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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
The Adventures of Team Fire and Ice
Story by CalexTheNeko Art by Coshi Dragonite
Featuring Plush and Orel


     "Well this is a thing that happened." Orel woke up to find that he was not his normal self. First there had been what seemed like a dream at first, but was quite obviously real given current evidence. Apparently, he had been pulled into some kind of other world. His clothes were gone, and instead all he had was a white scarf around his neck. He couldn't get up onto his hind legs meaning he was in his feral form except... He was far too fluffy to be his normal form. His tails shouldn't have fur at all, and tails plural was part of the problem. There were six of them as far as he could tell, they formed a fan shape. Then, his paws which would have usually been naked of any fur were covered in a lighter shade of brown than the rest of the fur on his body. His fur was just so thick and fluffy, something adapted for winter climates. Multiple tails... Some kind of fox maybe?  "Okay seriously what is going on?"
    
     "Obviously an adventure!" A high pitched voice sounded right behind Orel making his fur stand on end. A few moments later, the source of the voice, Plush, was running in circles around him bouncing up and down clearly excited. She looked similar to his own form, six tails, definitely a fox shaped body... Except her fur and tails were thinner, as if she had come from a warmer climate. Most of her fur was green with black tips along her paws and atop her ears. Like Orel, she was wearing a scarf as well, though hers was red. They were clearly different breeds of the same species, but that was not what was going through Orel's mind quite at that point.
    
     "GAH!?" Orel let out a shout. He had not expected someone to just suddenly jump out like that while he was still figuring things out. "Do you have to startle people like that?"
    
     "Sorry, sorry, it's just I'm so excited! First Celebi was talking to me and I was like I don't know. This might be a dream. But then, bam, now I'm a vulpix which means it's real! And this is such a neat opportunity I can't wait to see how it turns out! I'm Plush by the way."
    
     "Vulpix..." The world Orel came from didn't have pokemon as creatures or as a game, the term was new to him. "So that's what we are..."
    
     "Yup!" Plush finally came to a stop in front of him. "Our fur colors are a bit messed up but pretty sure based on comparative fluffiness I'm a fire type and your ice."
    
     "This is... A lot to take in..." Orel looked around to see where they were. The landscape was rather dreary. They were in a forest, but there was something wrong. There was no wind, and everything was perfectly still... And dark. It was like most of the colors had faded from the world. And then... There was something he could just make out through some bushes and trees. He immediately took off running to investigate and confirm his suspicions.
    
     "Hey! Where are you going?" Plush bounded after him, and nearly ran into him when he came to an abrupt stop at a small stream running through the forest. Or at least should have been running.
    
     The stream came from slightly uphill, and here went over the edge of a few rocks making something of a mini waterfall before continuing on through the forest. There was just one major problem. The water was completely still. Even the water that should have been falling down from the higher level was just suspended in the air, unmoving, unchanging.
    
     "I think something is seriously wrong here." Orel muttered.
    
     "Yeah this place has like no color. Someone really needs to liven things up." Plush focused on the wrong thing, but she also had a point. This forest wasn't just dark, the color had been drained from it. And now the entire place was suspended in time, simply a gray shadow of what it might have once been.
    
     "I don't think we should stick around here." Orel muttered. "I'm not sure what this place is, but I don't think it's safe."
    
     "You're probably right!" The two vulpixes set out side by side. "But I'm sure we'll get some answers soon. I mean, it's obvious we're bound to run into someone responsible for this. Or at least someone related to them."
    
     "And what makes you so sure of that?" Orel asked as they walked.
    
     "Duh! Can't you figure it out?" Plush seemed perplexed by Orel's ignorance. "We both met a legendary pokemon, woke up together, are opposite types of the same species, and we just happen to show up in a spot where there is clearly some serious trouble. It's obvious we're the main characters in this story!"
    
     "Don't play around." Orel shook his head. "We could be in serious danger, so don't go treating this like a game."
    
     "But it kind of is a game. Or was a game." Plush shrugged. "It's a little weird. But I mean, with my fire and your ice we should be able to take on any bad guys we run into!"
    
     "Half the words you say only confuse me." Orel sighed. "But... You seem to know a lot about that thing that brought us here, and what we are now."
    
     "Well yeah everyone know about pokemon, I mean it's only like an international phenomenon." Plush gave Orel a look of disbelief. "So come on let's get going I bet something big is going to happen to us any minute now!"
    
     "Wait!" Orel took a deep breath.  Yelling at her wasn't going to do any good. He needed to keep his cool and try to be polite. "Can you at least tell me what we are?"
    
     "I already told you that you silly." Plush giggled. "We're both a species called a vulpix. Though I'm pretty sure I'm a normal one and you're an alola breed."
    
     "Again, several words I do not understand." If Orel had not been a quadruped at the moment he would have facepalmed. "What is a vulpix?"
    
     "The fire fox pokemon!" Plush answered as if it was obviously. "A fire type, it had vibrant red fur and-" She paused as she examined herself. "Though I seem to have kept my original colors. So it uses a number of fire-based moves depending on how strong it is. But basically, Ember is its weakest form of fire attack, but there are much better ones like Flamethrower, Fire Spin and Fire Blast."
    
     "Slow down a moment." Orel was trying to take this in. "You're explanation isn't the clearest... But if I'm understanding correctly, I can breathe fire or something now?" He paused. "Wait... Earlier you referred to me an ice type?"
    
     "Yeah! That's cause you're from alola!" Plush nodded eagerly. "Well not actually from alola because we're both clearly from different universes but your alola vulpixes live in winter climates and so use ice moves instead."
    
     "Okay, I think I've got the gist of it." Orel nodded. "Pokemon are some manner of magical creatures with special abilities. Both of us are vulpixes, which are a type of pokemon, but are different breeds. You're one with fire powers, while I have ice?"
    
     "Pretty much but I don't really think there's any magic involved..." Plush looked thoughtful.
    
     "We are six tailed foxes who have mystical fie and ice powers. How is that not magic?" Orel fixed Plush with a look.
    
     "I don't know! Honestly it's never been explained that well. Though I think it has something to do with god pokemon, or maybe the first one and-"
    
     "Okay I have enough information." Orel was doing his best to get along with her. But her tendency to go into a ramble and the fact she was treating this as some kind of game was getting to him. Whatever situation they were in, it wasn't good. This frozen forest was really creeping him out.
     No matter how far they walked things didn't seem to change. Everything was silent and unmoving. Eventually they reached the edge of the forest, coming up on a road leading through a meadow. Like the forest, everything was frozen. Every blade of grass unmoving. Even as they walked through the grass the blades would not bend out of shape and felt strangely solid beneath their paws.
    
     "Is the entire world like this?"  Orel glanced around.
    
     "Yeah this is getting freaky." There was a little less bounce to Plush's steps. "And we haven't run into any other pokemon either. Even if there weren't any friendly ones I was sure we'd be attacked by now. I mean that's the usual thing that would happen to the main characters."
    
     "Seriously stop treating this like some kind of game." Orel looked around. His ears twitched listening for any noise possible and he sniffed at the air trying to pick up any scents. Nothing, it was as if the world was completely dead. He struggled, straining every sense he could, trying to see, hear, or smell any sign of life anywhere else.
    
     When he finally heard something, it was deafening. There was a roar that split the silence, echoing on in every direction. And then after that a scream rang out from the same forest they had just left.
    
     "Well looks like we got a good news bad news situation." Plush looked around. "The good news is there are other people alive in this world so we're not alone! The bad news, one of them sounds very big and angry."
    
     "Yeah I'm thinking we want to avoid meeting whatever that was." The problem Orel had was that he had no idea which direction the roar had come from. With no other noise in the entire world it just seemed to echo everywhere... But the scream had definitely come from the forest. "Someone is in trouble."
    
     "Then what are we waiting for?" Plus asked. "This is the part we've been waiting for! Come on! Team Fire and Ice let's go!" She tried to take off running and Orel bit down on one of her tails to hold her in place. After attempting to run for a few seconds and realizing she wasn't getting anywhere she sat down and gave Orel a confused look.
    
     "Hold your horses." Orel hissed in a low voice. "This isn't our world, and whatever going on isn't our conflict. It has nothing to do with us. Honestly, we'd be better off just not getting involved."
    
     "You hear someone scream like that and you're just going to ignore it?" Plush gave him a dirty look.
    
     "I said we'd be better off uninvolved, not that we'd do nothing." Orel sighed. Sometimes doing the right thing was really unpleasant.  "But whatever is going on, we know nothing about. We have no idea what danger is waiting us, or if that scream came from someone who was actually in trouble."
    
     "Did it sound like someone who was having a good time?" Plush gave Orel a doubtful look.
    
     "I'm just saying we need to be cautious!" Orel tried to explain. "We go and investigate silently, try to find out what's going on, and then decide what we should do."
    
     "Oh I get it!" Plush leaped back up to her feet. "We sneak in like a ninja!"
    
     "Sure, let's go with that." Orel wasn't going to argue any further if she was on board with the plan. Still, this world was just wrong. There was no telling if anything they met would be friendly... And he was worried about what kind of threat they might be about to face. This world frozen in time, had it been caused by some entity? And if so what kind of power were they going to be facing. Maybe he had ice powers now, though he had yet to try using them, but the idea of winding up frozen forever like everything else in this world was terrifying.
    
     As the two returned to the forest slowly, there was at least one small blessing. Plants didn't rustle as they passed through them. They were able to travel in complete silence. That was good, it meant if there was an enemy they just might get the drop on them.
    
     Of course, the lack of noise also made it difficult to track the source of the scream. Their own paws didn't leave prints in the dirt, meaning that whoever they were looking didn't leave a trail either. Orel had already discovered trying to find any scents was pointless. They could only head in the direction they thought the noise had come from. It might have been hopeless, were it not for new sounds that echoed through the forest.
    
     The slashing noise of something being cute, manic giggles, and some kind of humming sound.
    
     "I think I know where-" Plush started only for Orel to throw a forepaw over her muzzle.
    
     "Not so loud." Orel hissed in a whisper. "Without any background noise to hide it our voices carry easily."
    
     "Mmmm hhmmm!"" Plush sat on her haunches and held up one of her forepaws. She made a motion moving it over her mouth that Orel assumed was meant to be zipping it. It would have been more effective if she had fingers for the gesture.
    
     "Ok, let's get closer. Try to keep behind cover." That was something that should be easy. As Orel looked around the forest it was full of enormous bushes, trees with thick leaves and grass tall enough to conceal them. Before this place had been frozen it must have been teeming with life.
    
     As they got closer it was clear the noises they heard were that of battle. There were several high pitched giggles that made a chill run down both Orel and Plush's spine. And as they got closer they could hear a feminine voice. One that sounded strangely familiar.
    
     "Oh wow you were so close that time." The girlish voice laughed. "Really, at this point I think you just enjoy falling flat on your face."
    
     "Hehehehehe." One of the giggling voices spoke. "You can't avoid us forever. But don't worry, we'll take you back mostly in one piece. Lord Dialga is kind enough to want you alive. Really, it'd be easy if you just accepted our invitation and came along peacefully."
    
     "Ohhhh, you know, I would but..." The girlish voice paused and Orel and Plush could only assume she was making some gesture to be dramatic. "I just can't seem to find the time."
    
     Hiding among the grass, Orel and Plush were almost close enough to make out the battle. They crept along on full alert ready for danger to jump out at any moment.
    
     "I swear... That girl's voice. I've heard it before." Orel muttered as they moved forward.
    
     "You know me too!" Plush nodded eagerly. "But why would people from two completely different worlds recognize the same voice? I mean that's really odd don't you think?"
    
     And it hit Orel. He stared at Plush for a moment, unsure if she had actually figured it out before him and was clueing him in, or if she had legitimately been confused about the voice. But there was only one person it could be. Orel rushed forward, probably faster than what was safe. He stuck his head out from the grass and witnessed the fight.
    
     There were at least six creatures that looked like living purple shadows. Each of them had gemstones for eyes and an additional gem on their chest. They appeared to have sharp claws and were eagerly chasing after their prey as said prey weaved between trees and over branches avoiding them.
    
     And that prey, the source of the voice... It was the same one Plush and Orel had heard not that long ago in their dreams.
    
     Celebi!
    
     Except... Something was wrong.
    
     "I don't remember her being pink." Orel muttered as he watched the battle unfold. Celebi spun in a circle as a storm of leaves appeared around her firing down at the Sableye. She managed to hit two of them, but that only slowed them down.
    
     "Yeah they were definitely green when I saw them." Plush nodded. "By the way they're not a girl."
    
     "Eh?" Orel looked at Plush.
    
     "Most legendary pokemon don't have genders. Well in the game at least. But I'd assume the same rules apply here." Plush shrugged.
    
     "Interesting fact, but not helpful to the current situation." Orel watched the battle unfold trying to think of a plan. Even if they joined Celebi they'd be outnumbered two to one. Maybe if Orel was more comfortable with his body he'd take those odds... But whatever powers he had he hadn't actually had a chance to use them yet. Things likely wouldn't go in his favor if he just leaped into battle."
    
     "Come on what are you waiting for!" Plush on the other hand saw someone in trouble and had zero hesitation. She didn't consider the odds or if she knew how to use her powers. She just knew she needed to help, and for her effort she got her tail bit down on and dragged back into the grass. "Hey what's the big idea? She's in danger!"
    
     "I know!" Orel hissed. "But right now we're outnumbered, if we just rush out there and charge them we'll just be casualties. We need to be smart about this... Find a way to separate them or attack them without them knowing we're here... Maybe if we can create a distraction in one direction we can attack from the other..."
    
     "You know you're saying a lot of things that makes you sound like a really sneaky person." Plush was giving him a stare.
    
     "The thing about that..." Orel thought for a moment. "Well I think that can wait just..." He remembered an earlier comment Plush had made, and suddenly had an idea of how to get her on board. "We need to fight them like a ninja."
    
     "Ohhhhhh!" Plush's eyes lit up. "Striking hidden from the trees, opponents falling before they even know we're there. Then we strike a dramatic pose as a flash of lightning reveals our presence for the briefest of moments."
    
     "Uh sure." Orel was learning it was just best to work with her strange mannerisms than against them at this point. He couldn't help but wonder just what kind of world she came from that she was so ready to recklessly charge into a fight. Maybe she was secretly an accomplished warrior that would be a nice twist.
    
     "Okay, I've got a plan! You circle left I'll circle right." Plush was holding her forepaws over her face in what Orel assumed was an attempt to look sneaky. "Then we launch attacks from opposite sides of the battlefield when they go after Celebi! The attacks coming out of nowhere catch them off guard as they find themselves frozen or burned! And then we vanish like the ninja we are, choosing new places to hide and strike from afar."
    
     "That's... Not a bad plan." Orel could go for that. Guerilla tactics. Swift ambushes followed by quick retreats for a chance to attack later. They might be able to easily pick them off one by one. Then of course Celebi was also fighting, their attacks might be enough of a distraction for her to take some of them out.  This could work. "Alright... We'll circle around. How do we signal each other when it's time to attack?"
    
     "Oh I'll make a loud ca-caw like a bird!" Plush suggested.
    
     "Except the entire forest is frozen and silent..." Orel muttered. "Making a ton of noise like that is just going to announce our presence right before we attack."
    
     "Well do you have any ideas on how we could signal each other from opposite sides of the clearing without making noise?" Plush sounded annoyed. "It's not like either of us are psychic types and can just mentally tell each other."
    
     "I-"" Orel stopped. She had a point. In this lifeless place there wasn't a signal they could give that wouldn't expose them. And in this dark colorless place even a visual signal would give them away quickly.  "Okay, fine you're right... But that puts the plan at higher risk." He considered for a moment. "But I think I have an idea. Wait for them to have Celebi surrounded or on the ropes, and then we signal."
    
     "Isn't that placing them in unnecessary danger by waiting?" Plush gave him a deadpan stare.
    
     "They're already in danger." Orel hissed back. "Which is why we need to strike when they're most distracted." Orel still didn't actually like the plan. He hoped that these shadowy pokemon would ignore the noise not wanting to risk Celebi getting away. Of course, they might immediately be distracted by the noise, and that could allow Celebi to go on the offensive which might also work out to their advantage... Especially since Orel and Plush had not exactly had time to figure out how to use their new powers.
    
     Well, trial by fire it was.
    
     The two silently circled around the clearing, each picking a spot they thought appropriate for an ambush. Plush chose to hide inside a bush with just enough of her head poking out to see. Orel kept to the tall grass staying crouched low where the grass was parted just enough to watch.
    
     The battle ensued, as the enemy pokemon continued their chase. Celebi had the advantage of flight, which made Orel wonder why she didn't just fly above the trees and escape. Regardless, she was artfully dodging them, occasionally throwing back storms of leaves. But... It was obvious she was getting tired from zooming around so much. She hovered lower to the ground one moment, preparing an attack and all six shadowy pokemon surrounded her.
    
     "CA-CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!" Plush's signal rang out through the forest. The shadowy pokemon immediately looked in her direction, and Celebi took that chance to fly straight up. Well, they knew where Plush was attacking from.
    
     But not where Orel was.
    
     "Alright here we go... Ice powers... I can breathe ice or something..." He paused. "How does that even work? Is there like an incantation, do I just exhale..." He realized he suddenly had a very real problem as he opened his mouth and exhaled and nothing came out. He tried staring intently at the shadowing pokemon hoping he'd fire some kind of laser or something...  But nothing... "Oh come on! How does this work!"
    
     Plush meanwhile bounded out from her hiding place and into the clearing and stopped to pose dramatically.
    
     "Surprise twist! The calvary has arrived!" She shouted. "Now let's send you guys spinning!" She opened her mouth and one tiny little flame came out and nothing else. "Oh... Uh, that was supposed to be a joke... Because I was using Fire Spin, but it didn't... Just give me a second I'm sure I'll get it the second time." But she found herself facing the same problem as Orel in that she didn't actually know how to trigger different moves.
    
     And the shadowing pokemon weren't staying idle. It had not escaped their notice that their prey had just escaped their coming attack. Four of them continued after Celebi while two began to walk towards Plush giggling as they did.
    
     "What an oddly colored vulpix." The first one laughed. "What was that pathetic display just now?"
    
     "Well um, see the thing about that..." Plush backed up and smiled nervously. "Ummmm... FIRE SPIN!" Shouting the attack name didn't seem to make it do anything either.
    
     On the other side, Orel could see things were  not going well, and he hadn't figured it out. Just... What was he missing? Well... Probably not knowing what his ice powers actually were was a big part of it. If he at least knew what to concentrate on. He opened his mouth again. He hadn't managed frost breath... Did he maybe shoot icicles? A beam?
    
     As Orel's attention fell to that last idea, he felt something stirring in his stomach, and suddenly a bright white beam fired from his open maw into the clearing, missing everyone but freezing several tree branches in the process.
    
     "Ok, we are doing this... Now we learn to aim." Orel muttered.
    
     "They have allies!" One of the shadowy pokemon shouted. Then with that, all six of them scattered into different directions in the forest.
    
     "That... Went better than I expected..." Orel came out of hiding now that it was safe.
    
     "We won?" Plush seemed surprised. "We won! We won! We won!" She jumped up and down.
    
     "What are you two doing!?" Celebi shouted. "I don't know who you are but if you don't want to die I suggest you start running right now."
    
     Orel didn't bother to ask why. He immediately got moving, and as he did he noticed something strange. His shadow seemed to be a lot longer than it should have been. And... He had a shadow, in a place with no light. Something was wrong.
    
     "Why what's wrong?" Plush had much less experience with life or death situations than Orel and didn't have the instincts to react immediately. A shadow crept across the ground behind her before rising up and striking her with tendrils of darkness. "GAHHHHHHHH!" Plush was knocked a few feet away from by the attack. She began to tear up. "What... What is this? It... My body... Hurts?"
    
     "You act like you've never felt pain before!" Orel shouted as he tried to keep ahead of the shadow chasing him now realizing what it was. As a result he didn't see the second shadow come from a different angle as it lashed out of the ground and struck him in the side and sending him rolling. "Okay... That...  Really hurt..." Orel grimaced as he got back to his feet.
    
     "This is what pain is?" Plush seemed confused. "Why would anyone want to feel this?"
    
     "It's not that we want it's that-" Orel paused. "Okay seriously, have you never felt pain? What are you?"
    
     "Well a vulpix obviously." Plush grinned. Orel couldn't tell if he was being made fun of or if she just didn't understand the question.
    
     "Hey stop talking and keep moving!" Celebi shouted. "If you can't find them soon they'll just keep sending their shadows out again and again. The only reason they haven't tried that on me is I'm up here in the air."
    
     "Great... So now we're in the exact opposite position of what we wanted." Orel glared around the forest. Now the enemies were hidden and could strike at them from any point.
    
     "Wait you mean the sableye are ninjas!" Plush shouted.
    
     "They're not-" Orel shook his head. He didn't have time for this. But... Sableye? He knew what they were called now. He wasn't a big fan of them. He kept watching, turning in circles trying to keep an eye out for where the next attack was coming from.
    
     "You two are... Very odd vulpixes." Celebi stared at them. And strange colors... But... You!" She gestured at Plush. "Light this place up as bright as you can! With enough light we can dispel their shadow attacks at least."
    
     "Yeeeeah about that..." Plush looked annoyed. "I keep trying to use Fire Spin cause I had this cool idea of circle them in inferno and well it's not really working."
    
     "Who are you two and what are you even doing here?" Celebi stared in disbelief.
    
     "You should already know us." Orel growled. "And right now rescuing you."
    
     Three shadows came racing out of the forest. Orel at least knew how to do one thing. That bright beam... It certainly made a lot of light for the short duration he tried. He quickly opened his mouth, firing straight in the direction one of the shadows had come from. As the beam passed over the shadow it shrunk away and vanished in the light, but there was no way for Orel to know if he hit his target.
    
     That left two to dodge. One that went for Orel, the other for Plush. Both of them quickly ran from them, circling the clearing and eventually the shadows ceased. There was a maximum range to them. The two had just a moment of respite before both of them were struck from behind by two different shadows.
    
     "Uggh..." Orel groaned as he rolled to the ground again. "First two were a diversion, should have guessed."
    
     "This isn't fun anymore..." Plush whined as she was knocked down. Everything is hurty, and I can't figure out how to do the thing. How'd you manage to use Ice Beam?"
    
     "I don't know!" Orel explained. "I just tried a million different things and finally something worked! I don't even know if that's my only power but at least I can use it."
    
     "Then why can't I get mine to work?" Plush muttered.
    
     "What kind of pokemon are you?" Celebi seemed in disbelief. "And... Are you sure you even know Fire Spin?"
    
     "I mean of course I kno-" Plush paused. "Well, I was never shown a stat sheet or move list... Maybe if I tried something else..." She opened her mouth again, this time a burning stream of fire erupted from it, setting several of the trees on fire. There were screams from among the forest indicating some of the sableye may have been hit. "Oh hey! I can use Flamethrower!"
    
     "Delightful. Now please set this entire forest ablaze to stop their attacks." Celebi spoke curtly.
    
     "Wouldn't that be bad for the forest?" Plush asked.
    
     "It's not going to matter anyway once everything is done, so just do it!" Celebi pleaded.
    
     "Listen to them, I think they know more about the situation than we do." Orel nodded to Plush.
    
     "Okay..." Plush took a deep breath, and then spun in place using her Flamethrower to light up every tree, bush and blade of grass surrounding the clearing. Orel had to be quick to run in a circle around her to avoid getting hit. Soon they were now in the center of a large ring of fire.
    
     "Good that won't get rid of their shadows... But they won't be able to get them through the fire, it's too bright." Celebi grinned.
    
     "So if they want to keep fighting they'll have to come to us." Orel understood their plan, and soon enough the six figures reemerged. Leaping above the ring of fire they entered the clearing.
    
     Now it was just going to be an all-out brawl. And the sableye had double their numbers.
    
     "Okay... Plans?" Orel backed up so he and Plush were back to back. Celebi hovered above them. Orel hated an unfair fight like this. Well, that wasn't quite true, he wasn't fond of fair fights either. He personally preferred fights where he had the advantage. This, this was definitely his least favorite type of fight though.
    
     "What other moves do you know?" Celebi asked. "If you have anything that can be used from long range..."
    
     "Yeah we don't really know." Orel snapped. "Because you failed to tell us how any of this worked before doing this to us!"
    
     "I did what now?" Celebi seemed confused.
    
     The sableye however weren't waiting. Fighting out in the open, they returned to favoring their claws. They split up two to take on each of their opponents.
    
     Plush ran in actual fear as the two sableye chased after her. She did not want to experience more of this 'pain' thing. When she reached the ring of fire she spun around and released her Flamethrower on the grass instead creating a second barrier of fire between her and the sableye.
    
     "Ha!" Plush grinned. "What now?" The sableye responded as the gem on their chest began to flow and both fired beams of light through the fire. "Hey that's not fair!" Plush dove out of the way barely avoiding them.
    
     Orel was taking a more aggressive approach. The main problem he had is the sableye kept trying to flank him and he was doing his best to try to keep both of them in his field of vision. Annoyed with them running around him he fired ice beams at the ground, creating large chunks of ice to act as barriers and prevent them from approaching. The sableye paused and looked at him for a moment, before giggling and firing the same lasers from their gem as the ones fighting Plush.
    
     "Shoot." Orel realized with the ring of ice he had left no room to dodge, the best he could do was throw himself as close to the ground as possible. He heard his ice wall shatter and while the beam didn't strike him, sharp shards of ice pelted him as the wall broke apart.
    
     Celebi was fairing a lot better against her two. Of courses, they had been fighting six previously and was clearly experienced. They stuck to the air, but for some reason only ever used the move that created a storm of leaves. She got some blows in on her enemies, but one of the sableye managed to leap up and hit one of her legs with a claw as she let out an involuntary scream. It was the same scream Orel and Plush had followed to find the fight.
    
     "Okay, I am getting tired of you people! None of you are being very nice!" Plush shouted as she began to run away again, this time to the opposite side of the circle as the sableye gave chase. As Orel recovered he saw her coming in his direction and then got an idea and started running straight at her.
    
     "Plush!" Orel shouted. He had to choose his next words carefully. Something Plush would understand but wouldn't clue the sableye in on their plans. "Frozen Flame School! Ninja Art reversal!" He felt ridiculous saying that, but he had a feeling Plush would get it.
    
     "Ohhhhhh." Plush grinned as her and Orel ran right for each other, and right before colliding each of them leaped into the air passing by each other without making contact.
    
     Orel fired his Ice Beam at the sableye that had been chasing Plush. Plush fired her flamethrower at the sableye that had been chasing Orel. Each of them, focused on their own target was caught off guard, and as the two vulpixes landed side by side there were now two sableye frozen in blocks of ice, and two sableye unconscious and covered in burns.
    
     "Hey we make a pretty good team!" Plush grinned.
    
     "Maybe so..." Orel couldn't help but smile. Plush was a strange one, and he was pretty sure she was completely mad... But once he learned to work with the madness it was pretty useful.
    
     All that was left were the two sableye still chasing Celibi, neither one aware of the fact their other four comrades had just fallen.
    
     "Hey... Plush... You thinking what I'm thinking?"  Orel grinned as he watched the sableye chasing Celebi and slowly started tracing their path trying to guess where they'd run next.
    
     "Frozen Flame School Ninja Art Double Strike?" Plush asked with a grin.
    
     "Uh..." Orel was pretty sure that meant what he intended. "Yes." Both of them took up position, and as Celebi rounded a tree they unleashed their attacks and in that moment the last two sableye were taken care of. Another one frozen solid, and another deep fried.
    
     "Okay... Now I think we won." Orel gave a sigh of relief. "There are only six right? Not anymore hiding?"
    
     "Only six." Celebi nodded as she floated down to the closer to the ground.
    
     "So we won for real this time?" Plush resumed her previous victory chant as she began to bounce in circles around Orel and Celebi.  "We won! We won! We won!"
    
     "Uh yeah...." Orel watched Plush for a moment then gave Celebi a glare. "You have a lot of explaining to do. Why did you bring us here? And why turn us into these... What was it... Pok-a-man?"

     "Pokemon." Plush stopped bouncing to growl in an annoyed tone.
    
     "I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about." Celebi looked between the two. "But you seem to know me."
    
     "Yeah! But you were green at the time!" Plush shouted. "Why are you pink?"
    
     "Because I've always been pink." Celebi replied flatly.
    
     "You're... Not the same Celebi we encountered... Are you?" Orel gave her a quizzical look.
    
     "Nope. I have no idea who either of you are or how you got here." They paused and flew around them examining them closely. "But you say you met another me? That should be impossible. There's only one of me. I'm special like that... But then again..."  They floated back between the two. "You two aren't from this time, or even this timeline are you?"
    
     "I don't think so." Orel seemed confused. "Just... I remember going to sleep, then I woke up here and I was a vulpix and was wearing a white scarf."
    
     "And my scarf is red!" Plush added helpfully. "And I'm pretty sure I met the you in a dream. Well not the you you obviously because you're you not the you that sent us here but we did meet a you."
    
     "Yes." Celebi blinked and took this in slowly. "Well, I doubt you were brought to this specific timeline on purpose. This world of darkness is doomed."
    
     "Yeah I've been wondering about that... What's wrong with this place? It's like time is frozen or something." Orel looked back around the gray forest.
    
     "Time is frozen." Celebi explained sadly. "Sometime in the past there was a disaster and Temporal Tower collapsed. Time ceased to flow, and all that was left was a world of darkness. There was one who watched over time... But now he's gone feral and seeks only to continue his current existence."
    
     "That sounds really bad..." Plush finally stopped moving and sat down. "How do we fix it?"
    
     "It's actually already being taken care of." Celebi gave a warm smile. "I have two very dear friends who have gone to the past to stop the disaster. When their mission is complete, we'll finally be free this dark future."
    
     "Wait that would alter the timeline doesn't that mean you'd-"Orel started.
    
     "There's no need to say it.  I am aware of the consequences." Celebi replied solemnly.
    
     "Okaaaaay not sure what that was about." Plush had not caught on to the implication. But why were those guys chasing you? It looked like they were about to get you!"
    
     "Heh please." Celebi grinned. "They could never catch me. I'm just doing my best to keep Dialga's minions occupied. I could have escaped anytime I wanted, but then they might turn their attention to looking for the Passage of Time." She paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "You two aren't from this timeline, so aren't bound to it. But when the timeline changes if you're here..."
    
     "Yeah, I get it." Orel stopped her.
    
     "Get what? Why do I have a feeling you two aren't telling me something?" Plush looked back and forth between them.
    
     "I think I can help you though. I may not be your Celebi but I am Celebi. Using the Passage of Time I can send you into the past just as I did my friends. There you'll find a much happier existence, and perhaps answers to what brought you here."
    
     "I see..." Orel nodded.
    
     "Seriously, what are you two not telling me?" Plush whined but neither answered.
    
     "It's not far from here." Celebi gestured further into the forest. "I'd warn you it's a one-way trip but..."
    
     "But we won't need to come back." Orel finished for her rather than make Celebi say it.  "But... When the timeline changes, if you were the one who sent us back... What will happen to us when history is altered?"
    
     "Nothing." Celebi gave a warm smile. "You're not from this timeline, and regardless of how the new timeline changes us here, it won't impact you."
    
     "Heeey! So I get there's something super serious going on? So why don't you just come with us?" Plush asked eagerly.
    
     "Heh. I appreciate the offer." Celebi fluttered into the air. "But I have work to do before this is all over." With that silence fell over them as they began to travel through the forest. Even Plush was able to feel something was wrong. Orel and Celebi were keeping something from her. Even without knowing what it was it soured her mood.
    
     After awhile, they reached their destination. At first there seemed to be nothing there, but as Celebi approached an empty spot near a tree a glowing blue portal opened before her.
    
     "Straight through here." Celebi smiled. "Your future awaits... In my past strangely enough."
    
     "Hey, thanks..." Orel wasn't sure what to say to them knowing what was going to happen. "And... I hope you can-"
    
     "It's fine." Celebi gave a grim smile. "I have my resolve to finish this no matter the cost. I do thank you for your concern, for now, the two of you should get going. If you run into my friends say hi for me. One of them is Grovyle, the other is a human, kind of shy but a good kid."
    
     "Will do." Orel nodded and approached the Passage of Time. "Come on Plush, it's time to go."
    
     "So... We've already been dropped in one other world today and we're going to another one now?" She asked.
    
     "Pretty much." Orel nodded.
    
     "Neat!" With that remark she bounded through the Passage of Time with Orel. When they came out on the other side...
    
     The world was normal. They were in the same forest, but it was full of color, leaves were rustling in the wind, and sounds of life could be heard all over.
    
     "It looks like it worked." Orel looked around. So much life in this place, he could understand why Celebi had made their decision. A part of him wondered if he had the strength to do such a thing.
    
     "Well we've got a new world! So that means new adventures! Come on let's go exploring!" Plush began to run through the forest.
    
     "Hey wait up!" Orel chased after her. "We should really try to find a town first... And maybe learn how to actually use more than one move a piece."
    
     Plush heard him, but was too excited and continued forward. And... Out from the dark future Orel couldn't help but feel more cheerful himself. Neither one knew if they'd ever find their ways back home... But for now, they each had a partner to rely on as they adventured and learned more about this world they had come to.

The End