Chapter 16
The Yesterday We Fight For
“Urgh…”
She struggled to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt like lead, forcing her shut which seemed to coincide with the general
weakness that wracked her. Her head was pounding, like a hammer had struck it, and her whole body ached.
Everything was dark.
It seemed natural, like she was quite used to darkness.
But there were other sensations she was feeling, too. Some of them were strange; others were downright repulsive.
Was she wet right now? It felt like there was water clinging to her every hair, and she’d somehow gotten thoroughly drenched…
Except…shouldn’t she only have had hair on her head?
And what was this surface beneath her? It didn’t feel like solid ground. Whatever was beneath her shifted under her weight with every movement. It was minutely grainy, clinging to her body just like the rain did.
…Sand?
And then there was the sound, assaulting her ears with a constant roar.
Are those…waves crashing? Why are they so loud
?
Even without seeing it, she had an idea of where she could be right now.
Am I on a beach?
Everything seemed to point to that. But…where was it? And…
“Where…am I?”
She could barely speak, with how weak her voice was. Her throat was dry as a desert, and her entire body felt like it had undergone a fierce marathon. Not to mention, a slight, sharp pain came from her lower back, like something was pinned under her.
But something more wracked her. Her heart felt heavy, almost aching,
Why do I feel like this? Like I just suffered a great loss…
Had something happened to her? In fact, now that she was trying to open her eyes…the gunk in them almost felt like she had cried at something recently.
But what? What could I have been crying about? I can’t remember anything…
Lying around like this wasn’t giving her any answers. She needed to see where she was.
She managed to crack her eyes open–
“Ack!”
And almost immediately flinched. It was too bright! A huge light was directly overhead and practically burned her retinas!
She shut her eyes to protect them, groaning as she gritted her teeth.
Wh-What happened to me? Was I hurt somewhere? Wh-Why am I here…and what is this place I’m in now?
She couldn’t open her eyes yet. It was still too bright, and she still felt too weak to move.
Yet as she lay there, something about the breeze blowing across her and the light casting itself across her…
It felt nice. Like she had somehow been longing for this very sensation.
But no, this wasn’t the time to get comfortable! She had to find out where she was first!
What was I…meant to do…? There was…something…
Alas, weariness had her in its vice, and sleep’s chains tugged at her, threatening to pull her under.
“I can’t…N-No…”
She wanted to find out more. But her body wasn’t letting her.
With the roar of the waves as her lullaby, she drifted off to sleep again.
His head ached fiercely. It was the first thing that occurred to him upon the first vestiges of consciousness returning to him.
“Ugh…Ow.”
Lifis blinked, and his eyes fluttered open. His vision was bleary, and he could tell it was dark, just like he was used to for all his life.
But something was different this time.
There were lights in the darkness.
The Grovyle rubbed his eyes and looked out…
And his jaw dropped at the wondrous sight.
His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened as he beheld them:
“Stars!”
They twinkled brightly in the sky, countless of them dotting themselves across the night sky’s canvas.
Nighttime…oh, nighttime!
It was a darkness, but a far more pleasant one. There was no dreary, crushing soulless black in the sky, but instead an indigo canvas unto which these pretty little stars hung in the sky.
It was just like what his father, Aega and Pellehan had told him. The world had indeed been like this once, without the oppressive darkness and the vapid, still lifelessness of it all.
For so long had he wanted to lay his eyes upon the sight of a sky like this, with such mesmerising and pretty lights in it.
And now…it was here in front of him.
A part of Lifis wondered if this was all just a dream. But the weariness in his limbs convinced him otherwise, and he fought against his heavy eyelids to stay awake.
He was not missing this sight for all the gold in the world.
It was odd, though - the sky wasn’t black like he had been told night supposedly was. It was brighter than he would have expected, and it wasn’t just the stars making it bright.
There were other sensations too. A gentle breeze blowing, with a saltiness in it that tickled his nostrils. And beneath him…sand?
But it wasn’t black sand. Not like the beaches he was used to. He dug his claws into them, and to his shock, the sands weren’t black at all – but a bright golden instead, and Lifis stared at the grains, stupefied, as they passed through his claws.
I’m…in the past. The Grovyle could feel a slight tear in his eye.
Oh, I’m actually here…I thought this day would never come! We did it, Robin. We made it here at last!
…He suddenly froze.
…Wait. We?
Then Lifis remembered, head leaf stiffening.
“Robin!”
Everything came flooding back to him in a torrent. Back in the Passage of Time, when she’d tried to cling on… Robin’s changing form had made it hard for her to hold onto his hand and she’d lost her grip. Something very strange had been happening to her with those spasms, and though Lifis’s head throbbed as he tried to recall the events…he immediately realised what had happened.
“She…She was becoming a Pokémon.” His claws went to his mouth, in horrified shock.
“That’s right. Skathi said she would transform… So if she’s here, then that must mean she’s not a human anymore!”
That realisation hammered the unease deeper into the pit of his stomach. That human form he’d come to know over the past year was now gone, and replaced by…
What would she be? What was she transforming into back in the Passage of Time? It felt like paws that he was trying to grip near the end…but that could be any ‘mon!
He had no idea what she looked like now, nor what species she had become now.
Lifis’s heart beated quicker in panic as he got to his feet. Was she nearby? They couldn’t have been that far apart, could they?
“Robin! Robin! Are you there?”
…No response. The beach was silent, his voice echoing around with no one to answer it. At first glance…there didn’t seem to be anyone around.
“...She must be here.” He clenched his fists, blinking back tears. “She
has to be! No, Robin, I’m not doing this without you! Not after…!”
Right after that emotional knife to the chest, another one saw fit to hammer it in deeper at the other great tragedy.
“I-If it’s the end…I’m…glad it was with you both. Robin and Lifis…you can do this. You can…change the world…!”
“No!” Lifis felt tears well up in his eyes. “
No! Nina!”
Seeing how that shadowy monster had ripped the Ninetales’ life from her hands, the very thought of his partner meeting that same fate before they could even start their mission…!
Had that shadow got to her too? Or looking out at the sea, had she fallen in the ocean and drowned?!
No, no, no, she can’t! I can’t lose her, not here and not now!
“Robin! Robin, where are you?!”
Lifis got up and desperately ran about combing the beach. It wasn’t a long beach, and he quickly realised that there wasn’t much to search for. Driftwood peppered the shoreline, along with a few shells and corals, and he found his satchel next to him which had fallen off him during the time travel’s end. There was little to be had on this beach in the middle of nowhere.
Except for one thing that caught his eye.
A second satchel. Just like his, lying on the wet sands where the tide was ebbing.
Lifis didn’t need to be told who it belonged to. When he opened it, he found their map, marked with the Time Gear locations.
Oh thank goodness. Lifis breathed a sigh of relief.
At least…we can still carry out our mission. It would’ve been a lot harder if we’d lost that.
But if the satchel was here…
Then where was its owner?
The Grovyle looked around frantically, begging for his mindset to be wrong. Surely he’d missed her somewhere! Surely he’d find her and he wouldn’t have to soldier on alone!
…But there was no one else.
He was the only one here.
Lifis’s fists shook, as his tears spilled forth and his knees wobbled, threatening to send him to his knees.
“Robin…! Please…please don’t tell me you’ve gone! We…we were going to change history together! We were going to take in all the beauty of the past together! And…we would bow out together, just like we promised!”
And yet, for all his determination against a valiant sacrifice, even in the face of staying strong when Pellehan had fallen, and for how he kept a brave face when comforting Aega for their final conversation…
The very real truth that his partner perished before they could even start their mission stabbed the Grovyle deeper than any recent wound could.
Now, the dam was breaking well and truly.
But right as anguish was beginning to take hold, a most beautiful sight began to greet him.
From the night sky’s horizon, golden rays were beginning to creep up and break through the starlit indigo skies.
The faintest glimmer of light shone upon the ocean, glinting off the waters and spread across the land before it.
The light.
Lifis quickly blinked, wiping the tears out of his eyes.
There was light. Natural light.
The beautiful light of something he’d craved for his entire life.
The sun.
It was the first sunrise he’d ever laid eyes upon.
It was…
beautiful.
It was the most captivating sight he had ever seen. He couldn’t tear his eyes off it.
The very sight brought tears to his eyes.
“I…I didn’t know it could be so pretty.” Lifis took in a sharp breath. “H-How have we been deprived of this for so long…?”
Even his father who’d told him the tales of the past couldn’t have beheld the beauty of this sight. But here Lifis was, drinking it all in. Combined with the sea breeze, it made for a glorious moment, to see the first rays of light and feel them cast upon him. He had never known the light, so to witness it before him…
I would die for this sight. Oh…oh, I’ll never forget this.
His lip was trembling, and the tears trickled down his cheeks. He didn’t like crying, normally associating it with shame…but maybe this was an occasion where it was right to cry.
Tears of joy, for finally making it here. For finally being able to see the world as it was supposed to be in all its splendour. He’d battled through hell to get to the past…and now he’d finally arrived, with a breathtaking spectacle to greet him.
…If only they were here to see this.
His heart twinged, those stabs bleeding forth anguish and sorrow.
Robin had wanted to see the sun too. As had Nina.
But…neither of them were here to enjoy the unforgettable sight before him.
They were gone.
For all he knew, he was the only one from the future that had made it.
“No…”
Lifis fell to his knees, before bowing his head and punching the sand.
“
Damn it!”
He punched it again. And again. And again. And
again.
He felt his tears dripping onto his hands. If they were for his joy one minute ago, they had well turned to anguish now.
“I…I’ve failed you, partner.”
The sand was the only sight in his vision now. His hands were shaking, struggling to support him.
The Grovyle let out a scream of anguish as he
punched and
punched and
punched the sand.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
!
Soon his claws became too sore and he fell to the sand in a heap.
He was aware of the bewitching sunrise before him, the sun making its ascent into the sky. It would still be mesmerising if he looked up again…
But what was a moment like this without his companions? Without Aega…without Nina…
And without Robin.
Without the friend he’d sworn to stick beside, no matter what.
Without the friend who wanted to see this just as much as he did.
Lifis buried his face in the sand as he cried into it, letting his grief drown him.
He was the only one on this beach.
He was the only one who had made it.
Those truths weighed him down like an anvil, and he didn’t move at all for the next while.
He wasn’t sure of how much time had passed before a voice suddenly called out.
“Hey! You there, on the sand!”
Lifis snapped to attention and got into a fighting stance, Leaf Blades prepared.
“Who’s there?!” He looked around him quickly, looking for the ambusher. Even in his moment of grief, he wasn’t about to give any opportunity to be taken advantage of!
“Whoa! Blades down! We’re not gonna attack you!”
There was a Medicham by the beach’s edge where the grass began, with her hands up a frantic look on her face. A female from the looks of it. There were a similarly feminine-looking Lopunny and Gardevoir alongside her, the two both peering at him with nonplussed looks. Lifis wasn’t sure what to make of them, until he noted that all three of them were carrying satchels, all of which had circular badges with wing designs pinned to them.
Are they members of some organisation? …Didn’t Nina mention something about there being a Guild in the past?
“Oh.” Lifis lowered his fists and his Leaf Blades, and released the breath he was holding. This lot weren’t bandits looking for an ambush, at least.
“S-Sorry. Instinct,” he muttered.
“You’re fine.” The Lopunny waved it off. “But what’s gotten into you? You sounded incredibly distraught earlier. I could hear you yelling from the trees!”
“...Who are you?” the Gardevoir asked, glancing curiously at the Grovyle. “And where are you from?”
“My name’s Lifis,” the Grovyle began. “I…I’m from–”
Then he caught himself, remembering something he and Robin had practised the odd time while in the present. They would need an explanation for who they were if past folks asked, after all, and that scenario was now rearing its head.
The present, huh…Would that not be the future now, since we’re in the past?
He took a breath, trying to halt the brewing panic within him in its tracks. That proved easier said than done given his distraught state.
“... A place that I’m not really sure how to get back to. I’m…a traveller, you see.”
An easy answer, and not technically a lie. Lifis took a breath, reminding himself of that practice, before continuing.
“I…I was traversing the seas last night when we were tossed aside by that great storm. My partner and I…we were thrown overboard, and separated in the waves. I thought I was a goner…until I woke up on this beach earlier. That’s…about it, really.”
Some of it was being made up on the fly – it did seem like a storm had passed through here based on what he recalled and what had washed up on the beach. But looks of confusion dotted all three explorers’ faces, and Lifis internally cursed at the shakiness of his storytelling.
“Last night?” Lopunny frowned. “You really went on the seas in that weather?”
“Yes.” Lifis’s gaze didn’t meet theirs. “My partner and I had a very important mission to carry out. Time was of the essence.”
Again, not technically a lie – but it didn’t do anything to help with the team’s dubious frowns.
“What mission were you on that made you sail in a storm like
that?” Medicham was incredulous, and she was beginning to frown just like Lopunny. “Kinda careless of you, no offence.”
“I…can’t say.”
And there was the difficult part. Lifis would have loved to tell them. He wanted nothing more than to tell his tale and warn them of the great calamity that awaited.
But the Grovyle knew deep within that they would never believe him in a million years. No one would seriously believe he had travelled through time, and that stealing the sacred Time Gears would be the key to averting their dark fate.
Here he was, cursed to continually evade telling the truth and being forced into lies and half-truths. Thus he had little choice but to bite his tongue and keep mum.
“You can’t say?” Lopunny pressed, peering at him. “...Are you hiding something from us?”
“I’m not!” Lifis protested.
But he spoke too quickly, and defensively, and with how tense and nervous he was, nervous pins and needles shot through his hands and feet. Surely the three thought he was lying now!
“...Astarte, your thoughts?” the Lopunny asked, turning to Gardevoir. “He’s kinda shifty…I don’t trust him.”
“Hmmm…” Astarte peered at Lifis curiously.
Lifis tensed, his panic shoring up again at the thought of a
psychic perceiving his thoughts. Was she about to find out about his mission?!
“...I get the sense there are things he does not want to talk about. I can sense quite an amount of emotional distress from him.” Astarte brought her hand to her chin, turning back to her Lopunny partner. “You did say you heard him screaming from afar, Freya?”
“Yeah, I did.” Freya, the Lopunny, thumbed her long ears. “Sounded like someone in trouble…and you do look beaten up.”
She looked over the Grovyle, still looking unsure. Lifis didn’t feel any more comforted by her gaze on him before she turned back to Astarte.
“I don’t know, though…something’s off about him.”
“You think he’s an outlaw?” Medicham asked. “One the boards haven’t caught yet?”
Lifis bit his lip at that statement, a thought crossing his mind.
You’re a bit too early for that.
He thrust that thought to the back of his mind. Two of these Pokémon were psychics, and he was in no mood to have his mind read if they were experienced enough to do that.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions, Radha.” Astarte shook her head, before turning back to Lifis. “You said you had a partner? We’re Team Charm, an exploration team belonging to Wigglytuff’s Guild. We could keep an eye out for them during our travels.”
Lifis blinked in surprise. They were offering to help him, after casting suspicion on him just moments before?
“You could?”
That could be just the break he needed. A link to get his bearings in this unfamiliar past. If he could find Robin, then the two of them could be reunited!
“What’s their name and species?” Astarte asked.
“Her name’s Robin, and she’s…”
A chill suddenly came over Lifis, when he realised the awful truth.
I don’t know.
He couldn’t say she was human, because they would never believe him. It wouldn’t even be true, because if Robin was still out there, she would’ve changed form by now. He saw her morphing back in the Passage of Time as she was covered in white light, but he couldn’t catch a good glimpse of what she would be turning into.
“She’s…?” Freya tilted her head. “...What, exactly?”
Lifis froze at the Lopunny’s prodding, panic and frustration welling up within him.
What, indeed? I know as much as you do!
“Okay, I’m seconding Freya here.” Radha’s eyes narrowed at Lifis’s terror-struck gaze and frozen reply. “There’s something up with this guy. How can you not know your partner’s species?”
“That’s not it!” Lifis protested, fists curled in frustration at himself for being put in this bind. “It’s just that…that…!”
“...You can’t say?”
Astarte’s voice broke through the air. Unlike the other two’s increasing suspicion, the Gardevoir seemed calm, willing to listen.
Yet even then, Lifis couldn’t bring his gaze to meet any of theirs directly, his head hung in defeat.
“...Yes. I can’t say,” he said, gritting his teeth.
He wanted the help. He really did.
But how was he meant to ask for it without revealing truths they’d never believe?
“...Hmm.” Astarte turned to her companions. “I don’t know what’s up with him. But at the very least, we shouldn’t leave him on this beach. Capim Town’s a stone’s throw from here anyway.”
Freya folded her arms and kept her suspicious leer on the Grovyle.
“Are we turning him into Officer Magnezone?” she asked.
Lifis felt his heart jump at the suggestion.
“And charge him with what crime?” Astarte immediately rebutted. “We have no proof he’s done any wrong.”
The Lopunny raised a paw, but her response died at her lips, realising her partner had a point. Radha seemed to adopt a similar view.
“It’s still weird, though.” The Medicham couldn’t tear her eyes away from Lifis, who wanted nothing more than for this all to be over. “Did you get amnesia from being washed up or what?”
Lifis hesitated to give his reply. Luckily, Astarte interrupted him before he could speak.
“Leave it, Radha.” The Gardevoir raised her hand. “It’s none of our business. We’re explorers first and foremost, and our duty is to help those in need, not interrogate them and raise suspicions. For someone in distress like you, Lifis–”
She turned to the Grovyle, giving him a small but sympathetic smile.
“Help back to town is the least you deserve.”
“You’re…gonna help me?” Lifis found himself taken aback by the proposal. After so many years of a ‘mon-eat-’mon world, to have these complete strangers aid him without even full trust was quite a shock.
…Must be nice not having to look over your shoulder at every turn. Gods, they’re so lucky…
“Mmhm.” Astarte beckoned a hand. “We’ll get you a medic and an inn when we arrive in Capim Town.”
“....Fair point, Ast.” After her teammate’s intervention, Freya’s shoulder sagged guiltily, as she turned to address Lifis.
“Hey, uh…sorry for that,” she said. “Didn’t mean to treat you like an outlaw. There’s been an uptick in activity from them lately, and you can’t be too careful these days.”
“It’s fine,” Lifis murmured. All the same, he didn’t want a slew of apologies either.
Not when you’ll be correct before long. Then you’ll regret not locking me up here and now.
“Let’s just go.” Radha let out a yawn. “That overnight treasure hunt took forever. I’m gonna collapse into bed once we get to our inn.”
Upon mentioning it, Lifis suddenly felt tired as well - and somewhat encouraged. A proper bed, not the cold, hard ground of the future….and nothing to fear.
At least, not now. Might as well enjoy the outlaw-free life while it lasts.
“Come on,” Astarte said, as she started down the road, motioning for Lifis to follow her. “The sooner we get back to town, the sooner we can rest for tomorrow.”
“And then the sooner us beauties can get back to treasure hunting~!” Freya tried to inject pep into her words, but even her ears flopped tiredly in a similar manner to Radha.
Lifis followed after Team Charm, relief shoring its way through him. After rest and recuperation, he could make a start on his quest.
Robin’s out there somewhere. I know it. I could wait for the Guild to turn up news of her, but…no. He shook his head inwardly.
Time’s of the essence. I need to start now. There’s no telling how long Temporal Tower has left before it collapses.
He looked between the three Pokémon before him. He’d pieced it together by now that Team Charm was an exploration team. The sort of Pokémon that helped rescue those in need, go on expeditions of discovery…
As well as capturing outlaws.
No doubt they would likely be his greatest enemies once he started on his mission to steal the Time Gears. They weren’t evil like Shuranabi, but their do-gooding interference could very well cost them their world.
…I made my peace with this. Lifis clenched his fists.
The world’s going to hate me…But I have no choice. They don’t know what they’re going to lose.
He happened to glance at the horizon. The sun had climbed higher in the sky, and now the sky was turning from indigo to a brighter blue.
It’s a wonderful world. I’ll protect it for their sake, even if I need to break their hearts to do it.
It had been quite the storm last night.
Lapras Haar still felt its aftershocks through the tumultuous waves. There was often a lingering choppiness that remained after fierce winds and torrential downpours, and the storm that had blown across the land last night had been no exception.
It was far from the first storm he had experienced. Yet still, every storm was cause for concern when it came to protecting Temporal Tower’s approach.
Once the storm had died down, he headed towards a secluded inlet. Most of the Pokémon he ran across in the wider bay knew him as a visitor and part-time carrier for the people that lived around this side of the Grass Continent.
But most knew not of where he was headed, and Haar hoped that things would stay that way. The location of the Hidden Land was his burden to bear, his secret to defend. If the impure of heart knew of this place…it could spell great danger. He’d already had to warn off a Wigglytuff and Chatot duo before, and they swore not to tell a soul.
It’s been a while since I was in contact with Makena, Haar pondered, gazing out at sea.
Maybe I ought to see how he’s doing these days.
Haar scanned the horizon for the correct rock formations, until he found his destination.
The inlet at the end of Brine Cave’s Mystery Dungeon. The resting place of a great secret, one that he could thankfully bypass due to his status.
But as he approached the cave entrance, the Lapras caught sight of something laying on the ground, just below the sigil engraved into the cave wall. A…bundle of grey fur?
“Hm? Is that a Pokémon?”
Haar paddled faster. Were they an intruder? A defacer?
Except no, they weren’t.
They were a
Ninetales, of all ‘mons. One with grey fur and…wounds! A long bloody gash lay along their midsection, blood still glistening in the morning sunlight, along with other bloody cuts! Their eyes were closed too…!
“Are you okay?!” Haar cried, swimming in closer and leaning his head down.
…No response. The Ninetales didn’t move.
“Hold on!” Haar raised his horn, and from it, healing water formed which he cast onto the Ninetales.
He watched as the water settled and watched away, only for his breath to catch in his throat.
“No. No…”
…The Ninetales’ wounds weren’t healing. Normally the Life Dew would heal such wounds up in a flash. But the fact that his healing abilities hadn’t had any effect at all pointed towards one sobering conclusion…
“... I was too late.”
Haar closed his eyes, in regret. He didn’t know this Ninetales, but to see them passed out right in front of the Sigil…how had they even gotten here in the first place?
The wounds flecking their body indicated little struggle. It couldn’t have been the Kabutops and the Omastar that dwelled in this place; the blows were too precise, not savage enough. Longstanding scars were visible along their flank, along those partly severed tails, indicating this Ninetales had seen their fair share of combat. They didn’t look young either; by the looks of it, they had lived a couple of centuries.
Haar bit his lip. He had lived a long time himself, blessed by his master to live longer than normal. Yet there he was, beholding the fallen form of this Ninetales that he didn’t know.
And then their body stirred.
Haar froze. Looking down quickly, he saw the faintest rise on the Ninetales’ chest.
They’re…still alive? But the Life Dew, it didn’t…
The Ninetales then blinked, before opening their eyes and looking up at the Lapras.
“...Wh-Where…am I…?”
A female. She sounded incredibly weak too. If she had this last gasp of strength, Haar doubted she’d stay alive for long. No doubt she had quite the story to tell, but the Lapras feared there wouldn’t be much time for the details.
“You’re in Brine Cave.” Haar kept his voice calm and controlled; it wouldn’t do to alarm the dying fox. Yet still, he had a duty to the Sigil in front of him. “Who are you, and how did you get here?”
“I’m…Nina.” The Ninetales was struggling to form words. “I’m…from…the future….”
Those words pierced Haar like an icicle. He felt his stomach begin to sink. It was quite the remark, but outlandish enough that if it was true…the implications were perilous.
“The…future?” The Lapras fought to control his internal panic, steadying his flippers on the shore rocks. “What happens in the future?”
That question in particular, he hoped would draw the answer he needed. And Nina’s answer gave him just that.
“Time…stopped. Planet…p-paralysed. We…travelled to the past to…prevent it.”
The sinking feeling grew within the Lapras. But he couldn’t focus on that; he had to get the last words of this Ninetales out before she fell quiet forever.
“We? Who else came with you?”
Nina’s breath was ragged and raspy, and her words were barely audible. It sounded like she was using all her strength to get her words out. But her ragged breaths and wide eyes shared his desperation, that her final message would not be communicated in time.
“G–Grovyle…and a human,” she gasped. “L-Lifis…and…R-Robin…”
A human? That snapped Haar to attention even more. This whole encounter was becoming more and more incredible by the minute. If a
human of all things had come from the future to avert disaster…
Then it seems you were right, Master Dialga. Haar couldn’t help but grimace.
A great calamity does indeed await us.
“How’d you get hurt?” he asked. He needed to know more, about the threats behind the calamity. Who had done this to her?
“...D-Dark figure attacked.” Nina’s breath shuddered at every turn. “S-Separated…”
She paused. Haar feared the worst, that that was all she had to give.
But her shaky breathing continued. Though horrible to listen to, it was second only to silence, and silence was not what Haar wanted now.
“S-Sunlight…?”
Haar blinked at what Nina had said. Was there…hope in her voice? It seemed as though she was trying to crane her head up, with her eyes wide.
“I-It’s been so long… Sunlight… I want… Want to…see it…”
Yet her body was too weak for it to leave the ground. Haar’s head bowed in shame, knowing that there was nothing he could do but watch her life ebb away.
….No. A determined look came to Haar as an idea came to him.
At the very least, I can do this for her.
“Very well. I’ll let you see it.”
The Lapras turned around and craned his head back, before his eyes glowed. A gentle Psychic grabbed the Ninetales’ body and lowered her onto his shell.
“Don’t worry. You won’t fall off,” Haar insisted, looking back at Nina.
Fire-types had always tended to be uneasy when riding on him. It felt strange to be giving those same reassurances to an experienced Pokémon on the verge of death, but it was better to give them than not.
Especially since he wasn’t sure if she’d live long enough for him to grant her her dying wish.
He waited for her to say something back, Nina didn’t respond. Haar hesitated before paddling out of the inlet and out into the open, silently praying that she hadn’t already passed.
He turned his body, allowing even her weakened form lying down to behold the sunrise before her. The waves had calmed near the shore, enough that he was confident there was no chance they’d splash his passenger. The breeze had grown gentle again, the remnants of the storm disappearing into oblivion.
“Ah…I-It’s…beautiful…!”
Haar looked back at Nina, before turning to watch the sun rise in the distance. He’d seen many sunrises in his time, but at that moment, he couldn’t help but agree.
“Mmm. It’s quite beautiful indeed.”
He looked down at Nina. The Ninetales, in spite of the pain she was in, cracked a smile as she felt the wind and sunlight on her fur.
“I-I forgot how…w-wonderful the world was…”
Her voice cracked. Haar spotted tears coming from her eyes. He had seen Pokémon from his shell react with awe to the beauty of sunrises and sunsets over the sea, but few had
cried at its beauty like this.
She’s so touched by a simple sunrise? Just how long has it been since she’s seen one like this?
“Th-Thank you…f-for showing me…th-this.”
Looking down at her, Nina looked to be almost at peace, taking in one last shuddering gasp.
“Thank…you…for…this last memory.”
The Ninetales then lay back, as her eyelids closed and she took in a shaky, uneasy breath.
She exhaled quietly as the sounds from Haar’s shell went quiet. There were no more raspy, struggling breaths. The waves crashing off the shore were the only sound in the air.
Beyond that…silence.
Haar kept swimming forward, blinking back moisture from his eyes as the seconds dragged on into minutes, the silence weighing heavier and heavier on his heart by the second.
There was only one conclusion to draw from that.
Haar looked back at the motionless form on his shell, craning his neck down and nosing her form.
No response. No breaths.
Her eyes didn’t open again.
Ninetales Nina…had died.
Haar closed his eyes with a low murmur.
“I’m glad you were able to see the sun one last time.”
The Lapras’s lip trembled, but he held firm. Someone had to stay strong in times like this.
She said she had companions. Where were they? They would mourn her death, certainly. A Grovyle and a human…
Haar opened his eyes, looking to the far horizon upon which the sun was creeping. He found himself thankful to Nina, that she had mustered the strength to warn him of ill omens in her final moments.
“A future where time lies in ruin…” Haar’s lips pursed. “Looks like your suspicions were well-founded, Master Dialga.”
The Lapras lowered his head, considering what needed to be done. Plenty needed to, and Fate would need to be on their side for all of it.
But somehow, deep within his heart…Haar had faith.
The owners of the Sigil’s fragment would come to him one day, as would the human.
Perhaps with those two future heroes…they would be able to change the course of destiny.
“Someone’s collapsed on the sand!”
A loud voice suddenly entered her hearing. And goodness, was it shrill!
“What happened?! Are you okay?”
Her eyes fluttered open. At least it was easier this time. But that powerful headache from before was still there, albeit somewhat duller.
“Ugh…”
At least the sun wasn’t directly overhead this time. It seemed more like evening time now. And…
Are those…bubbles in the sky?
“Oh, you’re awake!” the other voice was saying. “That’s a relief…”
She blinked some more and rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to focus.
“Wh-Where am I…?”
A beach of some kind. Surrounding her were cliff faces, rocks, the open ocean, and a canopy of trees where the sand ended. There was even a rock formation in the shape of a shark, towering above the cliff off to her left!
Something about it felt…familiar?
Have I been here before?
“You weren’t moving at all. I was fearing the worst! B-But you look fine, at least.”
Oh, right. That voice.
She turned to her left towards where the voice was coming from. There was a reddish-brown fox looking over at her worriedly.
A Vulpix. A girl, by the sound of her voice.
And again…that sense of déjà vu.
Those wide eyes, full of worry and curiosity.
Something felt awfully familiar about them. She’d
definitely seen them before.
But where, and when?
Damn headache. Ugh, it’s like my head’s being split open…
“How did you end up unconscious on the beach?”
Well, wasn’t this girl full of questions? But that made her realise.
Unconscious? I…was unconscious. Yes. But why? Why did I end up on this beach?
“O-Oh! I should probably introduce myself first.” The Vulpix shifted her stance, attempting a smile. “I’m Nina. Nice to meet you!”
Nina?
Something panged in her heart at that name. One which made her reel back in shock.
Why…Why does that name sound so familiar? But I just met this Vulpix! I couldn’t have met her before…
Surely?
Somehow she felt the urge to cry. But the tears in her eyes just wouldn’t come, as if they’d all already spent.
… Was I crying before I ended up here?
She didn’t understand how or why, but there was something about that name.
Nina.
Something about it weighed down on her for whatever reason.
“Um, are you alright?” Nina tilted her head. “You must be new to town. I haven’t seen a Riolu like you around before.”
She froze at those words.
“Riolu?” Her brow furrowed. “I’m not a Riolu! I’m a human!”
…Something’s wrong.
Her breathing quickened. As though once those words left her mouth, the will to believe them departed her too.
“A
human?” Nina looked even more confused. “But that can’t be! You look like a normal Riolu to me!”
No! No! No! That wasn’t right! She was human! She could faintly remember
human hands gripping a bow and arrow before! One look down would disprove that! She looked down and–
“Wh–”
She nearly fell over in shock.
“I
am a Riolu!”
The blue and black fur, paw pads for hands and feet, those weird tassels either side of her head, those ears enhancing her hearing - she didn’t want to believe it, but that sure as hell wasn’t her human body she was looking at.
Her breathing quickened at a rapid pace, and her vision blurred. Her paw went to her head. Why was she in this alien body? Why did this Vulpix have
that name? Why did this place look
familiar and why was the sand on her fur so wet and
disgusting and why was she being
assaulted by all this
light and why was everything so weird, stupid, grotesque, and familiar, familiar,
FAMILIAR–!
“H-Hey! D-Deep breaths! It’s alright! Everything’s going to be alright!”
That Vulpix again. That Vulpix with that name.
Nina. Why was that name wrapping its chains around her heart and tightening like a vice? Why here? Why now?
Deep breaths.
She breathed in. And breathed out.
Slowly.
Breathe in…and breathe out.
The thoughts began to melt away. The jolt to her aching heart began to subside. She felt herself beginning to calm.
“...There,” Nina said. “It’s alright. No need to feel ashamed. I get panic attacks a lot too. Mrs Matrona always reminds me to take deep breaths whenever that happens.”
She breathed in…and breathed out.
Inhale…exhale.
“...Thanks,” she eventually said, looking over at the Vulpix. The Vulpix named
Nina. “S-Sorry. I just didn’t expect all this. I…don’t remember how I ended up here.”
That fact on its own could have been cause for another panic attack. But she bit back her feelings. She didn’t need a second breakdown right after the first one had ended.
“You’re…really a human?” Nina peered at her. “Are you sure you’re not playing some trick on me?”
“What?! No!” she cried. “I’m telling the truth! I swear! I am a human!”
One glance down at her body and her heart sank once again.
“Or well, I
was a human…”
She looked back up at Nina. The Vulpix didn’t look fully convinced. But her worry seemed to override her doubt.
“You don’t look like you’re lying…No one lying could be that convincing.” The Vulpix looked her over again. “...What about your name?”
“My name?”
Oh, please don’t tell me I’ve forgotten that. Please no, please no…!
Frantically, she grasped around in her mind, trying to grasp stray memories–
“
-Hum…! Ho…dare…u….your face…re!”
“...Only two….ple! …u…stly…th…k…can m…ke…ffere….ce…when…ne…else…uld?!”
“...We’r…t…dying…ot….until…’ve…fixed….is….ld!”
“I swe….we’l....ake…a…tter life…r your….st…self…ven…we….er…meet…”
“Robin, no! …n’t let…go!”
There.
There it was.
Even in the mush her mind was, she’d found it.
“...Robin.” Yes, now that she said the name out loud, it felt
right. “…My name is Robin.”
“Robin…” Nina repeated the name, a small smile on her muzzle. “I like it. It sounds nice.”
“Th-Thanks.”
She felt her tail swish behind her at the compliment. Another thing to get used to, in this strange new body.
What a weird feeling. But…hey, I woke up to someone nice, at least. Look on the bright side - I could’ve ended up roped into some bandit gang.
“...Well, you don't look to be a bad Pokémon.” Nina breathed a sigh of relief. “There’s been a lot of those lately. I’ve even been accosted in town once or twice, and the Guild’s outlaw boards are filling up quickly, or so I’ve heard.”
She then lowered her head, tails wilting behind her.
“I…I want to help them, but…I’m not strong enough…”
A twinge of pity sprung in Robin’s heart. Nina didn’t exactly look like fighting material. The poor thing was a nervous sort - that much was clear. As though someone could take a hammer to those nerves and smash them to pieces with one slam.
At that moment, something purple appeared in Robin’s vision, and she looked up.
A bat - a Zubat - and it was flying towards Nina!
“Nina, look out!”
Robin barely got her words out before the Zubat shoved into Nina from behind. Her back turned, the Vulpix was completely caught off guard and was thrown directly into her!
“Oof!” Robin cried as she fell to the ground.
“Ouch!” Nina yelped with a start before turning around.
“Hey! What’s your problem?” Robin rose to her feet once Nina had gotten off her and glowered at the Zubat, who was not alone, being flanked by a Koffing.
“Oh, I do beg your pardon!” the Koffing chuckled, as though it were all one big comedy.
“What was that for?!” Nina protested. But her ears were pinned back, eyes glinting with fear.
“Heh-heh-heh! Messin’ with ya, what else?” the Zubat chortled. “You got somethin’ interesting on you, and we’ll be taking it for ourselves!”
He dove down and plucked a rocky item from the sands – something which made Nina jump up in panic.
“No!” she cried. “Th-That’s mine!”
“Heh-heh-heh! Sorry, kiddo, but it’s ours now!” the Zubat taunted. “See ya, sucker!” Before Nina or Robin could make a move, he darted away from them, blowing a raspberry as he went.
“Whoa-ho-ho! Nice one, Pipis!” the Koffing cheered. Before floating after the Zubat, he shot a taunting sneer at Nina as he passed. “What’s the matter? Too scared to give chase?”
Nina flinched and she stood there in disbelief. Robin, still not fully in tune with her instinct, watched as the pair hurried off towards what looked to be…a path towards a cave?
She was tempted to start after them, until she heard a hitch from the Vulpix beside her, followed by an audible sob.
“M…My Relic Fragment!” Nina sniffled. “I-It’s my personal treasure! It means everything to me! A-And now they’ve…!”
Robin looked back at the Vulpix, eyes widening at the sight of her ears flat and eyes brimming with tears.
“They’ve stolen it…! If I lose it, then I don’t know what I’m going to do!”
Nina began to openly cry, tears streaming down her cheeks. Robin’s heart squirmed at the sight, unable to bear the sight of this Vulpix in despair. Given how that name -
Nina - made her freak out, she couldn’t help but wonder if that was why she felt such pity for her.
I don’t know why she’s making me feel like this…but I have to help her. I can’t just leave her like this on her own.
“Well, if they’ve stolen it, there’s only one thing we can do.” Robin punched her fists - paws? - together. “Get it back from them!”
She took a step forward, before looking back at Nina, who hadn’t moved from her spot.
“Come on.” The Riolu beckoned a paw. “It’s your treasure, isn’t it?”
“W-Well, yes! But Robin…” Nina sniffled, blinking back more tears. “Y-You’ll really help me?”
“Of course!” Robin almost scoffed at the idea.
“E-Even if I’m not strong enough?”
“Going after them’s the strong thing to do. Staying here and letting them get away - that’s just cowardice.” Robin shook her head. “Besides, you helped me get my bearings here. Might as well return the favour, right?”
She broke a smile at that, trying to buoy the young Vulpix’s confidence. And by the looks of how Nina took a deep breath and attempted her own grateful smile, albeit a wobbly one, clearly something about her words had resonated.
“Oh…! Th-Thank you, Robin!” Nina said, her prior fears less at the forefront now.
That smile. There was something about that smile that made Robin’s own widen that bit more. She felt an itch within her, almost like…she had to protect that smile. To see the Vulpix keep her earlier anguish at bay.
Maybe it doesn’t matter who Nina was.
But for this Nina in front of me…she deserves to be happy.
“No problem. Now let’s go, quickly!”
And so Robin and Nina began their chase after the thieves. As they strolled into the cave by the beach, a faint breeze blew across Robin’s fur, and she looked to her partner.
Somehow…it’s like a new beginning. For me…and maybe for Nina too.
The first act of what would become a fruitful companionship began with resolving a small-time theft.
Yet by her appearance on that beach, on that day, little did Robin realise through what that alone had changed, and the hand Fate would deal them going forward.
And so she and Nina would begin their adventure that day.
The Vulpix was fickle, by her admittance. But if she had a firm friend and partner to guide her through the travails thrown at her…
“Would you…be willing to form an exploration team with me?”
Nina had made that request, with her paw firmly on the reclaimed stone from before - the very same Relic Fragment those bullies had pilfered.
“We worked well fighting off those two bullies, and I…I feel like we can be even better together! S-So…will you? Please?”
Her wide and pleading eyes made Robin’s own widen in shock, as she considered the fact that she was being recruited out of the blue here!
And yet…maybe it was a good starting point. A foothold on which to find out who she truly was again. And all the while, help Nina on her quest to find out the secret of that fragment.
“...Sure. Why not?” Robin said. “It’s the least I can do after you helped me.”
“R-Really?!” Nina’s ears pricked, all six of her tails beginning to wag. “You will!? Oh, yes! Thank you so much!”
Robin could barely react before Nina tackle-hugged her in delight, laughing as she was thrown to the sand.
That nervousness would wither and decay with time. She would be able to gain the strength and confidence she coveted without tossing aside her kindness.
Yet, without knowing it…Nina would pick up a dropped mantle, bearing that sacred Relic Fragment she held so dear that would now see its purpose fulfilled.
That breeze those from the future felt on their arrival was a wind of change. An indicator that momentous events were soon to take place.
Misunderstandings would be had and allies would become enemies…
“I have no quarrel with you,” Lifis the Thief growled, in front of the lake where Crystal Crossing’s Time Gear was held. “Stand aside!”
“No!” Nina snarled back at him. “We won’t let you!”
“You’re not stealing another Time Gear, Lifis!” Robin raised her fist at their opponent.
The Grovyle seemed to blink in that moment. His gaze fell upon both Robin and Nina for just a split second longer than it should’ve…
Before he shook his head.
“Fine then. If you’re standing against me…” Lifis primed his Leaf Blades. “Then you leave me no choice!”
Enemies would become allies, all masterminded by a certain Dusknoir from the future.
But all challenges could be overcome, and these intrepid heroes would see through anything their enemies threw at them.
Even…if it meant parting ways with a dear friend.
“Unhand me!” Shuranabi yelled, as Lifis pushed him towards the portal to the future.
“Quiet, you!” Lifis shouted back at him, before turning back to the two heroes behind him. Time Gears lay scattered between him and Robin, who was looking on at the scene, aghast.
“L-Lifis…” Robin felt her lip tremble. “You…”
“Take care, Robin.” A smile crossed Lifis’s face. “I was glad to have known you. And…” He turned to Nina. “I was lucky to have met you too, Nina. Though the parting hurts…the rest is in your hands!”
The parting did indeed hurt. Once again, Robin felt like her heart would be cleft in twain. But her longtime partner was making this sacrifice. The least she could do was honour it.
“Take care, Lifis.” The Riolu managed to crack a smile at her partner. “I swear…I’ll change history, just as we promised!”
By the end of it all…they would achieve their goal.
“Because you stopped the ruin of Temporal Tower…” Dialga’s voice boomed across the apex of the ruined Temporal Tower. “Time remains stable. The planet’s paralysis, which would have doomed the future, has been averted.”
“R-Really?!” All six of Nina’s tails were swishing happily. “Robin, we…we did it!”
“...We did, indeed.” Robin’s heart soared, as she looked to her partner, before looking up at the sky. “We did it, Nina. We did it, Lifis. We saved the present, just as we promised.”
And though the parting after would sting…
“Nina…even after I disappear, I…” Robin took a deep, tearful breath, motes of light growing bigger around her. “I promise…I’ll never forget you.”
The light suddenly erupted around Robin, the motes of light growing bigger.
“I…I promise I won’t forget you either, Robin!” Nina sniffled.
The light suddenly erupted around Robin, signifying the end.
Nina held on for dear life, as did Robin.
But eventually there was no more feeling.
Robin disappeared, shrouded in the motes of light, and Nina fell to the ground.
She didn’t get up, only looking at the remaining motes where her partner had once stood.
“Robin…!”
Nina, with tears streaming down her face, let out a howl of anguish to the heavens.
“ROOOOOBBBBIIIIIIIIIN!
”
The powers that be, grateful for the world’s salvation, heard that cry of anguish…and quelled it.
“I-It’s not fair…” Nina hiccuped, weeping as she hugged Bidoof Castor on Treasure Town’s beach. “I-I wish R-Robin was here again…!”
“There, there, Nina.” Castor soothed her, patting the Vulpix on the back. “I’m sorry you’re going through this….We’d all love if Robin came back too. It ain’t the same without her around…”
Nina didn’t have a reply for that. She’d spent the past few weeks in tears, barely able to indulge in her victory due to her grief. Robin had been everything
to her, and memories of all the good times she’d had with the Riolu ran through her mind.
The future might’ve been saved…
But what was a future without the one she cherished most?
Nina didn’t know how long she lay against Castor’s shoulder, crying as her tears soaked into his fur. But suddenly the Bidoof jumped up in surprise.
“B-By golly! That light! …Wait, is that…?”
The Vulpix turned around…
And saw a sight that made her freeze.
There…a Riolu stood, emerging from motes!
Were her eyes deceiving her? Was that really…?!
“R-Robin?”
The Riolu turned to her…before blinking their own surprise.
“Nina?”
It was her, that same voice that she’d known for so long.
It was Robin.
The Vulpix began to cry again…but in happiness as she rushed for the Riolu. Robin hugged her tight, smiling brightly at her partner.
“I’m here, Nina…I’m home again.”
On that beach where Robin and Nina had first met in the future, and met again in the past…
Now they reunited in joy on those same sands.
What was once a present destined to falter and collapse into darkness and decay had been changed.
Now a new timeline had taken its place, thanks to the actions of Robin, Lifis, Aega, and Nina, both future and past.
Thanks to their efforts…
One little Vulpix would have a bright future ahead of her, along with the human that helped her start her journey.
Nina could look toward a bright future at last.
Notes
An epilogue will follow, and will be the final upload for
Prelude in Darkness.
This was originally going to be the finale for the fic, but I decided to add on an extra chapter to close it out better. It will come out at some point next month in July.
Thank you all who have read this far. It's been a pleasure to write this fic, and I hope you'll enjoy its conclusion!
