The Pikachu's name was going to be temporary, but now I can't think of anything else to use…

This semester is going to be realllly evil for me. I'll probably only be able to post every other week. Sigh. And just as I'm getting to the fun part.

Awake in Emptiness

It's so dark,

A rhythmic rushing sound. What is it?

Mmm. I feel comfortable. I'm lying on something warm and soft. I don't want to move.

But… why do I feel like something's wrong? Something's missing. But what?

Except it's so nice and arm. I don't want to move. Or think.

…

What's that sound? Someone… calling?

"Hey!"

It's so hard to focus.

"Are you okay?"

Maybe I should be trying to listen.

Something touches my shoulder. Someone's shaking me.

"Please, wake up! Are you all right?"

Opening my eyes seems to take all my effort. I find that I'm laying on my stomach with my head tilted to the side. I'm staring at sand, and I can hear waves rushing behind me. I open my eyes further and see a pair of yellow feet beside me. I tilt my head up and see a Pikachu leaning over me, looking concerned.

Relief floods his face as he sees me move.

"Ah, I was afraid you might be dead!" he gasped. "What happened? Are you all right?"

I flinched and managed to get my arms under me. I pushed myself up to my knees. I felt incredibly awkward. Even propped on my knees, I felt like I was about to tip over.

"I think I'm all right," I said slowly.

I looked over at the Pikachu. He had dark blue eyes and the tip of his tail is sort of frayed out in a funny tuft of fur. He was leaning forward as if to catch me if I fell. But that's odd. How could a Pikachu catch me? I'm a whole lot bigger than him.

Except… How can that be? I'm sitting on my knees, but I'm still just even with Pikachu.

Perplexed, I look down.

"Aah!" I shouted, losing my balance and tipping forwards. My face planted straight down in the sand because I wasn't fast enough to catch myself with my stubby arms.

The Pikachu grabbed my arm and helped pull me up. This time I manage to get my feet around in front of me so I was sitting normally.

Shaking, afraid what I might see, I turned my head to look behind me. My heart sinked as I saw an orange tail with a little flame glowing at the tip.

"You-you've gotta be kidding me," I gasped, raising my small clawed hands to touch my face. "A Charmander? But I'm a human!"

"What?" Pikachu said, looking rather alarmed. "A human?"

Rather panicked now, I turn to Pikachu. "I can't be a Charmander! I'm a human! How can I be a Pokémon?"

Pikachu took a step backwards. "Are you serious? A human? But, uh, you look like a Charmander."

I looked down at my hands again, my mouth hanging open. My head filled with a blank buzzing sound.

"What happened to you?" Pikachu asked, seemingly torn between confusion and apprehension at my behavior.

"What… happened…?"

I cast back, trying to remember what had happened. I frowned. Then real panic began to grow in me. Much worse than discovering I was a Charmander. I pressed my hands against my skull and my eyes widened. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"What?" Pikachu asked, stepping towards me once again.

I slowly turned to him, a look of devastation on my face. "I," I paused, and continued very slowly. "I can't remember… anything. There's-there's nothing there!"

Pikachu knelt next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. Neither of us moved for a while. I was waiting for the initial shock to pass, but it didn't. It was almost getting worse. Where was I from? I knew I was a human, so how did I turn into a Pokémon?

Pikachu hesitated. "I'm not sure what to do about amnesia. But maybe we should go up to Charm Town. We can at least get you some food and see if any of the Pokémon there might be able to help you."

I was slow to respond. Finally I looked up at him. "Yeah, okay."

He smiled. "My name's Link."

I realized with a small feeling of relief that I still knew my name. "I'm Cara."

I moved to stand up, awkward in this strange new body. I got one leg beneath me, and flinched in pain. I placed my hand against my right hip and flinched again. There seemed to be a rather nasty bruise there.

"You're hurt?" Link asked.

"I think it's just a bruise," I responded. I wondered how it had gotten there. I managed to get all the way to my feet. I took a couple clumsy steps. My feet were big and my legs were short and I had no idea what to do with my tail.

Link watched me closely in case I was about to fall. "You really were a human, weren't you?" He looked slightly suspicious. Not that I could blame him. I mean, he'd just found a Charmander on the beach who claimed that she was a human and who said that she'd lost all her memories. I suppose I'd be suspicious too.

I nodded.

"Come on. I'll take you to Charm Town. We can talk to Lucario. He might be able to help."

He started down the beach and I shuffled after him, trying to keep my feet from tripping over each other. Except when I focused on that, I let my tail drag in the sand. I grit my teeth in frustration, and didn't notice at first that Link had paused so that I could catch up with him. He continued again when we were side-by-side.

"So," I said, still staring at my feet, "where am I?"

"Well, Charm Town is up above us." He gestured at the cliff beside the beach.. "And this country we're in is Naratay. There aren't actually any humans living here. But there are some across the sea. Actually…" He hesitated.

"What?" I prompted.

"Well, see, humans kind of cause a lot of trouble. Like…" He broke off. "You shouldn't tell anyone else that you're human yet."

I looked at him and cocked my head. "Okay. If you say so." Could I be from across the sea?

We started up the trail that zigzagged up the cliff.

"Do you think any of the Pokémon up here might be able to help me with my memory?"

"Kirlia, maybe."

"Okay."

We arrived at the top of the cliff and walked down a road. Before long, Charm Town came into view. We passed a residential area, with little houses lining the road. The buildings increased as we moved farther in. Finally we arrived at what must have been Town Square. There was a fountain rippling brightly and several shops around the open area. Most of the buildings seemed to be designed after Pokémon. There was a great stone Dojo with the roof shaped like a Tyranitar. Another building looked vaguely like two Kecleon back-to-back. One shop was rounded and painted like a Chansey.

Pokémon of all varieties strolled around, carrying bags and wearing scarves or jackets or hats or something.

I watched it all with interest as I tagged along after Link. I was getting used to walking, though I was limping slightly.

We made for a building across from the main fountain. It was placed to be right near the center of town in front of Town Square. The black roof, blue walls, and silver spikes indicated that it belonged to a Lucario.

"Lucario is in charge of the town. I guess like a mayor," Link explained, leading me through the door. As we walked in, a Lopunny hopped up to greet us.

"Welcome! You're Link, right?" She turned to me. "I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

"Cara," I replied.

Lopunny smiled. "Welcome to Charm Town! How can I help you?"

"Can we see Lucario?" Link asked.

Lopunny glanced back to a room beyond the entrance room. "I don't think he's in right now, but I can go get him. May I ask why you're calling?"

We hesitated. I didn't know what to say, so I stayed quiet.

"Uh, it's kinda hard to explain," Link said at last.

Lopunny gave a small laugh. "I'll let you explain it to him then. Right this way, please!" She hopped across the room and ushered it into the office beyond. "You can wait in here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Link sat down in one of the chairs. I glanced at the chair next to him and awkwardly pulled myself into it.

"I wonder if he'll really be able to help," I muttered.

"Well, at least he can get Chansey to come and help your leg. And he can bring Kirlia over to check out your memories. Maybe she can unlock something."

I nodded. I knew that Link was only half doing this to help me. The Pokémon around here were suspicious towards people, so he wanted to make sure I really wasn't a threat. I really hoped I wasn't.

"Uh, listen," I said slowly. I hesitated. "I don't know why I'm here. But I really don't want to cause any trouble. If… If I will be a problem, you can make me leave. And I'll go. If humans are bad, I mean. If I was sent here for some bad reason, I don't want to hurt anyone."

Link looked at me oddly, not quite sure how to respond. "If you got your memories back, and you did have orders to do something bad here, would you?"

I thought for a minute. "I hope not. I mean, I don't know what motives there would be."

"Yeah, I suppose you have no way of knowing, huh?"

"Except I feel like I really like Pokémon. That must mean something. And you helped me too."

Pause.

"Um, have you ever heard of a human being turned into a Pokémon?"

Link shook his head. "Never."

We lapsed into silence until we heard someone come in through the front door. We turned to see a Luario walk into the office. He sat down and faced us.

"Link, right?" Lucario asked.

"Yeah."

"And Lopunny said Cara?"

I nodded and hesitated. I looked to Link, and he nodded reassuringly. I took a deep breath and then said, "I'm a human."

Lucario propped his head on his paw and raised his eyebrow. He clearly thought I was here as a prank or something. I dropped my head, feeling stupid. How could I expect anyone to believe me?

"Uh," Link said, coming to my rescue, "I found her unconscious on the beach. When she woke up, she told me she was a human and that she couldn't remember anything."

Lucario turned back to look at me. "And yet, you know you're human?"

I opened my mouth, but didn't know how to respond. I closed it. Finally I said in a soft, defeated tone, "I guess I'll just leave."

"Wait!" Link exclaimed, standing up. "I know it's hard to believe, but can't we try to help her? At least see if Kirlia can look into her mind? And she should get Chansey to look at her leg. She's been limping since she got here."

"I'm sorry, "Lucario said. "I will certainly ask them to join us. Though it's hard to know how to respond to such a comment."

I nodded. I knew he hadn't meant to seem like he didn't care.

"Lopunny!" Lucario called. A moment later, Lopunny peered through the door. "Could you please bring Kirlia and Chansey? Ask them to wait out there until I call them."

Lopunny nodded and bounded off.

"Do you remember anything?" Lucario prompted.

"I know that my name's Cara. And I remember a bunch of things. Like I know you're a Lucario. And I know what a Chansey is and stuff. But all of my personal memories… it's like they're just gone."

Lucario looked perplexed. "All that in addition to turning into a Charmander, huh? I've never heard of a human turning into a Pokémon. But the whole business with Mewthree is probably a sign that such things shouldn't surprise me."

"What?" I asked. "What did you say?"

"About Mewthree?"

I nodded. Something about that word rang inside my head.

"Well, since Mewthree's caused quite a mess, there is a possibility you're arriving here has to do with him. I might as well tell you what's going on. Link, I'm sure you've heard most of it." Link nodded.

"Well," Lucario said, leaning back, "Mew was once said to be the most Powerful Pokémon on Earth." I nodded. That sounded familiar. "Then scientists attempted to create a stronger version of Mew, called (not very creatively, I think) Mewtwo. This Pokémon was capable of things Mew could never do, and it certainly seemed worthy of the title of "most powerful Pokémon. But apparently this wasn't perfect enough. Mewtwo, it seems, had lost Mew's original abilities to teleport, transform, and learn every single attack known to Pokémon. And its physical strength was nothing to marvel at. They also had trouble controlling it. So, they tried to make another one. From what I understand, they sacrificed Mewtwo to create the next stage in their project: Mewthree. This Pokémon filled all the gaps left by Mewtwo. It's significantly more powerful than its predecessor. Problem is, this one wouldn't cooperate either and it escaped. And to get away from humans, it came here. It's been very bad for all of us. Somehow Mewthree is able to take control of wild Pokémon. He uses them to keep everyone else away from him. And it's hard to get them back to their senses, even if you defeat them. They attack anyone they come across. It's very dangerous to go anywhere anymore."

I realized that my mouth was hanging open. I shut it.

"We sent a team of our best fighters to chase him away, but only Honchkrow came back. In real bad shape he was, too. And he didn't have anything good to say. Doesn't seem like he's ever really recovered from the shock."

Lucario sat up and looked at me. "So, if you really have lost your memory, now you might understand why we'd be distrustful of any humans."

I dropped my head and nodded.

"We don't know if she's got anything to do with it though," Link said. I looked up at him, startled. He really was trying to defend me. I felt a surge of gratitude and smiled. I had no idea what I'd do if he hadn't shown up.

"Yes, but I'm afraid we must be cautious during these times," Lucario sighed. "Let me ask you this, Cara. Are you prepared to let Kirlia search your mind?"

I nodded.

Lucario smiled. "Very well. I hope that we'll have no cause to become enemies." He raised his voice. "You can let Kirlia in now!" He turned back to me. "Cara, why don't you move over there?" He indicated a couch against the side of the room. "You'll probably need to lie down."

I moved over to the couch and sat down just as Kirlia came in.

"Hi there, Lucario," she said in a sort of sing-song voice. "What was it you needed?"

"This young lady over here," Lucario said, gesturing to me, "has lost her memories. She was hoping you might be able to help her out."

Kirlia pranced over to me. "Lost your memories? Poor dear. Here, lie back."

I dragged my tail out of the way (I didn't want it to light anything on fire) and rolled onto my back.

"Now, relax and try to clear your mind. It might feel a bit odd, but don't resist."

"Okay." I closed my eyes and did my best to clear my mind. I felt something cool sliding through my thoughts, but I did my best not to resist. It felt so strange. It was hard to let someone else snoop through my memories. Except… there were no memories. Not that I knew of, anyway.

Finally Kirlia pulled out. I opened my eyes and sat up, eager to hear what she had to say.

Kirlia sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid there wasn't much I could do to help. I found lots of general information in there. A lot of stuff about Pokémon types, evolutions, attacks, and such. But no memories. No personal experiences, places you've been, or people you know."

My stomach felt like it had disappeared. I stared at her, my mouth hanging open. "B-but, isn't there anything you can do?"

Kirlia shook her head sadly. "If I knew how you lost your memories, maybe. But there's nothing from before you woke up. I did get a sense of falling and spinning and strange swirling colors. But that's it. I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do to help."

I drooped. What could I do? Would I ever get my memories back? Would I ever find out who I was or how I came to be here?

"Kirlia, on your way out, would you be so kind as to send Chansey in?"

"Of Course!" Kirlia said. "I wish you luck," she said, turning to me. "I'm sure you'll learn about yourself before long." She glided out of the room and sent Chansey in.

"Would be so kind as to tend to Cara here," Lucario said, gesturing to me.

Chansey came up to where I was sitting. "Oh, my. What happened?"

"I have a big bruise on my leg," I said, tilting my body to show her. "It's hard to walk."

Chansey examined my hip. "You've bruised the bone. Ordinarily it would take a long to heal completely, but I have something that will help it recover faster." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a jar, which she unscrewed. She spread a thick, cold cream on my leg, making me flinch. Then she handed me the jar. "You should put some of this on twice a day. You'll feel better in no time!"

"Thanks," I said.

"Now," Lucario said as Chansey left. "I'm afraid we're all very busy dealing with the Mewthree incident at the moment. I'm afraid we can't spare much time to help you."

"Okay," I said.

"We will keep our eyes and ears open for anything that might help you. But when you're here, don't tell anyone else that you're a human."

"Right," I agreed.

"The amnesia would probably be okay to reveal, since you don't know your actual story anyway. In the meantime, you need a place to stay. Link?"

"Yes?"

"You're staying with Arcanine, aren't you? I'm sure she has room to take Cara in as well. Why don't you take her there?"