As promised, no more weird chapters from now on!

Chapter 31

Memory

Squirtle awoke upset that morning. This is, what, the third time? I can't even count how many times Coran's gone missing on me. Are you even alive this time?

Squirtle sat down, looking out of a window. The eastern sun rose like it did every morning, but it seemed...empty. Where are you?

"Up so early, Squirtle?" Mew's voice came from behind Squirtle. She turned around to face her.

Squirtle nodded sadly. "I couldn't sleep. I'm just wondering where he is."

"I know. He tends to do this a lot, doesn't he?" Mew agreed. "So...are we going to go looking for him today?"

Squirtle frowned. "I'm not sure. I think we should give it a day. He...he could be...making his way back right now."

"Well, why I'm asking is because we haven't been hunting down legendaries for a while. I'd like to get back on that as soon as possible."

That's when Monty burst through the door, breathing heavily, a shocked look on his face. Mew and Squirtle stared at him for a moment, letting him catch his breath.

"Ky-Ky-K-K..." Monty wheezed between breaths. He bent over, exhausted.

"Did you run the whole way here from your house?" Squirtle asked, impressed.

Monty gave a tired nod. "O...Okay...Kyogre...is outside...Nuzlocke...and...and...Coran-"

Monty couldn't finish. At that last word, Squirtle was out the door.

"Kyogre?" Mew asked him.

Monty, finally breathing normally, nodded again. "He's outside town. He said he's waiting for Coran to finish with an errand he said he had to run."

Squirtle ran down the path frantically towards the outskirts of Nuzlocke, before realizing she had no idea which side of Nuzlocke Coran was located at. What was it Monty said? Something about...about...Coran and...Nuzlocke. And a Kyogre. Wait, Kyogre!?

Squirtle lifted her head, and saw villagers flock towards the south side of Nuzlocke. She weaved her way through the crowd, trying to get there as fast as possible, reasoning that where there was attention, there were legendaries.

She was right. Kyogre was just floating there right outside of Nuzlocke. It was a sight to behold. Everyone around was enthralled with the fact that there was a legendary Pokémon right there. Including Squirtle.

"Um...Hello, Kyogre," Squirtle said slowly.

Kyogre did not aknowledge her. Marvin came up next to Squirtle silently.

"He won't respond, you know. He has memory loss. Or something of that ilk," Marvin drawled.

Squirtle turned to him. "Memory loss? Who could give the lord of the sea memory loss?"

"Do you want me to answer that question? Lately, I've been having Pokémon asking me questions they don't want answered," said Marvin.

"Yes, I'd like you to answer the question," Squirtle replied.

"I can't. I don't know the answer." Marvin then turned around and walked back into Nuzlocke.

Squirtle screwed up her face, running over the conversation in her head. Dismissing it after the third time through, Squirtle turned her attention back to Kyogre.

"Um, sir?"

Kyogre floated in the air, staring blankly forward.

"Excuse me? Giant floating blue fish? Memory loss? Hello?"

Kyogre jolted a bit, as if waking from a daydream, then directed his eyes to Squirtle on the ground without moving his body.

"Yes?"

"Um...Why are you here? In Nuzlocke, I mean," Squirtle asked.

"Coran's taking me to the Yucksie. I forgot some stuff," Kyogre stated.

Squirtle's mind nearly imploded. "Coran? Coran's taking you to...Yucksie? Who's Yucksie?"

"He means Uxie, Squirtle. Oh, and good to see you again," a voice came from behind Squirtle. Her eyes began to water as she recognized exactly who it was.

"CORAN!" Squirtle screamed, whipping around and tackling him to the ground. "Where the heck did you go?! Why didn't you tell me? Why is Kyogre with you?"

Coran laughed, trying to push Squirtle off of him. "One question at a time! One question at a time!"

Squirtle got off of him. "Alright. First, where did you go?"

Coran put his hands on his hips. "Honestly, I'm not sure because I never got a Wonder Map. If I had a Wonder Map, maybe I could better answer your question. But in all honesty, one minute I was taking a shower, the next I was talking to Groudon in an underground chamber."

"Alright, I'm sorry for not giving you a Wonder Map, but we don't really have much choice now, do we?" Squirtle smirked. "But...how did you get to that 'chamber', then?"

Coran shrugged. "My best guess is that Groudon teleported me there. I don't know. But he set me up to be an escort for Kyogre here. He lost his memory, and he says Uxie can fix it. I dunno. But I figured, why not? As long as I took a detour here to tell you guys I was alive and all, and shop, I'd be fine. Plus, legendary Pokémon! I'm pretty sure he's not the Voice, but we can never be too sure, right?"

Squirtle had been nodding through the whole conversation, then donned a look that was located somewhere between shocked, amused and disgusted. "You went shopping? Alone?"

"Hey, Shuppet taught me the difference between Revivers and Revisers," Coran said as he crossed his arms and huffed.

"Let me look at your bags," Squirtle offered as she started sorting through the paper bags that Shuppet had probably given him. She looked up, trying to hold back a laugh. "Well, these are Reviver seeds...but those aren't Oran Berries. They're Oren Berries. They hurt you."

Coran huffed again. "Y'know, I don't need these...anyway..." he said as he started dumping the contents of the bags on the ground. "But point being, I'm going to the nameless lakes. Do you want to come?"

Squirtle nodded. "Sure. Just let me get Mew and Monty. I feel like they'd want to know that you aren't...y'know, dead."

"Sounds good," Coran started sweeping the Reviver seeds back into the bags, and picked them up.

Squirtle looked over Coran's shoulder at Kyogre. "Don't you want to make sure he doesn't run off or something?"

Coran looked back at him. "Oh, Kyogre? Right now, he isn't very independent. And by that I mean he won't do anything unless I tell him to. It sounds cool being the lord of the lord of the sea, but it gets annoying reminding him to chew every time he eats something. Hey, buddy!" Coran called to Kyogre. "I'm gonna be gone for a few minutes, so remember to breathe, like we practiced. In and out, remember?"

Kyogre nodded absently.

Coran shook his head. "I'm glad that didn't happen to me...I'd be loopy. But it makes me wonder what the difference was."

"Hey, Mew, I found him!" Squirtle announced as she came through the front door of the business.

"That quick? Where was he?" Mew asked, sipping what looked like tea.

Monty was at the back of the room, near the kitchen. He turned his head around. "Coran was missing?"

Squirtle gave Mew a look. "You didn't tell him?"

"I was going to," Mew said, "but he offered me tea."

Coran stepped in. "What are you - hibiscus tea? Monty, you know how to make that?"

Monty smiled, taking the pot off of the fire. "My mother taught me to brew. I've been trying to wean off tea for the past few months, but I decided I'd splurge today."

"Well, to answer your question, Mew, Coran was pretty much kidnapped by Groudon, and is escorting Kyogre to Uxie to restore his memory," Squirtle told her.

Mew tilted her head. "You're going to the nameless lakes? Can I come?"

"Um...sure, I'm not going to stop you. But do you mind telling why?" Squirtle asked.

Mew shrugged. "I'm bored."

"I'll come, too!" Monty called from the back of the room. "I, too, am bored!"

"Alright. We're leaving now, if you want to come," said Coran.

Leaving Nuzlocke behind, Mew began instantly chatting with Kyogre.

"So, Kyogre. Been hypnotizing any Pokémon lately?"

Kyogre kept his eyes on Coran, following him diligently.

Coran looked back at Mew. "You need to address him directly. As in, let him know you're talking to him without using his name. It's...a bother, honestly. Keep following me, bud!"

Kyogre nodded.

"Hey, uh...buddy," Mew said rather uncomfortably.

"Yes?" said Kyogre, without taking his eyes off of Coran.

"You haven't been hypnotizing Pokémon lately in their subconscious, have you?"

"No, I don't think so. Have I, Coran?"

Coran turned back to him. "I don't know that. What you need to do to tell, is see what you're thinking. If you're thinking about hypnotizing Pokémon, you're thinking about hypnotizing Pokémon."

The other three explorers felt a little strange from the way Coran was talking to Kyogre.

Coran saw their reactions and rolled his eyes. "I know. It's frustrating. But he's...well, honestly, right now he's an idiot. I think the memory wipe wiped more than his memory."

"There are the nameless lakes!" Monty shaded his eyes from the sun, looking at the three small lakes in the distance. "We won't need to talk to Kyogre like a toddler for much longer."

"That's good news," Squirtle said, smirking. "The way you're speaking to him is making me sick."

"I think Uxie's in the southernmost one," said Mew.

Coran lead Kyogre to said lake, and started calling for Uxie. "Hey, uh, Uxie? We need your help for something."

At first there was nothing, but a ripple in the water betrayed something under the surface. Finally Uxie broke the water. "Oh, hello. What is it you need?"

Squirtle walked up beside Coran. "Well, uh, Kyogre here has had most of his memory and cognitive functions wiped. You can restore them, right?"

"If they were physically wiped by something, yes. I can reverse the effect. Stand back, and don't get too close." Uxie brought her hands forward, and they began to glow a dark magenta.

Everyone had the good sense to back away from Kyogre. That is, everyone, except Coran.

"Coran, didn't you hear her? Get back-"

A large magenta blast, focused on Kyogre, expanded in a large orb, growing larger. Everyone backed away further. Everyone, again, except Coran, who seemed extremely enthralled by the whole thing.

"Coran! What in Arceus' name are you doing?" Monty shouted, backing away warily. "Get away from there!"

But Coran didn't. Completely mesmerized by the light show in front of him, he began stumbling forward. And in the blink of an eye, he was enveloped by the magenta light.

And before anyone could really compute what happened, the light dissipated. Kyogre and Coran were left standing there, both with a look of recognition on their face. This look of recognition, although similar, looked different on each one's face. Kyogre's face was reigned by mostly embarassment and shock. Coran's face definitely had one of shock, but the prevailing emotion was undoubtely comprehension.

Dawning, grim comprehension.

"Many thanks, Coran," Kyogre said, bowing his head. "I could not have regained my memory without your help. I must return to the seas, but you will have my gratitude."

Coran simply nodded absently, much like Kyogre did when his head was empty.

As Kyogre flew off, Coran's co-workers approached him.

"Coran?" Monty asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

Coran looked at Monty with an empty look in his eyes. He shook his head violently, and he blinked. "Oh...oh. Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry for making you worry, I...I don't know what came over me."

Uxie floated down, concerned. "You shouldn't have done that, Coran. It was extremely dangerous. You're lucky you didn't turn out like Kyogre. I'm actually a bit confused of why that didn't happen," Uxie frowned, then shrugged. "Ah, well, that's a question for another day. I will return to my home under the lake now. Goodbye."

And with that, Uxie dove back under the waters.

"C'mon, let's...let's go back to Nuzlocke, what do you say?" Coran smiled weakly. He locked eyes with Squirtle.

She knew with that one look that he needed to say something to her.

And to her alone.

"Alright, Monty. I'm sorry. I promise we'll all go on a mission tomorrow, okay? Like it should be," Squirtle promised a frustrated Monty.

"I signed up for this because I needed adventure. Lately I've only been involved in construction and extermination services," He pouted. "I hope you're right, Squirtle. I do. Good night, all."

Monty quietly turned around and walked towards Nuzlocke proper. Squirtle frowned. Something was bothering him. She'd ask him about it tomorrow.

"Squirtle?"

She turned around, and saw Coran leaning on the threshold. "I need to talk to you about something."

"It's serious," Squirtle said solemnly. "Isn't it?"

Coran nodded, then turned around and headed inside.

Squirtle and Coran were seated across from each other in her office. "Alright, what is it? Did you suffer some sort of brain damage from Uxie's-"

"I remember. Everything."

Squirtle didn't register the statement the first time. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I remember everything. All of it. Everything that happened before I became a Pokémon."

Squirtle's jaw dropped. "So you were a human? Before this?"

Coran nodded. "But it doesn't end there. You might want to pull out your Sanity Test records, Squirtle. This is going to get heavy."

Squirtle, giving him a strange look, did so.

Coran took a deep breath, then began.

"First of all, I'll tell you exactly what I know, then how I know it. I know what I was before I came here. I know what my family was, what my life was like. I know who the Coran double is, who your mother is in relation to me, and what those questions coming up in Treasure Town meant. I know why I am a Riolu. Sort of.

"Alright, let's start this off. I was human, as you suspected. I don't know why I turned into a Pokémon yet, but I plan to find out. I'm from a different planet, as far as I can tell. It's called Earth. I had a mom and a dad and a brother and two dogs. I am fifteen and a half years old. And...oh, boy, here comes the hard part.

"I went to school and all that, but here's where the Coran double comes in. This is where you might want to double check your results...In my world, Pokémon is a video game. A means of entertainment that isn't real. In my world, you exist only on electric screens. And one of these electric entertainment screens is called Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. I know you've probably got a million questions, but let me finish.

"I played this game for enjoyment. Sky is about...a human turning into a Pokémon and going into the Pokémon world. To determine what Pokémon you are, the beginning of Sky has...a personality test. This test asks you questions to determine which Pokémon you will be depending on nature. I got the Sassy result. The main location of Sky is...Treasure Town.

"So in the game, you get to name the protagonist. Since it was supposed to be me, I named it Coran. I chose a Squirtle as my partner. This Squirtle is your mother, or at least, I think she is. But Coran isn't me. He's a projection of me. In the game, he doesn't speak much. You only answer a small handful of questions, most of which are yes or no. I watched them through the small electric screen, piloting them through all of their adventures. That's how I know everything. I played that game until I had one of every Pokémon on my team. Then...I stopped. I guess that's when Coran disappeared.

"Something happened a while in the future that made the Exploration Team Federation crash, and the continent became desolate. A lot of time passed. Then...one day, I woke up here. I don't know why. But I'm going to find out," Coran finished, surveying Squirtle's expression.

Her mouth was open, and she wasn't moving.

"Squirtle? Are you okay?"

"I...I don't believe it. It...it makes so much sense, but...it can't be. I'm...I'm not real?" she stuttered.

"Right now, as well as I can figure, you're as real as I am," Coran shrugged.

Squirtle was shaking her head, backing away from Coran slowly. "I don't...I don't believe it...It can't be true. It...it can't be."

Coran sighed sadly and closed his eyes. "I...I wish I could say I'm as confused as you, Squirtle. But this is what I remember. And honestly, it makes sense to me."

"It makes sense...that's what scares me. Am I really just...an invention for entertainment?" Squirtle laid down on the ground, and began to shiver.

"It's a lot to take in. But I thought you should know. I'll...I'll go to sleep now, and you can decide...you can decide what to do with me tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Squirtle didn't give an answer. She stayed on the floor, mumbling to herself. Coran looked down at the ground in front of him, regretting telling her. "I'm going to bed, then. Good night, Squirtle. See you in the morning."

As Coran walked out of the office and into his guest room, neither he nor Squirtle noticed that Mew was right outside the door, the same look of shock on her face. Shock...and something else.

Anger.

"...help...me..."