Messages

Also, not to be that guy, but I don't remember being able to leak DMs back in the day.

[Oricorio]

I am also having issues trusting Oricorio, knowing that the Scissors Vigi is not only still alive, but was the one who killed Davy.

Hey guys

Sorry I haven't been active in the public thread or responded to PMs during the day phase. Have had a busy 48 hours.

I don't have much information to go off yet, so I am going to abstain from voting during this day phase.

ah, memories

good luck, everyone!

K-NiGhT DM'd me on discord to let me know that the Nuzlocke story is being revived- you should totally go read that.

 

Update Seventeen: Furious Reunion

I hadn't seen Colin since our clash on the S.S. Anne. He was kneeling in front of a grave that looked like it had been placed recently. I knew exactly who it was for.

Since I hadn't been stealthy in my run up the stairs, Colin jolted up and turned to see me standing there staring back at him. His usual smug aura and demeanor was nowhere to be found, and a cold hatred nested in his eyes. In a strange moment of recognition I imagined that I looked similar after losing Orwell in our battle with Brock. He spun around quickly and stood up.

"I figured it'd be a matter of time before I had to see you again," he spat. "Here to finish what you started?"

"Colin, I didn't 'start' anything," I retorted. "What happened to Raticate was an-"

"I don't care whether it was an accident or not. Pokemon die all the time. This is no different."

"If that's true, then why are you here?" I asked.

"Because, I-"

He stopped mid-sentence, closed his mouth, and for a moment a look of thoughtfulness crossed his face. It wasn't something I thought he was capable of, but maybe this journey had been hard on both of us. Capitalizing on his moment of reflection, I continued. "That was your first loss, wasn't it?"

He looked back at the grave. He remained silent, but I knew cracks were starting to form in his facade. "It's not easy, Colin," I continued. "It doesn't get easier-"

"Shut up!" Colin shouted. I was stunned into silence by the sudden outburst. "You think I don't know that? You act like you're so above it all, but you don't know what I've gone through!" He fumbled around in his bag for a moment before throwing out a handful of Poke Balls. There were four in total that fell out of his hands and onto the floor. Each one had a crack on the button.

I gasped involuntarily as I looked at the graves behind Colin. I had assumed he was attending to just one, but I realized that there was a row of four that were recently prepared. The last time I fought Colin, he only had four Pokemon with him. "You lost your whole team," I said quietly.

"Charmeleon is all that's left," he corrected. His voice broke as he spoke more quietly. "After Raticate died, I fell into a huge slump. I barely managed to beat Lt. Surge, and lost Kadabra there. On the way here, some exploding Geodudes caused a rock slide in Rock Tunnel, and I lost Pidgeotto as well. I caught a Magikarp, hoping I could get back at you with a Gyarados of my own, but it didn't even make it through a single battle."

"I had an Eevee too. But it wasn't keeping up, and I didn't want to get it killed, so I left it at a Pokemon Center." He was talking about Darwin, now. I had assumed that he left the poor thing behind because he had deemed it too weak to fill space on his team, but knowing that he had actually attempted to protect the Eevee filled me with conflicting feelings. I had judged this kid very harshly ever since we left Pallet Town, but he was still just that–a kid. One that was in over his head from the start; one that the world had shown the worst of itself to in a short amount of time.

I supposed I could relate.

"That battle on the ship ruined everything," Colin continued, his voice shaking. "I can't go on like this. What would I do if I lost Charmeleon?" I went to answer, but I only had questions. What would I do in this position? Could I continue on, knowing that I had lost so much, and only had Caesar left with me? I couldn't bear to think of that outcome, but I had come just as close to it as Colin had.

"I don't have an answer for that," I admitted, "but you can't stay here, either. Team Rocket is apparently in here, and whatever they're doing is making the spirits restless."

Colin looked back at the graves of his fallen Pokemon for what felt like an eternity. I began to wonder if he had even heard my words. Eventually, he turned back to me, the sad look in his eyes replaced by determination. "How can I help?"

"That depends," I said. "Are you going to be able to fight?"

"Do you want to find out?" Collin asked, a small smirk coming back to his lips.

I was hesitant, but I smiled back. If he wanted to battle me, I saw no harm in giving him a chance. "Fine," I said. "We'll battle one-on-one."

Colin grabbed his one remaining Poke Ball and threw it out. Charmeleon emerged, looking a bit haunted. For all that Colin had been through since Vermilion City, Charmeleon had been by his side through it all. Even though Colin couldn't communicate with his Pokemon like I could, I had to imagine that the team would have some rapport with each other. Charmeleon had lost all of the Pokemon he considered friends, and that had to be just as painful.

I sent out Darwin. At the time, my reasoning behind the choice was purely type-matchup related. As the Jolteon sprang out to battle, though, the look on Charmeleon's face told me all I needed to know about the misjudgment I had made.

Darwin had evolved and gained a lot more confidence, but he immediately shrunk down when seeing Charmeleon and Colin. Charmeleon, meanwhile, was just as shocked. "It's you," he gasped. "You're alive! And you evolved!" Darwin, meanwhile, was too stunned to speak. He turned to me with a concerned look in his eyes.

"You'll be fine," I said. "You're tough now, right?" As I spoke to Darwin, I looked over at Colin's Charmeleon. I didn't want to give myself away too much, so instead I tried my best to communicate non-verbally by giving a non-threatening look to the Pokemon. He looked back at me quizzically, but nodded quickly.

The battle began, and it was convincingly intense. Darwin sped around the room at lightning speeds, occasionally tackling into Charmeleon. Charmeleon, meanwhile, shot bursts of flame that narrowly missed the speeding Jolteon. I watched as Colin ordered his Pokemon around the battlefield. In our previous battle, it seemed that Charmeleon was not terribly interested in listening to his Trainer's commands, but now he seemed to be making more of an effort to at least take actions that would be hard to read as disobedience. Colin, meanwhile, had a mixture of adrenaline and apprehension radiating from him. He seemed nervous to be in battle, but the longer it continued his worries seemed to melt away. It was as if he was relearning how to enjoy battling again.

"Let's finish it!" Colin shouted. "Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

Not to be outdone, I answered back quickly. "Darwin, Thunderbolt!"

The two Pokemon had been evenly matched up to this point. As our commands were spoken, Darwin and Charmeleon stopped in their tracks and began to charge up their strongest moves. Before they were able to release them, however, a voice rang out from the stairs leading above.

"Help me!"

[close]

[in]

word on the street is you guys need one more player.

in

H Y P E

It's 2012. K-NiGhT has just posted a chapter of The Great NSM Pokemon Adventure. Life is good.

It's 2016. K-NiGhT has just announced a reboot of The Great NSM Pokemon Adventure. Life is good.

It's 2017. K-NiGhT has just posted Cracked, a spiritual successor to The Great NSM Pokemon Adventure. Life is good.

It's 2024. After five years, K-NiGhT has returned to upload a new chapter of Cracked, and hints at more on the way. Life is different now. But this is good.

This is awesome! What an awesome way to see the history of the site.

Update Sixteen: Restless

Stepping out of the Celadon Game Corner and into the afternoon sun, I took a minute to shield my eyes and let them adjust. Once I could see again, I saw Erika speaking to a group of officers from the Celadon Police Department just outside. Upon seeing me exit, she breathed a sigh of relief and came up to check on me.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" she asked. "Are your Pokemon alright?" She hovered her hands around me, as if she was trying to assess any damage to me.

"I'm good," I assured her. "My team is a little beat up and tired, but nothing a quick trip to the Pokemon Center won't fix."

The Gym Leader smiled pleasantly for a moment, but her expression shifted to concern. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have sent you into that place by yourself. It must be a testament to your strength that you made it back out unharmed. Do you have any news about Team Rocket?"

I moved to speak, to tell Erika and the officers about what had happened, but I stopped for a moment.Giovanni had given me his name, but did I dare share that information? I had managed to defeat him in a battle, but only just barely. There would be no telling what danger it would put me in if he found out that I had given his identity away to the authorities immediately.

"I fought some Grunts, but their Boss cleared out pretty quick," I answered. That was a half-truth bordering on a lie of omission. "I didn't find anything else other than that." Protecting Giovanni felt wrong, especially with the trust Erika placed in me, but I couldn't risk angering him more than I likely already had.

I could tell Erika's intuitive skills were working in overdrive, because she frowned. "So...Team Rocket cleared out the second you were spotted? You didn't manage to find anything out about their Boss or their plans?"

"No." That was a lie. I stayed straight-faced.

Erika sighed. "Well, hopefully the police can get some information out of the Grunts you apprehended. In the meantime, let's go grab some lunch! It's on me today, as partial thanks for all your help."

I certainly wouldn't turn down a free meal. Though I was hoping for an immediate trip to the Celadon Gym for our match, it seemed like it would be a little while longer until things calmed down around the city. Without an objection, I followed Erika to a nearby café.

***

A few hours later, I was heading back west out of Celadon City. Erika, for all her promises, was still unable to find the time to battle me. In the meantime, she suggested I check out the sights of Central Kanto. During our lunch, I told her about my journey up until that point, and when I finished my tale she nodded.

"I think it would be wise for you to head back to Lavender Town," she suggested. "You have suffered difficult losses on your journey. Perhaps helping lay your fallen allies' spirits to rest will help lighten your burden moving forward." I had been in such a hurry the last time I passed through Lavender Town that I hadn't stopped to consider the Pokemon Tower. As creepy as it seemed, the tower was the final resting place of many of the region's Pokemon. We could finally pay respects to our departed friends properly.

The trip back to Lavender Town took a bit longer, even though I took the same route as before. I was not in nearly as much of a hurry this time. I had nearly reached the town before I realized that I hadn't even called out any of the team to accompany me on the journey. It was abnormal, but it had also given me a bit of time to reflect alone on the journey so far. The team and I had been through a lot. It had only been a few days, but we were already nearly halfway through our Gym Challenge. We had taken some tough losses, but everyone was coming together and becoming an effective unit. I sincerely hoped it would stay that way.

***

A thick haze hung over Lavender Town, as it had the last time I passed through. Outside of the obvious nature of a town mostly dedicated to the eternal rest of souls, something about the place felt...wrong. People were scattered around haphazardly, shambling about listlessly. Looking past the fog, the town seemed pleasant, almost idyllic. Something was terribly wrong here, and I knew exactly who could help me figure it out.

With the flash of a Poke Ball, Kai appeared in front of me. Within seconds, the Kadabra dropped the spoon he was holding and clutched his head, as though he had a terrible headache. He had overtaxed himself a bit in the hideout raid, but I had hoped he was doing alright after a trip to the Pokemon Center. "What is this place?" the Kadabra grunted.

"Welcome to Lavender Town," I said sarcastically. "Can you help me figure out if there's something weird going on here?"

"The second you let me out, I was assaulted by a giant wave of spiritual energy," Kai groaned. "It seems the souls of the Pokemon laid to rest in the tower are very restless."

"Can you show me?" I asked. "It might help me to know what exactly you're seeing."

Kai nodded, and placed his hand on my shoulder. After a moment, his eyes began to glow, and all at once everything became clear. Thousands of spirits circled around Pokemon Tower, looking more like a natural disaster than a gathering of ghosts. The sight filled me with a mix of awe and terror.

"Well," I breathed. "That answers that."

***

Stepping inside the tower, I was a bit shocked to find that there was a small gathering of people on the first floor. It was quiet here, aside from the quiet chanting of some attendants in the middle of the room. Whatever they were doing, it seemed to be keeping the ghosts at bay. A few people, who I assumed to be visitors, were standing around near the front desk, looking nervous. A woman sitting at the desk grabbed my attention by waving me over towards her. "You shouldn't be in here," she whispered. "Team Rocket has stormed up to the top of the tower and is disturbing the spirits."

Team Rocket. Of course this was their fault. I'm not sure what Giovanni would want from a place like this, but there was little chance that it was anything good. "I've got some experience dealing with Team Rocket," I assured her. "What can I do to help?"

"Our mediums have been working to get everyone to safety down here on the first floor, but there are still some visitors and staff that aren't accounted for," she said. "On top of that, when Team Rocket barged in they brought dear old Mr. Fuji in with them. I think he may be a hostage..."

"Don't worry," I said. "My team and I will take care of this."

The woman looked apprehensive. She was quickly realizing that I was just a kid, confidently stating that I would stand against a real criminal organization, but her fear of the restless spirits in the tower seemed to outweigh her concern for my safety. With a shell-shocked nod, she turned back to the crowd of people surrounding the mediums chanting. With all attention diverted from me, I shuffled over to the stairs and began my climb of the tower. When I reached the second floor, though, what I saw stopped me in my tracks just as quickly.

Colin Oak was here.

[close]

Nearly 5 years since this has been posted in, but I saw this thread upon returning for the site's 20th anniversary and was excited to find this. I still have all my guides and notes for how the story was going to go, so I'm going to try and return to this.

wow, 20 years

*crumbles into dust and blows away in the wind*

speak for yourself

I played all the missions I was allowed to and even used all my Dojo Tickets

it's brittney bitch

RESCUE TEAM REMAKES CONFIRMED

Update Fifteen: Infiltration

The Team Rocket Hideout was a bit more tame than what I had expected. It had basically all the trappings of a common office building, and not much else. The real problem, however, could be found in the sheer number of Rocket grunts swarming the place. Luckily for me, nobody had heard the commotion at the top of the stairs, and were going about their business as if nothing was wrong.

I was definitely nervous, there was no denying that. If I was caught here, getting into a simple Pokemon battle was probably the least of my worries. I had to stick to the shadows and keep as silent as possible, which was certainly not a skill I practiced often. Nonetheless, I did my best and slowly made my way through the base, taking care to remain out of sight. Things were going relatively smoothly until I heard an unfortunate shout from the staircase I had descended from.

"HEY!" a female grunt bellowed. "The topside lookout got taken out! We might have an intruder in the Hideout! Find them!"

I quickly panicked and ran into a nearby empty closet, shutting off the lights as I did so. The second I managed to find a spot to hide in the corner, cloaked by shadows, a small squad of Team Rocket members ran by in the hallway, hot on my trail.

As soon as I thought the coast was clear, I reached for a Poke Ball and called out one of my team members. In a quick flash, Kai emerged in his new Kadabra form. "You called?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm in a bit of a bind here. We're deep in Team Rocket territory, and if we get caught it could be really bad. Can you use your psychic abilities to help out here?"

Kai sat in thought for approximately three seconds before giving a succinct, "Yes." His eyes glowed a clear blue in the darkness of the closet for a few more seconds before he spoke again. "I've set a marker for us in this location. The next time I use my Teleport ability, it will take us back here."

"Good thinking," I praised quietly.

"If you give me a few more moments, I can use my Future Sight to figure out where we need to go," the Kadabra continued. I breathed a sigh of relief. Having a Psychic type Pokemon like Kai around was a serious blessing for this team. His sharp mind and powerful abilities were useful both on and off the battlefield.

After a short time of planning and plotting, I waited until I thought the coast was completely clear to exit my hiding spot and continue the infiltration. Along the way, Kai and I noticed an elevator tucked in the corner of the floor. I could hardly believe that this place went any further underground than it already did, but that was because I wasn't aware of the full extent of Team Rocket's influence. Upon stepping into the elevator, I noticed that there were three floors underneath. The button designating the lowest floor wasn't lit up, and a keyhole was placed next to it. This posed a problem. If I was going to find out anything interesting about Team Rocket from this investigation, it would most likely be down there. However, to find a key, I'd likely have to blow my cover.

Just then, another Poke Ball from my Bag popped open, and Darwin came out. "Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea!" he shouted.

Out of instinct, I panicked and reached to grab Darwin, but he was too quick for me. "I'll distract them! Leave it to me! Find the key! I'll meet you guys outside!" Before I could object, Darwin was gone. Kai and I watched his sprint down the hallway, and then he rounded a corner. As worried as I was about him, running interference was perfect for someone as speedy as Darwin. However, I didn't want to leave him to fend for himself since he was still pretty new to the team, so I got out yet another Poke Ball and threw out Javelin.

"Follow Darwin, and make sure he doesn't get hurt," I instructed quickly. Javelin nodded wordlessly, quickly observing and taking stock of the situation. With a quick flap of her powerful wings, the Fearow was off to catch up with Darwin. Checking my remaining Pokemon, I still had Caesar, Bepis, Kai, and Sylvester. Bepis wouldn't be able to battle effectively in the cramped space, so I would have to rely more heavily on the remaining three.

Down the hall, I saw some more Rocket Grunts running in multiple directions, Pokemon at their sides. Satisfied with the team's handiwork, I got back into the elevator and shut the door. We still didn't have the necessary key, but an idea popped into my head. I turned to Kai. "Can you use your telekinesis to move the elevator?"

"I suppose I could, though it would be pretty difficult to do accurately," he hypothesized. "You would have to let me rest for some time after I finish." After focusing once more, Kai's eyes shot open, glowing a brilliant blue. "Hang on," he said, and as he did the elevator began to shake. I braced on the handrail as the car screeched and groaned, violently making its way down to the bottom against its will. Kai was visibly straining, but managed to get us all the way to the very bottom floor and pried the door open.

With his task completed, Kai's eyes returned to normal as he slumped down to the ground. I smiled and returned him to his Poke Ball. "You did well," I assured him. "Get some rest."

The bottom floor of the Hideout was pitch dark and dead quiet, but the sounds of the struggle on the upper floors could be picked up if one listened hard enough. I could only hope that Darwin and Javelin would be able to hold up on their own, but the occasional blast of thunder was reassuring. As I tried to adjust to the darkness, I was blinded by a bright light turning on across the room.

"So, you've made it here."

The voice was deep and smooth on the surface, but cold and intimidating undertones were clearly present. As my vision returned to me, I could make out the features of the man behind the voice, who would turn out to be one of my greatest adversaries. He had very short, nearly buzz-cut black hair, and dark brown eyes that felt like they saw through me entirely. He was wearing a very expensive looking black suit with a red shirt underneath, and a red letter R was embroidered on the pocket.

"Not only did an intruder make it all the way to me, but they're a young child!" he continued. "Tell me, what's your name?"

Politeness stood in the way of common sense as my mouth opened before my brain could even process. "My name is Marshal," I said. "I'm here to..."

"Battle me?" the man asked, attempting to finish my sentence for me. "A foolish endeavor, to be sure."

"Actually, I just wanted to figure out who you were," I admitted. "I had no real intention to battle anyone except Erika today." There was some truth to that, but two halves of me were screaming different things at each other.

"Run!" said one.

"Test yourself!" said the other.

The boss smirked. "Amusing. I have a proposition for you, though. I'll tell you a little bit more about myself if you battle me. Does that sound reasonable?"

The half of myself wanting to measure my abilities won in that moment, reason be damned. "I'll agree to your terms, sir." I grabbed two Poke Balls and threw them out, revealing Caesar and Sylvester. They both looked at the Rocket Boss and snarled, instantly perceiving him as a threat.

The dark-haired man shook his head. "Decent selection," he admitted. "I suppose we'll do this the Hoenn way, then." Taking out two of his own Poke Balls, he summoned two Pokemon I had never seen before. One was a quadrupedal Pokemon covered in rocky plating and a pointy horn at the tip of its face. The other was a marsupial-like Pokemon with a pouch that looked like it was there to house its offspring.

"Rhyhorn and Kangaskhan," Caesar said, helping me out. "One is Ground and Rock type, and the other is Normal type, respectively."

I nodded, trying my best not to acknowledge that I understood my Ivysaur in front of the dangerous looking man. The strategy here would be simple, in other words.

Without warning, the battle began. Rhyhorn charged straight into Caesar with reckless abandon, attempting to stab him with its sharp horn. It was so sudden, Caesar wasn't able to react, and stood frozen as the enemy charged at him.

In a flash, Sylvester sprang into action. "A real hero is always prepared for danger!" he shouted, suddenly between Caesar and Rhyhorn. With a swift motion, the little Machop struck the attacker with a powerful Low Kick, knocking Rhyhorn off its feet and into the air. As the spiked Pokemon sailed over Sylvester and toward Caesar, he turned around. "You can take it from here!"

Caesar quickly managed to focus. "Right!" he shouted. "Marshal, if you please!"

I nearly felt it was unnecessary to give orders at this point, but I still shouted, "Caesar, use Vine Whip!" for the sake of keeping up appearances. Before I even finished speaking, Caesar's vines were extended, grappling Rhyhorn while it was still in midair. In one swift move, he reared back, using every bit of might he had to toss Rhyhorn behind him and slammed him into the ground with a mighty suplex maneuver.

Sylvester, meanwhile, was more focused on keeping Kangaskhan at bay. The large Parental Pokemon thrashed about, attempting to flatten Sylvester, but he was too quick. He bobbed and weaved through every stomp and slam while simultaneously sneaking in a few good jabs. He looked like he was perfectly comfortable fighting an opponent that was much larger than him, as there was at least a five foot difference between the two. Assuming that he was alright fighting on his own, I turned my attention back to Caesar. "Okay, Caesar! Like we practiced!"

"Right!" Caesar confirmed. He shook his body, and a few leaves began to fall from the bud on his back. Instead of falling to the floor, however, they floated around him for a moment.

"Now, Razor Leaf!" I shouted, debuting Caesar's new move. The leaves surrounding Caesar shot straight towards Rhyhorn, making noticeable scratches and scrapes on its armor plating. The Pokemon gave a pained cry before crumpling to the ground, unconscious and unable to continue.

I would have taken a moment to celebrate, if I hadn't looked over to see Sylvester get tossed into Caesar like a ragdoll. It seemed that Kangaskhan was able to wear him down, and grabbed him while his guard was down. Now both of my Pokemon were prone on the floor, as the boss smirked from the opposite side of the room.

"Now, finish it with a Mega Punch."

The mere mention of the move was enough to send a chill down my spine. That same attack was what Lt. Surge had used when Gonz was killed. It was very powerful, and could potentially spell the end for anyone on the squad. I had to do something, but I couldn't get in the way of the battle, and it looked like we were out of options. Whoever was getting hit by that attack would surely be injured beyond belief. Kangaskhan rushed straight into Caesar and raised a fist. All I could do was outstretch my hand and scream, "No!"

The pressure released from the impact was like a shockwave, causing me to wince from shock and fear. However, when I opened my eyes, I realized that the scene had played out differently than I expected.

Kangaskhan's attack hadn't connected with Caesar, but instead was blocked by a trembling Sylvester. He was visibly bloody from the impact, but was keeping the giant's fist at bay with his own hands. "Heh," he chuckled. "I made you a promise, remember, Chief? I always keep my promises..."

Caesar and I looked on with shock as Sylvester began to physically push back against Kangaskhan's Mega Punch. With a roar and a burst of explosive energy, he managed to push away the attack completely and retaliate with his own in an immaculate example of a perfect Counter.

"...because that's what a REAL hero does!"

An actual shockwave, twice as powerful as the one before, rocked the room as Sylvester's fist made contact. Kangaskhan's eyes nearly bugged out of its head as it shot across the room and slammed into the wall behind the Rocket Boss, unable to continue.

As we all stood in disbelief, Sylvester began to glow. It was sudden, but I was getting experienced enough to recognize the light of evolution when I saw it. After the light completely enveloped Sylvester, he quickly began to grow two feet taller and bulked up considerably. His face protruded a bit, becoming almost reptilian. A little set of fangs now became visible as well. As the light faded, a few other changes became noticeable. Dark red, vertical stripes now presented themselves on Sylvester's arms, almost as if the sudden explosion in growth had torn them open. He had also gained what appeared to be a pair of briefs, held to his waist by an impressive-looking belt. With that, Sylvester's transformation into a Machoke was complete. He turned back to face us, and immediately grinned. "How about that?" he asked, giving a powerful flex.

Meanwhile, the Rocket Boss returned his Pokemon to their Poke Balls. With a sigh, he spoke up. "I have to admit, you're pretty good."

"A deal's a deal, Boss," I replied.

"You've got me there," he admitted. "Remember the name, 'Giovanni.' This won't be the last you'll see of me."

I was about to tell him about the police squadron that was surely barrelling down on his Hideout, but before I could, the lights were off again. A few seconds later, they came up again, but dimly. Giovanni was gone, and we were alone in the room. As I took a moment to take stock, I began to hear an even louder commotion coming from the upper floors. It seemed the police had finally arrived. I decided that being down here was no longer a good idea, so I quickly returned Caesar and Sylvester and brought out Kai. He still seemed a little drained, but was able to Teleport us back to the closet on the upper floor.

The second we jumped out into the hallway, Darwin and Javelin were waiting for us. They looked a little frazzled and roughed up, but were otherwise alright. I smiled and patted them both on their heads as I returned the rest of the team to their Poke Balls and headed out of the Hideout. We had much to discuss.

[close]

sorry for the delay, a certain game came out and took all my time away