(A/N): So, this is my entry. I hope you'll like it, and I don't own any of the characters. However, I do own the plot and my writing. The song lyrics used are from Izayoi Seeing, To My Friend and Kokoro (Rin) from Vocaloid and Connect by PMMM. Listening to this cover of "Connect" by Sara Beat (YT) in the media is highly recommended while reading. Enjoy!

•

Large cerulean eyes that quietly pierced her soul.

Soft, hazel-brown clouds that stared back at her naively.

That was how they would always meet.

•

O N E ~ H E S I T A N C E

Filtering out the rain, my finder shooting 'round each cloud

Grabbing stars

I guess that you could say when I breathe them a sigh, this night

Falls away

Drawing out one by one, my finger tracing all those lines

Giving them names, bright and newly sewn, I spent my days gazing

All alone

•

She just happens to be in the forest on that day, small, fairylike wings glittering with traces of fresh dewdrops, flitting from tree to tree and collecting Oran berries, stubby fingers delicately plucking the plump, spherical objects from their branches.

The Pokemon hums to herself, a simple tune that Meloetta had taught her a thousand years ago--- of course, the fellow Legendary would always be much better--- as the pile of blue-speckled fruits grew in her arms.

That's enough for now, she reminds herself pleasantly, before beginning her graceful descent to the ground below.

Her euphoric state is rudely interrupted by a small, hushed whine below her.

She's reluctant to snap out of her rapturous (nearly delirious) trance, but as her duty as a Legendary, she has to help any Pokemon in need.

She tilts her head backwards and floats down further, seeing the pitiful, tear-filled gaze of chocolate brown that blinks back at her, quite literally begging the Legendary for help.

The creature lazily inspects the situation at hand, first the Eevee's trapped paw, then the large, narrow crack that nearly slices the muddy ground in two. The foxlike Pokemon continues to stare at her, tugging and flailing in a desperate (---useless) attempt to free itself.

That will only trap you more, she states bluntly through telepathy. Just wait for me to help, won't you? She watches in satisfaction as the small, brown organism nods meekly and stills itself, the only movement being the rapid breaths that it huffs out at an alarming speed.

Cerulean turns to a blazing azure as an near-invisible force wraps its way around the Eevee, stained with only the slightest tint of ice blue, the psychic energy slowly pushing the two jagged pieces of land apart. The creature squirms as she's lifted out of the crevice, eyes wide with pure, unhidden amazement.

Biting back a retort, the Legendary manoeuvres the injured Pokemon through the air and sets it on the flat patch of ground in front of her. The tiny beast can only stare in amazement, pure, unwavering amazement, as the crack seals itself before its very own eyes.

My name is Celebi, guardian of the forest, the apple-green pixie greets. Your paw has been injured quite badly. If you had struggled any more, it would have been badly broken. Seeing the Eevee shaking, she hastily fumbles for her next words. You won't be able to move properly for a while, and that'll leave you defenceless against predators. I suppose... I can let you stay with me.

The small, furry creature looks at her with those oval, shining eyes, as if considering the possibility.

Then, it nods gratefully, beaming so impossibly widely, and the thought of how naive crosses Celebi's mind, but she ignores the whisper that her mind throws.

And, keeping the Eevee locked in her psychic grasp, she buzzes her wings back and forth, lifting both her and her companion off the ground effortlessly.

Berry picking would have to be saved for another day.

• • •

Celebi has to admit that the shrine seems just a little more lively with the young Eevee around.

With seemingly boundless energy, the creature is overly active--- (too much, Celebi tells herself, too much) despite its bleeding paw, always too keen to keep up and start a conversation with the delicate, rather hostile Legendary.

One day, before the fairylike Pokemon leaves for her daily routine of berry picking, the foxlike Pokemon pads after her, surprisingly fast for something with an injured limb. It--- she, now that Celebi has learnt the Eevee's gender--- asks an unexpected question. Are you lonely?

What do you mean? the guardian replies. I am merely carrying out my duty as the protector of all forests. This shrine is merely a place of residence.

But even Legendaries have feelings, right? the Eevee cried. I don't care if you're a Legendary. I met you as a regular Pokemon. You've never talked to anyone before. Surely...

Celebi shoots her a condescending look. I do not have the need to be social.

Yes, you do! The fire burning in the hazel pools of her companion's eyes is perhaps the most intense ones she's seen, hotter than the volcanoes she'd visited and the forest fires she'd saved Pokemon from.

I want to be your friend.

The time-travelling pixie says nothing, jerking her head away from the Eevee and flying out of the shrine's entrance.

I don't know about that.

She squashes and drives the childish smile that had almost formed on her face to nonexistence.

(After all, the answer would be a definite no, right?)

• • •

The Eevee has fully recovered.

Celebi finds a growing, irritating emotion bubble up inside of her (perhaps anger? Regret?), but as usual, she brushes it aside, driving the furry Pokemon out of her home with nothing but a bundle of berries.

The creature yips in happiness, and she tilts her head. Thank you so much!

It's only my duty. You are welcome, the protector replies with an ever-so-distant tone.

Does this make you my friend, Celebi? The Eevee asks, her tone unbelievably earnest, long ears pricked forward hopefully.

The Legendary's gaze darkens, and she hesitates for a short moment.

(Just a moment, but enough for her companion to catch.)

...No.

With that, the two part ways.

(Friends cause nothing but pain to a time-traveller like her.)

• • •

Celebi finds herself unconsciously following the Eevee.

She'd recline in the familiar comfort of her shrine for a few days, enjoying the vast emptiness of the ancient structure, but with a seed of worry planted in her very mind.

Finally, she decides that its time to reconnect with nature once again.

Gracefully, she whisks through the cracked opening of her residence, going so low that she almost crashes, but carries herself with an impossible elegance, small figure skimming against the smooth ground.

She catches a whiff of the aromatic blooms around her, closing her eyes in pleasure, and her troubles seem to ebb away, leaving her along with the breeze that's cool on her skin.

As if drawing a performance to its reluctant end, she stops, doing a final loop in the air and opening her azure eyes.

They widen considerably, and a huge surge of emotions tackles the Time Travel Pokemon like a landslide.

(She doesn't know why happiness and relief is mixed with her shock.)

She slips into the leaves of the nearest tree she can find, easily camouflaging herself with the various hues of green surrounding her. The pale cyan of her large eyes is the only thing she's unable to hide, and they seem ablaze amidst their dark canvas.

The Pokemon watches silently as the Eevee sits herself by the lake's edge, dipping her head downwards and eagerly lapping up mouthful after mouthful of water, eyes closed in blissful contentment.

Why am I watching her? Celebi chides herself. I've already done what I needed to do. Our lives are now separate.

Yet, she can't help but glue her eyes to the scene.

(Such a mundane one too, her mind whispers.)

Absentmindedly, she turns around for a moment and spots three large Houndoom, licking their lips, shaggy black coats tightly hugging their ribcages, amber-orange eyes gleaming with days of starvation.

They're going to kill her. The Eevee.

They're. Going. To. Kill. Her.

It isn't her duty to interfere this time--- after all, it was part of nature's law, and a mere Eevee naturally sits at the bottom of the food chain.

Her legs swing from side to side from the branch she sits on, her gaze continually flickering between the two parties--- unsure of what to do.

Finally, just as the group of predator's take action and pounce, she unleashes her attack--- a strong wave of dark green energy that forces both her and her opponents back. She grips on to the branch tightly, feeling the rough bark carve patterns into her palms, but keeps a steady gaze on the scraggly pack.

Leave now, she tells them calmly, but with a firm tone of deadly authority in her voice. I do not want to carry out any more punishment.

She doesn't know if the creatures knew of her status, but her prescence seems to convey her feelings clearly. The Houndoom glance at her for a final time, their eyes disgruntled, but they wheel around, trotting off until they become nothing but a silhouette in the far distance.

I've meddled too much, Celebi thinks to herself worriedly. With that, she flexes her wings and exits the area in a blur of pale green.

Meanwhile, the Eevee has noticed the explosion of energy from behind her, and she whirls around, just in time to catch a last glimpse of green.

The familiar, exact shade of apple green, to be exact.

...Celebi?

• • •

The next time the Legendary runs into the Eevee is purely coincidental as well.

She'd flown into the depths of the forest, hoping to gather Sitrus berries for her lunch, when she'd seen a strange biped that Arceus described to her once as a human.

The Eevee is on the ground, utterly defeated by the boy's Arcanine, her long ears drooping downwards in exhaustion. The trainer smiles, and takes out a Pokeball, ready to suck up the helpless creature into an eternal life of capture.

He may be evil. He may want to use her for evil, and he'll hurt and hurt and hurt her---

Impulsively--- (what was that emotion all that time?)--- Celebi dashes out, and the boy drops the sphere at the sight of the exotic Legendary.

Her eyes widen as the device drops to the ground, bouncing towards the fallen Pokemon and sucking it up in a beam of red light. It shakes ever-so-slightly, once, twice, thrice, and then falls absolutely still with a click.

And she doesn't know what overcame her, but in a moment, she's found her way to another of the red-and-white spheres, her finger hesitating to tap on the button.

This friendship you were offered, or eternal freedom?

She considers this for a while.

I've had freedom for more than a thousand years.

With that, she decisively presses her palm against the grey circle and seals her fate.

• • •

Celebi finds the trainer surprisingly friendly.

At first, she shies away from any form of contact, snarling and hissing and biting, but he just smiles and waits patiently for her to cool off before trying again.

She found herself happier than she's ever been--- her retorts to the Eevee come less often, and a smile (unwillingly) breaks onto her face from time to time. His Arcanine, Xatu and Croconaw are the friendliest, tamest Pokemon she's ever met.

And, as a sleek, beautiful Espeon emerges from the once chubby, naive Eevee, she's clapping, smiling so widely that her face feels like it would break.

(Friends are still bad, the voice whispers in its poisonous tone, and she makes the devastatingly wrong choice to ignore it.)

(She cannot be happier as the Espeon plucks a rose from the nearest rosebush with her psychic abilities and floats it into the Legendary's arms, the sweet, melodic sound of to thank you for our friendship ringing pleasantly by her ears.)

• • •

The Espeon is dead.

The Celebi stares blankly at the bloodied, twisted body of her best friend, limp and lifeless at the bottom of the rocky pit.

She'd survived, barely. She'd been selfish, and escaped with her wings when she could, while the Espeon had leapt bravely--- (recklessly)--- into the abyss, small body nearly unnoticeable against the dizzying columns--- just to save her trainer.

There just had to be a damned rockslide.

Of course, the boulder had to fall at that moment. Of course, her nearly perfect sense of her surroundings would have been clouded over.

Of course, the impact would have pinned her down and killed her instantly.

Dead.

Both of them are dead.

Quietly, she holds her Pokeball in her psychic grasp, and for once, her usually luminous eyes are dull with grief.

Then, with a loud crack, the sphere smashes into a million tiny, tiny pieces, scattering all over the mud-spotted grass.

(Friends are bad, she'd warned herself. Yet, she'd still failed.)

Gears shift and turn, and her cobalt eyes glisten with tears as she rips a huge slash in the air in front of her.

Doesn't matter.

She steals a final glance at the corpses, and her clutch tightens on the single rose she has in her possession--- a reminder, perhaps, of the first time she'd made a friend.

I'll just meet her again.

With that, she enters the rift in time's she's created, her lone figure jarring against the massive whirl of colours in front of her, but she's calm, no, relieved.

• • •

T W O ~ S E C O N D

•

Light-years and the raining cleared to show a sky so bright, amazing

Leading me away, why does my heart sway, painful things I just don't get?

Seeing a whole new world of starlight glittering a moon

Who's only sixteen

Hey, have I changed for the better?

Do you think I'm strong?

•

She stumbles forward, rose tight against her body, and she carefully shields it from the pouring rain.

As she takes off, a familiar, stubby figure appears in her vision--- nothing more than a shadowed silhouette against the darkness of the storm.

She recognises her as the Eevee she had met, the same creature that had whined and begged for her help, the creature who had stared at her with those hypnotic, childish pools of liquid chocolate.

The same Pokemon, yet so different.

She steps up, and taps the Eevee gently, causing it to startle and whip its head around. What are you doing out here in a storm like this?

The creature's eyes are dulled by pain, yet they sparkle with an air of intellect and calm.

(She's so different, the Celebi tells herself, so, so different. But she's still the same Eevee.)

My family abandoned me, the Eevee replies slowly. I have nowhere to go.

Almost instantly, she feels a spark of anger flare inside her--- how dare they hurt her friend--- but she contains it, trying to act as the calm, helpful Legendary she's supposed to be.

My name is Celebi, and I'm the guardian of this forest. Her features ease themselves into a smile at the familiar words, but she speaks them with a much warmer tone. You'll fall sick if you stay out here. I'll take you in for a while.

Are you sure? The tone of the Eevee's heavy voice momentarily lifts to a childlike, excited one. You really would?

She smiles again. Of course.

And with that, she gently picks the Eevee up with a small wave of psychic energy and heads off.

I met her, her heart sings joyously. I met her again.

• • •

The Eevee shakes herself violently, water shrouding her surroundings in a fine mist. Thank you so much for letting me stay here.

It's no problem, Celebi replies quickly.

She curls up on the cold ground, grateful for the shelter. Eyeing the stalk that her companion seems to be (too) absorbed in, her curiosity gets the better of her. Is... is that rose special to you?

Snapping out of her trance, the Legendary nods with a nostalgic smile. Yes. It's very special.

Why? the creature continues.

A close friend gave it to me, Celebi replies quietly, and she's completely silent after that.

(...you were the one.)

• • •

Again.

The guardian presses her eyes close, trying to convince herself that this was all a dream; a nightmare--- a lie.

But when she opens them again, she's greeted with the same sight that she'd seen moments ago--- the limp body of the Flareon unmoving on the cold stone floor, eyes closed, her pulse no more.

It's less of a surprise this time, but she's still assaulted with the same, tumultuous mix of sadness and grief and regret.

It was old age, she tried to comfort herself. It would have happened sooner or later.

Still, she can't repress the surge of tears that follow, and for the last time, she runs a gentle hand through the Pokemon's once lustrous collar of fur.

I'll do it again.

Again and again and again.

Silently, the rose flies through the air and lands in her grasp swiftly, and yet another portal opens in front of her.

Celebi doesn't hesitate, nor does she bother to look back, and she walks into the vortex once again.

...not scared. I'm not scared.

• • •

Watching the sun pour out, a sigh that blew the rain away

Clear blue sky

Already looking down, I know the storm is right behind

My cold back

They say when stormy days are over, "only clear skies are up ahead!"

Your laugh, your small umbrella, and your kindness saved

Me from rain

•

T H R E E ~ P A P E R  H E A R T

She does it a third time, and then a fourth, and a fifth, and she gives up counting at fifteen.

She's had her heart soar countless times, fluttering and euphoric every time she conversed with her companion, every time she met her.

She's had her heart fall countless times, sinking and being slowly twisted and torn and reduced to ashes like a fragile sheet of paper.

...Why can't I have a glass heart?

Her thoughts are overwhelming as she races along the ground, her eyes half-closed.

Why did I choose to have a paper heart instead of a glass one?

Glass shatters easily, and it's all over in a moment. Paper can be twisted, torn, and scorched, and burns away until there's nothing left but ashes.

And as her performance ends, a frenzied dance by a desperate phoenix who burns herself up the more she dances, she's greeted by a familiar sight.

She bows as she lands on the ground, but her tone is tight. Good afternoon, Lord Arceus.

He nods curtly. Do you know why I've come?

Yes, my lord. Celebi flits her glance to the walls; the sweeping floors of her shrine, anywhere but the towering Pokemon in front of her. I've not been doing my duty well.

You are forever living the same period of time over and over again, Arceus berated. You are always unavailable when the Legendary Council needs you, Celebi.

Yes, my lord. The pixie-like creature knows that she's lost.

You are a legendary. Do not abuse your powers for your own, selfish gain. Arceus touched her head lightly with a foot.

You are not allowed to travel back in time for that purpose anymore.

...Yes, my lord.

(Untouchable, completely untouchable to your dear friend now, the venomous voice laughs.)

• • •

H U N D R E D ~ G O O D B Y E

I've been holding on too long,

Didn't realise what was gone,

Almost threw myself away,

For something that has been forever gone away

•

Blood.

The same crimson colour spreading everywhere, her once smooth skin crumpling quickly.

Wings tattered and broken, no longer having the ability to lift her any further.

Scarlet taints her greying skin, and the only thing that she sees out of her half-open eyes are spots of colour.

Mega Rayquaza's destroying everything, she comments quietly to herself. The power is too much. He's going berserk. I hope... I hope the other legendaries can stop him.

I remember now. I've reset and changed the timeline a hundred times. Who knows? Maybe I'm the cause of all this.

She laughs quietly to herself. Even Legendaries are at mercy now. I'm about to die, dammit... why am I so happy? Am I going crazy?

Slowly, she counts the colours that float in front of her, slowly blinking out from her field of vision.

Black--- the colour of night.

Umbreon.

Blue--- the colour of the ocean.

Vaporeon.

Red--- the colour of fire.

Flareon.

Yellow--- the colour of lightning.

Jolteon.

Pale cyan--- the colour of glaciers.

Glaceon.

Green--- the colour of nature.

Leafeon.

Magenta--- the colour of telekinesis.

Espeon.

Brown--- the colour of joy.

Eevee.

She smiles, a grim, marred one, as all the colours fade and mesh together to a soulless white, and a final word escapes her.

Goodbye...

(The rose lies next to her, still in its glorious full bloom.)

• • •

H U N D R E D  A N D  O N E ~ R E C O N N E C T

"What are we gonna do, Eevee?"

The young boy's face is contorted into one of utter terror, and the Salamence nears them, snarling all too viciously.

His partner shies away, tears threatening to gather at the corners of her eyes.

A lone figure watches silently from afar, swinging her legs in the summer breeze.

"Vee..." His Pokemon is overcome with fright and stumbles backwards, only to trip and land on the hard ground.

"Eevee! Get up!" the trainer exclaims. "Now!"

The ghostly creature shimmers and makes her way down, a frown tugging the corners of her face downwards.

It's fine, she comforts the Eevee, who continues to struggle and flail in a blind panic. It's fine.

I still pray and hope that one day we'll be together

I'll fight onward and see you again, my friend

I won't stop until the end; I won't give in

The Eevee sobs, the figure's voice unable to reach her ears, but she sends wave after wave of raw hope and love towards the small Pokemon.

It'll be OK.

The Eevee doesn't seem to hear her words or feel her prescence, but she stands up, and a white light envelopes her.

When the trainer opens his eyes again, a Sylveon stands in front of him, baby-blue eyes hard with determination.

The newly-evolved Pokemon forms a sphere of pale, pink energy in her mouth, and without hesitation, she fires it with unthinkable ease.

I knew you could do it.

"Good job, Sylveon," The trainer heaps praises onto his Pokemon, looking at the winded Salamence. "Let's go before it recovers it's stamina."

As the boy walks off, the Sylveon lingers for a while longer, large eyes blinking in slight confusion as it tilted her head to look at the empty sky.

A single rose rests in the creature's hands, and a contented smile forms.

I think it's time to return something to you...

Slowly, she loosens her grip, and the rose falls across the sky, vivid colours suddenly filling it and painting the bloom in a million shades of scarlet, and it plummets down and down and down.

The Sylveon is baffled at the sight, and the rose ends its descent, tucking itself behind a white ribbon.

Thank you so much. Maybe...

..maybe someday, we'll meet again.

Thank you so much...

For all the days that we have spent together

Thank you so much...

You gave me everything that I always needed and more

Thank you so much...

I'll sing for all eternity

Thank you so much...

With that, the figure lets a tear slide down her cheek, and her wings buzz, lifting her further into the sky.

(All too soon, she's nowhere to be seen.)

•

[ Word count: 3962 ]

I hope you liked it ^^ Critiques are welcome, and as usual, please read/vote/comment! With that, bye~!

~Nyx