Author's Note: Just a warning, this chapter may be absolutely complete and utter nonsense. So, I'm afraid you have to deal with the insanity I call a minor plot point. Oh and I may give off the idea that I'm trying to confuse you or just throw nonsense at you. Congratulations I have literally no idea what I was thinking with this chapter, but oh well. Again, I apologize if this makes no sense, but if it makes any sense in the slightest, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 24: What Could Have Been

Blade held onto Shadow's back as they made their way toward the ground. "I still see no point in this, one can never trust a Xatu's prediction. As it is ever changing, I am referring to the future that is. Even if you can see it. It is never certain. Besides, just knowing how it could go could completely throw you off your initial course."

"I don't care, I still want to see what he can show us who knows, he could show us stuff that would have happened or could have happened to us."

"Blade….do you not see the problem there. What if he shows you that your life only got worse?"

Blade smiled at Shadow. "Don't you worry about that. If I didn't think I could handle it I wouldn't have suggested it. Besides, this can show us if we ever catch up to those egg massacring bastards " Blade slid off of Shadow's back and walked beside him. "How far did they say he was?"

"Just in this tree here." Shadow turned to look down at Blade. "Feel free to go in whenever you'd like."

"What about you? Aren't you going to come in with me?"

"If that is what you desire." Shadow didn't hesitate in answering.

Blade took him by the claws and pulled him into an enormous gash in the tree showing it was hollow inside. "Now we just have to find him!"

A voice echoed around them. "Oh, visitors? Sooner than expected….or is it later? So many futures, so many pasts….so many overlapping lines of time….past, present, future, all entwined in one long line. What a mess…..oh come come, forgive my…foresight" within the center of the large hollow tree Xatu stood. Normally Xatu were almost completely stationary and held themselves still, this one however couldn't stop it's body from twitching and shivering. "You're here to kill me…..no, no, want information" his beak clicked several times "want to see….present future and past…" a few more clicks of the beak. "I will show you, yeeeeessssssss?"

"Yes! Yes please!" Blade was rather excited to see it.

"I can show yyyyyyou, but experience is difficult for first timers." He clicked his beak "link our minds, speak to the other yous…..this is the way….."

Shadow glared at him. That was unusual, Xatu couldn't normally induce something like that. From what Shadow gathered, he was going to allow them to communicate with themselves from other versions of themselves through time. Shadow was skeptical to say the least. "This seems a bit, outlandish to me. I assume you have more to say though."

"Correct…..adverse effects…boundless….. harmful to the mind….." another few clicks "loss of life…..fully possible cannot account for peace…..with other selves"

"I refuse to put Blade in any position that could cause him harm."

"Eh, well I know one position you put me in that wasn't very pleasant" Blade blushed at his sly comment.

"You were begging for it and you know it." Shadow realized what he'd just said and looked at Blade. "Seriously?"

"Haha, don't sweat it Shadow we'll be together and it'll be fine!" Blade giggled and hugged Shadow.

"If you insist. However, I must ask, what will happen if we kill someone while this happens?"

"They disappear…" Xatu's head twists to its side. In a moment the twitching and clicking beak ceased "as that timeline would only exist for you or your partner due to your choices, killing anyone integral to that, specifically yourselves would cut the line almost instantly. And time would cease it's flow there. However, the chances of a full on engagement like that are slim, you would need to go out of your way to do more than speak to them." Suddenly the twitching and shivering resumed. "I shall take you now…..yeeeeessssssss?"

"Regardless of the validity of what he's said, are you certain you want to see these different outcomes?" Shadow was uncertain of this. But he held a certain hope. Should things be proper it would be little more than visions, a conversation between themselves to see how things would be under different circumstances.

"I do." Blade seemed less certain, but he maintained his composure.

"Then we'll have to allow him into our minds, but first I must ask. How does this effect time the way you claim?" Shadow glared at Xatu.

His beak clicked several times again. "Time crack…..left behind…..by Celebi." More twitches "Foresight distorted by time crack…. Psychic projection affected as well…"

"I see, well, if nothing else we might as well see what we can find." Shadow hugged Blade. "Do it."

Within their embrace they felt themselves enveloped in an odd energy, psychic but something more. And as they pulled away they found themselves in a bubble of sorts, surrounded by dozens of other bubbles each hosting Shadow and Blade or each individually and all of them on a line or a part connected directly to a line. Xatu's voice called out to them "refrain from leaving these bubbles, at least they will keep you from falling into a time not your own. Getting back will be difficult to say the least. Oh and forgive my lack of focus in our world, my mind is preoccupied here so everything there is hazy. With that said, you may move freely. However I will only allow you a single hour to explore this. Lest you become, outwardly insane as I am. Enjoy your stay, I'll pull you out soon."

The voice disappeared as Blade pushed against the bubble. It began sliding forward toward a separate bubble connected to the line they started on. "I'll kill him…I'll kill him myself, and if anyone gets in my way, I'll just have Shadow do it instead! Which part should he take, the lightning bolt tail? The ears?! It doesn't matter that little lying bastard is dead! Once Shadow gets me out of here that is. And once Cleave is dead." There was a Blade inside the bubble, he was in tears, laughing and crying, enraged all at once. Whatever happened to him hurt him, and he was beyond the breaking point.

They continued on the line they were attached to until they came to another bubble. "I'm sorry for everything Hik….I'm sorry, I can't bring myself to call you that or your real name, but if you're truly sorry for what you did….I hope you and that Riolu get back together." Blade spoke in the bubble it was so drastically different.

"Oh my, please refrain from watching the future too closely." Xatu's voice called out again. "My foresight is flawed, as all foresight is. The future is not set in stone and what you just saw were two of many possible futures each one drastically different and viewing any further could destroy the possibilities entirely. What you came to see is not your own future, at least not so far forward as this. If you wish to see what your lives could have been, you must leave the track of your timeline. I will pull you back safely when the time is up don't worry."

Blade, without hesitation pushed the bubble off its line toward one where he was alone. As he came to a stop, he looked at the Blade within the bubble. He was more physically fit than Blade. His body was somewhat larger and more muscular. Then he spoke. "Wow, what a scrawny little shit you are. Hard to believe you are me. You look like shit."

"Wow, didn't know there was a time when I became an asshole." Blade spoke smirking at his other self. "What happened to make you so insufferable?"

The other Blade spoke with triumph and confidence. "I defeated Cleave, and took over the pack as he'd always intended! I'm the most vicious and deadly Sneasel to walk this planet. I take what I want, who I want, when I want. If I don't like someone I end them, and I'm really starting to dislike you!" He smirked at Blade "What happened that made you such a scrawny little pissant?"

"Oh, I was born a runt, and Cleave tried to kill me since the day I was born." Blade smiled at him. "But judging by that look on your face you aren't too happy with life and it's kinda sad that I can already tell why. All I have to say is, I'm glad my life has gone as it did."

"What do you mean, what's the difference that makes you so happy?" The other Blade snarled.

"I believe he's referring to me." Shadow made his presence overly apparent now.

"That's right! Shadow here is all I need, and he's all I've got. I don't have to sit here and live up to the legacy of a piece of shit that wanted me dead." Blade smiled and pushed the bubble away. "Fact of the matter is, I'm happier because I'm in love."

Shadow stopped Blade and brought the bubble to a one holding them both.

The Blade in this bubble looked more unhappy than any other. He was bruised and Shadow looked at him with disdain. Blade reached up to embrace Shadow and the darkrai struck him across the face.

To say both of them were seething with anger at the sight was an understatement and Shadow pushed them away from it. As they flew through the bubbles of time Xatu showed them, they saw thousands upon thousands of times, Blade stopped them at one. This one was far happier. What was in this bubble was an uncertain future, and one that had been reached by so many things they'd never done. But this result seemed worth it. The two were seated on the ground beneath a tall tree. Shadow was holding Blade in his arms, but Blade was cradling someone in his own. A small Sneasel, an infant. And they smiled so very happily.

"Of all the futures I've seen" Xatu's voice returned "this outcome tends to be the best, however I'm afraid that's all the time you have now." Suddenly the little bubble was pulled back to its original position. And they emerged from the vision.

"Hmmmm that was really fucking weird….." Blade said looking up to Shadow. "How do the humans describe that? A strange feeling like it was real, but so obviously not the real world, like it made almost no sense….."

"I believe the phrase was. Tripping balls?" Shadow said and then gave Blade a little look. "You just wanted to hear me say it didn't you?"

Blade chuckled. "Got me there Shadow haha. And hey, I think I saw something just before we were pulled out."

"We can't take it as fact, but what did you see?"

"I think the person behind all of this, behind the thing with the eggs….I think it's my father…."

"Cleave? You believe he's behind it?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure if he hadn't wasted time trying to kill me, he could have strengthened the pack enough to pull this off." Blade frowned. "And if that's the case as it was in that vision….then I'm going to have to confront him one day….and when I do, I need to be ready!" He started walking away, or more accurately wobbling. Shadow picked him up and carried him on his back.

"You will be, I will do everything I can to make it so." Shadow stated confidently as he carried Blade. "However, you'll need to rely on speed and skill, as a weavile he will be naturally superior. He'll definitely be physically stronger, so all you have to do, is remain ahead of him mentally. You have to outthink and outmaneuver him. And if all else fails. I'll kill him myself."