For A New Life-Part 8

A Trusting Heart

   Being an immortal in a dying world had less perks than one would think. Being an immortal in general wasn't all that fun, either.

   Of course, with no way to thoroughly test it, it remained unclear to Celebi if she was really immortal, or only had a much longer lifespan than the common Pokémon.

   Still, though she would never let anyone hear her say it, being her wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

   Often she was asked why she chose to make her main area of residence in Dusk Forest, when it became clear again and again throughout the 'years' that it was safer in the confines of the colony. Her answers were never the same each time the question was asked, but every answer she gave was honest-to-Arceus true. "I, personally, feel a stronger sense of security in the forest." "You can't expect me to stay inside this stuffy old place forever." "You'd best not be suggesting that I can't take care of myself with that talk!"

   There was another reason she never spent too long a spell with the humans and Pokémon in the colony, though this reason was one she would never, ever, tell anyone: She didn't want to get too attached to anyone she would outlive. Which, with her longevity, meant everyone within those subterranean walls.

   It wasn't like living outside the colony was much better, either. Constantly she had to avoid detection from those that served the corrupted deity of time. Constantly she had to avoid detection from those poor souls that lost their minds and reason to the darkness. Constantly she felt, little by little, more of the forest's Passage of Time weaken in its range of temporal energy, causing more of the forest to wither and die, little by little. And considering how long she'd been around to witness the horrors of this world of darkness, she deemed it was enough to cause anyone to lose heart.

   But she was not just 'anyone'. For she remembered that there was still hope, no matter how frail, and made it her life's mission to never forget that hope. And that hope lay with the presence of the Passage of Time.

   "Someone needs to keep an eye on the Passage," was another frequently given answer to the often asked question of why she spent more time in Dusk Forest than in the colony's safety. Ever present within the deepest reaches of the forest, only she and one other knew of its mechanics and, most importantly, how to properly operate it. More than a door to times long past and times yet to come, the doorway to the ages served as a steadfast, constant reminder to Celebi of the potential it held, of the hope that was still alive in her heart.

   This is why she hadn’t completely severed her ties to the lives in the colony. Joining the hope in her heart was a deep, profound sense of trust for those living within those walls. Trust that, with her help, they would find the answers so often sought out, yet so rarely found. Trust that, with her help, the flames of hope so often dwindled to ashes would be fanned into the warmest of flames.

   Trust that, with her help, the pain and suffering that encompassed this world of darkness would finally end. For good.

---

   "Have I ever told you how much I enjoy walking with you, Celebi?"

   Not recently. But I could never tire of hearing you say that, Lerena.

   'Kindred spirits' was a term Lerena once used to describe herself and Celebi. Both expressed more of a preference to spending more time outside the colony than within it, for one thing. Another common trait they seemed to share was the annoyance they felt whenever someone doubted how well they could handle themselves on their own.

   "I really do mean it every time I say it," Lerena persisted, her bare feet lightly crunching the dry soil beneath her as she walked. "Whether it's a casual stroll like this one, or when we explore unknown territory, it always fills me with a certain feeling of peace when you're my company. Like I can be completely open and honest with you without fear of judgement, you know?"

   A smile curved Celebi's mouth, even though she knew the woman she fluttered along beside couldn't see it. I do, she answered, using an ability she developed ages ago that allowed her to telepathically communicate her thoughts to others, particularly humans. I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, though, but that's something I've often been told by others before you.

   Lerena turned her pale, pale eyes onto Celebi, having known where she was because of her heightened sense of hearing. "How is that bad news? If anything, you should consider that a special trait about yourself. The ability to put others at ease is a great ability to possess, especially with all the sticklers and worrywarts we've come to know and love."

   Celebi chuckled, finding herself thinking of one such worrywart she was starting to become particularly fond of. You know, Lerena, you ought to count yourself as one who possesses that ability, too. Spending time with you brings me a feeling of ease as well. and I always look forward to excursions like these with you.

   The smile on the woman's face broadened. "That's very sweet of y-"

   Lerena came to a halt, one so sudden that Celebi actually passed by her before realizing she had stopped. Concerned, the lithe, pink Pokémon turned to question why she had stopped, but upon seeing the intense look on the human's face, didn't think a word and felt her concern double.

   "Do you hear that?" Lerena breathed, voice barely above a whisper. "Like something's...rustling..."

   Already keeping silent, Celebi moved nothing more than her thin wings (to keep herself aloft) and strained to listen for the sound her human companion was hearing. For a time, Celebi feared as though Lerena was merely hearing things; aside from their breathing and the fluttering of her wings, the area they found themselves in was silent.

   That's when her leafy green eyes saw the tiniest of movements in the barren branches of the tree Lerena was standing directly beneath, and she faintly heard the sound Lerena had described. Feeling her muscles go stiff with apprehension, the lithe pink Pokémon turned her head up to see, nestled among the dead tree's branches, a large Ariados. Already alarmed by how big it was compared to others of its species, what alarmed Celebi more was that it was aimed directly at Lerena, poised to attack.

   Not to mention the fact that its scarred body and gleaming eyes meant only one thing: Feral..!

   It happened faster than Lerena could widen her pale, pale eyes. With a raspy screech, the Feral Ariados dove out of its hiding spot, aiming straight for and baring its poisonous fangs at its newest prey. Celebi zoomed forward, praying with all her might that she would be the first to make it to the woman blind to the danger falling straight toward her. 'Lerena LOOK OUT!!'

   Seemed fate owed Celebi a small mercy. She had reached Lerena first. But with the Feral still in swift approach, Celebi could see only one way out of their predicament. So, after focusing intently, the instant she was able to wrap her arms around the woman's forearm, she released the energy she'd been welling up that lived up to her the title of Time Travel Pokémon.

   She made sure it didn't last too long; just a couple of what used to be called 'seconds' would be enough. Just until the Feral gave up the pursuit and left in search of easier prey. The instant she judged it safe enough, Celebi ended the brief trip and deposited herself and Lerena back where they stood earlier, only now no longer in any immediate danger. Celebi breathed a small sigh of relief.

   Her companion, however, didn't show the slightest hints of ease at all. "Wh-what did you do?"

   The woman's face was pale (well, paler), and she wobbled where she stood, blinking her pale, pale eyes numerous times as she tried to regain her balance. Celebi lightly bit down on her lower lip. It was easy to forget that time travel wasn't exactly for everyone, and was even rougher for those experiencing it for the first time. I made us travel forward a few seconds, a minute at most, Celebi explained as she flitted over to help Lerena. I felt it was the easiest and safest way to avoid that Feral. I should've warned you, I'm sorry. How are you feeling? Time travel can really drain a person, even if it lasts only for a few seconds.

   Eventually, Lerena steadied herself, though she kept her hand on her belly and looked like she was going to be nauseous. "I-I'm fine," she insisted. "I'd just...feel better if I could lie down."

   Celebi lightly nodded, and helped keep Lerena steady as they returned to the colony.

---

   "Is it not possible to just travel as far back as we can? Prevent Temporal Tower from ever being corrupted at all?"

   The question was expected, yet Celebi still let out a sigh at being asked it. That's just not possible, she explained telepathically to the entire investigation team. For one thing, the Passages aren't existent in the world of the past before the planet became paralyzed. If we were to fail to prevent the tower's corruption altogether, whoever went that far back would remain trapped in the past, and at high risk at becoming trapped in time...forever.

   Many of the ones gathered shuddered at the thought of being permanently trapped in time, becoming paralyzed alongside the planet like many an unfortunate soul of the past. Furthermore, Celebi continued, it's not even possible to go that far back with the Passages. The furthest back it can take someone is little under a few months before the tower completely collapses, and well after it became corrupted in the first place. I've yet to figure out why this is, but even sent back to the absolute farthest the Passages can reach, whoever carries out the final stages of the mission will have a very limited time frame to do so.

   Silent murmurs rippled through the crowd until someone else asked, 'Well, if that's the case, then can't you be a part of the team that goes to the past? With your abilities, you'd be able to take us further back into the past, and give us more time to carry out the final stages!'

   Sounds of agreement, of potential hope which Celebi had to snuff out. I'm afraid I can't do that. If I went through time, and became stranded in the past, then it would be impossible for the Passage to be used again to send another team to the past. It'd be in everyone's best interest that I stay here, in our time period, to guard and control the Passage.

   The crowd became silent, without even the softest murmur spoken. That is, until someone turned to the head of the planetary investigation team, and co-leader of the entire colony. "What do you think, Sebastian?"

   The inquiry made everyone turn to the seated man, whose weary eyes were studying carefully the reports spread out before him. Though he looked otherwise invested, Celebi knew that he had heard every word spoken thus far, and knew the look on his face was the one he wore when trying to come to a decision.

   "...We know for a fact that Temporal Tower's collapse needs to be prevented, if we are to prevent the planet from becoming paralyzed," he eventually answered, eyes never leaving the papers scattered before him. "We also know that the Time Gears play a significant role in preventing the tower's collapse. For now, we should heed Celebi's advice, and put the thought of stopping the tower's corruption out of our minds. Our main goal now is finding the locations of the Time Gears. We'll cross all other bridges when we get to them."

   Though some were hesitant, those gathered within the room agreed to the man's reasoning. Celebi was glad that an understanding could be reached, and thankful that Sebastian didn't try to press the idea of her traveling to the past.

   The room's door then opened, before any other issues could be discussed. All eyes turned to the door, and Celebi felt her heart briefly leap up to her throat to see the familiar face standing in the doorway.

   'Please, forgive me for interrupting,' Kain humbly apologized, looking directly at a scowling Sebastian before abashedly looking to his side. 'It's just...she wanted you, Sebastian.'

   Celebi and Sebastian were not the only ones to follow the Grovyle's gaze. Soon all present were staring at the tiny toddler hiding her tearstained face against Kain's arm, her water-logged eyes only on the one she called 'Daah'.

   Slowly, after holding her gaze for a second longer, Sebastian rose from his chair. "We've discussed enough for now," he informed the investigation team as his feet carried him to the doorway. "I expect those partaking in the next search to get rested and prepared; we leave when the blossoms next open."

   Their instructions clear, those gathered in the room waited until Sebastian had gathered his child into his arms and walked off with her (soothingly rubbing her back as she clung to his neck) before dispersing. Only two lingered behind: the one who had interrupted the meeting, and the one practically everyone considered to be the key member of the planetary investigation team's plan to save their world.

   'It's been happening more often, hasn't it?' Celebi asked, moving to flutter by Kain's side. 'Is she getting any sleep at all?'

   Kain shrugged his shoulders, looking as defeated as he was weary. 'I don't know anymore. And I can't begin to imagine what kind of dreams she must be having to make her wake up crying like that.'

   'Perhaps it has something to do with her age,' Celebi suggested. 'I remember that human children get especially clingy to their parents when they're this young.'

   Kain rubbed at his face with one paw, no doubt trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. 'I do hope that turns out to be the case.'

   Celebi nodded, and found herself staring at the Grovyle's sleep-deprived face. He held a certain kind of cuteness when he was like this, she thought. She also found herself thinking how nice it'd be if they had more chances to spend time together, without having to talk or worry about plans to be made to save their world, just the two of them...like they were now...

   'By the way, did I miss anything important with the meeting?'

   Her hopes for any kind of quality time with the Grovyle dashed, Celebi refrained from letting out a sigh before she filled in Kain on everything discussed in the recently adjourned meeting.

---

   'What in the world...?'

   At the sound of the familiar voice, the child turned her face up to smile at those who had entered her room. "Ani! Cewebi! Hi!"

   The two grass-types blinked slowly, mouths agape at the sight before them. 'Ivy,' Celebi addressed the young girl sitting in the room's center. 'What have you been doing...?'

   Blissfully ignorant to how big a mess she had made, Ivy pointed a stained-with-berry-juice finger to a part of said mess in front of her. "Making pwetty pitchuwes!"

   'Making pretty pictures,' Kain repeated as he carefully hopped around the many scattered papers and squashed berries littering the ground to reach the child amid it all. 'I see.'

   It was easier for Celebi to navigate through the mess (she simply had to fly over it). What was less easy was finding a clean enough place to land. 'Why are there so many berries here, Ivy?' she asked as she felt one such berry squish beneath her heel when she landed directly beside the child.

   Ivy, who was herself as messy as the space around her, simply smiled and held up one of her 'pwetty pitchuwes' for both Celebi and Kain to see. "Had to make the wight cowor!"

   Kain, after slipping and nearly falling on a squashed Cornn Berry, finally reached the spot where Ivy sat, and looked at the picture she held up. 'Well...it certainly does look pretty, Ivy,' he told her. 'But, what exactly is it?'

   "It is what it is, Ani!" the messy toddler proclaimed, her face beaming with pride at her handiwork. "And it's an 'aurora'!"

   Kain couldn't tell if she was mispronouncing the word, or if she just made it up. Carefully taking the finger painting from her tiny hands, the Grovyle turned it over to see, scribbled on the back, notes written in familiar handwriting. 'Ivy, did you get these papers from your father's room?'

   "Uh-huh!"

   'Did you ask your father if it was alright for you to use these papers? Or the gardeners for you to use all these berries?'

   "...Oops."

   The child's pride was gone in an instant, replaced with chastised bashfulness. Kain sighed inwardly, and tried to at least clean some of the 'paint' off her face before chastising her some more. 'You need to learn to ask for permission for these kinds of things, Ivy. Written on some of these papers are important things for your father, and someone may have needed these berries for food, or for the medical team. It's important that you make sure it's alright for you to use these things before you use them.'

   A pouting frown pursed the child's lips, though it looked like she got the message. "I sowwy, Ani," she muttered in a small voice.

   Kain couldn't help but crack a small smile. 'It's not me you should be apologizing to.' Deciding he had done the best he could for now, the Grovyle helped Ivy stand up and took her hand in his. 'Let's get you cleaned up first, then we'll tell your father what happened. I'm sure he won't be too mad with you, but we'll see. Right, Celebi...?'

   The lithe, pink Pokémon did not respond to the sound of her name. She barely even moved at all. She merely stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, at the paper she held in her hands, which were subtly shaking. "Cewebi?" Ivy called out to her, her frown now one of curiosity. "You okay?"

   'Where did you see this?'

   Her voice was soft at first, so neither Ivy nor Kain properly heard what she had said. When she repeated the question, she did so in a louder voice, and at the same time turned the paper to show what had been painted on it. 'Ivy where did you see this??'

   Kain went stiff the moment he saw the picture. Ivy, however, simply answered, "In a dweam. Why?"

   Celebi could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. If the child had seen it in a dream, and only in a dream, then that could mean...!

   'Take her with us,' Celebi told Kain, with whom she shared an alarmed yet knowing look. 'We need to show this to Sebastian immediately.'

   Ivy let out a yelp as Kain suddenly scooped her up into his arms, then even more suddenly took off with Celebi out of the room. "A-Ani? Cewebi?? Where we gowing???"

   Neither Pokémon answered the human child's protesting inquiries. Both were too focused on finding the child's father as quickly as possible, for if what was on Ivy's painting was what Celebi thought it was, then it would prove that the child had been born with a gift that would make her even more vital to the planetary investigation team's plans than Celebi herself was.

---

   Even in a world where it had been destroyed, Celebi could still feel within herself even the smallest of changes in time's flow, which explained how she always knew when the Passage lost a little bit more of its power to keep Dusk Forest alive.

   And, especially, how she knew so quickly when her life had changed forever.

   It initially felt like a blow to the gut, then like a part of her innards was withering up and dying within her. It knocked the breath out of her, made her fall to the ground and crumple in on herself. Never before had she felt anything like this; it scared her, made her feel like she was dying herself. All she knew was this:

   Something had gone wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

   Rattled, keeping one arm wrapped around her torso, Celebi struggled to right herself, to become airborne once again. Heavy, laborious breaths passed in and out of her mouth, and her vision had gone blurry. But still she worked to regain her composure, so she could try and make heads or tails of what she felt, what had happened to make her experience such a sensation. As soon as she was able to keep herself aloft, Celebi moved, slowly, through Dusk Forest, in the direction she felt was the epicenter of whatever had happened.

   Eventually, she made it to the western edge of the tree line, and once there, she came to a very still, very wide-eyed halt. There, in the far off distance, a wide, tall column of smoke stood out against the darkness that had long ago replaced the sky. And its origin: right where she knew the colony to be. Wh-What...oh no...

   She would've gone, would've flown off in the direction the smoke steadily rose from, but movement from more directly in front of her stopped her in her tracks. Movement, as she soon saw, that came from two beings she knew well. "K-Kain! Ivy!"

   She rushed to them immediately, but came to another halt once she saw that Ivy was basically draped on Kain's shoulders and barely moving, and that Kain's neck was bloody. "Oh Arceus, Kainy!!"

   A misstep caused the Grovyle to trip and fall flat onto the ground, making Ivy fall into a still heap directly beside him. Celebi wasted no more time rushing to their aid, choosing to go to Kain first because of his obvious injury. "Wh-What happened, Kainy?" she asked, both to keep him lucid and to find out if what had happened to them had anything to do with the smoke and the horrid feeling in her gut. "What happened to you two??"

   "It's gone," she heard him mutter, his eyes everywhere but on her as she worked to stop the bleeding. "It's all gone... Everyone... Th-the whole colony..."

   Celebi felt chills run down her spine. "Y-You mean...Sebastian...Alist-"

   "Alistair betrayed us!"

   The sudden outburst made Celebi flinch, and she flinched even more so once Kain locked eyes with her in a stare that screamed every horror he'd seen that day. "He sold us out to Primal Dialga! He led the raiding party! He was going to KILL her! And Sebastian! S-Sebastian...!"

   A growling outcry of anguish and anger ripped through his throat, and he covered his face with his claws. "They're all DEAD! Primal Dialga KILLED them all! Completely OBLITERATED the colony! I couldn't save anyone else! Everyone, everything... it's all GONE!"

   Celebi became stiller than rock. Her hand clamped down over her mouth, her eyes widened to their limits, she felt horror wash over her to realize what she had felt before, the feeling of something within her withering and dying, was the feeling of every single life within the colony being snuffed out, all at once, at the hands of Primal Dialga's wrath.

   She wanted to drop to her knees. She wanted to join Kain in his mourns of anguish. She wanted to cry. Her fears, her reasons for not wishing to get too attached to anyone she would eventually outlive, were all crashing down on her in one fell swoop. What stopped her from doing any of those things, however, was the only human survivor of this tragic calamity.

   Leafy green eyes met amethyst ones in a silent staring contest. One look in these eyes, ones that perfectly mirrored the death they witnessed, made Celebi want to scream and cry even more. But something else altogether stopped all those urges dead in their tracks. Though her eyes screamed of death, the rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took screamed of life, of the will to live, of hope.

   She clenched her jaw. She swallowed back her screams. She held back her tears. Removing her hand from her mouth, she turned to the still bleeding Kain. "W-We shouldn't stay here," she told him gently, yet with a certain firmness. "It's not safe for us to be out in the open like this. Or for Ivy."

   The mention of her name roused him from his mourning, if only a little. His breaths steadying, his eyes fell on the one life he had saved from the colony's destruction, the one he made a silent vow to always protect, even if it cost him his very life. "...You're right," he muttered, shaky as he got back to his feet. "It's not safe for us anymore."

   Celebi didn't breathe another word as she helped Kain hide Ivy within a fallen tree hollow within the forest, and still didn't as she worked to heal the damage done to her dear Kainy's neck. She was too busy making her own silent vow, one not to anyone but herself.

   Until the very end, when all future life would cease to exist, she was not going to lose any more of her precious and invaluable friends. No matter what.

---

   "Ivy WAIT-!" SPLOOSH!

   Unable to stop her dive off the rocky outcropping, Kain could only watch from afar in horror as his human partner plunged into the depths of the place once called Fogbound Lake. "IVY!!"

   Not a single bubble of air rose to the surface of the deathly still water. In fact, from where he stood on the same outcropping Ivy had dove from, his amber eyes couldn't see a single movement beneath the frozen waves. He started to panic, and he also started to consider pursuing his partner into the death trap. He took a couple of steps back, away from the edge-

   A blur sped by him. One that was small and pink. Before he could even blink, it dove off the edge he was preparing to dive from, and he heard another, much smaller Sploosh! "C-Celebi!"

   He ran back to the edge, only he decided to not join his two companions in the water below, as he originally planned. Before panic could set in again, his eyes finally spotted movement in the watery depths, movement that looked like something was rising to the surface. Two somethings, as he soon realized. The two somethings that turned out to be the partners he began he fear he lost to the abyss.

   Celebi was ever so grateful she was part psychic-type; it made pulling Ivy out from the bottom of the lakebed, a task impossible for any other Pokémon of her size, as easy as lifting a twig from the forest floor. Both their heads broke back through the surface just moments after Celebi dove in, and as soon as the rest of their bodies were completely out of the water, Celebi used her psychic powers to carry the teenage human, and herself, back to shore.

   She heard approaching footsteps as she deposited herself and her cargo on the shoreline, and knew that Kain was racing to where they were. "Are you both alright?!"

   "I-I'm fine," Celebi answered, breathing heavily from holding her breath. "But Ivy she, she's not-"

   What Celebi would've told Kain was that Ivy was not breathing. Before she could, however, harsh, violent coughs came from the soaking wet human beside her, followed closely after by labored breathing. Both grass-types turned to see a puddle of water beside Ivy's head, directly in line with her mouth, and knew that she was, at least, safe from drowning.

   "Ivy, what were you thinking?" His tone was harsh, but he couldn't help it because of how fearful he was for his companion's health. "You know by now that water is highly dangerous! Even the best of water-types drown in it now! Why did you do something so reckless?!"

   Ivy, still catching her breath, rolled over so she was lying on her back. Her chest heaving, she didn't so much as answer as she only lifted her right hand, to show Kain and Celebi what she had clutched in it. The object looked black and weathered and broken beyond repair, but upon sensing the incredibly faint power in it, Celebi realized what the twelve-year-old had risked her life to retrieve from the lake's depths. "A piece of a Time Gear..."

   "This is why we weren't finding it," Ivy weakly explained as Kain widened his eyes in realization. "The altar wasn't in the forest, or along the shoreline. It was underwater, right in the very center of the lake."

   Celebi watched as Kain's muscles relaxed, as did his stern yet worried expression. Celebi found herself feeling eased as well. She couldn't remember how long a time Kain and Ivy had spent searching for this place's elusive Time Gear (they had even asked her to help them search for it). And now, they knew where it would be when the human and Pokémon traveled back to the past. That lessened their workload by one worrisome burden.

   "I...had a vision when I grabbed this," Ivy confessed, which made Kain and Celebi go tense again. "That's why I almost drowned."

   The reason did little to pacify the two grass-types' newfound worries. "What did you see?" Celebi asked.

   Though her breathing had steadied, Ivy sucked in a deep breath through her nose and turned her eyes upward as she attempted to recall the vision that nearly made her drown. "I saw...three figures. I think they were Pokémon. They all looked similar in body and build, but each had a differently shaped head. They appeared to reside underwater, and each was guarding a different Time Gear, all underwater, too. You realize what this means, don't you?"

   They didn't. Neither Kain nor Celebi realized what this meant for them. Not hearing an answer, Ivy sat up and focused her eyes on what could've been her watery grave. "It means, before we go to the past, you and I need to learn how to swim, partner."

---

   "I see..."

   Ivy crouched low, and lightly grazed her fingers across the crystal's shattered surface. "Of the three elements that create balance in the spiritual world, Azelf is the Being of Willpower. Willpower is the motivation that drives us; it is a unifying power."

   She removed her hand from the gem and stared at her fingertips, rubbing between them the crystalline dust left behind after the crystal shattered long ago. "To unify is to make many into one. So if the colors of these crystals were to be made into one, to be unified, the path should reveal itself."

   Her posture straightened, and her eyes scanned over the area where three massive, broken crystals stood across from one another in a triangular shape. "The question is, what is the color of Azelf's spirit? Azelf guards Crystal Lake, then the crystals must reflect Azelf's spirit in order to proceed to the lake..."

   She rubbed her fingers to her temples, closing her eyes as she tried to piece together what had been learned thus far of the location of this Time Gear. "This is what 'Unity of Willpower' was referring to. If the crystals weren't in their current state, we'd be able to test and see what color it'd need to be. Then again, it's highly likely that there'd be some mechanism involved that would make the opening to the path close back up once we step through. In which case, how would we get out again...?"

   The human was pretty much talking to herself at this point, and seemed to have forgotten she was not alone. That much became apparent after she dropped her hands back to her sides, and something was thrown over her head and looped around her neck.

   She acted on pure instinct. Her hands shooting for her belt, she spun around on her heel and unsheathed a weapon, a fierce expression glaring down the one that came at her from behind.

   "Whoa, whoa! Take it easy, Ivy! It's just me!"

   Instantly, her expression softened, and she returned her weapon back to its holster. "Very jumpy today, aren't you?" Celebi teased. "And if you try to say you forgot I was here, I'll be very offended, you know! Hee hee!"

   Ivy did not share in the light-hearted laughter. She was far too focused on what Celebi had thrown over her head and looped around her neck, which still hung there like a Kakuna from a tree. "What is this?"

   Her voice was as deadpan as ever, yet it didn't phase Celebi's cheery mood in the slightest. "I know it's a little rushed, but it's a gift for you! Don't you remember what day it is? It's your sixteenth birthday, Ivy! Happy Birthday!"

   The 'gift' was little more than a bunch of tree roots woven together in the shape of a circle, in which was embedded shards of the shattered crystals the two stood amid. She was sure she could've done better, but Celebi was still proud of her quick handiwork in crafting the simple, yet beautiful (in her eyes at least) gift.

   A gift which, much to the legendary's surprise and sadness, was ill-received by the birthday girl.

   "...I find it simply incredible how you're able to find the time to remember such arbitrary matters, Celebi," Ivy remarked as she removed the gift from around her neck and, with little regard for it, dropped the necklace to the ground beside her.

   Celebi's jaw dropped. "Arbitrary??" she repeated, aghast as she quickly retrieved the discarded gift. "It's your birthday, Ivy! The anniversary of the day you came into this world!"

   Ivy was crouching down again, and had her back turned to her companion. "So?"

   "So?! So is it really so bad that I want to acknowledge the day we were blessed with your birth?!" Knowing how mad and upset she was getting, Celebi held out the gift she had made to Ivy's back. "I heard that, on their birthdays, humans give gifts to the one who's birthday it is as a sign of appreciation, a sort of 'thank you for being a part of our lives'! That's what I'm trying to do, Ivy! You're a precious friend to me, and I want to acknowledge how important you are! By giving you this! For once, can't you act like you have a heart and accept this?!"

   She regretted it the instant after it left her tongue. One hand now covering her mouth, her eyes went wide with shock and horror at the cruel thing she had said in her frustration. "I-I didn't- I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean to- I-I'm sorry, I-"

   Without a word, Ivy rose back to full height. A moment longer she kept her back to Celebi, but when she finally turned to face the lithe, pink Pokémon, an abysmally sorrowful expression occupied her face. "Celebi...you have no idea how much I wish we could be able to afford such luxuries."

   The legendary's altitude lowered. The gift she had crafted fell unceremoniously to the ground. Her closed eyes holding back tears, she tuned and darted out of the deepest room within Crystal Cave, away from the girl who would be turning sixteen today.

   She couldn't blame Ivy; if anyone was to blame, it was herself. Actually, no. Why should she blame herself for trying to bring her dear friend some joy? Joy that she had eschewed and forgotten so many years ago? No one was to blame, no one at all. But even with knowing that, it did not help to ease the hurt Celebi felt growing in her heart now.

   Maybe she ought to try talking with Kain. If anything, he'd be able to sympathize with her grief and do all in his ability to make her feel better. More often than not, Celebi was usually the one to do this for Kain, but when Kain did it for her, he did it in ways that felt even more efficient that she could ever do. He would be around this next bend, keeping guard as she and Ivy were investigating the room she just left. Still holding back tears, she turned the corner-

   She stopped so suddenly, her wings stopped fluttering and she fell to the ground. Her eyes went wide with muted horror, the tiniest of gasps leaving her mouth at the scene before her. Where Kain had been standing guard stood not a soul, and the footprints, claw marks, and drops of fresh blood on the ground meant only one thing:

   There had been a struggle. And now Kain was gone.

   She didn't even have the time to start panicking when quiet footsteps came from behind her. Half expecting it to be whoever had gotten in the scuffle, she turned quickly to see, to her relief, Ivy standing a few feet away. That relief did not last, though. Especially not when she saw the look that slowly overcame the human girl's face, and saw her satchel slip out of her grasp and fall to the ground.

   She then heard her voice, and accompanied by the frightened, lost expression on her face, she sounded less like the growing teenager she was, and more like a child that had lost her way:

   "Kain...?"

---

   "Hmm, nope! Doesn't look like any permanent damage was dealt during your time with Dusknoir!"

   Kain chuckled lightly, though it made him wince. "Then it's a good thing you rescued me when you did, Ivy," he called over to the human keeping watch a few meters away. "Don't know how long it would've been before Dusknoir started getting really serious!"

   Ivy didn't look their way. She didn't even acknowledge that she was being talked to. A frown briefly flashing across her face, Celebi turned back to work on patching up the wounds on Kain's body. "It's been a while since we've seen him, huh?" she remarked, making conversation with the Grovyle she was healing. "The first time since 'that day', as I recall."

   "He's gotten stronger since then," Kain commented, briefly grimacing as he remembered how very liberal the ghost-type had been in his torturing.

   "And craftier, it seems. Tell me, Kainy, did they get the drop on you, or were you able to fight back before they took you to those stockades?"

   Kain gave her a wounded expression. "Are you trying to tell me you doubt my ability to look out for myself?" he teased, to which Celebi's cheeks became pinker. "Well, they did get the drop on me, at first, but I'll have you know that I also fought back. But I tell you, it sure is difficult to fight off a whole hoard of Sableye all by yourse-"

   They had heard her approaching. They didn't think much of why she was approaching them so swiftly. So they also didn't realize the intent of her going over to them until it was too late to stop her hand from swinging down.

   THWACK!

   The sound reverberated through the area, shocking Celebi into stunned speechlessness. She couldn't even find it in herself to let out a gasp, let alone demand that Ivy explain herself. No; all she could do was stand there, mouth agape and eyes wide, and stare at the human girl who still had her arm raised over her chest, and whose expression gave meaning to the phrase 'if looks could kill'.

   "How. Dare. You." Her voice was more a venomous hiss than anything else, a perfect match for the death glare she was directing at the Grovyle whose cheek was now swelling red. "You allowed yourself to be captured, beaten, and tortured by that traitor. I was barely able to get us out of there alive. Yet there you sit, joking about how much more powerful he's become since his betrayal."

   The hand that had struck Kain clenched, looking more like a claw than a hand. "Do you think this is a game? Something that can be restarted and replayed if you lose, or things don't go your way? How in Arceus' name can you be so stupid?!"

   Her lips curled back into a snarl, one that showed off her tightly clenched teeth. "You gave me your word! You promised me you'd stand by my side as I carried out this mission! How DARE you go back on your promises! I'VE BEEN BETRAYED ENOUGH YOU IDIOT!!"

   All at once, she froze, and Celebi couldn't tell if it was because Ivy was realizing what she was doing, or if it was because she finally saw the fear registered on Celebi's own face. That fear was not uncalled for, not in the slightest. Never before had she seen the human become so enraged, so passionately angry, so...so mindlessly hateful.

   If Celebi didn't know any better, her human friend looked, dare she say it, like a Feral.

   Her claw-like hand clenched some more, this time forming a fist that was stiffly lowered back to her side. Her snarling lips pulled back over slowly unclenching teeth, forming the thinnest of lines. The malicious gleam in her eyes softened, showing more of their usual darkened focus than the viciousness of seconds before. Where once was Feral-like lethalness was now her usual dullness, but hints of her previous anger still showed in the details of her placid expression.

   "...You told me once that I didn't have to carry this burden alone." Her voice as it usually was once again, though heavily hinted with warning, she slowly turned her back on the two grass-types. "You'd better shape up if you want me to ever believe in anything you say again."

   Leaving it at that, Ivy walked away.

   It was wrong of Kain and Celebi to play off Kain's capture and torture in a light-hearted, joking mood. They knew that now. Even if they had done so in the first place to not make Ivy worry or become too upset, not acting serious about what had happened had been the wrong course of action. And now, it seemed as though the bonds of trust Ivy had with the two of them were on the line, and dangerously close to being severed completely.

   Celebi turned her eyes onto Kain, who had not moved a fraction of an inch since Ivy had struck him across the face. "Sh-She was scared," she reasoned, trying to justify Ivy's actions. "We both were. You should've seen the look on her face when we realized you were gone. That's why she did what she did. She was scared for you, Kainy. And I should've realized that trying to brush it off like it was nothing serious would made her feel like her fear was invalidated. I'm so sorry, Kainy-"

   Her hands had moved to heal the swelling in his cheek, but stopped the moment her arm was grabbed. It was a gentle grasp, one so calm and tender it made her heart skip a beat, and that wasn't even putting into play who it was that was now holding her limb.

   "Do you know what I wish?" Kain asked in a soft voice, his eyes staring holes into the ground. "It may not be a 'more than anything' kind of wish, but it's still a pretty strong wish I desire. And do you know what that is, Celebi?"

   She felt his grip around her arm subtly tighten. "I wish...that Ivy had a chance to live a normal life."

   Leafy green eyes blinked once, showing surprise at the unexpected answer. "I know 'normal' is too broad a term," Kain clarified, his voice still soft yet holding a certain edge in it, "but still I wonder, what would her life have be like? What would she have done with her time? What worries would she have worried about? What would she have become if she wasn't born into this world? It's pointless to wonder such things, I know, but still..."

   It may have just been her imagination, but Celebi could've sworn she saw tears forming in Kain's amber eyes. "I can't help but yearn for a different, better life for her. For all of us, I guess..."

   Celebi felt her heart sink. Of course Kain would wish this; Celebi herself had wished this before, too. The allures of how things could've been were desirable...but Celebi had learned a long time ago that it did more harm than good to dream about what might have been.

   After gently pulling her arm away, Celebi walked to and sat down at Kain's side, her eyes also staring holes into the ground as she hugged her arms around her knees. "I heard once...about an old belief humans used to have. It was the belief that, after someone's life ends, they are essentially reborn as someone different. For example, a king dies and is reborn a poor farmer, or even a human would be reborn as a Pokémon. So, who knows? Not in this life, but maybe in the next, Ivy could be able to experience what a normal life would be like. Maybe, we all could..."

   The notion was nice enough, at least by Celebi's standards. But one flaw in it, as pointed out by a slightly smirking Kain, made it one of futility: "I wonder how true that belief would be...for someone who's entire existence was erased."

   Celebi felt her heart sink even further. "Yeah." She leaned her head against Kain's arm. "I wonder..."

---

   "So that's it then. I'll never see them again, and that was all I could say. Heh, what a way to say goodbye."

   Celebi held Ivy satchel by its strap with one hand, for the other was drying away the tears she was trying to hold back in futility. She sniffled loudly as she flew further away from the Passage of Time, where she had left Kain and Ivy in front of the portal that would take them to the past. And from there, they would avert the events that created their world and, ultimately, snuff out their existences.

   As it turned out, Celebi wasn't that immortal after all.

   "I should've said more," she told herself, though in her heart she knew it was better that she didn't. "Kainy...I should've told you and Ivy how much you both meant to me. You especially, my dearest Kain. I should've told you...how I..."

   She felt it in an instant. An invisible force, known and felt only by her, rushed by her like a gale of wind. It made her become statue still in mid-air, made her feel like her heart had stopped beating, made a horrid feeling of dread overtake her.

   Dread...and familiarity. "No..."

   Ivy's satchel fell to the ground and spilled its contents. Celebi didn't care to retrieve them. The memory of the day the colony fell returning to the forefront of her thoughts, she spun around and rocketed back in the direction she came from, the direction the force originated from, the direction of the Passage of Time.

   It wasn't on the same level as the force that eradicated the colony, but to feel it again, especially at a time as crucial as this one, it was beyond clear that something had gone horribly wrong. She willed herself to fly faster, to abandon all caution and make it to the Passage before-

   She came in too fast. So shocked by what she saw the moment she came upon the plateau and spotted the Passage, she fell from the air and skidded along the ground, coming to a rough halt mere meters away from the portal's opening. Her brain didn't even register any pain from her crash landing; it was too sharply focused on the sight before her eyes. Wha-What is this!?

   It was nothing like she'd ever seen before. The Passage of Time, once calm and blue in color, had become a howling maw of violent darkness that reeked of desolation. The arches that guided the way into the portal's opening were no longer inviting, but practically screamed of the danger that lied ahead. The Passage itself seemed to scream as well, like it was alive, and suffering. Not only that, but it also looked as though it was tearing itself apart from the inside out.

   Of course seeing the Passage like this horrified the Time Travel Pokémon. But what horrified her even more was knowing that, within this now screeching, raging, darkened vortex, the two most important beings in her life were now, essentially, trapped. "Ivy! K-Kain!!"

   She had to do something. Though she didn't know what had caused the Passage to become this way, or if she could even fix it at all, she knew she had to do something, anything, to stop what was happening. If the Passage was destroyed, she didn't even want to imagine what would happen to those who were still inside. Her courage gathered, her resolve steeled, Celebi righted herself, took to the air, and sped straight up to the Passage's opening.

   The ear-splitting noises of howls and screeches were even more so this close to the portal, but Celebi didn't - couldn't - let it faze her. She had to concentrate, had to get at least a general idea of what was going on before even attempting to stop whatever was happening. Harder she concentrated, sharpened her senses, focused every ounce of her attention on what was happening inside the-

   There. An irregularity. A blackness spreading within the corridor that spanned the dimensions like an infectious disease festering in an open wound. She felt it, felt where it was and how far it had infected the Passage. She knew what she had to do.

   She had to 'heal' the Passage.

   She began her work after sucking in a deep breath and refocusing all her energies on extracting the blackness, like drawing poison out of the bloodstream. But this 'poison' was persistent and unmalleable, like it had a will of its own to permanently integrate itself into the time stream. Even though it was being stubborn, Celebi wasn't going to give up so easily on removing this tarnish. She just couldn't, not when the lives of her two most important friends were on the line.

   The 'poison' was strong. Trying to remove it was slowly draining Celebi of her stamina, her energy, her strength. Her muscles strained. Her vision wavered. Her head felt as though it was being split in half. Yet still she persevered. More and more she pushed herself to draw out the 'poison'. More and more she pushed the limits of her abilities to save the friends within the vortex. More and more and more and more-

   AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

   Then, all at once, the 'poison' was expelled from the Passage of Time with the force of a cataclysmic explosion.

   "Gyaaah!" Celebi's scream ripped through her throat as she was flung backwards, blasted away by the sheer strength of the expelled blackness. Her body met the ground several meters away, colliding into it with enough force to shatter a normal Pokémon's bones. She was not a normal Pokémon, but the impact still wracked her tiny body with pain. Gasping weakly, her whole frame shuddering, Celebi lifted and turned her head back to the Passage, so as to assess the damage.

   Much to her relief, the damage wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be. Though it looked weak and like it would be unable to open back up again for a while, the Passage was still in one piece, closed and softly emitting its pale blue light. Not only that, but she could no longer sense any trace of the infecting blackness that made the Passage spiral out of control in the first place.

   This much, however, was not enough to give Celebi a reason for celebration.

   She had heard something just before she was blasted away. Something originating from deep within the flow of time. Something that sounded, from what she could guess, a scream. A piercing wail of agony unlike any kind of shrill shriek she had ever heard before.

   Every fear she felt before for the safety of those within time's flow came crashing back down on her all at once. They were more about one of those within the Passage than about both of them this time, though. Because Celebi recognized the voice that was screaming.

   Recognized that it belong to a human. "I...vy...?"

    ele i!

   At once, her tremors ceased. Huh?

   Ce eb , ca  y u h  r m ?!

   Her eyes looked at the dark world around her, wide with confusion. What is that...?

   Pl as ,  pen yo r  yes!

   The memory wavered, the dream beginning to fade away. Someone is...calling me...

   CELEBI!

   "...Kain?"

------

   He found her. At long last, he had finally found her. But now was not the time to breathe sighs of relief. For though he had found her, and found her alive, he had found her unconscious, unmoving, and surrounded by a familiar, gaseous aura.

   "CELEBI!" he called out to her again, in a last pitch effort to rouse her from her unconsciousness. But it did no good. She didn't even stir. His emotions starting to run high, he decided to turn his growing anger at the rock-like object in front of her, from which he knew, from experience, was the reason she wasn't moving. "Spiritomb! Let her go!"

   The Forbidden Pokémon swiftly rose like smoke from out of its Odd Keystone at the sound of Kain's threatening voice. Its twisted pupils then stared at the Grovyle in fearful shock, and its wavering voice argued, "Y-You're wrong! You're wrong! WE didn't- this was not OUR doing!"

   "Don't lie to me!" The Spiritomb's denial fueling his already enraged state, he threateningly stomped closer to the ghost-type and made it shudder. "You did the same thing to me before! Besides, even if you weren't the one that did this, who else could've-"

   Ba-bump.

   Though he was no longer moving toward the Spiritomb, Kain found himself coming to a deathly still halt right where he stood. The strangest of sensations had overtaken him at that moment. Every nerve in his body bristled. Every single instinct he had screamed of danger and foreboding. They were trying to warn him.

   Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

   His breaths short and quick, he warily darted his eyes around to survey his surroundings. When nothing out of the ordinary popped out, it only worsened the overwhelming sense of dread flowing through his veins. What was wrong? What were his instincts trying to warn him about? What could he have overlooked? Why did he feel this way??

   "Ka...in...?"

   It wasn't like the sound of her voice completely banished the dread eating away at him. But it made a sense of security wash over him to hear her speak again, after what felt to be a lifetime of her silence. "Celebi!"

   "Quiet YOU!" Restless fear giving way to annoyance, the Spiritomb in front of Celebi turned to snap at its supposed captive. "You SURE picked a strange time to wake, DIDN'T you?!"

   Hearing the ghost-type boss Celebi around like this infuriated Kain. "Let her go this instant, Spiritomb! Or I will force you to!"

   Little by little, Celebi's eyes began to flutter open. "N-No...K-Kainy..."

   "I won't ask you again!" The Grovyle readied his Leaf Blade.

   Little by little, Celebi's mind cleared. "Stay...st-stay away...!"

   "Stop testing my patience!" Under Kain's glare, the Spiritomb cowered. "Let Celebi go now!"

   Celebi's memories of her capture came rushing back to her, reminding her of what had happened before losing consciousness. And as she fully remembered what had happened, she raised her voice to its maximum volume to warn the Grovyle that had just taken a step forward of the reason why he had felt so uneasy before:

   "IT'S A TRAP!"