Stumbling through the Gate, Liz and Oren found themselves in a large room, perhaps a hangar, made of white paneled walls and steel floors. As he looked around the dimly lit room, the whole place reminded Oren of the Epoch. The Gate remained, although closed, a small swirling sphere of lights and shadows.
“Oren! We have to go back!” Liz shouted, reaching to take the Gate Key from her brother.
Oren quickly pulled away, keeping the key from Liz. “We were surrounded, Liz! Besides those Mystics said Zarya went through a Gate. Maybe she’s here… When and wherever this is.”
Suddenly, one of the panels on the wall slid open, filling the room with bright light and a tall and broad figure stood before them.
“… You are not Lucca,” remarked the metallic humanoid that stood at the doorway. “Who are you?”
Although much more polished looking than he had appeared in the photo in their mom and dad’s album, Liz and Oren recognized the being in front of them as Robo.
“Robo?!” Liz exclaimed. “Oh my god, we need your help!”
“I would be glad to help but first perhaps you can explain who you are and how do you know that designation,” Robo replied.
“Our parents are Crono and Marle,” Oren explained. He and Liz did everything to explain the situation as best they could. They explained that their parents told them some years ago about their adventures and just recently they learned that Janus had reappeared back in their time. He had apparently used magic to not only reopen the Gates but to connect his era and theirs together. Just to come back to Lucca but the Gate had closed again and vanished after he did this.
As far as what was currently going on, neither was sure why, but the Mystics attacked the castle after many years of peace. They explained that Zarya, Janus’s and Lucca’s daughter, had supposedly gone missing through a Gate and wondered if she had appeared in this era as well.
“You two are the first arrivals,” Robo declared. He gestured for the two to follow him, saying he needed to use a nearby computer. Reluctantly, Oren and Liz followed Robo down the well-lit hallway past other robots of varying sizes and shapes, each doing various tasks. Doorways lined the hall but Robo kept walking until he stopped at the door at the end of the hall and entered. Inside was a computer console and a monitor that took up the entire wall.
“The dome’s sensors picked up your arrival so I assumed that Lucca had finally achieved her goal of fixing the Epoch and had come to visit.” Robo noted as he typed away at the console.
“She’s been trying, but uh…” Oren trailed off.
“I imagine the task has been insurmountable given we never studied the original in great detail and given the technological level of your era,” Robo said in understanding. “I apologize once more that Zarya has not been reported in this era. The other Gate has not been activated although it seems to have reappeared in the dome. It is currently being monitored.”
Liz gripped the hilt of Rainbow tightly and looked around. While Oren was looking around awestruck by the technology in the room, all she could think about was how she couldn’t do a thing to save their parents. Liz continued to quietly fret over their situation when Robo beeped and made a noise that almost sounded like a sound of concern.
“Something has changed in the world’s history, at least from my perspective,” Robo remarked. “Records say the Kingdom of Guardia fell in 1020 when the royal family was killed by invading Mystics.”
“What?!” Liz exclaimed. Her breath began to quicken. Her mom and dad couldn’t be dead. They were alive last time she saw them. They just had to be fine. They just had to.
“Records indicate that during the solar eclipse on the 7th of Fifthmoon, the castle was inexplicably destroyed and there were numerous casualties, among them your family and the invading Mystics. I'll spare you the history lesson that followed the event.”
Oren reached over and put a hand on Liz’s shoulders as his sister’s breathing reached a panicked pitch. He looked at Robo and said, “When was the eclipse?”
“Late afternoon. What hour was it when you left?” Robo asked.
“Ummm it was maybe around one or so in the afternoon?” Liz guessed, unsure of the exact time. "We were going to have a late lunch but then the invasion happened."
Robo nodded and beeped in a way that sounded pleased. “Then we should have time, assuming the Gates will allow it.”
Oren walked up and stood beside Robo at the console. He looked at the many things on the screen and asked, “How is it your memories weren’t affected by the change in history?”
Robo thought for a moment before answering, “As absurd as it sounds, I theorize time traveling somehow grants immunity to one’s memory regarding how history has changed. And clearly your kindom's fate is not linked to my existance.”
“What if we used the Epoch to ask the others to come help Mom and Dad?” Liz asked. “Balthasar ended up in this era, right?”
“There are just two problems with that plan,” Robo beeped. He typed something else into the console, bringing up a stern photo of the guru in question. “One, Balthasar never built the Epoch in this future. No one would give him the facilities or materials, and secondly, he passed away last month due to old age.”
“How are we gonna help Mom and Dad now?” Liz lamented.
“Time travel is a funny thing…. I am not sure why the Gates are back but there are some people who can help and might know more,” Robo noted. “Let me ask a friend to meet us back in that room that you arrived from.”
Oren and Liz glanced at each other before following Robo back down the halls.
“Aren’t we going to go get your friend?” Liz asked.
Robo beeped and replied, “I already messaged her. She’ll meet us there.”
Arriving back in the room where the Gate stood, Robo opened a compartment on his torso and pulled out his own Gate Key. Moments later, another robot entered the room. It was identical to Robo except that it was colored a pearlescent pink and wore a teal bow on its head.
Robo beeped and bowed to the other robot. “Thank you for coming, Atropos.”
Atropos beeped in response and looked towards Liz and Oren. She asked, “These are the two that triggered the anomaly?”
Robo nodded. “They are the children of my friends from the past. It would seem the Time Gates have returned.“
“Oren, if you could reopen the Gate, please,” Robo continued, looking at the young prince.
“We can’t go back yet!” Liz exclaimed.
Robo nodded. “True, but Atropos and I can aid you in finding other help. Surely your parents explained the nature of time travel?”
Seeing Oren and Liz look unsure of themselves, Robo clarified, “Only three beings can travel through a Gate to its destination at a time… However, four or more of different eras will force the Gates to send you to a location of least temporal resistance… The End of Time.”
“Prometheus and I will ensure your Time Gate sends you to allies there before we return here,” Atropos explained. “We will research exactly what happened in your era that has caused these new temporal anomalies.”
“You believe Robo and all of this time travel stuff?” Oren asked.
Atropos nodded. “Prometheus has no reason to deceive me.“
Oren nodded and turned to face the Gate. He pushed the button on its handle and the Gate flew open to reveal its swirling shadows and lights. Liz moved close to Oren as Robo and Atropos approached. In unspoken agreement, the four of them stepped into the Gate.
~o~O~o~
Oren and Liz had heard about the End of Time from their parents, but they didn't quite know what to expect. They found seven pillars of light shining on a small brick plaza lined by an ornate wrought-iron fencing. A walkway lead down to a larger plaza illuminated by a single lamppost. Faint snoring could be heard from the plaza.
Robo beeped and asked the siblings if they had a means to defend themselves.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Oren asked. "I thought Spekkio and Gaspar were friends."
"Forgive me for my bluntness," Robo said. "I meant if you had a means to fight against the invaders of your home."
Liz lifted Rainbow up in its scabbard and told Robo she had her katana. Robo fixed his gaze on Oren and noted that his tools would be inefficient for defense. Opening a panel in his arm, Robo pulled out a pistol and offered it to Oren.
Oren held his hands up defensively. "I-I can't… I'm a pacifist."
"Then you are in luck, this model has a stun setting," Robo replied, repeating his offer of the weapon to the young prince.
Reluctantly, Oren took the pistol and holstered it in the spot on his toolbelt where his wrench had once been.
“Atropos and I will go back and see if the databases have any information that can be of use to you,” Robo noted. He went on to explain that Gaspar would be no doubt dozing at the lamppost in the plaza and that Spekkio resided beyond a door that seemed to go to nowhere. Turning back to the pillar of light they had come through, he added that he and Atropos would return once they knew more and wished them luck.
Oren and Liz nodded and thanked Robo and Atropos before turning towards the walkway and making their way to the plaza. Liz glanced back as Robo and Atropos vanished into the pillar of light they had come from before turning her attention back towards the plaza. She and Oren walked down to the plaza where Gaspar was sleeping against lamppost.
Been a while, hasn't it? Welp, for those new to this or those with foggy memories, its time for a chrono trigger pokemon team! This time I'm tackling everyone's favorite robot, Robo! As usual, the team is above and the justifications are below.
Metagross: Now Metagross, I think, should be pretty self-evident in terms of it place here. I mean, its a pokemon which is a walking supercomputer that stomps on and/or punches stuff. That's pretty Robo-y. Plus it looks like a pokemon that could be found in the future, which is a conceit when it comes to this team.
Porygon2: Porygon2 fits on account of it being an artificial pokemon designed to interface with computers, something that could only really exist in Robo's time period or 1999 AD on account of there being computers there. As for why I didn't give him PorygonZ, I felt that Robo's tanky play-style is better reflected by Porygon2 than the fast sweeper that is PorygonZ.
Magnezone: This one also should be pretty self-evident, as Magnezone is one of the archetypal steel types and is heavily associated with industrial areas, like, for instance, the futuristic city-scapes of 1999 or the factory Robo was found in. Also, its rounded, bulky design is aesthetically reminiscent of Robo.
Rotom Mow: Some rotom was an obvious choice, since Robo is a robot and Rotom is an electric-ghost-thing which interfaces with technology (originally ones with motors, though the latest games have kinda abandoned that idea, it seems). Also, it hi-lights Robo's association with Lucca, since I included a Rotom on her team as well. As for why I went with Rotom Mow, I thought it was fitting given how Robo helps replant a forest in that one side-quest.
Golurk: Golurk fits given how it is an automoton, like Robo, and can turn itself into a giant laser cannon, much like how Robo has his laser beams. Also, Golurk being a golem fits given Robo being enshrined in a church or some equivalent religious institution after helping replant the forest in the aforementioned side-quest, which jives well with the stories of Golems from Jewish tradition.
Melmetal: This one is on here for similar reasons to Golurk, as its also a humanoid, robot-like pokemon, much like Robo. Melmetal is also here because it sort of represents the ambiguity behind Robo's fate, as Lucca is unsure if he'll still exist since they defeated Lavos. Granted, we see him in that epilogue sequence with the Epoch, but still. It also kind of goes with how Robo is likely the only one in the new future to remember the original post-apocalypse future and is something of an anomaly in that respect, much like how Melmetal is kind of an anomaly of a pokemon, since we don't really know what region its from or what its origins are. Granted, that's a problem with a lot of event pokemon and mythical pokemon nowadays, but that's beside the point!
