Chapter Eleven: Time Machine

"So, we're heading to Fortree City now?"

Celeana mentally chided herself for her lack of stamina. They'd been walking for about two hours now, and she was already starting to falter.

Her head was aching from the afternoon sun, her eyes burning, and her arms and legs had long given up on her. She wanted to say that her companions were having a hard time too, but she seemed to be the least fit out of all of them.

Ryou seemed to have no problem at all—screw him, Celeana thought to herself while scolding herself for the inappropriate language. Is there anything he's not good at? He led the group, walking in front with just a few glances at his PokeNav Plus for guidance.

Her Kirlia walked beside her, her stamina having improved since her evolution, and Froakie had returned himself to his Pokeball long ago.

"Yeah," the teenage boy replied without looking back. The sun had caused his pale hair to be stained with a light, rose-coloured hue, and he didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything. "It's still a pretty long way until we reach, unfortunately. We may have to camp out tonight."

The coordinator gave a slight nod—while she was less than excited about the prospect of sleeping in such a dangerous setting, independence had to come someday. She had to learn to grow up just like everyone else.

"At least our water supply's secure," Celeana mumbled. "We have Water-type Pokemon with us, right?"

"We still have food to worry about," Ryou cautioned, and folded his arms behind his head in a bored fashion. "Since neither of us can cook, the packed lunches we bought will last us until tomorrow. In other words, we kind of have to reach Fortree by tomorrow."

The teenager blinked, twisting around to rummage through her bag for supplies. "I think I bought enough Pokemon food, but Kirlia might need a bigger share since she just evolved."

"I have some extra Psychic-type food," her companion replied. "I can lend some to you."

The blue-haired girl tilted her head—she couldn't see the shorter boy's expression, but the trainer's voice had gone dull for a second, his voice tightening the tiniest bit.

"Eh?" He glanced back, a confused smile gracing his face. "Is anything wrong?"

His voice had regained the usual cheerfulness, and the coordinator could do nothing but brush her thoughts aside as a figment of his imagination.

She shook her head. "It's fine," she replied. "Are we at least halfway there?" Celeana knew she was acting and whining like a little child, but in all honesty, she didn't care—she had reasons to act like one. The heat did strange things to her mind sometimes.

"Nope." The male trainer smirked a little at this. "About ten kilometres to the halfway mark, I think, so we'll stop there and continue tomorrow."

"Ten kilometres?" The teenager paused for a moment, rocking to and fro on her heels. "You know what? Never mind. I'll die just thinking about it, so I'm just going to walk."

Ryou uncrossed his arms, shoving them into his pockets. "Whatever you say," he teased. "Let's get going, then."

• • •

"I don't think I'm going to survive..." Celeana's shoulders were slumped, and she almost didn't manage to trudge on. "How far have we walked?"

Even the pale-haired boy in front of her had begun to falter, and he was looking more than a little tired. Fatigued, he stared at the PokeNav on his wrist uncomprehendingly. "We're almost at the halfway mark. About a kilometre more."

"A kilometre?" The blue-haired girl paused to take a gulp of water. "Wonderful."

Ryou turned back, somehow managing to still keep that stupid smile of his on his face. "It certainly is."

Something then seemed to catch the male's attention, and stopping, he turned his head to face left, staring at something that was obscured from Celeana's view.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, increasing her pace to catch up with him and straining to see.

The structure crouched low into the grassy embankment, as though it were trying to hide, but the misshapen slate roof was too large to go unnoticed. It seemed worn, a little shabby, but welcoming and cosy nonetheless.

"A cottage..." the teenaged boy peered at the small hut in curiosity. "It's unusual for a random house to be here in the middle of nowhere."

"I wonder who lives here," Celeana agreed.

Her question was answered almost at once—the wooden panel that barely passed as a door creaked, and a slight figure emerged from within.

The brunette girl had a large smile on her face as she tied a large, blue bandanna around her head and tossed two Pokeballs into the air, revealing a beastly creature that resembled a dangerous-looking fowl and a huge sauropod with impressive, leafy wings.

"It's hot today, isn't it?" The mousy-haired female sighed, patting her two Pokemon on the head. "I'll allow you to head out on your own today, but come back before you get sunburnt, OK?"

The Blaziken by her side made a low, rumbling sound, enjoying the familiar touch of her trainer's palm. The Pokemon then sniffed the air, an alert, tense call exiting her mouth as her head swung in the group's direction.

"What's wrong?" The slim trainer spun on her heels, noticing the two younger trainers from afar. "Now, now, Toro, don't give them such a scary look. They don't look like bad people."

Reluctantly, the birdlike creature averted her eyes, but the Pokemon's sharp-eyed gaze still seemed to linger on the two teenagers.

"Why don't you two come over?" The girl bounced on her feet, and gave them a smile—one that had the calm, professional aura of an experienced veteran. She looked friendly; however, her dark azure eyes carried a fearful tenacity and a dynamic sense of authority.

Ryou glanced back, a mix of surprise and awe wiped away with an expression of blank nonchalance. He gestured to Celeana, tilting his head. 

"Not like we have a choice."

• • •

"You're Sapphire, aren't you?"

It was pretty hilarious to see Ryou surprised. He stared at the trainer in reverence, ever-increasing wonder and awe filling his violet eyes. His lips had parted into a silent "o", and his eyebrows were arched in pure amazement.

That childish expression had reminded her of her Kirlia, except that the change in his emotions was much more surprising and tangible.

"I'm glad that you know who I am," the brunette smiled. "My name is Sapphire Birch—it's very nice to meet you." She kept quiet, glancing at the duo and waiting for them to speak.

The silence was first broken by the pale-haired boy. "Ryou Imizu," he replied in a calmer tone. "A trainer challenging the gyms. Of course I know who you are—who wouldn't know one of the best trainers in all of Hoenn?"

"Ryou..." Sapphire drummed her fingers against the table. "I don't know, but I may have heard that name before. Does your age happen to be fourteen?"

The back of the younger trainer's chair scraped against the floor as he rocked the structure in incredulity. "How did you know that?"

"Wait, you're younger than me?" Celeana blinked at her companion in shock. Sure, she could have picked up some hints from his short stature and sometimes overly exuberant personality, but he'd carried himself with such a mature air that she'd believed he was older. "I'm fifteen."

The brown-haired girl opposite them just grinned. "I honestly have no idea where I got that information from. Anyway—" She stared at the female teenager. "Who're you?"

"Me?" She gulped, twirling a lock of blue hair around her finger, and the coordinator stammered out a response. "I'm C—Celeana Asthansia. A coordinator."

"That's nice to hear," the veteran trainer hummed. "I used to want to be a coordinator when I was little, but I changed my mind. I never regretted it."

Ryou took a sip of water. "Really? I always wanted to be a trainer."

Sapphire just laughed—a light-hearted, genuine one. Meanwhile, the light-haired boy next to Celeana raised his head, an unusually serious and determined expression etched in his face. "I've a favour to ask of you, if you don't mind."

His head was bowed in respect, and his image was much smaller than usual.

"What is it?" the older woman inquired.

"I'd like a battle with you, please."

• • •

"One on one, right?"

The trainers had been surprised when the Pokemon Master had brought them to a large arena near her cottage—they hadn't expected such a facility to exist in a dense, forested area.

The male nodded. "...Yeah."

He fingered the red-and-white Pokeball in nervous anticipation, and took his place at the end of the stadium. His signature easygoing smile still sat on his face, but his sharp eyes were following Sapphire's every move in careful scrutinisation.

Celeana took a seat on the dusty ground outside the faded chalk lines that marked the beginning and end of the battleground., getting herself comfortable and preparing to watch the battle that was about to unfold.

"Start," she called, having being forced to act as the referee. She still didn't enjoy some battles, but she found them mostly bearable and even a little thrilling—as long as they lacked the ferocious bloodlust she was terrified of, it was fine.

The taller female to her right took the initiative, tossing a Pokeball into the air.

The bipedal beast inside emerged, a glorious coat of brilliant red swathing her lean body and being topped by creamy plumage.

"Your ace, huh." Ryou looked impressed. "Blaziken was your first Pokemon, right?"

With that, he clicked a button on the sphere in his hand. "Our opponent's strong. Guard up, Milotic!"

An elegant, snakelike form appeared in a burst of white light, and Celeana could say with confidence that it was the most beautiful Pokemon she had ever seen. Her ivory-stained body was long and graceful, and the coloured mosaic patterns on her tail seemed to catch the light and shimmered as she moved.

"Mimi—" Sapphire started to mouth a name, but caught herself in time. "I'm surprised that you chose a Milotic for your team. Exquisite, yes—but Pokemon like these are mostly used in contests."

"Any Pokemon can be used in battle," the pale-haired teen countered. "As long as you train them well, they're useful."

Ignoring the younger trainer, Sapphire called the first attack. "Toro, start with a Sky Uppercut before the Milotic can attack."

The agile Pokemon leapt towards the snakelike creature opposite her, first lighting up in a flare of pale, deadly blue. Blaziken's speed was certainly something to admire—Milotic had no chance of dodging, after all, and it was a wonder that Ryou managed to pull through with a command.

"Soften the impact with Scald," he shouted, and the Water-type Pokemon released a blast of searing-hot liquid that exploded outwards into a shield. The makeshift barrier wasn't enough to protect the beast from all harm, though, and she flinched as the birdlike Pokemon's fist collided with her skin.

The shorter teenager brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Aqua Ring," he muttered, not wanting to take any chances. "Now, Reflect."

"Oh, now I see your strategy," Sapphire acknowledged. "You're trying to minimise the damage taken by your Pokemon—good thinking."

Ryou didn't respond to her compliment. "Use Scald again," he commanded, and his Milotic was more than happy to oblige.

The large Fire-type startled at the huge, spinning tunnel of water rushing towards it, but kept her cool nonetheless and jumped out of the way. The female trainer did notice how her Pokemon had been skimmed by the attack, however, and even a well-trained Pokemon such as Blaziken had to at least take some form of damage from a super-effective move.

The brunette grunted. "Dammit," she swore. "If setting up with support moves is the way you want to do it, then fine. Double Team, Toro!"

Taking a step back to analyse the situation, the opposing trainer muttered something under his breath. "And her speed was already insane to begin with," he breathed in frustration. "Never mind. Don't let your opponent get to you—I'm pretty sure the one second to the right is the actual copy."

Bobbing her head up and down in affirmation, the Milotic reared her exquisite head, not even needing Ryou's command to know what her owner wanted.

As the Fire-type opponent stumbled back from the impact of the blast, Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "You were able to see through that?"

"I've trained," the pale-haired boy replied with his usual calmness. Celeana marvelled at how his personality could flip in battle—his light-hearted expression had been exchanged for a stony glare, and it was like someone had flipped a coin to switch his demanour.

"Trained?" The veteran gave a small laugh. "I can see that. You've seemed to forgotten the gap in our experience, though."

The Blaziken had recovered, and she nodded to Sapphire's silent command of Swords Dance, ghostlike projections of blades circling around the large Pokemon. "Use Blast Burn—you've been practicing so hard for it," the girl continued.

A strangled noise caught in the back of Ryou's throat, and he let out a small gasp, his near-perfect precision and cut-throat speed of thinking seeming to falter. His opponent gladly took the opportunity, and just as Milotic opened her mouth for another round of Scald, the beast changed course, using the fiery pillars of fire exploding around it to launch itself upwards.

"Got you," the caramel-haired girl smirked.

The younger teen's eyes widened as his calculations fell part, and he shouted out a command. "I—Ice Beam, and then—"

A thin, wide plateau of verglas formed just above the snakelike creature, and the opponent's Blaziken landed hard, skidding a little and losing her balance before the ice shattered.

"Don't get shaken by that, Toro!" Sapphire flashed her tired Pokemon an encouraging smile. "Use Sky Uppercut one more time!"

The fawn-like Pokemon let out a decibel-breaking battle cry, ignoring how she had strayed off her original path and refocused herself, knuckles still flaming from the previous Blast Burn. Raising a fist, the dual-type Pokemon slammed the limb into Milotic's neck, causing the elegant creature to let out a choked sound.

Ryou pressed his lips together. "Use Recov—"

It was too late, however—all the move was able to do was stall his inevitable failure. If it was a regular Sky Uppercut, his Pokemon would have a chance of staying conscious, but a signature move, no matter the type advantage, would have caused more than a small boost in power.

The Water-type Pokemon let out a heave as Blaziken withdrew her appendage, and promptly collapsed to the ground, well and truly fainted.

The silver-haired teen closed his eyes in disappointment, shaking his head as he returned his fallen Pokemon to her refuge of a Pokeball. "I guess I lost," he sighed. "It was expected, though—I'm still collecting badges, and you're a Pokemon Master."

"You're still collecting badges?" His opponent tilted his head. "How many do you have so far?"

"Five," the trainer smiled. "I just obtained Petalburg's Gym Badge yesterday."

Sapphire returned Toro to her Pokeball before striding up to Ryou, a cryptic smile playing on her face. "Five badges, hmm... I'm guessing you started your journey a few months ago, then."

"Four months," the younger boy confirmed. "Though, it took me two weeks just to defeat Roxanne, and my Pokemon have been pretty overworked recently, so I might give them a short break."

"I see," the virtuoso hummed in response. She gestured at the two of them to go back into the house. "Well, good luck for your future battles—with your quick thinking and your strategies, you'll go far. Just remember to keep your cool when the situation doesn't go as planned."

Ryou lowered his head, indigo eyes holding an expression of respect as he inclined his head to her. "Thank you for the encouragement and advice," he replied. 

"I'm honoured to have the chance to battle you."

• • •

Celeana felt more than a little out of place at Sapphire's cottage.

Sure, the older trainer was friendly and welcoming, but it was hard to fit in when she was the only coordinator in the room.

"So, why did you stop battling?" Her companion leaned forward, curious. "You've been off the battling scene for quite a few months."

"It's hard to say," the brunette pondered. "I was done with my journey, and there was nothing left I could really do. I didn't want to grow tired of Pokemon battles, of all things—so I decided to help my father out for the time being with his research. I'll return to battling after I get my spark back."

Creak—

Being bored with nothing to do, she was the only one who didn't miss the slight noise. At first, she played it off as a simple movement of the door, but the solitary noise was soon followed by more.

A hushed whine was heard, and a series of pained grunts followed.

Celeana tilted her head—what was that sound?—and stood up, the back of her chair scraping against the wooden panels of the floor.

"You wish to know what that is?"

The blue-haired girl recognised the speaker in her head as the same one from a few days back—the one that had trapped in a painful black void, the one who had asked her nonsensical queries, questioning the darker aspects of the world that she'd never bothered to think about—yet, it was also the same entity that had allowed her to help her Pokemon.

Without waiting for her response, the voice continued on. "I can help you with that. It's certainly something quite unheard of."

"Celeana?" Ryou turned to face her. "What are you doing?"

The coordinator ignored him, taking a few steps towards the source of her distress.

"Is that...screaming?"

It was as if a switch had been flipped on in her mind—her vision was crystal clear, and she felt so full of energy that she couldn't even feel her body any more.

She entered the room, blinking her eyes at the scene in front of her.

The first thing she saw was a young girl—she looked no older than ten, her short, carrot-coloured hair falling around her sunken face.

Celeana jolted at her thin frame and the dark circles around her eyes—it reminded her of the Meowstic's den, the way her victims would look as if they'd just survived a famine.

The next thing she noticed was the more than obvious marks running down the child's left eye; the way it resembled a Spinarak's web or a traditional culture tattoo. She then proceeded to noticed that her eyes were closed, and she was lying in a bed, body limp and still.

There was a creature in her arms as well—a small, green Pokemon that resembled a pixie, and the blue-haired girl knew enough to identify it as the mystical Pokemon Celebi.

Why does she have such a rare Pokemon? she questioned herself. Scratch that—what happened to her?

"I see you've noticed her."

The rookie trainer jumped at Sapphire's voice, and noticed the grim expression on the brunette's face. "Don't ask me what happened to her. I don't know either."

"Then why is she here?" Ryou asked, emerging from behind the taller woman.

"I was out in the forests and saw her and the Celebi just, well...lying there," the veteran trainer admitted. "I couldn't just leave her there by herself, so I brought her back."

The way a curious child would do, Celeana reached out on instinct—after all, it was a natural reaction when one saw something different.

"Wait!" Sapphire's caution left her lips a moment too late, and the amber-eyed girl's hand skimmed over the sallow texture of the comatose child's skin. "Don't touch—"

The coordinator averted her eyes as the air seemed to rip apart, a huge, blinding space of horrible colours opening up above them. Her first riposte was to jerk away, but gravity seemed to disagree with her.

A huge, unseen force dragged her towards the portal, and her body felt unnaturally heavy. Her head pounded and ached; her vision blurred, and soon, the scene around her had become nothing more than thick strips of muted colour.

"Celeana!" She couldn't quite hear Ryou's voice through the endless ringing in her ears, but she did feel his hand latch on to hers in a futile attempt to drag her away.

She felt a rush of freezing air greet her as her body was pushed into the void, her vision clearing to meet with a terrifying whirl of mismatched hues.

Her pale-tressed companion was saying something—he'd been dragged into the crevice with her, after all—but she couldn't hear it over the wind.

And then they fell.

• • •

Another long chapter. Woo. I have absolutely no idea how this became so long oml kill me

It's semi-happy. Better than happy, but not angsty enough to feed my hunger :<  And yes, I left you guys on a cliffie. Plus, I might not be updating anytime soon because of...issues. Woop. I'd also appreciate people commenting grammatical errors because I wrote this during my free time ahaha

Besides that, thank you SO MUCH for 2.1K reads and 293 votes! That's about a 300+ increase in reads :o My next goal is 308! :)

Critiques are most certainly welcome, and don't forget to read, vote and give your thoughts in the comments! Please be 100% honest!

~ nyxia ☆