Chapter 62

Hayden watched the sunrise in the green grass of another time. She wasn't exactly sure how long they sat there—long enough that soft orange light stained yellow, and the many leaves and flowers all turned to face it.

Somewhere under it all she knew her body was cold. But that knowledge was a distant truth now, abstract and unfocused. Being forced to such profound Unity had the added benefit of making her resilient to such physical discomfort.

Her companion had no such endurance. After a few minutes in the grass, he started shivering, mostly in his arms and chest. He's gonna freeze.

"I dunno what to do next, Haydie," he whispered. "Working for House Victini is… I don't think they'll take us back now."

They would, long enough to rip you apart. She pulled him to his feet, rising to her own in the same motion. Barefoot, without supplies, in the not-altogether-unfamiliar wilderness.

"Probably not," she agreed. "For now, uh… there's somewhere we can go. A nest we built together, for times like this. You always kept it stocked up with supplies. Until then…"

She stretched, growing a little taller. Her hair turned creamy yellow, with bright red ears overhead. More importantly, Liz went from barely warm enough for herself to a little furnace, churning with her own internal heat.

She slipped into Cody's shirt, nestling up against his bare chest.

He sighed visibly as she did, wrapping both arms around her from the outside. "Mhhhmmm. I'm starting to see why my older self likes having you around, Haydie. You're a pokémon for every occasion."

She took his hand in hers, lifting them both up into the air. He wasn't barefoot like she was, but flying would take them to their destination much faster than walking. "That's kinda what made us end up as mew in the first place. Getting stuck as one thing seemed so boring."

He looked down, at the grass blurring past them with increasing speed. For her part, Sierra flew under her own power, hovering over Hayden's shoulder like she was her daemon. "I guess that's how you knew to be there for me. Undercover with the legendaries, right where you needed to be."

"Well… undercover. That's one way to describe it." She sped up, so the air whipping past them would cover some of her nervousness. "That ball was kinda important for me. But not as important as keeping you safe."

She didn't even want to think about what would happen to her now—what would the mythical pokémon think? Had Hayden rescued them from a dangerous attacker, or somehow joined forces with it, betraying the body of divine rulers?

We have to go north, Liz thought. The ancestor said it, remember? The Lake Guardians know what to do.

I guess they know as well in this year as any other, she agreed. Cody might've overheard bits and pieces of that, she wasn't quite sure. Neither of them was working particularly hard to hide anything from Cody.

"I'm a… celebi," he whispered, barely audible over the rushing air. "An extinct, time-traveling pokémon. Everyone hates me."

"We don't!" Liz exclaimed, out from his servant's robe. "We like you a lot! And we're probably not the only ones."

"You don't let most people see you," Hayden continued, where Liz left off. "Mostly wild pokémon, and ancient ancestors. The shaymin don't seem to mind you. I didn't hear my mom trying to murder you…"

The trees got much denser around them. Not all looked as she remembered, but it was hard to say exactly how. Were they just a little out of place, or totally swapped around? But Hayden didn't need to use individual trees to find her way, not when there was a helpful cliff and a distant lake to use for reference.

Cody's secret shelter was always in the same place, somewhere it could remain hidden across vast swathes of time.

"Is that where we're going now?" he asked. "To find… your mom? The shaymin? I thought you told me you came from an eevee family! Was that a lie?"

"No. Lady Gracidea adopted me. The eevees are… still alive. And I'm sure they would like you a lot." She squeezed his hand, then set them both down on the muddy bank of a pond.

Past the reeds grew an enclosure of living grasses, weeds, and short trees, carefully nurtured to form a solid barrier against intrusion. Except for a single opening, which parted at Hayden's touch to let them inside.

The interior was larger than she remembered, about twenty feet in each direction, though only just tall enough to stand up in. Despite the pond around them, the inside remained entirely dry, with a floor of sticks and reeds that separated a visitor from touching the mud underneath.

A little light came on as they entered, illuminating the space with sharp white. Future Cody left electricity in here too?

"Woah. You had a hideout ready? This place is awesome!" He freed Liz from his chest, leaving the daemon to zip back to her near the entrance. Hayden nodded her approval, resting one hand on the little rack of clothes near the entrance.

"I'm not sure if these were your idea or mine. Either way—they're a good one. You stick them where you think you might need them, fill them with supplies—and they're waiting for us."

She wasn't particularly hungry, let alone for whatever was in those questionably-colored cans tucked onto the shelf. But she might be soon, and then she'd be grateful.

She selected a dress from the rack, holding it up to the light. She'd seen this exact one hanging here before, though not realized its significance until now.

This dress had many buttons, zippers and connectors, made from the same strange fabric of a future time. When she reached up to the collar, she found a little bow stitched there—her real mom's signature, a hug sent backward through time.

She whimpered, holding it up to her chest, and wrapping both arms around it.

"Not a lot of boy clothes in here," Cody said, nudging the rack. "These pants look too girly. Are all these outfits yours?"

Hayden stiffened instinctively, lowering the dress in her arms. "I think future you made sure there was exactly what you needed. Get some new clothes… stuff you can hike in. Those boots, those socks—and the warmest coat."

He obeyed, turned his back on her, and started changing right there. She did the same, shedding what was left of the beautiful kimono in favor of the sturdier, more practical dress her family had invented.

Even rough and heavy, she felt far better wearing it than anything the fine tailors of Mew House could ever weave for her.

"Why aren't you dressed up?" He spun back around, now wearing a puffy jacket made of a slightly reflective, shiny fabric. "Are you not coming with? I can't do this alone!"

She pulled the kid up against her, settling both arms over his shoulders. "I'll be with you as long as you need me, Cody. But I don't need protection like you do. Liz and I are… Unified. All those clothes would just get in our way."

"Unified." He looked up, then yawned, stretching both arms far over his head. "Do we have to go right now? Looks like… future me made a nice warm bed. If we're walking, we might not have a place this nice the next time."

"We won't," she agreed. She sat down on the edge of the many sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets, with Cody in her lap.

The fire bunny didn't want to be in a place like this—she wanted a volcano, or maybe some bonfire deep in the heart of an iron forge.

Hayden took a smaller form, one that would enjoy being close to another plant. No matter the pokémon she chose, having a tinier partner just didn't quite feel right.

As a land forme shaymin, she could be Cody's size, without giving up any of her confidence. She unzipped his new jacket, turning his shoulder so they faced each other. "You and Sierra will need Unity of your own to survive. The world can be… very dangerous. We're—accidents. Legendaries that shouldn't exist. No one is going to look out for us. No one is going to protect us but each other."

Cody nodded seriously. There was a downside of shrinking into a land forme shaymin—she could no longer fly. But she didn't have to, not with someone there who would treat her so well.

She had no more to fear from Cody than Sierra had to worry about around Hayden.

Hayden couldn't say exactly how she slept—not the way she expected. But this was supposed to be her first day back in Shaymin territory.

She thought she would a wild pokémon or two to be waiting for her. But what she didn't expect was an exceptionally annoyed set of shaymin paws pressing against her cheek, until it hurt enough for her to sit up.

She yawned and moaned, then finally opened one eye. But it wasn't Liz poking at her—that would never make sense. If the daemon wanted to be up, her alertness would've already roused her.

Instead, it was Havalina—looking more or less the way Hayden remembered her. Maybe she was smaller, but the difference was minor enough that it might also just be in her imagination.

"Strange saplings growing in my forest," said the little voice, frustrated. "No one said you could be planted here. I know I didn't."

"We would've done something more drastic," Spirale added. "But your daemon… we're obviously related. You should tell us how."

She looked up, to where her companion curled against her sleeping bag. Cody hadn't slept in the same one, despite the chill outside. From his perspective, they had only been together for a few hours.

The morning outside had transformed to starlight, with only the glow of the moon illuminating their shelter. She could probably keep on sleeping through the night if she wanted to.

"Cody—" She glanced down, but found Liz tucked inside her sleeping bag instead of Sierra. She wiggled out, then joined the other two on the floor. They eyed her skeptically, sniffed at her flower, then nudged against her.

Liz responded with the proper show of submission, pressing her nose to the ground and closing up her flower. Her scent changed, and the two legendaries both relaxed.

"She's running from home," Spirale finally suggested. "No wonder why she might. Her little boyfriend should be extinct."

"Honor to see you both," Hayden whispered. There was little chance of keeping Cody asleep for long, but she still wanted him to have a chance to rest if he could. "I'm sorry to enter your sacred domain without introducing ourselves. We… technically we're already close, Havalina. From my perspective I've been studying with you for months."

She gestured, and a package shot across the room towards her. She unwrapped the foil, settling down a piece of chocolate in front of her. "Extra dark. I think this one is your favorite. Looks like I don't have any orange for you Spirale. But you can have dark too, if you want it."

The larger of the two sniffed, then took a huge, satisfied bite. Her companion soon followed, though there was somewhat less satisfaction from her.

"Time travel," Havalina said, as soon as she'd finished. "Endlessly frustrating. No wonder the Eldest banned it. Daughter from the future is here, giving away snacks we shouldn't eat. We should tell someone about this. Not that the Unified cats ever visit anymore."

Hayden thought about telling them the truth about that part too—but resisted. These wild shaymin couldn't even tell she was different. Maybe it was for the best they assumed she was only one of their kind.

Besides, she knew shaymin powers well enough that she didn't need any others to protect herself. She could probably live as one for weeks if she had to. "That would be unfortunate for us," Hayden said. "For… complex time-travel reasons. My… friend and I… we're important to Shaymin House. It would be better if you let us go."

The two wild shaymin looked at each other, no doubt exchanging a hushed, telepathic conversation. Hayden could probably overhear it if she was a mew—but that was too much. "Suppose we might," Havalina finally said. "Let you go your way, that is. If you can convince us. Why is a future daughter of our house traveling around with this… contradiction? Beyond the obvious. I can smell the way you think about each other, so don't bother lying about it."

Cody still didn't stir. Was he really that tired? Or maybe their mythical visitors were keeping him asleep with one of their powers. They certainly had the attacks to do it. Most mythicals were tough, resistant to much damage. But Cody was about as young and weak as any could be.

"I don't know what to do," Hayden said. She freed herself from the sleeping bag, pulling her legs up to her chest. All the while she was careful not to accidentally touch the ancestors. Neither saw physical contact the same way she did, but she still had to be careful.

If she touched them without invitation, it would be a bit like asserting the territory was hers.

"My friend and I… we need to go north, to see the Lake Guardians. That's where I'm taking him."

"Oh." The two shaymin relaxed. The smaller climbed up into her lap, while the larger kept circling around Liz, occasionally nipping at her leafy back.

"That does seem like the best idea. They would know what to do, better than the cats do. The council would just want him dead."

"Yeah." She looked down, not making eye contact with any of the pokémon around her. "It's all connected. But if I tell you what it's connected to, it could break things. Time travel is… bad."

"Can say that again." Havalina nudged against her hand. "More chocolate. Then if you want to fly north, we can protect you. Not many gracidea left this late in the year. But walking would take too long. Kid looks too small to fly. But you are… Unified. Can carry him."

"We can." She sniffed, wiping tears from her face with one arm. "Th-thanks for not… not attacking us on sight. I know we haven't met yet, but… you've always been good to me. I feel more welcome out here than I ever have in Shaymin House."