Alright, another chapter!

Some news on chapter releases at the end (nothing too bad. tldr: break next week) but that's for later. For now, let's get into it!

Start Chapter 31

"Hey, Bianca!"

Bianca turned her head towards the sound of the voice, and saw Professor Juniper standing before her, smiling and waving.

"Ah, good morning, Professor." She returned the sentiment. "How are you?"

"Oh, y'know." Her mentor rolled her eyes. "Another perfect day."

"Hah, what happened this time?"

"Anderson got the Pokéball's mixed up, so instead of Magby, we had an Elekid. We had the entire room outfitted with fire-retardant surfaces, and in the next moment, we were getting blasted with electricity."

"Was everyone alright?"

"Oh, of course. More than a little rattled – or should I say 'shocked'" Bianca groaned. "But otherwise, fine, yes. How about you, how has your morning been?"

Bianca went to reply.

…Nothing came.

…Odd.

"That's weird… I can't really remember."

Professor Juniper's brow furrowed somewhat. "What do you mean you can't remember?"

"I mean I literally don't remember…" Bianca admitted. "I just… don't really know how that could be. I feel like I probably should remember what I did this morning…"

"Well, let's walk through your normal morning process. What would you usually do?"

"Huh… Well, I guess… usually I'd wake up, I'd go brush my teeth, shower, the usual stuff. I'd get a bowl of cereal or some toast… a bagel, maybe. Watch TV, talk with my parents, and then… come to work."

"And do you get the sense that you did something different this morning?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Well, it's just that memory altering incidents can sometimes be Pokémon-related. If, for instance, you somehow ran into a Hypno, or Musharna, you may have had your memory tampered with without your knowing."

"That's… possible, I suppose."

"You don't think that's it?"

"It's… Well, I guess I don't, in all honestly. It feels more… significant. I just can't really put my finger on it."

"Huh." Professor Juniper reached forward, and pressed her hand to Bianca's forehead. "Well… you're not running a fever, so I'd assume you perhaps hit your head? I'd suggest going to the clinic, Bianca, at the very least."

Bianca huffed out a breath, but couldn't really argue against the Professor's logic. Well, she was also quite bad at arguing with the Professor in general, given she knew Bianca perhaps better than anyone else.

She trusted her opinion. She also trusted that she was usually going to be right, as annoying as that often was.

"Fine, I'll go." Bianca sighed. "I shouldn't be gone for too long, but–"

"Take the day off, Bianca."

"But–"

Professor Juniper arched her eyebrow, as if daring Bianca to argue.

…She couldn't bring herself to.

"Alright."

"Good." The Professor smiled. "Now, I've got to get back to the team, do you feel well enough to walk yourself to the clinic, honestly?"

"I'm fine. Really. It wasn't until just now that I even noticed I felt weird."

"Okay. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will be."

And with that, Bianca was off into the town of Nuvema.

It was a semi-odd experience, really. Her nerves seemed to be oddly active, reacting to everything she saw around her. It felt like this place was different to how she remembered it being when she'd woken up that morning, but then…

When she thought about it, Bianca couldn't actually remember waking up that morning.

There was a sensation then, like a tiny static shock at the base of her spine. Bianca shook her head, doing her best to ignore it, as she made her way towards the clinic.

And yet, as she crested over the hill that would lead down towards it, she saw a figure in the distance that was unexpected.

Or… was she expected…?

Bianca wasn't quite sure.

Either way, standing just in front of her, and smiling wanly towards her, was her best friend, Hilda.

"Hey, Bianca."

It was… it was odd, really. Her mind was going haywire, sending signals every which way that somehow, this was wrong. That somehow, something had been altered, changed, and it was worth panicking over.

Except… Bianca wasn't panicking. She was completely calm.

Her best friend was here.

All was right in the world.

What was there to panic about?

"Hey, Hilda." She waved back as she approached her. "How are you? I didn't know you were back in town."

"Ah, well," Hilda chuckled. "You know me. I come and go as I please."

Bianca wanted to laugh, but she felt another shock down her spine, and reached up towards her head, grunting out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Hilda asked her.

"I am, just… I don't know, I haven't been feeling great today. I can't seem to remember what I was doing when I woke up this morning. Professor Juniper said I should take the day off, and head out to the clinic, so… that's where I'm going."

"I see." Hilda nodded her head slowly, thoughtfully. Bianca wasn't really sure why. "Do you remember what you were doing yesterday?"

Bianca thought about it, thinking it would be simple, but…

No, the truth was… she didn't.

"I…"

"How about the day before that?"

She didn't.

"Before that?"

Still no…

It was wrong. It was all wrong.

What was going on? Why was… how was this…

"Bianca…" Hilda stepped towards her; her footfalls quiet, almost silent on the soft grass beneath.

"It's time to wake up."

It was hard to really quantify what it was that happened as a result of those words. It was as if every facet of Bianca's being was broken in an instant, and with a needle and thread, Hilda had begun to stitch them back together.

It felt like eons passed, like her mind had well and truly shattered, and bit by bit, shard by shard, she came back.

And when she did…

When she did, she looked up at Hilda, who was there, right in front of her…

And she knew that such was impossible.

"You…" Her voice quivered. "You're… dead…"

Hilda's smile, then, was weaker than she'd ever seen. It was something well and truly sad, something that carried within it a truth she was loathe to admit.

Admit it she did, however.

"I guess I might be, when you're from." Hilda answered, reaching up and massaging at the back of her neck somewhat idly. "I wouldn't really know. I think, and it's a pretty big guess, but… I think the Bianca in front of me is from around twelve or so years in the future. You're… roughly twenty-eight or so, correct?"

Bianca's eyes widened, the static in the back of her skull reaching a fever pitch.

"Cynthia… Mars… Everyone… where…"

"Let's… start at the beginning, shall we?" Hilda's voice was reserved, oddly so for her. "A few months ago, I became aware of an inconsistency in the world. Or, well, I suppose I should Reshiram and Zekrom became aware. Neither I nor N had much to do with it."

"Either way, the two of us realized that something was afoot. We tracked that inconsistency to its origin, the top of Spear Pillar. Except… something was wrong. The inconsistency was one in time, and it had yet to take place. Wouldn't for a decade. Even so, we realized what was going to happen. Because in the future, it had already been done. The cracks in time that the adamantine was filling… they wouldn't be there unless time had been shifted, altered in some way."

Bianca was… her head was spinning. She was having a rather immense amount of difficulty following Hilda's words. She didn't…

"Hilda?"

"But ultimately, we saw the signs too late." Hilda shook her head. "Or… too early. Hard to really tell with time. Either way, when Mars finally did use Dialga to revert time… we were caught in the epicenter of the temporal shift. I realized rather quickly that we weren't going to be able to stop her. Not on our own. N stayed behind to stall her as long as he could, but Dialga's doing something to us. Pushing us outside the normal flow of space time."

"What do you…"

"I mean that we're being made to stop existing." Hilda explained, shaking her head. "I don't even think Mars means for it to happen. Dialga's power… she thinks she can control it, but that's just not the case. I'd know… I've been traveling with Reshiram and Zekrom for a long time, now, and every time I think I've got them figured out, they find some way to surprise me. Like right now… they're both fighting to keep us from being entirely deleted from time itself."

Bianca's eyes widened.

Because…

Everything was adding up.

The note that Hilda had sent to Iris, her sending that mineral back to Oreburgh Museum, her eventual total disappearance…

This had been the cause.

She'd been removed from existence itself.

No wonder they'd never found any trace, despite the fact that Hilda had gone off to Sinnoh, had been right on their proverbial doorstep…

And from the sound of it, N had been involved as well.

"But their power is waning. They might be Legendary Pokémon, but comparing their powers to Dialga's simply isn't fair. Zekrom and Reshiram brought about the creation of Unova, but Dialga brought about the creation of time. This… I'm afraid this is all I can do."

"What are you…"

"Temporality is breaking. Dialga's power was never meant to work in reverse. Or, I suppose that I should say that it wasn't meant to work in reverse, and keep everything intact while doing it. Reversing time… I can't confirm it, but I get the feeling that such was only ever meant to be used in the event of resetting the universe itself. When the lives of the people of this world would no longer matter."

Hilda turned, and in the distance, Bianca could see a storm brewing on the horizon. Lightning crackled; thunder roared.

"N is doing his best to break Mars' control as much as he can. He's kept Mars from fully reversing time, back to that day when Galactic took control of Spear Pillar, instead trapping her here a few years after that. But he's fighting a losing battle. If she manages to make it back there… I fear Cyrus will have Dialga fully destroy time itself. We are beings of a time gone by. We can't truly interfere with the future. Dialga won't allow it…"

And then…

Then Hilda turned to her.

"But you are a being of the future. You can interfere with what Mars is attempting here."

"I-I…"

"And that's why I'm here." Hilda smiled widely, as if such a proposition was not completely and utterly crazed. "I came here to free you; the world's only hope."

It was like she'd been slapped full on across the face. Something so unbelievable that Bianca didn't even bother to pretend that Hilda had really meant it. Surely, any moment now, she would laugh, and stop pretending. She'd say that she was going to handle the problem, that Bianca could stay here, where sit was appropriate for her to be.

…Moments stretched on, and Hilda said no such thing.

And it occurred to Bianca that Hilda was being serious.

"But I…" She shook her head, unable to fathom that. "What am I… I was never strong enough, not like you, I can't possibly–"

Hilda laughed.

She laughed.

Like what Bianca was saying was ridiculous. Like it was completely unfounded, based upon nothing at all.

Bianca knew it was though. She knew it was based upon the last twelve years of her life, those that Hilda would have never seen. Bianca was only sixteen – maybe seventeen – here. She was… she was a failure, a complete and utter wreck of a human being!

She couldn't… it…

"Bianca, you're my best friend." Hilda shook her head. "And I love you, I really do…"

"But there's nothing in this world that you've ever been more wrong about than yourself."

Bianca's mouth hung agape.

"You are capable of anything you set your mind to." Hilda told her, stepping forward in time to her words. "Of anything you set out to do. You, and only you, dictate your limits, that which you can achieve. And I'm sure I could say those kinds of things until the Miltanks came home, and you still wouldn't believe me, so instead… let me remind you…"

"No matter how much they call me an invincible champion, no matter how much of a prodigy they say I am…"

Hilda planted herself right in front of her, and then jabbed one finger into Bianca's chest, directly above her heart.

"You beat me."

…Surely, she wasn't…

She wasn't talking about that farcical duel, was she? When she'd had Pignite use bide, and her Pokémon had just so happened to survive Hilda's Pokémon's attacks?

That had been a joke. Luck. Nothing more.

She tried to tell that to Hilda. Tried to reason with her. There was someone better. There had to be.

"Go, Bianca. Stop her. Right now, you're the only one that can."

Impossible. Simply impossible.

There had to be someone. Someone else who could help the world, who could save it. Bianca… she wasn't… she couldn't do such a thing. She wasn't enough; she'd never been enough.

"Why didn't you…" Bianca felt her eyes welling up, fear and doubt and self-hate and a million other little pains she was so sure that she'd rid herself of over the course of the last few months filling her yet again. "Why didn't you awaken someone else!? Someone stronger!?"

Despite Bianca screaming right in her face, despite the fact that she'd walked over to Hilda, and grabbed her friend by the shoulders…

Hilda's smile was almost teasing.

"Hm? I thought that would be obvious." She spoke.

"Because there is no such someone."

A moment passed during which Bianca was too stunned to speak, but then Hilda's body began to grow somewhat ethereal; her limbs translucent.

"Ah…" She chuckled beneath her breath. "Seems N's bought as time as he can."

"What… what am I supposed to do!?"

"Go to Spear Pillar." Hilda said as she looked back up at her. "Face Mars, and free Dialga from her control. I'm certain that if you do that, Dialga won't hesitate to revert time to how it's supposed to be."

"How do I…"

"I wish I could offer you one of my Pokémon, but uh…" Hilda held up one of the rapidly fading Pokéballs that had been on her belt. "I don't think they've got much longer, either. If I were you, I'd go talk with Professor Juniper. Tell her you need a Pokémon that can fly you to Spear Pillar. Well… maybe leave out where you're going. She tends to be a bit overprotective of you."

Bianca just shook her head, not wanting Hilda to leave, not wanting to have all this responsibility thrust upon her.

It was too much, too much.

"Good luck, Bianca."

"Hilda, I–"

Hilda was gone.

Where Hilda had been, just seconds prior, there was now no one at all.

She had been hit by so much information in the last five minutes that she just needed a moment to… process it all. Unfortunately for her, lighting flashed in the sky above, already radiating out from the direction of Sinnoh.

Things were getting worse, and quite quickly at that.

Likely, because N's attempts to stall Mars had failed.

Which meant…

She swallowed on nothing, her throat impossibly dry.

It was up to her.

All of it.

She… she needed to find a way to Spear Pillar, first. Needed to be able to get there before she could even worry about anything else. Yet when she thought about it, she realized she had no idea how she could make it so very far in so short a time.

And then, of course, she remembered how she'd just done so what felt like less than an hour ago.

She looked down at her waist, and saw the Pokéball strapped where she'd last left Togekiss. That… that would be better. She wouldn't have to see Professor Juniper, wouldn't have to explain any of this to her.

She wasn't sure she could.

She reached down towards where Togekiss should be, and threw the Pokéball out. As it was in the air, some part of Bianca already recognized the discrepancy that the rest of her hadn't yet. The fact that there had not been five Pokéball's on her waist, but six.

But she didn't notice that in time.

When the Pokéball hit, and Bianca moved towards it, expecting Togekiss…

She was met by a figure she'd not seen in nearly a decade herself.

Her breath caught in her throat. The air sucked from out of her lungs for what felt like the millionth time that day. She'd been keeping things together for so long, but…

Seeing her old Mienshao standing in front of her, looking up at her inquisitively, like this was all routine… it was that that ultimately broke Bianca entirely.

She wasn't even truly sure what happened. She collapsed to her knees, felt her breaths coming out quickly, far too quickly. She needed to be taking deeper, fuller breaths, or else she'd pass out, and she couldn't afford to pass out, not when the world stood upon her shoulders, not when the pressure was all weighing down upon her, like a cruise ship had been dropped down onto her back.

She looked up, her vision swaying. It was all… it couldn't… she couldn't–

"Bianca!"

She recognized the voice, even if it wasn't at all one that she wanted to be hearing. Not now, not like this.

Professor Juniper… she'd always done her best to seem adult, and stable, and controlled in her presence. She never wanted to seem… unsightly, or immature, or weak, as she always knew she'd been.

She just… she didn't want her professor to look down on her.

Even if she knew she should.

"Bianca, breathe, okay, just breathe–"

Her vision lurched, and before Bianca knew it, she'd thrown up all along the grass beneath her. Gods, but she was pathetic. She couldn't even pretend to be something other than she was, something other than someone who'd abandoned everything – everyone – who'd ever meant anything to her.

Mienshao was looking at her, trying to offer help, trying to calm her down, but by everything, that was the last thing she needed right then and there.

She just…

She needed to…

…

What did she need?

It was an oddly… clarifying moment for Bianca. A moment where she found herself suddenly growing calmer. Because… because when she broke it down, it was a simple thing.

She needed for things to go back to how they'd been, just a day ago. When she'd been steadily improving, when she'd been making real strides, when she'd been getting better day in and day out.

She didn't want to be who she used to be…

She wanted to be who she was now.

And it was that thought that finally righted her. That thought that had her taking a deep, pained breath, and let her fully take control back over the situation.

Because if she crumbled… if she crumbled, then that was it.

She'd be back in the past, trapped just as she'd been before Hilda had brought her out of that haze, entirely unaware anything had even happened at all. Or worse…

Well, it was very possible Cyrus would entirely destroy the world.

Hilda had told her that she was the only one that could stop such a thing. The only being from the future that should be present within the past. And thusly… the only person with the ability to stop Mars' rampage.

It scared her; terrified her, even. But…

What choice did she have?

The answer was none.

And that meant she had to get up.

Because if she didn't…

The person she was in the future… the people those in the future had become…

Wallace, Burgh, Barry, Elesa, Iris, Norman, Blue, Janine…

Cynthia…

They were all relying on her.

Even if they didn't know it.

She allowed herself to be pulled upwards, into Professor Juniper's arms, then. She was shaking rather terribly, desperately clinging to her mentor's lab coat.

Professor Juniper had followed her to make sure she was alright… or more than likely, to make sure she'd actually gone to the clinic like she'd told her to. How funny that such a thing might ultimately be that which saved the world.

"Professor…" She breathed out a laugh. "Thank you."

"Of course, Bianca." Professor Juniper shook her head. "But what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, actually… I just… forgot myself for a bit there." She said, smiling up at the one woman who'd always been there for her, long before Cynthia had been. "I uh… I know this is going to sound weird, but I kind of need you to give me a flying type Pokémon to borrow?"

"Wha–" her eyes widened. "Bianca, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Aha… I guess that's a fair response. I just… I need you to trust me, Professor."

She expected… she wasn't really sure. Doubt? Questioning? A complete and utter lack of faith that Bianca could accomplish anything at all on her own; that she was only ever able to do anything with the help of others?

And yet, instead, Professor Juniper stared down at her. She studied Bianca's face, saw the look in her eyes, and let loose a horrid breath, filled with worry and aggravation in almost equal measure.

"Bianca… is this important?"

"More important than anything else I've ever done."

"Will you tell me what it is?"

"I sort of can't."

"Why?"

"Uhm… well… it involves Hilda. And N."

Her professor's eyes widened. "You know where they've gone?"

She did, yes. She couldn't tell Professor Juniper that they'd been removed from the flow of time itself by Dialga, but… well, she didn't exactly have to, either.

"Yeah. At least, I think I do."

"And… you can't tell me?"

"No."

Professor Juniper rather clearly didn't like that, if the way she ran her hands down her face was any indication. Even so, she looked over at Bianca, then at the clouds hanging above them in the sky, the lightning crashing down, and said, "Is it related to that?"

"Yes. Very much so."

"And you're going to go stop it?"

Bianca wasn't surprised her mentor had doubts about her capability. So did she. But even so…

"I'm the only person who can. I know… I know I'm not strong, or capable–"

"What?" Professor Juniper turned back towards her with a furrowed brow. "Who said anything like that?"

…Bianca… she wasn't entirely certain what to say.

Because the answer was once again that the only person who'd ever said such a thing to her, aside from Cheren, was herself.

And one of those mattered far more than the other.

Professor Juniper… she hadn't doubted Bianca's capability.

A part of her wondered how, but…

The rest of her could only be grateful.

"Okay…" Professor Juniper breathed out, clearly antsy. "I'm going to lend you my Braviary… but you have to promise to bring both him, and yourself, back in one piece, got it?"

Bianca…

She knew she couldn't promise that. Not with what she was going up against. Not when she was planning on standing against the end of the world.

…But for some reason…

"I promise." She spoke.

And the words did not feel like a lie.

"I'll come back to you."

Not to the her of this time. Not to the Professor Juniper of twelve years ago, but…

She would return to her as she knew her now.

The her of the present.

"So…"

She looked towards the stormy horizon, and Bianca steeled her heart.

"Wait for me."

End Chapter 31

Alright! Bianca steels herself. Next chapter, the confrontation with Mars.

Not a ton to say. Like I said in the foreword, I'm going on break next week. Reasoning? I'm going on vacation, and don't want to write!

That's all. Now, for the usual...

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