Dawn sighed, her hands fingering the straps of her yellow backpack.
Piplup was at her feet, the penguin Pokémon glancing up at her.
Dawn shook her head, pausing at the sign welcoming you to Solaceon Town.
"I'm sorry Piplup, I just can't do this anymore," Dawn smiled slightly, trying to keep her tone of voice bright. "I just wasn't cut out for this; I thought that I would be just like mom because I'm her daughter."
"Pip, Piplup!"
Piplup flapped its' fins as it chanted its name, shaking its' head at Dawn's words. She was just a beginner, Dawn's mother having twenty years of Contest battles and victories under her belt.
"Thanks Piplup," Dawn shook her head, kneeling down to the penguin Pokémon's eye level. "But, I think that I need some time, I lost another contest in the span of a month."
Dawn sighed, her previous endeavors into the Contest World not going as planned.
In Jubilife City, she was full of excitement. Her mother, Johanna had sent her a new Contest outfit to get her into the mood of showing off her talent for showcasing Pokémon. It was there that she met her first rival; Zoey, a red haired trainer from Snowpoint City, winning the ribbon – and her second one at that.
The next Contest was in Floaroma Town, where she had decided it would be the perfect time to show off her newly caught Pachirisu. It was there, she reconnected with Kenny, the brunette having left Twinleaf Town the same time as her; Dawn just narrowly managing to snag the ribbon in the end.
Then, there was Hearthome City, and in hindsight, maybe Dawn had let the win go to her head. After earning a ribbon from the Floaroma Contest, she was so ready for the next contest. She didn't practice as much as she had before, their combinations were good, and they had gained the judge's attention and defeated Kenny's Prinplup. However, she found herself not making it past the first round, her picture not appearing on screen.
She shook it off though, she still had one ribbon and there was still plenty of time before the Grand Festival. She could still make up time, the blue-haired girl making her way towards Solaceon Town, for the fourth Sinnoh Contest.
However, in the Solaceon Contest, she seemed to suffer the same fate as she did in Hearthome. The judges thought her performance was lackluster, her low scores reflecting that.
And for the second time in a row, she found herself eliminated.
Her name didn't appear on the board – although Kenny's did, even though he lost in the final round.
She had forced herself to stay and watch Kenny's battle with feigned interest, congratulating him afterwards, despite his defeat. Kenny hadn't seemed worried about it, stating there were other contests, but for some reason, he seemed more concerned about Dawn's behavior.
Dawn forced a smile on her face, explaining that she was fine, and that she would see him in Hearthome City for the next contest.
"I just don't know if I can compare to mom," she mumbled, picking Piplup up. "Mom and Glameow are so elegant in the videos at home; all I ever wanted was to make her proud by showing her I could compare to her . . ."
Johanna had so many contest ribbon boxes in her drawer at home, her trophies sitting in the cabinet in their main hallway. Dawn was determined to be exactly like her home.
"I'll definitely bring the trophy home mom – no worries! There's no way I can lose, not with being raised by a champion!" Dawn had exclaimed outside Professor Rowan's lab, pumping her fist into the air.
"Now Dawn," her mom said, a slight warning in her tone. "I just want you to go out there and have fun with –"
"No worries," Dawn brushed her comment away. "We can do it, can't we Piplup?"
Maybe she shouldn't have been so confident.
How could she face her mom now?
Lost in her thoughts, a frown on her face, Dawn wasn't paying any attention to where she was going. She held Piplup in her arms, the penguin Pokémon being there keeping her emotions in check. She wandered down the worn path leading away from Solaceon Town, trying to decide whether she should go home to Twinleaf Town or head towards _ and see if she was in a competitive mood upon arrival.
"Pip, pip," Piplup said, its fins brushing against Dawn's arms, trying to gain her attention.
"Hmm? Dawn shook her head, her eyes suddenly alert; one of Sinnoh's many forests before her. "What is it Pip-"
She broke off as something connected with her leg, making the girl jump slightly. She hated wandering through these forests all by herself – who knew what was out there! In her surprise, she dropped Piplup, the penguin falling with a cry of surprise.
Taking a deep breath, Dawn turned on her heel, her auburn eyes glancing down, a pink mime Pokémon rubbing its head.
"What's with you, little guy?" She asked, fishing for her Pokedex in her pocket. "I've never seen you around here . . . were you following me?"
Dawn grinned widely, could she use this Pokémon in the next Contest? She was pretty sure that this Pokémon wasn't normally found in Sinnoh. Without even thinking, Dawn reached for the Poke balls she stored in the pouches on her backpack's straps.
"Would you like to come with me?" Dawn asked, forgetting about the Pokedex she had been reaching for. "Poke ball – go!"
Mime Jr.'s head shot up as it heard the familiar words, its' eyes widening as it noticed the red and white ball coming in its' direction, the blue-haired girl smiling at the idea of a new Pokémon she could add to her roster.
"Mime," it said, unable to dance its way out of the Poke ball's path.
The red and white ball connected with the side of the Mime Pokémon, the creature disappearing moments later. Dawn looked back at Piplup, flashing it a grin as she took a tentative step forward to the still shaking Poke ball.
"This is going to be so –" She paused, the Poke ball stopping momentarily before it popped open, Mime Jr. reemerging. "What?" Dawn paused; blinking as the Pokémon reappeared, looking around in confusion. "That usually works, what's going on?"
"That's because that's my Mime Jr." Dawn blinked as she picked up the empty Poke ball, looking around for the speaker. "And he's the one Pokémon I wouldn't trade for a Shaymin."
Dawn raised an eyebrow as the speaker appeared from the cope of trees to her left. "Just who . . .?"
The man before her looked too well dressed to be on a Pokémon journey of his own. He wore a casual suit, although she could see the dirt caked on his black tie-up shoes, the edges of his pants showing traces of mud splattered across them. His tie was askew, and his blue hair was tied back in a ponytail.
"Mime," his Pokémon called, breaking the silence, racing towards its trainer.
"Hello Mimey," he said, grinning as he picked up his Pokemon, perching on his shoulder. He cast his eyes back at Dawn, the blue-haired girl frozen on the path. "You are Dawn Diamond, correct? I've been looking for you."
Dawn laughed awkwardly, looking around her surroundings; the man to her left, the forest behind her, Solaceon Town on the other side of the hill as the sun shone down on them. "Um . . . yes," she mumbled, taking a step back. "That's . . ."
"Piplup!" The penguin Pokemon sensed its trainers' uneasiness, placing itself in front of Dawn.
"Ah, sorry, I should have introduced myself first," he shook his head, taking notice of Piplup. "My name is Jim Kanda, from the Kanto Region. I saw your performance in Solaceon Town, I travelled here from Hearthome to locate you."
"What?" Dawn mumbled; her guard still up, taking another step back.
Why couldn't he have approached her in town – where there were people, Kenny, Zoey, and civilization. Instead she had a forest – her mind ran away from her, what if she was never found?
"I saw your performance on the television in the Pokemon Center, and your early disqualification. In Kanto, I work at a beauty salon in Hip Hop Town, one that specializes in Pokemon beauty. I came to Sinnoh to research new techniques to bring out the Pokemon's beauty," he explained. "After seeing your performance, I thought that you might be in need of a coach or mentor to bring out your Pokemon's beauty. While watching your performance, I could see some things that could use fixing."
Dawn remained silent after he finished speaking, running over the words in her head. Was this a sign that she wasn't supposed to give up on her dream? She shook her head, reaching back for her Piloswine's Poke ball. "You expect me to believe that? That you came out here in Solaceon Town, dressed like that, to find me? I'm . . . no, this is. I have to go."
Turning on her heel, Dawn headed towards the forest, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She should loop back around to Solaceon Town through the forest, contact Officer Jenny and then her mom.
"Pip –lup!" Piplup said, trying to stand tall before heading after its trainer.
Jim blinked, watching the girl head for the forest. "Wait," he shouted, his senses catching up with him. "It's your Buizel – its swift attack, you couldn't see the Pokemon! That's why your score was low enough for you to be eliminated!"
# # #
Lucy hated saying goodbye.
She had hoped that Brock would decide to come with her to her Gym.
If only they had been late to the ceremony . . . she was sure he would have.
But, after the family friend of the Slate family took to the stage, she knew he would eventually decide to pursue his forgotten memories.
It was only a matter of time.
"Hello?" Lucy said, leaning forward. "You still in there, Brock?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his face
Brock jumped slightly as he heard his name, his eyes focusing in Lucy, an unimpressed look on her face. "Sorry, I was just thinking back to the ceremony," he said slowly, glancing at the mostly-untouched burger in front of him. "I'm trying to decide if I want to go home, see from a distance how my family is doing . . ."
He was pretty sure he wouldn't have the courage to go up and knock on the door, turning their world upside down once more.
What would he say to them? How would they respond?
After seeing the family friend of the Slate family on stage, the stories the man told brought back a flood of memories: the multiple brothers and sisters, an absentee father, and a mother that returned upon hearing the death of her eldest son.
"You're going to go all the way to Pewter City just to look at your family from a distance?" Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Won't that just make you feel more separated from the world? I mean, I think you'd have to be careful how you approach that topic . . ."
"That's assuming I can find them," he mumbled, shaking his head. Pewter City was rumored to be huge, what with the ancient Pokemon museum, the first stop for Trainers, and located an hour away from the Indigo Plateau.
Lucy nodded, taking a bite of her salad. She chewed slowly, giving her an excuse to remain silent. She knew a bit about the Slate family – what Gym Leader didn't know about the Slate family? They had almost lost their Gym when Flint left town, and again when the news of Brock's death surfaced.
But, there was that look on Brock's face, could she really continue to play dumb? She had approached him on the Alavanti just because of her hunch; the teen having a Slate family resemblance.
Lucy sighed, putting her fork down. "The Slate family runs the Gym in Pewter City, they're in charge of the Boulder Badge." she said, staring at the table.
A Gym Leader . . . Brock thought idly.
Is that why every time he looked at Lucy, he knew he was forgetting something important?
"Originally the father was the Gym Leader, but when he left town, his son took over. The father eventually returned, the son set out on a journey . . ." she paused momentarily, taking in Brock's expression. "And, it's you, isn't it?" Lucy finished lamely.
"You alright, Lucy?"
Lucy started, her hands shoved in her pockets. "N-no, I'm alright," she said, smiling up at Brock. "I'm happy for you."
Brock smiled, Vermillion City behind Lucy. "Thanks," he wasn't sure what else to say.
Lucy nodded, the silence stretching out between the two of them. She blinked, taking in the sight of Brock; his brown hair slightly shaggy, hanging around his ears now, a determined look on his face, a large hikers backpack hanging off his shoulders. "Remember, you'll have to come and visit me in Saffron City . . . I want to hear all about this!"
"I will, I will, don't worry," he laughed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I can't forget you, you've been really helpful."
"Oh stop," Lucy said, flipping her dark hair back. "I only did what I would want someone to do for me in the same situation. Now, you better get going; Diglett's Cave is right up ahead. It gets dark in there when the sun goes down. When you reach the end of the Cave, turn right. You really can't miss Pewter City then."
"Got it, thanks again Lucy," Brock said with a nod, fishing one of the Poke balls out of his pocket. Better to be safe then sorry. And with a wave, Brock turned on his heel, heading for the cave entrance.
Lucy sighed, watching the teen wander up the hill, disappearing into the cave entrance. "Goodbye Brock Slate," she said, turning away from the cave's entrance, Saffron City's exit on the other side of town.
For some reason, she didn't think she would see the Brock she knew again . . .
# # #
Melody couldn't help but stare at the girl sitting opposite her.
After Willow's proclamation, and breakdown, in the parking lot, Melody was finally silent for once.
She felt pity for the red head, her face buried in her knees as she sat on the curb, her shoulder's shaking as the world she had forgotten returned.
As Melody heard the ceremony on the beach come to an end, she tried to get the red head to move; using the excuse of explaining why she looked like Misty, sitting on a curb in Vermillion City.
The red head sighed at that, picking herself up off the curb, nodding to Melody's words. With that, Willow – no, Misty – mumbled that she knew a place they could stay, heading off into the subdivision behind them. Melody shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets, following after her.
And that was how she found herself in a lighthouse belonging to Bill Adams – who was apparently a big deal in Kanto – just on the outskirts of Cerulean City.
"Is she still refusing to come out of her room?" Bill asked as Melody wandered into the kitchen.
Melody nodded in defeat, opening up a cupboard and grabbing a glass. "Yeah, she won't even answer me!" she huffed, pulling out a chair and flopping into it. "I don't know what's with her, if I was her, I'd be happy. She survived."
Bill shook his head, his expression torn. "Look at it from her point of view; she had forgotten everything that had happened, considering she threw herself into her new identity. Now, that's been ripped away from her, she's reliving the terror she must have felt trapped under the sea like that; and that her friends . . ."
"You might have a point there," Melody said, thinking about her sister. "I guess I would feel that way if I lost my sister or my close friends."
"You misunderstand," Bill said. "It was a unique situation, she had only met Ash and Brock two months prior, but they all had a special connection," he shook his head, holding up a hand as Melody moved to interrupt him. "As for the two other trainers, they weren't close, but they knew of each other."
"Hmm," Melody said, reaching for the jug of water. "Who were they?"
"Jessie Smith and James Morgan, unfortunately, I don't know a lot about them, you'd have to ask Misty about them."
Melody paused, her eyes widening. "Jessie . . . and James?"
Bill raised an eyebrow as he looked at the brunette, the colour slowly draining from her face at his words. Melody blinked a couple times, shaking her head as she thought back to the Orange Islands, her mouth forming silent words.
"Is there something wrong?" Bill asked, regarding Melody's shift in appearance.
Melody's head snapped up at his words, staring the researcher in the face. "You wouldn't have any pictures of Jessie and James would you?"
"Not personally. However, there are still articles up about it on the Internet," Bill said, getting up from his chair as he beckoned for Melody to follow him. "I kept some of the articles on my computer, it was always something that I wanted to look into, but I just have too much work for one person," he sighed.
"I see," Melody said, following the researcher down the hallway and into another room, lined with computers and television monitors. She didn't really understand the researcher and what it was he was truly trying to accomplish. "So, they uploaded pictures of those that didn't survive? I thought there weren't any . . ."
"Not at first," Bill said, flopping into the computer chair, typing in his password. "Once the names of the deceased were released, pictures started to come in from the families or friends. James Morgan was actually the sole heir to his parents' estate – they made their money from multiple discoveries of hidden talent, apparently they were the one's backing that Popstar Brittney and her Igglypuff's in Johto and Paris of Sinnoh, before they decided to retire around the time James was born," Bill explained, clicking through the many folders littering his desktop. "They took his death in stride; I'm not sure how they managed to be that composed. Apparently, they left their fortune to his fiancée, Jessibelle."
"And Jessie?"
"She travelled with James, but not much is known about her," Bill shrugged. "James's parents tried to bring him back, but he would disappear into a crowd with her whenever he spotted them. I guess that girl was a way to get back at them – ah, here it is!"
Melody nodded, leaning in over Bill's shoulder, her eyes glued to the screen before her. "That's Misty there, you can see that it's really her," Bill said, tapping the screen. "Beside her, that's Ash Ketchum and Brock Slate, her travelling companions," Bill continued scrolling down the screen, text replacing the pictures. "There, that's James Morgan and Jessie Smith –"
Melody tuned out the rest of what Bill was saying.
Her eyes were stuck on the screen, staring at the two photos looking out at her. The boy had shoulder length blue hair, pointing at something out of the camera's range. Melody had the feeling that the boy didn't know the picture was being taken. Had his parents taken this? Having never seen him before, her gaze flickered over to the girl's photo and she thought her heart would stop.
The girl looking back at her looked exactly like Jessilina.
Sure, there were a couple differences. This girl's red hair seemed to be scooped up into a long ponytail, large green earrings adorned her ears, and she wore an expression that said she knew more than she was letting on.
Melody shook her head, leaning in closer; she had to make sure it was her. "Is there anymore of her?"
Bill raised an eyebrow at her question, but shook his head. "No, no one ever came forward. The records show that her mother past away five years prior, which meant she was alone in the world."
"No one even knew she died then . . ." Melody said, shaking her head.
"Well, yes," Bill said awkwardly. "If you put it that way –"
"It's the only way to put it," Melody shook her head, her thoughts chasing each other around. "Can you print that for me?"
"Print it?" Bill echoed; her request odd in his opinion. "I can, is there a reason why though?" he asked as he pressed the print icon.
Melody shook her head. "It's just . . . no particular reason."
It was all coming back to her. It was no wonder Jessie had adjusted so well to their way of life, regardless of the fact her memories were gone. The girl was used to being on her own, adapting to everything in order to survive in a world that didn't care about her. Maybe that was why she enjoyed being on television so much – she was finally getting the attention she had always desired.
And that one moment kept replaying in her head . . .
She had just washed up on the shore of the Shamouti Islands and was sleeping in the spare room as Elder Samantha's house; Melody was supposed to go and wake her up to find out more about her.
"James . . ."
That one word echoed in her head.
James . . . James . . .
Did Jessilina remember?
Was she just trying to numb the pain by forcing herself to forget the blue-haired teen?
Or was it only her subconscious that remembered him?
The printer spit out the paper, Melody snatching it out of Bill's hands. "Sorry," she mumbled, glancing at the pictures on the page, ignoring the batches of text for the moment. "I really got to go; I need to talk to Misty."
"Melody, wait!" Bill called as the girl turned on her heel, sprinting from the room, ignoring his call. Bill frowned, the room empty. "Bombarding Misty with pictures of them isn't going to help her . . ."
# # #
They had awoken up alone, lost and afraid.
They were once enemies, but now . . .
It was all in the past.
There were no more good guys or bad guys.
It was just them.
They had washed up outside of the theme park "Pokemon Island", but it hadn't taken long for the endless droves of tourists and mechanical Pokemon to run them out of the park.
The theme park was no where to grieve, it was filled with too much happiness.
It was that common factor that brought the two together – it was all they had left.
And in that moment, their differences were set aside.
After escaping the confines of Pokemon Islands, and the endless forest and highways that surrounded the area, they came across the smaller Lavender Town, located north of Saffron City.
Immediately, they had a connection to the place.
This was town for deceased Pokemon, the graves of past Pokemon given their own tower so that their trainers could come and grieve for their friends.
But, what about Pokemon who had lost their trainers – where were they supposed to grieve? Were they just supposed to forget their trainer's smiling faces and fade back into the wild to be caught by another trainer?
No, they couldn't even think about doing something like that to their memory.
Beside the tower littered with Pokemon graves, was another tower – it was supposed to be used for excess Pokemon graves once the first tower was completely full. But, with such a depression air to the towers, ghost Pokemon were drawn to the abandoned second tower, calling it home.
Soon, the second tower received a second name: The Tower of Terror.
Townspeople avoided the place; they spoke about creating a new tower when the time came; the Tower of Terror earning a bad vibe.
However, it was there, in the Tower of Terror, that they found their new home.
The first tower was marked to honor deceased Pokemon and grant their trainers a place to grieve.
It was only natural that the second tower would do the opposite – honor the trainers that past away before their Pokemon did.
They needed a place to grieve as well.
And just like that, Pikachu and Meowth disappeared . . .
A/N
Slightly depressing ending for this chapter, but I digress.
I've been holding off adding in Pikachu and Meowth as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them until I got a lot of the other characters stories and plots ironed out. I was recently just watching the arc where Ash is trying to beat Sabrina while I was writing this, and the Tower of Terror seemed like a good place for them to be.
Also! I've started to make a playlist/soundtrack for this story!
(Definitely helps with my writing process as well!)
List:
Catch my Breath: Kelly Clarkson
Come back to me: David Cook
Different Day: State of Shock
Heartbreak Warfare: John Mayer
Here Comes Goodbye: Rascal Flatts
Long Live: Taylor Swift
Try: Pink
Under Pressure: David Bowie and Queen
You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home – Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus
Already Over – Red
It's Time: Imagine Dragons
One Life: Hedley
The Lucky Ones: Kerli