Part Eight: The Guardian

The dragons had gone, and just as quickly their elemental effects on life. Rose and Sage, standing on the beach looking at the blaze before them frowned as the fire was extinguished without any help from the bustling humans in the village market; fizzling out as quickly as it had come.

Only a few minutes beforehand they had witnessed something extraordinary. From the water a draconic shape had blasted; showering them with stray droplets as it winged towards the centre of Minami. And Rose was soon to spot others in the sky all headed for the same spot.

Their conversation, if any, was soft and short. They watched, silent, waiting for news as the water rippled towards them and broke onto the sand with calming repetitiveness...

The dragons could feel the call, echoing through their minds. Forgetting the humans for the moment, they flew above the treelines and followed the surges of need.

Karda watched as they sped towards him. Below, his only human friend watched in confusion. Slowly he reached for the guilt in his mind, quashing the emotion. He would do this thing. He had to.

The twelve faced him as he whirled to catch all their eyes. He was the catalyst. He would join them together, in order to save the humans from certain death by the elements in raw form. But what then? Then, they would be on their own to face another danger.

Without being prompted, the twelve congregated closer, eyes whirling with a multitude of emotion. They seemed to meld in his mind, become a circle in which he was the centre. And then they too began to loop round him, flying in an ever-decreasing ring.

He could not feel his physical form any longer. It frightened him. What was he? The dragons before him had become a swirling maelstrom of blended elemental energy. He reached for it quickly, grasping yet without talons or claws.

The omniscient power, that had once been Karda, felt form take shape once more. Slowly, his eyes opened...

The being was liquescent, seemingly both not solid and solid at the same time. A sparkling emerald colour, it towered above the canopy and slowly took a more definite shape. Above its head rose two flowing antennae. Two large eyes surveyed its surroundings slowly while its mouth remained hidden.

Philippa gaped as its left leg flowed closer to her, and darted out of the way as it lifted. Following its path, flowers sprang up from the earth with such resplendent colour that it looked like each petal was a different hue.

Why... came a whisper; seemingly only wind through the trees bordering the silent Grove. Why am I here?

Its head swung slowly towards the nearest human settlement and it flinched when it saw the clearing of part of the forest. Why have I been brought back? I fled towards death only so I would not have to witness Minami become such a place. Truly peace in not living is better than pain in seeing the end result of my failure.

How to approach such a situation? Philippa looked to Louisa, who was glowering. "Damn naturalist Pokémon!"

"Somehow I don't think it's a Pokémon, Lou." Philippa replied; unaware its gaze had been brought back to what stood at its feet. "You can see the trees through its body..."

Whether it was the destroyers who brought me back unwillingly, or no, I cannot be cowardly once more. I must fight to restore the land to what it once was.

"Pip! Look out!" came a screech from Louisa, who had anticipated the next move from its bitter mind-voice. Blindingly fast, a two-pawed hand whipped down and before Philippa could even react it had grasped her round the middle, pulling her above the canopy.

As Louisa watched with dismay, she failed to even notice the green light surrounding her, paralysing and preventing her from going after her friend. That's why you should never admit your greatest fear to yourself... you just might jinx yourself and make it come true. she thought bitterly, unable to even look up.

The grip around Philippa's waist was the strangest thing she had ever experienced. It was like being suspended by a very strong psychic power, with the slightest sensation of a ring of pressure.

The large eyes gazed at her in curiosity. You... walk with the trees? Never before have I seen such a meld of peace and chaos in a creature. How is it that any humans have this gift? You deserve more than death.

Surprised, Philippa felt herself descending again towards the Grove. As soon as her feet were planted on the ground, somehow bare this time, they spread, her toes reaching downwards for nutrients. Her arms outstretched, she reached for the light which filtered down past the canopy. A deep feeling of peace and stillness infused her.

"You..." Louisa breathed, unable to comprehend, the paralysis leaving her. "Bastard!" Before her, Philippa had been transformed. Now tree-like, the only remnants of her humanity lost in the rippled wood, she reached; her hands budding and sprouting both leaves and delicate lilac blossoms.

You cannot be saved as your sister was. growled the Guardian, turning his attention away from Philippa. You have no appreciation for any life apart from yours. Trees are nothing to you.

"I appreciate trees, especially when they stay rooted and quiet. And not when they were a human a second before." snarled Louisa in return, her body taut. "Let her go."

Go into death with peace.

A blast of power hammered towards her, and suddenly she was free. She leapt backwards, feeling her calves scream in response, and rolled away into the trees.

"Fuck death! Turn her back!" she screeched, exploding from the canopy a second later. "Let her go! Or I'll make you!"

Below them, Aspen huddled, prone, as she listened to Louisa's angry challenge. Behind her, she supposed Cedar and Robert did also. She dared not even turn her head for fear of the creature spotting and killing her.

Louisa hovered before the Guardian, angry and frustrated beyond belief. "Why don't you understand?!"

You do not understand! it cried back, rippling. You must all be removed; as you will not leave us in peace! Humans cannot appreciate, so you must die! My arrival here again after so long tells me this!

It attacked her again, snapping out an outstretched hand. Dodging in the barest space of time, she swivelled round and blasted its chest with fire. Screeching in pain, it recoiled, and then likewise attacked with fire tinged with green power.

Louisa's mind whirled with emotion while she continued dodging its phenomenally fast attacks. Maybe if she weakened it to the state where it would release Philippa and bring her back to normal? She had to try; no matter how difficult she knew it would be.

Its right arm stretched alarmingly towards her; the two clasping paws outstretched. She slashed at it with the knife-like blades which extended from her elbows, and while it screamed, unable to comprehend the sudden gush of liquid light from the area, she swooped down towards its chest, ready to deal some serious damage.

Reaching its body; her claws extended before her, she burst through the torso, finding herself simultaneously floating in greenish liquid and then just as quickly in the darkness of pounding flesh. Its heartbeat thundered in her ears.

Somehow, I'm in the physical body of it! she gaped, unable to breath, surrounded by muscles and sinews. How is this meant to work though? It's not a creature of flesh and blood!

Could this possibly be... an illusion? she thought a minute later, struggling for a way out of the bulging muscles. She felt ready to retch when the pulsing mass of flesh surrounding her expanded, rubbing against her shoulders.

I... can't breathe... Dimly she fought against the thing she was sure was suffocating her, thrashing violently against the walls of skin. Dammit! It's not even bloody well real! So why are my lungs refusing to take air?!

Outside, Cedar watched as the Guardian screeched in pain, writhing as a nimbus of red energy sparked and vibrated inside its chest. She was sure that light was Louisa. But where then was her real body? And it seemed the fight had been going on for so long...

Louisa slashed again with her claws, watching ribbons of blood flow from unidentifiable parts onto her clothes, dying them a deep maroon-red. But it seemed nothing was working. It seemed she would have to throw caution to the wind and just trust that she was going to get air when she finally inhaled.

Opening her mouth, she was thus unprepared for the strange sensation of being filled with liquid energy. Spasming now, choking on what seemed to be water, she felt her consciousness slip from her.

The red glow sparkled brightly once again, causing shards of energy to scatter in a radial direction, then faded quickly. Another shriek from the Guardian brought her attention upwards towards its chest. Plummeting towards them from that height was the limp form of Louisa, her wings tattered and useless.

She hit the ground with a dull thud, both her eyes and her mouth closed. Her lungs worked, and suddenly both flew open. With a glassy gaze, she hiccupped once, jerking, and rolled over to retch all over Philippa's tree trunk.

What hit the bark was a strange liquid which seemed to absorb immediately. Slowly, the transformation was nullified as Philippa's branches once more became nimble fingers; her feet appearing muddily out of the soil, and her serene face becoming humanlike.

The feeling of calmness on her face lasted only a second before she looked down and stared in horror as Louisa lay, crumpled and unmoving on the forest floor, her eyes closed in pain once more. Philippa knelt at her side and sighed worriedly.

"Is she okay?" called Aspen quietly, as she watched the Guardian's knees buckle, staggering towards them and the Silent Grove. Philippa looked over to the three, looking about as worried as they were.

"I'm fine," Louisa croaked in reply, shifting uncomfortably as she slowly sat up. "but I don't think I'll try that again any time soon."

In reply, Philippa smiled, humming in pleasure. Louisa looked at her curiously, making eye contact. "Are you still a little affected? No worries; we'll fix that, but maybe later... right now we have to get out of its way."

And with that, holding the mute, prone Philippa by the hand, she stood, walking over to Aspen, Robert and Cedar. "We have to get out of this Grove. Maybe the Guardian won't follow us then."

"It's."

"Hm?" Cedar murmured, looking at Philippa curiously. "What? What is it?"

Struggling with herself, Philippa's mouth worked, her tongue rolling with the effort. "It's... the..."

"No time!" Louisa barked, and ran out into the trees. "Aspen, this would be a very good idea to try and learn to use those Light powers. Maybe then if we band together, we can divert the Guardian's attention and stop it going after the villages."

Still jogging after them, Aspen tried, although she knew that it had been only Omneon that had used her body as a repository for his powers. At first, she raised her hands, feeling incredibly foolish, and concentrated on them.

Nothing.

Slowing her pace, Cedar drew level with her, and attempted to demonstrate. "It helps if you try to gather your power around your heart and then let it flow to your hands. You need to visualise it." Waggling her fingers slightly, Cedar frowned, concentrating, then relaxed as the light around her hands was suddenly engulfed in a pulsing black aura encirling her hands.

"See? Try to focus on your power source; which is around the core, or the centre of your body. Then build the power there. I know it's not very easy while running..."

Aspen gritted her teeth, dodging a fallen tree, and tried to concentrate on her heart. Visualisation-wise, it seemed an easy enough point; but how did you know when it was working?

Stop.

Suddenly Aspen's hands blazed a brilliant yellow, and in front of her, Louisa, Philippa and Robert were suddenly suspended an inch above the ground. Similarly, Cedar's hands disappeared under the familiar black shadows, and her pupils distended until her eyes were covered with black.

Before them, Omneon and Trinyte appeared, the light from Aspen's hands only intensifying. Cedar looked up in surprise, blinking as the Dark power faded from her eyes. "What are you doing? Stop using my body!"

Without argument, suddenly the power was gone from the two of them. Omneon stepped forward. Human. I apologise. I am sorry for using your Light powers for my own purposes on my island. My brother has shown me that I did wrong.

"My Light powers? So, you were lying when you said it was your power?" Aspen spat, feeling as angry as Cedar looked. "What do you expect me to do? Accept your apology?"

I would expect you to accept it with honour, human. Trinyte answered. My brother was foolish, but mistakes are only made for us to learn from them. For his sake, and for yours, and even mine, I ask you to accept him.

Human, Omneon broke in, before Aspen could reply. All of it is true. I was lying spitefully when I said it was only my power being expressed through your body. All I did on my island was to seize your powers and drain your body of them.

"Omneon, is it?" she answered with another question, and when he nodded, "Yes, I accept your apology."

Good! the dark blue creature, Trinyte, spoke. Now, Omneon, you must embrace your destiny.

Yes. My future is in the afterlife.

"What?!" Aspen yelped, staring at the two. "You mean, kill yourself?!"

Omneon shook his head, the depth of his eyes burning. No. I cannot. It is something both my brother and I cannot do, or even attempt. But you can. Aspen, I ask you to take the rest of my Light powers from me, for all they lie barren in my body. I would gift them to you rather than take them with me into death.

"How will that help? I don't understand it. Why must the penalty be death? Aspen understands, she accepted your apology!" Robert cried.

Listen, fool! Do you think this was the only wrong thing I have done in my life? If only you could see me as I was once when I was pure, not spiteful and jealous and ready to do anything for more power! My brother has lived through them all. And so have I. Please, do this for me. Allow me to enter death with a pure form.

"What must I do?" Aspen knelt before him.

Take my head, and draw the power from it.

Aspen drew her hands up carefully, placing them gently on his soft cheeks, encompassing the strong head.

Draw the Light from me. Omneon whispered.

Aspen concentrated, trying to do it as Cedar had instructed. Suddenly there was a vibrating along her fingers, spreading to her hands and then her arms. Her heart swelled with power, and she felt her eyes whiten. Shadows disappeared, and just as suddenly Aspen saw Omneon as he truly was.

The golden crystal on his forehead shone with light. A golden tawny colour spread from it onto his soft fur, vanquishing the endlessly burning fire on his hackles, melting the sharp ice on his chin, his clawlike wings withering. Slowly his fur shifted with an invisible wind, the jagged legs and chest softening; until finally he stood, his eyes closed, a lovely golden-furred creature with a thick mane, the spherical crystal on his forehead still glowing.

And then, the crystal shattered...

The light dimmed immediately; Omneon dying with a cry of surprise. Another gust of wind, and he was gone; the graying remains of the crystal the only indication of his presence just a second ago.

Aspen, suddenly brought to tears, choked back a sobbed exclamation, and looked to the group. Trinyte was hunched over in discomfort, Cedar looking at him with a sickened expression; her eyes filled with black power.

"What? What's wrong?" Aspen asked, surprised. "What's happening to my broth- I mean, Trinyte?"

It's the Great Balance, Trinyte gasped, shuddering. It's gone.

"No!" the unanimous cry came from the humans. They did not need to fully understand the elemental links in Minami to realise the lack of balance would possibly signal a greater danger than the Guardian.

The Balance has finally suffered its last blow, and has vanished altogether... Trinyte whispered, still bent over. Aaah! It was a mistake, then. Even as he was, my brother prevented this. But he cannot, in death.

He cried again in pain and power, the sky darkening. The sun disappeared behind grey clouds, invisible behind the thick barrier.

I can't stop it! Trinyte cried, panicked. My power, it's too much! Slowly his form grew, rising from the ground, above the trees, where it hovered. Help me!

"We can't." Cedar whispered, sadness in her features as she gazed above at it. "You're not what you were before."

As if to emphasise her statement, Trinyte enfolded, viewing them with blackened eyes which seemed to suck in stray light. Pain... Power... perhaps they are the same. How can I feel so much pain? So much power? All should feel such pain, such power.

A black thunderbolt arced towards them, blackening the ground right next to Umbreon, who hissed at it, leaping backwards in surprise.

"We have to do something, Cedar!" Louisa shouted in reply. "Can't you link with it?"

Philippa pointed. "No." she whispered. "The trees. The trees all help him."

The humans' attention brought away from the Guardian, the emerald form had finally reached the center of the Silent Grove. It circled once, slowly, then turned its attention towards the Dark spirit in the air. And sang.

The trees sang with it; an unnamed melody which seemed to pause life.

"The trees..." Philippa said again, tears in her eyes. "They're easing the Dark one's pain, and welcoming the One Tree into life."

The Guardian raised its arms, still singing the strange monodic scale which the trees followed in perfect synchronisation. Its legs retreated into the earth, and Louisa felt she was experiencing deja vu as she watched them meld.

The belly and torso lengthened and widened, becoming solid, and its arms, brandished, split and became branches and leaves.

The thing that had been Trinyte seemed to be absorbed, negated, into the Guardian's left hand. Next, a beacon of light beamed from the sun and was absorbed into the right side.

The two spheres of power pulsed in synchronisation, before floating away from the Guardian's 'hands' towards the small island in the north where Aspen had met Omneon.

Now fully formed, the One Tree, guardian of Minami, cleansed the island. A blast of energy pulsed from the tree, bathing the forest in a greenish hue. The damage the dragons had done was suddenly no more, the land appearing to be once more safe.

And with that done, the One Tree fell into slumber.

Looking dazed, Philippa turned to Aspen. "What did I miss?"

"What do you remember?" Louisa laughed in reply. "You were still acting like a dumb tree until the very end."

"Maybe I don't want to know. Is everything okay now though?" Philippa replied, massaging her temples.

"No..." Aspen answered sadly. "Omneon and Trinyte both disappeared, and it's because of me."

"Don't be ridiculous." Robert said angrily. "Both brothers wanted you to free Omneon, because even they didn't realise they would disturb the balance that much."

<Humans.> came a silvery voice, the speaker invisible to them. <It's time for us to take you back to your own home.>

"Serebii!" Cedar said, surprised. "Are you here, too?"

The fairylike legendary shone with power as it floated towards them with a beaming smile on its face. <I thank you with the depths of my being. Perhaps you feel your presence here was not really needed; because you did not need to use your powers to their extremes. But it was your very existance here that allowed all to take place as it did.>

Philippa frowned. "Yes, I understand, but... I always thought the One Tree was like other trees; growing from a seedling."

Serebii's gaze moved from them towards the wide trunk of the One Tree. <The One Tree was in Minami all along. From the time humans first arrived here, however, it was in spiritual form as the Guardian. But long, long ago, yes it did grow from a seed; until its creatures needed its protection not only in physical form... and it changed.>

Philippa was the only one who nodded. "I've only heard a little, but if it as it's rumoured..." she remarked, a wondering gaze on her face.

<Cedar.> Serebii motioned, using the names for the very first time. <It is you who must ask the One Tree to show the memories of that day. You have a very special ancestor, and it is because of him that you hold these powers.>

"My... Dark powers? But I didn't know Ash was an Elemental!"

Serebii's gaze grew curious. <He wasn't. But he did have a power deep inside, not of the Elements however. He had the power of Aura, and because you are of his lineage, you do too. You are a throwback of one of the ancient powers humans accessed, which are all but nonexistant now.>

Cedar nodded. "What do I have to do access the power of Aura?"

With both hands, Cedar clasped the wide trunk, her expression serious. For a second, there was nothing; then, the Tree shone golden and green; its leafy crown far above their heads opening, revealing a spherical white light which expanded instantly; clothing the group in Aura power.

Serebii's voice continued, muted, as it explained further. <The Time Tree is far more powerful than the lesser Time Flowers; and is able to project a true, vivid image of the past; not just a shadowy memory... it is also able to project from a location far far away... do not move, humans. You will not be able to see your bodies now. Just watch, and learn...>

The young Pokémon lies sleeping on the grassy hillocks of the high beaches. Slowly, it awakens to some instinctual fear, and stares with wide eyes at the strange things in the distance.

It looks worried; clambering up onto its legs and trying to identify the floating things on the horizon. Perhaps they are Pokémon too? But then, what are the creatures on top of the Pokémon; brandishing flags and weapons?

It stands there, prone, unable to comprehend, until it can make out the sheen on the armoured Pokémon, and then, panicked at fear of the unknown, it dashes towards the safety of the forest.

Moving quickly through the branches, with the aid of vines, it reaches the centre of the island quickly. Though by now, so have the invading army reached the fringes of the northern forests, and are lighting fires on the beaches.

The One Tree is massive in its sight as it reaches its branches, but they are linked together by some strange bond, and he feels no fear as he speaks mind-to-mind with it, telling all he has seen.

The One Tree quivers, wary and ready. The trees tell it more as time passes; the pirates have entered the forests. They light fires on torches, dodging trees as they head towards the centre. One swings an axe; lodging it into the trunk of a soft-wooded tree.

Linked, the Pokémon feels first the shrill scream of pain from the tree, then the deep roar of fury from the One Tree. Energy blasts in circles, in a radial direction, but the energy is raw and unplanned; thus the fire nullifies it, and the army continues their march.

The frantic Pokémon clambers further up the trunk of the One Tree, holding the link between it and the desperate One Tree, which absorbs its form slowly into its wood. Aura melds with Flora.

The Tree shimmers, growing liquified, and slowly becomes transparent, changing shape into a mass of Flora Aura energy. Another Aura blast from the Tree from the centre to the very edges of Minami and the humans are annihilated.

The One Tree's Aura dissipates into the air, until the return of the humans again, hundreds of thousands of years afterwards...

Shocked beyond compare, Philippa broke her focus, ready to demand more and more information. But it seemed Cedar had already thought of it as she stood focused; her hair defying the laws of gravity as it floated above her head.

The scene changes abruptly; switching to the north island forest, which the group - save Aspen - have never seen. A Pokémon stands in the centre of the empty clearing, its eyes brilliant with the emotion of hate. Slowly its mouth moves, its paws flowing in a series of movements that Louisa can see must have been beautiful once; but are being used for the wrong purpose here, and thus are disturbing and jerky with ugliness.

Aspen gapes without a mouth as she remembers seeing this exact Pokémon; just as she had gained Omneon's Light power. There; the gem on its forehead was one and the same. She watches in horror as the Pokémon brings the Elements to its body with a ritual that they all feel was only meant for the Guardian.

It speaks words of ritualistic grace which snap from its mouth quickly, destroying any emotions of power the verse may have had originally:

The earth, rich in goodness, sinks beneath my feet,
The air, swirling freely around my presence, clears my thoughts.
I am here to recieve the age-old custom that will never cease.
The water, clean and clear, reflects to me my happy face,
Equalled by the powerful blaze of fire and pride.
The trees talk to me, the flowers and the grasses whisper,
Memories of powerful storms; mighty thunder and lightning.
Slowly the Elements come together; joining, creating a binding which enfolds me...
The clash of metal, the freeze of ice.
The vigour of life, the silence of death.
The sun and moon; yin and yang; dark and light.
Each takes their place.
And knows I command them.
And the Ritual ends. It is complete...
This is how it shall be forever.

The Pokémon laughs as it finishs the ritual with a wave of its two tails, only to then freeze; the smile on its face turning into a grimace of pain as the Elements bind themselves to its body, nullifying its link to the Light Element and warping its body to their own devices.

From the forest races Trinyte, only to stop at the edge of the clearing, horrified. What have you done?! he screams, unable to watch the changes in his brother yet knowing he cannot look away. Why?! My brother! Why, Sansol, why?!

I only wished for a little of each! So I could... be stronger... Sansol, his voice racked with pain, mutters. But now, I cannot even feel the Light inside me! Brother, help me! I want to be with the Light powers again!

Trinyte glares at him. Because you have done this, you are no longer my brother. You wanted to have everything, so now you are nothing. You are no longer Sansol. You are Omneon; all and nothing. You meant to bless yourself; but all you have done is cursed your body. I must go, now. It comes for you, to see what you have done.

In fear, Omneon turns from his once-brother, and feels the anger from the Guardian coming ever closer, wishing now only for death to take him as it should have done.

Aspen, fully drawn into the scene, shook her head as she watched the past fade before her, bringing her back to her senses. So, now she understood a little... Once she had freed the Pokémon, previously known as Sansol, from all the Elements which had lodged themselves inside his body, and expressed themselves outwardly; rather than being at the beck and call of Omneon; which Sansol had obviously hoped for, he had changed back into his Light form.

Before her, Cedar shifted again, wiggling her fingers without breaking contact.

Again the scene changes, before Omneon can stare into the angry betrayed eyes of the Guardian, and now they watch as it sits on a large stone temple, staring towards the main island; ignoring the young boy Trainer as he reaches towards its body. They watch as it snarls furiously, leaping for his throat; before becoming crystal as the light disappears from the forest, and smashing as it hits the ground.

Horrified, and unable to watch any more, Cedar broke contact. With wild eyes, she stared at each of her friends in turn; seeing the same expression mirrored in each of their faces.

<I had not known the story of the past had been so convoluted...> Serebii remarked, its voice weary. <and so I apologise for that. But Myuutsuu and I must take you back now. Aspen, they must bid goodbye to you and Minami. I think... they will never see you again, or the island. You exist in a time far greater than theirs.>

Myuutsuu appeared in a flash of lavender-blue light, eyes gleaming. <In which order will we transport them?>

"You came from the same place the army came?!" Aspen gaped. "I thought Minami was the only island!"

Myuutsuu stared at her. <Your ancestors came from where these humans live. They are the people that colonised Minami a very, very long time ago. Serebii? Will you show her?>

Serebii glared at Myuutsuu. <They have no place in Minami's past! I have no wish to change this present which we have so quested for. You will first take them back to Kanto, then I shall take them to their own time.>

<So be it.> Myuutsuu nodded. <They must be allowed to say goodbye to the island first, though.>

Cedar turned to Aspen. "In real time, you see, I'm going to be long dead before any word hits Kanto and Johto that there's a new island to be explored." Then she got a sneaky smile on her face. "That is; if I don't reach the Hidden Realm of power first; and gain immortality..."

"And with any luck, you can reach that level too with your Light power." Louisa smiled. "Who knows; you might meet each other again sometime in your travels." Turning her attention towards her other friend, Louisa smacked her head. "Argh! She's doing it again!"

Philippa's eyes were closed as her arms reached the One Tree and clasped it. "Thanks for saving us, and restoring the balance. Go with the trees, and in peace."

"I'll see you sometime," Aspen offered, unable to come up with anything else besides the quick goodbye phrase. And who knows? Maybe I will see them again, only time, or the lack of it, will tell... "Bye."

Myuutsuu's hand moved. Before Aspen could blink, the whole group had vanished; leaving her alone in the forest clearing hearing the wind move musically through the boughs of the One Tree.

Nodding once, she turned south, resolved, ready to make her way home and see her parents again.

The land was lush with grasses and blossoms as Cedar, Robert, Louisa and Philippa; plus Umbreon, materialised in the center of a meadow. Both Serebii and Myuutsuu appeared a second later, both of them starting at the sight of such verdant plains.

"Hang on a second... wasn't it a desert when we left it?" Cedar muttered.

In reply, Serebii laughed, surprised. <It's the Game of Time, human. It has come through, finally.>

Myuutsuu smirked. <I think some other God has pulled a prank on the God of Time! So, Serebii, maybe you aren't so all-knowing after all...>

Agreeing with the jibe, Serebii floated closer to the earth, curiously inspecting it as if it was just all an illusion. <I can't believe it though. We played the Game here in this land so many times to try and achieve only a little of what I see now; and to no avail. It seems only with the Game brought to Minami finally has Kanto flourished in the meantime.>

<Perhaps...> Myuutsuu frowned, looking around. <Perhaps, the Apocalypse... did not happen then? Surely... the land could not look like it does now, unless the victors were in fact fighting for the continuation of peace between humans and Pokémon...>

But here, Serebii interrupted him. <We are again disclosing too much to them.> Eyes suddenly brilliant with power, it motioned for them to gather around. <The humans must go back to their own time now. Myuutsuu; go with peace.>

The travelling was not as Cedar had remembered it. Perhaps it was because of the reverse direction they were heading. But as soon as Serebii slowed, she started to recognise the geography of the land again, until they were in fact standing as they had been when they were first whisked away.

Then, Serebii jerked, and with wide eyes, looked around. <No! Aagh, I've made an error of judgement and not gone far enough! Humans, hold on!>

How can it possibly tell?! Cedar thought, but was then shocked into fear as Serebii ripped desperately through the time barrier with them in tow, perhaps moving only a few minutes forwards, but it was enough to feel as if she had just ridden a brutal rollercoaster.

While she caught her breath, Serebii, disgusted with itself, shook its head. <They saw us. Clairviolence damn me; they saw us...>

Getting a sneaking suspicion in her head about who 'they' were, Louisa snapped, "Who? Who saw us?"

<Basically, you saw yourself,> Serebii explained, wincing at the strange impossible explanation.

Thinking back, Louisa twigged. "Yes! I remember that; that was when we felt our same powers in front of us but didn't know what it was! So right now, another version of the group is getting briefed?"

"I don't even want to think about it..." Robert groaned. "Time travelling is just too confusing... are you sure we're in the right time now?"

<Perfectly. And soon to face another challenge.> Serebii warned. <But Bubblejoy will be watching to see all goes well. I am free now to return to my forests. Go in peace.> Suddenly, Louisa's face grew blank, and her eyes widened. "Wait! Serebii, wait! What happened to Karda?"

Fading slowly, Serebii jerked back into their time and place, nodding to her. <Karda? Oh, your Dragon partner. Was he brought along to Minami also?>

Louisa nodded, still blankly. "He joined with the other dragons and became the Guardian." Then her face turned to one of horror. "Wait... does that mean I attacked my friend? Oh, Karda! Venir! Venir!"

<No, Louisa. Karda would have ceased to exist when he became the catalyst for the reforming of the omniescent Guardian. However, I understand that he is immortal, and cannot truly die. So, he will reform, and will join you again, given time. Do not worry.>

And then Serebii; Elfinwing; Voice of the Forest, departed; hovering above them, then simply vanishing.

Cradling the tiny creature in her arms, Aspen watched as the gem on its forehead sparked into life as it awoke, questing for milk with a plaintive cry.

It had appeared on her bed yesterday morning as she stretched, coming into full wakefulness, its innocent cub-like face curiously eying its surroundings. At once, Aspen knew what it was; Sansol having been born again into her care, although she did wonder how it was possible.

I know one day you will return to your place in the wild, she thought to herself. But until then, I will teach you all I know, and you can surely teach me too. But first... it's time for breakfast.

The End