September 23rd, First Year

Jaku forced her hand up through the turf, the first hint of bitter air stinging along her scales as she pulled herself out of the permafrost. One foot and then the next. Gusts of treacherous winds whistled past her ears, muffled by the sparse thorn bushes and creeping moss. She carefully hauled herself up an outcrop of boulders with her claws until she was finally allowed to see the outside world.

"Phew! That took… forever!" Her voice was hardly audible amongst the raging blizzard. Before her, entrenched in a thick grayness that made the land seemingly dull, were the Alabaster Icelands. The land rose and fell in swathes of snow-capped mountains and dark pine forests, the hills alive with wavering fog and sparkling snowfall. Withering flowers slowly being buried by snow glittered in the coming day. The hills where Jaku had emerged began to shine as the sun rose over the horizon, illuminating her steaming breath in the brisk air. "Note to self- next time, do not dig into a crystal cavern."

And like angry, buzzing things, Celebi's wavering voice lilted in. "I told you it was there."

"No thanks to her. You would do best to surround yourself with better allies. The only help she has been on this voyage is consuming all of the reviver seeds and oran berries that you painstakingly worked to collect."

Jaku scowled, wiping the excess permafrost from her snout. There's that strange voice in my head, as per usual. But it's quieter today. At least, it's a little quieter than it was yesterday. She instead huffed, keeping her eyes focused on the distant horizon. "Says the fairy that had to 'pop in' inside the cavern. You can fly. I can't."

"Don't be grouchy."

"I'm not being grouchy. You're being insufferable." Jaku ripped off a patch of clinging mud from her arm before tossing it away off the mountainside. "C'mon. Since you're so eager to tail after me, you'd better keep up." With a grunt, Jaku pushed off from the boulder and landed heavily in a deep snowdrift. Almost immediately, the tall walls of undisturbed snow along her scales began to sizzle and turn into steam. "Ah. Flame Scales. They always come in handy."

"L-lucky you," Celebi grumbled, shivering. The tiny fairy fluttered closer. "Any chance you can share some of that body heat? I'm freezing over here!"

"Why come along if she cannot protect or feed herself? This one is quickly serving to become a handicap. If you were to go without her, perhaps you would've found Shaymin already. What do you need this loud, obnoxious fairy for?"

Jaku sneered, begrudgingly breaking the mud scales off of her sides. I'm not going to be mean. I'm not going to do unreasonable things. I'm not going to let these thoughts get the better of me. Instead, Jaku asked something else. "Can't you just transcend time and pop in when the blizzard is over?"

Celebi, having attached itself firmly to Jaku's back, grumbled into her neck, tiny shivers running through their little body. "Well, y-yes, but it's n-not often I v-visit icy regions like th-this one. You know, i-it's the journey that's more i-important than the destination."

Jaku snorted, a cloud of embers spilling out of her nostrils. "Oi, Socrates. This isn't a fable- we're literally in a tundra looking for some grass hedgehog." An aggravating itching sensation began to ebb and waver in her gut, making her hands, tail, and ears tremble uncontrollably. It was as though something or someone was sticking cactus needles under her scales. She became overly conscious of Celebi's presence on her back, spreading out her claws in preparation to… to…? Focus! Ignore it!

"…I miss when you had the bandana," Celebi complained, tightening its hold around Jaku's neck. "You're super-duper warm, but my back is still ice-cold. I wish you still had that bandana of yours; I could fit a lot more cozily in there."

"In my what?" Jaku grumbled, clawing packed snow out of her face as she tunneled against the quickly refilling snow. The headache that had been persistently throbbing at the base of her neck had suddenly strengthened.

Draped across her shoulders, Celebi's grip tightened further. "Your bandana. The one you got back when you and… Oh." Celebi's face wilted, their big green eyes dimming as they instead focused their gaze on an outcrop of snow-speckled pine trees from afar. "…When you first joined up with that exploration guild on your last assignment. You don't remember it," Celebi chimed in quickly.

"No need to rub it in your face. Not a kind companion, her. Not too bright either. Claw her off of you. You are not a playground nor a space heater. She should show you more respect."

"Remember what?" Jaku grunted. "Me and who?"

Celebi scowled. "Best I not talk about it. I'm sure Dialga will restore those memories one way or another, and besides; I don't think you'd forgive me if I reminded you about them. About him."

"She knows things. She's hiding things. If she is so readily committed to hiding information from you, then perhaps you should think about… covering your tracks. You could kill her. There are other Celebies. You are part fire-type. Incinerating her would take less than one moment-"

Jaku readily ignored the intrusive thoughts. "Are they important? The memories?"

"Kind of," Celebi muttered. "What you're doing now- it's almost exactly like what Grovyle was tasked with after the Passage of Time collapsed and you got sent to that place."

Jaku kept her feet on track, ignoring how the walls of deep snow around her began to drip icy water onto her tail. "You know about my past so tell me about it; it'll give me something to think about whenever I get back to not sleeping or eating for weeks on end."

Celebi fidgeted, leaning their weight more against Jaku's shoulders. "That is not healthy, and I don't think Dialga or Uxie would like it."

"Who is she to make decisions for you?"

"Don't care. Didn't ask," Jaku retorted. "Go on. I'm waiting. We're talking about my memories here. I think I deserve to hear about my own memories. And if Dialga or Uxie don't like it, then they can either A, come and get me, or B, fuck off."

"…Fine. Okay. I will tell you the abridged version of what I know about you. To sum up a very long story, you are a 'key'."

"…Oi. Do I look like I'm made out of cheap zinc or brass?"

"Not that kind of key! No, no! I mean, a 'key' as in like something that you need to do something. Like how you're gathering the Time Gears again! You're that kind of key."

"That does not explain much. Is she purposefully attempting to deceive you?"

"Okaaay…? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, let me put it like this. Not many mortals ever see legendary pokémon like myself or Azelf or Mespirit. Some people go their entire lives never seeing one. But you? You know us well. You knew us well. Humans and pokémon chosen by a legendary deity for ulterior purposes are called 'keys' because they are often chosen to do incredible things that their esteemed legendary cannot do."

"You mean to tell me that I got kidnapped by- what, Dialga? I got kidnapped by Dialga to do his bidding because the literal being of time can't gather their own gears? Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me."

"That's because Dialga isn't… well, they aren't in their right state of mind, so to speak."

"Oh, really? Well, they seemed quite alright when they visited me back in the Crimson Mirelands and gave me a graphic depiction of how I'm going to escape this mortal coil. Can you explain that?"

"That's easy! They're speaking to you via telepathy! I can do that! All psychic-types can. It could be Dialga from the future that's speaking to you now; that's a thing they and I can do since we disregard the fabric of time."

"Right. Legendary pokémon and all. Okay. That makes a little sense." Jaku paused to force her way past a cluster of twisting roots. "What were you saying about this being the second time I've had to collect the Time Gears?"

"In truth, this is actually your third assignment as a key. During your second assignment, the order of time was thrown out of wack, so Dialga entrusted you and Grovyle- another key- to go back, collect the gears, right time, and then go back to your original time." Celebi went uncharacteristically silent, their voice wavering as they continued. "…Things didn't go according to plan. As I mentioned before, the Passage of Time collapsed due to an unforeseen intervention. You got dumped out at a random point in time and had your memories wiped."

Jaku blinked. "…Oh. Huh. Déjà vu all over again, huh?" If Celebi was telling the truth, it would explain how she happened to just appear in Hisui all those months ago. It would also explain why both Azelf & Mespirit had talked to her as if they knew her from somewhere. It would also explain why Jaku had managed to pick up using moves so quickly.

Celebi began to speak again. "Yeah, pretty much. It's never easy starting an assignment. Keys don't get to retain memories of their past lives or missions once they've finished up their task. That's if they choose to do their legendary's bidding again."

Jaku froze in her tracks, her ears flattening against her neck. "Wait. You mean to tell me that in some way, shape or form, I chose to be dropped here?"

Celebi, having taken to fluttering just over Jaku's head, nodded. "Yup. I don't know why that was or when. I'd have to go back and check and that might take a while. The fabric of time is not easy to navigate, ya know! If you had passed it up, Dialga probably would've gone to one of their other keys or they would've made a new one. But most keys only do one assignment and then swear off their callings. That, or they… 'pass away' before they can be called upon again." Celebi laughed weakly. "I don't wanna say the word."

Jaku spared the fae a scathing glance. "You mean suicide? They killed themselves?"

Celebi flinched in turn. "…Uh-huh. Most keys- when they're done, they get to make choices about what they do next. Some go back to the homes they don't remember and they take their trauma with them. Others choose to stay in the world of their new assignment because they don't know what's waiting for them. Some keys can't handle the memories. The nightmares. The stress. And once you've finished an assignment, you're technically not under the protection of your legendary anymore."

"Are you not under Dialga's protection anymore? It has been such a long time since you have last heard from them. Perhaps Celebi is lying; a way to convince you to trust them. You shouldn't. Trust no one. Your own team turned against you. Legendary pokémon can also lie."

"So some keys can't live with their trauma so they commit suicide?" Jaku swallowed back a hard lump that had been forming at the base of her throat. She remembered the eerie but strangely alluring sensations that would occasionally come over her back when she had been waiting in her dug-out home in the mountains months ago.

"You should attempt it again. Heed the call of the void. There is no other way to test whether you are still under the protection of your god. Cover yourself in snow and freeze to death. Burrow back to the cavern and let yourself fall off of the edge. Test your invincibility-"

"…That's sad," Jaku murmured through clenched teeth. Her headache grew even worse. "Let's keep moving along. You said this was my third assignment?"

"Yeah. I didn't meet you until your second assignment, but you told me a lot about your first. Apparently when you were an itty-bitty human, Dialga had saved you from some incident. Dunno what it was. After that, you made some promise to pay them back and they made you into a key. Dialga then conspired with Palkia to send you way back in time when a giant meteor nearly crashed into the earth. If not for you and your partner's actions, all life on the earth would've been wiped out."

There came a long pause, broken only when Jaku whistled. "Ayy yo, did I prevent the extinction of the dinosaurs or something?"

That got a laugh out of Celebi. "No, you cranky idiot! You and your partner had to venture all the way to Sky Tower- Rayquaza's domain- in order to convince the guardian to destroy the meteor before it impacted the planet."

"Doesn't Rayquaza fly around the stratosphere? I had to take my scaly ass all the way into the sky just to tell a legendary to look up?"

"…Yes."

"…Bruh."

"Your second assignment was a lot better, though! Well, in terms of action. It was a little ways after your first assignment. That's when Dialga sent you with Grovyle just in case.""

"You keep mentioning this 'Grovyle' guy. What's his deal? Was he my partner that you keep talking about? If he is, then how come he's not here?"

Celebi immediately went quiet again. "Grovyle was another key. You two had been sent together to stop the planet's paralysis. It all had to do with the flow of time. Speaking of time, I'm sure you've seen it atop Mt. Coronet already- Temporal Tower."

Jaku shivered. "I got a feeling that I recognized that place from somewhere."

"It's not necessarily a bad place, but I don't blame you for being afraid of that location. It's where Dialga's summit is- the place where they can be summoned, so to speak. It's also the place where you were due to be erased from that assignment's world- you did hop back and forth in time on numerous occasions. So did I. So did Grovyle."

"And I wasn't allowed to exist. Yeah, I got that much. It's the same thing here, right? Dialga pretty much guaranteed that this would be my last assignment. So how did we meet again, you and I?"

"Events conspired against you in your last assignment, made worse by your amnesia. You see, where there are keys- those chosen to do good by legendaries- there are also locks- bad people chosen by corrupt legendaries. Legendary pokémon are not immune to corruption; it happens to the best of us. It happened to Dialga. Temporal Tower- the home of the Time Gears- fell into disarray which caused Dialga to go batty. Since Dialga couldn't restore the Time Gears and their protectors, Azelf, Mespirit, and Uxie weren't fast enough to escape the perimeters of frozen time- the thing that happens when you remove the gear and things immediately freeze?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, because of that, time completely froze in our original world. For years. Decades. Centuries. You, me, Grovyle and a handful of other pokémon conspired to right the flow of time. I located the passage and sent you and Grovyle through. But as I said before, something happened- I don't know what. You and Grovyle got separated and you completely lost your memories. Lots of things happened in the middle. You teamed up with a guild, indirectly got reinvolved with the Time Gear shenanigans, ugh!" Celebi threw her tiny hands up in the air, coming to plop down on a covered stone as Jaku shoveled a path through into the woods. "It wouldn't have been so bad if Dusknoir hadn't shown up and manipulated you so badly!"

"She is not your ally. She has already proven to be useless in a dungeon fight by consuming your precious resources. Who is to say that she has not indirectly caused your demise before?"

"Who's Dusknoir?"

Celebi scowled, crossing her arms. "A horrible villain. He may have had some kind of odd redemption at the end, but I still hope we never cross paths again. It'd be too soon." The deity sighed. "He was your villain- our villain. Our 'lock', so to speak. He knew about our plan to fix the flow of time and as we both know, the only result of that would be a better world and our erasure from existence. Dusknoir was terrified of that, so he teamed up with Primal Dialga and impeded us at every little stop of the assignment. He manipulated you and your partner into thinking Grovyle was the bad guy when he came to collect the Time Gears. He nearly won in the end but you and your partner- Watts wasn't it? You two eventually got the truth from Grovyle and worked with him to stall Dusknoir. That's when we met for the second time. I had to send you three back again and I nearly got caught!"

Jaku raised up a clawed hand motioning for silence. Her head hurt. Her claws hurt. Her feet hurt. Her chest ached with impressions and sensations Jaku could neither remember nor attempt to console. "I just… I think… I think that's enough, Celebi. I need some time to dwell on all that. One last question though."

"Yes?"

"You said that for every key, there's a lock. A villain. A purpose as to why I get sent places." Jaku turned and stared at the summit of Mount Coronet behind her, her eyes catching on the foreboding stature of Temporal Tower illuminated in an insidious red light. "Do you know who or what the lock is this time?"

Celebi shrugged. "No idea. Usually, it's usually pretty obvious but this time? Not so much. Last time, it was Dusknoir." Celebi then gasped, their green eyes darting this way and that before they darted into the sky, focusing on the rift atop Mount Coronet. "I have a hypothesis."

"…I'm listening."

Celebi swooped down just before Jaku's face, firmly grasping the sides of her head with her stubby arms. "Listen. Last time, Dialga was frenzied and Palkia was semi-trapped in their own dimension. I know who we could ask questions to in their place. They might even help us locate Shaymin."

"Who?"

"Giratina."

Jaku flinched. Just hearing the name sent shivers down her spine. But why? Memories flashed of herself passing through a dark place. Of rocky cavern walls and bottomless pits swaddled in darkness. Of wandering around aimlessly, an unknown figure half her size trailing dutifully behind her. Of emerging into a void and of the void glaring back at her through glowing crimson eyes. "Why do I get the feeling that's a bad thing?"

"Giratina is a legendary pokémon. It came before Dialga and Palkia and it was banished to its own dimension due to its capricious nature and violent disposition. Though, if any legendary knows what's going on here, it would be them." Celebi pointed with one hand at the far side of the icelands where the dense pine trees coalesced into obscured mountains. "Our next stop should be Snowpoint Temple- it's where Giratina usually enters into the world."

It was ironic, thinking about it in hindsight. Jaku carefully tore a strip of gnarled bark off of a fir tree and devoured it whole, using her tongue to catch the sticking pieces lodged in her teeth. Not long after Celebi had made that statement, the legendary pokémon had vanished muttering something about finding tinder or a wondrous map. What use it would need for those items, Jaku didn't know.

The Alabaster Icelands reignited a fear Jaku hadn't known even before the first days she had arrived into Hisui: the fear of freezing to death. The longer she trod through the frozen tundra, the more her body heat began to ebb and drain into the surrounding snow and ice. She could stop every now and then to tear off bark from surrounding trees; a mediocre food source but it was better than nothing. The blizzard that had been howling since morning had only worsened, darkening the snowy fields and essentially blinding her until she was forced to pause in her trek and take shelter in a thick clump of woodland shy of an enormous glacier.

"Something is following you."

"I'm not listening to you," Jaku grumbled with exhaustion. "It's just some weak pokémon or something." She tore off another strip of bark and shoved it into her mouth.

"It stalks you. It stays deliberately behind you. You are in danger."

Jaku sighed loudly, raising her voice. "It's been following me since I got through the mountains. And even if it is stalking me on purpose for something, I can just burn it to a crisp."

"Your strength is waning."

"I'm fine. Now can you shut up back there, wherever you happen to be? I'm trying to eat a lousy meal of tree bark." Jaku then tapped one claw against her chin. "Maybe I can search for some grubs while I'm here. Ooh. Do you think there are smaller pokémon I can hunt and eat, oh mysterious unknown voice rolling around in my skull?"

Silence. Jaku listened closely despite how loud eating tree bark was. Even if Jester had specifically asked her not to listen to the voices, it didn't hurt to take some measure of precaution. There had been a small pokémon following her; two of them if her nose was working correctly and it usually was despite the treacherous cold of the tundra. She ripped off another strip of bark and began gnawing on the edges. She'd let them show themselves when they were brave enough to do so.

After an hour of filling her belly with tree bark, Burmy grubs, and the occasional Swinub, Jaku felt just about ready to head back out onto the open stretches of snow. If she kept up her pace, she would make it to the temple by nightfall. She stepped out onto the snowy moor, immediately shivering from the sudden sensation of ice on her scales.

Just behind her came a gasp of surprise followed by the sounds of falling snow and wild scrabbling. Then came a loud whine.

"It's about time," Jaku grunted. She turned on her heels, immediately finding the source of the noise: a pile of snow right up against a fallen spruce tree. Whatever had been tailing her was now trapped under the pile of snow having gone completely still as she approached. "I know you're in there. You gonna keep following me like some weird ghost or are you gonna stay stuck in that snow because I'm not fond of being shadowed."

A pair of cerulean paws emerged from the snow followed by a large cerulean and black head and a pair of beady crimson eyes. Another head emerged just behind the new pokémon. That one was a smudgy gray and white thing with a large tuft of pinkish fur sticking up on top of its head. That one stared at her with something akin to curiosity and surprise in its golden eyes.

The first one, a Riolu, pawed pathetically at its icy entrapment. "Can you please help us out of here. I can't feel my legs"! It turned its head around. "Glacier, are you okay?"

The fox-pokémon strongly resembling a Zorua nodded, managing to wiggle its way out until it was standing atop the packed snow. "I'm fine. Just a little cold, is all."

Jaku easily reached down and yanked the Riolu out of the snow, careful not to burn it with her hands. "Alright, you two are fine, yeah? Care to tell me why you're following me around like two lost puppies?" She stared pointedly at the Riolu who had taken to hiding its eyes behind its two similar black appendages.

"Uhm…. uhh."

The strange Zorua padded forward. "Tibal said your aura was kinda weird. Said it was really funky- something like that."

"Glacier!"

"What? I'm just being honest." It then turned back to Jaku, cocking its head to the side. "I've never seen a pokémon like you before around here. Lady knows all the pokémon that live in the icelands, but I don't think she's ever mentioned any fables about lizards… Are you a lizard?"

Jaku sarcastically pawed at her tail and then at her chipped horns, rubbing one hand along the hardened mass of permafrost and mud that had accumulated along her pointed snout and arms. "Dunno. I could be a cat. Or a dog. Or a fox- "

"Okay, okay!" Tibal whined. "We're sorry! I'm sorry! I was just curious and-"

"Relax. I'm just busting your ribs, is all. Only joking. As long as we don't have a problem, you guys can follow along as much as you want. I don't care."

She hadn't meant it literally but the two pokémon now padded along after her, talking about this and that as they crossed the snowy field leading up to a treacherous cliff. It was nice having company and it drowned out the sounds of the unknown voice that usually only had mean things to say. Before long, Jaku had managed to come all the way to a frozen lake. She turned around to face her followers.

"Don't you two have somewhere else to be? You've been following me for a few hours now."

"No!" They both chirped in union.

"Lady knows where all of her pups are," Glacier snuffled. "Hey, Tibal. Isn't your papa gonna be worried when you don't get home for dinner?"

Tibal let out a frustrated whine. "You just had to remind me of that, huh? Yeah. You're right. But I'll get back home in no time! I'm super-fast!" Tibal then paused. "Are you gonna keep following around…. uh." Tibal shot Jaku a look of sheer mortification. "We never asked for your name!"

"Eh. Don't have one. You can call me Jaku if you like."

Tibal snorted. "That's a weird name. Okay. Be safe, Glacier! Be safe, Jaku! I'm going home now! Buh-bye!" With a tiny bark, Tibal dashed away from the lake, stirring up snow in his wake until he was little more than a blip on the horizon.

Jaku blinked. "Damn, that little guy is fast! He wasn't joking!"

"Yup! Tibal is super duper fast! He's the fastest in his pack." The Zorua turned and stared at the opaque ice before him. "Are we gonna have to cross this lake?"

"Yup. I mean, I am. You don't have to if you don't want to-"

"No, I want to!" Glacier set one dark paw upon the ice. "I don't get to go on adventures often and it's nice getting to talk to other pokémon besides Tibal and the rest of my littermates." Carefully, Glacier pushed itself away from the shore, turning in lazy circles on the slippery ice. "This is kinda fun! Woohoo!"

Jaku was quick to push off onto the ice, keeping her belly flat against the frozen lake surface so as to distribute her body heat evenly along the ice. "Grab onto my tail!" she called out to the little fox. "Let's cross as soon as possible. Last thing we need is for the ice to break underneath us."

"Now is another chance to test your immortality. Break through the ice. Test the waters. Drown."

Glacier politely grabbed hold of the base of her tail and kept up his grip as Jaku propelled them forward. It was a steady slide across the icy lake and before they knew it, they were getting back to their feet just before a steep cliff. Taking hold of Glacier's scruff, Jaku hoisted the tiny fox up the cliffside until they were standing at the very top. They were surrounded by yet another frozen forest but to the east, only a glitter of golden lights and a whisper of sounds to denote its presence, were tents.

Glacier suddenly put its small body in front of hers. "Nuh-uh! Lady says never to go near the humans."

"Humans?" She squinted her eyes, sighting a large cluster of turf-covered houses lying amongst a dip in the cliffs. "That's a human settlement?"

"Yup! We don't go there. Scary humans live there, and they don't like me." Glacier bristled a little, his tail bushing out. "They don't like Zoruas like me and they especially don't like Lady."

"Who's 'Lady'?"

"Lady Zoroark! She's the alpha! She's been around for ages; so long that she was still the leader when my mama and papa were pups too! She's super scary!" Glacier boasted, losing his agitated demeanor. "She's the biggest and meanest Zoroark in the clan! Her illusions are the best! Someday, when I become a Zoroark, I wanna beat her with my own illusions!"

Another Zoroark? Here in the icelands? I wonder if some of them look like Jester. "You can do illusions?" she asked patiently. "I wanna see. Show me."

"Okay!" Glacier yapped excitedly. He dashed out in front of her, his tail wagging as his golden eyes began to glow. "I'm gonna turn into something real scary! So scary it'll turn you into a ghost! Like me! Oh! And if you become a ghost, then Lady can turn you into a Zorua!" Glacier's eyes gleamed. "That would be sooo much fun! I could introduce you to the pack and show you to Lady! Oh, and I can take you to the ice caverns! My older brother, Specter- he showed me this super neat trick of skating around on the ice inside and-"

"Glacier, deep breath buddy." Jaku smiled, leaning against a tree trunk as she began to have a little snack of tree bark again. "Show me whatcha got, little man. Turn me into a ghost-type."

"Okay! Watch and learn!"

The frozen forest around her slowly began to blur and morph, twisting in various different saturations and hues before a new visage began to form. Now, she stood atop a stone temple of sorts, moss and weeds growing up the cracks. Dark clouds wreathed overhead, the noise of turbulent waves and trembling trees obscuring all. Encircling her were numerous silhouettes, all making horrible little noises. All were looking at her. One silhouette in particular emerged at the front, towering over her as it spread its massive hands wide, one singular golden eye glowering down at her.

Fear pulsed through her as she instinctively took a step back, her heart beginning to race and her nostrils flaring. Behind her, her tail lashed, a bluish light hard lining the figure before her. It was a pokémon. A large and sturdy-looking pokémon dressed in grays and blacks. It had no legs; only a phantasmic tail and a portly belly that… that opened up like a terrible mouth to swallow her whole. Its hands were big enough to crush her head like a grape and as it spoke, its low rasping voice- like hearing voices when you're supposed to be alone- made her feel as though she had been dipped into ice-cold water. And then the illusion was over and Glacier was beaming in front of her.

"You were scared! I scared you! Are you gonna turn into a ghost now?"

Jaku took a moment to collect her nerves and calm her breathing before facing the little pup. "…Good job. You sure got me."

Glacier seemed to have noticed her withdrawn tone, its ears drooping. "Oh. M' sorry. I forget- some pokémon don't like it when I practice my illusions on them. I didn't scare you too badly, did I?"

Jaku laughed weakly. "No, no. It's okay. You did a great job. Let's keep moving though."

They had managed to reach the temple some time after the sun had set. The blizzard had finally waned but now a bone-chilling frost had set in, sapping what little strength and stamina Jaku had managed to conserve throughout her trip. The imposing temple loomed before them, a brazen statement of power, reverence, and legacy. Somebody had done something monumental here. Something great had been accomplished here. I could care less. I just want to sleep.

As night fell, Jaku found a nice sturdy-looking bush to crawl under and burrow into, making space for Glacier as the tiny fox curled up beside her and drifted off into a nap. And when a few hours had passed and the tundra was even colder than it had been hours past, Jaku shook the warm earth and frost from her back and continued into the temple. Celebi was supposed to be waiting for her inside. At least, that was what the fae had told her before it had disappeared countless hours ago.

Snowpoint Temple was ominous to say the least. For the dwelling place of a god, it certainly had an eerie vibe to it. The temple was relatively simple. Large pillars loomed over the dark interior, their sides inscribed with various scriptures. Some bore deep wedge-like symbols like swarming bugs along their carved sides while others bore dots and dashes. The two patterns appeared randomly along walls and pillars and even the ceiling. Fog swirled along the cold, stone floor. Icicles dripped from the ceiling.

"Never been in here before," Glacier muttered. "You think Girly-tina-"

"Giratina."

"Giratina- you think it's in here?"

"By the feel of this place? Maybe."

Jaku was careful to keep Glacier in her peripheral vision, using her tail flame to find the way through the twisting acropolis. There was supposed to be a way to see the outside world but no matter how far Jaku ventured through the pillars, all she ever saw was more swirling fog and darkness. It fits, she grumbled inwardly. This certainly feels like the resting place of a god.

The farther she wandered, the more items of contradiction she noticed. In some places of the temple, worn iron shackles lay encrusted into the ground. The two separate wedge and dot patterns would sometimes overlap as though whatever had written them had attempted to amend what they were writing, obviously failing. Large stone statues stood in the middle of enclosed corridors, all of them engraved with a dot pattern. There were staircases that led to nowhere and random holes in the floor.

"Glacier?"

"Yeah?"

"I think it's time for you to head back home. It's too dangerous for you to keep following me around."

The Zorua shivered despite the gleam of anger that sparkled in his eyes. "Nuh-uh! I got this! You just lead the way and if we run into anything dangerous, I'll terrify it into being paralyzed."

"That's… not a bad strategy," Jaku admitted. "C'mon then."

In the depths of the mist, when they had wandered until Jaku thought her feet might fall off, they came across a large wall devoid of any inscriptions and before it stood a tall, spindly, gray-haired human woman. The woman, tall and pale and ethereal, was on her knees as if in prayer, bent double in front of the barren wall with her palms planted flat on the stone ground. The white and silver garments draped across her figure were impossibly delicate, layers upon layers of thin cottons and translucent silks shining despite the dwelling darkness in the room spilled across the floor like twin puddles. Ornate chains of silver studs and beads hung from her long, beautiful hair, almost resembling a silver stream itself. More silver jewelry adorned her ears, throat, wrists, and ankles.

Despite the lack of wind in the temple, the woman's garments seemed to flow like leaves on a rippling pond revealing layers of glittering gold silk underneath. Even the woman's slippers, bent to accommodate her slender feet, had the straps encrusted with silver. Bent before the barren wall, the woman's mutterings were low but firm, the language guttural and strange. Her words commanded silence. Her words commanded respect. Like a siren's song, the woman's words bore her forward and Jaku heeded its call, her claws clacking on the stone floor.

"This one is good. This one brings mercy. Peace. Knowledge. Venture closer. Closer still."

As if broken out of a trance, the woman stopped in her monotone muttering and turned toward them. "You."

"Me?" Jaku then blinked, using one leg to force a bristling Glacier behind her. Whatever the woman had been preaching had put her into some kind of trance. "Stay back," she muttered, shielding Glacier's body with her own. "Something's not right with that one."

"They're humans!" Glacier snarled. "Nothing's all right with them!" Regardless, Glacier followed her instructions and stayed behind her. "I'm gonna bite them!"

"Bring no harm upon them! They are an ally. Go to them. Embrace them."

"Be not afraid," the woman rasped, turning bodily to stare at them. To smile at them. To gaze directly at Jaku with a pair of impossibly clear silver eyes. "I mean you no harm."

"Don't listen to her," Glacier growled. "Humans always play tricks! They pretend to be nice and friendly and then they try to hurt you or take you away."

"I would do neither," the woman vowed solemnly. "I was here before your kind were hated by men. Before hatred grew fangs and turned your kind into what they are to this day. Be not afraid, for I am here to help you."

Jaku swallowed. "Glacier, I think she can understand what we're saying." Jaku took a cautious step forward and bared her teeth. "You can understand us?"

"I can."

"What do you want from us, then?"

"I want nothing. I only desire to help you with your task." The woman slowly drew closer, causing Glacier to spit and raise his hackles. "Not you, tiny ghost. I am referring to you-" she pointed a long, shiny nail at Jaku- "and only you. I know what you are. I know why you have come here. You have come seeking an audience with Giratina; you and fae that approached long before you."

"Celebi?" Jaku shook herself out. "Listen, I came for Giratina and or Shaymin. Both are supposed to be here."

The woman shook her head. "You are seeking in the wrong ways. The Renegade pokémon cannot approach through this gate anymore. It is sealed." The lady picked up a length of the chains strewn about the temple and loudly shook them. "Shaymin cannot wander here where its nemesis lurks. But do not despair. I have foreseen your arrival and so I have for you a gift." The pale lady reached into a section of her splendorous robes, pulling out a small leather pouch. She then tossed the pouch at Jaku's feet.

"What are these?"

"Gracidea Seeds. Your confusion stems from an interference brought about by entering the Distortion Realm. Eat them and the insidious presence within your being will be forced out."

Jaku skeptically picked up the pouch and pulled out one tiny seed. It felt hollow in the palm of her hand, its shiny surface fragrant and warm. Celebi had mentioned that the cure to her strange voices would come in the form of seeds. Jaku snorted. The small seed in her palm smoldered, quickly turning to ashes. "You think I just take food from strangers, huh? Who are you?"

"I am Cogita, the last true seraph of Arceus." From another pocket, the lady withdrew what looked like a mirror of some kind. "You belong to Dialga, kin of Arceus, ruler over the flow of time. Regain your human form, vassal of time." The woman then spun the mirror around.

In it, Jaku glimpsed her own reflection, her mouth parting in confusion when instead of scales and glowing embers, she sighted her own frostbitten skin and disheveled clothes. She quickly got to her feet, being over encumbered by dizziness as she was forced back onto her knees. The persistent headache at the base of her neck had faded until it was barely a memory. She waited. Waited for the strange voice to return. To come calling. It never came. "You… how… who?"

The woman swept closer, nearly engulfing Jaku in the shadow of her elaborate cloak as the woman peered down at her. "As I have stated, I am Cogita." She then knelt down to Jaku's level, placing one cold hand on her shoulder. From up close, a sickeningly sweet scent wreathed around them both, the lady's silver eyes appearing almost kind but pitying. "I have dwelled on this earth for many years. Trust in my wisdom, child. I will guide you right." Cogita took hold of the pouch of seeds and of Jaku's hand, spilling a few into her palm. "Eat. You will find yourself feeling much better after your confusion has cleared."

Before Jaku could protest, Cogita had force fed the small seeds to her, taking advantage of her weakened state to pinch her nose shut. Begrudgingly, Jaku swallowed… and immediately began to shiver. The cold of the tundra set in hard, chilling her down to the bone as her breath came in clouds of steam. "G-great. N-n-now I'm j-just c-c-cold."

"I foresaw your arrival. Another gift for you, champion of time. Something to keep you warm."

A warm fur cloak was tossed around her shoulders. It fell down to her ankles, the interior soft like well-crafted leather or peeled cotton. Jaku took hold of the clothing piece and stood, watching as the woman did the same. "You turned me back into a human," she gaped.

"I did."

"How?"

"Through an item granted to me from my creator." At her inquisitive stare, Cogita waved her away. "It is much to know but you have much to do. Do not think that these gifts are free."

Jaku froze, her eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean? You should've mentioned something like that before you forced all of these things upon me."

Cogita only smiled. "Be not afraid. I only refer to a quest that I must give you. It would seem as though your quest is brought upon by Azelf and as they have yet to act, they have instead entrusted me to hand you a task. They have instructed you to guide the first champion and help them unearth the spine to The Compendium. It is unrelated to your quest, but it will serve the champion of space well."

"An item for Ingo? Wait, why do I have to do that?" Jaku protested, taking a step back. "Aren't I supposed to be busy gathering the Time Gears?"

"I only repeat Azelf's words. They will not come to you unless you assist the first champion. Ingo, was it? Only you have the means of viewing the distortion that hides the spine of The Compendium."

So it's a time distortion. Great. Just wonderful. "So essentially, Azelf is grounding me until I escort Ingo into a mystery dungeon and help him get some spine? Does that sound right? And also, we're not talking about a spine as in like the vertebral bones, right?"

"Yes to your first question. No, to your second question. That will be all, champion of time. Once you have completed your quest, Azelf will visit you with the location of the next Time Gear. Be on your way now. And should you ever find yourself in the wrong body, return to me. To here. To the Ancient Retreat."

Don't tell me what to do. Against her desire to know more, Jaku turned on her heel, nearly stepping on Glacier who at that point, had been staring directly at her. Its golden eyes wide, it sprinted away, its paw steps echoing throughout the chamber as it vanished into the fog. Jaku followed after, albeit a bit slowly.

September 24th, First Year

The morning sun was in full display as Jaku exited the temple. A horrid gust reached into the folds of her newly acquired fur coat, causing her to shiver. Perhaps, she should've had Cogita keep her as a pokémon. Anything would've been better than being forced to guess where Ingo was. She presumed that they were still in Jubilife Village or at the very least, somewhere in the Obsidian Fieldlands. At least she could think clearly now that her confusion had been taken away.

Loud growling accosted her the moment she stepped into the deep snow, however. She glanced, grinning cheekily at Glacier who was now absolutely tiny and was absolutely bristling at her, his ears flat against his neck.

"Aww, look at the little man! Look at the little baby man!" Jaku squatted down, chuckling when the tiny Zorua turned around in a wide circle and glared at her. "Tiny man! Baby boy! Itty-bitty dough boy! Puppy! I forgot how adorable Zoruas are." She then picked herself back up. "You can't understand me, can you?"

Glacier scowled at her. Its eyes began to glow, a horrible chill settling into her bones as a visage of a little boy swaddled in scrappy furs and ragged clothes appeared before her. "Don't talk down to me," the boy grumbled angrily, his little hands balled into fists. Appearing as a human, Jaku could clearly see the building fury in his eyes as he sized her up.

"It's hard not to when you're half my size," she resumed. "Anyways, I think it's about time you ran off back to your lady. You really shouldn't be following me anymore-"

"I'll do what I want! Don't tell me what to do!"

Jaku stopped smiling. Glacier certainly wasn't. Why was he so angry? "Why are you angry at me? I'm not telling you what to do; I have to go find a human and you don't… like humans… I'm back to being a human, huh? Is that why you're angry at me?"

"You didn't tell me you were a human in disguise!" Glacier hissed. "You tricked me!"

"You never asked if I was!" Jaku retorted defensively. "But look. I've got things to do. Human things. I'm outta here." Without another word, Jaku swung around and began making her way down the cliff toward the large settlement in the snow. She could potentially gain her bearings but if she was going to trek around in the snow for a while, she would need to find a means to keep herself warm and fully fed. Tree bark wouldn't even begin to cut it anymore.

A small, rough hand reached out and grabbed the back of her cloak. "Hey! I didn't say you could leave! Wait!"

"Oh, so you want to keep following me?" Jaku slowed in her pace but continued walking, waiting for Glacier to catch up to her.

"…" Glacier pouted, his eyes trained on the snowy forest floor. "Didn't say that," he grumbled, still not removing his hand from her coat.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"…Can you… you're a human," Glacier muttered. "You can… you should be able to- you can talk to the other humans- the mean ones."

"I might," Jaku shrugged. "Depends on what you want from them."

At her words, Glacier's eyes gleamed, his rage quickly boiling away replaced by an eager smile. "Mamoswine meat."

"Hmm?"

"Mamoswine meat! I want to try Mamoswine meat but they're too big for Zoroarks to hunt. That's why I want you to get me some; you can talk to the humans. You can have them give you some and then you can give the meat to me. Then we can be friends again."

Friends? He wants to be friends with me? Oh, this kid is just too precious. "Oh, so you're just using me for petty thievery under the guise of being friends, huh? I see how it is."

"You tricked me," Glacier repeated. "You gotta make it up to me."

"But I'm a human and you don't like humans. You shouldn't want to be friends with me."

"Well, you're a nice human!" Glacier sputtered. "And you're not hurting me, so…"

"All you want is Mamoswine meat? That's it? Have you just been hungry this whole time or something?"

Glacier stilled, his small childish eyes narrowing with false fury as he playfully batted at her forearm. "Nuh-uh!" he crossed his arms. Then, his stomach grumbled. "…Maybe."

Jaku chuckled. "Listen, we can find you food that doesn't involve stealing meat from people we don't know."

"You don't live with them?"

"Nope. And I don't have the money to pay for any meat either. It would probably cost a fortune anyhow. If Zoroarks can't do it then humans probably can't either."

"…What's money?"

"I'll tell you when you're older. Come on. I think I saw some Magikarps under the frozen lake earlier. I can show you how to fish them out, albeit if you're okay with learning how to fish from a human. Sans the fishing rods and bait. I'll show you how to fish with your paws."

As they crested down the slope, Glacier ceased his illusion and became a Zorua again, peppily following along in her deep footprints as she found a slope just even enough for her to get down to the frozen lake. She caught Glacier on the drop and carefully set him back down in the snow. "Okay. Let's teach you how to fish, buddy boy."

"Are Magikarp tasty?" Glacier projected into her thoughts.

I guess he knows some kind of telepathy. "Depends on your tastes. The skin is a bit tough but the flesh is very soft and easy to tear through. Since we're in the icelands, the first thing we gotta do is break through the ice." She strode over to the lake, searching absently for a large rock or boulder; upon finding one, she tossed it at the icy lake, watching as the surface ice exploded upward revealing the dark blue lake underneath. When she turned to address Glacier, she froze. The tiny fox had vanished.

Loud voices moved over the horizon, only a clearing away. Jaku only had time to pick up a sharpened stick before several figures peeked over the snowy hills overlooking the lake. One of the figures had come barreling over the hill and upon sighting her, they went silent before immediately moving towards her. It was Ingo.

"Ah. Miss Jaku, is that you?"