Poor Dark and friends. Torture them so we must. Says Yoda so.

ENJOY!

Chapter 13

TheUmbreon

I woke up with a start and forced myself to sit up. I was still in Wigglytuff's room and everyone- Austin, Wylie, Heather, Carry, Jared, Chatot, Mesprit, and Wiggytuff- was still there.

"Why are you all doing this to me?" I managed to get out of my mouth.

Mesprit shook her head sadly. "Because you need your memories, and the world needs you."

"What can an umbreon do that you can't?" I demanded, my voice tired.

"We can't go into the future," Mesprit said sadly. "If any of us legends leave, the impact of our presence will disappear and the world will encounter many problems."

"The key of impact," I breathed suddenly. "That's what the map is called."

Mesprit smiled. "That is correct, Dark."

"So what are we supposed to do next?" Carrie asked abruptly.

"You two must find Uxie," Mesprit instructed. "She will give you the next memory."

"And after that? After I've gotten all the memories? What am I supposed to do then?" I demanded.

Mesprit breathed in deeply, almost as if she were sighing. "I do not know," she admitted. "That is why I am sending you to the other legends. They may not know, but you will once you recollect your existence before this."

"What about those skuntanks?" Heather asked.

"Those are your enemies. Avoid them at all costs," Mesprit told us. "Now go. The four of you. Austin, Wylie, stay after they do, I must have a word with you two."

For a moment everyone was still. Then life started again and Carrie walked out, Heather and Jared following, as Wylie and Austin met hidden glances. With one last glance at the legendary, I followed my friends.

TheLucario

"What do you need from us, may I ask?" Wylie asked once the four were gone.

"You two know what I was talking about," Mesprit insisted. "The portal."

"Only Celebi can travel through time," Wylie said, giving her a sideways glance. I knew he was testing her.

Mesprit laughed. "Which is how I know you're the forest guardians."

"Um, what?" I asked her, faking confusion.

Mesprit looked to Wigglytuff, who nodded, then smiled. She looked at us and recited the lyric.

"Inannisubcinctustempus

Inannisubcinctusspatium

Inanniessolusvestigium

Despirituscriptorviridi

Despiritugratia

Ospiritusrestatvestigium

Clavemadpraeteritum

Clavemadfuturum

Clavemadpraesens

Inannialignsuomodo

Etmundusrotataliumdiem

Emittituregeruntplurestutores

QuivoluntCustodibus

Insolumvestigium."**

**Forthoseofuswhodon'tspeakLatinorhaveGoogleTranslatehandy, lookdown.

"Thegearsshifttime

Thegearsshiftspace

Thegearsaretheonlytrace

Ofthespirit'sgreen

Ofthespirit'sgrace

Oh, thespirithasleftbutonetrace

Thekeytothepast

Thekeytothefuture

Thekeytothepresent

Thegearsalignintheirownway

Andtheworldspinsanotherday

Emitteddidtheyseveralguardians

WhochoosetheKeepers

Oftheonlytrace."

Wylie and I met nervous glances, not sure if we should admit our existence. We had never heard another say the lyric, and weren't sure what to do, even if she was a legend. Also, Wigglytuff and Chatot were there. Chatot, who'd been mysteriously silent this whole time.

Wylie must have noticed it, too, because he tapped morse code onto his palm. "Chatot's been silent."

"Spy?" I tapped into my own palm. I always loved an excuse to use Morse code.

"Check his emotions," Wylie suggested onto his palm.

I did. I stared at Chatot, not disguising my watching his aura. I tapped, "Nothing abnormal."

"Mesprit, they don't understand it," Chatot decided.

"Oh, they do," Mesprit assured him. "They've been taught not to trust anyone with the information they have, especially because there's so many who want it for evil."

"Which, as far as we know, you three could easily be," Wylie reminded everyone quietly.

"You don't trust us?" Chatot demanded.

"Chatot, be patient," Wigglytuff said to him.

"'Trust' isn't something that comes easily to you, now is it?" Mesprit asked.

"No," Wylie said.

For a few moments we five stood in silence, thinking.

The silence was abruptly broken when Wylie gasped, putting two fingers above his ear. He shakily reached a hand towards me. "Austin, take my hand," he managed to instruct me.

"Wylie, what's-" I started, but the world flashed white upon my touching his hand. The blinding white quickly faded into a meadow.

"Hello, boys," a familiar voice said.

We whipped around, then saw Celebi. Neither of us relaxed.

Celebi smiled and said, "The red rose is always green to you."

Wylie and me relaxed upon hearing our code. "Can we trust the three of them?" I asked.

Celebi nodded. "Yes, you can." Celebi gasped. "I must go now. Something troubling is afoot. Good luck, protect the four of them."

With that the dream ended.

I shook my head hard, trying to clear it. Wylie closed his eyes, going through everything in his head in order to calm the confusion.

"GUILDMASTER!" someone yelled randomly.

"I must go for now," Mesprit said, then teleported.

"Blazer, come in!" Wigglytuff called.

A charmeleon came in, looking terrified. "The tent up top! It's on fire!"

"In the middle of a rainstorm?" I demanded.

Blazer nodded furiously. "How is that even possible?" he asked no one in particular, staring bewilderedly at the ground.

"Let's go, Wylie," I said. He nodded. "We'll find out!" I called back to Blazer as we rushed past him.

The moment I sensed the fire, I knew it wasn't really a meaningless body of heat. This thing was alive.

I stopped, fear gripping me. Was it time already? But it couldn't be! Dark hadn't recovered all his memories!

TheVaporeon

SeveralMinutesAgo

The four of us numbly walked back into the room, all four of our worlds separately blown to pieces. We each settled into our beds, wishing for nothing more than to fall into sleep's blank clutches.

I looked down at my cleanse tag, remembering when I'd first gotten here. This was my third. The first was given to me when I was ten, the second by Austin, and the third by Wigglytuff. I kept Austin's around my neck and Wigglytuff's in the bag.

As I stared down at it, I noticed it subtly changing from the light gray to a light blue.

"What the...?" I wondered. I quietly got up, not wanting to disturb everyone else. I swiftly padded down the hallway and then upstairs, looking for Austin.

"Heather!" I heard him yell for me just as I appeared on the second floor.

"Austin! Something's up with my cleanse tag," I told him.

The lucario rushed over to me, Wylie close behind. Austin glanced at it and said, "It's protecting you from something bad. Keep it on. Where's the rest of Team Sound?" He seemed rushed.

"Back in the room," I told him.

Austin looked to Wylie and said, "I'll check out the fire, you get Team Sound out of here. All right?"

"Okay. Heather, come with me," Wylie instructed.

"But-" I began, though he cut me off.

"I'll explain once we're out of here," Wylie said. He jumped down the hole and landed in a crouch, quickly springing up. It didn't look like it had hurt him, but I didn't try it. Instead I climbed as quickly as possible down the ladder.

Once my paws reached the ground, Wylie broke off in a run, me close behind.

Wylie didn't knock, just threw open the door. "Guys-"

The three others all were all tied on the floor, Skun sitting over them. Carrie was struggling, Dark had his eyes closed (Defeat? Unlikely. Hope, maybe, or a forming plan.), and Jared was simply terrified. Skun smirked. "Well, hello there."

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

CLIFFHANGER!

Hope you enjoyed!

Today must be a good day for cliffhangers. Not only is THIS ending in one, but so is my other story as well. (Nexus, if anyone is curious.)