Chapter Text
I’m sorry, Grovyle…I wanted to stay with you.
“Amy, are you okay!?”
I wish I could see the sunrise with you…I wish I could live in the past with you…!
“Just a little more…come on! Hang on!”
But at least this way, I know you’ll be safe…I’m glad that I…could finally save you too…
“No! Your hand’s slipping…! I can’t…!”
If I get to be reborn, I hope I can be…a Pokemon. So I can watch over you…and fight by your side…
“Amy…! Amy, NO…!”
Goodbye, Grovyle. Please…whatever you do. Stay alive…until the very end.
“AMYYYYYYYYYYYY!!”
She was gone.
All because of a freak accident while traveling through time.
Grovyle couldn’t even see what hit her properly. All he could see was a bright flash of light, and the next thing he knew, he heard her piercing scream. And yet this lightning or whatever it was ripped her from him before they could land in the past.
Amy…
She had been his human partner for the last eight years.
No, not just his partner. His best friend, his girlfriend, his lover…the woman who promised to be with him forever. Or at least until they both met their ends, when they fulfilled their mission to save the world.
It didn’t matter that she fell from the sky and therefore might as well have been a space alien, as far as everyone in the world was concerned. Her mysterious power to see the past of any given landmark she touched—but only if it contained a Time Gear—gave him hope that, maybe, just maybe, there could be a better world out there. And despite his best efforts, he found himself growing attached to her rather quickly, to the point where he didn’t want her to be all alone.
The more they adventured together, the more chances he had to get to know her on a deeper level. Even despite all the darkness and despair that their world tried to throw at them, her charm and her kindness never went away. And before he knew it…they had both fallen in love.
They had held hands when they entered the portal. They promised they would be with each other to the very end. But now…she was gone.
The shock of her being taken away from him barely had time to register in his consciousness when his back slammed into the ground, hard.
The cold, wet ground.
And the next thing he knew, his skin was being buffeted by rain and wind.
An enemy attack…!?
He leapt into action, jumping around and doing his best to evade the source of the attack. He wasn’t sure who was attacking him and why, but all he had to do was focus on surviving right now.
He hid behind a tree for shelter and to see who was attacking him. But much to his dismay, he couldn’t see who it was at all.
And this rain…it covered an area that was impossibly wide. If there was a Pokemon that was using this attack, they’d have to be so large that not even Grovyle could see them. Perhaps a Legendary like Kyogre or Lugia? But that made no sense. What would they be doing in Dark Treeshroud Forest—or rather, regular Treeshroud Forest, now that he was in the past?
Wait…
The trees were moving!
Everything was moving!!
Grovyle had to stop to take in everything that was going on. He had heard both Amy and Celebi do their best to describe what the past would be like—or at least the concept that ‘everything would be moving’—but actually witnessing and experiencing it for himself was another matter entirely. It was hard for him to adjust.
But eventually, he did. It soon became apparent that the trees meant him no harm. And neither did the rain, or the strange force that blew against him sometimes that he assumed was the wind.
Right when he thought he could relax, however, he saw a flash of lightning and heard the resulting thunder from it very soon afterwards.
Another enemy attack!? Was it from the Passage of Time? Was it the same thing that tore Amy away from him just now?
Wait…what about Amy?
He realized that wherever she was—if she was still alive, that was—she must be several times more terrified than he was. He had to find her at all costs.
“AMY!!” he shouted out, trying to make sure she could hear him over the thunder. “Amy, where are you!? It’s me, Grovyle!!”
He ran around the forest, ducking behind trees, taking a look at every nook and cranny, all for a sign—any sign—of the human who came with him.
He didn’t care if it gave away his position or put a target on his back. As long as he could find her—as long as she was still out there somewhere—he wouldn’t stop.
He had no intention of stopping until he could make sure she was safe and sound.
The good news was that the rain, wind, and lightning eventually stopped. It was clear to Grovyle that it was indeed some kind of natural phenomena, and not anyone trying to attack him.
The bad news was…he still hadn’t found her.
It would be one thing if he was able to find her body. Even if she truly had died, he’d at least know for sure.
But he couldn’t find any trace of her at all, not even her scent. It was as if she had vanished entirely.
He tried to calm his rising panic and look on the bright side. This meant that there was the faint possibility that she was still alive. Separated from him…but alive.
So maybe she couldn’t use any moves…but she had grown stronger over the past eight years that he had known her. She could throw rocks and sticks if she ever had to fight.
She knew just how time-sensitive their mission was. There was no way she would simply wait around for him to find her. At this moment, she was probably moving to find the Time Gears. Which meant he should do the same as well.
And surely, he should be able to find her fairly soon, anyway. Word would surely travel fast if anyone ever caught sight of her.
He had no proof that this was the case or not, but he had no choice but to believe it. Otherwise, he might have broken down right then and there.
For now…
Grovyle decided to climb the tallest tree he could find and survey the forest. He and Amy may have pinpointed where the Time Gear was located, but Treeshroud Forest here in the past had significantly more leaves which blocked his view of many landmarks that would otherwise be recognizable. He could see the reason why its name had changed to “Dark Treeshroud Forest” in the future.
He climbed to the top, faster and more easily than he expected, all the while getting a strange feeling along the way. He wasn’t sure whether it was because Amy wasn’t with him, and therefore he’d have to spend more time helping her up, or if there was something else going on.
It was true that even in the future, he could navigate jungles and forests the most easily, but there was something…different about the ease in which he felt comfortable here. But what could it possibly be…?
Shaking that question out of his head, he began to survey the forest in question, taking in everything he could.
There were feral Pokemon living deep in the forest, as he expected. But something about them was also…different. Not only were there way more of them than he expected, but they seemed more at ease. Or something along those lines. He still couldn’t figure it out.
Deciding to ignore them for now, he tried surveying the landscape itself. It looked entirely unfamiliar from where he was, but he was certain that if he moved around more, he would eventually recognize something.
Right then, though, he noticed something else that was strange.
Did the sky just…get lighter?
Or was it just his imagination?
He shook his head, not having the time to dwell on that, and jumped to the next tallest tree he could find, continuing his survey all the while.
It was while he was in the middle of doing this, however, that he noticed it again. The sky had gotten even lighter than before. And in a specific direction, too, as it was still dark on the opposite side of the sky.
Grovyle’s heart raced. Was this the ‘sun’ that Amy and Celebi were talking about? Did that mean that it was coming?
Given how large its scope was, he wondered what it would be like.
And then…
Its first rays broke through the horizon, like a beam of light.
He shielded his eyes. What was that!? Why was it so bright!? It almost burned his eyes out right then and there!
It became clear that he wouldn’t be able to look at it directly. And he began to get worried. Why did Celebi describe it as something so wonderful when it was this strong and lethal to his eyes alone?
It was in the very next moment, however, when the sun’s rays hit his skin…that he finally understood.
They weren’t just warm…they were life itself. He could feel whatever small injuries he endured earlier repairing themselves instantly. More importantly, he felt his hunger die down, like all the food he packed in his bag wouldn't even be necessary for a while.
And most of all…
He felt more alive than he had ever been in his life.
It was staggering. The happiness and joy he felt was enough to quell the surprise and shock that threatened to overwhelm his system as he watched the sky light up into a brilliant display of colors. Yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue…
He had never seen so many colors in his life before.
Was this sorcery? A Zoroark’s elaborate illusion? He would be inclined to believe either option…if it weren’t for the fact that there was no way in hell that a mere Zoroark would be able to replicate the feeling he was experiencing on his skin just now.
He recognized the fact that it was his skin undergoing photosynthesis, of course. After all, he had experienced it many times before around smaller sources of light, like the campfires he and Amy used to set up so they wouldn’t freeze to death. But the sheer scale of this particular light source was on another level entirely. And as he got used to it…
A much stronger feeling erupted in his heart. The feeling that this was how their world was meant to be. That the one he grew up in—the one that he and Amy lived in for so long—absolutely had to be saved, no matter what.
Would it be worth the cost of everyone and everything’s lives, including his and Amy’s…?
Yes. Yes, it absolutely was.
As he hung there on the branches, taking in the majesty of it all, as well as the gentleness of the wind on his face…he promised himself that, with or without Amy, he would see his mission through to the end no matter what.
He only wished that she could have been here with him so he could have shared this moment together with her.
Meanwhile, far away, on the other end of the continent…
A Jigglypuff had washed up on the shore of a beach; her consciousness drifting in and out. This time, it had returned enough to her for her to see the faint light of the sunrise coming up on the horizon in front of her, far away.
As she lay there, she tried to figure out what was going on and get up, but could already feel herself fading once again. And…there was something that bothered her in the back of her mind.
Why did she feel like she was forgetting something important…?
Or maybe…someone important…
Unfortunately, whatever it was, it faded right alongside her consciousness as she slipped away once again.