The fire flickered brightly on the logs. Outside, water lapped at the sands, a soothing background of sounds for the three of us that were huddled against the cold. My mind was spinning.
I came from the future.
I came from the future, and my purpose was to stop the planet's paralysis. I… I didn't know, this was all happening so fast. I just couldn't comprehend what was being told, and yet on some subconscious level, I knew that I wasn't being lied to; I knew this was the truth. I had dreamed up all kinds of 'pasts' for myself before, but this one was the only one that felt right.
He turned his head to me, bright green eyes fixing my brown ones. "So, Hero… you may not remember any of this, but… you were my closest friend. I worried about you when we were separated. I'm glad to see you safe." He looked me up and down. "Your appearance may have changed, and though you lost your memory… you're still you. And none of this alters the fact that you remain my friend."
He paused, and I thought I saw a tiny break in the outer façade of indifference. "Oh, Hero. I'm glad to see you again."
"We'll get the Time Gears," I said sternly, turning my head so I didn't have to look at him. "Time will not stop."
He nodded. "Okay then. The three of us will go together. But the hour is late. We're also exhausted from all the running we've done. We should rest up tonight. We'll leave in the morning."
My partner gave a brisk nod and said, "That'll do." I swept my tail over my partner's paw to let the Pokémon know I was here, I was ready to take on the world.
-0-
Later on I woke up to a rustling noise. Immediately, I sat up- I still didn't entirely trust that Time Gear-stealing outlaw.
Sure enough, it was him, getting up and moving to the edge of Sharpedo Bluff's cliff. He stared out over the water, melancholy. I picked myself up and sat next to him. He looked at me in surprise, but we sat in silence.
Finally, I broke the trance in the quietest voice. "I can't be the same person you once knew."
His eyes widened slightly. "But you are. You have the Dimensional Scream, your name is the same-"
"That's not what I mean. How can I be the same person, I mean, my intelligence and personality and all of that, when I lost my memory? Your experiences are what form you. I have to be different from… how I was."
He shook his head, eyes glittering. "Oh, but Hero, you're not. You're still just the same. Your mannerisms, the way you move. You're still you."
"I'm not." I shook my head adamantly, curling up. "I don't remember anything about how we were or what we did or how we met or… or… any of it. I'm in the dark here." I looked up at him. "You have to tell me."
He watched me for a long while, then edged nearer. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Tell me everything."