Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (Original Based Off My Playthrough)

Chapter 22- Grovyle's Sacrifice

"W-well? What is it t-then?! What w-will happen if we c-change the future?!" I angrily demanded Dusknoir, he finally looked up at us. "If you manage to change the future..." he started, "...then all Pokémon of the future will no longer exist. In other words...all Pokémon from the future will disappear."

Hearing this come from Dusknoir shocked me. Is he telling the truth? My thoughts were interrupted when Dusknoir added, "It won't only be me that would disappear...it will include every single Pokémon in the future...including Grovyle...and yourself, Jack! You came from a future that would cease to exist, meaning that you are a part of that future and would disappear with it!"

This was all becoming a lot for me to take in. I would disappear if I change the future? I decided to call Dusknoir's bluff and shouted, "Y-you're lying! You're just t-trying to stop us f-from getting to Temporal Tower, a-aren't you?!" I looked up at Grovyle to get clarification of Dusknoir's lie, however the look of distress on Grovyle's face gave me a very strong feeling of dread.

"G-Grovyle?" I spoke with worry in my voice, before he finally said "...Jack...I'm sorry...but what Dusknoir says...is true! If we change the future, we will disappear..." The realisation was starting to sink in. If Grovyle was confirming Dusknoir is telling the truth...then that meant I must disappear to save the world. Grovyle then said to me, "I didn't want to say anything about it...in case you weren't willing to accept it...like you were when you first got told this by Celebi...before you lost your memory and became a Pokémon..."

flashback to Jack & Grovyle meeting Celebi for the first time (Grovyle's POV)

"Oh, there's one thing that I must tell you before you begin looking for the Time Gears" Celebi spoke to us. "And what would that be?" I asked her, before she replied "If you change the future, then we shall all disappear. This is because our current future wouldn't exist and by extension, neither would we as we're part of this future."

I was already accepting of what would happen, however Jack wasn't the same. He was having second thoughts. "I...I t-thought that I w-would get to s-stay and experience a b-better world...I thought w-we were fighting for a w-world we'd g-get to live in and be p-part of..." Jack cried.

"Jack...there's something you need to understand..." I told him "It doesn't matter how long you live for, but rather...what you manage to accomplish with your life. I want to prove I exist by doing something important! If I disappear, then all I accomplish would carry on! That would mean...that it's living. Please try to understand, Jack."
"What you a-accomplish...is more i-important?" Jack quietly spoke.

back to present time (Jack's POV)

"Eventually, you accepted you would have to disappear. But now...I don't know if you still accept that," Grovyle told me "My resolve for this grew stronger when I first came to this world and saw the sun rise for the first time. I knew that I had to do whatever I could to change the future...I just wished you were still by my side back then."

So if we change the future, then I would have to disappear...but if we don't do anything, the world will be completely paralysed. After some time, I finally made my decision. "Grovyle...we h-have to do it, even if we m-must disappear!" I confidently told him.

Grovyle thought for a moment, before saying "Well, there's one problem with that..." What did he mean by "one problem"? He continued to say, "When we first came here, we had nothing to lose, but this changed for you Jack...when you met Sparky."
"When I...m-met Sparky?" I asked him, I had a feeling I knew where he was going with this. "If Sparky knew that you would disappear, then...I'm sure he'd be devastated. He...really looks up to you, Jack. I would imagine he wouldn't take you disappearing very well..." I realised that if I wanted to save the future, then I'd have to leave Sparky forever...even so, I have to change the future and save the world, I decided that I would tell Sparky when the time comes.

Suddenly, a blue light started to emanate from up the stairs. "The Rainbow Stoneship! Sparky must've got it working! We need to head back up there before it takes off!" Grovyle exclaimed.

"N-no...you can't! I won't let you!" Dusknoir shouted, as he suddenly sprung up and struck me, knocking me to the ground. He went to attack me again, before Grovyle rushed in front of me and took the hit and also got knocked down. "G-Grovyle!" I shouted, as he weakly staggered back on his feet. "Hmph! You defended Jack to protect him? Very well, then! You're going down first, Grovyle!" Dusknoir shouted again, prepared to attack again.

Grovyle suddenly lunged at Dusknoir, grabbing him by his arms and started pushing him closer to the Dimensional Hole. "G-Grovyle! W-what are you d-doing?!" I cried out, trying to stand up while still in pain from Dusknoir's attack. "Jack...I'm...I'm taking Dusknoir back to the future!" he responded to me, pushing Dusknoir closer to the Dimensional Hole. "Wh-what?! You're g-going back?!" I cried out to him. He was sacrificing himself, making it so we'd never meet again!

"Ok, you two! The Rainbow Stoneship is ready!" I heard Sparky call to us, he was running down the stairs, he then saw what was going on, "Grovyle?! What's happening here?!"
"Sparky...this is it for me...I'm returning to the future" Grovyle told him, he took off his bag and threw it behind him, it had the 5 Time Gears inside of it! "Wh-what do you mean?!" Sparky cried out, before Grovyle told him "Sparky...please watch Jack's back for me..."
"But...t-take over for y-you? I c-c-can't!" Sparky whimpered as he teared up. "You must and you will! You two are the greatest of combinations!" Grovyle spoke to him, Dusknoir demanded for Grovyle to release him, Grovyle instructed him to be quiet, before he turned his head to face me, "Jack!" I looked up at him when he shouted my name, I could already feel tears building up in my eyes.

"Jack...take care, Jack. I'm so glad that I met you..." Grovyle softly spoke, he was also trying to shed tears. "G-Grovyle...d-d-don't go...p-partner..." I choked, as I reached my arm out to him, but Grovyle shook his head and simply said, "Though parting hurts...the rest is in your hands. Jack...please stop the planet's paralysis...for all of our sakes!"

And just like that, he shoved himself and Dusknoir into the Dimensional Hole, it vanishing after they were gone.

I found myself unable to move for the longest time, tears were now streaming down my face. So much pressure had now been put onto me. I was the only one in this current time that knew what would happen to the Pokémon of the future...and I also knew...my time would be coming to an end.

Sparky had walked over to me after he'd picked up Grovyle's bag. "J-Jack?" he said to me, I slowly looked up at him, he could see the tears on my face. I suddenly hugged him close to me, continuing to sob, he hugged me back to comfort me. Not only was my time in this world ending...but also my time with Sparky was ending.

"You know...Grovyle's last words...", Sparky began to say ""Parting hurts"...I know what he meant. You two had been friends for a long time, so it must've been painful for him to leave you." Thinking this, it made sense but there was another possibility, one that was more likely. He was talking about me and Sparky...about how I'd inevitably have to leave Sparky for good.

I stood up and wiped the tears from my face. "Jack...let's head to Temporal Tower and save the world...for Grovyle's sake!" Sparky confidently told me, I looked at him before nodding in agreement. We then headed back up towards the Rainbow Stoneship.

The blue light emanating around it was more intense. "You ready, Jack?" Sparky asked me, he was holding his hand out for me to hold. "I'm ready, Sparky!" I replied, holding his hand as we stepped onto the Rainbow Stoneship.

It shook before rising into the air and flying upwards towards Temporal Tower, a rainbow trailing behind it. The time was finally here! The beginning of our final adventure!