Chapter Thirty: Something Important

Monochrome grey all around her, forming some sort of suffocating purgatory that trapped her in a nonstop imaginary field of bated silence.

She could only sit in the small corner that seemed somewhat safe—if that word hadn't flown out of her dictionary just yet—afraid to even skim her fingers over the ground's rough surface, the fear of remaining electricity coursing through the floor not quite satiated.

A growl sounded—something that warped and distorted itself around the ever-growing panic of her mind's insanity, final form having become unrecognisable from the mortal cry that the Raikou had let out—and before she knew it, her small hands were clamped around her ears in a useless attempt to block out the noise.

Yet, it was futile—the roar was like a grated screech that scraped against a board of nails, acting as a knife that made a greedy dive into the very pits of her eardrums.

The bare sanctuary that she'd dove into earlier was shattered, a bolt of white-hot lightning—it wasn't even the normal golden of Electric-type attacks—arced towards her, and she backed away on instinct, hands rising up to shield herself from the sizzling blast.

It had missed scorching her skin by mere inches, but she sure had felt the tingling heat from the static—and instead, as if possessing a will of its own, the energy danced away from her, choosing instead to destroy the rocks marking out a tiny corner that she had fit into.

Another howl boomed in her ears, and she got to her feet, frantic eyes searching for another recluse that she could hide away in until the ordeal was over, but deep in her heart, she knew that she was helpless and that she couldn't stop what was happening.

It wasn't as if her memory was exceptional or anything—no, while she had always been good in her studies, her level of recalling things had always been nothing but ordinary. This was an exception—in order to mark how much time had passed; to keep each day and timeline from just blending into each other, she had been forced to keep her mind sharp.

And, as she had predicted—no, as she'd seen before—the Raikou reared, driving his clawed feet into the dry, parched ground and sending jolts of electricity shooting through the cracked earth—and as she felt pain sting at her very nerves, it was all she could do to remind herself it was just her spirit that was being affected.

Still, it felt all too real—like she could be evaporated any minute by the sheer amount of power from the Legendary's stray sparks—and that scared her.

Overhead, storm-grey clouds parted and shifted to form the vague shape of a large, circular opening that formed a sightless mocking glare that peered down at her with great contempt—seething with unjustified hatred and ready to unleash its wrath at any moment.

And she couldn't scream any further—no, her mouth had been paralysed in an everlasting part of the lips, but no sound escaped her throat no matter how badly she wanted it to. It was as if some part of her will had formed a barrier against the shrill cry.

She'd lost all strength to shout or yell any further, and she could just sit as the pillar of electricity crackled above her, the urge to wail starting to fade into utter nonexistence and replaced by a feeling of helplessness that eroded away at the remaining fragments of her mind's sanity.

No pain. There was no pain—at least, she didn't feel any anymore—as light blinded her vision—and it was ironic that her world seemed to be drained of all possible luminescence, and she could just stare into the darkening column of lightning as the vision blinked out into emptiness.

• • •   

Quinn didn't even need to look at the scene unfolding in front of her—she'd memorised almost all the timelines by heart, and she knew that the cause of this timeline's destruction would be the Mewtwo several metres away.

Ducking, she crept into a narrow crevice—a fortunate crack in between two boulders—and didn't dare to raise her head even once—the visualisation of the Legendary's fathomed Psystrike had etched a clear image in her mind even without her needing to look at it.

Her breathing, though soft, was rapid and shallow, and the near-silent gasps for air were not quite enough—her mind was thick and her senses were blunted, brain swimming and her heartbeats pounding against the hollow walls of her skull.

This one lasted two hours. The child's mind sprinted into a thoughtless ramble. It's going to be fine. I've already left this timeline. It's going to be fine—

Once again, she curled up into the smallest ball she could manage, tugging on random clumps on hair that her clenched fists had landed themselves on.

Somewhere further up, she could hear a terrifying rumble and a clap of sound that shook the earth—the impact of the Mewtwo's wrath had not gone unnoticed, and masses of stray psychic energy had sunk into the ground and up into her young body, shaking her to the very core and providing nothing more than a passing chill.

She wanted to to thank the fact that just her spirit had been dragged into this world; but she couldn't—at that moment, she would much rather have suffered the excrutiating agony rather than this silent, passive iciness.

At least pain was somewhat tangible. At least she could feel it—at least it awakened her and told her that she was still alive, still alright—and, in the pits of her twisted mind, this very burning sensation was an friend. She could feel pain, and doing so brought some sort of warped comfort. She wasn't dead yet.

Trying her utmost to unfreeze her shivering frame, the child backed away as she heard heavy footsteps slam into the ground in an unceremonious manner, hand jolting as it brushed against an icy, smooth surface—and it was just moments later that she realised that she'd bumped the single Pokeball hanging off her belt by accident.

Even the flash of light—she should have been used to that by now—scared her in this fragile state, and she had to stop herself from jumping out of her skin as Celebi emerged from within the red-and-white sphere.

"Quinn, this isn't real," the small creature appeared, glancing at her with worried eyes. "I could sense what was happening from within my Pokeball. No Timekeeper has activated this timeline. It's just an illusion—snap out of it."

"You're asking me to just snap out of it?" With a feral expression in her hazel eyes, she whipped her head around to face her Pokemon. "It's too real for me to just snap out. I'm sorry, Celebi, but I just can't. If I can't trust any timeline, then I can't trust—"

The small Legendary listened to her trainer's mindless ramble with a patient look in her eyes, a slight frown painted over her face. Then, as the girl slumped downwards, exhausted from her panicked spiel, she placed gentle hands over the child's shoulders, leaning downwards and whispering soothing words in her ear.

"That was what I thought when we were in the real thing," murmured the Time Travel. "I, too, thought that all hope was lost—but you were the one that brought me to my senses."

A small portal opened behind the two of them, struggling to defy Giratina's power and keep the air apart—but it still somehow worked, air filtering through the hyperspace and forming a sort of gravitational pull that beckoned them towards the alternate space.

Cyan radiance dusted her black-rimmed optics, and the Celebi lifted her partner with an effortless Psychic, glad to see that her control over her powers had been granted and doing her best to ignore the muffled, weak protests that Quinn cried out.

"Please..." It wasn't easy gathering wisdom in her tone when she was but a new Timekeeper, but she had to do her best. "You saved both of us from those repeating timelines. I know you're scared, but please just let me do the same for you."

"You will remember this timeline," she muttered, masking the urgency in her voice with a deceptive calmness. "I know you remember it as clear as I do."

• • •

A charming carpet of uneven wild grass and loose soil, moist underneath her feet. Faint beams and rays of golden sun that filtered through the forage, leaving her skin cooled. Towering trees that harsh weather had stripped layers of bark from, but the imperfections rendered the scenery even more breathtaking, scarred surfaces housing twisting patterns that reminded her of seaside waves.

"You said you were a new... T—Timekeeper? Something like that?"

"Yes," the Legendary replied in a doubtful voice—something that she had long since shed and cast away. "However, our ancestor did come from this holy forest—it's a much revered place among the younger generation."

Scattered voices from her memory started to form a connect-the-dots puzzle, albeit fragmented and haphazard—but it seemed that she was still able to somehow craft sketchy lines between each hazy spot, her mind winding the timeline's broken strings together to form a full memory.

The devilish creature made its inevitable appearance, dulled pupils shrunken and hysterical as she identified herself as the self-proclaimed original. Muffled voices bickered back and forth—her partner's calmer tone against the enemy's wild rage.

"I have heard stories resembling this." A neutral voice, one that contained a displeased wisdom. 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 she wondered how this Pokemon could have been the pioneer of her generation—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."

"You're terrible," her friend declared in a bold voice. "I—I don't know how I used to look up to you."

Next to her, the creature flitted, watching the scene unfold in front of them like some kind of movie—one that was much more tangible and that didn't require any kind of screen.

Her mouth loosened to form an encouraging smile, and she lowered her voice, nudging her friend to look at the events playing out—and more than that, urging her to break out of her catonic trance and to see just how much of a key role she'd played in this particular timeline.

"I may have been the one to subdue my ancestor," the Celebi started, causing the girl to startle, "but you were just as important. You gave me the strength and courage to stand up to her—something I could have never done on my own.

In front of them, and as the creature from the past flew up to confront her opponent for the sins she'd committed, the child heard her words—the very ones she'd spoken on a whim in that essential timeline—as clear as day, watching as the identical carrot-haired girl metres away from her regarded the Celebi with an unbelievably neutral expression.

"We're connected," A bold expression, but one pointing out the painful truth nonetheless. She raised a finger to the Legendary opposite 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? We're all waiting for you to start. For you to finally end this all."

The next few scenes rolled forward as if someone had jammed the fast-forward button on the movie's settings, and before she knew it—it was most likely due to Celebi warping a sense of time somehow—they'd arrived at their finale—the much-awaited ending that both of them had memorised by heart.

"You'd be lonely," came the Celebi's reasoning. "I, for one, don't want a future like that—I'd be alone. And...I don't want you to feel that way as well.

"I know it hurts." Her partner's voice had softened, and as clammy hands grazed the young child's skin, she was compelled to glance up—and the tears pooling in her cerulean eyes caused her own hazel optics to widen in shock—why was she crying? Why was Celebi crying?

"I know you want a world where you can't hurt any more," she continued, sucking in a shaky breath. "But such numbness isn't an answer. All you have to do is make a world where you don't feel that same pain again—this isn't the solution. I'll show you—we have one final stop."

Yet another dimension tore the darkening sky apart, and Quinn almost didn't manage to stop her shivering at the familiar sight of the monochromatic jumble of colours waiting inside—but she entered without protest, and the world before them dissipated as if nothing more than a memory.

• • •

Flames. Red-hot beasts of destruction that performed a gleeful dance, claiming every one of her precious ones and possessions in an ugly—yet glorious blaze.

The air was acrid and burnt at the eight-year-old's arms, smelling of burning acid and stifling—but that was nothing compared to the fresh burns that marred her arms—both major and minor—at stray embers licking at her skin. She had avoided the worst of it, but it still hurt.

And, as she reached the door—her ticket for escape from a definite doom, she glanced back in fear, eyes wide in disgust and terror at the bodies littering the ground—two were charred beyond recognition, lying still against the mess of debris, and the third belonged to her sister, staring at the burning ceiling with half-open eyes—just that and the slight rise and fall of her chest confirmed her life.

"What are you waiting for?" The whisper was faint, and she'd almost missed it. Her eyes roamed over to her dying sister, voice cracked hoarse, lips charred from the catastrophe that had tore across their home. "Everyone let you escape for a reason."

"Quinn, you have the potential to become a wonderful trainer," she mumbled. "So take this chance, dammit...before it's too late..."

The memory had started to waver—a signal of the Legendary's diminishing strength—and Celebi turned to her trainer, a choked sob ripping cross her throat as she lost all control; both of her power and her emotions, and the Pokemon screamed at the girl, desperate tone begging her to regain her calm.

"I admit I am being selfish, OK?" Her voice rose to a dangerous pitch. "This new world won't have any lasting friendships. We're friends because of our personalities, but when we're all the same, that won't be able to happen any more. I don't want to lose such a friend!"

"That's enough."

A voice pulled her out of her meltdown, and the mythical creature barely had time to look up before childlike arms wrapped around her—and it was just when a drop of salty water splashed against her skin that she realised that, like her, Quinn was crying.

"I was scared earlier," the girl muttered. "But while you took all that effort to show me these things...I realised that what I wanted wasn't to erase fear—that's part of human. I can never reverse being human, and I accept fear. However, Giratina's world doesn't contain happiness—that's what I've been truly after all along."

"I apologise." The child smiled—the first one that the Legendary had seen the melancholy girl ever show.

"I was about to forget something important."

• • •

yaaaa all the fairy tail shizz got stuck in my head xDD along with a poetic mood, of course--I've noticed that my writing is getting more and more poetic?? idk if it's a good thing LOL it makes it harder to understand

aaaaand yay only eleven (I think??) chapters till I finish this book!! it's a miracle if i can finish it in time for the watties cries

Besides that, thank you SO MUCH for 7.4K reads and 920 votes! That's about a 400+ increase in reads :o My next goal is 935! :)

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

~ nyxia ☆