#A mention of Dialga & Dusknoir

[scribz-ag24]

some stuff with the two gays

[cyber-streak-2]

Title: Saying Goodbye

[Spoilers for what happens at the end of PMD Explorers]

———

It was over. After managing to defeat Dialga, and putting the Time Gears back in, it was over. The Treecko and Cyndaquil partner were heading back down the path to get to the Rainbow Stoneship.

Rusty felt so relieved and glad that everything was going to be back to normal—no more time troubles—even if Dialga mentioned that everything would take a little while. Whisper had to be too, right? Rusty assumed it was.

Frankly, after everything that had been going on recently, the Cyndaquil just wanted to head back to Treasure Town—head back to the Guild—and relax with their sibling for a just a little bit before continuing with things. That sounded nice. Rusty was tired.

He was just beginning to remember all of the things that they had told Whisper that they wanted to do later after everything was said and done—some of which the Treecko had agreed to doing with the Cyndaquil. But... when it had spoken, it almost seemed... sad. Maybe it had been Rusty’s imagination.

What was there to be sad about? Rusty frowned... well—there was Dusknoir, he guessed—and the Cyndaquil knew how Whisper had grown attached to the Ghost type—considering him a father. Frankly, Rusty had felt the same.

Rusty continued down the long path, trying not to accidentally trip over their long scarf on the way. While they liked the scarf—especially due to it being a gift from his sibling—tripping was a bit of a common thing. Maybe they could try to adjust the scarf later.

Neither of them were speaking yet—but it was clear to each that they were both exhausted from everything—who wouldn’t be, after all that? However, Rusty happened to notice something else about Whisper, after glancing back at it a couple of times.

Sure, Rusty was exhausted, but it looked as if the Treecko was far worse—and unless it was Rusty’s imagination, every step that it took was slower than Rusty’s—and he swore that it was getting slower—but for the moment, it was still managing to keep up.

The Cyndaquil tried not to worry—maybe it was nothing. If Whisper was just tired, then there was no need to worry—once the two of them got back to the Guild together, the Treecko would get some good rest—Rusty would make sure of it.

If it was having difficulty walking from how exhausted it was, Rusty wished that he could carry it—he wouldn’t be against carrying their sibling—but that might be incredibly difficult—the Cyndaquil didn’t think he was strong enough to do so.

In all honestly, if it was the case, then Rusty was surprised that Whisper wasn’t like this a lot—how had it never collapsed from exhaustion? He never saw Whisper sleep—the Treecko preferred to stay awake, carefully watching over and protecting the sleeping Cyndaquil from anything.

When he couldn’t hear the Treecko walking behind them anymore—only hearing their own footsteps—Rusty frowned, and started to slow down. And, when he noticed some kind of golden light from the corner of their eyes, that’s when they stopped, and finally turned.

Whisper was standing there, a few feet away from Rusty—eerily still, a frown on it’s face. It was focused on it’s little sibling in front of it, but the Treecko couldn’t help but glance at the pieces of light every now and then.

Rusty just... stared. W-What? What’s all that...? Why is it doing that...? “W-Whisp...?” The Cyndaquil hesitantly spoke up.

“Whisp, w-what’s going on? Are you okay??” Rusty rushed over to the still Whisper.

“...Rust. I-... I’m so sorry about this..” The Treecko’s voice was always gentle—but, this time, it’s voice felt different—they’d never heard Whisper with this much gentleness or sadness in it’s tone. In it’s expression.

Before this, Rusty figured that the saddest Whisper ever sounded—that it ever looked—was when they both discovered what Dusknoir was truly up to. This took that moment’s place.

Rusty’s frown grew. “S-Sorry? Whisp, what... are you talking about? What- what’s happening? What’s going to happen?”

“Da-... Dusknoir told me earlier, if the future were to be changed, then the Pokemon- anyone from the future, would then disappear.” Whisper glanced at itself—its entire body was beginning to glow in a bright golden light.

Yes—it was a bit of a terrifying thing to think of—and Whisper didn’t exactly want to leave it’s sibling... or anyone, for that matter—but it was what was going to happen—and the Treecko had somewhat peacefully accepted that fact.

“Rust...” Whisper wiped at its eyes, feeling tears beginning to form. “I’m going to have to disappear, too. We’ll... have to say goodbye.”

A part of it did wish that it would be more of a ‘see-you-later’ goodbye—one where you leave after a visit, but you know you’ll end up seeing the other after some time—even if that time would be long. But, this was a different kind.

“N-No, no, no!” Rusty could hear their voice breaking. They moved closer than they already were, and immediately hugged Whisper—almost tackling it—but the Treecko managed to keep them both up while returning the hug.

“I-... I don’t want you to go, Whisp!” The Cyndaquil whimpered, “W-We’ve had so much fun together, right? A-and... and what would I do without you...? Y-You aren’t just my friend, Whisp, you... you’re like my older sibling.”

For the longest time, besides just wanting a friend—but not knowing how to make any—and being anxious—Rusty thought it would be nice to have a sibling. He didn’t have either. But, when Whisper arrived, they managed to get both.

Rusty continued as the tears began to leak—and, at the same time, he noticed how Whisper was taking its bandana and bag off—and carefully putting it around them. “I-I don’t know what I’d do without you, Whisp...”

“I-I want you to stay... there’s s-still so much we haven’t done yet e-either. I-I just want you to stay. There-... There...” The Cyndaquil tried to find the right words, but they weren’t coming to him.

Whisper sadly sighed, but the frown started to disappear—and in it’s place, was the tiniest of smiles. “Rust... you’ll be okay, I promise,” It started, “I know it’ll be difficult... but trust me. Just... just keep being the amazing explorer you are, okay...? Don’t forget me.”

There was so much more that the Treecko wanted to say—so much more that the Cyndaquil wanted to say—but, sadly, neither would get that chance.

Whisper knew it didn’t have much longer, and there wouldn’t be enough time to tell Rusty everything else—even if it was what the poor Cyndaquil needed to hear.

“Rusty.” Whisper started up again, it’s smile began to grow—although it was more of a sad kind. “I lov-“

Rusty listened quietly—waiting for their sibling to finish—but it would never get the chance to do so. In the golden light, Whisper disappeared. It was gone. It was gone.

They stared, looking around with widened teary eyes. No more Whisper. Whisper wasn’t here anymore. His sibling was gone. It... wasn’t going to be around anymore.

The Cyndaquil broke.

[billycorn]

New Dadnoir headcanon just dropped; Come and get it!

There are generally two ideas for how Hero, a human, ended up in the dark future.

1. Humans existed in the world and went into hiding after a global catastrophe wiped most of them out. Hero was one of the few who survived to see the paralysed future.

2. Hero lived in a different world and was brought to PMD world somehow.

Let's say 2 is correct and that it was Dusknoir who brought Hero over. Dusknoir's dex entries talk about it "taking lost spirits ... and guiding them home."

While doing his duty, Dusknoir stumbled upon a lost soul, adrift in the space between worlds. Dusknoir took the soul to PMD world, and Hero was born, a happy young human child.

Dusknoir spent years raising Hero, but Temporal Tower collapsed. Dusknoir set out with Hero, spending years investigating the cause and trying to correct things. Throughout this time, Dusknoir could feel himself slowly being consumed by the darkness (as mentioned happening to others in special episode 5). Being someone who could move between worlds, Dusknoir's powers lent him some resistance to the darkness, allowing him to retain intelligence, though his mind was slowly twisted. His memories became foggy, unclear, and self-preservation became his only goal.

Just before he was fully lost, Dusknoir entrusted Hero with a terrible burden, "My child, I can't stay with you any longer. The rest is up to you. I know you can do it. When the sun shines, we will be together again. Never doubt, I love you dearly."

So, Hero left, continued to investigate, eventually meeting Celebi and Grovyle. Meanwhile, the last of Dusknoir's mind was lost, and he began hunting the trio. Before losing their memories, Hero was acting on Dusknoir's last wish, so they could watch the sunrise together again. Learning that restoring the past meant the disappearance of all future pokemon, it broke Hero's heart because they knew it meant Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir would...

Then, the plot happens, Hero loses their memories, yadda yadda, but special episode 5; As Hero and Partner prevent Temporal Tower's collapse, Dusknoir begins to get his mind back and helps fight primal dialga. As the sun rises and Dusknoir begins to disappear, he begins to weep bitterly because he remembers his child and everything he did to them. Still, they succeeded, they did as he asked. He couldn't be more proud or more sorry.

[sincerely-sofie]

I just realized how crazy Opal’s family is on paper. Imagine you’re a greedy crook so you kidnap the child of the random Charmeleon lady who you know has more money than she lets on. Then you send a ransom letter and set up a dungeon so this Charmeleon woman can give you the money for her child back. It’s fool proof!

And then you find out said Charmeleon lady is not JUST a Charmeleon lady, she’s the lady who stopped the world from getting paralyzed with her friend. Okay, no problem. They probably haven’t fought in a serious battle for years. It’s still an easy job- oh she still goes into dangerous mystery dungeons and so does her previous partner Kip. Okay, startling, but you can still pull through on this- oh wait, Grovyle the time gear thief, Dusknoir the hit man, and the time traveling mythical Pokémon Celebi are also part of the family? They also care about this Charmeleon lady?? And they’d also be apoplectic about this? Okay, now you’re a lot more worried, but it’s nothing that hiring a few accomplices can’t handle! Wait. The father of the baby is the guy who actively tried to cause the planet’s paralysis? The one who managed to torment an entire town? And all have of them practically stared Dialga in the face and said “yeah I can win this/I have to win this” and actually did win? Or at least one of them caused Dialga’s insanity?

You now realize you have only a few options:

1. Lie to potential accomplices about who exactly you messed with because no one sane would look at the full implications of this and go “yeah let’s do it!”

2. Hope the Charmeleon lady won’t call for backup, and that said backup won’t find out and come anyways, therefore plan proceeds without a hitch.

3. Just give the baby back and apologize.

If you’re really greedy or desperate for money, you’d choose one of the first two options. Otherwise, you’d choose option three and run for the hills.

And that’s before said criminal realizes they kidnapped a baby legendary.

The best part of all this is that her family never talks about the craziness of their lives. So you think you're just kidnapping some rich lady's kid and then a brigade of highly competent, highly dangerous individuals come swooping in simultaneously, but the brigade is comprised of:

That old man who you saw agonizing over what cookware to buy at the market the other day and apparently knows how to corner people who are running from him with startling efficiency

A scrawny, ugly grass-type you crossed paths with at the clinic when he was getting some medicines for his chronic pain and who is also unbelievably fast and hits like a truck

A marshtomp who, despite having famously (and shamefully, according to many) retired from exploration, is arguably even more dangerous now despite his calmer occupation, because he knows everything about the ruins you’re hiding out in, including where all the traps are

The rich lady whose baby you stole and also has apparently BESTED MULTIPLE LEGENDS IN COMBAT with the help of that marshtomp we mentioned earlier, and is currently tearing her way through the countryside and rapidly closing in on your location

And two entire legends who are not only extremely capable on their own, but can destroy your psyche by showing you the exact location, date, and cause of your death (right here, right now, her disemboweling you personally with her bare hands) or locking you in a perpetual nightmare. Also that one over there is the baby's dad? Oh heck you're so dead—

AND THE BABY HERSELF IS A LEGEND WHO KEEPS TURNING INTO DIFFERENT ROCK + STEEL TYPES WHO WEIGH VARYING UNHOLY AMOUNTS AND IS SHRIEKING LOUD ENOUGH FOR ANYONE IN A 30 MILE RADIUS TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. OH HECK YOU'RE SO DEAD.

Beyond this scenario, imagine being an older Opal who's chilling with the fam during the holidays. Everyone is having a nice time hanging out and soaking in the good company. And then your uncle who cries whenever you call him Uncle mentions that he hasn't had this good of food since before his parents kicked him out of the house when he was a kid. You don't say anything, but you're extremely confused. Did he say he was evicted from his family home as a child? Maybe you misheard...

And then your other uncle says that he got the recipe from some bidoof during that window of time that your mom didn't exist. Your aunt nods sagely and says that it was very kind of the bidoof to share such a treasured family recipe with him during that time. He probably needed the comfort food while grieving his best friend.

At this point you are very much baffled by the conversation, and then your grandfather politely asks if we can stop talking about this, because he'd rather not be reminded of the fact that they all died when he's still finishing dessert.

Your dad then chimes in by saying he'd appreciate a topic change as well. His appetite is rather soured by the reminder of his part in their deaths.

You have never been more confused. And they all just move on to chat about the weather like nothing about what they said is absolutely unbelievable. So later you go to ask your mom about it and she has the audacity to reply:

TFW you’re finally old enough to comprehend The Family Lore™️

[eldragon-x]

🌄 sun-observer-xatu 🔁 sun-observer-xatu

🌄 sun-observer-xatu

🌄 sun-observer-xatu

ENOUGH ABOUT RESCUE TEAMS!!!!!!!!!!!! THE FUCKING COMET IS COMING

135 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

💜 awd-lady

wanted to make fun of rescue teams and ended up revealing that our local deity lives under a rock, this would be embarassing if it wasn't so funny

5 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

🌌 space

Anonymous asked: 👁️‍🗨️

DIALGA ALMOST DIED

NO THEY DIDN'T

12 Notes 🗨️🔁🤍

🌌 space

Anonymous asked: 👁️‍🗨️

I THOUGHT YOU LIVED AROUND GRASS CONTINENT? DIDN'T YOU BLAST DARKRAI AWAY? PALKIA????

I DID. I HAVE NOT RECIEVED WORD OF THIS BEFORE. HOW IS DARKRAI RELATED TO THIS?

35 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

🌌 space

lake-guardian asked: ⚙️

It turned out that Dusknoir came from a future where time stopped after Temporal Tower collapsed and he tried to make sure no one would bring the Time Gears to the tower to prevent this because it would cause the timeline he came from to never happen in the first place, basically.

68 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

💜 awd-lady 🔁 lopunnycharm

💜 awd-lady

I'm glad we're criticizing Team ACT for their recent stunt but ngl I think Rescue Team just suck in general

⚙️ lake-guardian Follow

#yeah we never really have anything like this with explorers here #or the adventure institute and the expedition society on the other continents for that matter

Actually, speaking as a Grass Continent resident:

The Great Dusknoir

Team AWD

Team Charm

Not to mention that Wigglytuff and Chatot exploit their guild members. Exploration Teams aren't without their issues.

⚙️ lake-guardian Follow

I just noticed that op is the leader of Team AWD.

🏅 expedition-society-official Follow

It's not perfect here either :/ Ampharos recently recruited two kids despite the rule that no children are allowed in the society that he established himself. He just revoked it on the spot.

- Mod Archen

🧠 team-act-alakazam Follow

So we agree Rescue Team bashing is pointless?

🤡 paradise-emolga Follow

🌌 space

WHAT DID DUSKNOIR DO

👻 meanies

Didnt a famous adventure team also forgive chasingafterhope for almost destroying the world?

🍃 paradise-virizion Follow

Why are Pokemon still on Munna's case?

💜 awd-lady

is that palkua

76.433 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

🍃paradise-virizion 🔁 paradise-dunsparce

🧠 team-act-alakazam Follow

Remember that the priority for a Rescue Team should always be to help out Pokemon in peril. It's not noble to turn down a request because you don't consider it important or don't find the reward fitting the deed. At the end of the day we're here to reach out a helping hand and support each other in this difficult time.

🤡 paradise-emolga Follow

570 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

[fujii-draws]

“#anyways come off anon and spread dadnoir propaganda w/ me (/J)” done and done.

How much time do you think Dusknoir spent with Hero and Partner? You know, training with them, mentoring them a bit, and then grabbing a smoothie at Spinda’s cafe?

It’s fine. He’s obviously just learning their habits and strengths and weaknesses, all while gaining their trust. It’s all for the job. Definitely. Never mind that tiny voice saying he should help them enjoy their last days, or that even tinier voice saying he’s enjoying himself.

And after he comes back from the future he mentioned something he learned about them offhand like “btw I saved you a Pecha berry because I know it’s your favorite”. On one hand, wow, he remembered that? On the other hand, how dare he remember that?

Also, I love the image of Partner being so desperate to help Hero that they become a threat to Dialga if left unattended.

I hope you know this ask absolutely destroyed me

[asimplearchivist]

𝓢𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓽

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ] [ AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST ] summary ✨ ⤏ After the events that took place on Vast Ice Mountain, Dialga has released Dusknoir of his duties as his henchman. Dusknoir, in the midst of a self-crisis, is taken under wing by Celebi and Grovyle. Dusknoir finally breaks, and Grovyle reassures him. Dusknoir finds out a couple things about himself that he didn't know before. ⤏ Alternative summary: my take on what happened directly after the fifth special episode, mostly influenced by my own pent up Dusknoir feels! :D Yay for angst! (Also, please guys, don't hate Dusknoir, he doesn't deserve it. He's a tender marshmallow.) pairing(s) ✨ (mentions of) hero & grovyle [nostalgiashipping] word count ✨ 2.5k a/n ✨ [header credit] [divider credit] ⤏ This is an old piece from 2016, when I last replayed Explorers, so with my recent resurgence I figured I might post it here for my new PMD moots. Considering this is six years old, please forgive my older, less polished writing; but I'm still fairly pleased with it. :) (That's also why it's not getting a dedicated Sunday post, but since it's Christmas I thought I might share something that most of my followers here probably haven't seen before.) ⤏ My hero's old name was Celina, so I changed it to the newly updated Eliana instead. Other than that, it's pretty much a time capsule haha.

This new, brighter future was, in all honesty, taking quite a lot more to get used to than Dusknoir had anticipated previously.

It had been a mighty triumph, incapacitating Primal Dialga to prevent him from tampering with the Passage of Time, the possibility of him ruining time just before it managed to begin to function again diminished to none when his massive legs had buckled beneath him after Grovyle had dealt the final blow. That triumph had been short lived, however - it hadn't been but a few moments before they all had turned to light and had disappeared; but, upon their almost immediate return, the immense relief of being able to breathe in the newly shifting air, to see the sunrise glowing in more colors than Dusknoir had ever seen in his life - it had robbed him of breath and had humbled him in such a way he doubted he would ever look at the sky the same way again. Whomever it may have been to preserve his and the rest of the future Pokémon’s lives, they would have his immense gratitude for the rest of his days.

Everything in that moment had been exhilarating - he had felt the wind, cold and biting, race past him, the sun shining in his eye so brightly that he quickly learned that he mustn't look at it directly, lest he be temporarily blinded - but then, after Dialga had been generous enough to provide them with a portal to return to the Hidden Land (now in the budding stages of returning to its past lushness and fertility), he had found himself in an unexpected state of absolute dumbfound ever since.

Given that Dialga was no longer under the influences of darkness and had no reason to bind them to his will, he had released Dusknoir and the Sableye of their past duties, and thus had turned Dusknoir away from the one thing that he had ever truly known - servitude. He had always served for someone else, and he had always had a strong sense of loyalty to those he did. But for lack of better terms, Dusknoir was now out of his realm of confidence, and honestly had no idea of how to go about his life from here forth.

Celebi and Grovyle had been surprisingly kind and generous to him thus far - while Celebi had offered to house Grovyle in one of her many homes, she had also extended it to him as well. It was a shallow cave, high up on a cliff face where no one would usually be able to spot it. Both Grass types fit easily enough inside - but if Dusknoir were to be completely honest with himself...he was not a very small Pokémon. At all. At least, compared to the other two.

Luckily, he was not quite corporeal at times, so he managed to squeeze inside and settle on the cave floor - hunched over, but he had something over his head, at least.

Grovyle set to work at pulling a few things from his worn Treasure Bag, a couple of differently textured rocks and a bit of dried leaves and tiny sticks, before he struck one rock upon the other. A few sparks flared from it and onto the small collection of dead vegetation, but it took a couple of tries to actually get it to start smoldering. Thin wisps of smoke danced up from it and Grovyle set to work at blowing on it gently, coaxing it into a small, dancing flame that cast a warm orange glow across the cold cave floor.

He glanced up at Celebi and murmured that she go gather a few smaller sticks to help build up the flames. She bobbed her head and soared out of the cave, her little wings flapping with determination.

Grovyle sat back on his haunches and released a long sigh, scrubbing at his face with his clawed paws. Dusknoir tried not to shift around uncomfortably, afraid his antenna would scrape against the ceiling.

"I thought Grass types were supposed to be wary of fire," Dusknoir, for lack of other words, tried to prompt.

Grovyle glanced up at him, his bright yellow eyes seeming to gleam in the fading sunlight. The smaller Pokémon’s strong reserve was back, the emotion he'd shown in the past day probably having drawn too much from him to offer much more.

It had been quite an exhausting day, even for Dusknoir himself. He understood that Grovyle was most likely exponentially wearier than he, especially considering the energy the ice pillars had drained from the Grass type. Dusknoir was amazed that Grovyle was even still conscious. (He had been lucky to have knocked him from the energy beams’ grip in time.)

“I learned many things when I met Eliana,” Grovyle told him, settling against the stone wall and folding his arms over his thin chest. His eyes shifted to gaze out of the cave mouth, the circles beneath darkening with shadows that the meager flames were pushing away. “Choosing to qualm simple fears was one of the first.”

Dusknoir hummed for lack of a response, following the Grass type’s gaze.

The sun was setting. A grandiose amalgamation of color painted the sky, oranges and pinks and lilacs mingling in a joyful reunion as the great burning ball of gold retreated beneath the distant horizon. Stars were beginning to appear, tentatively sparkling against the darker parts of the great canvas stretched out before them.

Dusknoir found that he was holding his breath.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Grovyle mused absently.

The Ghost type hummed once more in agreement, trying to take in as much of the view as possible.

“I…haven’t seen so many colors in my life,” he admitted softly. He felt Grovyle’s eyes rest upon him.

“You were in the past before,” Grovyle reminded him, his voice somewhat dubious. “Didn’t you ever stop long enough to look around you?”

Dusknoir fell silent, shifting uncomfortably and flinching a bit when his antenna brushed the stone above him. Grovyle huffed quietly, shuffling around in his Treasure Bag before holding out something in his paw. The Ghost type stared in puzzlement at the two Purple Gummis before looking back up to the Wood Gecko Pokémon.

“I picked these up before we went to Temporal Tower,” Grovyle explained, eyes still searching the growing darkness outside. “I didn’t want to let them go to waste, and I figured you were hungry after the day we’ve had.”

Dusknoir hesitantly took the small food items, eyeing them a bit before looking up at the smaller Pokémon. Honestly, how had this Pokémon’s attitude towards him changed so drastically? And why? What had Dusknoir ever done to deserve any sort of good will - and from Grovyle, who had been his target for months and who he had attempted to murder multiple times, no less? Why did he deserve any mercy? Why had he come back after disappearing? What good had he ever done, truly, to deserve to even be breathing? He’d been a twisted soul for most of his life, doing nothing but the morally bleak bidding for any master that offered him power…

…Had he really redeemed himself, in helping Grovyle and Celebi save the future? Or had he merely been a side note?

“…Dusknoir?”

The Ghost type startled back into reality, confusedly taking in Grovyle’s troubled expression. “Pardon me, I was…thinking.”

“Dusknoir…you…you’re crying.”

Dusknoir blinked, gingerly running a fingertip beneath his eye and drawing it away. When had his vision gotten so blurry?

Grovyle straightened, creases forming between his eyes in what Dusknoir vaguely recognized as his concern. “Dusknoir, what’s wrong?”

The Ghost type flushed in shame, attempting to swipe away the outward evidence of his inner conflict. “Nothing, nothing. I believe I may have gotten dirt in my eye.”

The Grass type was silent for a long moment, so long of a moment that Dusknoir glanced up to make sure that he was even still there. There was an odd expression on the smaller Pokémon’s face, one that looked to be a conglomeration of several at once.

“You’re beginning to doubt yourself,” Grovyle observed gently.

Dusknoir wondered when he had become so transparent. Metaphorically. He was a Ghost type. Conditional transparency came with existing.

“I’m not aware of what you’re implicating,” he rebutted dismissively, looking towards the end of the cave. It was much darker than before. Did the sun always set so quickly?

“You can stop lying, you know. I’m not going to judge you for whatever you’re feeling.” Grovyle’s voice had taken on a foreign gentleness, one that Dusknoir had only ever heard once before. It had been at the temple in the Hidden Land of the past, when the Grass type had retold Eliana of their doomed fate to disappear upon rescuing Temporal Tower. He’d gazed upon the human-turned-Eevee with such a tenderness that Dusknoir had, at the time, found it to be a sign of extreme weakness and idiocy. But, seeing how Grovyle had spoken of her throughout their adventure the past day, Dusknoir had clearly seen the true strength of their relationship shining through his words. They were extremely close, there was no denying that. They had endured much together, and it showed. Dusknoir just wondered how much it had hurt him to discover that she had lost all her memories of him.

“It is nothing that concerns you,” Dusknoir persisted, trying to ignore how his voice shook, quite involuntarily.

“Something is telling me otherwise.” Grovyle leaned towards him, scrutinizing him carefully. “You’re feeling something, that’s for sure. Feeling something is better than feeling nothing at all.”

Dusknoir growled beneath his breath, but it was weak. “You certainly are persistent.”

Grovyle chuckled lightly. “How do you think I’ve managed to live this long?”

The Ghost type stared at him, clenching his fist around the Gummis and heaving a shaky sigh. “I am…confounded.”

The Wood Gecko Pokémon raised a brow.

Dusknoir looked back towards the mouth of the cave. The sun was completely concealed by the distant horizon, and the colors were beginning to drain into a deep indigo. “As you are well aware, I…have not had many good accomplishments in my life. I sought nothing but power, strove to gain it by any means, and…I have done nothing but serve for the betterment of darkness. I did hunt you and Eliana down, I attempted to attack you, then I pursued you into the past…” Dusknoir drew his shoulders in, folding his arms tightly over his chest and shrinking into himself. “I very nearly killed you multiple times, with clear malice exhibited constantly, but you still found it in yourself to grant me pity. Why?”

Grovyle fell silent for a very long moment.

“Dusknoir,” he began slowly, “have you ever felt true hate for someone, ever, in your life?”

The Ghost type was taken aback. “Pardon?”

The smaller Grass type raised a brow and Dusknoir averted his eye.

“No,” he said hesitantly, “I don’t believe I have.”

“Have you ever strongly disliked someone?”

“A few. Where are you going with this?”

“Do you dislike them because you think they wronged you?”

“I do, but I don’t know what you’re-”

“How difficult would it be to forgive them?”

Dusknoir squinted at him. “Excuse me?”

“How difficult would it be for you to forgive them?” Grovyle repeated.

Dusknoir studied him, recollecting his past resentments and grudges. It would, admittedly, be very difficult to forgive some of the things that other Pokémon had done to him before. He sighed deeply. “Very.”

“But could you find it in yourself to forgive them?” he asked.

Dusknoir thought a moment. “I…suppose so. Why are you asking me this?”

“Eliana once told me,” Grovyle said, “that part of the reason so many Pokémon have become twisted as they are is because they were cold-hearted to begin with. Refusing to forgive others can result in constructing a wall of bitterness that will block you off from anything good, and hatred can make that wall much harder to tear down. But if you’re willing to forgive, and to keep bitterness from building up, then you can in turn better yourself.” The Wood Gecko Pokémon eyed him neutrally. “Dusknoir, despite what you said during our journey about despising me, I didn’t believe you. You couldn’t truly hate anyone - it’s not in your nature, and I sensed that. The only reason you ever felt any kind of malice to begin with was due to where your loyalties lay, but when you began to realize that there was truly no reason to possess such mal intent…”

He smiled softly, glancing out towards the quiet dusk outside. “That’s when you began to question what you’d known. That’s when you began to feel guilt. But that’s also what’s proving to me that you are a good Pokémon, Dusknoir.” Grovyle continued, leaning forward, “The fact that you are feeling guilt and that you are questioning yourself tells me that you aren’t twisted, you aren’t a bad Pokémon - you were just a little misguided. You are a good Pokémon at heart, and I want you to realize it.”

Dusknoir looked away, pulling his shoulders inward and trying to fight the hot sting beginning to blur his vision.

“Your shining spirit,” Grovyle said softly. “It’s always been there. It was just hidden for a long time.”

“Grovyle…” Dusknoir swallowed thickly, folding his arms tightly over his chest. His dignity was in shambles, but picking up the pieces didn’t seem as mortifying as he might’ve thought. “…you’re deluding yourself.”

The Grass type chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Celebi about this.”

The Gripper Pokémon grunted, swiping at his eye just as the beat of tiny wings made itself faintly known. He could hear Celebi’s grunts of effort, and Grovyle shifted to his feet, moving towards the cave mouth.

“Dusknoir…”

The Ghost type looked towards him, taken aback by the almost amused smile plastered across the Grass type’s face.

Grovyle tilted his head towards the outside world. The sun had completely receded below the horizon, the sky a deep navy, and stars were twinkling brightly against the dark expanse. “Welcome to the future.”

Dusknoir watched him exit the cave and disappear around the mouth’s edge, and after a moment he heard his and Celebi’s voices mingling, her tone obviously grateful as Grovyle must’ve been taking a part of her burden.

This new, brighter future would take a lot more to get used to than Dusknoir had anticipated previously, but he felt that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. If this, finding himself, was just the beginning, then he looked forward to everything else that awaited him. There were many things that would need to be done as time transitioned into functioning properly again, many responsibilities to take up, but Dusknoir was ready for the challenge. He was much stronger than before. He was sure of that.

He and his shining spirit.

[vivat-veritas]

God Dusknoir is such a good character.

There’s something I didn’t mention in the video since it didn’t seem overly important for the topic, but I think it’s so good to understand Dusknoir’s character.

When Dusknoir and Grovyle come back from the future, one of the first lines Dusknoir says is “I just don’t want to disappear. That’s all, I just don’t want to disappear.” It’s a fascinating look into his character and really sets the stage for everything that happens in SE5. It really compares well to Grovyle mentioning that he has such a loyal heart, but he’s chosen to align with Dialga because he’s afraid of disappearing. Dusknoir really isn’t that evil, he’s just afraid. We even see it when we first get to know him - sure, he’s here to stop Grovyle but he doesn’t have to be nice to everyone. It definitely helps, sure, and just by coincidence it teaches him about us, but I can’t help but believe that he does hold some fondness for the ordinary people of the present. Like, saving us from the Luxio/Electrike just isn’t something he has to do, though it is technically beneficial to him in a somewhat roundabout way.

Regardless, it really highlights the fact that Dusknoir is primarily motivated by fear. He just doesn’t want to disappear. That’s all. And Grovyle knows that just being like “oh dusknoir is evil time to fight” like in the present where it’s more feasible won’t work in the future. He knows that Dusknoir can be changed, he’s seen his shining spirit, and he targets that fear that Dusknoir has which inevitably changes him.

I love Dusknoir man.

[the-present-is-a-gift-au]

Chapter 35: In Which Twig Falls Apart

Of course she crossed paths with Darkrai while out on her walk. He wasn't just some hazy presence in the shadows of the forest, either— he was visible as any tree or fern on the trail, hands clasped and subtly wringing ever so slightly as he stood off to the side of the path. He perked up when he saw her, and she immediately turned on her heel and made for home. 

“Twig, if I may have a word—” he began. 

“Nope. Not in the mood to deal with you right now, sorry man.” 

“You’ve been worrying me. I am not fool enough to turn a blind eye to how you carry yourself or how you behave when faced with danger. Will you not answer me and say if you are well? Truly?”

Twig stopped dead in her tracks as she registered just what he'd said. “Did you tell Kip to worry about me wanting to off myself?”

Silence. 

“Great. Great! Wonderful. I can't face him knowing that. Awesome.” She gritted her teeth and took in a long, slow breath. “Why'd you even care? Isn't that kind of the whole point, at least with your plan to rule a world of darkness or whatever? You wouldn't have to lift a finger if I did the deed myself, right—”

“My plans have changed significantly,” he said abruptly, cutting her off. “I find little appeal in ruling much of anything nowadays. The thought of you doing yourself harm is— it's— I take no pleasure in it. It's sickening to think of.”

That gave her pause. Maybe what Celebi said was true, then, if Darkrai wasn't plotting to take over the world again. She changed his mind. But no sooner had those four words entered her thoughts than a bitter sneer found its way onto her face. “I'm pretty sure it's not sickening to think about the world being a better place without me, but okay,” she grumbled. 

Darkrai's gaze snapped to her. “Why do you find that so hard to believe?”

She quirked a brow, looking him up and down. 

“I'm aware that I— I meant with your kinsfolk. I've witnessed your refusal to believe they carry affection for you like they would any other. You've convinced yourself that they're better off without you— I know it too well from what I've seen of your nightmares. Why?”

She squared her shoulders and shoved past him, calling over her shoulder as she turned back home on the path. “Because they are better off without me.”

“They aren't. Grovyle fears your death more than his own.”

She ignored the sting of tears in her eyes. “That's literally just Grovyle. He's like that with everybody. Even the mailman.”

“Celebi sees you as a family member worthy of any sacrifice necessary.”

“Celebi was willing to die to bring back a sunrise she wouldn't get to see. She's sacrificed it all already. It doesn't mean anything to give it up twice.”

“Dusknoir sees you as his own.”

“Dusknoir is everyone's weird wannabe-dad. I'm not special that way.”

“Kip is clearly—”

At the mention of her partner's name, Twig rounded on him. “Don't you dare say anything to me about how Kip is glad to be my friend, or he couldn't bear to live without me, or whatever garbage you're going to pull out next. I know that. I know he was shaking in his boots at every moment when we met. I know I changed that for him. But I also dragged him into my mess with— with almost getting him killed by Grovyle or Dusknoir or Dialga, and lying to him about me being erased from time because I didn't want to see him be sad about it, and dragging him around time and space with me until he wasn't able to evolve for years. Kip might need me, but he doesn't deserve me. He doesn't deserve the world's most lousy excuse of a person as a partner. He doesn't deserve someone who didn't want him to leave on his dream expedition for a couple years because she was scared of how she'd handle living on her own. He doesn't deserve—” Her voice broke, and she struggled to find the words she hated most to say. 

Darkrai watched her pityingly. Something in her ate that up— the fact she was being seen, and seen as something worthy of sympathy even in all of her wretchedness— and something else in her hated the fact that she was stirring up any sense of sadness in someone. That hatred fought hard to come out on top, but the hungry, sorrowful thing inside her lurked close to the surface. 

“Kip doesn't deserve someone who's as messed up as I am dragging him down,” she finally said. 

“I believe he'd beg to differ.” Darkrai’s wide-eyed, worried stare narrowed. “You seem to think very little of the people you call your closest allies, if you believe they bear no affection for you or act in ill-judgment if they do.”

Twig looked away, tears pricking at her eyes. “Shut up.” 

“Do you truly hold so little faith in their words when they say they wish you well?”

“I said, shut up—”

“Why do you act as though they hate you?” 

“Because they should!” Twig shouted. Darkrai flinched back at the ferocity in her words, and something about that made a shard of hurt lodged deep inside her stir with the urge to give chase. “Because I'm the worst thing that's ever happened to any of them! If it weren't for me, they'd be living happily and without a single worry, but they're not! Because of me! Because I'm stupid and selfish and can't get it through my thick skull that they're better off without me, so I hang around and hurt everyone even more than I did the last time I opened my mouth!” She threw her arms wide in a furious motion. “But apparently they're all too stupid to hate me themselves, so I'm the one who needs to hate myself enough that I stay in line and don't be such a useless burden that they realize I'm not worth keeping around!” 

Silence. 

Twig ground her teeth, torn between preening at the sorrowful look Darkrai was giving her or throttling him for giving her it in the first place. She returned her arms to her sides, balling her hands into fists, and turned to leave when a new voice caught her attention. 

“Do you really think that?” 

Twig looked up. 

Oh. There was Dusknoir, Celebi, Grovyle, and Kip— all standing just a ways off from her on the path. Apparently they came to check on her together. Apparently they overheard her spitting those awful things and spilling her guts, and now Grovyle wanted to know if it was the truth. 

She pursed her lips, considering her answer. “It’s true, isn’t it? I’m not… I’m not worth keeping around. I’m not…” Her face screwed up as she began to cry, unable to hold back her tears. “I’m not someone worth caring about, and it’s dumb to think that, but I can’t stop, and… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m being annoying, I’ll stop, just give me a minute—“

Grovyle stepped forward once, twice— put out his hand and then pulled it back, unsure of how to help despite feeling pulled to it. 

“How can I help?” He asked. 

Twig felt something raw and bloody in her gut itself to get the words out of her mouth. “… Could I have a hug?” 

He opened his arms. Twig met him halfway as he shakily stepped toward her, and she wrapped her arms around him in a numb sort of echo of what a hug should be. His hand trembled as he rubbed small circles between her shoulder blades, then tucked her head under his chin and pulled her closer. 

For the first time since that awful day her past crawled out of its grave and back into her head, another memory returned to Twig. This one was new, foreign in its familiarity and how well it felt like it fit in an empty place in her chest.

(She was scared of the sableye running outside of their hiding spot in search of the trio of fugitives, unable to sleep for her terror at the thought of being discovered, and Grovyle held her like he was now. Twig had felt safe back then. Nothing scary could get her. Not while Grovyle was around. She fell asleep certain everything would be okay as long as they were together.)

Twig wept, then cried, then bawled. There were no words for her to say. What was there to be said? Right now, she had Grovyle to hold her as she wailed and sobbed like a little kid, and Kip rushing over to join the embrace. She didn't care if people were looking at her. She didn't care that Darkrai had vanished soon after everyone arrived and she didn't know where he disappeared to. Nothing mattered right now except for that raw, bloody, hurting thing inside her being washed clean by the tears she shed in her friends’ arms. 

Maybe she wasn't a burden. It didn't seem like you'd hold a burden like she was being held right now. It hurt to think about for too long— that raw thing inside her still sensitive and painful— but maybe she could sometime later. 

Much later. 

She still had so many more tears to shed, and it didn't seem like Grovyle or Kip were letting go of her any time soon.

[defendglobe]

one of my silly future polycule ideas is that celebi uses he/she/they pronouns and likes when people switch it up from time to time.

so when grovyle mentions "his partner" while using he/him pronouns, dialga or whoever has to figure out whether he means dusknoir or celebi.

and its harder than it seems because both of them are dramatic as fuck.

[lovepmd]

I never seen anyone mention how in EoS only two characters ever fully died from time being fixed(Hero and Dusknoir). Grovyle and Celebi were still in the process of it when Arceus(or whoever) saved them.

........

......hmm

you're not wrong about that?? i mean they were RIGHT about to disappear i believe, but still

and with time being a weird thing in the game in the first place, i really am curious on how it felt for hero. did it feel like months had passed or did it feel like they blinked and they were back on the beach?

didn't dialga disappear first? and then dusknoir? makes enough sense for dialga in order to get a full reset

but still, you're right, i don't think i've seen anyone bring that up

[wishfxljikan]

The Master-Post of my Future Trio, because I said so, take it with a grain of salt because dynamics are still pending... after all this time.

Eir (Celebi) - She's the Bisexual Icon, I mean, she's got two hands and neither Seker (Dusknoir) and Silvanus (Grovyle) are taking them. - No offense to her, of course. - Silvanus' impulse control and emotional support for his long standing depression and reckless/suicidal tendencies. - And Seker's support for getting them back on their feet - Mother Hen - IS NOT actually interconnected with Nabu (Dialga), and is constantly correcting those who think that way. - Tea Collection, her private quarters in the Hall of Origin is quite literally half Tea-Shop half her actual quarters. - Is the reason Silvanus is an avid tea drinker. - Is also the one who called Osiris (Darkrai) out on their bullshit, not believing Silvanus was dead when they originally tried to torment them into despair

Seker (Dusknoir) - Ran away from his guilt for the following months after Special Episode 5 and after the three of them defeated Primal Dialga - Named his Sableye after literary/media Tricksters and Thieves - "Irene, Eris, Loki, Raven, Gambit, Fillibus, Flynn and Kasumi" - Asexual, He's curious on the romance but only views Eir as a friend and.. doesn't know if Silvanus can ever forgive him - Didn't actually want to kill Silvanus fully, only wanted to make him weak enough to fight back - Guilt-ridden when he attempted to go out with this (Special Episode 5) and got struck with Silvanus being the most gentle, but smartass of a Grovyle out there despite their serious-somehow well mannered nature - Needs nigh constant validation at times because of his guilt - Oddly Sentimental over time given Eir and Silvanus' opinions of him.

Silvanus (Grovyle) - Gay as hell - Eir is quite literally the only reason he stayed sane while in the dark future when he was a young Grovyle, after he lost his only friend (Lendys) - Lendys, as a side, wasn't ever human, humans don't exist in this timeline at all, and was a Charizard - Was only 24 when Silvanus began his mission in the past, and was already pushing his depression and suicidal thoughts/tendencies to the side when his mission had started, alone. - Osiris (Darkrai) successfully manipulated him into believe Eir and Seker were dead - Is the in universe creator of many of the songs in Explorers of Sky, specifically (Through the Sea of Time, In the Morning Sun, and DIalga's Fight to the FInish) - Used Music and Singing as his main coping mechanism through the trauma and the pain - Suffers with Relapses of Nabu (Dialga's) Roar of Time being used that much during the past and the present fights against Dialga and Primal Dialga - Ended up working closely with Arceus and Dialga to ensure safety and stability of other timelines, eventually putting him through many adventures and calamity-saves, and eventually becoming Nabu's Champion - Because of his constant in and out through the Hall of Origin, Silvanus has his own private living quarters in the Hall as well, it is his safe space, whether he's having a relapse or just needs time to himself to relax. - 38 when he reunited with Eir and Seker - Eir smothers him with validation and helping him find more healthy coping mechanisms, getting him into tea and becoming more inclined to come out about his insecurities - Seker crafts him little intricate gifts, and Silvanus reminds Seker that he's forgiven about the past - Silvanus is VERY VERY scarred up, mentioned in this post here - He still usually puts others first before himself, and is still tirelessly reckless despite everything he's gone through, you'd think he's learned to be smart about this - Despite this, when he eventually teams up with Eir and Seker, he's the team's fighter and strategist, though Seker usually helps him on the strategy, and.. they both have to run it by Eir in the end.

[scalproie]

hmmm ok for the ask game, i'll start with something broad -- top five villains

Ok so I sat there all afternoon thinking about it and what would I think would qualify as a villain to begin with because a lot of characters have antagonistic roles but dont really feel like "villains" to me, so I decided that in this ranking, it would be characters that have a villainous role from beginning to end of their story, so even tho Dusknoir would probably make the top 3 in the first place because I love surprisingly deep written characters, he's not in that ranking. Same goes for Vergil, I don't have any excuse to put him in just because I love him. ANYWAY:

1) As villainous villains go, my boy Metal Face from Xenoblade Chronicles, love his design, love his voice, has no morals nor redeeming qualities, Xenoblade's very own Starscream, I enjoy him immensely and I always smile when he's on screen even tho this is the worst person ever

2) Tai Lung and Shen Kung Fu Panda share the spot, idk what to tell you that I havent already, I think they are really solid villains in general, Tai Lung has my emotional bias and I think Shen is genuinely the best villain of the trilogy

3) Gore Magala. "But Dam, aint that a monster from famous game monster hunter 4 ultimate?" Correct! But by monster hunter standards, Gore (and its adult state Shagaru Magala) shine in being the one flagship monster that has kind of a solid story to back it up. I love the final cutscene just before the fight with Shagaru and I ADORE Gore's edgy design, it screams villain.

4) Shockwave, I wouldve put Soundwave for his design (specifically tfp) and because he is so cool but he got redeemed there and there so Shockwave it is. I love the continuities when he's a fucked up mad scientist and when the focus isnt particularly on him, think tfp or cyberverse. I think he's neat idk why!

5) General Grievous. He's.... He's pretty.

[drainbangle]

After replaying PMD2 again the partner-Dusknoir parallels make me feel insane. Like prior to their respective leaders inspiring them to better themselves, cowardice is one of if not the most debilitating flaw of theirs. It’s what initially keeps the partner from pursuing what they want (guild apprenticeship) and Dusknoir complacent in doing terrible things as Dialga’s right hand.

Not to mention their leaders have utmost faith in them as partners, with Darkrai’s illusion that the partner betrays you, and Grovyle still believing Dusknoir is, at his core, a good person even after he gets betrayed (albeit, for real on Dusknoir’s part).

They also make the decision to live fulfilling lives because of their leaders, but for the partner, because it's the protag's last wish, and for Dusknoir, because Grovyle inspired him to.

[eldragon-x]

Until the End of Eternity

Celebi struggles with her own immortality. She tries to get help from Dialga and Arceus.

Dialga’s dialouge is written “like this” instead of caps to make it easier to read.

Warning: talk about death, mentioned deaths

2057 Words

It had been several hundreds of years since the future was fixed. Celebi was currently riding on Lapras’ back towards the Hidden Land.

This morning, she brought a new calendar since the new year recently started. She looked through her previous calendar so she could accurately mark all the days in the new one, but her head was starting to spin. 

It just started with Grovyle and Dusknoir. The trio would always mark their birthdays in the calendar so the others would remember. Celebi continued to mark their birthdays even after their deaths to visit their graves each year. As time went on, Celebi made new close friends and lovers who all came and went with the passage of time. Evertime, she would mark their birthdays to visit their graves each year.

After marking more and more birthdays, visiting several graves a day almost each day of the year, she didn’t know why it only hit her now. She just sat there sobbing while flipping through her old calendar, remembering all the Pokemon she had dedicated the symbols in the various colors to. She didn’t even cry out of grief for these Pokemon, she rather grieved that she has become so numb to it all. It has been years since she stopped making close friends, but she never felt so isolated as she did in this moment. 

Of course she thought about spending more time with fellow Legendaries, but she never felt very aligned to them either. She was only surrounded by mortals in the dark future as Dialga and Arceus were the only other immortal beings that still existed in that timeline, and she physically aged faster than other Legendaries due to the unusual circumstances of her creation. Besides, wouldn’t she eventually grow tired of only being around the same handful of Pokemon all the time too?

Of course she thought about traveling through time to see her loved ones again, but how would that solve her problems? She knew they were to die eventually. She knew what lives they had led. Besides, she would likely just end up messing up the past.

Celebi had long run out of fulfillment to her far too long life.

So she decided to visit Dialga today to talk with them. Even the Lapras bringing her to the Hidden Land wasn’t the one she first knew, but a descendant. 

-

Celebi was already greeted by Dialga when she reached the top of Temporal Tower.

“It has been a while, Celebi. I’m glad to see you again.” they said in their usual powerful tone.

“I’m sorry for not coming by more often, but I need to talk to you about something.” she quickly responded. She hoped Dialga wouldn’t be too disappointed, but with the state of her life, she didn’t really have the energy to visit them as much.

“What is it?” Dialga asked.

“Well… There were many Pokemon that were important to me throughout my life, but they always eventually died. They’ve piled up so much that it overwhelmed me and… I just don’t know how to deal with this.”

“Celebi… Have you ever talked to your therapist about your grief?”

My therapists, she thought, but didn’t say it out loud.

“Yes I have, but that’s not really the problem. I just don’t know anymore what point there is to get to know Pokemon when I always know it will just end like that. I mean, it’s not even just that. I don’t know what to do with myself either. Everything has become so repetitive and bland to me.” Celebi sighed before she continued speaking.

“I only lived to restore Temporal Tower in the dark future. I was so glad that I got to live without a purpose to fulfill. Why can’t I find any more meaning to my life now like I did then!?” she asked, frustrated.

“I can’t answer a question like that for you. All I can say is that life’s meaning is what you yourself define it to be.” was Dialga’s response.

“I just wanted to enjoy my life after all I put up with. But I’m tired, Dialga. Why am I doomed to live for eternity while everything around me gets to change and move on?” 

“Change is part of the world and life, Celebi.”

“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.” she interrupted them before they could say anything more. “Why am I not allowed to just die?”

There was a moment of silence.

“...You’re right, a Pokemon like myself will never understand how you feel, but I believe that is something you will need to discuss with Arceus. I can’t help you with this matter, as much as I would like to.” 

Celebi hesitated before she spoke up again. “I’m sorry for getting upset with you. I know you mean well. I’m not sure why I even came here.”

“Please don’t worry. I didn’t mean to upset you, even if it was just a misunderstanding on my part.” Dialga reassured her.

“...Before I go to Arceus, can I stay here for a bit longer? I think I just need to be with someone right now.” she said in a quiet tone.

“Of course.”

Celebi landed on the ground to sit down. She took a few moments to think before she asked the Pokemon before her: “How come you’re so unaffected by the constant change around you?”

Dialga didn’t need to think about the answer. “The very universe has changed around me since birth. I took part in its creation after all. I assume it helps that I spend much of my time in Hidden Land too. But…”

The deity hesitated which earned them a questioning look from Celebi. Noticing that, they continued.

“I have known many mortal Pokemon, but none on such a personal level as I knew Dusknoir. When you two visited me a few days before his death, I felt an emotion that was unfamiliar to me throughout my long life.”

Dialga sunk their head, closed their eyes and frowned. Celebi had never seen them with such a sad expression before. They kept their head down and their eyes remained closed as they spoke again.

“I know my influence on his life was mostly negative, but it brought me joy to see him move past his fears and hardships, and become a better Pokemon with a happier life. I still regret not telling him just how important he was to me then. I have never grieved for a mortal Pokemon like I did for him.”

Celebi was visibly worried which Dialga took note of once they opened their eyes again and raised their head a little.

“If you worry that your death may weigh heavy on my heart too, please don’t. We both may be Legendary Pokemon whose lives have been permanently affected by the time paralysis, but still we’re both very different. I am to stay around and do my duty while fighting my struggles, and I am happy to live to do so. But you are to do what is right for you. You deserve to rest, Celebi.”

She didn’t think much before flying towards Dialga and giving their neck a hug. They allowed it.

“I didn’t know you felt like this, but I thank you for your approval. I don’t know if Arceus would be willing to help me though.”

“You are an unique case, so it is worth a try. If today is the last day we see each other, know that I will hold you in my memory as I and many others did for your companions.”

Celebi nodded before she let go of Dialga and flew further away from the Pokemon to look them in the eyes. “Thank you. Goodbye Dialga.”

“Goodbye Celebi. I’ll let Arceus know that you wish to speak to them.”

-

When Lapras returned Celebi to the beach nearby her house, she spotted an unusual Pokemon sitting in the sand on it’s own. It had massive wings, a long tail and was primarily red and black. They followed Celebi with their gaze and walked up to her once she got off Lapras.

“Are you Celebi?” they asked.

“Who is asking?” she responded.

“You’re right, I should introduce myself first. My name is Yveltal. Arceus requested I wait here for you and bring you atop Destiny Tower to meet them.” the winged Pokemon explained.

Yveltal looked like a Legendary Pokemon, but Celebi had never heard of it. She wondered what their role might be, but she supposed it wasn’t relevant to the situation. They were approachable and wanted to help her, which was all that really mattered.

“Thank you, that makes things easier for me. Let’s go right away.”

Yveltal nodded and waited for Celebi to get on their back. She tried to find a secure way to sit on them and grabbed the fur on their neck. They waited patiently until she was ready before they rose into the sky.

-

The flying Pokemon let Celebi down on the summit of Destiny Tower before they flew off and made large circles around the tower, likely so Celebi can talk to Arceus on her own. As expected, they were already waiting for her, standing nearby the statue in their own image.

“Dialga has already informed me. You wish for your life to come to an end?”

“Yes, I do.” she answered, trying to sound confident, ready to counter any argument against her. She was surprised to hear what Arceus said next.

“I will grant it to you. But first allow me to apologize once again for not taking your emotions into consideration, Celebi. I have only created you as a tool and have not considered the long-term effects of your circumstances even after apologizing for that. I understand if you do not forgive me. I only hope putting your life to an end will make the pain I have caused you easier, and that you can look back at your life with joy.”

For a moment, Celebi didn’t know what to say. She always felt rather bitter about Arceus, so she didn’t expect them to help her. But she wasn’t going to complain. “I want to be gone by tomorrow morning.” was all she could say.

Arceus gave a light nod with their head. “You shall be. If you have unfinished business, now is the time to get it done. Farewell Celebi, and may you find peace.”

“...Goodbye, Arceus.” were the only words she left for the Pokemon in front of her before turning her back to them.

Yveltal noticed that the two were done with their talk and landed on the tower again to pick Celebi up. For a moment, they stared at her in a mixture of shock and surprise before briefly turning their head to Arceus. Celebi raised an eyebrow at them.

“Is something the matter?” 

Yveltal decided to shrug it off, whatever it was that caught their attention. “Oh, it’s nothing. Excuse me, it was rude of me to stare. Will you find your way if I return you to the beach?”

“Yes, I live nearby.” Celebi said while securing herself on the back of the other Legendary again. They took off without another word.

-

Celebi thanked Yveltal for flying her and returned home. Her old and new calendars were still where she left them this morning, not that it mattered anymore. There were only two things she still wanted to do.

First she wrote a letter explaining her current situation and a will, stating that she wants all her possessions to go to whoever may need them, and made her way to the Pelipper Post Office to send both writings to the local undertaker. They should receive her mail by the morning.

Second, she stayed outside until sunset. Despite it all, she still held an appreciation for the sun. The moment when she first saw it rise and felt the warmth of it on her skin was one she could never forget.

Only after it went dark, Celebi went back inside. She went straight to bed and took a moment to cry in relief. She grew so tired of her eternally ongoing life that it made her glad to know it would be over soon. After a while, she managed to calm down and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

[fujii-draws]

I just replayed the fifth special episode and :) the scene where dusknoir saves Grovyle from the soul sucking ice :) just gets me :) every :) single :) time :)

there’s just something about Grovyle fully confessing his trust in dusknoir, causing him an instant existential crisis, almost dying in the process, getting saved last minute, but so weak that he can’t even move or do anything

then dusknoir’s Instant Regret™️ in doing so (bc you can’t tell me that in his head he wasn’t terrified bc primal dialga showing up out of nowhere and beating him almost to death wouldn’t have made him second guess himself and his split-second, last second decision to save his nemesis)—and dialga would have killed him if he hadn’t been stunned by time starting again! Dusknoir must have known that dialga would have reacted violently, so he was absolutely prepared to face the consequences for saving him, even if he wasn’t conscious of it at first

And I just…dusknoir telling the other sableye to take care of Grovyle and celebi…while he himself was undoubtedly hurt beyond measure (combined with the other injuries he’d incurred throughout the episode)…

Imagining all three of them limping up that mountain together…

…I am too emotional about the future trio I can’t I’ll cry if I keep going but you get it right??🥺😭dusknoir just…everything he’d ever thought and done and said, his conviction, just…thrown out the window in that heartbeat of a moment right before he did something that he would truly never be able to take back…the ghost is getting to me once again as I’m certain you can tell🙃

HE REALLY DOES BECOME SELFLESS AND DROPS THE ACT THE SECOND HE’S NO LONGER WORKING FOR PRIMAL DIALGA. THE FACT THE FIRST THING HE DOES IS TELL HIS SABLEYE TO CHECK ON GROVYLE AND CELEBI INSTEAD OF HIMSELF MAKES ME INCONSOLABLE.

And not to mention how the sableye jump in for him?? Implying that it isn’t just some ‘evil villain/henchman villain doesnt care about’ dynamic???? And those 6 were actually abt to scrap w/ a crazed time god for his sake. And don’t even get me STARTED on Grovyle’s speech about trusting Dusknoir just completely breaking him.

So many tiny hints strewn out in the story. So much subtext showing Dusknoir for what he was deep down. How did they manage to write this ghost type with 15 layers of angst and emotional barriers.