Sheena and the Jewel of Life

Chapter 7: Forever Free

Sheena and Kevin rode through the time tunnel again, back to their own time. The next thing they knew, a huge crowd of people, including Sheena's entire family, was surrounding them.

"SHEENA! KEVIN! WELCOME BACK!"

"What the…?" They were totally dumbstruck. Everyone seemed to be happy and festive, throwing confetti and activating party poppers. Several people nearby picked them up and placed them on a platform with the word "HEROES!" inscribed on it. Two people at each of the four handles (for a total of eight people) lifted it up, forcing them to sit down and enjoy the ride. "Where are we going?" asked Sheena.

The people brought them back to the room with the Time-Space Axis; where Sheena always had to entertain tourists. She groaned as they activated the waterfall that played the legend of Damos and Arceus. Father recited the same exact story. Arceus stopped the meteor, Damos saved his life, blah blah blah blah blah. Why were they so eager to show her the story she knew so well?

The next few slides totally threw her for a loop.

Father narrated: "But on the day of the promise, Damos' underling Marcus tricked him and threw him in jail. He would have forced Damos to betray his promise to Arceus…but that day, two very special people came from the future. They were Sheena, who was Damos' descendant, and her best friend, Kevin." He then turned to them and asked, "You see? Those people were you, weren't they?"

Sheena and Kevin could only gape with shock. They forgot about how their actions in the past could totally revamp the future. "Y—ye—yeah…"

The story followed everything they did, right up to the point where they returned to the future. Apparently, everyone was waiting to welcome them home. Something still troubled Sheena, though. "But Father, if everyone's still here…does that mean there's another one of us too?"

He smiled. "Actually, there isn't. We've been waiting for you all this time. Welcome home…Sheena."

Overjoyed, Sheena hugged everyone, from her parents to her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins to the little nieces and nephews and second cousins she hardly knew. All the inscriptions in the ruins totally changed too: A lot of them (written by Damos) described Sheena and Kevin and the challenges they faced. Everyone took them on a tour through Michina Town, which was even more beautiful than before. They explained their adventures to everyone in loving Shakespearean-quality detail and learned that Damos and friends took Sheena's environmental science lessons to heart and maintained the land's fertility with their own efforts. Finally, after all the hype died down, they retreated to their respective houses.

Sheena was surprised to see that her room was still recognizable, even though her family was using it as a storage shed and had to quickly clear everything out of it. There was no inscription hanging over her bed anymore. Kevin's parents, on the other hand, hand no idea that he, the famous Kevin, was their son. Since they didn't have a very big house (unlike Sheena's family), he was forced to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag.

It was the middle of the night. Sheena suddenly couldn't sleep anymore as the reality of the new time finally hit her. Feeling unsettled, she quietly slipped out of the mansion and headed for the bridge in the center of town where she always used to meet with Kevin back when they were little kids. Even though it was completely dark and there weren't many lights, she found her way easily enough, having memorized the way a long time ago. Luckily for her, despite the fact that they changed history, the town's layout hadn't changed at all. She stopped and held the railing of the bridge, staring up into the millions of stars in the sky.

A few minutes later, she heard Kevin's footsteps. Sheena wasn't sure whether she was surprised or expecting it. On one hand, it was pretty random, but on the other hand, it was just so right. The two of them were the only ones who had any memory of their lives before.

"Sheena?"

"Kevin?"

"Long day, huh?" he mentioned awkwardly.

"That was the longest day of my life, you know? Everything changed…" she sighed.

"I don't know about you, but I've never run that much in my life! Except for maybe that one time we played tag..." he said.

They laughed for a bit. But Kevin sighed as he contemplated the situation they were in. "Everything has changed. I mean, I know what they said about waiting for us, but I can still tell that no one really knows us anymore…"

Sheena agreed. "I know. It's funny. All my life, I wanted nothing more than to escape from this nonsense they threw on me, and now that it finally came true…they have no memory of doing all that to me anymore. So in the end…I feel like I still miss them…"

Kevin felt dismayed by Sheena's sadness. He needed to cheer her up. "But look at the bright side. You're free."

Her eyes widened as she realized this fact. "You mean…?"

"You don't have to monitor the Time-Space Axis anymore. You don't have to do everything they tell you anymore. You won't be blamed for anything anymore. And best of all, you can finally do whatever you want."

The horizon began to light up. Streaks of pink and orange slowly transformed the dark, starry sky. "I can do whatever I want?" whispered Sheena, almost afraid to believe it, as if it were all a dream that she just might wake up from. The moment was perfect; too perfect…she thought it just had to be a dream.

"Whatever it is that you always wanted to do. Go out there and make your dreams come true."

"But—but—I'm already twenty! They'll think I'm too old—"

"I'm twenty too. We're in the same boat! Don't worry," he chuckled. He then stared seriously and said, "Listen, Sheena. If you want me to, I'll always be there to help you. I promise."

Color began to saturate the sky, the trees, the grass, the river…all of Michina Town, the town where the two of them lived their entire lives. Though they had only ventured into the outside world a few times, this felt like the first time both of them would truly leave Michina Town forever.

She grasped his hand and said, "…Come on, Kevin. I want to help make your dreams come true too."

They turned and headed for the town's exit, first walking, then picking up speed, until they were finally running. The morning sun glistened on their faces with the promise of a new beginning. They already knew they had the same dream: Journey across the world as Pokémon trainers. They might've started ten years too late compared to most new Pokémon trainers…and they might not have had any Pokémon to start out with…but Sheena figured that with her ability to connect to their hearts, she would find her one true Pokémon friend somewhere out there. After all, if she could finally transcend her own limits and connect with Arceus' heart despite his wrath, what couldn't she do? Even if their families didn't know them anymore…Sheena and Kevin didn't need to tell them. They would still understand.

In midair, high above them, a blue and a pink portal opened in midair, and out came Dialga and Palkia from them, respectively. Giratina also emerged from a nearby lake. Though Sheena and Kevin were momentarily surprised, Dialga calmed them down by whispering to Sheena, "[Do not worry, little one. I know everything you have done in the past for Arceus…and I have told my brothers about it too. If you ever need us, we shall provide our assistance, no matter where you may go.]" Palkia and Giratina nodded in affirmation.

Tears glistened in Sheena's eyes as she realized that she and Kevin weren't the only ones who remembered everything. It meant so much to her. She shouted out to him in the loudest voice she could, "Thank you, Dialga!"

"[No, no. Thank you, little one. You have saved us all.]" And with that, the three of them returned to their home dimensions.

Sheena and Kevin took off running. The wind picked up. Bird Pokémon like Swablu, Taillow, Starly, and Pidgey flew up in the air. The world was out there for them to explore. True happiness awaited. And only then did Sheena realize that it was no dream. A genuine smile crept on her face for the first time in a very long time. Everything she ever dared to hope for, everything she ever wanted to do…it was all there, waiting for her. And Kevin would be there to help her every step of the way.

Thank you, Damos. Thank you, Arceus. Thank you, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina! No matter what happens, I promise I'll never forget any of you. And thank you too, Kevin! Thanks to all of you, I'm free! I'm free! I'M…FINALLY…FREE!

The End!