Oh.
Okay.
THREE DAYS! THREE TIMES! THREE UPDATES!
This is my thank you to everyone :D triple tap upload! This is my 10,000-view celebration, 200 review-combined celebration and my twentieth-chapter celebration! Thanks to you all :D
The five pokémon captured were separated and placed into different areas. Sean, Scout, and Striker were placed in one area, in different cells, while Rai and Mane were locked up in a different wing of the jail.
Their items had been taken from them, they had been searched for anything else, before being tossed into the cells. Two sableye guarded each jail while the various magnemite and magneton guarded the rest of the building.
Dusknoir, however, left. He would have been happier to remain guarding them as a final opponent, but something even more important needed to be done.
The longer everyone was in this time period, the bigger the risk of something going wrong. He needed to open the Dimensional Hole that Master Dialga had given him as soon as possible. Before anything else could happen.
But to open the way to the future was not easy, and Dusknoir knew he had to focus for the rest of the night if he wanted any chance of doing this.
The sableye would still alert him if something else happened, he was ready just in case. But for now, Dusknoir meditated.
Striker didn't speak for the night. Scout wasn't sure if the grovyle had fainted, fallen asleep, or had just given up. Either way, there was no words shared.
Sean didn't speak either, but he was clearly not asleep. He sat up, staring out a barred window at the moving clouds. At one point he turned to Scout and smiled with a wide mouth, and Scout thought he saw a glint of blue. Before Sean swallowed and it disappeared.
Scout also had nothing to say, at least nothing he felt would be responded to. But he wasn't going to huddle up like Striker or stare off into nothingness like Sean.
He extended a claw on his right paw and quietly scraped something onto the wall he sat against. If the sableye heard it, and he guessed they did, they made no indication of it and he was done within a few seconds.
To cover it up he began attacking the walls with his claws. All five remaining claws, one was still broken, scratching the walls and causing the sableye to cringe from the sharp sounds. Sean also twitched a few times, ears twitching, but still said nothing.
He paced as he went and thought he caught the slightest fond smile from Sean, but when he looked again the human-turned-riolu was staring back out the window.
The human-turned-riolu…
The thought was still confusing to Scout. Even thinking of himself as Scout felt simultaneously wrong and right. Part of him felt the name fit, it was his name clearly. But the louder part of him cried foul.
"This wasn't in the game," he thought. He had thought that a lot over the last few days. He had thought over the entire story he thought he knew; there was no meowth.
This was, however, helping him realise something. Something that was now making a lot of sense. The question as to why Skuntank was in Beach Cave.
"I had thought I was the first change," he mused. "But everything was different. This isn't a game and I need to stop treating it like it is."
There was no story, none that he knew at least. Key, critical, things had changed from even before he woke up on the cliff. Why it was him and not Sean, Scout didn't know. And why he knew of a story at all still puzzled him.
The only thing that was clear to him now was simply. "Everything I thought I knew, is a maybe at best."
There were no guaranties. There was no set path he could rely on to show him the way. There was no control he thought he had.
Despite it all, Scout smiled. "I'll play Dusknoir's game."
Chatot stood stiffly.
As the guilds representative in legal matters, he was among the first pokémon to learn that the human had been captured and that Dusknoir was taking his prisoners back to the future to receive judgement.
It hadn't been Dusknoir or one of the sableye he inexplicably had as assistants, but Officer Magnezone, that had told him this. He roused the guild, and everyone soon marched out in a stiff, uncomfortable, silence.
Magnezone had also bore the bad news that young Rai and the troublesome Mane had also been arrested. Team Magnezone weren't entirely sure what to do with them, or even if they deserved punishment. Dusknoir had claimed that they had acted as distractions to free the prisoners but had also been responsible for slowing the escapees to allow capture.
For the time being they would be held in custody, but out of fairness they were taken to the town square to see Dusknoir and his prisoners off. Contained within magnemite cages.
Chatot personally thought that was cruel, but he knew that those two would regret it more if they weren't at least able to see their disgraced friend one more time. Even considering how upset he was with them.
He was furious they would try something so bold and stupid, but he understood why. Scout didn't deserve this, even if he was a perpetrator of crime in the future. He did not remember, he had changed, this was simply not fair.
But Dusknoir was right. The human had broken them both out, although Magnezone explained that somehow the human was now the very same riolu that had been wandering town for a while. This entire situation was making his head swim.
The town was bubbling with excitement. Dusknoir had arrived only yesterday with news of Grovyle's capture, and the human now too? The world was saved. Team Flame was receiving great accolades for taking part in bringing down the vile Grovyle and were standing at the forefront of the crowd.
Young Bellsprout looked overwhelmed, but Camerupt and Ponyta were more composed. One looking stern and the other one incredibly proud.
A literal hole in time and space floated ominously in the town square. No one was foolish enough to touch it, and magnemite guards warned away anyone who dared to get close. Many eyes were on the terrifying Dimensional Hole, others were waiting expectantly.
Chatot's eyes passed over the crowd, taking in every expression.
Spinda was frowning.
Charmander was relieved.
Beedrill was cheerful.
Electivire was angry.
Marowak was conflicted.
Ursaring was happy.
Teddiursa was tired.
Yamper was excited.
So many pokémon were excited. Chatot sighed, he had warned Scout all that time ago that these Time Gears could get him into trouble, he hated being right more than he ever had.
Some pokémon seemed less confident in this, but a breath of relief had spread across the whole town. Even the guild was feeling it. No one agreed with what was happening to Scout, but stopping Grovyle and the human was the right course of action.
It hurt, however.
It hurt when Dusknoir finally arrived.
At the front was a little riolu, arms tied behind his back and muzzled. Two sableye clutched an arm each as they marched him along. He kept his eyes straight, refusing to look anywhere besides the rip in time and space.
"Everyone!" Dusknoir boomed from where he was escorting Scout and Chatot's heart lurched at the sight. The meowth was bedraggled, muzzled, arms tied behind his back. His eyes were downcast and he had to be dragged forward, unwilling or unable to walk on his own. "It is only the greatest news today. The three thieves have been caught!"
The crowd cheered, stamped their feet, clapped hands, or otherwise showed excitement.
"This was all made possibly by your selfless support and cooperation," Dusknoir said warmly. "I cannot thank you all enough. You have made my stay here a wonderful experience and I will fondly remember each and every one of you."
The crowd cheered again, even a few of the guild smiled. Dusknoir nodded to the first two sableye and they began pulling Sean forward again.
It was impressive, in a way, Chatot decided. To look to ones literal future with such a firm expression. But perhaps it was to spare himself, as the crowd began hissing and shouting at him. A few were confused at the presence of the riolu, but a neighbour quickly explained the human had become a pokémon.
Such abilities weren't known about humans, but they were mysterious beings anyway.
The riolu, the human, the real Sean did struggle a bit as he was dragged closer to the portal, but the sableye were holding him tightly and they jumped, throwing the three of them into the portal.
"Everyone, I am afraid this is also goodbye," Dusknoir began, and began to float forward with Scout held between two sableye. The meowth wasn't looking healthy, head bowed, whiskers drooping, and feet dragging.
Chatot heard Rai, held between several magnemite, whimper and Mane mutter something under his breath. He couldn't, he wouldn't, stand this.
"But with these three wicked pokémon captured, peace will return to your world. So I'll leave this with…" Dusknoir trailed off, Scout made a muffled gasp and raised his head, the crowd all breathed in at once.
Chatot had walked out in front of the sableye, between them and the portal, and turned to face Dusknoir.
"No," he said sternly.
"What are you doing?" a voice yelled from the crowd, Chatot ignored them. He didn't turn to face the guild, but he could feel Wigglytuff humming a soothing song. This wasn't planned, Dusknoir had been proven right, Scout was an enemy to all pokémon.
But he was a member of the Wigglytuff Guild.
"Kakoch," Scout said, voice muffled severely by the muzzle, but still audible.
Dusknoir's fingers twitched visibly as he stared before he caught his control. "My friend Chatot," he begun, "you agreed to this. Scout has been proven guilty. Step out of the way."
Chatot raised his beak and stared imperiously at Dusknoir. "Scout is a member of the Wigglytuff Guild. He is a citizen of Treasure Town. You will release him to us."
The sableye glanced to each other and the ones behind them began to grow nervous, holding Grovyle for this long was anxiety-building, even if he seemed barely conscious.
"Scout is a criminal of MY time," Dusknoir argued, voice getting dangerously close to a yell. He was beginning to crack. "He is under my jurisdiction. If-"
"We aren't in your time," Chatot cut in and Dusknoir stilled.
"I see." He looked down to Scout and then back to Chatot. Then to the guild, and lastly to the crowd. Everyone was silent. "Scout is my jurisdiction regardless of what you feel Chatot," Dusknoir said, turning back to the foolish Flying-type. "Step out of the way." Chatot didn't move. "Now."
"I will not," Chatot replied and Dusknoir felt his composure finally break.
He had victory, he had salvation, literally a few meters ahead of him. And he had a problem in the way. Problems did not remain in the way for 'The Great Dusknoir'.
The twitching of Dusknoir's fingers was the only warning before he blasted a wave of darkness from every side of his body. The Dark Pulse blew Chatot off his feet, several members of the crowd fell like dominoes, the guild was staggered, and even the sableye were knocked down, losing their grips.
Dusknoir snatched Scout, dazed and trying to scramble up, in his hand and tossed him like a ball towards the portal. "Up!" he roared at the sableye and threw them into the portal after Scout. The meowth managed to use Night Slash, paws having been tied behind him back but also pointed down, and caught himself on the dirt. He wheezed in a breath behind the muzzle and looked back to Dusknoir, immediately flattening himself on the ground to avoid the sableye flying over his head.
The guild reacted as Chatot caught himself and the entire town plunged into chaos.
There was a reason why moves were illegal to use for combat within town. Pokémon could be highly irrational, impulsive, creatures.
The crowd, those who weren't stunned or fleeing, began to attack in random panic to protect themselves. Dusknoir charged back for Striker, who was trying to scramble to his feet, and grabbed him around the torso.
Before he could turn and throw him, however, Chatot collided with his back, body burning into a blue light.
The Brave Bird staggered Dusknoir and Striker fell out of his grip. "GET HIM!" he bellowed to the sableye and their fear of him snapped them out of their dazes. They grabbed Striker as Dusknoir spun onto Chatot and punched him out of the air.
Guildmembers were falling into chaos as well, but less random destruction as the townsfolk. Several were breaking up the panicked brawl, but others were coming for him and Dusknoir send shadows to snare all of them.
Wigglytuff boomed out a command. "STOP!" But for once it was effective only to knock pokémon off their feet.
Mane took his chance. He twisted and blasted one of the magnemite carrying him away from the carnage with a Fire Blast and freed himself. He blasted Rai out of their hold as well. "Come on!" he yelled and the shinx immediately fell into a run with him.
They sprinted back for the town, ducking through the chaos or removing obstacles in their way with Fire Blast's and Thunderbolt's.
They ran for the portal, spotting Scout barely avoiding being knocked into it by the shadows Dusknoir was just now throwing at everything.
Dusknoir charged for Scout but Chatot got in his way again and batted at him with shining wings. Dusknoir snatched Chatot out of the air and tried to crush him, but Wigglytuff grabbed him in a hug from behind and squeezed him, the pain causing Dusknoir to release Chatot.
The two leaders of the guild fought Dusknoir together. As Chatot swooped in from the sky and doused him in feathers, Wigglytuff beat him back with burst of magical energy, beating him back foot by foot towards the portal.
Dusknoir roared out something and punched Wigglytuff with everything he had, knocking the Fairy-type flying. Chatot continued pestering him from above and Dusknoir snatched him out of the sky again.
Wigglytuff bounced and bounced, waving his arms as he tried to catch himself and charge back in. But his squishy body was proving to be against him here and he just kept bouncing.
Mane convinced something to move by setting it on fire and both him and Rai ducked under a falling Croagunk to find a straight shot to Dusknoir.
Scout was trying to fight him off with Night Slash, but his paws were still snared in the wrong direction. Dusknoir continued squeezing Chatot in his twitching hands.
The bird was going limp.
"DUSKNOIR!" Rai roared as Dusknoir finally managed to get a hold on Scout. Something exploded from behind him and the last two sableye flew into the portal.
Dusknoir spotted them coming and shadows rippled before lashing out at their feet. They passed harmlessly through Mane, he was a Normal-type after all, but Rai staggered as they snared his back feet. He writhed and broke free, leaping after Mane.
Mane, wreathed in flame, tackled Dusknoir's back and Dusknoir's hands went slack. Then they touched the portal and disappeared.
Rai followed in right after them.
Then landed in the dirt.
"YOOM-TAH!"
The entire town shook as Wigglytuff's shout dropped every single pokémon still brawling and the town fell silent.
Buildings were on fire.
Pokémon were lying unconscious in the streets.
Carnage was everywhere.
And Rai was screaming muffled cries into the dirt.
Someone grabbed him and tried to pull him up, but Rai shocked them, and they released them. He thought he saw Croagunk but didn't care.
He had missed the portal by a split second.
Scout AND Mane were gone.
"Sean?"
Rai didn't care who was yelling that, the person was silenced quickly anyway. The guild members quickly grabbed Grovyle the Thief who was staring towards Rai, or really where the Dimensional Hole had been, in horror. "SEAN?"
"HE'S GONE!" Rai screamed.
"Chatot?" Wigglytuff cried. "Where's Chatot?"
"Dusknoir had him," Grovyle muttered, falling slack in the firm grip of Loudred and Sunflora. "Sean, Scout."
"Litleo too," Croagunk croaked, coming up as the town finally began to properly calm down.
"They have all gone to the future?" Corphish gasped. "Hey… we have Grovyle… what are we going to do?"
"Chatot…" Wigglytuff whimpered. "Chatot no."
Rai continued sobbing in the dirt, sparking too much for any pokémon to risk trying to comfort him.
"What are we going to do?"
His head ached like nothing else.
It felt like he was being moved, but the effort to open his eyes was too much. Something heavy smacked on the ground and something tittered before he was being moved again.
Awareness flowed in and out until Chatot was sure he was being held upwards. With blood flowing normally again, he found the prospect of opening his eyes to merely be a herculean task, rather than outright impossible.
"Mmmf," he groaned, cracking an eye open. His vision swam immediately, and he had to close it again. He tried again, things were a little clearer, but his eyes were still filled with fluid. Chatot lifted a wing to rub his eye.
Well, he tried.
"Hm?" Awareness began to return much faster. "What?" Chatot squawked as his other eye was a bit clearer, and blinking a bunch cleared the other one up as well as it could.
He was tied to a pillar, that was the first thing he couldn't help but disapprove of.
The second disapproval was all the sableye staring hungrily at him. Such a prospect would be unpleasant even if he wasn't held in place.
The third, and greatest, disapproval he decided upon was the fact that he was not the only one being lynched like this.
"Litleo?" Chatot squawked, ignoring the sableye. "Litleo?" he said harsher and finally the troublemaker reacted.
He did a lot of the same as Chatot himself, sighing, groaning, before slowly coming to with a lot of blinking. Once he was aware he seemed to jolt, as best as he could when tied to a pillar and stared out in shock.
"You know…?" Litleo began, staring out in a mixture of shock and terror. "I once had a dream juuust like this. It was… interesting."
Chatot tried to ruffle his feathers as he found a fourth thing to disapprove of, inappropriate-on-multiple-levels jokes, but a sound from his left interrupted him.
The human, Riolu, or really the 'real' Sean snorted in amusement. He met Chatot's eyes and Chatot was spooked to see the darkness of expression he wore.
Chatot didn't wish to stare into that abyss for long, so he broke eye contact and looked back to the sableye. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded shrilly. He cleared his throat and spoke more confidently. "Release us immediately."
The sableye just tittered at him again. "Wheh-heh-heh." A few scraped their claws and others eyed them hungrily. Chatot grew less comfortable by the moment.
"So where's Dusknoir?" Sean asked, voice much calmer and level than Chatot's own. "Couldn't he stand to face us?"
"I was simply ensuring the safety of a prisoner," Dusknoir said grandly, melting in from a dark door. "I would have had this done already, but I found myself needing to take some time to compose myself."
Sean grinned widely, an expression Chatot found to be ridiculous. "You didn't get Striker did you? Just as I thought."
Dusknoir's fingers twitched and he rolled his head stiffly. "No." His anger began to brim and Dusknoir's baleful eye moved to Chatot. "Thanks to you."
"Me?" Chatot squawked. "YOU attacked first! You broke OUR laws? How DARE you do such a thing Dusknoir. And to think I actually respected you once. But now to see you as a craven, irrational, vicious thug I see my thoughts were incorrect."
"Ha!" Litleo laughed. "Burn!"
Dusknoir raised his hand to glare at Chatot and the bird found himself looking away. "Due to you," he spat. "Grovyle escaped. He remains in the past to end the world. That is on you, Chatot."
"Don't listen to him," Sean cut in. "Dusknoir has been using you all. We are trying to save the world, YOU might have saved the world there, Chatot." He paused before looking to Dusknoir. "What did happen actually? I wasn't there."
"Chats stepped in front of Dusknoir!" Litleo laughed. "And told him no to taking Scout. Dusknoir didn't like that."
Sean smiled. "I bet he didn't."
"It is no matter," Dusknoir interjected smoothly, voice still brimming with shaking anger. "I have Sean and I still brought Scout back with me. It is only Striker that I yet need to obtain, and he is viewed as the most reviled thief in your time. Perhaps I won't even need to do anything, if the crowds violence does him in regardless."
"He'll survive," Sean growled and Dusknoir eyed him.
"Perhaps. But he'll be arrested nonetheless. It will be simple to return with Master Dialga's blessing and retrieve him."
Litleo snorted. "After you did what you did, I'd like to see you show your face to the guild. Wigglytuff would explode you."
Dusknoir glowered but then waved his hand at the sableye. "Sadly you will not get the chance to see such a thing." Litleo's grin became fixed as the sableye all chuckled. "None of you are leaving this room alive. Sableye?"
"Wheh-heh-heh."
"W-w-w-w-wait!" Chatot squawked as Litleo squeaked in sudden fear. "What do you think you are doing?"
Dusknoir didn't answer, he was already heading out of the room.
"What's the matter?" Sean called, Dusknoir didn't pause. "Can't stand to watch me die? C'mon, Guardian! Were you always this much of a coward?"
Dusknoir froze, even the sableye paused with highly unsure expressions. He turned back to Sean with a searching look, the anger in his eye had burned out. "I… I have business elsewhere."
He turned away to leave the room but paused again, floating frozen at the doorway. He gave a deep sigh and slowly turned back but couldn't meet Sean's eyes. The sableye shrugged it off and clashed their claws again.
"Okay listen up," Sean hissed, loud enough for only Chatot and Litleo. "These guys get a bit excited, a bit sloppy, they are definitely going to hit the ropes. If we all get a chance, we have to break these things. They are flimsy, one good tear should be enough."
"W-wha?" Chatot squawked.
"Just don't act until I say so!" Sean hissed and braced as the sableye came for them.
The claws were awful.
Half physical, scratching lines of pain in his heads and necks, half spiritual and striking their spirits. Chatot and Litleo seized up from the attacks almost instantly, gaping and softly moaning from the otherworldly agony.
Sean didn't fare much better, but he'd suffered this before in smaller doses and forced himself to think about Striker, think about Scout, his thoughts even moved to Guardian, and he held his composure.
The sableye slashed and slashed, nicking and scratching the ropes in their eagerness, drooling, giggling, and salivating as they dreamed of what their victims would taste like.
Sean forced his head to the side to see the progress on the others. Litleo's ropes were fraying, Chatot's were taking some time however and he dearly hoped they could withstand this.
He felt blood begin dripping and even his spirit shrieking in pain. Chatot began to spasm and his rope frayed.
Sean tried to speak, blood was in his mouth, blood was in his eyes, blood was in his soul.
"NOW!"
He pushed with everything he had, and his bellow got through to the others, both lashing out in instinctual desperation. The ropes broke and the sableye were knocked back.
When they were captured, Sean had placed a Luminous Orb in his mouth, and he had swallowed it on the same night so the sableye wouldn't find it. It had sat in his stomach for hours and he feared its effects would have been lost.
But it was still touching him and as he pulled at the power of the orb, he felt it get absorbed into his body. "Eyes!" he yelled to the two before releasing the effects of the orb.
Sableye didn't have eyelids. They couldn't close their eyes and were sensitive to bright lights regardless. Dusknoir didn't have an eyelid himself and was also blinded by the burst of light.
All six sableye fell back screeching from the burst of white light, trying to cover their eyes, as Dusknoir roared in pain. Sean grabbed Chatot and hoisted him up and kicked Litleo into gear as well. "We have to run," he said, and Litleo nodded, running alongside him as Sean carried Chatot.
They left from the right door, since Dusknoir was shrieking something from the left. Both of his companions were a bit blinded from the orb as well, neither had closed their eyes in time, but at least weren't facing him at the time.
Sean ran forward, pass a door that was beginning to open, turned left, forward, right, right, right, left, left, and then ran to a hole in the wall and peered out. "Here," he said, pushing Chatot up. The bird was still in a bit of shock from the ordeal but flapped his wings and hovered outside as Sean helped Litleo out.
"What… is this place?" Chatot gasped, looking out at the dark and frozen landscape. He had brain damage, that was the only explanation to what he was seeing. Even his worst nightmares didn't create scenes like this.
"How well can you fly?" Sean asked, crouching down and pulling both pokémon out of sight. Something reached the hole and paused and all three of them held their breaths. It moved on and they breathed a sigh of relief.
"My wings are undamaged," Chatot answered, simple questions were helping.
"Can you hold onto Litleo?" he asked, the pokémon in question was still taking time to breathe again. "And fly him down to that path?" Sean pointed and their eyes followed to where he was meaning.
A very thin path skirting the edge of a cliff and giving a great view of all the falling rocks that just hung suspended in mid-air.
"This is like the water that froze at the Underground Lake," Litleo whispered as Chatot nodded.
"I-I think so. I've carried the Guildmaster."
"Good, Litleo?" Sean turned to him and gave him a gentle shake to rouse him from just staring blankly. "Hold onto Chatot."
Chatot fluttered over and the two pokémon tangled him into Chatot's claws so he could carry him down. "I'll meet you down there."
"What are you?" Chatot began, but Sean was already moving. Skidding down the sharp cliff without hesitation. "Oh."
He hastened to catch up, the sounds of shouting could still be heard as there was literally no other sound. There wasn't even the sound of dirt moving and rocks sliding, as nothing was moving besides Sean himself. Only the sounds of skin and fur getting torn by the descent.
Chatot wished to grab him and help him down as well, but two pokémon would be a struggle and he needed both talons for Litleo anyway.
They were quiet as they flew down, the sounds of their own breathing being the most they could hear.
Once Sean got to the bottom, he looked up and gestured wildly. "Get to the ground," he hissed, half quiet half shouting.
Chatot did as he was asked. There would be time to retain dignity later, but he had no idea what was going on and this pokémon seemed to have some idea.
"We are going to have to run," Sean said and began doing as he said. Litleo quickly joined him while Chatot had to hop and flutter to keep up. "Don't fly," he said when Chatot began to. "We have to minimise risk we'll be seen. And don't talk."
Both pokémon had many questions.
Why were rocks falling from the sky, but not?
Why did Dusknoir try to kill them?
Why was this place a hellscape?
Why was the person trying to doom their world helping them?
Many questions. But until they were safe, both would hold their tongues.
Both could taste blood still anyway. The sableye hadn't left the worst scratches, whatever else the sableye were striking left them shaking though, but there was still some blood.
Hopefully they wouldn't leave a trail.
They ran until Chatot felt his legs just giving in. "We-we-we have to stop," he gasped, fluttering more than hopping as he just couldn't anymore. "Please."
Sean didn't reply immediately, but then pointed. "That cropping, just get to there."
Chatot groaned but continued at it. Litleo said nothing, he simply focused on getting there.
"This alcove will shield us for a bit," Sean said, glancing around. There was an entrance to a dungeon right here, which would be helpful. Litleo and Chatot staggered to a stop, gasping for breath. Sean had them move in closer, underneath some frozen rocks. Litleo looked unhappy about that, but they weren't going to fall.
"What is going on?" Litleo demanded angrily, then had to pant for breath again.
"Once you have your breath we have to move on," Sean said, gesturing to the dungeon. "It's unsafe to stay so close to the stockade."
"Now just hold on!" Chatot squawked, flapping angrily between hard breaths. "We worked with you to escape… that, urk. But we are not going any further without answers!"
Litleo glanced to Chatot, something resembling respect in his eyes.
Sean sighed. "Alright fine," he said and pointed to the rock fields. "Look at that. Look. At. That. What does that look like?"
Chatot was silent, observing the frozen area. There was no ice though, everything had simply stopped.
"It's dark," Litleo said helpfully.
"It's frozen," Sean said. "Think back to when Dusknoir was telling the town about the future, when he had Scout arrested." Both pokémon flinched at the reminder. "What did he say about Grovyle, Scout, and me?"
"That you were seeking the planets paralysis," Chatot answered before giving Sean a glare. "So it this it then? Grovyle remains free and so you succeed?"
"No!" Sean raised his voice. "This IS the future that WE came back to prevent."
"That doesn't make sense!" Litleo growled back. "You and Grovyle were stealing Time Gears. You know, the things needed to keep time moving. How is this NOT your fault?"
"Because the Time Gears were never meant to remain where they were," Sean answered and looked up at the unmoving sky. "Look. I can't say I know everything, I really don't. But I came to this world from my own and found it like this, lifeless, frozen. Paralysed. The world had already collapsed."
Sean sighed and looked down to face them. "I don't know if there is anything I can say that'll convince you. But look at what Dusknoir just tried to do! Kill you both. Do you really think he was surprised by this mess of a world? If things had changed he would have disappeared already. But they haven't. This is the world Grovyle, Scout, and me have been trying to change. And we needed to place the Time Gears in their proper place."
Sean turned and pointed out to the distance, far where a citadel loomed. "Temporal Tower."
"That's… broken," Litleo whispered. Shards of the once glorious spire were strewn about like the top had exploded before freezing in time.
"Yeah. It has to be fixed in the past, to stop this future. The gears were a part of the tower, I think at least. They were taken to stabilise time a long time ago but weren't supposed to stay taken."
Chatot looked uneasy. "Dusknoir…" he looked out to the fields again and sighed. "I remember the first report of issues with time, not long before the first confirmation a Time Gear had gone missing. We assumed it was simply the time taken for someone to learn the gear was gone, but… perhaps?"
"Time was already breaking down," Sean nodded. "We needed to get the gears to Temporal Tower and quickly."
"IF this is true," Litleo said, "why didn't you just say this earlier?"
"What proof did we have?" Sean demanded and Litleo blinked. "And it isn't exactly easy to trust the sensibilities of others after being in this horrible time."
Chatot and Litleo exchanged a glance before nodding uneasily. "I still do not know how much trust to put in your words," Chatot said and Sean frowned. "But you did save our lives, at detriment to yourself possibly. It would have been easier to escape if there was a distraction after all."
Sean smiled slightly. "I'm not the kind to leave someone to die if I can help it."
"That's all well and good," Litleo said nasally before turning back the way they came. "But we're missing someone."
"Scout," Chatot hissed and turned himself. "How could I have forgotten?" He fluttered slightly before nodding.
"You… cannot seriously be thinking of going back?" Sean asked and they turned back to him.
"You bet your nice ass we are!" Litleo said and grinned. "He's MY teammate, I'm not leaving him to Dusknoir's freaky fingers."
"You will not be uncouth when we find him," Chatot snapped. "But he is also a member of the Wigglytuff Guild and I am the Guildmaster's Number 2. To leave an apprentice to such a fate is unacceptable."
"Scout will be fine," Sean pleaded. "Dusknoir cares too much about him to hurt him. You noticed he wasn't on the execution posts like we were? He'd be somewhere else, and safe."
"What tosh," Chatot said, flapping a wing. "You said that you came to the past with him. YOU would leave him here?"
Sean sighed and rubbed his face. "There are few things I want less," he admitted, "BUT I know Scout will be safe."
"Why?" Litleo demanded. "Considering what Dusknoir has done so far, why would we believe that he'd be safe here? What more is here that you aren't telling us?"
Sean hesitated. He couldn't be left alone here. He saved them because it was genuinely right to do, but he also couldn't survive this place alone. At least not with his sanity intact.
"If you aren't going to talk, then we'll just leave without you," Litleo continued, nodding to Chatot. "Thanks for the save, but we're not leaving him here."
"Just," Sean begun, tensing up, before sighing. "Alright. Alright. I really didn't want to leave him. He WILL be safe, but he won't be happy. And I…" he glanced back to the dungeon. "Without Striker or Scout or anyone else I can't really get to Celebi myself. I don't even have my Treasure Bag…"
He nodded to himself, deciding, and stepped forward. "You'll need me and my smarts to possible survive this anyway.
"Just like you need us," Litleo muttered, but he seemed happier with the help.
"Heh," Sean chuckled and nodded. "Yeah I do actually… it's not a good idea to be alone in this place." He frowned and looked back to the dungeon. "It messes with you. Makes you hear things that aren't there, or... maybe stuff you shouldn't be able to hear in the first place," he admitted, looking highly uncomfortable. "Let's just... go."
"Very well," Chatot squawked. "Let us be off."
They took one step each before sounds of scrabbling caused them all to jump back into the cove. A distant scream froze them all and various energy was summoned to fight if necessary.
Scout awoke to the sense of pain.
It felt like someone was rubbing the backs of his eyeballs and there wasn't anything more that he wanted at that moment then for the feeling to stop.
Opening his eyes helped in theory. The feeling behind his eyes stopped but was replaced with the sensation of many tiny needles being pressed into the front of his eyes.
There was no winning really, and he moaned.
"Thirsty?" something said, and he whimpered. The feeling of a bowl being pressed to his lips was welcome and Scout opened his mouth. He choked after a few mouthful and began to cough, the feeling rippling through his skull in booms of pain. The water was nice though, his skin felt so hot.
The sound of the bowl being set down caught his attention as did the sound of something clanging shut. He forced his eyes back open and blinked them until it was no longer painful, only uncomfortable, to keep them open.
He saw the gem-incrusted eyes of a sableye and started back with a cry of alarm.
"Hey-hey-hey," the sableye said, raising its hands. "Calm down will you?"
"What? Where? Who? What? And why?" Scout gasped, scrambling back. He didn't go to far before something yanked his leg and he slipped onto his back.
"Uh… say again?" the sableye asked as Scout leaned up.
He tested both legs. The right leg was fine, the left leg was also fine. The claws were all still no, no fur had been removed. The one small issue was the shackle around his angle, connected to a chain, that was then connected to the floor.
"Yeah…" the sableye winced, seeing that he had noticed. "Please don't start shouting at me."
Scout considered that request for half a second. "No."
The sableye sighed and braced.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Scout yelled, standing up. He wanted to run to the bars, but the chain wasn't very long.
"Not as bad as I was expecting," the sableye admitted and Scout growled.
"I'll give you bad if you don't start talking."
"The long and the short of it is that Master Dusknoir wanted you protected," the sableye explained, talking quickly, "but he also thinks you're probably still confused and might do something… drastic. So, you're just in there for the time being."
Scout glared and pointed his undamaged paw and extended the claws before going further and wrapping them into darkness for Night Slash. "I will not just sit here."
The sableye frowned and raised his own hands. "I'm sorry, but I do have permission to knock you out if you try anything."
Scout seethed but let the move go and sat back down, glaring holes into the sableye. It continued to look very uncomfortable with the attention. Scout noticed a pair of Treasure Bag's behind it and realised they had also dumped their bags here, which seemed odd.
"Uh… not that I really get it, but don't meowth have to blink?"
Scout's eyes were burning, but it was the principle of the matter to continue staring without pause.
"Seriously. Please."
He continued staring at it sighed and turned away, Scout blinked immediately multiple times.
"You know you've got it better than anyone I've ever heard of," the sableye muttered, turning back to Scout. "Master Dusknoir actually likes you. You're gonna get fed as much as you want and nothing out there can possibly hurt you when Master Dusknoir is protecting you."
"If you're trying to sell me on this," Scout said before sighing. "I… I don't know."
The sableye rested his head on his hands and asked. "What don't you know?"
"Everything!" Scout replied angrily. "Just a few days ago I knew everything, and now I don't know anything."
"Well, uh… you're a meowth?"
Scout gave it a flat look. "I'm not an idiot thank you." Ha. "I meant what's going on. I thought… I thought I knew what was going on, and now this? All this? It doesn't make sense. Why does Dusknoir care that much about me?"
"I don't know," the sableye answered. "You'd have to ask him yourself."
"Well then where is he?" Scout demanded and the sableye winced and looked away. Scout frowned and glanced around. "We're in the future…" it dawned on him. "He's going to kill them."
"If it, uh… if it makes you feel better, you'll be fine!"
"It doesn't," Scout growled. "You disgusting freaks."
"Hey! That's-" Sableye's words were lost when something boomed close by and both of them jumped. "What was that?" it screeched and ran to the door.
Scout tried to run forward and look but was tripped by the shackle again. He hissed angrily as shouts and the sounds of charging feet reached them.
Three blurs zipped by the sliver of door opened and the sableye jumped. "The prisoners!" it hissed quietly and glanced back to Scout then back to the door. "I… uh…" It looked back and forth, but the sounds of its fellows seemed to be going farther away rather than closer. "Dammit," it cursed and ran out the door, the other way, to alert the others which way the prisoners had gone.
Scout immediately generated a Night Slash and began hacking at the chain.
His normal claws were protected by the dark energy, but he wasn't making much of a dent in the links of chain. Put it between. He stopped, took a breath, and forced two claws between one of the links and then used Night Slash.
The expansion of the solid energy strained his claws, and soon it felt like trying to push a boulder. Scout didn't pause even as his claws began to break under the strain.
He gasped out as the chain broke and shook his paw. A claw had cracked slightly but didn't break. He ran to the door and immediately reached through to put a claw through the lock. He winced as the memory of the last time he'd done this flashed through his mind, but pressed on.
Physically pressing the door caused him to nearly fall over when it swung open. He caught himself and couldn't help but pause in surprise.
The door hadn't been locked. Was the sableye that irresponsible?
It had left him alone, so Scout decided it really was that foolish.
He grabbed the bags, noticing how light they were, and peaked out the door before running off in the direction he had seen the others go.
The sounds of movement echoed continuously as there were no other sound to be heard. He glanced out an open hole in the wall but saw nothing of interest, just a sheer cliff, and moved on.
This place was a field of endless grey. No colour, no landmarks, just passageways that were often cracked yet allowing nothing from the outside in. As there was no wind to speak of in the first place.
He found what seemed like a door and tried to open it, but it didn't budge. The sounds of sableye still followed him, and Scout moved on.
He tried another two doors before finding a window. Deciding he had to get out of the compound, he lifted himself out and looked around.
Mostly cliff, but to the distant right there was a field of floating stones that sparked a vague memory in him. "Grovyle, or uh Striker… that's the way right?"
He hoped so at least.
Getting down would not be easy, but it would be quick.
Scout edged himself towards the cliff and looked down. He hissed out in disdain; it wasn't a sheer drop, but it was close to one. He knew once he began to go, he would not be able to stop.
But there weren't any other options.
'"Okay, okay, okay," he repeated and began to ease himself down. The stones did not move, which was nice, but also not nice as the sharper edges immediately scraped his feet. Lifeblood dripped on the thirsted stones.
Scout hissed in pain, but he couldn't stop. He'd been in a lot of pain the last few days, his left paw was still aching from the broken claw and he feared that he might have gotten an infection. The trip through time had also left his limbs shaky, or was that the trauma from the night before?
Scout slipped and he fell several meters before he slowed himself enough to stop. Gasping now, he continued going down as carefully as he could. To break something here, especially a leg, would be ruinous.
Each moment felt like torture. Both due to all the rocks digging into him and the emotional terror. He wasn't sure which was worse.
He slipped again and decided he hated rocks so very much.
With his tail, Scout felt his way for holds and sharp rocks to avoid. He strategically allowed himself to fall at times, cutting himself some more in the process.
All the while, he was having a bad day. Quite a bad day. It was a beautiful day outside, birds were bleeding, flowers were dead.
The sounds of sableye began to fade into nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The gasp of his own breath seemed to echo out for miles. Scout could hear the beat of his heart, thumping almost painfully loud in his ears. Thump-thump-thump.
His mind briefly turned to auditory deprivation rooms and wondered if he'd go mad from the sound of his own heartbeat. Thump-thum-thump.
Scout reached the bottom and decided he could go mad later. For now, he had to run. Tump-thump-thump.
The flat cliffs he had found himself on were nice to run across but left him anxious. He was in plain sight up here, and it was a bit too far of a drop down to the path to risk. "Thump-tHup-Thump.
There were no holds to slow his fall, and he'd almost certainly break something at that distance. Thump-thump-thump.
He ran and ran until his lungs burned, the pounding of his own heart bounced like a bongo drum in his ears. Sean wasn't sure how long he had ran for, was he Sean? No, he was Scout. Scout the meowth, the partner to Dusknoir. Thump-thump.
No. Thump.
Partner to Sean, he looked up to the human, so strong despite having no powers. He wanted to be as brave as Sean, as swift as Striker, as strong as Guardian, and as bright as Celebi. Thum.
He was Sean. Thu.
Sean was an interloper. Th
This is my body. T
I am you and you are me.
Let . me
Give me.
R̴el͘ea̕se.
Scout slipped off the cliff he was desperately scrabbling against. He didn't mean to go off, he didn't want to fall off. His claws couldn't hold, one was missing, another was damaged, his arms were burning, and his legs couldn't hold him.
Scout screamed as he lost his hold and fell. Thump-thump-thu-
I would like to thank all my readers again! I love you all so much. And this is my thanks. I probably won't do something like this again, three chapters like this takes a bit out of me, but it was more than worth it. Whatever I do for the next milestone… I dunno. But we'll find out once we get there!
So the future is a spooky place eh? Scout probably shouldn't have gone out alone, being alone in this place does... things to you, like Sean said! Also sorry for what was a literal cliff-hanger. Or, well, technically he fell, so he wasn't hanging at the time :P
I also have both a story recommendation and a... thanks of sort? Sparks of the Future by NaturallyDark. It's, unlike the other stories I've recommended, an adaption of Sky. And the author has made some very interesting choices and is creating a truly curious storyline.
I also want to give thanks because reading that story (which I was reading before they reviewed mine, just in case anyone is thinking this is that kind of thanks) gave me inspiration for how I wanted to write the chapters to come. I was having trouble working it out, but some of their recent chapters gave me some inspiration so I'm grateful for that!