Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter for you all to read. I noticed that nobody left a review in the last chapter. However, I guess that can be attested to the fact that the sudden jump from a peaceful night at home to a chaotic morning that was nothing like the chapter's original setting threw everyone off. If so, then that's good. Let me say now that everything I do in this story is on purpose. The confusion that you're all no doubt feeling as to what the heck is happening is supposed to be there. I promise that things will be explained as the story goes along. Just be prepared for my attempt at making a story that starts out with everyone confused and slowly working to the truth.

With that said, I've really got nothing more to say. This quarter of college is almost over, but that means it's time to crunch down on the homework and such in preparation for the finals. Thankfully, my classes don't need me to go in class and do those stupid multiple choice and short answer questions on a test paper. They are all English, and they want us to make essays instead. That's good since I have in-class tests and whatnot since they always manage to make you feel inadequate no matter how hard you study.

But yeah, I'm just saying all this since it means I'll be busy for the next couple of weeks studying. As such, I won't be working on the next chapter for now and take a while to post. I know that most of you probably don't care; I don't even know how many of you guys actually take the time to read what I'm saying to you guys. Either way, I just feel it wouldn't be fair if I just disappeared for a little while without having first given you all proper notification of it.

So yeah, thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you like it and enjoy the slight confusion that might be added to what you feel is this story. Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story you want to read. It's helpful not only for my morale in writing but to also see how you as the reader are enjoying this story. Classifying the story as a favorite is good, but it doesn't really give me an insight into what you think and how you feel the story is actually going. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!

Chapter 3: What is Reality

After making through the wrecked but familiar streets of Pallet Town, Ash and Pikachu found themselves in the main part of town. It was like Surge said earlier; the place had changed to look more like a base camp. Many of the buildings were either badly destroyed or reduced to rubble. Tents of various sizes took their place. Men dressed as Surge along with other regularly dressed people came and went from them. If anything, the town now looked more like a refugee camp now than the small friendly community Ash grew up with.

"Welcome to Pallet Town, home for us soldiers and refugees!" Surge announced loudly. None of those who were nearby paid any attention to the loud outburst.

"…You're kidding, right?" Ash deadpanned as he saw his hometown. "This is more like a campground." Pikachu gave an agreeing squeak as he began sniffing the air.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but it's not too bad. We have some electricity thanks to the generator from Professor Oak's Lab being wired into the town's main power grid. There's also a lot of land for us to grow food and freshwater stream to use. We can last a good while out here. I just wish that Viridian City wasn't cutting us off from our allies so we could get other things like medicine. Oh well, we're lucky to have the next best thing with us."

"But how can you guys live here? It gets cold when winter comes around!"

"Trust me; those tents are warmer than you'd think. But if you think this is bad, then you should've seen how it was before. There were a few people around, and they were barely getting by. I'm amazed how they kept it together before my men came along last year.

"The only reason I even considered setting up camp here was because of that." The man pointed off towards the distance where a large building could be seen. "There's Professor Oak's old laboratory. It's a pretty big place and has a good vantage point over the town. We also use it as an infirmary and for strategy meetings."

"Is the professor still there?" Ash asked, his voice carrying a tinge of hopefulness in it. Pikachu was sniffing the air for something familiar, probably Professor Oak's scent, but did not have much luck.

"No, he was sent to Luminose City in the Kalos Region as part of the PWC. He's been there since the war started. Why'd you ask about him?"

"He's an old family friend. Good to know there's something I know still here." Ash's excitement was building at this bit of good news. "Can I call him?"

"No can do, kid. The place has been placed under tight security. Something like a phone call can't go through without authorization. Hell, the only way to get inside is by being invited first and taken in by their men."

"Look, there's a lot that needs to be explained," Surge sighed as he noticed the teen's shoulders slumping. "How about we go up to the old laboratory? Once we've had you checked out, I'll bring you to where we keep the others who're like you. I prefer to explain things in one go. And besides, you said knew the professor. Maybe seeing something familiar in his place will be good for you."

Without waiting for an answer, the man guided both Ash and Pikachu towards Professor Oak's Lab. Both of them were still pretty dumbfounded with what they were seeing. Everything they knew about their hometown was turned upside down. People that were supposed to be here were now somewhere else. Faces that he never seen were living in makeshift houses meant to replace those that were destroyed. He kept arguing in his head that he was dreaming, but the fact that Pikachu was beside him going through the same confusion was the only thing keeping him together.

"Alright, kid; here we are!"

Ash had been too busy wallowing in his confusion that the walk felt like it was only seconds. Clearing his mind, he saw they were now at the front gates of the lab. Apart from the lack of upkeep present on the building's walls and the front yard, everything looked almost the same. The only real difference was the increase of people in the area, most of them dressed with the same military cap on their heads.

As they made their way towards the building, that was when Ash noticed something different in the air. Even Pikachu was noticing something strange when he lifted his nose to the air to take a whiff.

Normally, the scent of Pokémon musk coming from the ranch in the back of the lab could be noticed. It should have been pretty strong considering that there was a light breeze blowing through at that moment. Even with the Pokémon grounds serving as the backyard, the sound of various Pokémon could still be heard in the front. However, the only thing he could hear was the chatter of the people, most of which seemingly grim in nature.

"Where're all the Pokémon, Surge? The professor kept a bunch of them here."

"Like I said, I'm waiting until I've gathered all you amnesiac guys in one room," the man explained as he opened the lab doors and motioned for Ash to go in first. "I don't want to keep repeating the same damn thing, so just be patient a while longer."

"Hi, Surge!" a high pitched voice suddenly called. "Is that another recruit or a refugee?"

"Damn, thought I could dodge her," the man groaned before pointing over towards a side room. "Look, just head straight in there and I'll be with you soon. I need to take care of this girl now before she bugs the hell out of me!

"Hello, Erika!" he called back as his face morphed into the quickest smile Ash ever saw formed. "How's your apothecary work going?"

"Well, it could be better if I had access to my greenhouse in Celadon City," Erika replied. "Still, I'm pretty amazed at the plants Professor Oak kept around. So did you or your men run into any trouble out there? Anybody need my help in the healing department?"

"Geez, she's a pretty spunky person," Ash thought aloud as he watched the conversation. "Maybe even a little too spunky. What do you think, Pikachu?"

Pikachu merely shrugged before hopping off of Ash's shoulders and making his way to the room Surge pointed out. Not wanting to be left behind, the teen followed his little yellow companion as the two adults continued on with their conversation.

When they entered the room, Ash noticed that it was actually Professor Oak's old office. The bookshelf that held all of his research notes and other kinds of knickknacks was easily recognizable for him. However, many of the reports were in disarray, and most of the trinkets were either broken or missing.

"Who're you?"

Turning towards the voice, he noticed someone sitting on a brown couch with a Marill on his lap. Thankfully, it belonged to someone he recognized. After all, he met him just yesterday when he went to bring Pikachu to Professor Oak for a check-up.

"Aren't you Professor Oak's new assistant?"

"I am, but how did you know that?" the person asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"We met yesterday," Ash explained, hoping that the other would be able to recognize him. "I saw you drawing a Pokémon when I was there, but you didn't see me. Do you remember a Pikachu being brought in for poisoning?" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder to make himself more noticeable.

"…It was from when he took a swim and got stung by a Tentacool, right?"

"That's right! And then he left the lab on his own and came back home."

"Yeah, I still got the scratch when I tried to stop him." He then showed his right hand to both where a clear scratch mark was healing. The yellow mouse actually had the decency to look sheepish as he mewled apologetically.

"So…So do you think that this war's some random thing you learned when you woke up?" Ash cautiously asked as if fearing the answer.

"…That's the first time I've heard someone say that." The assistant's face slowly broke into a smile. "So you're just like me, waking up and confused by what's going on?"

"Yeah, they're saying that I'm some kind of amnesiac refugee or something. Pikachu and I almost got shot for that!"

"Yep, you're definitely like me. Whatever 'war' everybody's saying happened before, we're the only ones who don't know anything about it."

"Get back in there!" a loud voice suddenly exclaimed just two people entered the room. One of them was practically pushed in by the other. "I thought Surge told you to stay in here until he came back?"

"I was just taking a look around," the tan-skinned teen explained. "Is it a crime to see how much things have changed?"

"Don't talk like you were here before!" the loud one growled, his view blocked by the one he pushed in. "I don't care that you were the former Pewter City gym leader turned into a military leader. I've never seen you before in my life."

"I already told you I'm not a military leader! I don't even know anything about this war! I'm still employed by the Gym Leader Association as Pewter City's official gym leader."

"That'd be all good if the association didn't disband three years ago. Try getting all the facts before lying about what you supposedly do."

"I-Is that you, Gary?" Ash hesitantly interrupted. He instantly recognized the voice from the start. Said person responded by moving into view and stared at the teen.

"Great, another guy who thinks he knows me." Gary's disheveled hair flopped around as he shook his head. His face seemed extremely tired, his movements done half-heartedly as if he no longer had the zeal to do anything. It was a complete contrast to how Ash remembered him when he last talked with him a few days ago.

"What're you talking about? It's me, Ash. Don't you remember? We grew up together. We're b… We're best friends."

"Best friends? I've never seen you before in my life. Last I checked, both people need to know each other before even becoming friends. Not like I care since I don't need one to begin with."

Ash was confused as to what he was hearing. He knew the person that was before him was Gary, but his behavior was very different. The familiar harshness that were put in his words were still there. However, they no longer had that playful edge to it. Instead, it was nothing but pure aggression.

"…Stop ogling me like some stupid fan girl," Gary scowled with disgust. "Do you think I'd ever be friends with someone like you? I can tell just by the way you talk that you're some sappy kid who prefers to live in the past. You're too optimistic for your own good that you've deluded yourself from what's really happening around you! I can't tell you how many people with your kind of attitude end up dying."

"Wh-What're you talking about? Why are you acting like this, Gary? I know you have your jerky moments, but you were never this bad."

"Humph, try living out my life before you go saying that," he scoffed as eyes flashed a bit of sadness. However, it was quickly covered up with an unreadable emotion that Ash had never seen before. "Now if you idiots are done pretending to know me, stay here. I have stuff I need to do, and I don't have time to deal with you all wandering around. Surge will be around to take care of you soon."

"Why don't you try now?" Surge announced as he entered the room. He had in his hands a couple of small pouches that were exuding a kind of pleasant floral scent. "Thanks for keeping them company, Gary."

"Whatever; just make sure I don't catch them wandering around again. You and your men may've taken over the lab as your military base, but don't forget that I have authority over this place in my grandpa's absence. I'm only letting you all stay because it's what he'd want, but don't go wearing out your welcome any more than you already have."

"Okay, I think it's time for your aromatherapy session with Erika," the large man said as he brushed off the hostile vibes from Gary. "You're starting to get irritable, and you know how you get when that happens."

"Mind your own damn business!" Gary shouted before pushing past Surge and stomped out of the room. "I can take care of my own damn health. And get out of my way, you stupid fire fox!" A Pokémon's surprised squeal echoed before a small vulpine made its way into the room. It was clearly annoyed at what just happened.

"…Sorry about Gary," Surge apologized as he closed the door. The newcomer made a beeline towards Brock and jumped onto his lap. "He's doesn't really like my men being here. Personally, I think he just hates this war and everyone who gets involved."

"What happened to him?" Brock asked.

"From what the locals told me, it started at the beginning of the war when his family was killed. Professor Oak was the only one who could keep him together, but he was then called into Luminose City to become a part of the PWC. That was over three years ago. They say he only got worse since then. If you ask me, he's probably just suffering from PTSD."

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? I thought that was something you only get when you actually fought in a war."

"It can be caused by anything from kidnapping to murder right before your eyes," Surge explained. "Doesn't just have to be from a battlefield, Ash. Can't say I blame Gary for his after hearing that he lost his friends and most of his family during this war. Must be hell for him to cope. Erika's the only one who can temporarily relax him with her aromatherapy crap. If we don't, then everyone's a target of his emotional backlashes."

"And what about the PWC?" the guy with the Marill asked. "I don't think I've heard of such an organization."

"The PWC is short for the Pokémon Warfare Council. It consists of the world's highest ranking Pokémon professors. They act as our tacticians and try to judge the enemy's next move. They're also the ones who advise us about how to humanely use Pokémon in this war."

"You're using them for war?" Ash exclaimed. "Pokémon are innocent creatures. You can't use them to fight your battles!"

"I'd say the same thing, but there are no rules in war. If we want to survive, then we need to make use of all the resources we have. But like I just said, the PWC helps us make sure that we treat our Pokémon as best we can. We're not like the enemy; they just have Pokémon fight even when they're about to die from exhaustion. We give them the respect they deserve in this situation. We understand they're just like us and need their time to rest.

"Anyway, that's enough talk about current history; I'm supposed to try and get you guys' memories back." The large man quickly changed topics with a definitive huff as he took a seat on a nearby desk. "So how about we start off with some introductions and work our way from there? You already know me, so let's start with you, Marill-Boy."

"I-It's Tracy," the teen replied as he petted his Marill's head. "I came from the Orange Islands. I left last year to work on bettering my skills as a Pokémon Watcher and sketch artist. I'm right now taking on a job as Professor Oak's assistant."

"I'm Brock," the tan-skinned teen introduced himself. He had since made his way over to the couch and sat next to Tracy. "I'm the Gym Leader of Pewter City and working to become a Pokémon Breeder. I'm not a military leader like that Gary said I was."

"My name's Ash," Ash said as he took the last spot on the couch. "I've lived here for all my life with Pikachu. I'm just a regular guy who doesn't do anything special."

"Well, that was the shortest round of introductions I've ever heard," Surge said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Guess that means I should make my explanations just as short. Let me start off by pointing out all of the impossibilities in what you said.

"First off, let me start off with Tracy's story. The Orange Islands isn't really a part of our geography anymore. Long story short, it's been sunken into the ocean when a group of Gyrados came and used their Dragon Rage on it. The attack was so sudden; nobody on the islands had a chance to escape. So unless you left well over four years ago, there's no way you could've came from there last year.

"Then there's you, Brock. I can try to help straighten out your memories since I actually know who you are. You used to be like me, a gym leader, before the Gym Leader Association, GLA for short, disbanded. Since then, you've enlisted in the army and they recognized you to be the defender of Pewter City because of your gym leader position. In fact, you were one of the few gym leaders who managed to convince other leaders to join in the war. It was a big loss for us when we heard a couple weeks ago that the city fell to the enemy and you went missing. You can imagine how happy I was to find you wandering around a couple days ago, although I was confused about your loss of memory.

"And as for Ash, I've already explained it to him before he came here. He claims to have lived in this town his whole life, yet no one has ever made one mention of him. There's never been a worried parent or friend wondering where he went to. If he really did live here, then I'd have heard everyone griping about him having gone missing. I've been here for a whole year myself, and I've never seen one sign of him ever being around. The fact that Pikachus have since left the nearby Viridian Forest for whatever new home they found leads me to believe that he came from some other city.

"In other words, you three have to be amnesiacs since everything you've said is either from before the war started or just plain impossible," Surge concluded. He had a triumphant smirk as though he solved some complex problem. "It's almost like you guys are living in a 'what if' world where the war never happened. Truth be told, I almost envy you guys for that. I've seen way too many things I want to forget."

After the brief explanation was over, the three teens were trying to process everything they heard. To hear that they were supposedly living different lives or not even supposed to exist was, to put it lightly, mind blowing. At the same time, it was way too strange for them to think of it as the truth. If this was supposedly the world they have lived in all their lives, then why were the memories of the last four years completely different from this war-driven reality? Why was it that they were only learning of this supposed war now?

"…There's something odd about all this," Brock said after thinking on it for a while. He was skeptical about what they just heard. "Let's just say that we are suffering through amnesia. We're all completely different people; the idea that all three of our brains reset to before the time of this war is hard to believe. And then there's the fact that the last four years is completely gone from our minds. Memory loss is often associated with flashbacks based on certain things people see or hear. Have either of you two gotten anything like that when walking here or listening to what Surge was saying?"

Both Tracy and Ash shook their heads. Ash then said, "Everything is different from what I know. I've seen so many things that looks like something from a war. Not once have I had any kind of sudden vision of attacks or whatnot."

"And then there's something else that's bugging me. Surge told us that Pewter City fell into enemy hands a couple weeks ago. However, I remember seeing Tracy last week when he passed by. I noticed him taking a sketch of my Vulpix while I was conducting an outdoor gym battle. We even talked a bit about what we wanted to do with our lives before he left. I know for a fact that this happened last week, so how could amnesia just suddenly replace one forgotten memory with another?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Tracy exclaimed as he turned to face Brock. His Marill whined because of the movement jostling him around. "We were talking a lot about some of the similarities between Pokémon breeding and watching. You even commented about the drawing I did of your Vulpix."

"And I remember seeing Tracy yesterday when I brought Pikachu to get checked out," Ash added; Pikachu squeaked in agreement. "He was kind of busy helping Professor Oak with something, but he was really eager to take a sketch of Pikachu when he noticed him. So if what – I think his name's Brock – said is true, then us remembering these random things but then forgetting everything about this war can't be your typical amnesia case."

"I guess that makes sense," Surge admitted after listening to the three teens. His once triumphant smirk was replaced with a frown. "At the least, there's no way you three came up with that story. This is the first time you've all been together in one room. So if this really isn't a case of amnesia, then perhaps your minds have been wiped courtesy of a psychic Pokémon," he smoothly suggested.

"A psychic Pokémon that knows how to alter our memories? That's impossible, Surge!" Brock exclaimed. "Psychic Pokémon don't have that kind of power. The best they can do is put people to sleep and subject them to nightmares."

"…You really have forgotten about everything, haven't you? I guess it proves she was telling the truth. Do you remember how Sabrina has been working with us over the past year on a special project? She was trying to genetically modify certain psychic Pokémon's abilities. In the end, she managed to teach certain Pokémon the ability to alter people's memories. She even managed to have them be replaced with false memories so the victim won't realize they lost their true ones."

"Wait, are you talking about the Psychic Gym Leader Sabrina from Saffron City?" Ash asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. Both Pikachu and Marill had since hopped off of their trainers' laps and started talking with each other. Brock's red Pokémon stayed resting on his lap. "I know she is a supposed psychic and specializes in psychic Pokémon. But was she really able to teach them how to change people's memories? If that's what really happened to us, then why were we the ones affected? Tracy and I might be random people, but then why was Brock a target? Aren't he and Sabrina supposed to be on your side?"

"She was, but that was before the enemy killed her. I still don't know how, but they managed to sneak themselves into Saffron City!" Surge let out a low growl as he recalled the memory. "It was supposed to be under tight security, yet they managed to worm through all of our defenses. I guess they caught wind of what she was doing and used some kind of special unit of men to take her findings. I didn't think they would have people that good at espionage. We paid for that mistake with the loss of Sabrina and Saffron City!"

"So you're saying that the enemy now has access to this memory-wiping Pokémon you were training," Tracy concluded. He had taken a pad and pencil sometime earlier and was taking notes. "But then why would they want to wipe the memories of random people? Except maybe for Brock, none of us are really that important. I think it'd be better if they did it to you or your leader. Such power is practically a game changer!"

"Thankfully, Sabrina didn't completely finish her research. She still hadn't figure out a way to direct the power to a particular person. Because of that, the power is completely random as to who will be affected. And no, distance has nothing to do with it. However, she was able to keep the power contained to our lab since she was a psychic herself and was able to create a psychic barrier. Clearly, the enemy doesn't yet know what they're doing with her work. You three are proof of that."

"So we were just random collateral damage?" Ash deadpanned. "If that's true, then-"

A loud roar suddenly pierced the air along with a strong tremor. The teens fell off the sofa from it, and Surge stumbled to his feet after being thrown off of the table he had been sitting on. The Pokémon were scrambling around in a panic.

"Is everyone okay?" Brock asked as he ran over to a nearby window. "Was that an earthquake just now?"

"Since when have you heard an earthquake roar?" Tracy countered.

"Don't tell me…!" Surge growled as he ran towards the window. Ash, Tracy, and the Pokémon followed suit.

Flying around in the sky were two Pokémon. Both of them were orange and clearly the source of all the roaring. One of them was occasionally letting out fire from its mouth while hovering over a particular section of the nearby mountains. The other was currently aiming some kind of high-intensity beam towards the ground. When it was released, it crashed towards the ground and resulted in a large tremor.

"The Charizard Duo!" the man growled. "I figured they'd be here soon, but I didn't think it'd be now. This isn't good!"

"What're Charizards doing here?" the Pokémon Watcher exclaimed as he carefully watched the two large Pokémon. "They don't hang around in this area. The way these ones are acting is like they're looking for something."

"But the way they're searching seems like it was organized. It must mean someone's instructing them to do this. Are they working for the enemy, Surge?" Brock asked as he knelt down and tried to calm the Pokémon.

"Yes, the Charizards belong to the enemy. However, they're only used when there's something they want to find. One acts as the excavator while the other attacks any who dare to come near. That means they must've found it."

"What're you talking about?" Ash asked. He could not tear his eyes away from the grand display of power before him. "What do they need destroy the forest to find?"

"…The place where ancient Pokémon with great power are said to live; the Ruins of Pokéopolis."

Well, I hope you all liked this chapter. It's nothing more than an explanation part, but it was also meant to help facilitate in the general confusion as to what the heck is going on. And then there's that cliffhanger I ended the story on with the two Charizards and whatnot. I can promise you that the next chapter is going to be full of action.

That's pretty much all I have to say now. I know, this ending author's note is not all that interesting. Still, I just honestly don't have much to say at this particular moment. Just remember that I'll be busy getting ready for my college finals these next couple weeks and won't be updating things much on here. However, I will once again advertise for a fellow writer on this site, BannanGodis. As I said in the last chapter's author's note, his English is based off of the translation from Google translate engine. As such, the grammar and whatnot is admittedly atrocious because of the bad translation from Swedish to English. However, the plot point is there, and he has asked for me to help fix up the English grammar. The two stories he had me help on are "Pikachu's New Life", starting on chapter 3, and "The Truth Hurts", starting chapter 16.

Well, that's really all I have to say on here now. I do hope that you enjoyed reading this new chapter. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody!