of knowledge with awe.
How naïve he had been then.
Now Lucario paddled in the life streams, his aura sensors on the back of his head tingling. His red eyes gleamed, slight images still flashing behind his eyes.
He knew where all the gears were in a roundabout way. He always had. The flashes relating to each of the gears location were brief, from past, present and future. As he and his master progressed slightly the raven needed better, more accurate locations.
And that was Lucario's job, treading the aura paths until his dimensional scream ability activated. He examined the patch of streams in front of him, gazing down into the pool of water like aura, looking at the reflection of the city by the sea. A calm bay and shocking gym.
Lucario smiled. That was another location sorted. He shook his head to clear the images, curiously looking up and down the aura trails, trying to decide whether to return to reality or continue to find another gear. Pausing from his task he wafted a paw through a rivulet of blue, letting the aura run through him and memories trickle through his mind.
"The aura is with you," His father had said, setting him of on a journey to answer the call. "Always,"
The small Riolu had looked wistfully behind him, not sure that he really wanted to do this – to travel east to the rising sun. But something was tugging at his heart-soul-aura and he knew it was time to leave.
His father had told him it was the call of destiny, but the small Riolu didn't really believe him. The small pup wasn't really sure what to believe.
And before he had left his father had passed him a wrapped up package. Even through the brown paper the pup could sense the ticking-living-heart of a Time Gear. The gear of fighting.
"But won't time stop?"
The older Lucario shook his head, "Time has already stopped. Can you not feel the heavy silence? Moving the Gears will do nothing - but re-uniting them where the sun died will lift the deafening silence."
"Will… I ever see you again?"
And then his father had looked sad and regretful and not answered, but stepped back to let his mother fuss over him one last time.
Lucario sighed, opening his eyes from where he was paused is the aura streams. He examined his black paw curiously. Even then his fur had been a deep, mars black. He had been told he was special. He had been told that it was because of his ability. He had been told it was because he was linked to all, the aura in the world.
And now as he stared around at the world, crystallised in streams and rivulet of living energy he realised he had never doubted it.
Sighing the black jackal stood, dislodging more memories that flittered across his mind.
The long journey through the wastelands. The various friends he had met and the Pokémon he had encountered through the harsh deserts of Orre. Always heading east towards where the sun would rise.
But then he changed direction heading a point or two north. And faintly on the horizon he could see what he was looking for, a towering mountain reaching into the sky, snowy peaked, dividing a whole region in two. It looked like a giant hand, reaching up into the dark cloudy skies.
Fighting. The Gear that was held in his bag echoed faintly with the resonance of his type. And even fainter he could feel the pull of the type-he-would-become.
And later, on top of that vary same Snowy Mountain; he had never expected to find a man there, raven hair shaggy and still stained with blood, a small electric mouse curled up beside him in the ice and the snow and near death.
No.
Everything about the pair screamed 'wrong'. Just like his black fur something about them was off… something wasn't quite right. He had hovered around them for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. He checked their pulses – weak but steadily strengthening. The smell of death around them was fading, but never entirely leaving them.
The pair – man and human shouldn't be alive.
Whatever had happened to them was slowly reversing. Wounds were healing and blood was vanishing. Cautiously, following some strange instinct he held out his paws glowing blue to pulse a soft healing light over them.
Later he would realise how the pull that had called him to travel was the same that now bound him to this human. The same raven who after waking had somehow, known instantly what was contained in his bag. The man befriended him and then, with their destinies intertwined, they had together climbed the remaining of the peak to retrieve the steel grey gear nestled in the ice and the snow of Spear Pillar.
And over time Lucario had grown to trust the man, trust him with his life and by the time the two had journeyed south, to the town of the dragon and the gear nestled navy blue beneath the waterfall in the underground cavern it had seemed like they had always travelled together.
And before the jackal could even blink, the visions of their journey had passed, barely a millisecond passing. He paused, a sense of nostalgia overwhelming him before he shook himself out of the memories, closing his eyes as he prepared to return to reality.
[17:20PM] – 21st May – Saffron City – Outside Saffron Gym – Alley – Ash/Lance
The red haired champion pushed his way outside of the gym. Vaguely he felt annoyed since it had taken him all of three minutes to find the front door since he couldn't actually see the gym, just a load of ruined rubble but he hope Erika (what the hell was the Celedon Gym Leader doing here) and Sabrina (he hated that witch sometimes) would let him in.
He pushed the door open and sped up his pace, looking around for any sign of the vanishing raven. He had barely taken two steps before the breath was knocked out of him as he tripped over something, being sent stumbling forwards onto his hands and knees.
Despite how run down he was after running around Saffron for the day, his instincts were sharp as he turned around quickly, still lying on the ground but now facing his attacker.
Said attacker was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, hazel eyes trying very hard to remain emotionless staring over Lance's head. Lance froze, two hands behind him to support his weight, and he barely noticed the gravel that studded his palm.
Ash tried not to look at his old friend. He thought that either his eyes would give him away, pain and sorrow flashing within as they colour would change, or he'd probably burst into laughter at the way the elite had been sent flying forwards.
"Ash?" Lance choked out, trying not to sound to stupid. "What… what are you doing?"
The raven raised an eyebrow, "Currently, I am leaning against a wall, talking to you. If you mean what is my greater plan in life me and Erika plan to break into a Rocket Base and if you mean what am I doing standing here then the answer is I really don't know."
Lance struggled between gaping like a fish and smiling at the all too familiar tone. Instead he accepted the black gloved hand to pull him to feet and he brushed of his cape ruefully, "Sneaky trick," he commented, trying to avoid the real topic.
Ash shrugged, returning to his former position of leaning against the wall. Lance narrowed his eyes since said wall wasn't visible to him, giving the raven the impression of leaning against thin air.
Or thick air, he reasoned.
Lance's tone dropped, "How long?"
Ash's head tilted to one side, not knowing what he meant.
Resentment flooded up through the champion. "How long have you been running around letting us think you were dead? Don't you know what we've been through? Don't you know about what's been happening? Don't you know how cut up Misty was-"
"Shut up," Ash snarled, eyes flashing red and Lance narrowed his own eyes. "You don't understand. You wouldn't."
Lance repeated the question. "How long?"
Ash paused. "Three years minus a day or two or maybe a month. Who counts?"
Blue eyes widened, "Then… why… where…"
Ash, who had been meeting Lance's gaze squarely now turned away and the champion say the pain burning in the now brown gaze. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me,"
Still not meeting his gaze, Ash ran a hand through his black hair. "I'm dead. I died three years ago on that cliff, Indigo Plateau. You remember." Lance wasn't quite sure where the raven was going. "Then I find myself in Sinnoh, on top of Mount Coronet, Spear Pillar. Do you know the legends?"
Lance clenched his fists, more shocked than angry, "Arceus?"
"Something like that," Ash spat, venomously. "We've got a deal. A right down unfair one but it's a deal none the less. I fix time for him. I get to live a little longer,"
"A little longer?"
"The only reason I can live now is because time has stopped. We're not moving forwards and we're not moving back. I can exist in this plane for as long as it remains like this. However I've agreed to fix it and once time's back on track – I get left behind."
Lance struggled with the concept. "Then why even agree?"
"Because if it's was a choice of dying then or dying now, I'd choose now any day."
The champion ran a hand through his hair, eyes darkening. "So… if you've been around for three years trying to fix time why haven't… why haven't you made contact? We could have helped you! We could have found the Time Gears and at least got the chance to spend more time with you! Instead you leave us thinking you're fucking dead and mourning every time someone mentions your fucking name!" His voice was rising. "You think we can just deal with it and we'll be fine. Instead we have to deal with our own sorrows and Misty who won't speak or talk to-"
"That's why!" Ash interrupted his rant. "I come back, everybody's happy, then a few years later I have to die! It's bloody unfair and who do you think I am to make Mis-t" her name stuck in his throat and eyes flashed with sorrow. "Who do you think I am to make her go through losing me twice?" He repeated, voice deathly quiet.
Lance took a step back, "Oh," He muttered.
They paused, an awkward silence between them.
Then… "So you just stayed hidden – finding time gears?"
"Pretty much?"
"Why show yourself to me then? Why not leave me for the Rockets?"
"Because you're my friend – Time…or rather death doesn't change that. I wouldn't leave you there alone to fight those idiots." Ash looked up now, eyes now a pale green-grey. "I wasn't going to tell anybody, but then you followed my here. Va said we could use your help…uh… she's my Eevee."
Lance nodded slowly, and then stepped forwards towards Ash. He was still taller, but by an inch less than before. Slowly, almost cautiously, he rested the back of his hand against the place the raven's heart would be. He relaxed. Beating heart.
Ash raised an eyebrow, "What, did you think I was dead or something?" he commented sarcastically. Lance rolled his eyes stepping back.
"So…" he began. "Teleportation huh?"
Ash flinched.
Lance frowned, "That another package that comes with death?"
"No," The aura guardian shook his head. "I had that before. Ever since that incident with Team Rocket." Lance looked confused.
"Which incident?"
For the first time the man showed unease. "The amnesic incident – when I lost my memory. I…they…" (Can anyone see the irony? Lance forgot about the amnesic incident 'cos amnesic people lose their memories. Get it? …Oh never mind…)
Now Lance looked almost thunderous. "What?" If it was possible he was hating the Teams even more.
Ash sighed, looking up to meet Lance's gaze. They held steady for a few second before he dropped them, "Nothing,"
"Ash," Lance's voice dropped. "What did they do to you?"
Red eyed flashed, "Nothing," Ash shook hair out of his eyes, still not meeting the angry champions gaze, "What's done is done,"
There was another awkward silence.
"Uh…" Lance wasn't quite sure how to phrase this, "Your Eevee… I thought it was a Vaporeon,"
An dark smirk alighted on Ash's face. "She's a Vaporeon…sometimes…" He blinked. "Are we up to date now?"
"Uh…think so…wait you evolved Pikachu? And where did you get a black Lucario? And the Zorua?"
Ash resisted the urge to hit his face, "Pikachu had a bad reaction with a Light Ball and Thunderstone and a Zekrom. The Lucario was a Riolu we met on Mount Coronet who travelled with us. He has this ability which shows him visions relating to Time Gears. Zorua… we met her on our way outta' Sinnoh."
The vague answers seemed to further annoy Lance but he didn't want to spend the whole night out here questioning Ash. "I… think that's okay. Umm…I'd open the door except I don't know where it is."
Ash reached out a turned the handle, opening a door into the gym. It looked odd, a doorway in the middle of nothing. Leading into another world…another place. Maybe it would lead towards a better future or maybe Lance was over thinking. There was one thing he was certain of… he would find a way for his friend to live… a way out of his deal… a way to overcome the problems of the world and come out again…one happy group once more.
Ash would live.
Lance would make sure of that.
[17:45PM] – 21st May – Kanto – Pewter Base – Basement – The Vaults - Dawn/Brock
"Number 107711, Number 107712, 107713, 107714, 107715, 107716, 107717, 107718 – Finally! Brock – I've got the bloody vault!" Dawn waved energetically over to where the squint eyed man was looking at the other side. Dawn turned back to the wall of vaults. "Jeesh, how many vaults are there?" Behind her the dark skinned man shrugged.
As he fished a key from his pocket he said, "Probably around one hundred and seven thousand, seven hundred and eighteen." He guessed using the number on the vault he was unlocking.
"PipPipLup!" Dawn's small blue penguin chirped as it danced with a cotton rabbit along the long isle.
Dawn called after them, "Piplup! Buneary! Don't wander too far!"
Both Pokémon chirped their respective names but continued on their way.
"What was the pass code?" Brock asked as unlocking the first door led to another, this time with a combination lock.
Dawn squinted at the small piece of paper in her hands, "6-0-0-1-19-8," she read out. Her eyes flickered to the last three numbers but then Brock had opened the door. The blunette looked up, eager to see what was inside.
She was not disappointed.
Nestled on the top of piles of paper, was a gear, about ten centimetres across. Its colour was a soft, rosy hue that seemed to dance and flicker with life the pale pink fading from rose to a darker purple in places.
Dawn gasped, "It's beautiful!" She reached out and plucked it down from piles of paper. It glowed slightly at her touch and though she could feel energy bubbling within it, it remained silent and calm.
"Do you want me to contact Gary?" Brock asked. Dawn nodded. "Definitely," she chirped. "Tell him to come here."
Brock closed the vault looking nervously around. "I can't believe we're doing this - taking the Time Gear out on this random guy's orders." He scratched his hair nervously.
Dawn bit her lip. "I trust him Brock. I know him from somewhere… I know I do. I just can't remember where." She frowned as the two began to walk back towards the stairs. Behind her Piplup and Buneary ran along happily.
"We should talk to May," Brock advised.
Dawn smiled happily at him, "Good idea," she admitted, "Here, you hold this," She thrust the small Gear toward him. "See you in my office," she chirped, skipping off happily.
Brock stared after her, the cotton pants rabbit chasing her while Piplup just tilted his head confused. "Lup?"
Brock nodded, agreeing. "I wish I had that much energy to. Sometimes I think her blood is made of caffeine."
[17:55PM] – 21st May – Kanto – Pewter Base – Dawn's Office - Dawn/Brock
As if was, despite Dawn racing ahead the computer was slow to turn on and it took at least five minutes before she was ready. Then another five for Brock and her to rescue Piplup from where he had gotten stuck in the rubbish bin.
"Really Pip? How do you get into these messes?" Dawn chided as she sat the penguin on her lap. Brock was calling up the video network on his screen.
May answered instantly. "Hello? Brock! Dawn! Long time no see!"
Dawn waved cheerily while the tanned man smiled. "What's up your end?"
The blue bandana wearing girl shrugged, "Nothing except that I don't know where Lance is – he hasn't called in." Brock and Dawn exchanged a look that the brunette missed. "Never mind that though – the git will call in when he's ready. So apart from Koga and Will arguing there isn't anything else happening." She tilted her head for the others to give their news.
"We retrieved the gear," That was Dawn, blunt with no tact, "It's so pretty," she cooed. "We're going to call Gary and talk to him about it. We wanted to ask you about the Shadow. Because he seemed really familiar and it feels like I know him except I really don't remember."
May bit her lip, looking down at something on her desk nervously. "I searched through everybody for that card number. No living person has that number. I don't know… that verse though…"
May seemed to be avoiding something. Dawn stared curiously at her friend as Piplup climber up onto her blue hair.
Brock seemed to be staring thoughtfully at the screen. "No living person?" He repeated.
May shook her head and then froze. "Wait…do you mean…"
"Search the full record May – Dead and Alive."
Dawn looked admiringly at Brock – "Good idea," On the screen the brunette had ducked her head, the sound of tapping keys being carried across the interim. Then a pause.
"It's searching," she said quietly. "I…That gravestone in Alto Mare…with the words on it… that verse…we've heard it before."
"Really?"
The brunette bit her lip. "It was at his funeral."
Dawn's happy, eager face froze and Brock, if it was possible, looked even more thoughtful. "The man had a Raichu," he pointed out, slowly, "And was an aura guardian,"
"No!" Dawn cried, "It's not him!" She shook her blue hair violently, "It's someone's sick joke!"
May's voice crackled over the speaker. Her voice was quiet, "Actually May… I hate to disagree but that card… it matches… and your description… I don't know how…but that guy was Ash."
Dawn blinked back tears.
"Ash?" she repeated.
May nodded. "I just worked out why you didn't recognise him too. He didn't have his stupid hat on. Mind you he hadn't worn that hat for a while anyway." Brock laid a comforting arm around Dawn but she shrugged it off.
Her voice rose hysterically as she waved her hand in circles above her head, "The hat? We didn't recognise him because he didn't have a hat on?" She sank back in her chair. Her voice was cracking. "Stupid hat."
Brock bit his lip, "It fits. Too well but it fits. It's him."
"He said I'd work it out. That we were friends. He knew us all… Sabrina…Brock… Me…May… we're idiots." Dawn struggled to blink back tears. "I can't believe we didn't recognise him."
May spoke up, "Don't blame yourself Dawn! None of us did! He's got this hero complex and is going around trying to save everybody again. It's linked the Time Gears. I… call Gary. Talk to him. I'm going to talk to Lance."
Before they could complain the screen dimmed and died and Brock and Dawn were left in a dim, deafening silence.
AN - Hello again. Uh... well I figured Luca needed an explanation for why I kept forgetting about him... I gave him the Dimensional Scream ability from Mystery Dungeon. Combining this with aura and with inspiration from FFVII I just had that scene in my mind.
All the image flashes are related to various time gears. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to where they are?
Thanks for the reviews guys! It's really nice to know you're reading this! Apologies for any grammatical errors, I haven't checked this chapter through. Next chapter they finally get around to breaking into the base! Woo! Finally!
~ Eclipse ~