That little cave neatly tucked away in the mountains became a resting place for a week. All of us had realized that the rush to find portals day after day was irksome for the mind. That week, as Aurora's foot healed, we refreshed our thoughts and ourselves. Aurora would stay in the cave, as Mandite and I explore the area, partially trying to find out approximately where we stood, partially looking for food, but mainly just to have some entertaining recreation. In fact, we barely spent any time inside the cave at all during daylight hours. I can guess Aurora is feeling very envious of the two of us, but she hasn't uttered a complaint.

Both Mandite and Aurora agreed that by now her foot had healed so that she can climb the rigorous mountain tops again. I wasn't so sure, thinking that the healing period was too quick, but Mandite assured me that she was fine. So, this day was the last day here in this glorious haven, and I am going to spend it wisely.

Early morning. It is just before sunrise, judging by the soft, pink light in the sky, with wisps of cirrus clouds spun of loose threads of silver and gold scattered as snippets of a fine cape tossed into the morning by the sun. Looking around, my eyes awakening, I only saw that Aurora was present, and was still peacefully sleeping – just as I expected. Mandite likes to go out three hours before sunrise to do some twilight expeditions. I crawled out from the dark, cool den – the waterfall was gone by the second night – and breathed the clear, alpine air. Each breath was new, and fresh, enlightening the soul with the simplicity of it. I climbed the wall again, reaching the top in record time. Again, I was lovingly embraced with nature's best. Every time I look around at the great, yawning valleys, and majestic peaks with the air of mystique, I have a feeling that this place was as close to something as sacred and holy. Perhaps not quite as holy as Mount Coronet, but close to that.

"Hey!" I turned to the right to see Mandite coming up the ridge, flapping his wings excitedly. Having his armor safely kept with Aurora, he was free to show the splendor of his childish face, and the incredible glee it radiated now.

"Hurry!" He panted, not giving me any chance for me to speak, "I found something I need to show you!" And, with that said, the little warrior ran down the ridge again. Wondering what this something was, I followed Mandite, the speed of my run and sheer joy of feeling so free and light was exhilarating. For a long distance along the backbone of the mountain chain, Mandite and I sped along. Only when we reached a rocky spire, scarcely patched with alpine grass, was when Mandite finally stopped. My feet slowed down to a trot, and finally stood still. Mandite eagerly looked back at me.

"He's up there," Mandite whispered, pointing to the top of the pillar. At that point, the sun had risen high enough that it peaked over the top of the rock spire, blinding the view of the being. But I smelled the pokemon, and I had a bad feeling about it.

"This is him?" I heard a deep, raspy voice from atop the pillar. I suddenly realized that Mandite brought me here because this pokemon asked him to. I did not like the sound of that.

"That's him," Mandite said plainly. There was a growl, and the dark silhouette leaped into the air. The pokemon landed on its four powerful feet, three claws on each feet sinking into the rock. The wind at this high altitude blew through the pokemon's long, white fur, waving constantly. His eyes were deeply colored garnets set into a face of smoky gray, cast in shadow. The face had a brooding look, and one that foretold a disaster that made me fear for my friends.

Ironically, it was the Disaster Pokemon. There, standing strongly before me, was an absol. His eyes flashed darkly.

"There is nothing to fear, Lucario," he said in his husky voice, "I do not bring danger – I only bear the news of it." I stood, not knowing what to say.

"My name is Dhenalix," the absol continued, "and I bring a message to you from a Legendary," I was succumbed to shock – a Legendary pokemon had a message for me?

"Would you consider it to be important?" I asked him, and the absol narrowed its eyes, giving a glance at Mandite, who was merely interested in the shapes of the clouds that flew overhead. I realized that it was a legendary pokemon who wanted Mandite to get back to his own world, and had a message for me.

"I would think so," he answered gravely, "he fears that there are more than enough alien species in this dimension."

"Why couldn't he speak directly to me if he really had a problem?" I asked him, and the absol's red eyes widened. I never really meant for the question to be offensive, but it seemed Dhenalix took it that way. He pawed the ground anxiously and hissed.

"It is not wise to mess with Death," he warned, growling in a heavy undertone, "especially when he says that you should look before you leap." With those words, I felt like a massive stone had crushed me – Death was mentioned as a being. To make matters worse, I had just realized that the Lord of the Dead had been watching me all this time. And, if he gets too impatient, he can easily swipe our lives clean away. The world seemed to become colder and more bitter.

"He told me to tell you that it would be in your best interest to spend your time wisely and quickly."

It is not a delightful prospect when Giratina becomes angry. Even more, it is certainly unpleasant and dreadful when Giratina becomes angry at a particular person – someone that possibly may be me. I shuddered, realizing that I should have left Aurora with Zhoke, where she would be safe and carefree. Without warning, my legs gave way and I fell onto my knees, breathing deeply.

"I'm going to eat some breakfast," Mandite said uncomfortably, and left the scene, leaving me alone with the absol, the wind whistling through the air, ruffling our pelts. I knelt in silence, struck senseless with the whole idea of this journey. Finally, I heard the absol padded over, his pawsteps quiet like the approach of a catastrophe. I looked up, to see those fierce eyes soften with sympathy.

"Would it be easier if he actually sent Mandite home instead?" I spoke. Dhenalix shook his scythed head sadly.

"Giratina has larger issues spanning several other dimensions." He said, "Since you found him, Giratina has left it up to you to bring Mandite home." I sighed, feeling the responsibility heavy on my shoulders now. I only hope that there is a way that no one will be hurt, at least Mandite and Aurora.

"Dhenalix?" I asked. The absol dipped his regal head serenely.

"Is there some way that Giratina could spare Mandite and Aurora if he decides to..." I couldn't bring myself to say "kill us", but by judging the way Dhenalix bowed his head, I knew he understood.

"I am sure that all of you could be saved," he said simply. That statement startled me – here was an absol bringing me optimistic news. Perhaps I made a strange face in response to such contradiction, in which the absol growled,

"Absols are not always the ill-hearted, pessimistic pokemon."

"I don't mean to offend you," I said quickly, "but I thought the idea rather unusual – I have never encountered an absol before you." Luckily, Dhenalix was an understanding being, bowing his head graciously.

"None taken," he replied, "we absols rarely speak to others, even to our own kind. We only come when necessary to warn others of danger. Otherwise, we spend our lives alone – or with our families." Dhenalix added, with a slight air of pride. For the first time, I saw the absol smile, only a small bit, but it was still a smile of warmth. I also realized he was implying he had a family of his own. Wanting to stay on his good side and wanting to know what an absol family was like – for I only heard of lone absols – I decided to inquire about it.

"Do you have children?" I asked him, and the smile on Dhenalix's face seemed to grow broader. He pawed the ground, smiling to himself.

"Yes," he said with pleasure, "but it's still inside its mother – it still has yet to come as an egg – it will be my first child." Now, Dhenalix seemed to be dazed by his own joy, a happiness that had spread to me. I, too, smiled.

"Congratulations," I said, despite being old enough to understand the delights of parenthood. Right now, I can't really see the excitement of it – and probably never, I thought bitterly. Meanwhile, the absol had nodded, his crimson eyes bright.

"Thank y -" His thanks were abruptly cut off by the cry of a pokemon. It sounded like a wail, or a really loud coo. Dhenalix looked up into the sky, and so did I, to see a large, flying, dragon-type soar in, its wings producing a peculiar sound. It sounded like someone was singing. It landed, and I finally got a good look at this pokemon. He smelled like it came from the Hoenn region, the very odor coming from his green body and geometrical wings, outlined in scarlet. Over the eyes, the pokemon had large, circular lenses tinted red, and its head was crowned with long, dark green streamers that flowed out from the back of its head. However, his species is unknown to me. Both of us straightened, standing up to look at the pokemon towering over us, peering through its red spectacles. Dhenalix and the pokemon glanced at each other, briefly nodding. Then, the absol turned to me.

"Lucario, this is Tyyakkuvh," Dhenalix said, "he is a flygon from the Hoenn region – he now lives here in the Sinnoh region." The flygon, Tyyakkuvh, gave a sharp nod of his head towards me. I turned towards the absol, who was looking curiously at Tyyakkuvh.

"What brings you here, friend?" Dhenalix questioned, and the flygon beat his wings, creating a low, thrumming sound. A gleam flashed across the red lens over Tyyakkuvh's eyes – this pokemon gave me the impression that this was an extremely intelligent dragon.

"I was talking to Mandite," Tyyakkuvh's voice was grainy, like the grit of sand, "I had news to bring him." Dhenalix looked slightly puzzled.

"Why?" I asked, feeling rather isolated now. Tyyakkuvh's head snapped to my direction, a beat of his wings producing a note.

"That is his and Dialga's business," he said, flicking his tail back and forth, the diamond shaped scales shimmering at the end of it. Then, craning his neck to look back at Dhenalix, he added,

"I also brought a message for you, too; Lily has set the egg, and she wants you to come home." The expression on Dhenalix's face looked surprised for a moment, and then suddenly widened into a delighted smile, his white-toothed grin contrasted on his dark face. Tyyakkuvh gave one last look at me, before saying,

"Good day to you, Lucario," and with a great flap of his wings, Tyyakkuvh soared into the air and out of sight. Dhenalix watched his friend go, his smile still evident on his smoky face. Those red eyes blinked, and glanced at me.

"It was nice knowing you, Lucario," the absol said graciously, bowing while backing away, "and as much as I would love to stay, I have business to attend to." I smiled, bowing as well. The meeting had left me with mixed emotions, but it also had been pleasant in a certain way.

"I am sure our paths will cross again," the absol continued, "and let us hope that it will be on more pleasant terms." I silently agreed, thinking about Giratina.

"I wish you the best of luck with your journey," Dhenalix added, slowly retreating down the mountainside. I nodded, knowing I needed all the luck I could get to buy some time from Death. Minding my manners, I replied,

"I, too, wish you good luck - with your child." The absol smiled again, giving me one last nod, before turning away. The white-furred figure bounded down the rocky slope and away.

Adjourning back to our encampment, I thought deeply on the whole situation. What does Giratina mean by to spend my time "wisely and quickly"? It was almost certain he wanted us to pick up the pace in our quest to find a portal, but how much time will he permit us? And why wouldn't he help us do so? If he so desperately wanted Mandite out of this world, why can't he deal with him on his own? Furthermore, what could Giratina mean by spending my time wisely? For a moment, my face became very hot; he may be implying that I should stop thinking about Aurora. Or maybe he thought we were just wasting time looking for portals in the wrong places. After all, Mandite did say that portals lead to other worlds asides his own. Maybe Giratina was helping out after all, by sealing the portals that did not lead to Mandite's world. This thought comforted me, a little. I made a mental note to myself to discuss this matter with Mandite later.

Mandite. Tyyakkuvh had a message for him from Dialga; what could that message possibly be? What could it mean? And why would the deity of Time would associate with an "alien" species like Mandite? This time, I could not formulate any sort of hypothesis or theory as to why such an event had occurred; another note to self – inquire Mandite about this message from Dialga.

I found Mandite overlooking the scenery quietly, his keen eyes concentrated on the horizon. I approached him cautiously, not wanting to disturb any of his deep, philosophical thought. Even if he was a child, Mandite has the mind of a wise, experienced being. Despite my precautions, Mandite blinked, and turned to face me.

"So," he said, "you finished talking already?" I nodded, keeping quiet. I thought about Giratina again, and what might happen if I didn't spend my time wisely and quickly enough. Mandite seemed to see the reflection of my question in my eyes, frowning.

"Giratina will not harm Aurora, if that's what you are so worried about," Mandite said, still frowning. I blinked, and looked upon the blue warrior with mild surprise. How could he be so sure of this? Mandite again read the expression on my face, and answered,

"Dialga will not permit it," To this response, I could hardly believe my ears. I was relieved that Aurora would be saved if such a crisis occurred, but why?

"What does Dialga have to do with Aurora?" I asked Mandite, "What did Tyyakkuvh tell you?" To my surprise once more, Mandite stiffened.

"The information is classified," he said, "I am not allowed to tell you anything."

"Anything?" I asked, with disbelief. Mandite nodded firmly.

"Not a single word," he answered, "All I can tell you now is that you're not trusted with this information." Not trusted? I felt annoyed – what have I done wrong? And why should Mandite have information that concerns Aurora; I have known and raised her for the past several years. If there was anyone who should be told anything dealing with Aurora, shouldn't it have been me? But then I realized that someone else may have noticed I was very attached to her, as well. If it was bad news, I guess they wouldn't have wanted to tell me, but instead a friend, one that still cared but not as much as I did. That made sense, but I wish no ill harm inflicted on Aurora. Dialga's word will protect her – for now.

Mandite, who had been watching me for a while, coughed and shifted his feet.

"I know what you're thinking, Lucario," he said, looking up at me with his large, pale green eyes, "but we said it was best that you should not hear any of this message – or anyone else. It must remain a secret between Dialga and I."

"And Tyyakkuvh?" I added.

"And Tyyakkuvh," Mandite said, waggling his little claw on a wing at me, "but no one else – got that?" I nodded, just as another question arose in my mind.

"What if someone bribes you to get it," I asked, "such as endangering someone's life?" Mandite gave me a funny look, and burst out laughing, putting his hand to his face, and shaking his head – or body – from side to side.

"It's not that important, not really right now," he said, after when his laughter faded away, "it's just that someone might... Mess things up, I guess."

"Someone like me," I said, slightly insulted.

"Yeah," Mandite replied, nodding, "someone like you," I felt rather betrayed and glared at him. Mandite looked slightly intimidated at first, and then he glared right back, the jade-green eyes narrowing.

"It's not a bad thing, you know," he hissed, "so let's not end up looking like this!" Mandite pointed to his face, which was screwed into the most exaggerated anger. The total expression was so exaggerated, it was at the point where it was absolutely silly. My glare eased into a smile, and I laughed silently at him. Mandite gave up his little acting and joined me, his laughs echoing out into the mountains. At this point, I laughed aloud as well, so the two of us were laughing lunatics, composing our jolly song that reverberated withing the valley. Above all of this, I detected a faint buzzing sound, so I stopped my merrymaking.

"What's going on?" Mandite asked, still chuckling slightly. I shushed him, and listened again. Funny, those buzzing noises were getting louder...

"What's that noise?" Mandite said, finally hearing what I was hearing. I looked at Mandite, who was glancing around at the forest down below. His expression at that point was deep in concentration, lacking any form of reaction to humor. What was he looking at? I glanced down at the forest below, and saw nothing of importance – there were, of course, trees and leaves. I looked back up at Mandite, who suddenly became wide-eyed.

"BEES!!!" Mandite cried out in terror, and fled, "RUN FOR IT!!!!" I watched the retreating figure zip around the corner, wondering what were these "bees". And I was also wondering why that buzzing was deafeningly loud...

I turned around, took one look at the massive swarm of combees and vespiqueen, and ran after Mandite. Unfortunately for us, I could still hear the loud buzzing, which meant the swarm was following us with a vengeance. I kept on running, not daring to look over my shoulder. Along my escape route, I spotted Mandite, who was catching his breath. He glanced up, and started to run again, flapping his wings like a maniac. Being unarmed, he had nothing to fend off the combees and their leading vespiqueen. There were too many for me to fight off by myself, so that left us with an only choice to run, or become terribly beaten up.

The rocky ground was flying beneath our feet, and our breathing was short, and quick. But, no matter how fast we ran, I knew we wouldn't be able to shake off the swarm. We had to think of a smarter way. The two of us ran around a boulder when Mandite spotted a thin crevice within a wall of rock.

"Here!" And dove inside, pulling me with him by the scruff of my neck. The two of us collapsed inside the tight compartment, trying to keep our breath quiet, and hoping that the swarm would not find us. If they do, we will not be able to escape that certain doom. I eyed the small opening, watching the vespiqueen fly by, followed by hundreds of combees. Finally, after what seemed like an endless wait, the last combee trailed by the opening. However, Mandite and I wouldn't dare go out until we were sure that the swarm was gone. So we waited for a few minutes, while I listened with all my might.

"You think they're gone, now?" Mandite whispered. I shrugged, not knowing. Mandite made a motion that meant for me to peek my head outside and see if the coast was clear. Not wanting my head to be subject to attack, I denied the job, shaking my head vigorously. In response, Mandite rolled his eyes, and then pointed at the opening. I still shook my head, when finally Mandite kicked me hard in the shin, forcing me to the opening. Wincing from the pain, I agreed, and slowly poked my head out, inch by inch. Once I could look around clearly, I glanced left, right, and above me. There was not a single combee in sight. Gingerly, I stepped outside, listening for the faintest beat of thin wings. When I heard nothing, I turned around and said,

"It's all right – they are gone." Mandite cautiously removed himself from captivity, and peered about. He paused for a moment, focusing on an inevitable speck in the air. Slowly, he held out his little blue hand for a few seconds, and then drew it back to his face, and inspected a little something on it.

"Hmm," Mandite mumbled to himself, examining the combee wing, "I wonder how this got here..." I took another look up, and so did Mandite.

The vespiqueen and her many minions were glaring back down at us. We looked at each other.

"Any options?" I asked him, and Mandite blinked.

"Nope," he said, and then dashed off. Not wanting to be left behind with the angry swarm, I ran after him. Soon, from my desperate running, I caught up to Mandite. He made a sour face at me.

"WHY DID YOU BRING THEM HERE?!" He yelled over the buzzing, "COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST WENT ANOTHER WAY SO I DON'T HAVE TO RUN AS MUCH?!!!"

"Then what about me?!" I shouted back, "What would I do then?!"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LIP READ," Mandite yelled back, "SPEAK LOUDER!!!!!!"

"What would I do?!" I repeated.

"WHAT?!!"

"Never mind!!" I had no time to waste. My mind was also running along with my legs, and could not afford to trip up like my legs. We kept running when Mandite suddenly veered off in a different direction. I followed him, still. I saw the warrior glance back at me as I caught up to him.

"ARE YOU READY FOR THE LARGEST CANNONBALL OF YOUR LIFE?!!!" He yelled to me, and I felt puzzled.

"What do you mean?!" I shouted back. Mandite glanced ahead of us.

"JUMP!!!!" And so we did, jumping right off a cliff. For a brief moment, I thought Mandite had suddenly became suicidal, but then I caught the flash of light reflecting off of water below us. The unexplained reason now clicked in my mind, and I pulled my body into a dive. I just hope the lake was deep enough for a seventy foot, running-start dive. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for a harsh impact.

The sudden shock shook my entire body as I came in contact with the water. However, as I plunged deep into the lake, I was grateful that I did not land on the surface sprawled out, or else that would have been a very painful experience. To the right of me, I saw Mandite's little body plummet into the deep lake, a trail of white bubbles following him. At first I was concerned, but when I saw Mandite using his wings and feet to swim up to me, my worries were eased. In the watery darkness, Mandite pointed up to the surface, and then shook his head, signaling that we shouldn't go to the surface just yet. That was all right with me, for I could hold my breath for ten minutes before needing another breath again. The only problem is that I don't know how Mandite is going to fare like this. However, despite my concerns, Mandite seemed to act as though he was used to not breathing at all, casually swimming loops underwater. As he played around, I gazed up at the surface, watching the swarm fly over the water, not daring to go in. After eight minutes, they left, sure that we were done in. I waited for another minute before I was completely sure they were gone. I snagged Mandite's attention and we swam to the surface. I emerged from the water, gasping for breath, as Mandite just floated lazily on top of the lake.

"That," I panted, "was a good plan." Mandite looked over to me, and then smiled to himself, closing his eyes.

"I know," he said, and I chuckled. I started to swim to shore, and seeing that I was leaving him behind, Mandite started to swim after me, shouting,

"Wait for me!"

~*~

Even though the trek back to the little cave was a long one, we were still wet by the time we reached the ridge that we climbed down into the crater and into the cave. As we approached, I heard Aurora calling us,

"Lucario? Mandite? Where are you?!" Guilt punched me hard in the stomach. The whole day went by and I haven't thought about how lonely Aurora was, sitting alone in her cave, unable to walk too far, due to her almost-healed injury. I hopped down and landed behind her, in which Aurora turned around, startled. She blinked a few times, her mouth opening and closing as if she was ready to yell at me for being gone so long, when she did something unexpected. She flung her arms around my neck and hugged me, shaking from being heavily upset. I blinked, extremely surprised for a moment, but then I patted her on the back, feeling heat rise into my cheeks.

"I thought something happened to you guys," she said, her voice muffled in my fur, "I thought... I thought... That you and Mandite..." Her thoughts broke out into a sob, and she started to shake again. This time, I wrapped both of my arms around her, and rocked her back and forth for comfort.

"Aurora," I said softly in her ear, "we're fine, see? It takes a lot to bring both of us down – there's nothing for you to worry about."

"But I thought something happened," Aurora whimpered, "you usually came back with Mandite at noon to eat, but today... you didn't come. And now it is getting dark, so I thought..." Aurora cried into my already wet fur, and I patted her back some more.

"I'm sorry, Aurora," I apologized, "I didn't come back because I was... Busy." I managed to scrape up an appropriate word, thinking back to the swarms of combees and their vespiqueen. Behind me, Mandite jumped down, his feet landing on the ground with a hard "thud". Meanwhile, Aurora loosened her grasp, and looked up and down my fur. She then looked up in my eyes questioningly, the tears melting away with the rippling liquid, magenta fire.

"What have you been doing while you were gone?" she asked.

"Sorry we're late," Mandite called out to Aurora, who looked at him over my shoulder, blinking back tears, "we took a really, really long walk." I started to walk, leading Aurora back into the cave.

"Oh, really?" Aurora asked, curious. Mandite skipped right next to her.

"Yup!" he exclaimed happily, as all three of us sat down, leaning against the boulder. Aurora nestled herself next to me, making us both comfortable, and my face rather warm.

"Then, can I hear it?"Aurora asked him, to which he nodded. Mandite glanced at me and flashed a small grin. The storyteller rose to his feet and stood before the two of us, folding his little arms behind his back.

"Well, it all started when I went outside this morning..."

So... Yay or Nay? Rate and Review Please!!! Thanks!