Sky's the limit

Chapter 21

Gina and Soren stared at the Grass-type with wide eyes, unsure of what to do next. Grovyle, on the other hand, simply met each of their gazes confidently, his amber eyes clear and focused. He took a slow step forward.

Mesprit lifted her head shakily to meet his sharp gaze, yellow eyes burning with indignation. "And just who are you?!" she demanded.

"Grovyle," he stated, his deep voice unwavering. "And I'm surprised this is the first you've heard of me. I seem to be the centre of everyone's attention lately." He paused to chuckle at the thought. "Now, I must apologize... But that Time Gear is mine."

He sped forward, knocking Gina and Soren aside with a simple swipe of his claws, and stood in front of Mesprit, who refused to back down. "Please, stand aside."

Even as she struggled to continue floating in the air, she shook her head. "N-never... You can't-" She yelped as he swatted her to the side as well, landing with a soft thud on the sandy floor.

"I saw you lose that fight, and now you've sustained serious damage," he remarked, not looking at her. "I wouldn't push it if I were you." He walked slowly to the edge of the water, his eyes locked on the blue-green glow emanating from beneath the calm waves.

Gina glared at him, her fur ruffling along her spine. "Hey!" she shouted, springing up from the ground and skidding to a halt in front of him. "You can't do this!"

"She's right!" Soren said, coming to stand beside her, fists clenched. "If you want that Time Gear, you'll have to go through us!"

For a moment, Gina swore she saw a flicker of recognition in Grovyle's eyes, but it faded as quickly as it appeared. "Alright, then." He gave a slight smirk. "Sorry for this in advance." The leaves on both of his arms lit up and merged to form a large blade on each forearm, and he slashed out at Gina and Soren, knocking them aside once more.

The Eevee winced, peering down to see the wound. It wasn't too serious, to her relief, but he did slice through a small layer of fur. Looking over at Soren, she saw that his wound now overlapped with one of his many scars from his childhood.

"He's...too fast," Soren hissed, clutching at the wound on his chest.

Grovyle ignored them. "I have no quarrel with any of you," he said, walking closer to the water's edge. "But this must be done. I need that Time Gear!" With that, he leapt into the water, disappearing into its dark blue depths.

Gina struggled to her feet, as did Soren, and she brought her attention to Mesprit, who was still lying on the sand, blood leaking from one of her wounds. The pair helped her up, and she gave a nod of gratitude.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "After that... Uxie must not have been talking about you. He meant that wretched thief... I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Save your strength," Soren urged. "You'll need it if we want to get out of here."

A bright white flash illuminated the cave for a split second, and Gina looked up, her ears pricked in alarm. As she and Soren looked around frantically for the source of the light, tremors rocked through the area, causing some stalactites to crack.

Mesprit's eyes widened. "No! We need to escape this place! Now!"

Soren turned to her. "What's happening?" he demanded.

The moment he finished his sentence, an almost deafening sound filled their ears. It sounded as if all the air was being sucked out of the cave, but at the same time sounded like an immense roar. Gina turned her head to the water, horror filling her when she saw a crackling wave of darkness approaching them quickly from where the Time Gear once was.