Post by Peregrine on Dec 30, 2023 22:17:19 GMT -6
DDD Day 31 - The End of the Spirit Series?
It had been a long, long journey indeed.
Nearly a whole month had passed since the spirits first regained consciousness in the Hidden Land, and while their breaks were admittedly frequent, their tireless spectral forms afforded them far greater progress than they could have made in life.
The ascent up the ruin-topped mountain was a travail in itself, but in time, the group had reached what appeared to be an entrance. The nervousness, the trepidation, the adrenaline was all without cause, of course—they had no bodies to harm, no stomachs to go hungry. The usual preparations for an expedition were forfeit to them now. Rather, these feelings were an instinct. As explorers, the mixture of excitement and fear was simply the first step to entering a Dungeon.
They found the Old Ruins which carved through the mountaintop abandoned, and vast. Glyphs and murals breathed life into stone walls by the faintest of impressions, once-glorious records of history ravaged by time in a timeless place.
"I guess this confirms it. huh? This really is the Hidden Land. If that's true, then according to the legends..."
The spirits waited, letting the dramatic pause linger perhaps a moment too long.
"...uh, well, I have no idea. Fact is, no one's really sure what goes on here. The legends are kinda spotty for details. Something about a Tower? Not that I can see any from here."
Undeterred, the explorers pressed forward, winding through cavernous chambers one after another, each in awe at the sheer scale of it all.
"Oh my gosh, this place is HUGE! And to think, no one's ever been able to reach this place? I think this might be the most explor-ey exploring we've ever done!"
"Meh-heh-heh, no one's reached this place and come back to talk about it, at least."
"It's a bit spooky, but the space is incredible! Imagine how long it must've taken to build these structures into the mountain..."
"Oh, there's light ahead."
Passing through a stone archway, the spirits had to briefly shield their eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight shining down on them. Before them, stairs drew upward to what must have been the apex of the mountain, layer upon layer of stone piled into a gargantuan ziggurat. Savouring the feeling of discovery, the spirits began the arduous climb with fresh vigour.
As they reached the top, the view of the land around them shed its worldly qualities and transformed into something like a living painting. Endless rolling green hills to one side, immense mountains draped in mist to the other. This was truly the pinnacle of this, or any, world.
Below their feet, they noted the large stone disk on which they now stood. It had a small crater in its centre, as if a chunk of stone had been torn out long ago. Before they could investigate further, however, their attention was stolen by a flash of red light through the haze of mist beyond them—high, high up in the sky.
"What was THAT?!"
"Hey hey, that didn't seem... natural, did it?"
"Son, that could be it."
"Son, that could be it."
"Son, that could be it."
"The Tower..."
Almost as if in response to the words, the red flash tore through the clouds once more, casting a momentary shadow against the misty surface: tall and stately, the imposing silhouette of a great Tower.
"Oh my gosh, didn't that seem far away? How are we supposed to reach it?"
"This stone... it's not attached! See the seams at the edges? It could be some kind of... moving platform!"
"Golly, that would be incredible! How do we get it to move?"
"Meh-heh-heh, might not be able to. That missing piece in the middle... this thing's probably busted up."
"Wh-what?! But if that's true, then... then... we have no way to reach the Tower?!"
"Urk... That would be..."
For the first time in a long while, the spirits were stuck in their tracks. They inspected every inch of the platform, feeling around for mechanisms or inscriptions that might provide instruction, but their investigations were all for naught. The surface was devoid of moving parts, and a stone slab which once bore letters in an ancient language had become so worn down as to be illegible. The platform, if it indeed once moved, was now truly immobile.
One spirit, however, would not abide this.
"No... no... we came all this way..."
"...We came all this way, and..."
"...WE WILL KEEP GOING! YUP! YUP!!!"
Before the other spirits could understand what was happening, they felt the earth shift and rumble. The intractable platform had begun, slowly, to spin in place, scraping away at the near-primordial stone around it with a clamour like the roaring of a beast. It shuddered erratically, unable to rise.
"Whoa my gosh! What's—Bidoof?!"
"Don't just stand there gawking! Help him!"
"Don't just stand there gawking! Help him!"
"Don't just stand there gawking! Help him!"
"R-right!"
For their entire existence as spirits, the explorers had tried and failed to truly affect the world of the living. They could manifest spiritual objects within their own realm, but even feeling real objects around them was difficult, and required great focus for them. Through sheer force of will, Bidoof had surpassed these limitations, and, inspired by this tremendous effort, his companions rushed to his aid. They focused all their mental fortitude on the platform, and gradually, inch by damnable inch, the platform began to rise.
By the time the base of the platform had reached the surface of the surrounding stone, the explorers were suffering from an exhaustion they hadn't felt since they were alive.
"It's—ugh—it's no use! This thing will never make it to the Tower at this rate...! Just a little... more..."
But as the platform finally came unstuck from its niche, the spirits were knocked onto their backs by a sudden upward shift. The platform had begun floating—no, flying under its own power.
"Hey, hey... It worked! We're moving!"
The spirits would have celebrated, had they the energy left to pick themselves up. Instead, they lay there for a long while, feeling the chill wind pass them by as the platform whizzed through open sky.
"Hey... huff... Bidoof, that was pretty incredible. Oh my... huff... gosh!"
"Meh-heh... heh... I'll say. Didn't think I'd be wanting a... phew... a nap anytime soon, though."
"Urgh... Bidoof... Don't you still have some... explaining to do, though?"
"But... I think I get it now, heehee. You were solving them, weren't you? All of them. Just not out loud."
Bidoof winced. He'd hoped they would've forgotten about Sunflora's accusation in the excitement of the expedition. He took a deep breath.
"...Aw, golly. It's true. I was always solving the puzzles. Every last one. I just... didn't want to be the one to answer them out loud anymore."
"Huh? Why?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Like you said before, once I got the hang of it, I could solve just about any puzzle right away. But sometimes, that would make someone... disheartened. Not everyone could solve every puzzle. That never feels good. When you get stuck on a tricky problem, but someone else comes in and makes it look easy, it's frustrating. I know that feeling really well, yup yup. The last thing I wanted to do was make my friends feel that way. So, I..."
"...So you started acting like a guide, instead. Hey hey, I remember! I'd always get stuck pretty easy on visual arrangement puzzles. Then you'd come by and say something like, golly, I feel like these two pieces have something in common, but I can't tell what! Then I'd say, hey hey, you're right! You're telling me you really knew the answer, all along?"
"Well, yeah. It was because of you guys that I got good at solving puzzles. I'm not as clever as the rest of you, but you all taught me do things that would've been impossible for me otherwise. I guess... giving hints became my way of giving you something in return."
"Getting help from a friend isn't a bad thing. I figured we should be able to support each other, so everyone can have the satisfaction of solving a fun brainteaser!"
"Hmm... Hm! Oh my gosh, and even for those new explorers, you always stood by and gave them hints if they needed them!"
"And it was thanks to them that we were freed from Treasure Town!"
"But just like me before those explorers, you never made a single puzzle of your own..."
"Hey, that's true! Didja ever think up ANY puzzles for us?"
Slowly, Bidoof's expression took on a more self-assured tone.
"...Yup yup. As a matter of fact, I have. This might be the last leg of our journey, so... if you'll find me acceptable, please give this puzzle your very best shot!"
With a deep breath, Bidoof recited his first, last, and only puzzle.
My sole intention was only ever to assist in guiding others on their own quests. This crazy journey feels like a culmination of our efforts, and I can’t say how excited I am to be taking it with you all.
That was sappy, I know. It’s no joke, nothing qabalistic or arcane. These are things we don’t often get to say, so it’s important to express them every now and then. I once believed I was destined for mediocrity. It was my friends who convinced me I can be something amazing, at least by my standards, yep yep.
So thank you, friends. I truly believe that even in death, our talents have allowed us to accomplish something incredible. It's no question that whatever comes next, we can join together and face it head-on.
Sunflora, you've always been there to help me when I was struggling. Your excitement and patience in instructing me, even with actions as basic as equipping items or targeting other Pokémon, has always warmed my heart. So I'd just like to say: "Oh my gosh," thank you for being such a good friend!
Chimecho, I… Gosh, I just miss your cooking so much. Getting to eat your food after a busy day was the best. Even when our memories were hazy, I think my stomach remembered those times. I'd make quick work of an extra-sweet berry poffin right about now, yup yup!
Corphish, quickly finding your own rhythm and walking along to it is just what you do. Joking around with you is an old thought I visit again and again. Mixing and utilizing cryptic wordplay isn't in my bailiwick, but I think I'll finally stump you with this.
Loudred, we've been partners as long as I can remember. Just between us two, we were never the most exceptional explorers, but even when our quiz scores were rock-bottom, we could always laugh about it together over supper!
Diglett, I hope you know just how talented you've always been. Identifying each Pokémon that comes by isn't exactly simple—but you made it an exact science! Some Pokémon say that what you do isn't difficult, that it's a quiet, lazy job, but we all know that's false. My bud's always been the coolest!
Croagunk, you always owned your unexpected strangeness as no one else does, yup yup. Where most wanted to conform and hear that they belonged, you'd have no qualms to hear the contrary. Judgment never fazes you, that's why you're here!
Dugtrio… hm, what can I still say? Yup yup! Your wisdom is profound, your skills top-notch, and you always know how to blast away a hoax with vicious logic. As an adjutant, a quiz-king, or a dad, you do it all with aplomb!
Of course, I miss all the folks from Wigglytuff's Guild. Those days as explorers were the best of my life, before Beach Cave put a stop to it. What's weird is that… I'm okay with it. I've accepted that this is the way it all goes. Our squad might be a little bizarre, but that's just how I'd like it to be.
Is it all making sense, yet? Enjoying yourselves? I can act coquettish about it, but this is exhilarating. I can't wait to see what you think of this puzzle!
The end of our journey will be here any time now—with that in mind, I want you all to remember how much… how much I love you. The way here got out of control long before we knew it, but being an explorer can be like that. I hope my one final puzzle will quell your craving: if you've heard everything I've told you, then WHAT ARE WE?
Answer Below — Click Spoiler to See!
It had been a long, long journey indeed.
Nearly a whole month had passed since the spirits first regained consciousness in the Hidden Land, and while their breaks were admittedly frequent, their tireless spectral forms afforded them far greater progress than they could have made in life.
The ascent up the ruin-topped mountain was a travail in itself, but in time, the group had reached what appeared to be an entrance. The nervousness, the trepidation, the adrenaline was all without cause, of course—they had no bodies to harm, no stomachs to go hungry. The usual preparations for an expedition were forfeit to them now. Rather, these feelings were an instinct. As explorers, the mixture of excitement and fear was simply the first step to entering a Dungeon.
They found the Old Ruins which carved through the mountaintop abandoned, and vast. Glyphs and murals breathed life into stone walls by the faintest of impressions, once-glorious records of history ravaged by time in a timeless place.
"I guess this confirms it. huh? This really is the Hidden Land. If that's true, then according to the legends..."
The spirits waited, letting the dramatic pause linger perhaps a moment too long.
"...uh, well, I have no idea. Fact is, no one's really sure what goes on here. The legends are kinda spotty for details. Something about a Tower? Not that I can see any from here."
Undeterred, the explorers pressed forward, winding through cavernous chambers one after another, each in awe at the sheer scale of it all.
"Oh my gosh, this place is HUGE! And to think, no one's ever been able to reach this place? I think this might be the most explor-ey exploring we've ever done!"
"Meh-heh-heh, no one's reached this place and come back to talk about it, at least."
"It's a bit spooky, but the space is incredible! Imagine how long it must've taken to build these structures into the mountain..."
"Oh, there's light ahead."
Passing through a stone archway, the spirits had to briefly shield their eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight shining down on them. Before them, stairs drew upward to what must have been the apex of the mountain, layer upon layer of stone piled into a gargantuan ziggurat. Savouring the feeling of discovery, the spirits began the arduous climb with fresh vigour.
As they reached the top, the view of the land around them shed its worldly qualities and transformed into something like a living painting. Endless rolling green hills to one side, immense mountains draped in mist to the other. This was truly the pinnacle of this, or any, world.
Below their feet, they noted the large stone disk on which they now stood. It had a small crater in its centre, as if a chunk of stone had been torn out long ago. Before they could investigate further, however, their attention was stolen by a flash of red light through the haze of mist beyond them—high, high up in the sky.
"What was THAT?!"
"Hey hey, that didn't seem... natural, did it?"
"Son, that could be it."
"Son, that could be it."
"Son, that could be it."
"The Tower..."
Almost as if in response to the words, the red flash tore through the clouds once more, casting a momentary shadow against the misty surface: tall and stately, the imposing silhouette of a great Tower.
"Oh my gosh, didn't that seem far away? How are we supposed to reach it?"
"This stone... it's not attached! See the seams at the edges? It could be some kind of... moving platform!"
"Golly, that would be incredible! How do we get it to move?"
"Meh-heh-heh, might not be able to. That missing piece in the middle... this thing's probably busted up."
"Wh-what?! But if that's true, then... then... we have no way to reach the Tower?!"
"Urk... That would be..."
For the first time in a long while, the spirits were stuck in their tracks. They inspected every inch of the platform, feeling around for mechanisms or inscriptions that might provide instruction, but their investigations were all for naught. The surface was devoid of moving parts, and a stone slab which once bore letters in an ancient language had become so worn down as to be illegible. The platform, if it indeed once moved, was now truly immobile.
One spirit, however, would not abide this.
"No... no... we came all this way..."
"...We came all this way, and..."
"...WE WILL KEEP GOING! YUP! YUP!!!"
Before the other spirits could understand what was happening, they felt the earth shift and rumble. The intractable platform had begun, slowly, to spin in place, scraping away at the near-primordial stone around it with a clamour like the roaring of a beast. It shuddered erratically, unable to rise.
"Whoa my gosh! What's—Bidoof?!"
"Don't just stand there gawking! Help him!"
"Don't just stand there gawking! Help him!"
"Don't just stand there gawking! Help him!"
"R-right!"
For their entire existence as spirits, the explorers had tried and failed to truly affect the world of the living. They could manifest spiritual objects within their own realm, but even feeling real objects around them was difficult, and required great focus for them. Through sheer force of will, Bidoof had surpassed these limitations, and, inspired by this tremendous effort, his companions rushed to his aid. They focused all their mental fortitude on the platform, and gradually, inch by damnable inch, the platform began to rise.
By the time the base of the platform had reached the surface of the surrounding stone, the explorers were suffering from an exhaustion they hadn't felt since they were alive.
"It's—ugh—it's no use! This thing will never make it to the Tower at this rate...! Just a little... more..."
But as the platform finally came unstuck from its niche, the spirits were knocked onto their backs by a sudden upward shift. The platform had begun floating—no, flying under its own power.
"Hey, hey... It worked! We're moving!"
The spirits would have celebrated, had they the energy left to pick themselves up. Instead, they lay there for a long while, feeling the chill wind pass them by as the platform whizzed through open sky.
"Hey... huff... Bidoof, that was pretty incredible. Oh my... huff... gosh!"
"Meh-heh... heh... I'll say. Didn't think I'd be wanting a... phew... a nap anytime soon, though."
"Urgh... Bidoof... Don't you still have some... explaining to do, though?"
"But... I think I get it now, heehee. You were solving them, weren't you? All of them. Just not out loud."
Bidoof winced. He'd hoped they would've forgotten about Sunflora's accusation in the excitement of the expedition. He took a deep breath.
"...Aw, golly. It's true. I was always solving the puzzles. Every last one. I just... didn't want to be the one to answer them out loud anymore."
"Huh? Why?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Like you said before, once I got the hang of it, I could solve just about any puzzle right away. But sometimes, that would make someone... disheartened. Not everyone could solve every puzzle. That never feels good. When you get stuck on a tricky problem, but someone else comes in and makes it look easy, it's frustrating. I know that feeling really well, yup yup. The last thing I wanted to do was make my friends feel that way. So, I..."
"...So you started acting like a guide, instead. Hey hey, I remember! I'd always get stuck pretty easy on visual arrangement puzzles. Then you'd come by and say something like, golly, I feel like these two pieces have something in common, but I can't tell what! Then I'd say, hey hey, you're right! You're telling me you really knew the answer, all along?"
"Well, yeah. It was because of you guys that I got good at solving puzzles. I'm not as clever as the rest of you, but you all taught me do things that would've been impossible for me otherwise. I guess... giving hints became my way of giving you something in return."
"Getting help from a friend isn't a bad thing. I figured we should be able to support each other, so everyone can have the satisfaction of solving a fun brainteaser!"
"Hmm... Hm! Oh my gosh, and even for those new explorers, you always stood by and gave them hints if they needed them!"
"And it was thanks to them that we were freed from Treasure Town!"
"But just like me before those explorers, you never made a single puzzle of your own..."
"Hey, that's true! Didja ever think up ANY puzzles for us?"
Slowly, Bidoof's expression took on a more self-assured tone.
"...Yup yup. As a matter of fact, I have. This might be the last leg of our journey, so... if you'll find me acceptable, please give this puzzle your very best shot!"
With a deep breath, Bidoof recited his first, last, and only puzzle.
My sole intention was only ever to assist in guiding others on their own quests. This crazy journey feels like a culmination of our efforts, and I can’t say how excited I am to be taking it with you all.
That was sappy, I know. It’s no joke, nothing qabalistic or arcane. These are things we don’t often get to say, so it’s important to express them every now and then. I once believed I was destined for mediocrity. It was my friends who convinced me I can be something amazing, at least by my standards, yep yep.
So thank you, friends. I truly believe that even in death, our talents have allowed us to accomplish something incredible. It's no question that whatever comes next, we can join together and face it head-on.
Sunflora, you've always been there to help me when I was struggling. Your excitement and patience in instructing me, even with actions as basic as equipping items or targeting other Pokémon, has always warmed my heart. So I'd just like to say: "Oh my gosh," thank you for being such a good friend!
Chimecho, I… Gosh, I just miss your cooking so much. Getting to eat your food after a busy day was the best. Even when our memories were hazy, I think my stomach remembered those times. I'd make quick work of an extra-sweet berry poffin right about now, yup yup!
Corphish, quickly finding your own rhythm and walking along to it is just what you do. Joking around with you is an old thought I visit again and again. Mixing and utilizing cryptic wordplay isn't in my bailiwick, but I think I'll finally stump you with this.
Loudred, we've been partners as long as I can remember. Just between us two, we were never the most exceptional explorers, but even when our quiz scores were rock-bottom, we could always laugh about it together over supper!
Diglett, I hope you know just how talented you've always been. Identifying each Pokémon that comes by isn't exactly simple—but you made it an exact science! Some Pokémon say that what you do isn't difficult, that it's a quiet, lazy job, but we all know that's false. My bud's always been the coolest!
Croagunk, you always owned your unexpected strangeness as no one else does, yup yup. Where most wanted to conform and hear that they belonged, you'd have no qualms to hear the contrary. Judgment never fazes you, that's why you're here!
Dugtrio… hm, what can I still say? Yup yup! Your wisdom is profound, your skills top-notch, and you always know how to blast away a hoax with vicious logic. As an adjutant, a quiz-king, or a dad, you do it all with aplomb!
Of course, I miss all the folks from Wigglytuff's Guild. Those days as explorers were the best of my life, before Beach Cave put a stop to it. What's weird is that… I'm okay with it. I've accepted that this is the way it all goes. Our squad might be a little bizarre, but that's just how I'd like it to be.
Is it all making sense, yet? Enjoying yourselves? I can act coquettish about it, but this is exhilarating. I can't wait to see what you think of this puzzle!
The end of our journey will be here any time now—with that in mind, I want you all to remember how much… how much I love you. The way here got out of control long before we knew it, but being an explorer can be like that. I hope my one final puzzle will quell your craving: if you've heard everything I've told you, then WHAT ARE WE?
Answer Below — Click Spoiler to See!
{Reveal Answer}
The platform glided gently through the air. The way to the Tower was long, and the platform moved slowly, giving the spirits ample time to mull over the riddle before them.
"Sniff… Oh my gosh, Bidoof! This is so sweet…"
"Well, yeah, but… What kind of puzzle even IS this?"
"Hey, hey! If it's an answer to a question, then we're probably looking for a word or phrase, like with Diglett's last puzzle!"
"I didn't think you knew half these words."
"I didn't think you knew half these words."
"I didn't think you knew half these words."
"That just means the word choice is important, right?"
"Yup yup! I've been thinking of this one for a long time… I had to change some around at the last second, but I picked all those words real careful!"
"Heh-heh, there he is. Thought we'd lost him for a second."
"Oh my gosh, that's weird! Bidoof always says this one thing…"
"Oh, you mean his 'yup yup' habit, right?"
"Exactly! But in this second part, he says 'yep yep' instead!"
"Huh, that IS strange! What's it mean, though?"
"It means he couldn't say 'yup yup,' even if he wanted to."
"It means he couldn't say 'yup yup,' even if he wanted to."
"It means he couldn't say 'yup yup,' even if he wanted to."
"Meh-heh-heh… This other word in that same section, 'qabalistic.' Not many words like that that I know of. Words with a Q that isn't followed by a U, I mean."
"Then… hey, it's true! That whole paragraph contains no U's at all!"
"A, B, C… yeah, it has every other letter at least once! That must mean something!"
Quickly, the spirits reviewed Bidoof's words with this new information in mind.
"No P's in the first… No U's in the second… No Z's… Huh. This starts with PUZZLE, doesn't it?"
"No P's in the first… No U's in the second… No Z's… Huh. This starts with PUZZLE, doesn't it?"
"No P's in the first… No U's in the second… No Z's… Huh. This starts with PUZZLE, doesn't it?"
"Oh my gosh, yeah! Looks like it! Then… F, R, I…"
After a pause, where the spirits all counted letters in silence, a few small smiles and barely-suppressed chuckles began to pass among the group.
"The question was what are we? So, putting together the missing letters in order, we are… PUZZLE FRIENDS?"
Bidoof blushed and grinned.
"Hehe, yup yup! We've been doing this for so long, and it's been such a blast. I just wanted to thank you all for making so many fun puzzles and riddles over the years!"
As the spirits huddled into a large group-wide embrace, the platform sailed into the thick mist, engulfing them. Not long after, the red flashes of light began anew, with increasing frequency. The dark shadow of the Tower grew and grew, until the spirits were suddenly thrust into clear sky once more—a raging vortex within the shroud, the eye of the storm.
The stone Tower before them crept closer still, its crumbling foundations crackling with red lightning in sporadic bursts. The spirits quietly wondered what they might find inside.
The platform slowed to a near-halt, colliding gently with a stone path leading to the base of the Tower. The spirits looked up at the open staircase which led to its entrance. They looked at one another, before nodding as one. Fear mixed with determination; their journey here was spontaneous, arbitrary even, but over the last month they'd pieced themselves back together from the shadows of their former selves they had gradually become. They'd grown closer as friends, stronger of mind, and each knew this journey was to thank. Whatever the destination, whatever the outcome, what they'd gained was more valuable than any treasure.
After so much time alone with themselves, however, the last thing they expected to hear upon reaching the top of the stairs was an old, familiar voice.
"Well, then! It took you long enough, didn't it?"
The spirits blinked, old memories flooding in once more. As they looked up to the source of the voice, the winged silhouette looking down at them gazed back at them serenely.
"Only kidding! ♫ My my, it has been a long time though, hasn't it?"
"It can't be… Chatot?!"
Chatot hopped from his perch and glided gently down to the other spirits. Though his feathers were slightly unkempt and a little faded in their colours, it was unmistakably their old guildmate, the former Head of Intelligence of Wigglytuff's Guild.
"What… but… how are you…?"
"How am I here in the Hidden Land? At the Temporal Tower? Well, the same way you are, I suppose."
"Oh my gosh… then you're… dead? You became a spirit like us?"
"Oh man, you weren't KILLED, were you?"
"Nothing so unfortunate. I'm pleased to say I lived a full life, and was able to see our guild flourish under new direction. ♪"
"Meh-heh-heh, I don't suppose they kept my Swap Shop, did they?"
"But how did you become a spirit?"
"But how did you become a spirit?"
"But how did you become a spirit?"
"Hey hey, that's right! Weren't you immune to the Relic of Despair's effects?"
"The immediate effects, to be sure. But it seems that spending so long living right next to it… It still managed to trap my soul in the end."
"Wait wait, back up—you lived a full life? Retired and passed away naturally? Then… how long has it been? How long have you been a spirit? What happened to our friends, and the Guild?"
"Er, one question at a time, please!"
"Sigh. I've been a spirit for longer than I could hope to count."
"My soul was trapped in the realm of the living, but I was free to continue observing the comings and goings at the Guildhouse. And I did so—until the Guild closed its doors for the last time."
"What?! The Guild disbanded?"
"Oho, not for a very long time. The new Guildmaster and his friends did wonders restoring the Guild to its former glory—and beyond! ♪ Treasure Town flourished once more, and the Guild's recruits would go on to create teams of legendary explorers across the world. New Guilds formed, new towns were founded, and their reach expanded to brave new frontiers every day! I daresay, it was the beginning of a new era of exploration! ♫"
"But, nothing lasts forever. When the Guildmaster passed away himself, it was considered a tragedy. The news spread quickly to every community his efforts touched, and for a time, the entire world mourned. As far as I know, however, his soul was able to rest easy, as with all the friends he'd made there. Though others would take his place, his time of prosperity had come to an end."
"Exploration became less and less of a profitable occupation. Treasures dwindled, new organizations rose to fulfill the tasks of rescuing lost Pokémon and capturing criminals. When the Guild officially disbanded, the site was converted to a museum, honouring its long and storied history. I was touched to learn that the new Guildmaster and his successors had kept records of our time in the Guild, ensuring our passage into the pages of history alongside their own—our finest years, that is. The time we spent together in Wigglytuff's Guild."
"Hey, hey! If that's true, then… it's been years. Decades!"
"No, Corphish. It has been quite a bit longer than that. Neither centuries, nor millenia. A scale of time we lack the words to express. The world changed in ways both subtle and magnificent for uncountable tomorrows, until all that was left to watch over it were the mountains on every horizon, whose slow shifting would come to look like crashing waves in the face of infinity. That is how long I have waited to see you all again."
The spirits were dumbfounded. They felt lost in what they'd just heard: the world had ended. Not calamitously, but gradually, until nothing remained.
"But you're here! Here at last!"
"But… what for? We thought we'd been freed, but we woke up here. Why?"
Chatot looked at the spirits one by one.
"I understand you've all come to be fond of riddles. Perhaps you can give this one a go? ♪"
"Well… hey, how'd you know that we've been doing puzzles? Did the new explorers tell you or something?"
"No. I always knew. I've always heard your voices, since you first became spirits."
"WHAT?! But-but-why didn't you say anything?!"
"I wanted to. Dearly. But with Wigglytuff in his… compromised state, I didn't know what he might do if he learned of the existence of Spirits. I was forced to feign ignorance; I'm so sorry."
"Follow me. There's someone you need to meet."
The spirits looked confused—it couldn't be another spirit, could it? Nonetheless, they nervously followed Chatot up the winding staircase which slowly led to the top of the Temporal Tower.
When they reached the pinnacle of the Tower, their stomachs churned from the height they'd reached. With no walls to block their view, they could fully see the thousands of feet that stretched out below them, supported only by the Tower which hung precariously in mid-air by no means they could identify. As they stared at the wall at the far end of the Tower, decorated with luminescent runes, something started to come into focus: a massive creature. It shimmered faintly, like a mirage, but a glowing eye locked onto the spirits with startling intensity.
WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THIS, THE TEMPORAL TOWER?
"Dialga! I say, these are the all-important explorers I've told you about! Do be polite, will you?"
OH. SORRY.
"No, no, it's fine. You're not used to guests, I understand."
"Everybody, I would like you to meet Dialga, Master of Time. They control the flow of time—and it is with their permission that we are able to meet again all these years later."
"And it is at my suggestion that you do so!"
Before the spirits could think to descend into hysterics, finding themselves before such a powerful Pokémon as Dialga, a bright, cheerful voice cut through the tension.
"Everybody, I am called Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon!"
"You may not yet understand why you have been brought here—it is a confusing thing indeed. But I assure you, your presence here is no accident."
"The future you were never able to witness, the one I described, is only possible because of all of you. Because of what you did back then… and because of what you will do now."
"I don't think I understand…"
"This will perhaps help you to see. Do you recognize this?"
Celebi closed her eyes, and before her a long, sharp object appeared—an Iron Spike.
"That's—!"
"This is difficult to ask of you. But you are all necessary to protect the goodness of the world you allowed to flourish."
"In order to secure the future you desire, we must first secure your past. This is not the end, but the beginning."
"Hold on, please! This is so much to take in—the Master of Time and the Time Travel Pokémon need our help?"
"Meh-heh-heh, it sounds like you want us to go back in time."
"But what for?"
"The future we desire… Oh my gosh, that only happens because of those new recruits. They're the ones who sealed away the Relic of Despair! But how did they…"
"They couldn't access it until Wigglytuff left…"
"They couldn't access it until Wigglytuff left…"
"They couldn't access it until Wigglytuff left…"
"Do you understand now? What has to be done?"
The silence among the spirits spoke for itself.
"...Young Bidoof. On your journey across the Hidden Land, you asked yourself an important question."
Bidoof looked distraught. But he'd known the answer since he laid his eye on the Iron Spike.
"...It's my eye. I finally understand."
"Wait. You can't mean…"
"Chatot, you changed the totem pole outside the Guildhouse to look like my face. That's where you hid the secret lock controlling the barrier blocking Wigglytuff's office—where the Relic of Despair was hidden."
"If I didn't have this scar as a spirit, I wouldn't have remembered the injury at all. Since you could hear us, you'd know that I was the only one with a visible marking—that's what gave you the idea to hide the lock in the totem pole's eye. Once someone discovered it was changed, as long as I found a way to tell them, they could release the lock and get to the Relic of Despair."
"But none of us were actually responsible for my injury, were we? Not during that time in Beach Cave, at least."
"...No, you were not."
"Hey, I know what you're trying to do! You want to make us go back in time to give Bidoof that injury!"
"As if we'd agree to that!"
"As if we'd agree to that!"
"As if we'd agree to that!"
"Yeah! No way, no how!"
"Everyone, please! I know it's difficult, but it's the only—"
The spirits huddled in front of Bidoof, staring down the trio of conspirators before them and blocking their way.
"Everybody…"
"If you can send us back in time, then why not send us back to prevent us from ever entering Beach Cave? Give us a warning, tell us to seal it off!"
"I won't hurt my friends, never again. I don't care what you say."
"Hey hey, you've got some nerve trying to pull a scheme like this!"
"I'll do it."
The spirits, Celebi, and Dialga all turned to the young explorer who'd spoken up.
"The world Chatot described… I want to see it. Those new recruits did something incredible, and it's because we helped them. There's a world out there, and even if we couldn't be a part of it, we were there when it started. That's something to be proud of, isn't it?"
"I was never a brilliant explorer. I was never a brilliant… anything. Everyone always had to help me do even simple things. But when I learned to solve puzzles… that was something I could finally help others to do. I don't know if this is for my sake, or for the world's, but…"
"The last days of this journey has been some of my happiest. The way here has been scary, and I sometimes lost hope, but I don't think I'd want it to go any other way."
The other spirits looked at Bidoof. One by one, they gently touched his shoulder and gave an understanding look. It's your choice, they said with their eyes.
Celebi gently took Bidoof's shoulder and guided him towards Dialga. Dialga bowed down and lowered their head nearly to the ground. Celebi closed her eyes and focused, resting a hand on Dialga's head. Tremors began to wrack through the Tower, the burden of immense temporal power warping it greatly. Bidoof watched as a crack formed in space, widening into a rift.
Through it, he could see into Beach Cave. Beach Cave's lowest floor, deeper than anyone had known, into the chamber where the Relic of Despair lay in wait for time immemorial.
He steeled himself as muted voices came from beyond the small archway which served as the room's only entrance. Torchlight cast rustling shadows along the floor and walls as, one by one, his oldest friends walked into the chamber. They were tired and cranky, in the midst of bickering with one another, while Chatot periodically urged them to silence. Eventually, Wigglytuff opened the modest box in the centre, revealing the Relic of Despair at last.
Bidoof shuddered when he saw it again. Its power still filled him with agonizing dread all these years later.
He focused on the feeling of the Iron Spike beneath his paw. His will allowed him to slowly pick it up, and he tightened his grip. This moment had played back in his head hundreds of times already—the timing was instinct to him.
His cheerful former self innocently reached out to touch the Relic. He couldn't have known better.
He was shoved aside by his jealous companions. It wasn't their fault.
Bidoof's spirit lunged forward and reached through the rift in time, clenching his teeth and drawing the Iron Spike down from behind his past self's head.
"Wahh! My eye!"
The sound was sickeningly familiar, as was the clamour and chaos that followed. The explorers would descend on each other, destroying their bodies as Chatot could only look on helplessly. Wigglytuff watched these events unfold placidly, hypnotized by the Relic's power, unable to withstand the tragedy he would soon go on to prolong.
Bidoof's spirit looked through the rift as it stitched itself back together, closing inch by inch. As the ground shook, ruptured, and began to swallow Bidoof's past self whole, the rift finally shut like an aperture. The Tower became still and quiet once more.
THIS DECISION WAS YOURS.
"From this singular action, a thousand others unfold. A tragedy written in agony, yes. An era defined by peace, yes."
PEACE; THIS IS YOUR BURDEN.
"You are brave, all of you. With love enough to change the world for the better. Never forget that."
THE WORLD CONTINUES TO SPIN. YOUR EFFORTS HAVE ENSURED IT.
"What do we do now?"
"We're spirits. Vestiges of this world you all helped to create."
"You are freed of the Relic of Despair. It was lost long ago, and shall never again be discovered. If it is your wish, you may fade with the flow of time, and allow your souls to pass on and dissipate, as it was meant to be."
BUT THEN, THERE IS ALWAYS TIME.
"Yes. This is a world to which you were lost, but we can help you find your way back."
"You mean, you can send us back?"
"We can see everything we missed?"
"Indeed, indeed! As of now, time is the spirit's playground, so long as you wish it!"
"It is your decision, of course! Should you choose to go, our paths will cross once more. You have only to ask it of me, and I will return you here, that you may rest thereon."
The spirits all looked at one another. The answer was obvious. To them, there would always be time—time enough to talk, to laugh, to play, to explore, to puzzle, to argue, to cry, to watch, to listen, to wonder, to love. There was a world that passed them by, and what kind of explorers would they be to let it go on without reaching for it with their own hands?
"For me, I've quite seen my fill. I'll wait here for you, at the end of all things, to see you off when the time is right."
"Now, then, there's something I've been waiting to do one last time… A one, a two… A one-two-three…"
With teary-eyed smiles, the spirits joined in for their very last morning cheer.
ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!
TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!
THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!
"I love you all! Enjoy the world! Enjoy it with all your hearts!"
"Let us go then, friends."
"Thank you!"
"Hey, hey! See you on the flip-side!"
"Knock 'em dead."
"Knock 'em dead."
"Knock 'em dead."
"Meh-heh-heh… This'll be fun."
"Sweet! Let's make this happen!"
"Sniff… Oh my gosh, thank you so much! Eek!"
"This is kinda scary, but… Thank you! See you later!"
"Golly… This is pretty exciting, yup yup! So long!"
A flash of green, a rift in time. Celebi smiled and raised her arms, embracing the explorers in the verdant glow…
"To new adventures… Yup yup!"
…And they were gone.
Thank you for participating.
The platform glided gently through the air. The way to the Tower was long, and the platform moved slowly, giving the spirits ample time to mull over the riddle before them.
"Sniff… Oh my gosh, Bidoof! This is so sweet…"
"Well, yeah, but… What kind of puzzle even IS this?"
"Hey, hey! If it's an answer to a question, then we're probably looking for a word or phrase, like with Diglett's last puzzle!"
"I didn't think you knew half these words."
"I didn't think you knew half these words."
"I didn't think you knew half these words."
"That just means the word choice is important, right?"
"Yup yup! I've been thinking of this one for a long time… I had to change some around at the last second, but I picked all those words real careful!"
"Heh-heh, there he is. Thought we'd lost him for a second."
"Oh my gosh, that's weird! Bidoof always says this one thing…"
"Oh, you mean his 'yup yup' habit, right?"
"Exactly! But in this second part, he says 'yep yep' instead!"
"Huh, that IS strange! What's it mean, though?"
"It means he couldn't say 'yup yup,' even if he wanted to."
"It means he couldn't say 'yup yup,' even if he wanted to."
"It means he couldn't say 'yup yup,' even if he wanted to."
"Meh-heh-heh… This other word in that same section, 'qabalistic.' Not many words like that that I know of. Words with a Q that isn't followed by a U, I mean."
"Then… hey, it's true! That whole paragraph contains no U's at all!"
"A, B, C… yeah, it has every other letter at least once! That must mean something!"
Quickly, the spirits reviewed Bidoof's words with this new information in mind.
"No P's in the first… No U's in the second… No Z's… Huh. This starts with PUZZLE, doesn't it?"
"No P's in the first… No U's in the second… No Z's… Huh. This starts with PUZZLE, doesn't it?"
"No P's in the first… No U's in the second… No Z's… Huh. This starts with PUZZLE, doesn't it?"
"Oh my gosh, yeah! Looks like it! Then… F, R, I…"
After a pause, where the spirits all counted letters in silence, a few small smiles and barely-suppressed chuckles began to pass among the group.
"The question was what are we? So, putting together the missing letters in order, we are… PUZZLE FRIENDS?"
Bidoof blushed and grinned.
"Hehe, yup yup! We've been doing this for so long, and it's been such a blast. I just wanted to thank you all for making so many fun puzzles and riddles over the years!"
As the spirits huddled into a large group-wide embrace, the platform sailed into the thick mist, engulfing them. Not long after, the red flashes of light began anew, with increasing frequency. The dark shadow of the Tower grew and grew, until the spirits were suddenly thrust into clear sky once more—a raging vortex within the shroud, the eye of the storm.
The stone Tower before them crept closer still, its crumbling foundations crackling with red lightning in sporadic bursts. The spirits quietly wondered what they might find inside.
The platform slowed to a near-halt, colliding gently with a stone path leading to the base of the Tower. The spirits looked up at the open staircase which led to its entrance. They looked at one another, before nodding as one. Fear mixed with determination; their journey here was spontaneous, arbitrary even, but over the last month they'd pieced themselves back together from the shadows of their former selves they had gradually become. They'd grown closer as friends, stronger of mind, and each knew this journey was to thank. Whatever the destination, whatever the outcome, what they'd gained was more valuable than any treasure.
After so much time alone with themselves, however, the last thing they expected to hear upon reaching the top of the stairs was an old, familiar voice.
"Well, then! It took you long enough, didn't it?"
The spirits blinked, old memories flooding in once more. As they looked up to the source of the voice, the winged silhouette looking down at them gazed back at them serenely.
"Only kidding! ♫ My my, it has been a long time though, hasn't it?"
"It can't be… Chatot?!"
Chatot hopped from his perch and glided gently down to the other spirits. Though his feathers were slightly unkempt and a little faded in their colours, it was unmistakably their old guildmate, the former Head of Intelligence of Wigglytuff's Guild.
"What… but… how are you…?"
"How am I here in the Hidden Land? At the Temporal Tower? Well, the same way you are, I suppose."
"Oh my gosh… then you're… dead? You became a spirit like us?"
"Oh man, you weren't KILLED, were you?"
"Nothing so unfortunate. I'm pleased to say I lived a full life, and was able to see our guild flourish under new direction. ♪"
"Meh-heh-heh, I don't suppose they kept my Swap Shop, did they?"
"But how did you become a spirit?"
"But how did you become a spirit?"
"But how did you become a spirit?"
"Hey hey, that's right! Weren't you immune to the Relic of Despair's effects?"
"The immediate effects, to be sure. But it seems that spending so long living right next to it… It still managed to trap my soul in the end."
"Wait wait, back up—you lived a full life? Retired and passed away naturally? Then… how long has it been? How long have you been a spirit? What happened to our friends, and the Guild?"
"Er, one question at a time, please!"
"Sigh. I've been a spirit for longer than I could hope to count."
"My soul was trapped in the realm of the living, but I was free to continue observing the comings and goings at the Guildhouse. And I did so—until the Guild closed its doors for the last time."
"What?! The Guild disbanded?"
"Oho, not for a very long time. The new Guildmaster and his friends did wonders restoring the Guild to its former glory—and beyond! ♪ Treasure Town flourished once more, and the Guild's recruits would go on to create teams of legendary explorers across the world. New Guilds formed, new towns were founded, and their reach expanded to brave new frontiers every day! I daresay, it was the beginning of a new era of exploration! ♫"
"But, nothing lasts forever. When the Guildmaster passed away himself, it was considered a tragedy. The news spread quickly to every community his efforts touched, and for a time, the entire world mourned. As far as I know, however, his soul was able to rest easy, as with all the friends he'd made there. Though others would take his place, his time of prosperity had come to an end."
"Exploration became less and less of a profitable occupation. Treasures dwindled, new organizations rose to fulfill the tasks of rescuing lost Pokémon and capturing criminals. When the Guild officially disbanded, the site was converted to a museum, honouring its long and storied history. I was touched to learn that the new Guildmaster and his successors had kept records of our time in the Guild, ensuring our passage into the pages of history alongside their own—our finest years, that is. The time we spent together in Wigglytuff's Guild."
"Hey, hey! If that's true, then… it's been years. Decades!"
"No, Corphish. It has been quite a bit longer than that. Neither centuries, nor millenia. A scale of time we lack the words to express. The world changed in ways both subtle and magnificent for uncountable tomorrows, until all that was left to watch over it were the mountains on every horizon, whose slow shifting would come to look like crashing waves in the face of infinity. That is how long I have waited to see you all again."
The spirits were dumbfounded. They felt lost in what they'd just heard: the world had ended. Not calamitously, but gradually, until nothing remained.
"But you're here! Here at last!"
"But… what for? We thought we'd been freed, but we woke up here. Why?"
Chatot looked at the spirits one by one.
"I understand you've all come to be fond of riddles. Perhaps you can give this one a go? ♪"
"Well… hey, how'd you know that we've been doing puzzles? Did the new explorers tell you or something?"
"No. I always knew. I've always heard your voices, since you first became spirits."
"WHAT?! But-but-why didn't you say anything?!"
"I wanted to. Dearly. But with Wigglytuff in his… compromised state, I didn't know what he might do if he learned of the existence of Spirits. I was forced to feign ignorance; I'm so sorry."
"Follow me. There's someone you need to meet."
The spirits looked confused—it couldn't be another spirit, could it? Nonetheless, they nervously followed Chatot up the winding staircase which slowly led to the top of the Temporal Tower.
When they reached the pinnacle of the Tower, their stomachs churned from the height they'd reached. With no walls to block their view, they could fully see the thousands of feet that stretched out below them, supported only by the Tower which hung precariously in mid-air by no means they could identify. As they stared at the wall at the far end of the Tower, decorated with luminescent runes, something started to come into focus: a massive creature. It shimmered faintly, like a mirage, but a glowing eye locked onto the spirits with startling intensity.
WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THIS, THE TEMPORAL TOWER?
"Dialga! I say, these are the all-important explorers I've told you about! Do be polite, will you?"
OH. SORRY.
"No, no, it's fine. You're not used to guests, I understand."
"Everybody, I would like you to meet Dialga, Master of Time. They control the flow of time—and it is with their permission that we are able to meet again all these years later."
"And it is at my suggestion that you do so!"
Before the spirits could think to descend into hysterics, finding themselves before such a powerful Pokémon as Dialga, a bright, cheerful voice cut through the tension.
"Everybody, I am called Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon!"
"You may not yet understand why you have been brought here—it is a confusing thing indeed. But I assure you, your presence here is no accident."
"The future you were never able to witness, the one I described, is only possible because of all of you. Because of what you did back then… and because of what you will do now."
"I don't think I understand…"
"This will perhaps help you to see. Do you recognize this?"
Celebi closed her eyes, and before her a long, sharp object appeared—an Iron Spike.
"That's—!"
"This is difficult to ask of you. But you are all necessary to protect the goodness of the world you allowed to flourish."
"In order to secure the future you desire, we must first secure your past. This is not the end, but the beginning."
"Hold on, please! This is so much to take in—the Master of Time and the Time Travel Pokémon need our help?"
"Meh-heh-heh, it sounds like you want us to go back in time."
"But what for?"
"The future we desire… Oh my gosh, that only happens because of those new recruits. They're the ones who sealed away the Relic of Despair! But how did they…"
"They couldn't access it until Wigglytuff left…"
"They couldn't access it until Wigglytuff left…"
"They couldn't access it until Wigglytuff left…"
"Do you understand now? What has to be done?"
The silence among the spirits spoke for itself.
"...Young Bidoof. On your journey across the Hidden Land, you asked yourself an important question."
Bidoof looked distraught. But he'd known the answer since he laid his eye on the Iron Spike.
"...It's my eye. I finally understand."
"Wait. You can't mean…"
"Chatot, you changed the totem pole outside the Guildhouse to look like my face. That's where you hid the secret lock controlling the barrier blocking Wigglytuff's office—where the Relic of Despair was hidden."
"If I didn't have this scar as a spirit, I wouldn't have remembered the injury at all. Since you could hear us, you'd know that I was the only one with a visible marking—that's what gave you the idea to hide the lock in the totem pole's eye. Once someone discovered it was changed, as long as I found a way to tell them, they could release the lock and get to the Relic of Despair."
"But none of us were actually responsible for my injury, were we? Not during that time in Beach Cave, at least."
"...No, you were not."
"Hey, I know what you're trying to do! You want to make us go back in time to give Bidoof that injury!"
"As if we'd agree to that!"
"As if we'd agree to that!"
"As if we'd agree to that!"
"Yeah! No way, no how!"
"Everyone, please! I know it's difficult, but it's the only—"
The spirits huddled in front of Bidoof, staring down the trio of conspirators before them and blocking their way.
"Everybody…"
"If you can send us back in time, then why not send us back to prevent us from ever entering Beach Cave? Give us a warning, tell us to seal it off!"
"I won't hurt my friends, never again. I don't care what you say."
"Hey hey, you've got some nerve trying to pull a scheme like this!"
"I'll do it."
The spirits, Celebi, and Dialga all turned to the young explorer who'd spoken up.
"The world Chatot described… I want to see it. Those new recruits did something incredible, and it's because we helped them. There's a world out there, and even if we couldn't be a part of it, we were there when it started. That's something to be proud of, isn't it?"
"I was never a brilliant explorer. I was never a brilliant… anything. Everyone always had to help me do even simple things. But when I learned to solve puzzles… that was something I could finally help others to do. I don't know if this is for my sake, or for the world's, but…"
"The last days of this journey has been some of my happiest. The way here has been scary, and I sometimes lost hope, but I don't think I'd want it to go any other way."
The other spirits looked at Bidoof. One by one, they gently touched his shoulder and gave an understanding look. It's your choice, they said with their eyes.
Celebi gently took Bidoof's shoulder and guided him towards Dialga. Dialga bowed down and lowered their head nearly to the ground. Celebi closed her eyes and focused, resting a hand on Dialga's head. Tremors began to wrack through the Tower, the burden of immense temporal power warping it greatly. Bidoof watched as a crack formed in space, widening into a rift.
Through it, he could see into Beach Cave. Beach Cave's lowest floor, deeper than anyone had known, into the chamber where the Relic of Despair lay in wait for time immemorial.
He steeled himself as muted voices came from beyond the small archway which served as the room's only entrance. Torchlight cast rustling shadows along the floor and walls as, one by one, his oldest friends walked into the chamber. They were tired and cranky, in the midst of bickering with one another, while Chatot periodically urged them to silence. Eventually, Wigglytuff opened the modest box in the centre, revealing the Relic of Despair at last.
Bidoof shuddered when he saw it again. Its power still filled him with agonizing dread all these years later.
He focused on the feeling of the Iron Spike beneath his paw. His will allowed him to slowly pick it up, and he tightened his grip. This moment had played back in his head hundreds of times already—the timing was instinct to him.
His cheerful former self innocently reached out to touch the Relic. He couldn't have known better.
He was shoved aside by his jealous companions. It wasn't their fault.
Bidoof's spirit lunged forward and reached through the rift in time, clenching his teeth and drawing the Iron Spike down from behind his past self's head.
"Wahh! My eye!"
The sound was sickeningly familiar, as was the clamour and chaos that followed. The explorers would descend on each other, destroying their bodies as Chatot could only look on helplessly. Wigglytuff watched these events unfold placidly, hypnotized by the Relic's power, unable to withstand the tragedy he would soon go on to prolong.
Bidoof's spirit looked through the rift as it stitched itself back together, closing inch by inch. As the ground shook, ruptured, and began to swallow Bidoof's past self whole, the rift finally shut like an aperture. The Tower became still and quiet once more.
THIS DECISION WAS YOURS.
"From this singular action, a thousand others unfold. A tragedy written in agony, yes. An era defined by peace, yes."
PEACE; THIS IS YOUR BURDEN.
"You are brave, all of you. With love enough to change the world for the better. Never forget that."
THE WORLD CONTINUES TO SPIN. YOUR EFFORTS HAVE ENSURED IT.
"What do we do now?"
"We're spirits. Vestiges of this world you all helped to create."
"You are freed of the Relic of Despair. It was lost long ago, and shall never again be discovered. If it is your wish, you may fade with the flow of time, and allow your souls to pass on and dissipate, as it was meant to be."
BUT THEN, THERE IS ALWAYS TIME.
"Yes. This is a world to which you were lost, but we can help you find your way back."
"You mean, you can send us back?"
"We can see everything we missed?"
"Indeed, indeed! As of now, time is the spirit's playground, so long as you wish it!"
"It is your decision, of course! Should you choose to go, our paths will cross once more. You have only to ask it of me, and I will return you here, that you may rest thereon."
The spirits all looked at one another. The answer was obvious. To them, there would always be time—time enough to talk, to laugh, to play, to explore, to puzzle, to argue, to cry, to watch, to listen, to wonder, to love. There was a world that passed them by, and what kind of explorers would they be to let it go on without reaching for it with their own hands?
"For me, I've quite seen my fill. I'll wait here for you, at the end of all things, to see you off when the time is right."
"Now, then, there's something I've been waiting to do one last time… A one, a two… A one-two-three…"
With teary-eyed smiles, the spirits joined in for their very last morning cheer.
ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!
TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!
THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!
"I love you all! Enjoy the world! Enjoy it with all your hearts!"
"Let us go then, friends."
"Thank you!"
"Hey, hey! See you on the flip-side!"
"Knock 'em dead."
"Knock 'em dead."
"Knock 'em dead."
"Meh-heh-heh… This'll be fun."
"Sweet! Let's make this happen!"
"Sniff… Oh my gosh, thank you so much! Eek!"
"This is kinda scary, but… Thank you! See you later!"
"Golly… This is pretty exciting, yup yup! So long!"
A flash of green, a rift in time. Celebi smiled and raised her arms, embracing the explorers in the verdant glow…
"To new adventures… Yup yup!"
…And they were gone.
Thank you for participating.