Power of Time

"And…done."

Dante smiled, satisfied after placing the bed from his Space Bag into one of the mansion's guest rooms. The bed looked like it came from the Victorian era. The intricate frame was made of polished silver and the velvety mattress was designed with blue and white color scheme.

Not just the bed, but the whole room was also decorated in an aristocratic fashion. The heavy mahogany wardrobe, the cashmere carpet, a high-oak dressing table, and an ornate writing desk. 

Only the high-tech television and computer, as well as the fluorescent light bulb above, seemed out of place in this otherwise antiquated grand room.

"Thank you for the help, Dan."

Focalors said while she continued to take clothes out from her bag to place inside the wardrobe.

"I honestly didn't expect you to ask for a room here. Heh, then again, I don't think I'd have anything else that would interest you."

Shinobu glanced at the luxurious items in the room, a hint of self-mockery in her voice.

After the battle ended in a draw, the two girls discussed what would happen regarding their bet. In the end, they decided to treat it as if both of them won, with each having a request for the other.

"There's no such thing, I'm just thinking of the future. After all, we would gather frequently at this mansion, would we not? Having an exclusive guest room for Furina and I just seems like a great, long-term investment."

Dante glanced skeptically at Focalors. He didn't believe for a second that was the real reason. Is she planning to make another move against him?

He turned towards Shinobu, his brain running a mile a minute as he calculated the probability of her agreeing to have a threesome with Focalors. Among their friends, only Mualani was mysteriously approved by her. And until now, Dante wasn't clear on the criteria that made her do so.

"Hey, guys! Dinnertime!"

Speaking of the devil, Mualani burst through the door, a pot of roast beef in her hand. Furina, Riolu, Azumarill, and their other Pokemon were behind her, each carrying a dish.

There were only five of them in the mansion, with Candice, Kachina, and Dawn having returned early to their dorms. If it weren't for Focalors suddenly asking to move some of her items here, then the two sisters would have also returned to theirs.

As for why they had to go back so early this Friday night? That was because of their schedule this upcoming weekend- to accompany Dante in his Gym Challenge. At the same time, they also planned to take this opportunity to enjoy themselves after a grueling week.

After eating dinner, Focalors and Furina bade goodbye. They still had to prepare their items for the trip, so they sadly couldn't stay in the mansion for the night. 

Shinobu was also the same. Dante accompanied her to her dormitory, before leisurely walking back towards the mansion.

On the way, most of the students he encountered would look at him in awe. Some came forward to strike up a conversation. A few bold girls even asked him for his number.

For those who came to make small talk, Dante briefly listened before excusing himself. For the girls that wanted to hit on him, his response would vary.

If they were 7 or below, he'd give them Pikachu's number. The two agreed that Pikachu would help Dante turn down these girls in exchange for not having to do household chores. Over time, the yellow rat began to master the smooth method of rejecting girls over the phone without letting them down.

Meanwhile, for girls scored 8 or above, Dante would remember them and give his spare phone number. Then, when he had time, Dante would discuss with Shinobu whether they fit her criteria for their threesome partner. 

Currently, most of them are on her probationary list, with a few getting rejected.

"Huh, there's no one who qualified today. Pikachu, it's up to you to reject them all, bud."

"Pika!" (Seriously! Don't these women know you already have Shinobu!)

Pikachu grumbled as his phone began to constantly vibrate from messages. He wasted no time swiping through each of them, using the artistic mastery of the language he learned from watching movies to convey 'Dante's' disinterest.

"Mawile." (I can share the work, Pikachu. I also wanna help Dan keep away from those bitches.)

"Riolu." (Sis, you have the same intentions yourself…)

Dante laughed seeing Mawile clobber Riolu on the head. The blue canine didn't let this slide, and the two siblings chased each other on the way back to the mansion.

...

Midnight arrived, and they returned to the PMD world. As usual, Dante bought all the Gummies from the Kecleon brothers and chose to accept basic tasks in the Beach Cave. 

Their day proceeded the same as ever. The only thing different was that all the Gummies went to Ursaring to prepare for tomorrow's match.

After that, they returned to the human world, not knowing that the gear of fate had moved forward once more.

(Earlier in the PMD world)

"That should be enough."

Uxie hummed in satisfaction. In front of him, was a pile of red, round stones. 

After Dante and the others left, Uxie began devising new puzzles for other Pokemon who wanted the treasure of Fogbound Lake.

"Hmm, should I assign a guardian for each key? No, that would be too easy. How about a riddle?"

Uxie took the stones, floating out of the cave in a leisurely manner while whispering to himself. 

Minutes passed. The cave remained silent save for the droplets of water trickling down the stalactites. Then, in a dark corner, the space seemed to glitch. 

One moment there was nothing, and the next, a Grovyle appeared hunched over the cold, hard ground.

"He finally left. Ugh, I have to move quickly."

Grovyle stretched his stiff body. He had been squatting here for about a month now. To not show his position, he hadn't moved during the whole period. It was only thanks to Synthesis that he could maintain his bodily function, and even then, he had to be careful of how much energy he absorbed to avoid being detected.

His body creaked, recovering its flexibility as he walked towards the nearby lake. His eyes- fixated on the cave entrance. He only had one chance. If Uxie ever returned before he finished, his mission would end in failure and the future would remain forever doomed.

Grovyle heaved a sigh of relief as he felt the cold water beneath his feet. He turned his head, his pupils dilating as he stared at the glowing relic beneath the water.

"The second Time Gear…I can't believe I even reached this point."

Without wasting any more time, he dived underwater, his movement so smooth he didn't even make a splash. He didn't care about the cold temperature, nor the biting silence. Grovyle only had his eyes on the shining Time Gear in the distance.

100 meters…50 meters…10 meters.

Grovyle began to feel the unmistakable power of time in front of him. His hands reached out, ready to take the Time Gear. However, that was when a suffocating pressure locked his body in place.

"I applaud your courage. Sneaking in here and trying to steal which I guard over. I'm curious, how could a weak Pokemon like you slip past my surveillance?"

Uxie's voice sounded in Grovyle's mind. The Legendary Pokemon leisurely floated above the lakewater, his Psychic power keeping the Grass-type Pokemon immobilized. 

To say he felt shocked when the last line of defense for the Time Gear was triggered would be an understatement. He quickly teleported back, relieved when he arrived before the thief could destabilize the Time Gear from its position.

Grovyle didn't respond. His body remained stuck with his right hand outstretched towards the Time Gear, just an inch separating them. He exerted everything he had to bridge that tiny gap, however, this inch seemed as vast as the distance between the earth and the sky.

"Forget it. I will just take my answers from your memory."

Grovyle's eyes hardened. It seems he has no choice. If he wanted to break through this hold, he would need to use the trump card Celebi prepared. 

Uxie stopped above Grovyle's position. He tried pulling the lizard-like Pokemon above the water. But suddenly, his Psychic hold broke. And that moment was seized by Grovyle to finally touch the Time Gear.

Then…time skipped.

When Uxie looked again, the Grovyle was nowhere to be seen. And along with him was the Time Gear. 

"...Celebi. What have you done!?"

Uxie's Psychic energy spread through the entirety of Fogbound Forest, trying to find a trace of that reptilian Pokemon. However, his efforts bore no fruit. After searching for more than 10 minutes to no avail, Uxie had to reluctantly give up.

"...the Power of Time, and such a huge amount. I didn't expect the Celebi behind all this to share their Origin. And that Grovyle should know the price he needs to pay to use that power. The two of them sacrificing so much…what is their end goal? "

Uxie had no more time to ponder that question. Without the Time Gear, time in Fogbound Lake began to slowly stop. Therefore, after taking some important items from the cave, the Legendary Pokemon, the God of Knowledge, Uxie, was forced to leave his home of thousands of years.

Omake - Sneaky Grovyle (Canon)

When Wigglytuff and the others set off for the Mystery Dungeon Corphish and Bidoof found, a green figure followed them, unnoticed.

It was Grovyle, who had been waiting outside their camp all night. Ever since he was a Treecko, he had to rely on sneaking around very violent and stronger Pokemon to survive. So staying undetected against a group of Pokemon who had no guard against him was child's play.

He watched this group of Pokemon breeze through the dungeon. If it weren't for Celebi's blessing, he most likely wouldn't be a match against any of them except Dugtrio. And even with it, he's not sure he can take on the Wigglytuff or the trio.

Speaking of which, he looked at the said trio with puzzlement. According to the information Celebi gave, the team of three Pokemon that should be following along right now are Skuntank, Zubat, and Koffing. How come they were replaced by a Pikachu, Azumarill, and a Zorua?

…did he mess up the timeline somehow?

That had made Grovyle worried. If they can't solve the puzzle because of this, he wouldn't know what to do. 

Fortunately, his fears were unfounded. After reaching the end of the dungeon, this group of Explorers easily solved the mystery to lift the fog. And on the mountainside nearby, Grovyle finally saw the dungeon that led to Fogbound Lake.

After confirming this, he began to retreat. When the fog around the forest was lifted, he knew Uxie's attention would be attracted to this group of Explorers. Hanging near them poses too much risk of being discovered.

Now, what he had to do was wait. Wait for the perfect opportunity to take what he needs.