Please excuse any historical inaccuracies.

I do not own Pokemon. That belongs to its respective owner.

Thanks to my beta reader MythGirl Writes for helping!

"Let's go! Mon' are attacking!" Nicolai yelled, turning back to the hallway. Amber and Crane followed quickly, not wanting to wait. The three reached the main room to see the Conkeldurr raising his stone pillars. The Conkeldurr slammed his pillars into the ground, causing the entire cave to shake and collapse. The three were dodged and weaved as the cave collapsed around them. Nicolai's breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous. At his sides, Cane and Amber ran, fearing for their lives. Behind him, he could hear the cave crumbling, the rocks slamming onto the floor and shattering. Mud smeared his sweaty face as sweat dripped from his matted fur. His lungs and heart were pumping, but the air didn't seem to be enough as he sprinted forward, panic trembling in his exhausted limbs.

Nicolai heard Amber wail as a piece of stone sunk itself deep into Ambers' back, causing her to collapse. Both Crane and Nicolai turned back and ran to Amber, trying to pull her to the entrance. Nicolai looked around the collapsing cave, trying to find anything that could help him. Nicolai then saw a part of the ceiling fall, creating a perfect escape route if they could just get there.

"There!" Nicolai yelled, pointing to the opening created by the collapsing of the cave. Crane and Nicolai dragged Amber to the opening while the cave crumbled around them. A cascade of rock and soil flew down from the now crumbling ceiling. The three barely made it out of the cave, but they were nowhere near the fight that was going on between Helios and Crystals groups. Instead they came out on top of a small hill. Amber whined as they pulled her to safety. The sharp piece of rock got hooked on a vine as they pulled her out of the cave, yanking it out of her back, the jagged rock tearing at her flesh as it exited her body.

"Amber!" Crane yelled, hunching down to Amber. The piece of rock had torn a good amount of flesh out of her back, causing a massive amount of bleeding. Amber wheezed weakly as her body started to give out. Amber coughed lightly, spitting up blood. Amber could barely speak as she lost more and more blood. They were nowhere near anything that could help, and they didn't have any supplies that could save her. Nicolai searched frantically as Crane tryed to keep Amber conscious. Crane started to cry as Amber slowly stopped breathing, her eyes glazing over.

"No, not like this... Please, Amber," Nicolai wept, curling up next to Amber.

"No... I won't allow this..." Crane whispered, Getting up and screaming into his mind, trying to reach Arceus. Crane knew that Arceus could hear him, it worked before, it has to work now. Crane continued to call out desperately for Arceus untill Crane suddenly felt dizzy, his mind clouding until his vision blurred and he fell over.

Crane woke up face down in a carpet, he sprung up to see Arceus looking at him.

"What do you need?" Arceus asked politely.

"You already know what I want, Arceus!" Crane yelled, surprising Arceus.

"Crane I can't just revive someone like that, these things are more complicated than you think," Arceus stated, looking at Crane with concern.

"Then I want to trade my life with hers! Throw me back to my world if you have to!" Crane shouted.

"Crane you are too important, I cannot send you away," Arceus argued.

"I don't give a shit how important I am!" Crane screamed, stomping his food down.

"Crane! I saved you from death! I will not let my effort go to waste!" Arceus yelled angrily pointing at Crane.

"I dont care how much effort you wasted on me! She means more to me than my own life, and I will not allow her to die!"

"You were the chosen one! You were meant to save people, you are meant to raise the child that would defeat the darkness and save the world. Without you, everyone will die!" Arceus boomed.

"And why can't Amber raise the child?! What is wrong with her that would make her worse than me?" Crane asked.

"Because you are a human from another world! Humans like you are destined to be saviors!" Arceus argued.

"Well, I'm not a hero! I'm not a savior! I'm a fucking criminal! So for once, just let me save someone's life!"

"Crane... are you sure you want to do this? You will never see any of your friends again," Arceus stated, finnaly giving in.

"I don't care the cost. Just, please... save her." Crane pleaded, breaking down in tears.

"If you truly feel that way... I cannot argue. Do you truly wish to sacrifice your life in this world to bring her back?" Arceus asked.

"I do," Crane announced without hesitation.

"So be it."

Crane opened his eyes to see Amber's wounds healing, much to the surprise of Nicolai

"Wha- What happened?" Nicolai asked, dumbfounded at Amber's wounds being healed. Amber suddenly took a deep breath as she was thrust back into the land of the living.

"I asked Arceus for a favor," Crane stated calmly, nuzzling Amber, who happily returned it. Crane suddenly starting glowing lightly, its brightness increasing slowly.

"What's happening to you?" Amber asked quickly, standing up.

"Well... I made an arrangement," Crane stated, looking fondly at Amber.

"No, Crane... You traded your life for mine, didn't you?" Amber asked as she started to tear up.

"Yes, I did," Crane stated solemnly, looking to the ground.

"Crane... Please, I don't want you to go," Amber cried as Crane started to glow brighter.

"I'm sorry Amber...," Crane cried, nuzzling Amber.

"You... you're going back to your own world aren't you?," Amber said, not able to stop crying.

"Sadly, I am," Crane stated, wiping his tears off his face

"No- Crane, please! NO!" Ambe shouted as Cranes paws started turning to dust.

"I will miss you. Take care of our child for me," Crane announced as more of him turned to dust.

"Crane you can't do this! This is unfair, you can't do this!" Amber pleaded, holding Crane as he dissipated more and more.

"Amber, I will find a way to get back to you. No matter the cost, I will find you, I promise, " Crane announced, hopefully.

"I love you," Crane announced weakly, smiling. As the last of Crane finally turned to dust, he looked up to the ruined cave. He wanted to protect this place, throw a force-field over it but, even as he sat there, dying, He knew that he did all he could. He felt Amber brush against him, will he ever see a sight like this again? Now he could barely look without welling up, this world was like a fine work of art, something he couldn't create in a thousand lifetimes. But progress knows no sentiment it seems and a love of this land is a weakness he could never get rid of... Now he was leaving Amber sitting alone with Nicolai, crying. Was this what he wanted? No, not in a million years, but he had no choice. It was either his life or Ambers. Crane sighed as the very last of him dissapated, leaving Amber staring motionless the place where he stood.

Amber had always been a giver, warm and loving. Even as a child she never cried, seeking to make others happy. Often people sought her in times of trouble and she gave all she had - her whole heart and showered love upon them. By age nine adults leaned on her, told her of their woes and she was their spark of light. Yet when her time to suffer came, when her world was a hurricane of ice, she never cried. But now, all the tears she held back in years past made themselves known. Perhaps the road toward heaven feels like hell. Because she can tell you that she never felt more empty in mind, body or soul, never so bereft of any comfort. she never had felt so worthless or disposable, never so wretched and cold. Seconds stretched out to feel like hours as she wept. Then all at once, fell onto the floor, shaking with grief that bled from her bones.

Amber cried as if her brain was being shredded from the inside. Emotional pain flowed out of her every pore. From her mouth came a cry from so raw that even the eyes of the strangers around them were suddenly wet with tears. She grabbed onto Nicolai and hoisted herself onto his shoulder so that her violent shaking would not cause her to fall again and from her eyes came a thicker flow of tears than she had ever felt before. We expect to bury our parents one day, but never our lovers. Nicolai was talking to her for all the good it did. The whole world had vanished for her, now there was only pain enough to break her.

Amber had connected to a part of Crane others never feel. She saw a part of his soul he never wanted to let out of the bag. She loved him and saw his reaction, beautiful and raw. For those moments he was more real than the blood in her own veins, and she felt him like the beating of her own heart. The bond they forged was still molten when he left, too nascent to resist his urge to hide once more. She called for him, held out her paws and let her face become wet with untold tears; but he would not answer, and could not return to her love. And so her world had become blacker than it ever was before, darker for Cranes absence, loneliness crippling her every thought. Her lungs struggled for breath against her ribs. Before she met him, her heart was soft, with him it became strong and vibrant, now it is simply broken.

"Amber! What happened?!" Mara yelled as she saw Amber. Crystal, Atlas, and Mike followed, the four looking quite scuffed up.

"Are you unscathed?" Crystal asked, seeing Amber in tears, fearing that she was hurt.

"Yes, we are unhurt," Nicolai stated trying to console Amber.

"Wait... Where is Crane?" Mike asked, looking around frantically. Amber wasn't even able to form a sentence, out of her mouth only came sobs and wails as she tried to talk.

"Crane... Is gone... he made an arrangement with Arceus to trade his life for hers...He went back to his world," Nicolai answered solemnly, patting Ambers back empathetically, trying not to break out in tears as well.

"Crane...no...," Mike whispered, starting to cry.

"Amber..." Mara stated, not knowing what to say. Amber slowly and shakily walked over to her mother, leaning on her.

"What do we do?" Amber asked, weeping into her mother's shoulder.

"The only thing you can..." Atlas stated, grabbing the egg and holding it up for Amber.

Amber grabbed the egg, One of, if not the only thing she had left of Crane. The child in the egg is meant to be the hope of the world, the only thing that would be standing in between their world and the darkness. Amber hugged the egg tightly, weeping harshly. This was it, this is what Crane was meant to do... And now he's gone... but not dead...He just went back to his own world. Amber wiped her tears away and looked up to her family that surrounded her, Nicoali smiled weakly as she looked at him. She hoped and wished with every ounce of her soul that Crane would be able to find his way back, he promised her that he would find her, no matter the cost.