Chapter Three: Serious, So Very Serious

I tossed and turned in the night, my mind completely going nuts, throwing long lost memories around, mostly just sounds and blurred images.

Promise me, that once this is all over, you'll come back alive.

I promise, no matter what.

Tossing and turning again, I tried to wake up, but it was like I was trapped in my own mind, forced to watch as it taunted me by showing me memories that I never remembered.

Two people at a beach. I only saw their silhouettes, one was a guy, the other was a girl, as they sat on the sand, staring into each other's eyes from a rather close distance. In the background, the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow across the scene.

They leaned in for a kiss, as the scene changed to a bridge. Two more silhouettes were present, one guy, one girl just like in the first scene. Large boats sailed under the bridge as the two figures leaned against the railing, and looked at each other. They too leaned in to kiss, but a gunshot rang out.

I jerked upright, breathing heavily, looking around the campsite. David and Dawn were still asleep, and N was gone. His bag, his gituar, everything he had brought was gone. A note was secured in place under a few small rocks. I picked up the note, letting the pebbles fall to the ground.

Dear friends,

I have left you, only because I am a lonesome drifter going from place to place, in search of who I really am. How I want to live my life. For the past year, this has been my goal. I do believe that we will cross paths again in the future, and I look forward to that moment.

-N

Shrugging, I folded the note up and stuck it in my pocket. I leaned back against the log I had used as a pillow, sighing as I thought about the dreams I had had.

None of it seemed familiar, so eventually I focused on the setting of the dreams.I know that there had been several, but they were fading away. I only remember the last two . The first was a beach, and the second was a giant bridge. Despite as hard as I tried, I could remember nothing.

"Dawn might know," I muttered, sticking my hands in my pockets. "After all, she is a Champion."

"Know what?" she asked warily, sitting up. Dawn rubbed her eyes, and blinked a few times, trying to wake up more.

"I'll tell you later," I told her. "You don't look like a morning person."

"I'm not," she replied. We sat in an awkward silence for several seconds. "How'd you sleep?"

"Horrible," I admitted. "I was right. I had dreams that I think were based on my life that I can't remember."

She stood up and stretched before tying her jacket across her waist. "...Well I slept pretty well, and it appears that David still is sleeping pretty well."

"Yeah, we should probably hit the road, get Jovi, and get back to the lab," I said, also standing up. I kicked some ashes from last night's fire, watching as a small cloud of gray dust rose.

"I'll wake up David." Dawn walked over to the sleeping teen, brought her foot back, and kicked David right in the back.

"What the hell..." he muttered, sitting up and looking around. "You could have let me sleep, ya know."

I nodded. "We know, but where's the fun in that?"

"I hate the both of you," David said, yawning and standing up and throwing his jacket on. "We're almost to Dr. Kaminko's house."

"Really?" Dawn askednd. "Then why did we camp out here? We could've at least got Jovi and made so progress back to the lab before we had to camp."

David started walking. "In all honesty, you don't want to spend the night with Jovi. She sleeps like a baby."

"Then what's the problem?" I asked.

"She wakes up every three hours and complains about something," David answered. He chuckled quietly to himself, and we kept walking. After only after a few minutes, we spotted a house in the distance. There were two huge tesla coils on either side, and what appeared to be a fountain in the middle of the yard, with a sculpture of a Pokemon on the top.

As we walked through the gate and up to the door, a small individual walked up. He was wearing a white lab coat, with glasses that had swirleys on the lenses.

"I am Chobin!" the man announced. "Number one aide to Dr. Kaminko! And who are you three?"

"Um, we're here for-" Dawn started, but she was cut off when Chobin started again.

"You must be thiefs! After Dr. Kaminko's inventions! But Chobin will deter your robbery!" He tossed out a Pokeball, unleashing a Sunkern.

"Perfect," David muttered as he sent out Eve. "This won't take long."

Eve yawned as she looked at the Sunkern. "What's up?" she asked the kernal.

"You don't want to know," Sunkern replied. "I have to deal with this nitwitt everyday of my life."

"My condolences," Eve said sympathetically. "My Trainer is a noob," she guestured to David, "Even though he's being trained by the Sinnoh Champion," Eve guestured to Dawn. "And he's some teenage drunk who smashed his face on a rock." Eve guesture to me. I gave her the one finger salute.

"Wow, I honestly don't know who has it worse," Sunkern said, waiting for a command.

"Eve use Bite!" David shouted, pointing at Sunkern. Eve ran at the Sunkern, and opened her mouth, and clamped down on Sunkern's body.

"Sorry about that," she apologized as she jumped back to David's side. I could tell from her tone that Eve really didn't care.

"It's fine," Sunkern replied, also sounding as if he didn't care.

"Use Tackle!" Chobin ordered, and Sunkern hopped over to Eve, and tackled her. The Eevee winced in pain, but she bit down on the Sunkern again, and slung it back a few feet.

"Eve, finish it off with Tackle!" Eve ran at the Sunkern, and jumped up, before coming donw on it, slamming it into the ground. Sunkern was knocked out.

Chobin collasped to his knees, and his glasses fell off. "Chobin will stop you, thieves!" He patted the ground in front of him, searching for his glasses.

David returned Eve to her ball, and handed Chobin's glasses to him.

"Hm?" Chobin looked up, examining David. He looked over each of us, before commenting. "It appears that you're not robbers. Then why are you here? Chobin hopes that it's not to disturb Dr. Kaminko."

"Actaully," Dawn interjected. "We're here for David's sister, Jovi. We heard she was here."

Chobin nodded. "There is a child here that has been interfering with Dr. Kaminko's work. He let her stay here the night, and Chobin had to tidy up the guest room."

The door opened, and Jovi walked out, looking as cheery as normal. "Hey big brother, and Dawn and other guy." I rolled my eyes, even though I was used to getting called that other guy and other stuff like that.

"Why are you out here big brother?" Jovi asked. "I know! You all got lost and needed Jovi to find you way."

"Yeah," David answered sarcastically. "That's exactly right."

Jovi smiled as she turned back to the door. "Jovi will help you find your way back, just after Jovi says goodbye to Dr. Kaminko!" Jovi ran back inside, leaving the three of us and Chobin standing around.

"That girl, always in Dr. Kaminko's face, such a nusciance. And you're here to take her back to her home, yes?" Chobin asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yep," David answered, tossing Eve's Pokeball up and down in his hand.

"Please come in while we wait for her," Chobin said, holding the door open for us. The interior of the room was pretty bare, save for a few bookshelves on the back wall, and a giant TV in the middle of the wall.

"Plasma screen TV," Dawn commented. "You guys have it nice here."

Plasma. The word echoed in my head, trying to find where it belong, and the memories attachted to it. I focused on it, and the first thing that came to mind was N. I kept trying hard to remember some sort of connection between the two, but then I lost it. Defeated, I release a heavy sigh.

"You okay?" Dawn asked, as she, David and Chobin looked at me, attention drawn to the sigh.

I waved the question away. "It's nothing."

Dawn looked like she was about to say something, but Chobin cut her off, turning back to the TV.

"This televison can be used to view some of Dr. Kaminko's greatest inventions," Chobin explained. "Perhaps a demonstration?" When none of us said anything, he continued. "Then let the VCR roll!"

"I thought that VCR's were outdated," I muttered. "I mean these guys have a shiny new fifty inch plasma screen TV hooked up to a decade old VCR."

On the screen, Chobin appeared, right up in the camera. His face took up easily half of the screen. "Today, Chobin will be explaining the great Dr. Kaminko's invention, the Unhealthy Sandals!"

"Oh hell," Dawn cursed under her breath.

"The sole is covered in lumps that fail to support your feet as you walk, resulting in a chronic worsening of your health." The Chobin on TV gave a thumbs up. "Chobin thinks it's brilliant."

"That was rather intersting," I said, after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Jovi is ready to go," Jovi announced, walking into the room from a side door. "Jovi will show you the way home."

David rolled his eyes, but followed his younger sister out the door. With a half-hearted wave to Chobin, Dawn and I followed a few feet behind them.

"What exactly happened back there?" Dawn asked, referring to when I had the flashback.

I release a deep breath. "My mind kept trying to throw that N guy together with the word plasma, as if they were connected. But, as it tried, I kept feeling hate at the sight of N."

"Okay...not sure on how to take that," Dawn said, focusing on the road ahead of us. David and Jovi were farther ahead of us, Jovi continuously ranting about something.

Currently, there was some feeling inside of me that I couldn't understand what it was. I looked over at Dawn, right into her eyes. I felt a mushy feeling down in my stomach, and my heart race increased every so slightly. Ah great. I know that feeling from somewhere.

I think I had a crush on Dawn.

"What are you staring at?" Dawn asked, still staring at me.

"You, what else would I be looking at?"

"Why?"

"It's nice to see a pretty face looking back at you."

Dawn instantly looked away from me, and I saw her blushing slightly. She giggled, trying to shrugg it off. But the reponse had some effect on her, whether it was positive or negative, I didn't know.

Meanwhile, in my mind. What the fuck, dude? Did you really say that? You did, didn't you. Great, you just embarrassed yourself by flirting with the Sinnoh League Champion! I let the thoughts stream through, letting my mind cuss me out a little bit longer. Although after a minute, I got curious as to why my mind refer to me with 'you' instead of 'I.' Maybe it was just my messed up mind.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Dawn replied, looking down at the ground as she walked.

"You're, um, welcome," I answered, also looking at the ground.

After a several minutes of awkward silence later, we had reached the lab, and Lily was standing at the top of the stone stairs, waiting for us.

"Jovi, I'm glad your home," she said, stooping down to hug her daughter. "Thanks for getting her, you three."

"Ah, it was nothing," David replied. "We had a nice campout and stuff."

"Then big brother and his friends got lost, and Jovi helped them find their way home," Jovi smiled. "If Jovi hadn't helped them, they would be crying right now, not know how to get home."

Lily rolled her eyes, but with a smile. "Thank you Jovi." She looked up at the three of us. "David, Professer Krane wants to see you. Dawn, there are two new simulation Trainers that Krane wants you to meet with."

"Ten-Four," Dawn said, heading for the elevator without so much as a goodbye to the either of us.

"What's up with Dawn?" David asked. "She's acting different."

"Long story, even though there's less than a hundred words in it," I answered, trying to put on an innocent look.

"Whatev," David siad, walking off to find Krane.

Lily glanced at me. "As you might know, Professer Krane sent out a few aides to see if they could find any of you belongings. They didn't return empty handed."

My eyes lit up. "What did they find?"

Reaching into her pocket, Lily smiled as she removed four minitureized Pokeballs, and handed them to me. "These would be your Pokemon. One Servine, one Herdier, one Panpour, and one Darumaka."

I remembered the picture, the one with me and my Unovian Pokemon. I held up one Pokeball, noticing some scratching on the black band that ran around the ball. It simply read; Aqua.

"That must be the nickname," I mused as I ran to the elevator, stuffing my Pokeballs in my pocket. In all honesty, what had happened with Dawn and I earlier was a mistake. I thought she would take it as a compliment, and not...whatever she took it as.

It reached the top floor, and I saw Dawn watching a battle on a screen. I mustered up all the courage I had in me and walked over...and I suddenly realized that I was making this more dramatic than it had to be.

"I want to apologize for what I said earlier," I said. "I didn't know you would react the way you did. I only meant it as a compliment."

Dawn remained silent for a minute. "When I became the Champion, tons of guys all started doing stuff like that. Calling me pretty, and all that. I hated it. I ignored them. All of them never meant it. They just wanted to have me as their girlfriend, for my money and fame." Dawn looked down at the floor. "But when you said it, my first instinct was to be cautious, and then-"

I cut her off by laughing. "Do you know how stupid this sounds? I all I did was say that you were pretty, and here we are acting as if I insulted you."

Dawn nodded. "I guess we do sound stupid. I forgive you for that, and I want to apologize for acting like a shy schoolgirl with a crush."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Does that mean that you like me, and acted like a shy schoolgirl would have, or that you...forget it," I muttered, not even knowing where I was going with that one.

Dawn pointed to the screen. "Those are the two Trainers here," she explained. "I'm not quite sure why their here. Both are skilled Trainers, and I don't need to teach them like I did with David."

"Who are they?" I asked, watching as a Skarmory slammed into a Dragonair using Drill Peck. The Dragonair retailiated by launching a huge wave of water, using Surf.

"The guy is Skyler Merrickson, a fifteen year old from Sinnoh. The girl is Luna Lyrune. Also fifteen, but from Kanto," Dawn said. "They both put up a hell of a fight."

"Who's winning?"

"It's best two out of three, and the both have won one," Dawn answered. "This is the tiebreaker."

"I get winner," I remarked, watching as the Dragonair fired an Ice Beam at the Skarmory, who was preparing for another Drill Peck.

"That's fine with me," Dawn said. "Do you want me to provide you with some Pokemon? I think I can borrow some from the Lab's vault."

I shook my head. "No thanks, I'll use my own." I pulled all four Pokeballs from my pocket, watching as Dawn's eyes widened, just as mine had.

"Are those yours? From that picture?" she asked, taking one from my hand.

I nodded. "I was about to send them out. Maybe they know who I am." I tossed the Pokeballs in the air, and Dawn tossed the one she had. The four Pokemon popped out, and each had a different reaction.

Servine blinked a few times, looking around the room as he tried to remain calm. "Where am I?" he asked no one in particular. His voice sounded adolencent, with a British accent.

Herdier's reaction was similar, looking around as he took in his surroundings. "I don't know." His voice sounded gruff, and a little bit like a growl.

Panpour flipped out. "Why can't I remember anything? All of my life, gone! Take me now, Arceus!" He sank to his knees, before falling forward and landing flat on the ground. His voice sounded like some teenage surfer dude.

Darumaka was trembling. "I'm scared. My whole life is a blur," he said in his normal sounding voice. "Only one thing can make this better!"

"Oh hell," Panpour muttered, cover his ears.

"Getting laid!" Darumaka finished, throwing his fist into the air.

"Excuse me," I said, breaking up the...whatever you want to call it. "I can kinda tell from your conversation that you have amnesia as well." Dawn groaned in the background as she got the main idea of what my Pokemon were saying. "But do you know who I am?"

Servine nodded. "That's the one thing I remember. You're our Trainer, Trevor White." I sighed in relief. So my Pokemon also had amnesia. The plot thickens. It seemed as there were no traces of my past. Even my Pokemon didn't know much.

I reached into my pocket, and produced my Trainer Card. "Dawn, can you run the info on this while I talk to my Pokemon?"

"Sure," she replied, taking the card from my hand, and sitting at a computer.

I turned back to my Pokemon who were staring at me, waiting for something. "So...we all seem to have amnesia, at the same time..." Servine mused. I checked the etchings on the band of their Pokeballs, getting their nicknames.

Servine was Ivy, Herider was Bark, Panpour was Aqua, and Darumaka was Zen. It was nice you know, to see that old gang of mine reunited. Too bad I couldn't remember them that much.

Before my Pokemon and I could discuss the matter further, a scientist that worked at the lab ran up. "Miss Hikari, and that guy, did you hear the news?"

"No, what news?" Dawn asked, as she typed something into the computer.

"The SS Libra disappeared," the scientist explained. "It just vanished." A loud silence dominated the room, and the scientist left the room as quickly as he had came in.

I looked at Dawn, who had tears forming in her eyes. "You had a Pokemon on the SS Libra, the one you were gonna give to me."

Dawn nodded, typing more into the computer. "It was a Ryhorn. A very special Ryhorn."

I looked at her with a questioning look. She pulled out her phone, and flipped through several pictures until she reached the one she wanted. "That's me and Mud."

In the picture, Dawn was riding on the back of a Ryhorn, but instead of the normal gray color, this one was a mud brown. "A shiny Pokemon?"

Dawn nodded again, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her red jacket. "But Mud is tough, I know he'll be fine." She pressed a few more buttons on the computer, and the results came up.

"That's odd, there's no matches," Dawn said, wiping another tear away. "No matches for any Trevor White with this Trainer ID in the whole world."

"But...that can't be right," I said, returning my Pokemon to the Pokeballs. "What about Johanna White? Have you tried researching her?"

"I working on it," Dawn replied. "I knew a Johanna White when I grew up. She lived nearby in Twinleaf Town. She had three kids. Tyler White, Lucas White, and Ashlyn White."

"Lucas, as in the same on that Mespirit needed to help her?"

"The very same," Dawn nodded. "I never met Tyler, he went to Kanto to live with his dad when he was seven."

Suddenly, an ear piercing scream sounded off from the first floor.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, standing up and running for the elevator. Dawn ran after me, and we headed for the first floor to see David running out the front door, and the girl at the desk was standing up, completely in tears.

"What happened?" I asked, running up to her.

"They took the Professer!" She pointed out the window to some people dressed in white armor that looked like it came from a science fiction movie. Two were holding Krane by his arms, forcing him into a strange truck, while David sent out Eve.

"Come on," Dawn grabbed my arm and pulled me outside as the man David was facing sent out a Teddiursa.

"What the hell?" David exclaimed as we came to his side. A small glass lense slid out from something on his headband, and over on of his eyes.

"David!" Krane shouted as he managed to get out of the truck that he had been put in. The two men instantly began shoving him back into the truck. "The Aura Reader is responding to it! That's a Shadow Pokemon!"

Then one of the men hit Krane in the back of the head with a metal pipe he pulled from the truck, knocking him out.

David acted fast, reaching for an empty Pokeball, and throwing it at the Teddiursa. The tiny bear was engulfed by the red light, and pulled into the ball. It rocked back and forth across the ground, and Eve went close to it, while the man using it began to back away.

The ball clicked, and Eve swatted it over to David, while his opponent in the white shiny armor made a break for the truck, hopping into the open passenger side as the truck sped away.

"They just kiddnapped the Professer!" Dawn gasped in horror as the large crowd of people who had gathered around began to mumur amongst themselves.

I knew one thing. This had just gotten serious. So very serious.