Chapter Seventeen: You Were Once

"Did you defeat her? Whoever she was?"

She heard a tired voice speaking up, and she managed to register it as Ryou's, his words slurred and gentle as if he'd just woken up.

Then again, he had been unconscious a few minutes ago, and Celeana couldn't blame him for sounding so exhausted. She'd realised just a moment ago that he'd been directing the question to her, and she sat bolt upright as she replied.

"I think so," she murmured. "Still...if that's the case, and your theory is true, we should be free now—right?"

The silver-haired boy took a moment to comprehend the question before giving a slow nod. "I'm not sure, though," he replied. "It's certainly a different result than the previous timelines, but we've never seen what happens if we do defeat our opponent.

Glancing up, she could see the space around them cracking, breaking into pieces as if the world consisted of nothing more than shattered glass.

The dusty brown wasteland around the three of them had been reduced to a black space—it was similar to the galaxy-like surroundings that they had battled the Dialga in, but it was much, much emptier—more like the vastness of the pitch-dark void that her reflection had kept her in.

It was desolate—the scenery was more than still, and they could only sit and watch as the world started to change once again—for what she hoped was the last time.

The earth had started to gain some colour once again, but Celeana couldn't make out where they were being taken to—she could see nothing but the barest traces of pigments shining through the overwhelming darkness.

However, as the details of her new environment grew a little clearer, she knew that where they were in was not Sapphire's house.

For one, the warm, welcoming shades of red, cream and brown that the veteran trainer had used as the primary themes of her house was absent—all she saw was green, different shades of that one colour everywhere, with just the occasional tone of earthy brown interrupting the sea of viridescent colours.

As the features of her surroundings became sharper once again—like a photographer trying to adjust the aperture of his camera—she acknowledged that she was in some sort of forest—or, at least, a cramped grassy area.

"My PokeNav is working again, I think." Ryou managed to sit up, glancing at the watch-like device on his hand. He was still a little pale, as if still suffering the effects of whatever the Giratina had done—but his trademark smile had returned.

The coordinator moved over, the blades of grass tickling her calves as she advanced to her friend's side and staring at the digital map.

"I've never learnt how to read one of these," she mumbled, deciding to wait for the boy's answer instead of further embarrassing herself.

Suppressing a light smirk, he ran his eyes over the screen, pointing a finger at a red dot that seemed to show their location. "We're in Johto," he stated, still amused by her lack of skill. "More specifically, in the Ilex forest—the place where the first Celebi is said to have been created in."

The coordinator's gaze switched to the mythical, pixie-like creature floating behind them. "You said you were a new... T—Timekeeper? Something like that?"

"Yes," the Legendary replied in a doubtful voice, her voice halting and uncertain as she spoke. "However, our ancestor did come from this holy forest—it's a much revered place among the younger generation."

"We'll have to assume that since this forest is associated with Celebi in general, you'll have to at least contribute something significant," the trainer drawled in a lazy tone. "Judging by the map, we're close to the middle of the forest."

The Time Travel Pokemon buzzed forward, blue eyes widening in disagreement. "But I couldn't do much," she protested. "I'm useless. I'm just a weak Timekeeper who got you into all of this—"

Scrunching up his face, the silver-haired boy wheeled around to face the small organism, not even bothering to consider the fact that she was a Legendary.

"You have to believe that you can," he replied, violet eyes softening into an encouraging expression—the one he would use when uplifting his Pokemon's spirits. "Don't have such low self-worth—it's saddening, you know."

His voice was soft, the way one would speak to a frightened child, and it had the same effect.

Although the Pokemon's face was still plagued by a look of uncertainty, she definitely looked more reassured than she'd been just a few moments ago. "T...Thank you, child. I will...try to see what I can do."

Ryou just replied with a cheerful nod, and rose to his feet, extending a hand to Celeana.

"Shall we get going?"

• • •

It didn't take very long for the three of them to arrive at the very heart of the forest—after all, Ryou had mentioned that they were close to the centre, and she wasn't surprised that it would only take such a short period of time.

"Please stay careful," the Celebi cautioned in a fretful voice, flying around each of their faces so as to get them to listen. "I detect a strange aura around this area. It seems familiar, somehow, but I still don't think that it's anything good."

The silver-haired trainer stopped, flashing yet another smile at the little creature. "We will, don't worry," he reassured. "But if it's familiar and you're only a new Timekeeper, then—"

"I think that whatever this feeling is may be related to an older Timekeeper—one in an alternate timeline. After all, Timekeepers are all connected in one way or another—it might be an old foe that another version of me fought." The Legendary paused her upset pacing and came to a grudging halt.

As if her words contained some form of provoking magic, the earth seemed to ripple—not like the devastating rumbles that Primal Groudon had inflicted, but instead, it was like a burst of energy had rang through the area, threatening to reshape even the ground itself.

Celeana slipped, but she struggled, somehow managing to regain her balance—but all that was forgotten once she saw the mastermind behind the attack.

Her eyes widened, her face shifting into one of blankness as she saw the small—yet devilish—creature floating in front of the group.

The Pokemon was all too familiar, with a pale-green body that seemed to blend right in with the vermillion hues of their setting and a fairy-like stature, mimicking that of a Celebi's—but the one thing out of place was her eyes.

The creature's eyes were crazed and shrunken—they reminded her of that amethyst-eyed replica she'd fought, but worse. She'd read about the Legendary before; she knew that the Time Travel Pokemon had large optics coloured a kind shade of sapphire, but this Celebi had eyes the colour of a clouded night, the pupils having disappeared to nothing but little dots.

Ryou blinked, glancing up at the other Celebi in front of them. "What's going on?" he questioned, turning to the dual-typed Legendary. "Is this something you know?"

The Pokemon replied with a delicate shake of her head. "I, too, am questioning the current situation at hand," she admitted with a bashful glance at the group. "This Celebi seems like one of my alternate selves, but she has a dark aura emitting from her—this is not fitting for a Timekeeper that is made to guard."

Flying forward once more, the Celebi on their side tried to straighten her frame as much as she could, looking her opponent in the eye with a firm expression. "Which timeline is this?" she asked in an adament tone. "Which Celebi are you?"

Shifting forward, her alternate self folded her wings into a streamlined position before darting towards them at an alarmingly fast rate, her small frame glowing in a harsh light that was the colour of a polluted green.

"No one cares about which Celebi I am," the creature hissed. "It doesn't make any difference, but to satisfy you, I shall answer you. I'm from the timeline 0001."

The dual-typed Legendary regarded her replica with a wide-eyed gaze, cerulean eyes going dull in a moment of uncomprehending shock. "You're...you're the first Timekeeper. The original."

"That's right," the crazed creature shot back, "I am the original. All the other timelines came after me. That also means that I am the strongest."

She then executed a flip in midair, energy ripping through the sky like bolts of demented lightning and shooting towards the group as if the very streaks of light contained life burning inside them.

Then again, that wouldn't be a devastatingly far-off guess—after all, Celebi was a guardian of the forests along with being a Timekeeper, and breathing this life into each of her attacks was not something unthinkable.

The problem wasn't that, however; it was the fact that a guardian—someone created and meant to protect humanity—was going against the very principle of its existence.

"I have heard stories resembling this," the saner Legendary muttered, her voice grim and void of her usual stuttering. "The tale about this Dark Celebi has been passed down from my elders—I just hadn't thought that I would ever see this."

"Dark?" The twisted creature let out a harsh, brittle laugh, and Celeana wondered how this Pokemon could have been the original Celebi—it was now nothing more than a shell of its former glory, transformed into a mindless monster. "I like that word—you could call me that. I enjoy this darkness."

The other Legendary shot a glare at her foe; a look that contained disgust and sadness. "You're terrible," she declared in a bold voice. "I—I don't know how I used to look up to you."

For a moment, their nemesis seemed to ignore the creature's words, instead unleashing a fierce storm of lime-coloured pillars that danced dangerously close to them.

With a pained grunt, the Celebi reacted on instinct, scrunching her palms into fists and encasing her opponent's onslaught with a good number of capsules, barely managing to seal the attacks away with multiple instances of barriers.

She wasn't prepared, however, for the second round—an even larger shower of light ensued, but instead of upholding the most basic elements associated with the element—kind, compassionate, clean—a murky web of shadows cloaked the blitz, turning the pale lime into a dirty shade of green that mirrored the colour of a Starly's excretion.

The Legendary rushed to set up another series of barriers to protect her allies, but soon found that it wasn't necessary in the first place.

With a sickening smile, her opponent directed her arms upward with unbelievable grace, the shimmering paths of energy not headed towards the trio—they headed in the opposite direction, exploding outwards and taking the forms of sharp jets that collided into their surroundings with sickening grunts.

Celebi conjured up a flare of green energy, eradicating any trace of smoke that the impact had brought with it. She glanced up, inspecting the condition of the forest around her—now destroyed and collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Celeana's stomach lurched as she saw the consequences—nestled snugly against the rubble were silhouetted figures; ones that resembled fallen Pokemon and ones that lay far too still.

The twisted Timekeeper lowered herself, extending a hand and running it over the bloodied, cracked surface of a fallen trunk.

An ugly shade of crimson now stained the apple-green palm of her hand, and she showed it off with pride—as if it was a prize for slaying innocent individuals. "This is the true power of nature," she laughed. "Saying that nature can heal—how childish. When used correctly, nature can be used to kill."

"Of course..." The Celebi flicked her finger, and the instant replayed itself—the forest seemed to rebuild itself, and the attack slammed into the creatures once again. "Celebi is a master of time travel. It makes it all the more fun."

The Celebi on their side blanched, and her pupils shimmered with tears, shrinking to the point where it was almost impossible to differentiate the two of them.

"You..." The quivering words escaping her mouth seemed like an icy wave of acid, and the way she pronounced it made Celeana step back in fear. "You killed them."

"Why not?" her opponent asked. "They're just Pokemon—common ones. There are millions of them in the world—surely killing a few for fun wouldn't matter."

Celebi's distraught voice rose in pitch, a blob of green energy shaping itself into a fist and slamming itself into the alternate replica. "Just Pokemon?" she screeched in fury. "They weren't just Pokemon. They were your friends. They were your friends in this timeline, and you killed them."

"Take note that used the word 'were'," her nemesis replied in a slow, smooth laugh. "You've already acknowledged that I'm a beast, so it shouldn't be any problem."

"Of course there's a problem," the meek Pokemon growled out. "The memories and emotions of all Timekeepers are linked. Your friends are my friends—I have possession of all the experiences you had with them in the past."

With a frustrated noise, her enemy batted the sculpted fist aside, shadowy tendrils enveloping the structure and dissolving it into the atmosphere. "Look at this face," she stated, and stared straight at the group—her eyes were unnaturally wide, and she looked like she was drugged—possessed. "Does this face look like it even cares?"

"You've been taken over. The original Celebi was kind and compassionate," she argued. "The original Celebi was warm, noble, brave...something I can only aspire to be. I let my friends die, but I will not let myself be defeated by a monster that isn't the original Celebi."

Celebi moved back, steely determination filling those blue optics of hers. "I may not be anyone special." She blinked away her tears. "But you were. And I want to bring it back."

A wavering voice interrupted the both of them, and everyone's attention switched to the carrot-haired girl who stared at them with an even expression. Her mouth was set in a blank, neutral line, and the calm look in her eyes wasn't enough to hide her fear.

"We're connected," she declared, pointing at the Celebi nearest to her. "We've been like that ever since I touched you—that's not the issue, however. You need the emotional support...? I suppose that I could say that I'm on your side."

"What are you waiting for?" the child pressed on. "We're all waiting for you to start. For you to finally end this all."

• • •

Sorry. This took longer than I thought it would--I've been banned off my devices and I'm sneaking on. Soooooooo. :') This is going to be the last update before Monday, where I'm going for writing camp~!

So exhausting fleshing out both the Celebi, because Ryou hardly even appeared in this chapter arGh I'm dying

Besides that, thank you SO MUCH for 3.8K reads and 487 votes! That's about a 300+ increase in reads :o My next goal is 502! :)

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

~ nyxia ☆