Instead of the shallow ditch which I remember oh so well, I see an oddly placed door, and the fog slowly clears to reveal that it's just the tip of the iceberg. I read in a book that there were two types of mystery dungeons, and with how rare it is for this kind to appear, I knew that there was no time to waste getting inside. Cautiously, I enter.

It's… strange. Nothing like the other dungeons that I've been in. It's just a box lined with stone and a staircase at the end. I keep watch, nervous. I am alone, and without a team to protect me from ambushes.

I reach the second floor, and it's the exact same thing; a pure deafening quiet, nothing there. By the time I reach the third floor, I know what to expect. Not a single rock is displaced, and not a single puddle is disturbed. There's nothing.

I am only accompanied by my own footsteps as I set foot on the fourth floor. Why is it still the same thing? The quietness is so loud that I can hear my own heart beating. I can tell that this is the last floor because there are no more staircases.

There is no treasure, no enemies, there is nothing at all-

A bright light shines and blinds me, and as I regain my vision, I see that it's coming from the back wall. I approach it, and my footsteps seem to get thicker as I get closer. I stop a few meters short when the light speaks my name.

"Adam."

It takes me aback before I ready myself and ask,

"Who are you?"

…

"My name is Jirachi."

I have heard of their name through the passing of legends and myths, but I thought that Jirachi would have a more feminine voice.

"What is this place? Why is it here?"

…

"This is my dungeon. It appears only when it needs to."

Jirachi's incredibly vague answer left more questions than answers, and out of the questions, I choose the one that was bugging me the most.

"What is it doing here?"

"I can grant one wish to someone who needs it the most."

It's hard to believe that this is really happening, and I think about what I could do with those powers. Maybe I could rescue Dan and Ian, but were they still in trouble? I could wish for more wishes, but what if that's against the rules and I just lose this opportunity? Eventually, my mind trails off to one of my greatest questions, a question that I have wanted an answer to for so long.

My memories.

I still need to play it safe with my wish, right?

"I wish… to remember everything."

Time stops, and now even the last bit of noise is gone.

I look around. Jirachi is silent.

Time restarts again, but it's moving backward. I can't do anything but watch as I see myself through my own eyes walking through Jirachi's dungeon.

The memories accelerate.

I see myself running from the Alakazam.

The memories accelerate.

I see our argument, but only flying by in only a matter of seconds.

The memories accelerate.

Even though I only saw it for a brief instant, the image of Concord's lifeless body lingers in front of me for an eternity.

The memories finally start to decelerate.

Eventually, I reach the first memory I've known. And this is how it happened:

I woke up on the forest floor, covered in dirt, I felt so sick, and my world spun.

When I finally pushed myself up to standing, I got to notice something very, very wrong.

I had nothing, no memories, no friends, nothing. All I knew was that something, someone had put me here, and I needed to escape.

Running was a chore, but I had to do it. I happened across a path after a bit and started following it. I passed many people, and they all looked like monsters. I was scared out of my mind when every single time, they stared at me like I was an idiot.

After all that insanity, I met Concord and Chary.

That's when a lifelong friendship started.

I wish I knew.

They were running parallel to me, and Chary looked at me, just like the other pokemon did. However, he made the choice to actually talk to me; a first.

"What are you doing?" he asked, surprisingly polite. I noticed he had a fresh injury on his shoulder and replied back.

"Running," I said. He wasn't satisfied with my answer and continued his interrogations.

"From what?" … I didn't have any good answers to the question, but he still helped me anyway.

I don't know what's going to happen beyond this memory, maybe I'll be trapped in a void of my own mind as punishment; maybe I don't deserve to wake up. Wishing for my own memories back is just plain selfish.

…

I hear… Yelling? Is somebody outside? I'm in my bed. Bed? Since when did I have a bed? Is that my mom's voice? How do I know my mom's voice? It is my mom's voice! I can remember her!

I don't just hear her, I also hear my dad and Concord! … Concord? I have so many questions right now. I try to move, try to see what's happening, try to get some answers, but I can't. I can only limply peer through the door. I can't change the past, only view it.

"We need him!" I hear Concord yell. What is going on? Chary appears from around a corner, and winds up to stab my mom with his sharp claws. I try to yell out to her, but I still can't do anything.

She falls to the floor, and I hear a gunshot as she does. It comes from my father, and he nails Chary in the shoulder.

Aside from his breathing, he's silent, but his actions speak louder than words. He stands in my doorframe, blocking Chary from entering, and blocking me from seeing what happens.

But his last stand is not enough, and he collapses. They step over his dead body and they both approach me.

The memory ends. I know not of what happened, but I've already seen enough. With a gasp, I'm right back at the ditch where I initially entered, and the dungeon is gone.

I open my eyes, dumbfounded at what I just saw. It's dark outside. How long was I in that room? I want to convince myself that what I just witnessed didn't happen, but I can't. I know it's real. There's only the memory of it left, but it's enough for me to know.

…My memory.

It's all coming back now. There's yellow light inside my mind, not unlike the one I saw in there, which is placing them all back, from their missing positions. Back into the previously empty shelves.

It feels like a whole other person has just been inserted into my conscience. Despite the conflicted feelings, I must continue on, for their sake. For Ian. For Dan. For all of them.

Just outside the city gate, I decide to not sprint right into town, and it proves to be the right choice when I overhear a conversation.

It's just two people talking, there's no background bustle, or footsteps, or anything else. Just these two voices.

"Did we get everyone?"

"I think so. Nine hundred and eighty-four so far. Nine Hundred and eighty-five is what there should be."
"What about the last two?" The other one asked.
"Probably people who died, but the population count hasn't been updated yet. I know that a random-ass stupid guild bitch died last week, maybe their partner came with 'em? And besides, if anyone left, why would they care? They could just live the rest of their life in luxury. These pokemon obey any orders given, they just obey us above others…" There was a pause. "What? Oh, don't worry, I've told them not to help anyone against us."

Random-ass stupid guild bitch huh? Call me rash but-

'Bomf!' goes the jump orb as I throw it at my feet. I twist my body into a curve and hurdle over the wall. On the other side, I see who was talking: a Butterfree and a Mankee. Thinking fast, I know that the Butterfree could get away easily by flying, so I take a shot at it. It lands dead-on, and it's squished to the wall, like the bug that it is. I transfer my second loaded crossbow from my left paw to my right paw, and within an instant, the fight is over. An arrow lands square between the Mankee's eyes, and I just stare in disbelief. Did I really just do that, and so quickly?

I force myself to realize that this was not a feral pokemon or a strange dream, and neither of them would be getting up ever again. If someone saw me like this, the accusations would actually be true.

'I think I just killed someone! And for what? For making a petty comment?' No. I saw what happened to both of my teammates. They're dead, and those two could take the blame. I decide that I need to further my revenge; kill the Alakazam, the Floatzel, and everyone else responsible too.

I finally notice the silence in town, and the next thing I see is that everyone inside the markets just isn't doing anything. They all stand perfectly still, staring at a random object, or into nothing at all. My mind is torn between my teammates, the people I just killed, and the statue-like features of everyone there.

I shuffle my way around, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice Dan, who just like the rest of them stands completely still. Unmoving. I whisper into his ear, and there's no response. What did they do to him? At least he's alive.

Suddenly Dan moves up his arm and reveals an orange that he was carrying. He shoves the whole thing into his mouth, peel and all. It's comedic until I see every single other person in the entire market doing the exact same thing, moving their arm or their equivalent limb all in perfect unison. Eating for as far as the eye can see. My attention is once again drawn away to a voice coming from the nearby library.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. What am I going to tell the others?" Being cautious, I steal a glance through an open window. He's a Flareon with glasses and he is hunched over a table, staring at papers, and wiggling his pencil. His face looks so familiar to me. I think I know who it is.

"Everyone here is going to die within a week of dehydration if I don't figure something out now! ...Come on Tony, you can get through this," he groaned to himself with an air of concern.

The knowledge that these people are silently suffering brings a chilling feeling. Unfortunately, it's a distracting one, as I don't even notice me shifting my weight, causing a loose path tile to move and grind up against another path brick, making the Flareon notice that something is outside. I jump down to below the window, barely avoiding his sight.

I know he will want to investigate, so I wait around the corner for him, planning an ambush. I don't know what I'll do once I ambush him, and I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to kill someone I trust. I just need time to convince myself, or to ignore our past together. I consider where it all went wrong, and...

I hear a creak from above. I look up, and me and the Flareon both stare at each other, while he holds his weapon at me.

"Is that you?" he asks. My quick-thinking skills make me realize that this gives me some extra time to move out of the way, to take advantage of his confusion.

Before I do anything, he unexpectedly fires, and I can't move out of the way before he hits me. I guess Tony is too smart to fall for that.

"I'm sorry I had to end it like this. You were my favorite." I think I hear him cry as my body stiffens and my vision darkens.

My mind races, trapped in a body it can't control. I can't even look outside, as whatever just happened trapped me in my own head. The only thing I see in the black void is what looks like a dark purple ball of plasma, barely distinguishable. As it moves, I can see it destroying my memories, one by one, eating them like a grey goo. With every experience it consumes, I feel a small part of me whittling away. I've already seen what happens to everybody else.

And Honestly? I'm terrified. There is no training in the world that could have prepared me for such a moment.

I prepare for the inevitable end and make my last thoughts about the ones I love. To hold them dear one last time before they're gone forever.

Concord, Ian, Dan, and even Chary. I'm sorry I failed. I failed all of you. There are only a few memories left. It'll all be over soon.