"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A piercing scream. Gali rights herself up, still holding her eyes shut.

"GALI!"

A familiar voice. The Celebi tries catching her breath, still thinking she was in the nightmare. It's only when the haze clears from her eyes that she realizes she's back in the real world. Karina was by her side, and immediately placed her hand on Gali's shoulder.

"Gali, what's wrong?" The lights were still dim, but as she looked over, Gali could see the light of a phone. The Mawile had decided to snuggle up next to her after her night out. Gali could've sworn she was light enough of a sleeper to hear her come in.

The first thing she felt was how cold she was. Whether it was from her nightmare or not bundling up after the flight here, she didn't know, but she knew in her spine that part of it was because of the dream.

"Th-th-th-the lights, Kari, Kari, please, the l-lights..." Her lips quivered. Where there was darkness in her room, she saw it: the Celebi from her dreams. With every heartbeat she imagined it was right there, ready to torment her again. Spotted patterns of dull pink and red everywhere, eyes staring at her, reliving it all over. Karina quickly got up and turned on the main light in the room, enough to bathe the walls in color. The apparitions vanished.

Her breathing was still hard. She crossed her arms across her body, shivering, her hair disheveled from tossing and turning in her sleep. Her eyes had shrunken, black lines visible against her eye shadow, with the slightest bit of drool having formed at the corner of her mouth. Frankly, she looked like a complete mess.

"Bad dream, Gali?" Karina walked back over, sitting on the bed next to the Celebi.

"The...other half..." Those words kept echoing in her head. "Save...the other half..."

"Huh?" The Mawile tilted her head.

"T-the other half, Karina! Where's the other half?!" She had a desperate look to her...

"Gali, hold on! What're you talkin' about? Tell me what happened." Karina fidgeted with the phone still in her hand, trying to figure something out.

"I-it was...it was hell...that's the only way I can describe it."

She took a deep breath. And then, looking back down, she began to recount the dream right from the beginning, before her memory of it faded to the ether.

Every last detail she could retain, every important feature she could remember. What she felt, figuratively and literally. She even had to check her body at a few points to ensure she wasn't scarred or cut up like she was in the dream.

On and on she went, until at least she

"Gali, I...don't know what to say..."

The fairy had calmed down, though she still felt pangs of fear and the occasional chill on her spine. She had moved next to Karina, resting her head on the Mawile's shoulder, with one of Karina's hands wrapped around the Celebi's waist and the other still holding her phone. "The last thing I remember hearing was 'the other half'...it just kept saying it. Goading me, even. Like...like I'd ever find it. The other half...the other half of it..."

Karina let out a low sigh, giving a few seconds to formulate an answer. "And you're sure this isn't just all a dream? You're sure it's real?" She tried her best not to be condescending, but it was understandably hard not to be.

"I'm sure it is. It felt real, all of it." Her body had warmed in these last ten-to-fifteen minutes. The white noise of the lights, the whirring fan in Karina's computer...the sounds she's used to hearing had helped to calm her down. She exhaled deeply, nearly becoming breathless, her heart finally beating at a somewhat normal pace. "I tried so hard to save it...the pain, it felt so real...b-but..."

Karina rocked back and forth, tightening her grip on Gali. "There there...you don't gotta worry about it anymore." She tilted her head, resting it on Gali's, nuzzling against it. Small 'beep's and 'boop's still came from her phone.

"...So, uhm...that aside...h-how did your night with your friends go? I missed you leaving..." There's a bit more positivity in her voice now, slight pushing over to Karina's side. She hadn't paid much attention to the Mawile's phone all this while, having been trying to recount the dream as best as she could. Still unfamiliar with most of this technology...

"Ah, it was alright. Me n' a few buds went window shopping and got some ice cream while we were out. If I'd've known you were here, I'd-a bought some back for you..."

"Aww, you didn't have to." A small giggle. "Just...you coming home in one piece is enough." Gali pushed back, nuzzling into the Mawile's shoulder further.

"Jeez, I guess that dream did do a number on you, huh..."

A whine. "I...don't wanna go back to sleep. Not 'til I know whether or not it's real." The solemn tone returns.

Karina sighs. She pushes the phone over into Gali's view. On it is the picture of someone she doesn't recognize. "You know of this guy?"

"Can't say I do. Who's he?"

"He's this archaeologist who goes around studying various myths of the world. I guess you can say he's a bit of a celebrity. This here's one of the interviews I had with him a while back. He's got a house high up on the backside of the mountain where he keeps all his research."

"So if someone would know about a mythical Pokemon..."

"...it'd be him. Yep." Karina playfully elbows Gali. "Maybe he's got a book all about you. Y'never know!"

Gali chuckles. A familiar trill escapes her lips. "Get real. Who'd wanna write a whole book about little ol' me?"

"Aaah..." Karina scrolls down on her phone. "You oughta see his pad. There's history written on his walls, literally - and tons of photos. Here, look at a few of 'em."

The Celebi exhaled. "Alright, alright, you've convinced me."

"AND...he's a Jirachi. And you know what that means, right?"

"...Now you're just getting my hopes up."

"Ask reeeeal nice, and maybe he'll grant you a wiiiish...~" Karina scrolls back up and rocks the phone back and forth, trying to entice her.

"Sh-shush. It feels weird enough as it is to even [i]consider[/i] asking someone like this about a dream."

Karina giggles. "Tell ya what. I recorded that whole spiel of yours on my phone here, so if you wanna borrow it, you can just play it back to them when you find 'em."

"You'd let me borrow your phone? I don't have the best pockets, you know."

"...Unless you want to recount every single detail again."

"Yeah. Alright. Gotcha. So, tell me, how do I..."

"Right, so, you click this here..."

...

"Just be sure to bring it back to me before sundown. ...But he [i]is[/i] sorta hot, isn't he?"

"Aheh, I don't think he's my type..."

"C'mon. Tell me, what would you wish for if he gave you one free wish? Just one." The two have been pushing back and forth on each other for so long at this point that they push only when they have a response. This time, Gali took a while to respond, letting her head tilt down.

"Hmmmm..." She finally pushes back herself. "A bowl of ice cream sounds good right about now."

- - -

After catching up, Gali set off once the sun was up. She hadn't slept the entire night, but she was too awake to go back to sleep - and she sure as heck didn't want to dream again. Still, she had cuddled with Karina before she too went to sleep, taking off shortly after they spent quality quiet time together. Of course, the light was on all the while, with Gali turning it off as she left.

Before she had gotten out the door, she was stopped by Abby to have a small breakfast.

"You got any plans for today, dear?"

"I, uh, was thinking about going up Avalu Peaks...f-for some sightseeing, heh."

"Oh, if you're going up the mountain, you'd better take a coat. It gets rather chilly up there."

So off she goes, thanking Abby for the bite to eat and the spare coat, putting the phone in one of its pockets, floating up to the mountains overlooking the entire island.

Most definitely, the coat helped keep her warm. The winds got a might bit stronger as she neared the mountains, circling them while trying to keep enough distance to scan the entirety of it for any signs of construction.

Just as Abby said, there was a definite home - but not a hut. Rather, it was built inside of the mountain, a decorative roof, lanterns, railing...and the small caveat of being almost entirely embedded inside the cliff face. As she neared, she could hear soft jingling, likely from the ornaments strewn about, tinted windows that she couldn't peer inside easily. She made her way over to the small outlet of land where a door to the inside was, flanked by a well-kept garden full of exotic plants she dared not to touch, and reached up to knock...

...and realized just how stupid this was. Chasing a silly dream. She could be back at that meadow relaxing...

"Ow!" Something sharp poked at the bottom of her foot. Just then, she heard the door click and creak open.

Out stepped a tall Jirachi, red streaks in his yellow cap and wearing a band of odd-colored orbs around his neck. Gali couldn't tell, but there was something about the way he looks that suggest he may be older than most of the residents on the island. And from just the way the inside of his house looked, just from what she can peek at from the entryway, it felt like she was stepping into another era entirely.

"May I help you?"

Gali took a few seconds to compose herself. She hadn't thought of how to really...approach. An awkward smile crept onto her face.

"H-hi, I'm...I mean..." She sighed, her tongue not able to keep up with her thoughts. The Jirachi tilted his head inquisitively. She felt as if this person was undressing her with his eyes... "Are you...an archaeologist?"

"Hmm..." He puts a finger to his chin. "As much of one as you are a Celebi."

"You can tell?" She recoiled slightly, raising an arm to cover herself with. A slight gust had started up.

"Of course." His eye glanced up and down her body once more. "The trademark antennae, eye shadow, wings; you're even wearing their traditional garb under that coat."

Gali's mouth twitched. It wasn't that she was surprised he could tell that much from a glance, but rather just how matter-of-factly he spoke.

She shook her head, a daze she hadn't anticipated on getting into setting on. "I'm Galiana, sir. A-and I have..." The gust blew a bit harder, her coat flapping.

The Jirachi stepped aside, motioning with his hand. "Come in, esteemed guest. Before you get the chills." Gali didn't have to be told twice, hurriedly making her way inside.

Immediately she could tell this was the home of someone who not just studied, but loved history. Every which way she looked there was something that referenced a bygone time. Murals of ancient Pokemon, photographs and portraits hanging on the wall of various places and Pokemon, diagrams and maps, documents in languages she couldn't read...and a certain age-old dusty smell that could swear was a little bit familiar.

"Come, hang your coat and have a seat." The Jirachi makes his way over to a table in the middle of the room, an ornate piece that Gali could tell had exquisite care put into it. As she undid and hung her coat on the nearby coat hanger, she watched on as he cleared out a space on it from the many books and odd gadgets covering it, enough to have a space for two on either side. She floated over to the other side as he wiped away the spots, using his own red-aura Psychic to float over a few books from an adjacent room, as well as a few photographs.

As both took a seat, he placed the books between them, and the photographs to his side. Gali could immediately tell what they were. Celebi shrines.

"To what do I, Rigel, highly-regarded historian of Luani Island, owe the pleasure of meeting a fellow mythical on this fine day?"

"You...uh..." She was quite a bit startled at the formality. Afraid enough to not touch the table, even. "I'm guessing you know quite a lot about, uh...me..."

The Jirachi chuckled. "Well, not you specifically, but your species is one that I have studied before, yes." He motions to the photograph of the shrine next to him. "Mainly congregating in forested areas, they are a sign of peace and prosperity wherever they appear. Having even one around is a sign of good things to come. People build shrines in their honor, making offerings so that they receive more visits from the Celebi, who then repay by protecting their forest, protecting and healing life where it sprouts."

Gali looked down with a small smile. Rigel continued. "But all the history I've found puts them close to heavily wooded areas, away from most communities. And their time travelling abilities allow them to be quite evasive. Take a closer look at the top of this shrine here..." He points to the very top of the shrine in the photograph, offering it to Gali. "I had to stake out for weeks, gift after gift, just to catch sight of this one here."

As he says, right on top of the shrine, resting and kicking its legs up was a Celebi. It looked like it simply enjoyed being there.

"Goodness knows how much time it would take for one of these creatures to trust someone enough to let them get close. Much less...have one walk in on them." He clears his throat. "So...that brings me to my first question, if I may, Galiana."

Gali gives a short chuckle, setting the photo down on the table. "Please, call me Gali."

He returned with a chuckle of his own, his hands folded together on the table. "My apologies, Gali. What brings such an elusive and special creature - humanoid or not - not just to this island, but right to my doorstep?"

She sighed. Right then and there, she felt the largest of twitches rise up through her spine. "R-right...well, uh, I guess I should start with, ah...I've lived here for a few years, um. I know there's not a whole lot of...forests, on the island, but there's definitely a lot of wide, open fields. There's a spot next to Gorebyss Lake that's a favorite spot of mine to hang out."

She felt herself starting to sweat, a hand reaching up to place at the edge of the table. Round edges - at least she won't get a cut. Rigel sighed with a small smile shaking his head. "Ah, you misunderstand. I'm asking [i]why[/i]...you're here."

His hands tensed up, gripping each other. A piece of paper floats over, carried by a faint red aura, and lands in front of Gali. A world map. There's markings all over, but the names of the various pieces of land are all legible.

"On Luani Island, there are ruins suggesting a link to a few Pokemon embedded in its history. The legendary Pokemon Zygarde is featured most prominently in old texts and murals, with a fully preserved and maintained shrine to boot. Additionally, there's evidence suggesting Solrock and Lunatone were revered at some point, as there are artifacts with their visage...but not as many as Zygarde."

His eyebrows began to furrow. "You see, Gali...there's no mention of Celebi having been honored on this island before. Most certainly not before today." He shakes his head. "And although I am pleased if you were, indeed, sent here as a sign from Arceus above to bring the island good tidings and blessings...I do not think you were sent here for that. ...And truthfully, I'm not sure how that process would even begin."

Gali looked puzzled. The dots on the map...correlate to Celebi shrines. Most certainly it doesn't mean that if there were spaces of land with no shrines, there wouldn't be life there, as Luani was a prime example of that.

Rigel sighed. "Seeing a Celebi so far away from a shrine isn't exactly unheard of. But if you're not scouting out a place for a shrine, why exactly [i]are[/i] you here, on this spit of land you have no business being on?"

All of a sudden, the walls felt really close. "U-uh...I..."

Rigel's stare intensified. "I...just live here, sir...j-just trying to have a quiet life, is all..."

The Jirachi stayed still for a moment, then sighed and closed his eyes. "...Apologies, ma'am. There's a lot of bad actors in the world, and I'm just trying to keep this island peaceful. The world is torn enough with battles and strife between the legends. And history has a nasty tendency of repeating itself." His tone changed.

"It's...ah, understandable, really. I don't mean to create a...following, or anything. Honestly I'm just happy healing people and spending time with the people here. It's quite cozy."

A slight pain in her heart.

"...But, sir, there's a reason I came to you today, of all days."

Rigel made an inquisitive 'huh', then lowered his head with a chuckle. "Oh, of course. Pardon me, I get a little carried away with myths and legends, you see. My deepest apologies if I offended you any. Go right on ahead."

Gali forced a smile, looking away. "I-it's nothing to apologize for, really. But...I guess it kinda is what I've been meaning to talk about."

"It's...you see, I had a dream last night. There was a Celebi that...didn't bring healing. It brought the exact opposite of that. And...I was wondering if..."

She choked up. "If...that's a sign for anything, or if...it had meaning, or..."

Rigel folded his arms on the table, straightening his back. "Dreams have been proven to have quite the impact on the real world, Gali. There's much to gain from studying them, indeed, although dreams are a little out of my field. Still, such a Celebi would be unique indeed, if it existed."

"Would you...would you be able to tell just based on a recounting of it?"

"If you're able to remember all the details, yes."

"That's perfect, because a friend of mine recorded me explaining it in detail." She pulled the phone out of the coat pocket with her Psychic, floating it over and fidgeting with it.

"Stop."

"E-eh?"

Rigel got up from his seat and walked around the table. "If you don't mind, I'd like to peer into your thought process as it plays out. I want you to play out the dream in your head as you listen to it, so I can see what you saw."

Gali sighed, a slight shiver. "If it will help..."

He placed his hand close to Gali's head, a red wave emanating from it. "You may begin."

She starts the recording...

...

...every detail plays back...

...every scream of help, every plea...

...every image, every feeling...

...

At the end, Gali is shivering again. "Did that...h-help...?"

Rigel puts his hand down, looking away. "Fascinating...Grotesque, but fascinating."

He walks back around the table, a hand behind his back. His pace is slow, obviously in thought. When he gets back to his seat on the other side, he instead places his hand on the back of the chair.

"That shrine in that enclosed graveyard...it's nothing that I've come across. You said you felt as if it was a shrine, but feeling such a power may only be relegated to Celebi, and thus, I would likely not be able to find it."

Gali sighs, looking down.

"However..."

"That shrine in the forest, that you said you had visited before. That may be where you will find your answer." He turns towards Gali. "Two places in the world being seen as pairs is nothing uncommon. Why, there's scant evidence to suggest that even in other dimensions or planes of existence, similar places will have similar energies. Though we have yet to uncover why that is..."

Gali looks confused. "Does that mean I'd have to travel to that shrine...?"

He nods. "I can understand your pleas to save that...other half. But I must warn you that there are dangers with messing with the timestream. There's no telling what will happen if you do anything rash with your powers." His assertive tone returns. The hand resting on the back of the chair balls into a fist. "Your power is not one to be abused. Especially regarding that gold ring around your neck."

The Celebi nods. "Of course. But it feels like...I'm the only one who can help it."

"You may be right." He nods. "...but you must consider whether that is the right thing to do, as well. For the balance of the world..."

Gali closes her eyes. A tear wells up. "What...what world would discard half of a Celebi's body, leaving the other half as that...that..."

The two share a silence.

"...Perhaps it's not from this world after all. Perhaps it is just a dream, meant to be forgotten."

"And if it's a plea for help, I can't ignore it. I have to help it."

Rigel sighs. "I probably wouldn't be able to stop you from trying...after all, it wouldn't be on this island where it'd take place. Fine."

Gali bows her head silently. She got up from her seat, and headed for the door...

"...Ah, one second, Gali."

"Hm?"

"I have something for you...and a favor." He walks over to a desk near the big window to the outside, and from it retrieves a small figure. "Would you mind sharing some of the dust from your wings with me?"

"Oh, uh, sure..." Gali turns around. Rigel holds the object near the wings as she flaps them, coating them in their particles.

"That's good." Rigel holds it back up, and Gali turns towards him.

"This here is a miniature Celebi shrine. I received it from a far-off village with a Celebi-themed tourist shop." Gali looks at it. Sure enough, it's got the shape, the wood finish... "If I'm not mistaken, Celebi require blessing a shrine themselves in order to 'mark' it for travel, both through time and as a marker for their teleportation. In doing so, now you have the shrine in your memory, and this...tiny one, to use so you may return easily to the island."

Gali gasps. "I...had no idea! If I had went out and gone there, I'd have been lost..."

Rigel nods. "Tell you what. Just for you, I'm going to add this to my decorations outside, so you can teleport back here whenever you want."

The Celebi bows again. "Thank you very much! My, er, home is in Sonnige, but I'd rather take a small trip across the land than across the ocean."

"Heh, well, that's...about all I'll allow. But in exchange..." He turns to the side. Gali looks on with a slight head tilt.

"...I'd like to ask you to come visit every once in a while. I get caught up in my research, and my place here is so out of the way, that not many visit me. And the few that do ask for a wish without offering anything in return..."

"...If you like, I can answer more questions about my, uh, Celebi-ness, if you're still curious."

He chuckles. "Oh, it doesn't have to be that. Just, y'know, small talk, it doesn't have to be about work. But I won't say no to it, if you'd be willing to share."

She returns the laugh. "I wouldn't mind. Maybe I'll learn a little bit about myself in the process." ...though her smile fades quickly. She puts on the coat she came with. "But first, I gotta help that Celebi somehow."

He nods. "Perhaps it's destiny that you do. Best of luck, friend."

Nodding back, with a determined look on her face, she opened the door and set out.

...back to Karina's, of course. She had to return that phone first. And on that trip back, she flew faster than she ever did before. Air burned on her face, and wind scarred her ears. It didn't matter if she was hundreds of feet above the ground, she had determination. Willingness. It pushed her forward, made her heart jump.

The sun shone down from above, half the day already gone by the time she landed at Karina's house. She quickly put the coat back where she found it, and set the phone on the counter. Her interaction with Abby was as quick as a "Hi-Bye!" before she bolted out, only to return and close the door behind her.

A telepathic voice reached her right as the door clicked shut. "Gali! Have you left the island yet?"

She attempted to return the message. "Rigel? No, not yet. Just about to."

"Good, I caught you before you went." The voice sounds exasperated. "There's something you should know before you head off and do anything drastic."

"That would be?"

"I was looking through some of my research, and thought you should know. By messing with the timeline, you would be drawing the ire of Dialga, the legendary Temporal Pokemon, for one. And maybe Palkia, the Spatial Pokemon, as well, though I cannot say for sure. I would be careful if I were you. They're wildly powerful, and if they see you as a threat, doing whatever it is you plan on doing..."

The voice stuttered for a moment, as if the connection had shut off.

"...you'd meet them on bad terms. And it will go less than stellar for you if what you plan on doing goes against their rules. The rules of this universe. I wish I knew more, but..."

Gali closed her eyes.

"Part of my oath as a nurse...part of why I want to heal, is to stop the hurting of others. Maybe they turn a blind eye to pain, maybe they see it as right..." She rose up in the air. A pink aura surrounds her, growing in a sphere. She closed her eyes, raising her arms, one foot in front of the other.

"But I don't."

[i]Fwip![/i]

- - -

A clearing. A shrine. A tint of teal everywhere. Tall trees, a peaceful quiet.

Not a being in sight.

[i]Fwip![/i]

Gali appears in a flash of pink. Hovering a few feet above the ground, she gently lowered to the grass below. Opening her eyes, she took immediate notice of the shrine in front of her.

A small breeze caused her hair to swish. A determined look in her eyes, a slight furrow of the brow. Staring down the shrine.

She had nearly forgotten how serene this place really was. How unfortunate that a single dream could ruin it, and leave her terrified...but ready. Ready to do what needs to be done.

She walked forward. Slow movements, taking in the scenery. The grass against her feet. Pollen tickling her face. She cleared her throat.

Clasping her hands together, she sang a single note. Then two, three together. "Biii...Biibiii...~"

A sound from somewhere nearby. "Rrriibibiii...~"

More joined, and the beings whose voices they belonged to became visible. Though fewer in number than in her dream, there were quite a few of the pixies fluttering about. They took an interest in Gali's singing, joining in and floating near in their own whimsical way. Seeing her as one of their own, their fears quelled, and they sung together.

After a minute or two of their song, Gali sung her last note, and waited for the Celebi around to finish.

"Wonderful singing, all of you." She smiled at each of the Celebi before her. By her count, there were four, though it's likely there were more in the forest not near the shrine. They all flittered about with their own little mannerisms.

"Yeah!" "The best!" "Nice singing!"
"Didja hear that high note?" "I wanna lead next time!"
"Is she new?" "She was here before, I think..."

"Hehehe...alright, alright. Yes, I was here once before. When I was still new to this world, and looking for my bearings, I followed this shrine's energy here."

She stepped around the Celebi, closer to the shrine. Her earliest memories of the world resurfaced, and she sighed. As much as she would love to visit for the sake of visiting, there was no time to reminisce today. "But...friends, there's someone that needs our help. And I fear they're in dire condition."

"One of us?" "A Celebi?"
"Is it true?" "How bad?" "Where?"

"Not where, dear friends." She turned her head towards them with a smile.

"When."

The Celebi looked amongst each other, confused expressions abound.

"When?" "Not here?" "But...when?"

"That's exactly my thoughts. And I...think I know just how we're gonna help 'em." She turns her body towards the Celebi once more. As her confidence grew, she began to use her hands to help her speak, holding out a palm towards them. "But I will need some help. I understand if you aren't feeling up to it."

"You kiddin'?" "If what you say is true..."
"One of ours is in danger!" "No one left behind!"

Their naiveté was touching. In truth...even she didn't know what she had to do. But she had a feeling...and she was going to see it through. Her hand pulls back as she thinks of how to proceed.

"The shrine itself will be my tether to the present." She looks over to it. Thinking on her own, she tried to think like a determined hero...like in one of Karina's games. What would they do to get the results they wanted? "But I'll need to head between the streams...not in a timeline itself. Somewhere...between."

Gali then turns to the Celebi again. "If you guys can keep a portal open, I should be out and back in the blink of an eye. It will just be the journey that will take some time. It'll be...literally, no time at all."

"Sure!" "No problem!"
"And I thought we'd have to do more!"

Gali shook her head. "Not...quite. I'll be bringing someone back on the brink of death. They'll need immediate healing." Slowly, she had taken on a determined, serious look. "Please be ready. I'll need all your strength."

The Celebi struck poses. "Yes!" "I'm ready!"

"Then please, a Passage, if you would."

They nodded, and took a square formation. Cloaked in blue, they focused their power in the center, a portal growing from the ground. An oval-shaped brightly multi-colored door, glowing and radiating time energy.

Gali put her hands together, saying a quick prayer for herself, taking a few steps back. Yards from the portal, she needed as much velocity as she could.

Flying up, she called out. "Be ready!"

She flipped backwards midair 'til her body faced the ground, then flew forward as fast as she could. Straight into the door, fist first, a missile that whistled as it zoomed past the Celebi holding it open.

- - -

[i]An infinite column of blue light, straight as can be from one horizon to the other. From afar, it is but a straight line, but up close one can see the many individual strands that compose it. Each tied together; one fate, one timeline.

Strands of light reaching out, like a frayed rope, mark those that travel through time, each returning back to the column. A four-dimensional space where both time and space can be seen; time in this realm superposes that of the timestream itself. Time spent here is its own beast. A Celebi is but a guest here.

A blue trail leaves the stream, a comet blazing bright and blue.

The easy part was getting here...but finding that lost Celebi? Where to even look...analyzing each individual strand would take too long. Millions of those in the main timeline, hundreds, possibly thousands of strands that jump away and back. Following each would be an undertaking.

Her time is of the essence here. Her movements must be quick, lest she run out of energy and be lost herself, a thread not able to find its way back after being extended to its limit. The Celebi helping her out offer their power to hers; she hopes it is enough.

A thought races in her mind. To connect with the other half of the Celebi, she had to reach out in a way that would prove their connection. Surely, if the one half she met in her dream had responded to something, the other half would respond in much the same way, right?

So in her mind, as she travels close along the timestream, sparkling blue, she reaches out with song. A shockwave of Psychic energy that brings with it the same tune she had sung in her dream. She never forgot what she sung then.

...There! It was faint, but it was there! She called again, now heading towards where the song came from. Again it responded, faint but there.

If it was out here, in this void beyond space, its light had died out with it becoming disconnected from its timeline. A dark being, hidden amongst darkness...alive despite being ripped from time itself. Calling out for help. Gali had to succeed.

"Are you the Celebi from my dreams? Please! Show me where you are! I want to help!"

The song rings out again. A whisper amongst the windless void. Amongst the reverberations making up its song, Gali could faintly hear its voice. Calling her. Her name.

Without ever meeting her, someone not from its timeline, without appearing once to her, its connection was made. It had to be the other half!

Gali's streaking comet body was wearing thin. If she couldn't reach the Celebi in time, she too, would be disconnected. Just a bit longer...

The blue sparkles emitting from her body lessened. Her rope was reaching its limits.

There, at the very edge of what was possible...at the very edge of reality, trapped in the worlds between, was the half. Motionless. The only thing lighting it was Gali's own diminishing streak.

Before her light faded completely, before the urge to reconnect to the timeline became too much, like holding one's breath underwater...

She took hold of the Celebi's hand,

Enveloped it in her light,

Shared with it her life,

And shot back to her timeline, like a bungee cord snapping back.[/i]

- - -

From the viewpoint of the Celebi holding the Passage open, Gali had entered the portal and came back through in less than a second, though they could feel the stress of their time power in those precious milliseconds as Gali had used almost every bit of what power they offered, and then some. As fast as she entered the Passage, she came out, tumbling with the shiny Celebi in tow.

She attempted to slow her landing, knowing full well the Celebi in her hands was clinging to life. Its strand to the timeline reconnected, its condition now mattering more than ever as seconds ticked away on its health.

As Gali came to a stop, protecting the Celebi with her arms as much as she could, she could feel its life force fading fast. "Now! Help me with your Pollen Puffs!" No time to be disgusted, no time to show fear. Even if her arms were now bathed in red, she readied a Leech Seed, fast as she was able, implanting it in the Celebi's head and body. It needed as much healing as she could give it.

The Celebi helping her quickly closed the passage and came over to help. Upon seeing the state of the Celebi Gali had brought with her, they collectively gasped and hesitated. Was...that a Celebi at all? Its hair was missing, its eye closed as if it were already passed, and...half of its...

It took a few seconds for the bravest to get near, flapping its wings and letting its dust coat the Celebi. It absorbed the energy from the pollen, twitching its body repulsively. Still, it was a sign of life.

"C'mon, we gotta help it!"

"But it's..." "Is it really...?"

"It is! J-just...don't look at it too long..." Even the Celebi helping it had turned away.

"Please, please help it! Every second matters!" Gali's voice wavered, raised, desperation clearly in her voice.

Her body was shaking. She had really...done it. In her arms was the other half of the Celebi from her dream...and though she did not know about its history, she had no time to question it. All that mattered was saving it from the brink of death, a brink it was trapped in for so long without time to pass by...its life paused right before the climax. And Gali was determined to ensure it could have its happy ending.

Tears welled in her eyes, cradling it in her arms as the Leech Seeds took hold and spread across its body. Another Celebi had joined in, getting near enough to let its restorative dust coat the Celebi, making the vines starting to take hold of it glow that much brighter.

Gali could hear, feel, its barely-composed mouth take in slow breaths. Her face was blue with disgust and fear, not wanting to think too deeply as to why or how it could survive like this. Yet, with another Celebi joining in, this time one that wasn't part of the original group but had been watching from the trees after being curious, she knew that all would be healed soon enough.

Intently she monitored this Celebi, whose Leech Seeds had spread their vines so snugly around, bringing back memories of the dream she had. Her heart jumped about, knowing that this time, it wasn't a dream. She really was saving it. Or...rather, half of it. But it mattered none to her, so long as she could stop its suffering.

The Celebi around had gotten worn out from spreading their dust, with one finally falling to the ground on its butt, tired and resting its wings. "Whew..."

It took that for Gali to notice two more had already joined in. The vines surrounding the pink Celebi were bright green, and she felt its life energy had been stabilized. With its eye shut, she couldn't tell just how well it really was, but she was sure it was no longer in peril. "Thank you, guys...really. I think that should be enough to save it."

The Celebi around her stopped spreading their dust shortly after, with a few joining the one that had fallen to the ground tired to comfort it as well, with another sitting next to it. No doubt, their entire attention was fixated on the pink Celebi in Gali's arms.

"So, uh, miss...who is that?" "I don't recognize them, yeah..." "Their color is a little weird..."

Gali forced a smile, still watching its face. The vines pulsed in brightness with its heartbeat, wrapped so thoroughly around its body that only its closed eye remained visible. "I...had a dream. And in it, I met a Celebi...who looked much like this one."

"S-scary..."

"It was. I tried my best...saving it, bringing it to a dream world version of this shrine. It...told me that it killed with its Perish Song, and I was trying to teach it how to sing without causing death. Heal the wounds on its body, and teach it to love life."

She shakes her head. "But it was just a dream...and in the end, it reverted to just the half of its body. The...other half, of this one here. And that half...killed me, in that dream. But it told me to look for the other half...this half." She rocks the Celebi back and forth in her arms gently. "I...can't believe it myself. That the dream was...real...and that it existed...it was severed from the timestream, just at the limit of how far outside the timestream we can travel."

The Celebi listened on in awe and wonder. "Does that mean..." "...th-the other half...the one that kills with its Perish song..." "W-we're supposed to forget that move..." "Does the one that you met exist too? S-somewhere..."

Gali looks up at the Celebi around. The one that spoke last was shivering. An instinct rose up in her, and her quiet, calm voice returned. "Dear, please, don't frighten yourself like that. If it does exist..." She looks back at the shrine. "I'll save it too."

They all collectively gasp. "But you'd get yourself killed!" "You barely made it back this time!" "If it's not a dream..."

Gali giggled, despite the worries. With a quieter voice, she spoke. "Have you all forgotten?"

She began humming. A familiar tune...the same she sung in her dream, the same she contacted the shiny Celebi with. The Celebi around her listened on.

They too begin rocking back and forth. One joins in with its trilling.

A second joins. A third.

All the same melody, repeating.

And then a voice they hadn't heard before speaks to them, a voice in their minds that spoke above all others...

It, too, sang. A new lead, a new verse.

The pink Celebi slowly opened its eyelid, its eye clouded and shaking.

At the end of the verse, as the Celebi were still singing their parts, the voice spoke for the first time.

- - -

The Celebi from her dreams,
haunting its graveyard shrine.
A harbinger of death, it stayed loyal to its duty;
Necessary, it was told, that it should lead even its master to a grisly fate,
Keeping its pledge long after it had forgotten who ordered it.

Yet, a new sensation that it had not experienced in eons
overtook its mangled and warped body, experiencing life anew
until its body could handle the stress no longer.

Gnashing and gnawing at its form,
A heartbeat rings out, with latent, delayed emotions filling its body.
Love, compassion, empathy; hate, rage, anger
in all but a brief second of mortality.
As its body fell, its green eye fading, it had its first coherent thought not clouded by death:
No longer would it have to wander this horrible, lifeless, lonely,
Arceus-forsaken land.
