DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon. All characters herein belong to Nintendo. I'm just a fan having a bit of non-profit fun and exercising my lazy imagination...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're starting now. For real. In other words, this is the chapter where things start to happen. Also, there's a bit of anime/game character overlap in this chapter. Because female-player-character Dawn arguably has no character of her own, I've thrown in a couple of things that are from anime Dawn.

TWO

Dawn knew that she was getting close, not because any signposts told her so, and not because she had a great sense of direction. She knew because she began to see signs of life, and of people who were up to no good. Black vans were parked ungracefully in snowdrifts. When Dawn brushed the ice from their side doors, hoping to peer through their windows, she found nothing. Nothing except tainted glass bearing a distinctive yellow G emblem. With a renewed sense of urgency, she continued to pull herself up the steepening hill. It was rapidly becoming a cliff. Before she knew it, she was clinging to an icy rock through her woollen gloves, trying to find a foothold. She could hear shouts from above, and what sounded like the whir of a helicopter's blades. Dawn gritted her teeth, holding back a scream of frustration at her own lack of cliff-scaling abilities. With her free hand, she delved beneath her coat, searching for her trainer's belt. It wasn't easy to do whilst wearing gloves.

"Ugh, I can't...! Noctowl, I need your help!" Although she hadn't managed to find its Pokéball, Noctowl emerged on command. "I have to get up there!"

Noctowl picked its trainer up with one neat swoop and dropped her at the top of the cliff in mere seconds. Knowing that she was running straight into the thick of the action, Dawn did not withdraw her Pokémon. Instead, she unfastened her coat so that she could reach her belt more easily, took off her gloves and set off in a sprint through the sparse forest, her Noctowl flying beside her. As they neared the lake, a large black helicopter loomed ahead, emblazoned with the same Team Galactic ensign that Dawn had seen on the abandoned vehicles.

"What are you gonna do now? You can't just...! Stop it!"

Dawn almost failed to recognise Barry's voice. She had never heard him so agitated; his last two words were practically a scream. Fearing the worst, she upped her pace even more, ignoring the burning pain in her legs; she had never run so fast in her life. At last, she could see the lake shimmering in the distance. Why isn't it frozen? she wondered. Then, as she got closer, she saw a large trawler-style boat in front of a small island that lay in the centre of the water. Pieces of broken ice were floating in the still-churning water of its wake. Dawn began to slow down, knowing that her momentum would carry her straight into the lake if she wasn't careful. Catching her breath upon the bank, she tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening on that island, but the trawler was blocking her view.

"Give it up, kid. You already lost!"

This time, the voice was that of an older woman. Dawn looked around wildly and, to her relief, her eyes fell on Barry. He was standing further up the lake shore. Aside from appearing both angry and scared, he seemed to be unharmed. Dawn was about to run to his side when she noticed that there was someone between them: a tall woman with purple hair, dressed in a black and white catsuit. Isn't she cold, dressed like that?

"Barry!" Dawn yelled. "Over here! It's me!"

The purple-haired woman turned around sharply and Dawn felt her breath freeze in her throat. She'd met that woman before, in Eterna City. She was one of Team Galactic's commanders. Dawn glared at her darkly before running straight past her to join Barry: commander or not, she wouldn't be able to win a two-on-one tag battle. But something was wrong. Barry didn't seem like himself. He wasn't bursting with energy.

"Come on," Dawn said breathlessly. She gave her friend a supportive pat on the back. "We can take care of them if we work together."

"It's no good," Barry replied, hunching his shoulders. "I already..."

"He lost!" the Galactic commander announced. "To me!" She gave Dawn a scathing, head-to-toe work-over with her gaze. "Don't I know you from somewhere? Weren't you the one who ruined things in Eterna City? I'm Commander Jupiter. Don't you remember me?"

"I don't care who you are!" Dawn shouted, although she did remember battling against Jupiter. "I'm about to ruin things here, too!"

"I don't think so!" Jupiter replied with a laugh. "You're a little late, honey. Just sit back and watch the show."

"Huh...?"

There was a rumble from the centre of the lake. For a split-second, Dawn was expecting another bomb; she grabbed Barry's arm and her legs tensed in fear. But it was only the motor of the trawler being kicked into action, and soon the boat was speeding back towards the shore, its deck manned by several Galactic Grunts. When the trawler pulled up on the lake bank, some of the Grunts quickly disembarked onto dry land. The rest vanished into the small cabin at the back of the boat.

"Commander, what's the mode of transportation?"

"We'll use the chopper!" Jupiter pressed a button on a small intercom device that she was wearing like a pair of headphones; it had almost been invisible amidst her hair. "This is Ground Level! Prepare the insulated lifting wires!"

Dawn and Barry raised their heads in unison and saw the door of the overhead helicopter being opened. Two Team Galactic members were hastily unravelling some heavy-duty cables. Meanwhile, the others had unloaded the boat, and Dawn could now see what they were doing: two of them were carrying a cage. Within its confines, a small Pokémon was fighting to free itself. The cage wasn't much bigger than the Pokémon itself, and every time it threw itself against the bars, there was a buzz and a spark. Dawn noticed that the Grunts carrying the cage were wearing rubber gloves. It must have been electrified.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Dawn cried. "You can't capture a Pokémon like that! It's cruel!"

"Yeah, let it go right now!" Barry raised a fist in what he hoped was a threatening way. "What do you want with Uxie, anyway?"

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you," Jupiter replied scornfully. "But, seen as you've joined the party..." She turned to her underlings. "Put the cage down for a moment."

Dawn held her breath with anticipation, wondering what was about to happen. The Grunts unceremoniously dropped the cage into the snow, causing Uxie to bang its head on the topmost bars. It had stopped struggling now and was simply hovering in the centre of its prison, its two tails curled tightly around its body, perhaps to stop them from constantly being zapped. Dawn noticed that its eyes were squeezed shut, and she could only guess that it was in pain. By now, the cables from the helicopter were dangling in the air, and it was clear that the Grunts were simply waiting for Jupiter's next command. A tense silence ensued.

"So, let's say that you've won," Dawn said angrily, although the words were practically agonising. "What now?"

"Let's not be too hasty," Jupiter answered with a wicked grin. "I might have wiped out your friend, but I'd accept a challenge from you, little girl."

"You...you would?"

"Careful, Dawn," Barry whispered. "It might be a trap."

"Well, of course I would!" Jupiter stepped back and reached down towards Uxie's cage in an almost loving way, as if she was going to reach through the bars and stroke its head. Her hand stopped short; she wasn't about to get herself electrocuted. "I want to see what our new prize can actually do. For a legendary Pokémon, it looks pretty pathetic. Don't you think so?"

Dawn was at a loss for words. Jupiter evidently understood nothing about why Pokémon obeyed their human trainers. "Uxie won't listen to you after what you've done!"

"You're underestimating the techniques of Team Galactic, honey," Jupiter said darkly. "Uxie! Destroy her!"

Dawn stared at Uxie, feeling not so much afraid as saddened at the horrible way in which it had been captured. But was it going to obey orders and attack? It's okay, she told herself firmly. I've got my own Pokémon. She could feel the breeze from her Noctowl's wings stirring her hair. What any of her own Pokémon could do against a legendary one, she had no idea. Uxie, however, didn't move. It merely opened its eyes.

"Dawn, don't look!"

A bright light filled her field of vision, and Dawn somehow knew that it was on the inside, within her own mind. It was too big, too all-encompassing and never-ending to have been anything external. Barry sounded as if he were miles away, and Dawn was now too distracted to worry about him or what he might have been trying to tell her. Against this blinding white backdrop, she began to see images so clear that they almost seemed real. She saw her mother rehearsing for a contest with her Kangaskhan – but the Pokémon was only a baby. Even so, when it roared, a little girl fled from the room, screaming in terror.

Dawn could have laughed at the memory, but before she had the chance, another image, this one less comical, took its place. A phantom pain shot through her arm and she winced at the recollection of that day when she had fallen and broken her wrist. A split-second later, the pain was replaced by a rush of bliss: her first contest victory. As the images whirled by, she was aware of nothing else. She could no longer feel her body, nor did she know if any of the intense flashes of emotion were being portrayed on her face. It was as though she were in her own theatre, watching something that only she could see. It was electrifying and wonderful. But as it played on, Dawn realised with rigid helplessness that each scene was less familiar than the last, until the point at which she was sure that these weren't her memories. She couldn't find herself in any of the pictures. As though someone had flicked a switch, the white screen suddenly disappeared along with its images. Another contest hall faded into nothingness, and nothingness was what remained.

Barry's face had already turned white. He had never stood still for so long, but now he felt paralysed. He had read the Horrific Myth in the Canalave Library – or cast his eyes over it, at least, whilst impatiently waiting for his friends to arrive. He remembered the words now, as if they were burned into his brain: anyone who looked into Uxie's eyes would lose all knowledge of who they were. That must have been the reason why all the images of Uxie in the same book depicted it with its eyes closed.

It's just a myth. It's not true.

"Dawn...?"

She had fallen to her knees, her hands pressed to her eyes as though they were hurting. She wasn't unconscious, didn't appear to be injured in any way, but Barry knew that something was wrong. She didn't answer when he called her name, nor did she turn around at the sound of his footsteps.

"Dawn? Dawn, answer me!"

In the grip of an unprecedented fear, Barry practically threw himself down into the snow on hands and knees before his friend, trying to look into her face. Her hands fell away from her eyes at last, and she blinked a few times. She was alive. At least, she was still breathing. But there was something in her eyes that Barry couldn't read, not that he'd ever been very good at deciphering things like that. Was it fear? Shock? Pain?

"Are you okay, Dawn?"

She looked at him, and Barry realised what it was. There was nothing in her eyes, even when they met his. That was precisely it. Her expression was blank and her eyes were dead. He had never seen her looking like that before; she'd always been so animated. No, it can't be true. She's fine.

"Dawn, tell me you're fine," Barry muttered, his voice trembling. "Tell me right now!"

Finally, something appeared in the depths of those eyes. It was confusion, and only a hint of it, but it was enough to make Barry fling his arms around her. He swore that he would never take their friendship for granted again.

Dawn did not return the embrace. "Who are you?" Her question was muffled against the striped sleeve of Barry's sweater and he didn't hear her. Still, he didn't want to let go of her yet. After a few seconds, Dawn pulled away, just enough to be able to speak properly. She examined Barry's face closely. "Do I know you?"

Oh, she's playing tricks on me now, Barry thought. Paying me back for all the times I didn't pay attention to her. Although he knew that he probably deserved it, he thought that Dawn couldn't have picked a worse time. He let go of her at once with an angry 'hmph' and stood up, turning his back on her, but he couldn't resist answering her question – just in case. "You know who I am! We've been friends forever!"

"Have we?"

Is she joking? Barry glanced back over his shoulder at Dawn. Her face was still blank. Barry knelt down in front of her again, but this time, he seized her by the shoulders and held her at arm's length, almost seething with a mixture of terror, desperation and anger. "Stop it!" he hissed through gritted teeth. His tone became pleading. "Please, Dawn!"

"You're hurting me!" Dawn wrenched his hands from her shoulders and scrambled away from him, clambering to her feet clumsily. "Who are you?" Her eyes fell on Noctowl; it had landed closely beside her. She looked as though she'd never seen a Pokémon before in her life. Her gaze swept over the Team Galactic ensemble, the boat and the helicopter. "Wh-where am I? What's going on?"

Tears welled up in Barry's eyes and he tugged at his own hair. "Don't do this!" he pleaded desperately. "You know me, Dawn! We're neighbours in Twinleaf Town! We used to hang out together! Don't you remember? Professor Rowan came and yelled at us for running into the grass, but it was my fault all along, and then he gave us our Pokémon...?"

Realising that it was in vain and that his friend was not showing any signs of understanding, Barry broke down at her feet, sobbing into his hands. Dawn barely noticed him. She was too busy removing the cumbersome belt from around her waist and throwing it aside. It was somehow the most heartbreaking thing that Barry had ever witnessed.

"What are you doing?" he half-screamed. "Those are your Pokémon! You're going to be a Co-ordinator, just like your Mom! Don't you even remember her?"

It seemed that it was this gesture that made Dawn's Noctowl understand what had happened. It let out a sudden screech and began to flap its wings at Dawn. Whether it was trying to startle her back into her senses or just playing around, Barry couldn't tell. But when Dawn lashed out at her Pokémon, driving it away with her fists, he knew that it wasn't her anymore. His friend would never have done that.

"Get this thing away from me!"

Barry rose to his feet and turned to Jupiter, his fists clenched by his sides. "What have you done?" he asked through gritted teeth. Unable to bear the mere sight of the Team Galactic commander for more than a few seconds, he returned his attention to Dawn who was now emptying her coat pockets in a haphazard way, as if trying to find something that made sense. "Dawn, listen to me," Barry said, trying to sound calm. "You must have lost your memory, but I'm your friend! You have to believe me!" Although the damage was already done, he suddenly found himself wondering why Dawn had come to Lake Acuity at all. "Professor Rowan told you to go to Lake Valor, didn't he? Then why did you come here? Were you...were you trying to help me?"

"I don't understand a word you're saying!" Dawn said hopelessly. "Gee, I think you must be crazy."

At last, Jupiter showed a reaction. It seemed that she, too, had been shocked by what had happened to Dawn. Now, realising the extent of the power that they had seized through Uxie, she let out an ecstatic laugh. Barry was ready to attack her with his bare hands, but something held him back. It was most likely the fear of suffering the same fate as Dawn – or something worse. Or perhaps it was a fear of 'proving' that he might be crazy after all. So, instead, he settled for pointing a trembling finger.

"She's the one who's crazy! She did this to you!"

Dawn barely glanced at Jupiter; she evidently had no idea who the woman was, nor did she recognise her uniform anymore. "Maybe you're both crazy!"

Leaving her trainer's belt lying in the snow alongside a few other things, including a small vanity mirror, Dawn turned around and ran off into the forest, back towards the cliffs. Barry was about to follow her, but he couldn't quite get over Jupiter's lack of remorse. "Don't you see what you've done?" he asked. "You might as well have killed her!"

"And you're supposed to be her friend? That's a little negative, don't you think?"

"My best friend doesn't know who I am! She won't recognise herself when she looks in the mirror! She probably doesn't even know her own name now! What about all the things she's achieved, all of the things she's been through – "

"All meaningless things," Jupiter interrupted. "Hey, look on the bright side. You might find her to be a much better person now." A fresh smile danced across her lips. "If you find her again, that is."

Although Barry was practically beside himself with rage, Jupiter had made a good point. Dawn wouldn't know where she was; she was in the middle of nowhere, and she didn't even know that. She didn't know who she was anymore. She couldn't possibly have been any more vulnerable. But Barry had already convinced her that he was a nonsense-babbling, potentially violent lunatic. As much as it tore him apart, he knew that he could not chase after her unless he wanted to scare her out of her wits. She's already out of her wits! But there was another way.

"Noctowl, follow her!" Thinking that she may need more than one Pokémon to protect her, Barry grabbed Dawn's discarded belt from the snow. He couldn't even remember which Pokémon she carried with her, except for the one in the Pokéball that bore a yellow star at its centre. He recognised that one and released its Pokémon. "Shinx, go with Noctowl!"

Then he watched with a sinking heart as Noctowl became a shadow, disappearing into the mist, while Dawn's Shinx scampered off into the forest. He couldn't bear to turn around and see Uxie being hoisted up into the helicopter; it made him wonder whether the same had happened to the Pokémon at the other two lakes. He couldn't figure out why Dawn had ignored Professor Rowan and the situation at Lake Valor. It was so unlike her. I might never find out now.