So yeah, managed to pull this together. Enjoy
_
Chapter 59
Misty's POV
Looks like this is gonna be another big time adventure! After going into Michina Town and having a battle to win a snack, we found ourselves in the middle of a confrontation of…legendary proportions! A vortex of water appeared in the middle of the lake and sucked in Pikachu and Piplup, and…get this…they were saved by Dialga! A girl named Sheena had summoned Dialga to save our Pokémon, and then it forced the vortex to die down, only to have Giratina appear and attack moments later! Sheena tried to stop Giratina but it was too angry, so Ash tried to use his aura, hoping Giratina would recognize Ash's presence and calm down…that didn't work at all. Luckily Giratina saw Ash and cooled off anyway. After that, Sheena was able to tell Giratina to stop fighting, and it disappeared back into the Reverse World.
Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the water, so to speak…the vortex came back and sucked Dialga in! We would've been next if another legend hadn't come to our rescue. Palkia! Palkia freed Dialga and knocked out the vortex again. After all that, Sheena dismissed the legends and they went back to their respective dimensions. Sheena and her friend Kevin…maybe more than a friend? Anyway, she and Kevin led us to the ruins, and explained what was going on. Apparently a Pokémon rumored to have created the world and everything on it was coming to…heh…kill us! A long time ago Arceus, that's the Pokémon, was betrayed by a human who stole the Jewel of Life from Arceus, the man was named Damos, and he happened to be Sheena's ancestor. As a result of Damos's betrayal, Arceus went into a rage, and after getting tired, went into a deep sleep…well now he was waking up!
Arceus appeared and began to attack, just as Sheena came and presented the Jewel of Life to Arceus, as her family had been protecting it for generations…or so we thought. Arceus noticed that it was a fake, and smashed it to pieces, much to the shock and horror of Sheena. In a rage, Arceus attacked again, and we were saved once again by Dialga and Palkia who had just appeared again. After a rather lopsided battle, Dialga and Palkia were weakened while Arceus was able to change types to absorb their attacks thanks to his life plates. Just then Giratina appeared to give the other two legends some help against Arceus. The next thing we knew, we were being swept off our feet, and I don't even know what's happening!
Normal POV
"What's happening?" Misty and the others looked around in awe, as the world around them seemed to be nothing but waves of blue energy moving at high speeds, "It's beautiful and all but…I'd like to know how this is happening!" Before long, the phenomena ceased, and the world seemed to turn back to normal once the blue energy dissipated, "Is it over?"
"Wait a sec…something's not right." Ash noticed.
Dawn had realized it too, "Yeah…all of a sudden it's nighttime."
Sheena looked up in the sky and gasped, "Not exactly!" the girl pointed into the sky and revealed to the teens the sun being blocked by the moon.
"An eclipse…but…" Brock looked to his left and noticed something else that seemed impossible, "T-The ruins!" he stammered, "They look brand new! What's going on?"
Sheena suddenly came to a startling revelation, "Dialga must've sent us into the past!"
"What? The past?!" Ash exclaimed in shock.
"So that energy surge…it was Dialga sending us back through time!" Misty concluded.
"Yes…back to the day…of the fated promise with Arceus." Sheena and the others looked back into the sky, and noticed a portal opening up, and once it was open, Arceus flew from inside it. "Quickly, follow me!" Sheena ran down the shrine steps to a ledge where they could get a good view of Arceus and the temple entrance. "Arceus must be summoning Damos!"
"It is time to return the Jewel of Life." The Alpha Pokémon said, much calmer than his future counterpart.
"So this is Arceus before this whole mess started." Misty commented.
"Sure looks that way." Brock agreed.
Moments later, Damos walked out of the temple, but curiously remained in the shadows for the most part, as he revealed to Arceus the Jewel of Life which was being kept in his scepter, "Here is the Jewel of Life. I welcome you inside. Please…follow me." Damos turned around and walked back into the temple, and the Alpha Pokémon granted Damos's request and followed the man into the temple. Once inside, Damos placed the Jewel onto a pedestal and presented it to Arceus…or so it appeared. "There…now take it!"
Suddenly hundreds of Pokémon emerged from the walls above, and every one of them unleashed a 'Discharge' attack simultaneously, effectively immobilizing Arceus. Arceus groaned as the electricity surged through his body, "What are you doing?!"
The group then ran into the shrine and were shocked to see Arceus being bombarded with electricity, "What in the world?!" Brock gawked.
"The Time-Space Axis showed this…" Sheena harkened back to when she showed the teens the story of Arceus, "Damos never returned the Jewel of Life, instead…he attacked Arceus."
"So then that must be Damos!" Misty pointed to a man that was now crossing a bridge that had fallen from the wall, "We've gotta do something! I'm pretty sure Dialga didn't send us back in time just so we could watch this in person!" But as much as Misty wanted to take action, they were in no position to do so. Suddenly with Damos's signal, a chandelier fell from the ceiling and crashed down onto Arceus, and huge boulders soon followed in an attempt to crush the Alpha Pokémon.
Eyes glowing red with rage, Arceus struggled to fight the rock slide and the electricity still pounding him, and made his way to the altar to try and collect the Jewel of Life and replenish his power. To the Alpha Pokémon's horror however, just as it was with Sheena, this jewel was an imposter, "Can it be…?"
"You are correct, it's counterfeit!" Damos shouted from an above balcony, "The real Jewel of Life is right here!" Damos revealed the real jewel being held in his scepter, "I could never give you the real Jewel of Life!"
The attacks then continued and Arceus groaned loudly as he was continuously hurt by rocks and electricity, "You fool!" he managed to growl as he was entombed by the boulders.
"Michina will flourish forever more!" Damos exclaimed, "And never will it turn into a wasteland!"
Arceus was completely buried now, but despite that some attacks were still being fired at the tomb of rocks below just to ensure the deed was done. But just as the eclipse outside began to subside, Arceus burst out of the tomb with a powerful 'Twister' attack, his eyes glowing red with fury. "You have betrayed me…and are trying to destroy me!" With an anger fueled battle cry, Arceus unleashed his most powerful attack, a 'Judgment' attack that caused the whole temple to begin falling apart, and sent Damos and another man beside him to fall down to their apparent deaths.
"They're falling!" Ash shouted.
"I'd say they're dead!" Misty added with a gulp. Just then Arceus fired again, this time a 'Flamethrower' which only added to the destruction inside the temple, "We're gonna be next if we don't get away from here!"
"But what'll we do?! There's nowhere to go!" Dawn shrieked over the rumbling.
"Please Dialga!" Sheena called upon the Temporal Pokémon's power, "Send us back further into the past!" Suddenly the floor underneath the group collapsed and they began to fall as well, luckily Dialga heard Sheena's call for help and transported everyone further into the past, in a last ditch effort to change the future.
Back in the present however, the battle was not going well. Giratina and Palkia were being overwhelmed by Arceus's power. "They don't stand a chance against Arceus!" Kevin then heard an exhausted roar coming from Dialga, and watched in horror as the Temporal Pokémon fell unconscious. "Oh no…without Dialga's power…Sheena…is trapped."
The group's warp through time came to an abrupt halt, as they appeared near the temple grounds once again. "The sun's shining again." Brock pointed out.
"Looks like Dialga did what you asked!" Dawn said with relief.
Just when they thought they could relax, the group was attacked by a Heatran who walked right up to them and launched a 'Fire Spin'. They leaped out of the way to dodge the attack, but were soon surrounded by humans holding spears, "What's your problem buddy?!" Misty spat.
"If it's a battle they want, it's a battle they'll get!" Ash said determinedly, as Pikachu and Riolu got into battle-ready with Piplup and Buneary flanking them.
Misty followed Ash and Dawn's lead and called out Staryu and Vaporeon to flank the other four, "Ready when you are creeps." Misty hissed, daring the guards to make a move. Meanwhile at the top of the stairs, Misty spotted a familiar looking man, "Ash, that's the guy who was with Damos!"
"What is this?" the man demanded to know, his Bronzong flanking him.
"Mr. Marcus, strange people have appeared!" one of the guards replied.
"Us strange? Look who's talking!" Ash shot back.
"Ash, we're the strangers here, remember this isn't our time." Misty reminded the black-haired trainer.
Marcus walked down the stairs and calmly made an order to his Bronzong, "Bronzong, use 'Hypnosis'."
"Hypnosis'?! Pikachu quick! It's Counter Shield time!" Ash's order came too late unfortunately, as Bronzong landed right in front of the group and sent waves of psychic energy towards them. As a result, not only were the Pokémon hypnotized, but the group of trainers were as well.
With their eyes safely glazed over, Marcus descended the remaining stairs and approached Sheena, who had been spared from the effects of 'Hypnosis'. "You people clearly are not from this land."
"Yes, we have come here from the future!" Sheena confirmed the man's suspicions, much to Marcus's shock. "We've come here to stop you from battling Arceus!"
Marcus was taken aback by this, "Such strange words you speak." He said.
"We know everything that's going to happen in the future!" Sheena rephrased.
"Oh?" Marcus asked skeptically.
"Please, believe me!" Sheena cried, as the guards prepared to take her away as well.
Marcus pondered Sheena's words for a moment before making his decision, "Well then…let us hear what this woman has to say." He then turned his attention to the hypnotized teens, "Have the children wait in the cells, and take good care of them…as for their creatures…you know what to do."
"Sir!" the guards stood at attention before escorting the teens to the cells and stuffing the hypnotized Pokémon into a large sack.
"Now, follow me please." Marcus walked back up the steps, with Sheena following closely behind. The girl was concerned for the well being of her friends and their Pokémon, but she knew if she were to object, she might risk them getting hurt, so she simply obliged with Marcus's wishes.
Speaking of the Pokémon, the guards had dumped the entranced creatures down into a dark pit, and when the sack landed, it opened and released Pikachu, who plopped onto the floor and stared blankly into space...until Piplup fell out of the sack next and landed on him, which provoked the electric-type to launch a 'Thunderbolt' out of pure instinct. The shock from the attack snapped both Pikachu and Piplup out of their trances. "Wh-wha...what happened? Where are we?" Pikachu wondered aloud, trying to figure out what had happened.
"I dunno." Piplup coughed a small puff of smoke from the 'Thunderbolt' before shaking his head to get his bearings, "Ugh...last thing I remember was getting ready to fight all those guards."
Pikachu's eyes widened in realization, "That Bronzong! It used 'Hypnosis' before I could start the Counter Shield!" When Pikachu suddenly heard growling nearby, he spotted a drowsy Manectric who apparently was not happy with them, "Uh...sorry." Pikachu chuckled nervously. Manectric snarled and went back to sleep. "I think we're in a jail cell..." Pikachu suddenly gasped, "The others!"
Pikachu and Piplup turned back around and helped the other still entranced Pokémon out of the sack, "Looks like they didn't get zapped by your 'Thunderbolt'." Piplup pointed out.
When Pikachu found Buneary his heart skipped a little, needless to say he didn't enjoy seeing her suffer. "No way am I gonna zap her."
"Didn't have any problems zapping me." Piplup replied snarkily, as he gently slapped the face of Misty's Vaporeon who was slowly coming around.
Pikachu made an annoyed face and got back to tending the little rabbit, "C'mon Buneary, come back to me." Pikachu stroked Buneary's ears gently, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her. "Come on!" the next thing Pikachu knew, bubbles were being blasted at the rabbit's face, "Hey!" Pikachu growled.
"Chill out, at the rate you were going, Buneary wouldn't snap out of it until next year." Piplup scoffed.
Pikachu glared at the penguin for a moment, but his attention was diverted back to Buneary when he heard her cough a couple of times and moan, "Welcome back." Pikachu said softly.
Buneary moaned again and held her head in her paw, "Thanks...where've I been?"
"The land of 'Hypnosis'." Piplup replied, "And keep it down, there're a lot of sleepy Pokémon in here with short tempers."
"Where're our trainers?!" Buneary looked around nervously when she came to realize the humans were nowhere to be found.
"They'll be fine, they should still have the other Pokémon with them, we have more immediate problems at the moment." Pikachu took one last look in the sack and saw that only Riolu had yet to be snapped out of his trance, "Be ready to cover Riolu's mouth in case he starts to panic, we don't wanna wake these guys." Pikachu motioned over to all the sleeping Pokémon behind them.
Buneary nodded and helped Pikachu pull Riolu out of the sack. Once Pikachu gently slapped the little Pokémon's cheek, Riolu blinked a few times and regained his senses. As Pikachu predicted, Riolu panicked, and his scream had to be muffled by Buneary's paw. "Quiet Riolu! It's us!" Buneary hushed as quietly as she could.
Riolu did eventually stop screaming when he ran out of breath, and Buneary removed her paw when the Emanation Pokémon began panting with fatigue, "Where are we?!" Riolu whimpered in fear.
"Jail." Piplup deadpanned.
"I don't like jail! Can we go?" Riolu looked back and forth between Pikachu and Buneary for an answer.
At the prospect of going, Pikachu began looking around for an exit, but every possible opening he saw was blocked off by metal bars with guards patrolling outside, "As much as I'd like to, it doesn't look like leaving is an option." Pikachu sighed.
"Then what'll we do?" Riolu asked.
Just then, the Pokémon heard something to the left of the cell, and when they turned to see what it was, they saw a Pichu scampering out of a hole in the wall, "Oh good! I'm not too late!" the Pichu said happily.
"Too late? What do you mean?" Pikachu asked.
"If I hadn't gotten here in time, those guards would've put obedience collars on all of you!" Pichu explained. "Listen, I know a way out of here, we can escape through there, and we can go find your masters!"
"Wait a sec, how do we know this guy knows what he's talking about?" Staryu asked accusingly.
"For your information, I happen to be a girl, thank you very much." Pichu replied indignantly, "And trust me, it's not like you're putting your faith in some newborn Pokémon, I may be a Pichu but I'm not a baby."
"Now that you mention it, you are about as big as a Pichu can get." Pikachu scratched his chin thoughtfully, "You're sure you know your way around here?"
Pichu smiled at the larger electric-type, "I guarantee it! So come on, Pika-shake?" Pichu turned her tail towards Pikachu, and the larger electric-type smiled and touched his tail to hers, which caused electricity to shoot out from where they touched.
"Whoa, that was cool! Let me try!" Piplup jumped in front of Pichu and stuck his own tail in front of her, but he would quickly regret it as he wound up being zapped by the electricity instead. "Ohh...not cool."
"Probably should've warned you," Pikachu sweat-dropped, "It only works with Pokémon in my evolution line."
"Sorry about that." Pichu said with a guilty giggle. "Anyways, let's go!" Pichu ran for the exit, and the others followed behind her. Piplup of course had to run twice as fast since he had to recover from the shock. "Try to keep up now!" Pichu called.
As the Pokémon walked through the walls of the shrine, Riolu decided to bring something up that had been bothering him since he first saw Pichu. "Pichu, why's your ear all spiky?" he asked innocently.
"Riolu!" Pikachu scolded, causing the Emanation Pokémon to shrink back. Pikachu then turned his attention to Pichu, who was now twitching the very ear Riolu had brought up. "Sorry about that Pichu, unlike you, Riolu has only recently hatched."
"It's ok, I actually don't mind answering his question!" Pichu reassured, "The truth is, I was born this way."
"Does it bother you at all?" Vaporeon asked.
"Not really, it just makes me unique is all, that's what my mom used to tell me. I'm the only spiky-eared Pichu anyone's ever seen, and I kinda like it actually! Makes me feel special." Pichu giggled.
Pikachu laughed a little as well, "Well as long as you're happy."
"Thanks for being concerned though, I really appreciate it." Pichu smiled cutely at her evolved form, who of course smiled back.
"What's going on here?" Buneary whispered suspiciously to the penguin next to her.
"Looks to me like Pichu's trying to horn in on your territory." Piplup replied with a nonchalant shrug.
As Buneary watched the two electric-types interact, she could feel a twinge of jealousy beginning to well up in her heart, "If that's the case, Pichu better watch herself." Behind the rabbit, Vaporeon and Staryu glanced at each other. They could sense drama coming in the near future.
Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock were still hypnotized, and the guards led them into a different jail cell. Once the door closed, the noise snapped the trainers out of their hypnotized state, and they realized where they had just been placed. "Hey! Come back here! Where are we anyway?!" Ash demanded to know. Naturally, the guards ignored his outburst. But a different guard didn't.
"Well well, what do we have here?" an elderly man in a guard uniform approached the teens behind the bars and answered their question. "This is the underground prison, and one of Master Marcus's creatures just used 'Hypnosis' on you."
"Creatures...wait a sec, that was that Bronzong! He means Pokémon!" Misty realized.
At the mention of Pokémon, Ash realized something. "Hey! Our Pokémon aren't here! Where are they?!"
"And where's Sheena?! She's missing too!" Brock added.
"They're safe." the guard assured, "Sheena is speaking with Master Marcus right now."
"So Sheena's talking to the guy who ordered Bronzong to hypnotize us." Dawn said.
"And he was with Damos when Dialga sent us back the first time, I wonder who he is." Misty added.
"Marcus is a backstabber." a voice said bitterly. The teens gasped at the voice in the darkness, and they turned to see someone sitting in the shadows, "It's true...you see, Marcus was an underling of mine, but he tricked me and threw me in jail."
The teens gasped again when the figure came into the light, and they growled at who the light revealed. "You're Damos!" Dawn snarled.
"Wait, are you saying you know me?!" Damos asked in shock.
"Without a doubt!" Misty hissed.
"But how? You're not from here..." Damos replied.
"Enough!" Ash barked, "I wanna know why you won't return the Jewel of Life to Arceus!"
"And why you're setting a trap for Arceus too!" Dawn added.
At this, Damos stood up with an angry expression on his face. "I am doing nothing of the sort! I have every intention of returning the Jewel of Life to Arceus!" Damos insisted.
Ash wasn't convinced, "You're a liar!"
Damos confronted Ash and looked down to him with an intense gaze, "It's the truth!" the man barked, "That's why Marcus put me in jail, to keep me from doing that very thing."
"Give us one good reason why we should believe anything you have to say." Misty challenged.
"May I say something?" the guard had spoken up again, and now had the attention of the curious teenagers. "That man is definitely speaking the truth...I absolutely know for a fact that Damos was attempting to return the Jewel of Life back to Arceus...what I'm completely uncertain about is whether or not that's the correct action for Damos to take."
"Well...I guess that's one voice in Damos's favor." Misty admitted.
"Hey guys, I just thought of something..." Brock said thoughtfully, "If Bronzong could use 'Hypnosis' on us, is it possible that Damos betrayed Arceus because he was hypnotized like we were?"
"Hold on just a minute, what are you four talking about?" Damos asked.
The teens looked at each other and nodded, "You were right when you said we weren't from here, we're from the future!" Ash said.
"The future?" Damos asked in awe.
"Yeah, take a look at this!" Ash took one of his remaining Pokéballs and summoned the Pokémon inside: Monferno.
"That sphere unleashed a creature!" Damos gasped.
"This sphere is called a Pokéball, and just about everyone in the future has one...Monferno, return." Ash called back Monferno much to the shock of Damos, "But in this time period, these don't exist."
"And what you keep calling creatures are called Pokémon in our time period." Misty explained.
"This is all very overwhelming..." Damos held his head in his palm and took a deep breath, "I need a moment."
"I'm not sure we have one." Brock said, "Some of our Pokémon are still missing...and Sheena..."
Speaking of Sheena, she was having dinner with Marcus, as she tried to plead her case. "I understand it now." Marcus said, "You said you all came here from the future, and you were telling the truth."
"Damos has no intention of returning the Jewel of Life to Arceus, I'm certain of that!" Sheena replied.
"I see..."
She clearly had Marcus's attention, so she continued, "But then...if Arceus doesn't get the Jewel of Life back, terrible things will begin to happen!"
"What kind of things?"
"Concerning you and Damos..." Sheena replayed the moment when Arceus killed Damos and Marcus the first time Dialga sent her and the others back in time.
Marcus gasped and got up from his chair with his hands planted firmly on the table, "What are you saying?!"
"You must trust me! Please!" At this point, Sheena was begging Marcus to take her word for it, what else could she do at this point? All there really was for her to do was to hold out hope that someone could come to their assistance, "I hope the others are making progress somehow."
While the humans were still trapped, the Pokémon were making headway through the walls of the temple...but unfortunately they had neglected to take one little detail into account, "You know what I just realized?" Pichu said, stopping in her tracks, "I know my way around the temple alright, but I don't know where your masters are being kept." she laughed with embarrassment.
"You're trying to tell us that even though we know where we're going...we don't know where we're supposed to go?" Staryu asked incredulously.
"Nice going kid." Buneary spat.
Pichu sneered at Buneary before looking up at Pikachu with a remorseful expression on her face and her ears drooped in sadness, "I didn't mean to get us all lost, if there was only some way of knowing where your masters were, then I could easily take you there!"
Pikachu smiled sympathetically at the spiky-eared electric-type and pat her head gently, which got Pichu to relinquish a small smile as well. What Pikachu didn't know however was that his action had received a second reaction, and a negative one at that. Buneary was about ready to blast an 'Ice Beam' at both him and Pichu, and probably would've gone through with it if Staryu and Vaporeon hadn't held her back. Blissfully unaware of what was going on behind him, Pikachu scratched his chin and then snapped his fingers when he got an idea, "Riolu! C'mere!"
Riolu did what he was told and walked up to Pikachu, "Yes Pikachu?" he said politely.
"Can you sense our trainers' auras from here? If you can, we might be able to use that to find where they're being kept!" Pikachu explained to the young Pokémon.
"I'll try." Riolu closed his eyes and pressed his palms together, as he tried to sense where the humans were being kept. After a few suspense filled moments, Riolu opened his eyes and frowned, "I can't find Mommy."
Pikachu chuckled and pat the Emanation Pokémon on the back, "Then try looking for Daddy ok? Try hard!" Riolu nodded and made another attempt to contact help.
"Daddy?" Pichu asked curiously, "I don't understand, are your masters both Lucario?"
Pikachu laughed a little, "No...see, my trainer...or as you would say, my 'master' has a girlfriend who he's very close to, and when Riolu's egg hatched, his aura was a perfect match for Ash's - that's my trainer by the way. He sees Ash as his daddy, and as a result, Ash's girlfriend Misty is viewed as his mommy."
"Wow...that's amazing." Pichu said in awe, "Your masters must be really special if Riolu likes them so much."
"Well they are, at least we think so. But I'm sure any other Pokémon would say the same thing about their trainers." Piplup said.
"Not really." Pichu's ears drooped, "Remember I mentioned obedience collars back in the cell? Well...almost all Pokémon have one. Luckily my master didn't put one on me."
"Who's your master?" Piplup asked.
"His name is Damos."
"DAMOS?!" the outburst caught Pichu off-guard and she jumped back in shock.
"Y-You know my master?" she stammered.
"We know enough to know that your master is the one who's planning to betray Arceus!" Buneary spat, "And there's a saying in our time period..." Buneary hopped in front of Pichu and stared her down, "Pokémon take on the behavior of their trainers." she snarled.
"You're lying!" Pichu cried, "My master would never betray Arceus! He's an honest human and he's planning on giving Arceus back the Jewel of Life the moment it's time!"
"You're the liar! You've probably been leading us on a wild goose chase this whole time!" Buneary argued back.
"You're wrong! I wanna help!" Pichu shouted.
"Ok, enough!" Pikachu shoved the two females away from each other and got in between. He then turned his attention to Buneary, "Let's not jump to conclusions here ok? There may be more to this story than we think."
Buneary's jaw dropped, "You're taking her side?!"
"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm on the side that might give us the best chance of finding our trainers, and right now that's Pichu. I'm not saying that it's for sure, but it's a chance I'm willing to take." Pikachu explained.
"Fine." Buneary spat, before turning her attention to Pichu, "But I'm keeping my eye on you pipsqueak." Buneary went back over to where Piplup, Vaporeon, and Staryu had been watching and turned her back on the two electric-types.
"What's she got against me?" Pichu asked her larger counterpart.
Pikachu shrugged, "I have no idea, she's usually really nice. Maybe she's just worried about Dawn - that's her trainer by the way, I'd say she's just stressed out."
"Well...thanks for sticking up for me, no one except for my master has ever dared to come to my defense." Pichu suddenly wrapped her arms around Pikachu, and the larger electric-type took a non-electric shock to the system, "You're the nicest Pokémon I've ever met." Pichu swooned.
To say the least, Pikachu was stunned. He hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of an ardent embrace, nevertheless he clearly was. He didn't know very much about this spiky-eared Pichu, but he had learned enough to deduce that she hadn't been on the receiving end of very much kindness over the course of her life. He wasn't sure what to do now, but he decided to just reciprocate the gesture and comfort the smaller electric-type; he did feel sorry for her, the way she had described life as a Pokémon in this time period sounded like friendship was somewhat rare.
Meanwhile behind him, Buneary was ready to have a conniption. Seeing her Pikachu embracing Pichu was infuriating to say the least. "Just let me fire one 'Ice Beam', I guarantee they won't feel it!"
Luckily, Vaporeon and Staryu managed to hold her back. "You've been hanging around Misty too long, you're starting to pick up on her temper!" Vaporeon replied.
Before Buneary could retaliate, Riolu's eyes snapped open. "Daddy!"
"You found Ash Riolu?" Pikachu asked.
Without turning, Riolu nodded. The little Pokémon's eyes were glowing blue with the power of aura. "I can see him in jail, he's talking to a man wearing a blue and white dress." The Pokémon couldn't help but laugh at that, even Buneary found it amusing. "What's so funny?"
"I think you mean he's wearing a robe." Pikachu said, "Men don't wear dresses."
But you wore one at Auntie Dawn's contest!" Riolu pointed out.
Pikachu blushed with embarrassment, and Pichu giggled at the larger electric-type's flustered expression, despite the fact that she had no idea what a contest was. "I was wearing a kimono, that's a totally different thing." Pikachu defended, "Anyway, do you see anything else?"
"I see an old guy outside the jail talking to Daddy and the dress man." Riolu replied.
"I know that guard! He's one of my master's friends, that guy Marcus ordered him to put Master Damos in jail, which means your masters are in the same jail cell as my master!" Pichu explained, "Come on, I know where to go now! Follow me!" Pichu took off running, and the other Pokémon followed closely.
"Don't worry Buneary, we'll get you to Dawn soon!" Pikachu reassured.
"You think that's what I'm mad at? You're more like Ash than I thought." Buneary turned her head away from Pikachu and hopped ahead of him, much to the electric-type's dismay.
Meanwhile back in the jail cell, Ash and the others were still telling Damos about the future. "So you see, that's how a Pokémon battle works." Ash suddenly felt his head start to throb and he grabbed it and groaned as the pain overtook him.
"Ash, what's the matter?!" Misty asked fearfully. Ash then released his head and stood up straight, and when he opened his eyes, instead of the usual chocolate-brown Misty had come to love so dearly, Ash's eyes were glowing in a mystical blue, much to everyone's shock. "Your eyes! Is...is that aura?" Misty asked.
"Riolu's looking for me." Ash replied in an almost trance like state.
"That means our Pokémon are all ok!" Dawn cheered.
Dawn may have been happy, but Misty was still worried about Ash. "Ash, we've lost Riolu before and your eyes have never glowed like that when you used your aura to find him, do you feel ok?"
"It's amazing Misty...it's like I'm seeing things through Riolu's eyes, that's never happened before...I think Riolu's aura is getting stronger as he gets stronger. Don't worry Riolu, we're ok, come and find us!"
A few moments later, Ash's eyes stopped glowing. "You alright Ash?" Brock asked.
"Yeah...Riolu cut off the connection, they're coming for us." Ash replied.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand, is this another future thing?" Damos asked.
"See, Ash has the ability to connect his aura to other Pokémon that have a matching aura, and that's what just happened with Ash and Riolu." Brock explained.
"Interesting, that sounds similar to the way that I can connect to the hearts of creatures...I mean, Pokémon." Damos corrected himself.
The teens gasped, "You can do that too?" Dawn asked.
"Of course!" Brock realized, "Remember, Damos is Sheena's ancestor, so if Sheena can do it, it makes sense that Damos is the one she inherited it from over the course of several generations!"
"Wow, amazing!" Dawn said in awe.
"Come to think of it, I should check on my own Pokémon." Damos folded his hands and closed his eyes, "Transcend the confines of time and space." Moments later, Damos was alone with Pichu who had just stopped running, much to the confusion of the other Pokémon. "Pichu, time is growing short, you must hurry and find a way to free us so we can stop Marcus."
Pichu nodded, and the connection was cut off. "We're running out of time." Pichu informed the other Pokémon, "My master Damos has just informed me that if we don't free him soon, it may be too late to stop Marcus."
"How do you know that?" Piplup asked.
"My master and I just connected hearts, it's something special he can do." Pichu explained.
"Just like Sheena!" Pikachu exclaimed, "Well then there's no time to lose, let's hurry!" Pichu nodded and started running once more, but not before flashing a quick smile to the larger electric-type. "Heh, she's a sweet kid."
"So what's going on with you and Pichu?" Piplup asked.
Pikachu gave the penguin a weird look, "Nothing's going on, what are you talking about?"
"Well I mean she keeps smiling at you, she hugged you, giving you compliments, sounds to me like that little Pichu has a big crush on you." Piplup explained.
"You think so?" Pikachu raised an eyebrow. Then all of a sudden his other eyebrow came up as the electric-type realized something. "Ohhh-oh...is that why Buneary's so ticked off?"
"Hmm, that could be." Piplup's voice was laced with sarcasm, which Pikachu did not appreciate. "I'm just saying."
"Well here's what I'm just saying: Pichu is a friend, nothing more." Pikachu glared before turning away from Piplup.
"Maybe...and maybe not." Piplup said enticingly.
Pikachu looked back towards Piplup, "What now?" he asked in annoyance.
"What if...and I'm just throwing this out there...what if Pichu evolved into a Pikachu right now, and since Dialga sent us back in time, our visit here would now be a part of recorded history, what if you were meant to fall in love with that Pichu..and become your own ancestor?" Piplup suggested.
Pikachu gave the penguin a completely bewildered look, "Piplup...how long has it been since you last ate?" the electric-type asked.
"Uh...a while, why?" Piplup asked.
"Because you get a little loopy when you're hungry, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." Pikachu scoffed.
"Fine," Piplup shrugged, "But I can't wait to see the look on your face when we get back to the future and you find out that you never existed." Pikachu was about to offer a rebuttal, but he decided against it. There was absolutely nothing he could've said that would've made any sense, so he just hurried on ahead. "I'm telling ya! I've seen these time paradoxes on TV all the time!" Piplup suddenly smelled something delicious coming from a fork in the tunnel, and the penguin stopped in his tracks before separating from the others.
"Wait a second!" Vaporeon shouted. The Pokémon stopped and brought their attention to the Bubble Jet Pokémon, "We lost Piplup!"
The group looked around and noticed Vaporeon was right, then Pikachu smelled something. "Uh oh...Pichu, are we near a kitchen?"
"Yeah, why?" Pichu asked curiously.
Pikachu face-palmed, "Alright, let's go get him. Lead the way Pichu." the Pokémon followed the Tiny Mouse Pokémon down the tunnel leading to the kitchen, and sure enough, there was Piplup, reaching for a basket of berries, "Piplup, get back here!" Pikachu whispered loudly. Unfortunately, Piplup hadn't heard the Mouse Pokémon's warning, and began to lose his balance.
"Catch him! We can't be seen!" Pichu grabbed Piplup's foot just as the penguin started to fall, but she wasn't strong enough and began to fall as well.
Pikachu reacted immediately and grabbed Pichu's foot, and now he had to hold up both her and Piplup's weight. "I need a little help!"
Before anyone could react however, Pikachu had already run out of strength, and the three Pokémon fell onto a shelf with ingredients on it; Piplup had the worst of it though as his head fell into a crown shaped jewel studded bowl. "Get me outta here!" Piplup then tumbled down to the ground and began blindly stumbling towards the terrified guard who had been forcing a Chikorita and a Cyndaquil to work on preparing dinner for all the humans in the underground.
"Stay back! Get away from me! What do you want?!" the guard bumped into the wall behind him, which caused a huge pan to fall from the shelf above him and knock him out cold.
Piplup finally bumped into a wall and fell onto his back, and the bowl finally fell off the penguin's head and gave him back his sight, "Finally...daylight." Piplup sighed.
By now the other Pokémon had hopped down to join Piplup, "What's the matter with you? Why'd you ditch us?!" Buneary asked incredulously.
"Uh...well, Pikachu said I get a little loopy when I'm hungry, so I tried to eat something." Piplup replied.
"Oh no you don't, don't blame this on me! You were the one going on about time paradoxes, all I did was tell you the truth!" Pikachu replied angrily.
While the other Pokémon continued to argue, Pichu had made her way over to the two working Pokémon. "Are you guys ok?"
"Are we ever ok Pichu?" Chikorita replied with a sad and weary sigh.
"I sure wish I could get this thing off." Cyndaquil added.
"Really? Well guess what? Today your wish is gonna come true!" Pichu's tail suddenly began glowing, and with a quick swipe, 'Iron Tail' destroyed the lock holding Cyndaquil captive, and the collar fell off the Fire Mouse Pokémon's back.
"Pichu, what are you doing?" Cyndaquil asked. "If any humans come in here and see what you're doing, you'll get one of these too, no matter who your master is!"
"It's the day of revolution!" Pichu replied, "We're gonna need all the help we can get, and you guys are my friends, I can count on you, right?"
"I dunno what you're talking about, but if it gets me out of chopping vegetables, count me in!" Chikorita said determinedly.
"Alright! Pikachu, could you get Chikorita out of that thing?" Pichu asked.
The other Pokémon had since stopped arguing amongst themselves and had watched Pichu free Cyndaquil. With a quick nod, Pikachu leaped onto the counter and confronted the grass-type. "You ready?" he asked.
"Just be careful!" Chikorita turned her head and closed her eyes as she braced herself for the hit, but it never came as Pikachu's 'Iron Tail' was so well placed that Chikorita never even knew he had done it, "What are you waiting for?" she asked with a strained voice.
"I'm done, you can open your eyes now." Pikachu said with a soft chuckle.
Chikorita did just that, and saw that the lock had been cleanly broken. "Whoa..." Chikorita stepped out of the restraint and stretched her body out as she felt freedom for the first time in a very long time. "It feels great to be free! Thanks so much!"
"Glad to do it." Pikachu smiled.
"Alright, let's get outta here before the guard wakes up!" Pichu hurried out the front door, and the other Pokémon followed close behind. "Nice 'Iron Tail' by the way Pikachu! I hope one day after I evolve I'll be as strong as you are!"
"All it takes is a lot of practice and you'll get stronger even before you evolve." Pikachu replied. With another smile, Pichu turned her head forward again, "I sure hope this doesn't ruin what I have with Buneary."
Back in the jail cell, Ash and the others had been telling Damos the story of how and why they wound up in the past, "So you're telling me that I betray Arceus in the future?" the man asked.
"That's what the legend says." Brock replied.
"And there's more..." Misty added.
"More?" Damos asked.
"Yeah...the people of Michina saw you as an evil man from then on." Dawn replied.
"As if I could ever betray Arceus!" Damos sighed and dipped his head, before looking back up as he remembered how he had come to meet the Alpha Pokémon. "Arceus...who saved us all...I was there when rocks began raining down from the skies, and I watched helplessly as they destroyed what little Michina had to offer at the time. I thought the end of all things had come...until I saw Arceus appear from a hole in the sky. I was momentarily stunned by his appearance, but what came next, left me in awe. Arceus summoned all of his life plates and created an unbreakable shield around himself, and he flew up to the giant rock that would've obliterated Michina. Arceus used all his power to destroy the rock, but as a result, he was severely weakened and crippled." Damos continued as he clearly had the undivided attention of the teenagers.
"I found Arceus lying in a ditch, surrounded by several other Pokémon who were worried about him. I connected my heart to his, and his heart led me to where his life plates had been scattered. I climbed up the rocky mountain and found one of them, and brought it back to Arceus, who upon receiving the plate, was able to summon enough strength to bring the rest back to him. Once they all returned, Arceus arose just as the sun began to rise, and I was privileged with the opportunity to speak to Arceus in person. Believe it or not, Arceus and I became friends that day..." Damos paused as the teens gasped when he mentioned his and Arceus's friendship.
"But then terrible things happened...that fateful night where Arceus had saved Michina had also crippled our chances of survival. Enormous holes had been left by the leftover rocks that had fallen from the sky, turning Michina into even more of a barren wasteland than it was before. One day when I was looking over the fields, Arceus came to visit me...he asked if I wanted to revitalize the land...I connected my heart with his again, and Arceus showed me what Michina could look like...he then created the Jewel of Life using the life plates of ground, grass, water, electricity, and dragon, and gave it to me to make Michina a rich and fertile land. But he informed me that without the Jewel of Life, his life was in jeopardy...that he was trusting me, with his life. I gave him my word that I would return the Jewel of Life...and I used its power to restore Michina...almost immediately, through the power of the Jewel of Life, Michina blossomed and flourished." Damos paused again, and saw the teens were enjoying his story, which brought a small smile to his face.
"We worked hard for years, harvesting the crops the Jewel of Life had granted us, while we cultivated the land so that in the future we would be able to return the Jewel of Life to Arceus and still be able to live. I would meet often with Arceus, and together we would look over the land that his power had revitalized. I told him soon we would be able to return the Jewel, and he said he would wait until the next time the moon covers the sun to return."
"The solar eclipse." Brock commented.
"I suppose." Damos wasn't sure what Brock meant, but he continued nevertheless. "And so..the days passed by...and I constructed a shrine dedicated to Arceus to show my enormous and eternal gratitude...and as it so happens...today is the day that the moon will cover the sun."
The teens gasped, "Then today's the day of the promise!" Ash exclaimed.
"We've gotta get out of here and stop Marcus!" Misty added determinedly.
Marcus was actually still speaking with the unsuspecting Sheena, who had not caught on to the fact that she was speaking to the wrong person. "So...from what you know, would you mind telling me what sort of attacks Damos might have used on Arceus?" Marcus asked.
"He used several electric attacks and then dropped boulders on Arceus." Sheena replied.
"What about silver water?" Marcus asked. Sheena gasped at that. "I guess he didn't use it..." he said to himself. Marcus then got up from the table, "Understood, I believe you. I shall stop Damos at once. We must return the Jewel of Life to Arceus."
Sheena sighed with relief and smiled, as she too got up from the table with her eyes shimmering in happiness. "Thank you."
Marcus held out his scepter and revealed the Jewel of Life to Sheena, "This is the Jewel of Life...you shall return it to Arceus." Marcus turned his back to Sheena for a moment to open the doors, and then turned back to her, "Come with me...you shall change history!"
Sheena gasped to herself quietly, "Thank you sir..." she said.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon had found their way back inside the walls of the shrine, and were currently trying to find their way around. "How much further Pichu?" Vaporeon asked.
"It shouldn't be that much farther!" Pichu replied.
At this time, Pikachu took a moment to fall back to the end of the line and try to patch things up between him and Buneary. "Why are you mad at me?" he asked.
"You're not smart enough to figure it out on your own?" Buneary scoffed.
"I think I have a good idea." Pikachu sighed, "Listen, Pichu's nice and all, but she's still technically a kid, even if she isn't a baby Pokémon by age. If I had to draw comparisons, I'd say you're acting like Misty when Ash was being crushed on by Angie."
"Say what?!" Buneary hissed.
Pikachu flinched at her angry reaction, but he continued anyway. "What I'm saying is that you don't need to feel jealous because of Pichu, it's you I like, not her."
Buneary's expression softened a bit, "Even though she's your own kind?" she asked, "I mean, you really seemed to enjoy that whole tail sparking thing...I can't do that with you."
"It's just a Pika-version of a handshake, that's all." Pikachu assured, "Honestly, I'm more worried about Pichu than you right now."
That got Buneary riled up again, "And why's that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because now I have to figure out how to tell Pichu without totally breaking her heart." Pikachu replied with a sigh.
Buneary's expression softened again and she suddenly felt a twinge of guilt in her heart, she didn't really want to hurt Pichu, after all she was running a big risk by helping them and all for nothing in return. "Pikachu, don't say anything to her." she said surely. "We'll eventually have to go back to our time anyway, and once we get there, she'll have already died along with everyone else we meet in this time period...there's no point in breaking her heart, she might as well get to enjoy you while she can."
Pikachu was relieved Buneary had taken such a compassionate stance on the matter, but at the same time it filled him with sadness. The thought of his new friends being dead and buried once he returned to his time period was not a pleasant prospect for him. "She really is a sweet kid Buneary...I wish there was something I could do to help her in her future."
Buneary thought about it for a moment and smiled as an idea came into her head, "Maybe there is!" Before Buneary could tell Pikachu however, Pichu had gotten their attention.
"Alright everyone, we've gotta cross over here. Now be extremely careful, these support beams are really narrow, and trust me when I say this..." Pichu directed her attention specifically to Piplup, "You do not want to fall off in there...there'll be no way to save you." Pichu then went through the hole in the wall and began crossing the beams, with the others carefully following.
The room was filled with large vats being filled with a steaming hot liquid, "Ugh, that stuff stinks!" Buneary gagged, "Pichu, what is that stuff?"
"Marcus calls it Silver Water...sometimes he has people use it for repairs around the shrine." Pichu replied.
"Kinda like glue I guess." Staryu figured.
Pikachu's eyes widened suddenly, "Or quick-drying cement..." Pikachu had an epiphany, "Pichu, do they usually have this much Silver Water being prepared all at once?"
"Now that you mention it, this is a lot compared to what we normally need on a regular basis." Pichu replied.
That confirmed it for Pikachu. "Guys, I think Marcus might be planning on dumping this stuff on Arceus!"
"That sounds familiar!" Chikorita suddenly spoke up, "During lunch break I heard one of the guards discussing how they were gonna stop Arceus! And they mentioned Silver Water!"
"Then we gotta destroy those vats now before they get a chance to use the stuff!" Staryu aimed its point at the nearest vat, which got Riolu riled up unfortunately.
"Yeah! Let's break them!" Riolu exclaimed.
"Riolu no!" Riolu had leaped off the beam to attack with 'Force Palm', but Pikachu had reacted fast and caught the Emanation Pokémon by the tail before he could fall to his death. "Seriously guys, I'm tired of being the end of a Pokémon chain, help me!"
Pichu and Buneary immediately came to the Mouse Pokémon's assistance, and they both grabbed onto the electric-type's tail. Taking a wary glance at each other, Buneary offered a smile to the Tiny Mouse Pokémon, and being the friendly type she was, Pichu gave the smile back, and together the two females pulled Pikachu and Riolu to safety.
"That was close...being a Pikachu statue for the rest of my life is not my idea of fun." Pikachu then turned to Riolu, "Riolu..." Pikachu was about to scold the child again, but seeing his terrified expression, he decided against it. "I'm glad you're ok." he said with a comforting smile.
Riolu was still trembling, but he managed to return the smile, albeit weakly. "Can we leave now?" he whimpered.
"Yes, we can leave now." Pikachu replied with a nod, "Staryu, we can't destroy the vats ourselves, there's too many humans down there and way too many vats to destroy, we're better off trying to free our trainers and getting the help of the other Pokémon first."
"I gotta agree with Pikachu, let's get outta here before someone else is in danger of becoming a living sculpture." Vaporeon replied.
The Pokémon nodded in agreement and carefully crossed over into the next room. "Wait a sec..." Piplup said, "This doesn't look like a jail cell, where are we Pichu?"
"We can't go straight there, we gotta get the keys first. The guards put them in here after everything's been locked up in order to make sure no one can get in or out." Pichu replied, "See, there they are!" Pichu pointed into the distance, and there resting on three separate hooks were three keys.
"Well alright then!" Piplup exclaimed, "Hey Chikorita, how about a 'Vine Whip' and we'll get the heck on outta here."
Chikorita blushed out of embarrassment. "Well...I'd like to..but..."
Pichu bailed her friend out, "It's ok Chikorita, you'll learn 'Vine Whip' eventually." she said with a pat on her friend's back. "We need to find another way to get those keys."
"Well...there is one thing I can think of." Buneary said with a giggle, glancing at Pikachu.
Pikachu exhaled and sweat-dropped, "Alright...let's start the chain one more time." Pikachu, Pichu, and Piplup all crossed over to the weak looking support beam, and the two larger Pokémon lowered Pichu down to the keys.
"Hurry up!" Piplup strained, as he struggled to hold the weight of both Pichu and Pikachu, who was holding tightly onto the Tiny Mouse Pokémon's tail.
Pichu reached with all her might, but no matter how far she stretched, her arms just weren't long enough. "It's no use! Geez I wish I was bigger!"
"I don't!" Piplup puffed.
"Let's just make the chain longer! Come on Riolu!" Buneary was about to get on the beam when it started to crack.
"Don't get on there!" Pichu cried, stopping Buneary in her tracks, "That beam is almost rotted through, anymore weight gets added and we all fall!"
"Piplup, you gotta lower us more!" Pikachu said.
Piplup was already huffing and puffing, but nevertheless the Penguin Pokémon slowly tried to lower the two without losing any much needed leverage, "How's that?!" he practically squeaked.
Pichu reached again, and came within mere centimeters to reaching the key. "Almost...there!" Suddenly the door to the room cracked open, and everyone's hearts stopped as they looked to see who or what was coming in. Fortunately instead of one of the guards, it turned out to be a wandering Totodile, one that Pichu apparently knew. "Totodile! It's you!" Pichu exclaimed with relief, "You almost gave us all a heart attack!"
"Sorry about that." Totodile replied with a sheepish grin.
"Never mind. We gotta get that key! How about a little help?" Pichu said. Totodile nodded and backed up against the wall. "Uh...what are you doing?" Pichu asked suspiciously. Totodile opened his mouth, and Pichu's eyes opened wider. "No no no no! Not like that!" It was too late, Totodile fired an intense 'Water Gun' that soaked the key, the Pokémon chain, and all the other Pokémon who had been watching.
"That's your idea of helping?" Vaporeon asked with annoyance, as she had been the only one unaffected by the attack thanks to her 'Water Absorb' ability.
"It worked didn't it?" Totodile replied, "You got the key, so now you can tell me how awesome I am." the little crocodile said proudly.
Despite knocking the three Pokémon back onto the original beam with the power of 'Water Gun', his statement proved to be factual as Pichu now had the key in hand. "Finally!" Pichu shook herself dry and glanced down to her friend, "Thanks for your help Totodile, even if it was a little unexpected."
"Well, you do know how I do." Totodile replied smugly.
"Yeah, you do annoying." Chikorita teased.
"Sometimes obnoxious." Cyndaquil added.
"You're welcome." Totodile deadpanned, "Boy, some friends you guys are."
"Look, never mind." Pichu sighed, "We're on a mission Totodile, we gotta stop Marcus from betraying Arceus! Can we count on you to help?"
Totodile scoffed, "You have to ask? I've been wanting to take a chomp outta that guy forever!"
"Then let's go!" Pichu exclaimed. Totodile hopped up on top of a table, then a shelf, and managed to get up onto the beam with the other Pokémon. "Welcome aboard." the spiky-eared Pichu joked. Totodile saluted, and followed the other Pokémon back into the wall.
"Can we find Mommy and Daddy now?" Riolu asked.
Pichu laughed a little, "Yeah Riolu, that's where we're headed now!" Within minutes, the Pokémon reached their final stop. "Alright, once we move this rock out of the way, we'll finally be reunited with our masters!" Pichu gave the rock a shove, but to no avail. She blushed a little with embarrassment and scratched her spiky ear. "Uh...can I have some help?" she laughed sheepishly. Pikachu smiled and assisted the Tiny Mouse Pokémon in moving the rock covering the hole.
In the cell, Damos sensed a change in the atmosphere, and he got up and turned to face the back of the cell. "I must go." he said, "I must return the Jewel of Life to Arceus."
"But how are you going to get yourself out of here?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, as nice as your friend out there is, I don't think he's going to just let you out." Misty added.
"I have my orders, and I need to feed my family too." the guard said with regret.
"Worry not old friend." Damos assured the guard. Damos then turned to the teenagers, "He's not the only friend I have." he said. Just then, one of the rocks in the cell moved, and revealed a tunnel that a spiky eared Pichu popped out of, wearing a key around her ear.
"Pichu!" (Master!) Upon seeing her master, Pichu scampered up the man's arm and perched on his shoulder.
"Thank you my dear Pichu." Damos said, taking the key off of the spiky-eared Pichu's ear.
"Pichu pi." (You're welcome.) she replied with a sweet smile.
"What a cute little Pichu you have!" Dawn squealed.
"Yes, she's very special to me." Damos scratched the electric-type behind her ears and she trilled with pleasure at the show of affection. "But I sense more Pokémon nearby."
"Pikapi!" (Ash!)
"Pikachu! It's you!" Ash laughed as Pikachu came running and perched on his shoulder, "Where are the others buddy?" he soon got his answer when Riolu, Piplup, Buneary, Vaporeon, and Staryu all came running out of the hole to greet their respective masters. "You're all ok!"
As the trainers had a heartfelt reunion with their Pokémon, Damos smiled as it was very obvious that the children cared deeply for their Pokémon, as friends rather than servants. "Pi chu pi pi chu, pi chu chu pi." (These are my friends, they helped me save you.) the spiky-eared Pichu told her master.
"Well it's nice to see that you've made some new friends Pichu." Damos replied. Damos then reached through the gate and placed the key in the keyhole, and he turned the key and unlocked the door, finally granting himself and the others freedom.
"It was only a matter of time before your little friend would find a way to get you out I suppose." the guard sighed.
Damos walked out and tossed the keys to the guard, "Worry not old friend, you did your job, and I harbor no ill will towards you for doing it." Damos knelt down in front of the elderly guard and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Have faith, in allowing me to escape, you may have just saved the lives of not only everyone who lives in Michina, but the lives of our descendants as well." Damos then turned his attention to the teenagers, "Time is growing short, I must hurry...thank you...children from the future." Damos then hurried up a flight of stairs, leaving the others behind.
"Hey Damos!" Ash called out to no avail. "Come on guys, we've gone this far, we might as well go all the way!" he said determinedly.
The others nodded, and they followed Damos up the long flight of stairs. "I hope Sheena's alright, wherever she is." Brock said.
"I'm sure she is Brock! She can take care of herself!" Dawn replied.
"I hope you're right." Brock sighed.
"Ash, this is the biggest thing we've ever tried to pull off, do you think we can do it?" Misty asked, hoping for a comforting answer.
"I can't say for sure Mist..." that wasn't the answer Misty was looking for, and his next statement didn't help much either. "But what I will say is this...for the sake of everyone here, and in the future...we've got to."
_
A/N: Um...I know it's been a while, but again...life. Sorry guys, hopefully next one sometime soon.