Dialga and Palkia were not happy. Someone or something had interfered with the time-space continuum with the intention to directly alter events in the past. Dialga by itself was able to alter time to its liking. It could speed, slow, or even freeze time. The only time-related ability it lacked was traveling through time itself and by extension the reversal of time, though it could interfere with those that did or send someone to the past if needed to. Being the Master of Time, it could sense the 'intention' of the so-called time-tunnel one traveled through to jump from one time to another. Traveling for minor stuff such as exploring the past lands as Celebi often did, it could overlook. However, this unknown being who had opened such a massive time-tunnel for many individuals to travel through with the intention of changing the past had irked it, immensely so if Palkia too had been bothered by it. And it was not just a single time-tunnel. There were two, one opening just after the other.

Palkia was the Master of Space, being able to warp and alter space to its liking, such as allowing the doors of human settlements to connect to another place entirely regardless of how near or far it was. Another example would be fitting large areas of land, such as an entire forest, into a small mass of land, such as the room of a human child. It could travel extremely fast by distorting space around it, making its travel almost seem like teleportation. If Dialga could sense the 'intention' of time-tunnels, then Palkia could sense what was in its 'space'. Several humans were travelling through the first time-tunnel, and being pursued by unsavory beings that followed them in. The second time-tunnel had waves of these beings pouring through it to travel to another time. It would not have been concerned as events concerning time were Dialga's territory so to speak, but the sheer enormity of the two back to back time-tunnels had affected space, momentarily linking its dimension with that of the Pokemon dimension. This had to be fixed immediately, even if it had to work with Dialga to do so.

Being on the same page for what seemed like forever since the last time, they decided to send a capable human from their own dimension to investigate and aid in fixing the disturbed time-space continuum. However, being the extremely proud beings that they were, they picked that human with no regard to whether it was willing to help or not, the only condition being that it was good of heart. The Chosen One was currently busy dealing with one of their fellow Legendaries, so they had to pick someone else. They sent that human across to the other dimension without having prior knowledge of its supposed duty at all before using their combined powers to shut out any more access to the Pokemon dimension. They would be watching, but would only bring the human back after its given task was complete.

***Break Line, Pokemon POV***

Rachel was awakened by worried calls from her Pokemon, having fallen unconscious when a vortex had suddenly appeared in front of her and swallowed her up. Groggily regaining her senses, she saw her seven Pokemon looking over her worriedly. Well, six Pokemon and one 'family pet', if one wanted to be precise.

"What are all of you doing out here?" she asked. Her 'family pet' gestured towards six mangled Pokeballs a short distance away. Apparently they had been wrecked when she was swallowed by that vortex and no longer functioned correctly, forcibly letting out all of her Pokemon. Checking the contents of her travel bag, she was dismayed to see most of her items were gone. Her Pokedex was offline, the screen stating there was no connection. Only her clothes for various weather conditions remained intact. "Is everyone alright? Are you all unhurt when you were let out?" she looked over all her Pokemon worriedly. They all made affirmative sounds, meaning they were just fine. In order from left to right, she checked on them anyway.

Espy the Espeon, female. The 'family pet', Rachel's unregistered Pokemon, meaning Espy had not been captured and considered 'wild', hence why she could travel with seven Pokemon rather than the normal maximum of six.

Blaze the Flareon, male.

Sparky the Jolteon, male.

Aqua the Vaporeon, female.

Shadow the Umbreon, male.

Glacy the Glaceon, female.

Eclair the Dragonair, female. The only Pokemon Rachel owned that was not part of an Eeveelution and also her only Pokemon to carry an Everstone attached to a simple string and worn as a pendant.

Looking around at her unknown location, Rachel was just about to ask where they were when the sound of a faraway explosion was heard from behind her. Turning around, she saw a rural town set ablaze with raging fire. Since it was not a modernized city, she doubted they had the means of containing a fire that large even with the help of Water-Type Pokemon if they had any. They were in a grass field, so Water-Type Pokemon were scarce. Hopping onto Eclair, she took off into the sky while the Eeveelutions took to the ground and ran, keeping pace with the floating dragon. When they arrived though, it was a scene not unlike that of a horror movie.

"W-W-What is this...?" Rachel stammered, her face extremely pale as she looked at all the bloodied corpses littered all over the town. On the way over, she had spotted villagers fleeing, but the sight of the few murdered was already too much for her to take in. Feeling the contents of her stomach rise, she hurriedly turned to the side to vomit out her latest meal.

"Well, what do we have here? A young lady travelling with her weird-looking pets?" a man's voice addressed her.

"W-Who are you...? Did you do all this...?" she asked, thoroughly frightened at the sight of the bloody axe the man was hefting on his shoulder.

"If you don't wanna die, I highly suggest you don't resist. You seem to be just of age... Looking very nice and pretty too..." his eyes roamed all over her maturing body, causing chills to shoot up her spine.

"Of age? You don't mean...!" she immediately scooted back, tears of fear streaming down her face.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you alone. My boys deserve some fun too," he licked his lips in anticipation as several other men appeared from several alleys behind him.

"N-NO!" she screamed, and all her Pokemon took that as a sign of danger. They all stood in front of her protectively, snarling and growling fiercely at the man. They had never harmed another human before, but if this man wished terrible harm on their Trainer, perhaps even death, they would show no mercy. This man and his followers had killed if their weapons were anything to go by. They would bear the burden of killing humans if it meant keeping their beloved Trainer alive.

"Let's get her, boys!" the man pointed his axe forward and his followers gave a loud cheer... until one of the sword wielders got severely electrocuted for it, courtesy of Sparky. (Thunderbolt) "Pretty interesting pets you got there, girl," the leader mentioned after eyeing his fallen comrade for a second. "They'll make good fur coats if nothing else!" They were now going in for the kill. It was kill or be killed now. They would not falter, even if this was their first time taking a human life. Because if they did, Rachel would suffer a terrible fate, and they would rather give their lives for her than let her suffer.

***Break Line, Fire Emblem POV***

At the other side of Southtown, Chrom, his loyal knight Frederick, his little sister Lissa and the newly befriended Robin were clearing out the brigands, but they were mysteriously thinned out. The number of brigands they had killed were far too few to have caused this much destruction so quickly.

"Milord, something is amiss. Their numbers are too little," Frederick looked around warily for any sign of an ambush as his armored horse slowly trotted along.

"Frederick is right that something is wrong. It is certainly not an ambush as they were already disorganized when we arrived," Robin agreed, slowly surveying the ruined town for any sign of straggled brigands. "Let's move to the center of the town, perhaps our answer lies there." And in fact it was, except she was not expecting it to be in the form of a huge blast of fire heading towards them.

"Lissa, watch out!" Chrom dived towards his sister, grabbing her and going into a roll, safely away from the attack. Frederick had similarly maneuvered his steed to evade the flames, pulling Robin along in the nick of time.

"W-What was that?" Lissa shrieked, spooked by the sudden attack headed towards them just a second ago.

"An ambush?" Frederick grew even warier, his steed just as agitated, remaining still only by his expert control.

"No, look! That attack was not meant for us! We were merely in its way!" Robin pointed out a blackened corpse of a brigand, clearly dead from being engulfed in the blast of fire.

"Is someone already here fighting off the brigands?" Chrom questioned.

"Most likely. We have to let whoever is fighting know we are not the enemies," Robin advised as she dusted her cloak. "But be prepared in case talks don't go well," she readied her Thunder tome in her hand, ready to be cast at a moment's notice.

The closer the group of four got to the center of Southtown, the more brigands they spotted being strewn all over the place, some dead and others nearing death. What utterly confused them were all the various sorts of injuries they had suffered, ranging from being burnt alive to being constricted to death. One even had drowned to death, as impossible as it seemed. However, the amount of water and how wet the corpse was gave irrefutable proof. Lissa let out a scream when she spotted boulders of ice with human body parts in them.

"What just happened here...?" she asked, now very afraid. What manner of sorcery was this? The sound of a girl weeping audibly answered her, as their group rushed to the source. A young girl was there, perhaps about thirteen years of age, crying hysterically at the sight of corpses all around her but unable to tear her eyes away from the gruesome sight.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Chrom rushed towards the girl. Unfortunately, the girl only cried out harder and looked even more scared, falling on her bottom when he approached.

"Chrom, put your sword away! What are you doing rushing towards her with your weapon drawn?" Lissa scolded her brother. Before he could do so, a blast of high-pressure water slammed into him. He would have crashed into a wall and could possibly have gotten severely hurt if not for Frederick blocking his flight path with his armored steed.

"Milord!" Frederick cried out in alarm.

"I'm... alright..." Chrom coughed heavily, trying to get rid of the sudden rush of water that entered his body coupled with the bruises he suffered from the sheer impact of it. Now he understood why the brigand earlier had appeared to have drowned to death in an impossible location to drown in.

"You'll be okay!" Lissa placed her staff over her brother and quickly chanted a healing spell, magically helping his body adjust to the sudden inhalation of water and stop choking on it as well as relieve him of his injuries.

"Show yourself, cowardly fiend!" Frederick shouted loud and clear, enraged at the fact his lord had been blindsided and attacked. No-one answered his call.

"Stop, Frederick! We don't have to make enemies out of them. They could have just mistaken Chrom as him trying to attack the girl," Robin told him and he reluctantly backed down. "Please, we are not your enemies! We are only here to help the townspeople when we noticed the town was under attack! We do not wish to fight!" she declared to whoever was hearing, but kept her Thunder tome at the ready in case her claims were refuted.

"R-Really? You're not here to kill anyone...?" the crying girl from earlier spoke up, wiping her tears away though they still fell. Lissa approached the girl gently, her staff held behind her to avoid looking aggressive.

"Don't cry. We're here to help, but it looks like it's already been taken care of," she spoke to the girl gently. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine," she shakily got up, accepting Lissa's hand to help her stand. "It's alright now, everyone! These people are safe!" the girl suddenly announced in a loud voice. Several unrecognizable animal calls could be heard responding to the girl's voice, before seven creatures none of them had ever seen before showed up from various areas of Southtown.

"What manner of creatures are they?" Robin asked the question in all their minds, struck with awe as she watched each of them. She counted seven in total.

"Be careful, milord," Frederick put himself and his steed in a defensive position. "The hostility is clear in their eyes." Two of them began growling, daring him to make a move.

"No, stop! It's okay, please! Mister, please put away your weapon!" the girl pleaded, her fear still very evident as her eyes were drawn to his lance.

"Do as she says, Frederick," Chrom told him, and he obeyed by putting a blunt cover over the sharp point of his lance. The girl visibly relaxed as she called for the creatures. They obediently made their way to her side, but they were all giving Chrom's group a wary gaze.

"Um, I'm so sorry!" the girl bowed her head to Chrom in apology. "When we first arrived, we were attacked by bandits. Aqua must have thought you were about to attack me when you approached me with your sword in the open! It was an honest mistake! Please forgive her!"

"Aqua?" he repeated, unsure as to which creature she was referring to. A call from the blue fish-cat... dog... creature responded to the name, signifying that it was named Aqua.

"So this is the creature that attacked Chrom with the huge blast of water moments ago?" Robin asked curiously.

"Ah, yes. She is well-versed with water attacks," the girl seemed calmer now that they were no longer swinging weapons and shooting attacks around.

"Oh! Oh! Let me guess!" Lissa raised her hand in child-like amusement. "This one shoots fire, right?" she pointed to the reddish-orange dog creature with a light yellow tuft of fur on its head, fluffy mane and bushy tail. "And this one shoots lightning!" she pointed to the spiky-furred yellow dog creature with a white mane and no visible tail.

"This blue serpent is certainly the one to have done the constrictions," Frederick correctly singled out the long blue serpentine creature floating in mid-air.

"This light-blue creature is the one that froze some of the brigands, am I right?" Chrom looked towards the light-blue furred creature which more closely resembled a fox than a dog compared to the orange and yellow creatures.

"The black one with yellow rings uses dark attacks, I assume?" Robin pondered over the black fox creature, though she could see certain resemblances to cats. "But this purple one... I can't make an accurate guess." The purple one was definitely the most feline of the bunch of six similar-looking creatures, the closest to resembling a normal cat except for the forked tail and the red jewel embedded in its forehead. The only one that did not have any similarities with any other was the floating serpent.

"You'll know when she uses her powers," the girl replied, not revealing the purple-furred creature's abilities.

"You know, at first I thought they were scary people with really strong magical powers," Lissa mentioned before her eyes lit up with huge joy as she admired all of the girl's creature companions. "But looking past that, they're all really cute! Can I pet them, please?" she gushed at the girl for permission. The girl looked towards her creatures and seemingly got some sort of silent message from them.

"Only Espy, the purple one. Her fur is the color lilac, by the way. She doesn't like being called purple. And Glacy, the light-blue one. Give the rest some time to warm up to you," the girl gave her permission. Lissa crouched down and slowly petted their heads as they leaned in to get more enjoyment out of the comforting touch as she giggled in amusement. She then proceeded to introduce the small group and soon learned the girl's name and the names of each of her creatures.

"Well, that's the end of that," Robin let out a breath of relief.

"Lucky for the town, we were close by. But holy wow, Robin! You were incredible!" Lissa turned to Robin with a very impressed smile. "Swords, sorcery and tactics! Is there anything you can't do?"

"You're certainly no helpless victim, that much is for sure," Chrom said.

"Indeed. Perhaps you might even be capable of an explanation for how you came here?" Frederick asked, still not completely trusting of their new acquaintance.

"I understand your skepticism, Sir Frederick," Robin replied with added respectfulness, wincing from his harsh tone. "And I cannot explain why only some knowledge has returned to me. But please, believe me. I have shared all I know."

"You fought to save Ylissean lives. My heart says that's enough," Chrom spoke up in her defense.

"And your mind, milord? Will you not heed its counsel as well?" Frederick tried to argue his point.

"Frederick, the Shepherds could use someone with Robin's talents. We've brigands and unruly neighbors, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician? Besides, I believe her story, odd as it might be."

"Th-Thank you, Chrom," Robin was surprised at Chrom's willingness to believe her very odd situation.

"So how about it? Will you join us, Robin?" he offered her a place by his side.

"I would be honored," she accepted wholeheartedly.

"How about you, Rachel? Do you too lack a proper reason for your arrival in these parts?" Frederick turned his suspicion towards Rachel.

"Frederick, don't be so rude!" Lissa scolded him, seeing how Rachel started to clam up and was beginning to shake with fear. Warning growls came from her creature companions, and lightning was already sparking off Sparky's fur which had spiked itself, looking very sharp. "You're scaring her! We're not hostile people!"

"Excuse my unintentional demeanor," he bowed his head slightly to appease Lissa. "I meant no aggressive intentions. I had simply wanted to hear why you are out here with your companions."

"I-I'm travelling the lands..." Rachel answered shakily. "That's all..."

"At such a young age?"

"Um, I started my travels two years ago, when I was eleven..."

"Eleven? That's way too young to be travelling to the many parts of the land!" Lissa exclaimed.

"In the lands where I'm from, children are allowed to start travelling at the age of ten."

"An absurd story, just like-" Frederick's criticism was cut short by louder, angrier growling.

"Frederick, if those children had even one of these creatures as companions, I imagine they're very safe even in the wilderness," Chrom told him, reminding him of her companions.

"Yes, I see now. I apologize for my hasty judgement. I did not mean to be so harsh, but I hope you understand my position as a knight."

"I know! Why not come along with us too, Rachel?" Lissa offered.

"C-Can I...?" Rachel's face lit up slightly with hope.

"I thought you are in the midst of your travels?" Chrom asked, confused as to why she wanted to join his group.

"Back home, there is nothing like brigand attacks. We have the occasional crimes, but never murder," she explained, her face turning pale once again at the subject of murder. "So please... If these raids are common in this land, I don't wish to travel!"

"But aren't you safe with your companions?" Robin asked. Rachel only shook her head violently. It was clear to the group that she was heavily traumatized by the brigand attack she had just witnessed.

"I must warn you, we are going to have blood spilled by our hands. I can offer you protection, but there will be no avoiding deaths if you follow us," Chrom warned with a gentle yet stern tone. She froze up when she heard that.

"You don't necessarily have to fight. You can just help out with the domestic duties while we travel around," Lissa reassured her. "Frederick does all of them, so you can lend him a hand!"

"I am not opposed to having assistance. I will gladly welcome help if it's offered," Frederick said. "But did you notice, milord? The brigands spoke with a Plegian accent."

"Plegian? What's that?" Robin asked, confused by the term.

"Plegia is Ylisse's westerly neighbor," Chrom answered. "They send small bands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war."

"And it's the poor townsfolk who suffer! Totally innocent, and totally helpless..." Lissa grew sad just thinking about how many innocents had suffered and died by the numerous raids.

"They do have us, milady. Shepherds to protect the sheep," Frederick reminded her. "Do not be swept up in your anger. It will cloud your judgment."

"I know, I know... Don't worry. I'll get used to all this," she replied with a smile.

"Milord, please! You must stay the night!" a villager who had returned once he realized all the brigands were gone yelled for them. "We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valor with a feast!"

"A most generous offer, sir, and no doubt your hospitality will be grand... But I'm afraid we must hurry back to Ylisstol," Frederick kindly refused on everyone's behalf.

"Dark meat soup for me, medium well, and no salt in the soup. I simply-" Lissa had already started to request for food, having been misled by Frederick's ambiguous comment about the proposed feast. It was only after that that her brain registered his next sentence. "Wait, what? We're not staying? But, Frederick, it's nearly dark!"

"When night falls, we'll camp. Eat off the land, make our bed of twigs and the like... I believe you mentioned you would be 'getting used to this'?" he quoted her with a disarming smile.

"Frederick? Sometimes I hate you."

"You've quite the stern lieutenant there," Robin piped up, unnerved by his smile.

"Yeah, well, 'stern' is one name for it. I can think of a few others!" Lissa replied, clearly upset.

"Frederick only smiles when he's about to bring down the axe," Chrom mentioned.

"Duly noted," Robin kept that in mind.

"You do realize I am still present?" Frederick reminded them of his presence with a small clearing of his throat.

"Oh, we realize," Chrom chuckled, encouraging Robin to let out a small laugh as well.

"Milord remains as amusing as ever," he said sarcastically in as flat a tone as he could manage. "Now then, shall we be going?"

"All right, all right." Chrom turned to face his two new friends. "Ready to go, Robin and Rachel? The capital isn't far." The now enlarged group headed off for their destination.

***Break Line, General POV***

"I told you, it's getting dark already!" Lissa complained before suddenly shrieking. "And now the bugs are out! Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when-" A small ball of fire shot past in front of her face, scaring her into silence. (Ember) The utter silence that followed and bugs dropping dead where Blaze had breathed his flames made her smile. "Thanks for scaring all the bugs away, Blaze!"

"He must have seen a bug about to enter your mouth, Lady Lissa," Rachel told her, hitching a ride on Eclair with a white, almost transparent veil surrounding them. (Safeguard)

"You can just call me Lissa," she insisted. "Lady sounds so stuffy."

"Um, okay," Rachel seemed hesitant to agree, looking as if she was doing something wrong.

"Why is it that none of the bugs are disturbing you?" Lissa had noticed this weird happening since they entered the forest.

"Maybe the sense of power coming from my Pokemon is scaring them away?" Rachel did not seem too sure herself, but she was sure Eclair put up the veil to prevent the bugs from getting to her. Robin had asked what creatures her companions were, and Rachel answered that animals in her land were generally referred to as Pokemon. Since Ylisse had no Pokemon to call their own but the animals that preceded them, Rachel opted not to tell Robin what species her Pokemon were since it would not have mattered. In Rachel's homeland, all animals had evolved to become Pokemon. There were no longer dogs, but dog Pokemon.

"Aw, come on now, Lissa. Hardship builds character," Chrom told her in an amused tone. "Want to help me gather firewood?"

"I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I think I've built quite enough character for one day! I don't need bugs adding to my hardship!" Lissa refused with a childish tantrum.

"We should probably think about food," Robin spoke up. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Yes, I should think a little hunting and gathering is in order," Frederick agreed. "Now, who wants to clear a campsite?" It was quickly decided that Robin and Chrom would hunt wild game with the Eeveelutions while Frederick, Lissa and Rachel would make the campsite. Eclair was to stay by Rachel's side as she was too big to move through the woods quickly to gather food. The hunters returned half an hour later, with Chrom dragging a bear carcass along. Lissa visibly cringed in disgust as she was forced to watch the bear get cooked over the campfire.

"It's been too long since I last had bear meat. Delicious!" Chrom praised his caught meal before noticing his sister completely ignoring her share of bear meat. "...What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in."

"Pass!" she grumbled irritably. "...Gods, couldn't you spear us an animal normal people eat for once? I mean, come on! Who eats bear? You're meddling with the food chain. Right, Robin?" No answer from Robin came. "...Uh, Robin?" Looking straight at Robin, she saw her too engrossed in eating her share of bear meat. Wait, was that another piece of bear meat she spotted in front of her? Ignoring it for the moment, Lissa sighed. "I suppose a person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for days..."

"Just eat it, Lissa. Meat is meat," Chrom replied.

"Since when does meat smell like old boots!" she snapped. "Wait, I take that back. Boots smell better!"

"Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy," Frederick shared his experience as a knight.

"Really? Then why don't I see you eating, Frederick?"

"Me? Oh, well... I'm not hungry. I...I had a large lunch! Yes, quite," he explained, though it sounded suspiciously like an excuse not to eat the bear meat in front of him.

"Yeah right, Frederick!" she clearly did not believe him before turning to Rachel. "What about you, Rachel? Don't tell me you enjoy bear... meat..." Lissa trailed off as she saw Rachel and her Pokemon eating something that was clearly not bear meat.

"Oh no, I gave my share to Robin since she looked like she was starving. I'm not a heavy eater, and it was a tad too much for me..." Rachel explained. "And I didn't want to let my Pokemon's efforts go to waste."

"So what is that you're eating?"

"Rabbit, I believe."

"Can you spare some for me?" Lissa was practically begging for some rabbit meat. "Please! Anything but bear!"

"I-I'm sorry but... it's almost all gone..." she replied apologetically, pointing to two completely meat-less rabbit corpses which her Pokemon had already eaten. "I have this half-eaten portion, but it's unhygienic to share now... If you still want it..."

"Thank you!" Lissa gushed, gratefully accepting the half-eaten leg of the rabbit and savoring it entirely. The only unhappy camper left was poor Frederick...

***Break Line, General POV***

"...Huh?" Chrom felt a sense of unease come over him as he was startled awake. It appeared he was not the first to notice this, as Rachel's Pokemon were standing guard around her, warily observing the surroundings and on high alert. He supposed animal instincts would feel the uneasy atmosphere better.

"What's wrong, Big Brother?" Lissa yawned, accidentally woken up when Chrom's boots made some noise as he stood up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but... Something is amiss... The Pokemon feel it too," he told her.

"Define 'something'."

"I'm not sure... I think I'll have a look around."

"Not alone, you won't! I'm coming too!" Lissa was now fully awake, her sleepiness removed by the tense atmosphere.

"Heh. Thanks, Lissa." A small bark was heard from beside and below Lissa, and both siblings looked down. Shadow was there, almost blending completely into the darkness of the night if not for the yellow rings adorned at parts of his body. "You can come along too, Shadow." After walking a short distance away from their campsite, the trio paused at the dead silence of the forest.

"It sure is dark. ...And quiet. Where did the birds go?" Lissa asked.

"Something is wrong here..." Chrom was convinced something was definitely amiss with this night. A sudden earthquake rocked the land, nearly causing them to fall. "Gods, what-" he was cut off as he almost lost his balance again. "Agh! What is this madness? Lissa, stay close!" A warning bark came from Shadow who bit down on his cape and pulled, an indication that he wanted them to move. "Lissa, run. I mean it, go! Follow Shadow!" Looking back as they started running, he found out that Shadow had been right. The land where they were standing on just moments ago began to split apart and lava spewed from the crack, razing the forest instantly. Shadow took off running in front of them, leading them away from danger even as fireballs rained on them. He led them around the forest, witnessing the scenery of carnage at the clearing they were in.

"Chrom, what is that?" Lissa pointed to the sky. Light was gathering at a single point in the sky before expanding into a magic circle. Within that circle were crystals which opened up to reveal a tunnel of blue light, almost resembling a human eye. They saw two human-shaped things falling out of the 'eye' and dropping face first to the ground. They stood up, clearly human-shaped and clearly unharmed from their fall, their red eyes glowing in the dark.

"Lissa, you better stand back," Chrom warned, drawing Falchion from its sheath. Those things were clearly hostile if they were brandishing axes. One of them roared, dark purple fog pouring out of its mouth before it charged towards him. Fast as it was, its attempted attack left it wide open for a counter which Chrom executed with perfection. The lack of the sound of a body hitting the ground alerted him that something was wrong. Looking back, he was greeted by the sight of the human monster turning his head almost completely around to look back at him. The monster corrected his posture by twisting his entire body to match his face, bones creaking audibly as Chrom blocked the second attack. After engaging in a deadlock for a few seconds, he managed to parry the axe and delivered a shoulder tackle, knocking the monster to the ground. Seeing his chance, Chrom jumped high and thrust Falchion through its back. When it disappeared by fading away into the same purple fog it breathed, he knew it was gone for good.

Lissa's scream of terror did not allow Chrom to catch his breath. Shadow had been separated from her and now the monster had cornered her against a tree. Just before it could swing the axe to end her life, another being came out from the 'eye' in the sky. This time, it was a proper human that appeared. Landing closer to Lissa just as Chrom was rushing to his sister's aid, the stranger blocked the deathblow in the nick of time but in an awkward position. Chrom stopped and stared in surprise at the newcomer, unsure if he was here to help. From his viewpoint, he could not tell.

Fortunately, Shadow could and the newcomer could not hold for much longer. Hastily charging up a small ball of black energy, he fired it towards the monster. (Shadow Ball) Because it would explode on impact, he could not use its full power, otherwise the attack would harm Lissa and the newcomer. Nonetheless, it was good enough as it distracted the monster long enough for Chrom and the newcomer to swing their swords in a simultaneous attack, destroying it in a single hit. Now that the current threat was gone, all eyes were turned towards the newcomer.

"Quite an entrance," Chrom said. "What's your name?" Before he could get an answer, the newcomer ran off when more of those monsters spilled out of the 'eye', presumably to fight them off.

"Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?" Frederick's voice echoed through the forest. He soon burst through the trees with Robin hitching a ride on his steed.

"Frederick! Robin!" Lissa exclaimed in relief before noticing that one of them was missing. "Where's Rachel?"

"Rachel is currently being escorted to safety by her Pokemon," he replied.

"Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?" Robin asked, spotting several of the ghoulish monsters.

"They're not from Ylisse, I can promise you that," Chrom answered.

"No-one is injured, then? Thank the gods..." Frederick exhaled the breath he was holding in concern for them.

"Thank the masked man who saved me! Shadow too!" Lissa replied. If it wasn't for them, I'd be..." She paused to look for her savior, but saw no sight of him. "Hey, where did he go?"

"We can worry about him later, after we put these... things... to the blade. Eyes open now. We know nothing about this enemy."

"Right," Chrom agreed, Falchion ready in his hand.

"Hmm? Are those...?" Robin spotted a few decrepit buildings in the distance.

"Abandoned forts, yes," Frederick confirmed her guesses.

"Then we should take shelter in them whenever possible. No doubt they will offer distinct advantages in battle," a strategy already forming in her head. "We have one we can occupy immediately, but that's quite a distance away from where the monsters will attack from. The one we need to occupy is the fort over there but it's being guarded. We have to take it out quickly before the commotion attracts the others roaming in the trees nearby." She looked pointedly to Frederick, about to give the task to him. She knew their group lacked any silent or sneaky hitters but she had to make do. Frederick would be the fastest to get the first strike in before he would attract attention, and then retreat if needed to. It was not until a bark was heard that she finally noticed Shadow, hidden completely in plain sight although he was right next to Lissa. "Shadow? What are you doing here?"

"He came along with us," Lissa replied. Shadow barked again, sounding eager and almost like he was trying to suggest something.

"Shadow, are you perhaps trying to say you can do this?" Robin guessed and got a happy bark in return. "Alright then, we'll leave it to you." She watched with amazement as the yellow rings on Shadow's body dimmed themselves. With his naturally black fur, it was almost impossible to spot him if not for his red eyes. She lost sight of him immediately when he ran into the forest to make his way to the occupied fort. A few minutes later, and without spotting where Shadow was attacking from, there was a guttural grunt followed by the crunch of a tree bark breaking. (Feint Attack) A small explosion of dark energy revealed the monster's location and it faded away in defeat. (Shadow Ball) Shadow's location was now visible to their eyes, or at least his yellow rings and his red eyes were. His eyes did not glow in the dark like the monsters but the deeper red, almost resembling the color of blood, were more menacing to behold as he stalked back towards the group, his mission accomplished.

"That's amazing, Shadow! Good job!" Lissa crouched down and put her arms in a welcoming gesture. When Shadow got close, he was rewarded with an affectionate head rub which he enjoyed with a happy bark.

"Now's our chance!" Chrom rallied the small group and they quickly fortified the now unguarded fort. Slowly but surely, the monsters caught notice of them and engaged them at the fort where they were outnumbered and quickly destroyed. Reinforcements came in the form of Sully, another one of the Shepherds, and a man named Virion who claimed to be the archest of archers which he quickly proved was no false statement.

"It seems all the creatures have been vanquished," Frederick reported after a quick scouting around the fort and returning with the person who had protected Lissa earlier before the battle. "This young man took care of the others." Upon taking a closer look, he dressed like someone of a noble lineage. He had short dark blue hair, a golden tiara on his head and a black butterfly mask on his face, preventing anyone from seeing his full features.

"Um, I never got to thank you... for before. So... thank you. You were very brave," Lissa expressed her gratitude.

"You saved my sister's life," Chrom gave his own thanks. "My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?"

"You may call me Marth," the young man replied.

"Marth? After the heroic king of old?" A nod answered Chrom's inquiry. "You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?"

"I'm not here to talk about me," Marth abruptly dropped the topic. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."

"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!" Lissa called after him as he walked away. A growling made him pause and put his hand on his sword, alert for any danger. Shadow pounced in front of him to impede his path, very unhappy at the way the youth presented himself and then brushing everyone off rudely.

"What creature is this?" Marth asked, clearly sensing the hostility directed towards him.

"It's alright, Shadow. Let him pass. He did help us, after all," Chrom told Shadow. Once again, he was amazed at how these Pokemon could actually understand human speech when Shadow obediently stood down and returned to their side. Even highly-trained animals needed certain gestures to get them to do something. Frederick could not simply yell 'Charge!' and expect his steed to know what he wanted it to do. He had to use the reins to aid in directing it.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Robin commented as Marth disappeared through the woods.

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again..." Frederick said. "But for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste."

"Everyone!" Rachel's voice called out to them from the sky. Looking up, they saw her aboard Eclair as they floated above the treeline.

"Are you alright, Rachel? Are you hurt?" Lissa looked over her when Eclair descended to them, the other Pokemon just appearing from the trees.

"I'm alright, thank you. What happened here?" Rachel asked. Robin gave her a quick summary of the battle against the monsters. Frederick reminded them that they should hurry to the capital in case it too had been affected by the events that occurred tonight.

***End of Chapter***

Author's Note: Okay, so this crossover came to be because one of my personal friends insisted I do a fanfiction about Fire Emblem, a game she loves. Problem was, I have never played any Fire Emblem games before, so I had no idea how to write this. Her great idea was to play Fire Emblem Awakening right beside me and give me certain spoilers to start out with as I typed this out. Then she said, 'Put in another Avatar that's not Robin!' and again I was stumped. How am I supposed to create an Avatar for a series I don't even know about? So she had this bright idea and said, 'Pokemon uses an Avatar! Use that!'

And so I incorporated the Pokemon Avatar from my LeafGreen version into the Fire Emblem Awakening dimension. To keep things simple, the Pokemon Avatar, Rachel, is exactly as she looks in the game. I also made her thirteen years old. I know, the earliest age an aspiring Trainer can explore the world is ten, but that's not the issue. The issue is that the female Avatar of the game clearly has breasts. Unless ten-year-old girls commonly have breasts like that (ten-year-old girls in the Pokemon dimension do, just look at May!), no way am I putting her at that age. My Pokemon team (from my Pearl version) is also incorporated, being the six Eeveelutions mentioned in this fanfiction. Dragonair is there to help Rachel travel around if she needs flight and transport. On a side note, Robin's Avatar is the first female Avatar you get without doing any changes. Model one, I think. The one that looks like a teenager with the pigtails, not the one resembling a child barely into puberty or the one that is clearly past her teenage years. I don't know. I don't play this game. I'm only watching my friend play.

Because Fire Emblem Awakening does consist of murder, human deaths and the such, I had to adjust the Pokemon side of the story accordingly. The change of mindset was probably way too fast, but think about it. If a Pokemon's beloved Trainer was about to get killed, they'll kill the offenders first to protect their Trainer. Heck, Gardevoir can create a small black hole to protect its Trainer, for crying out loud! That's one of the most gruesome ways to die! Simply put, Rachel's Pokemon will kill humans. You have been warned.

Also, I may not obey the rules of what Pokemon can learn what Move and what Abilities they have. Case in point, Dragonair. It can freaking float in the air, so why can't it Fly? No, not happening! It will Fly in this fanfiction! And point number two! Dragonair can change the weather whenever it pleases, so why can't it do anything about it in games besides forcing a weather switch which nearly every other Pokemon can do? No! This is injustice! Dragonair has access to Drought, Drizzle, Snow Warning and Air Lock in this fanfiction! Sand Stream isn't weather, by the way. Sandstorms are caused by weather, not a weather itself. Oh, don't forget about Levitate. It's floating in the air! Why does it not have Levitate when other floating Pokemon have it? How is it fair for the first generation Dragon-Type? Is it because it evolves into Dragonite, is that it? Because it gains the Flying-Type and has no need for Levitate? Blasphemy!

...And I'm ranting. Forgive me.

Another thing to note is Rachel's travel bag does not have hammerspace. It will not hold a boatload of items, let alone 99 of anything. As for Pokemon appearing in the Fire Emblem Awakening dimension? Nope, not happening. It will break the balance of the story. This is about a single Pokemon Trainer's unwilling journey in Fire Emblem Awakening to fulfill a task she doesn't even know about, not Pokemon suddenly appearing in the latter dimension. The only Pokemon in the Fire Emblem Awakening dimension are Rachel's seven Pokemon. That's it. The seven of them can be realistically fought and defeated by medieval humans and their weapons. Most enormous Pokemon are already near impossible to defeat by medieval human hands, even with magic. How is it fair if I only include animal-sized or human-sized Pokemon and ignore the gigantic ones? So only those seven.

I honestly don't know how I'm to go about doing this, but I'll do so at my friend's pestering (and delaying the fanfiction that I actually want to focus on). In the meantime, I would really like to see how fans of Fire Emblem Awakening and Pokemon alike think of this fanfiction. Please, do kindly drop me reviews or PMs about your thoughts so I may perhaps improve when my friend starts bothering me to update this fanfiction. If you happen to like it, that's great news!

Here's hoping I actually get to dedicate my free time to myself and not to my friend's whims...