The Time the Sky was Dark

The Escape

They escaped~ What now? :3

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Celeste, Grovyle, and Rise popped out of the ground, and Rise immediately spat. “I got dirt in my mouth!” he complained, hating the taste. Celeste let out a happy sigh. “We’re safe… thanks to Grovyle.”  She said. Grovyle nodded.

“We’re not out of the woods yet.” He reminded them. “Let’s get out of here, and fast.” They ran out into a dark hallway. Rise could barely see, and he was sure his companions were faring no better.

“Come on, this way, we need to keep running until we reach the exit! Faster, pick it up!” He braced himself for a sharp comment from Crystal, but she must have been silent with shock. Suddenly, he heard another set of footsteps. Harsh breathing could be heard.

“This is the fastest I can go!” he heard a breathless voice, and felt a surge of joy. Crystal was here!

“Is this the future?” Celeste said before Crystal could make another snide comment, or Grovyle could anger her further.

“You catch on fast.” Grovyle said sarcastically.

“Can we get back to our world?” Rise heard himself asking.

“Can we even survive that long?” Crystal didn’t sound like she was joking. It sent shivers up Rise’s spine.

“Crystal’s partly right. We need to focus on surviving for right now.”  Grovyle replied. “If we get caught, getting home will be the least of our worries. Run faster!” Rise expected brilliant sunlight to blind him as soon as they exited the building… but he was dead wrong.

“W-what… What is this?” Rise whimpered, looking around in shock. There was a long pathway that extended a good ways, despite its numerous curves. He looked around. Gray filled his vision. All was rocks, floating rocks, and the occasional dead tree. “This can’t be our world… in the future…” he whimpered. “The boulders are floating…” he reached up to touch one, but he wasn’t tall enough. Celeste stared.

“How strange.” She said. “And horribly dark... I can barely see you guys.” She turned to the others. “There’s no wind, either.” She said.

“It’s like all movement… It’s as if time has stopped.” Crystal said.

“Exactly.” Grovyle said. They heard laughter getting closer inside the building.

“We have to keep running!” And they did.

“Listen, Grovyle… I’m exhausted.” Rise complained. Crystal glared at him. How dare he just run off without her? It was as if he’d never noticed she was gone! Celeste was leaning on him now. If she could just man up and run like the rest of them, Rise wouldn’t be so tired. She practically had to be carried the way up here!

“There’s no time to rest!” Grovyle exclaimed. “If they catch us, we’re done! Tough it out and run!” he insisted. Crystal liked this guy more and more.

“That’s easy for you to say.” Rise said. She liked him less and less. “I can’t. I have to rest.”

“All right.” Crystal inwardly groaned when Grovyle gave up. They hid behind an enclave. Rise fell to his knees, exhausted and panting. Grovyle looked around, and deemed it would be safe… for the moment. He suggested a quick rest, and Crystal grinned. She lay down and was almost immediately swept away by a dream. Rise took a nap with his head lying on her back, and Celeste curled up between them. In her dream, she was human again. She smiled happily, and did a twirl, and for the first time, realized she was wearing clothes. To be exact, it was a maroon polo with puffy sleeves and some blue jeans. She fingered the cloth between her thumb and index finger and smiled broader. Suddenly, the door opened, and 2 figures walked in. She noticed, with a start, that it was Dusknoir, and a smaller figure. It was a Treeko. They seemed so little when she was her normal height! She smiled and bent down, and the Treeko hugged her tightly, embracing her as its best friend. Dusknoir was smiling warmly.