Chapter 7: Eterna

Eterna Forest was cold and dark. There was beauty in that cold darkness, but a chill in the air kept Lucas from relaxing completely.

It was dark, but Lucas somehow knew that it was still late morning. The dense greenery overshadowed everything, allowing only the barest slivers of sunlight to peek through. Here, daytime was as dark as the night, and the night was said to be even darker. Frankly, Lucas had no desire to see that for himself - he was uneasy being here as it was.

"You feeling okay, Luc?" Lucas jumped - how did he not realize that Barry was so close by?! The blond's expression clearly showed his concern. "You've gotten quiet since we stepped in here. I mean, quieter than usual!"

"Kind of?" Lucas responded. "It's a little hard to explain."

Barry took a moment to examine Lucas' face. "...Is this one of those Aura things?"

In response to the question, Lucas clamped a hand over Barry's mouth and hissed, "Barry, not so loud!"

Amid Barry's muffled protests, Lucas looked over at Dawn and their new companion. Cheryl's eyebrows were raised as she watched the boys interact, but Dawn spoke up and got her attention back to whatever it was they were talking about. Lucas was grateful for Dawn's intervention, really. He had trusted Dawn and Barry with his sensitivity to Aura - and only those two. He didn't want a total stranger knowing he could sense stuff like this if he could help it.

At least Barry had the sense to calm down by the time Lucas removed his hand. In fact, he was downright sheepish.

"Sorry, buddy," Barry said, and Lucas appreciated the effort it took for him to whisper. "I just think it's so cool! You've got this superpower that's like something out of a comic book! Why keep that a secret, anyways? Isn't there like, a whole group of trainers dedicated to that kinda thing?"

"You're thinking about Psychics," Lucas answered, making sure to keep his voice low. "And from what I was able to learn on my own, there's a difference between psychic power and Aura about the difference between the mind and the spirit? I wouldn't be able to explain it any better than that."

He really couldn't. Aside from eccentric spiritual blogs, information regarding Aura was woefully scarce. As it was, the only way he could actually learn anything about it was to find someone else who could sense it. It was unfortunate that Aevus had seemingly disappeared after Team Galactic was chased out of Valley Windworks, because he was the only other person he knew that had any insight on it. Lucas didn't know what he could be so busy with, but still.

"The point is," Lucas said, in an effort to keep from drifting off into thought, "you're not wrong...about it being an Aura thing. I dunno, it just feels like something's been watching us since we entered this forest. But I can't place my finger on what."

"Like the thing that's floating behind you?!"

Lucas practically gave himself whiplash from how quickly he spun around. All he could pick up on were a sparkle of green light and the sense that something had disappeared. Despite these things, Lucas shot a glare at Barry. "Barry, don't do that!"

"I wasn't trying to scare you! There really was something floating behind you!" Barry protested. When he saw that Dawn and Cheryl were watching them, he asked them, "You two saw it, right?!"

"Saw what?" Dawn questioned.

"I didn't see anything out of the ordinary," Cheryl added. "This forest is rumored to be haunted, so maybe it's a ghost playing a prank on you?"

"What?! No! It didn't look like any ghost I've seen!" Barry insisted. He waved his arms in the direction of where he had supposedly seen something. "It was green! What ghost type do you know that's green?!"

Strangely, Lucas got the sense that Barry wasn't lying. That only made less sense than if he had tried to play a prank on him. If Barry was telling the truth, then he did see something watching Lucas. A green ghost-type...it couldn't have been a shiny, could it? The only green shiny he could think of that would fit was Misdreavus...and somehow that didn't seem to fit.

Dawn walked over to Barry and led him a little further up the path - presumably to help him calm down. Barry never did like ghosts, although Lucas could only assume as to why that was. Dawn seemed to have more knowledge on that than he did, so it made sense for her to be the one to step in.

It did leave Lucas with Cheryl, though. Cheryl was a good person, he could tell that much. It was just that he didn't quite know what to say around total strangers, especially with his Aura sensitivity.

Thankfully, Cheryl started the conversation; "Never a dull moment, huh?"

"Yeah," Lucas sighed. "Not with Barry around, anyway. Don't get me wrong; he's like a brother to me. It's just a little exhausting sometimes, you know?"

"I get that," Cheryl giggled. "The two of you actually remind me of some old friends of mine."

"Really?" Lucas questioned. He didn't need to be able to sense Aura to pick up on Cheryl's nostalgia. He wasn't going to pry on the matter; he got the sense that it had been a long time since she saw those friends of hers. That kind of separation can be pretty painful. He would know; moving to Johto and back was difficult going both ways. While it was true that he could still keep in contact with Ethan and Lyra through emails or phone calls, it just wasn't the same.

"Yes. Which brings me to what I wanted to say," Cheryl said. There was a kind smile on her face. "The friend you remind me of can sense Aura, too."

To say that Lucas was surprised would be an understatement; he was downright shocked. So not only did Cheryl hear what Barry had said earlier, but she actually knew someone who could sense Aura as well?! Her Aura didn't indicate that she was lying; he liked to think he could pick up that much. Still, hearing that he wasn't alone in experiencing it...that was heartwarming for Lucas.

"What can you tell me about this person?" Lucas questioned. "Is there any way I can contact them?"

"His name's Riley. I actually lost touch with him some time ago, so I don't have a phone number or anything to give you," Cheryl said, apologetically. "I'm not even sure where he could be right now. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in being able to sense it."

While it was disappointing that he had no way of contacting this Riley, that didn't matter as much to Lucas. He had a feeling that he wasn't alone in being sensitive to Aura...but he had not realized how badly he wanted to hear it.

Lucas recognized the man standing by the statue, and he immediately wished he hadn't. He was already starting to feel sick at the very thought of seeing him again. Just like in Lake Verity.

"Isn't that the same guy we saw in Lake Verity?" Dawn questioned, her gaze flickering between Lucas and the stranger. "What's he doing here?"

"I wish I knew," Lucas answered. The three trainers could only watch as the man departed from the statue and walked in their direction. Unlike last time, he took the time to examine the three trainers in front of him.

"Tell me," the man said. "How much do you know about the Pokemon of time and space?"

Lucas couldn't say anything even if he wanted to; anger and nausea kept him rooted to the spot, especially since the question seemed to be more directed at him.

The man didn't give the Trainers any time to answer anyway; he walked past them before they could utter a word. Lucas kept his eyes downward, focusing on his feet. That he felt nausea and anger whenever it came to Team Galactic was one thing, but why would it feel the most intense with this guy? What connection did he have with Team Galactic? Did Cyrus even have a connection in the first place?

Another thought crossed Lucas' mind, perhaps the most concerning of all; how would he know the man's name was Cyrus-?

Lucas' train of thought was derailed when he felt something harshly tugging his sleeve.

"Snap out of it, Lucas!" Barry exclaimed. "There's cracks in the eggshell! The Egg's starting to hatch!"

That got Lucas' attention immediately. "Wait, already?!"

Sure enough, Dawn had already put the Incubator down on the ground and removed the lid. The three watched as the Egg's shell started to fall apart, revealing a small crocodilian Pokemon. It yawned and stretched its arms, nearly stumbling out of the Incubator as a result.

Lucas recognized it right away. It crossed his mind that the Egg probably contained a Water-type from Johto; the quiz they got it from had a Johto theme, he would have been surprised if the Pokemon originated from any other region. But this still came as a surprise to him.

Barry beat him to the punch; "Isn't that a Totodile?!"

Carefully, Dawn picked the Pokemon up and examined it. Totodile stared back at Dawn before wiggling happily within her grip.

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" Dawn laughed. "They weren't kidding when they said it'd be a fantastic prize. I wonder how Jubilife TV was able to get a hold of this."

"Same," Lucas answered. "And I'd be careful. From what I've heard, their bites can cause serious injury."

"I don't doubt it," Dawn responded, her gaze now focused on Totodile's teeth. "Didn't Kale do something similar when you first got him, Lucas?"

"Yeah, he did. You should be able to get chew toys at the PokeMart; that's where I got all of Kale's chew toys."

"I guess that'll be my first stop," Dawn decided. "And then my next stop'll be Mt. Coronet. I heard there are a lot of Rock-types there, which is gonna be perfect for training my team up."

Barry snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, the Gym here specializes in Grass-types. You don't have as many answers for that as Luc and I do."

Lucas took a moment to think about the Pokemon in Dawn's team. Because what Barry said was true; the only other Pokemon he had seen Dawn capture were a Tentacool and a Shellos. Adding her Piplup and Totodile, that made four Water-types in Dawn's team.

Not that he was surprised by that pattern; something about Dawn's Aura always brought the ocean to mind. It wouldn't have surprised Lucas at all if she had decided to specialize in Water-types.

"You want us to come to Mt. Coronet with you?" Lucas questioned.

"Maybe another time. Don't let me keep you two from beating the Gym," Dawn responded. "Besides, I also really want to try looking for a Feebas. I know you can find them somewhere in the mountain, but since they're so rare..."

Lucas took a moment to imagine them waiting as Dawn fished for the mere chance of finding a Feebas. More specifically, he imagined Barry complaining about how long they were taking and potentially scaring all of the Pokemon off. "Yeah, probably a good call. You can call us when you're done, then."

Dawn beamed, and took a moment to hug her friends. "Thanks, guys! Let me know how battling Gardenia went, alright?"

Dialga made sure to stay out of sight as he observed the three trainers. He didn't get a good look at the man they had briefly conversed with, but it seemed to affect Lucas greatly. It seemed there was some truth in Uxie's implications of Lucas' memories being almost exclusively subconscious. That he hadn't thought of it that way was an oversight on Dialga's part.

"Papa! Over here!"

Dialga turned, and was surprised to see Celebi sitting on a nearby tree branch. She waved, and Dialga approached the tree without a second thought. What kind of father figure would he be if he didn't?

"Celebi," he greeted. "I'm surprised and happy to see you. I wasn't aware you were in Sinnoh - I would have thought you were still in that forest in Johto. Ilex, yes?"

"I was there, until recently. Auntie Mesprit told me something was up, and she told me where to find you," Celebi explained. "And she was right! I saw the funniest thing. There was a human in Eterna Forest today, and his Aura reminded me a lot of you!"

Of course Mesprit told Celebi. This time, Dialga was thankful for his sister spreading the news. She had as much of a right to know about the oncoming threat as himself and Palkia.

Dialga knew exactly who Celebi was talking about, but he felt the need to ask anyway. "Are you talking about any of the humans by the statue?"

Celebi floated closer to Dialga, following his gaze. After a moment of observation, she nodded. "The one with the blue jacket is the one that reminded me of you. The blond actually saw me while I was trying to observe his friend."

"Really?" Hearing Celebi's report on Lucas' Aura didn't surprise Dialga at all. What had surprised him was that Barry had caught sight of Celebi. The Lord of Time wasn't sure if that constituted remarkable luck, or remarkable reflexes. "You need to be more careful, Celebi."

"I was careful! It's not my fault that Blondie saw me!" Celebi huffed, crossing her arms. "I could have mistaken that other human for you, you know! What the heck happened?"

"Simply put, Roar of Time happened."

Celebi gasped. "You used Roar of Time on a human?! Papa, what the heck?!"

"Not me specifically! I believe it's the me from another timeline that did this to him."

"...Yeah, you're gonna have to explain, because I'm even more confused."

With a sigh, Dialga led Celebi to a spot that was further away from the town. They risked getting spotted the longer they lingered in town, and frankly Dialga did not want that. Especially not with that Galactic building so close to where they had been.

On the other hand, Route 211 was a somewhat quiet route. Not a single person could be seen in the immediate vicinity, at least. Surely this would be a better location to tell Celebi everything.

When Dialga had finished his explanation, Celebi shuddered. "Timelines unraveling...that's scary. Is that why you're in your human form? To not draw attention to yourself while you figure things out?"

"That is part of the reason, but not the entire reason," Dialga admitted. "I thought it was the best way to get close to the boy...also without drawing attention to myself. I have reason to believe that he has some memory related to the Unraveling, repressed as they may be."

"Ohhhh," Celebi said, crossing her arms. "That makes more sense. I've never known you to be particularly close with humanity, unless you absolutely had to be."

As accurate as the assessment was, did Celebi have to put it like that? That just made Dialga feel even more anxious about the whole Lucas situation. The few times he interacted with Lucas were short (and somewhat awkward on his part). He knew that his plan would go much smoother if Lucas trusted him, but how was Dialga supposed to gain that trust?

"...So, random question," Celebi spoke up. "Does this whole Roar of Time thing mean I have a little brother now?"

The question was indeed very random, and it caught Dialga off-guard. He doubted it worked like that (it was not like Roar of Time actually turned him into a Celebi), but the question did make him realize something.

Why not interact with Lucas in the same manner that he did with Celebi? In the same manner that Arceus did with him?

It was worth a shot.