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: Poor Dawn. That's all I can say. (This is a longer chapter but I've been falling short with the others, so I'm making up for it now. This one was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it! Please review!)

FIVE

It was evening, and Dawn was so exhausted that she was close to tears. The sign announcing that she had arrived in Veilstone City had come too late. Dawn was sure that she could walk no further, and the realisation that Veilstone City was a huge and unfamiliar place made her heart sink to her aching feet. She stumbled through the streets like a zombie. Thinking that she was just a well-dressed beggar in her crimson coat and pink boots, people avoided her when she tried to ask them for help, and she didn't even know what to ask for. Finally, she approached a security guard who was locking up the doors of a large department store.

"Excuse me..."

"Sorry, honey, we're just closing."

"I need somewhere to sleep," Dawn said desperately, her words slurred as a result of tiredness. "And some food," she added.

The man glanced at her. "You're not a Pokémon trainer?" Dawn was sick of being asked that question. She sighed and summoned up the energy to shake her head. "Well..." The security guard checked that the shutter on the doors was secure and gave the girl his full attention. "You could always try a Pokémon Centre. They might let you in even if you're not a trainer."

"Where...?"

"Just keep following this road. You'll find one around the corner."

"Thanks."

Dawn set off walking again, her bag hanging limply from her numb fingers and her hair clinging to her face. There had been a time, not so long ago, when she would never have allowed herself to look half as dishevelled as this. Now she didn't even know what she looked like, nor did she care. She just wanted to fall asleep. It can't be that far now, she told herself. Although her boots were sturdy and comfortable, she'd been walking for so long that she was sure she'd worn holes in their soles.

She knew the Pokémon Centre when she got there, simply because it was the only thing in sight that was still open. All of the other places were closed and barred. Widening her eyes at its welcoming light and its characteristic red roof, Dawn all but threw herself through the door and straight towards the counter where the pink-haired nurse put a hand to her mouth in concern.

"Oh, are you alright?" she asked urgently. "Is it an emergency?"

"I just need a bed and some food," Dawn murmured, feeling herself close to tears again. Whether or not it counted as an emergency, she wasn't sure.

"I'm so sorry," Nurse Joy said – and she truly did sound sorry. "This Pokémon Centre is very busy, being where it is. We're completely full tonight. There are a few more branches in Veilstone City, but – " She stopped abruptly; the girl in front of her had just collapsed onto the floor in tears. "Oh, no, please don't cry! I...I'll get you a hot drink and some food."

She wasn't supposed to abandon the front desk in case there was an emergency, but the reception room was empty for now. It was long enough for her to brew up some hot milk and bring it back along with a packet of cookies. They were from the staffroom, but it didn't matter. Nurse Joy gently helped Dawn to her feet and sat her down upon one of the chairs in the waiting room. She set the makeshift 'meal' down on the table and waited for the girl to calm down.

"There, that's better. Do your Pokémon need healing?"

"I don't have any Pokemon!" Dawn half-shouted. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Well, you're in a Pokémon Centre," Nurse Joy replied. She wasn't at all bothered by Dawn's tone of voice; she knew that she'd probably sound the same if she was that tired. "Speaking of which, I'll phone the others and see who's got a spare bed for the night."

By the time she returned from making her phone-calls, the glass was empty and the cookies half-gone. The poor girl was falling asleep in the chair. Joy felt guilty for waking her, but she wasn't allowed to just let someone sleep in the reception room overnight. Something about health and safety regulations. She was tempted to make an exception, but she knew that there was no substitute for a comfortable bed. She touched Dawn's shoulder lightly and the girl awoke with a start.

"There's a room at the Pokémon Centre on the east side of town," she said, "and you won't even have to share it with anyone."

"Hmm," Dawn replied, barely awake.

"And there's a bus that'll take you straight there. Come on, you'll have a bed in no time."

Dawn had very little energy left to move at all, so she didn't protest when the nurse bundled the rest of the cookies into her bag and led her outside. She was missing half of what was going on; her eyes kept closing, much against her will. Before she knew it, she was sitting directly behind the driver on a local bus, with Nurse Joy giving strict instructions from the roadside.

"I know you stop around there, so please make sure she gets off there. If you could actually see her into the Pokémon Centre, that'd be wonderful. This city isn't safe these days. Here..." The nurse paid for Dawn's bus ticket, plus a little extra for the driver's extra trouble. "Please take care of her. I don't think she's feeling very well."

The doors slid shut with an irritating squeak. Too tired to worry about missing her stop, Dawn slumped in the chair and tumbled into a deep sleep. Veilstone City must have been even bigger than she'd imagined, because the cross-city bus ride lasted nearly three quarters of an hour. She wasn't aware of this; she was practically unconscious, and even the driver found it difficult to wake her up.

"Hey, kid. Miss?" Shaking his head, the driver got out of his seat and stood over his sleeping passenger, unsure of what to do. "Hey!" He clapped his hands loudly. "This is your stop! Nurse Joy said you have to get off the bus here!"

"No," Dawn protested. By now she was lying across the width of the double seat. Her words were muffled against her sleeve.

"But...that's the Pokémon Centre, right there. That's where you're going, isn't it?"

Dawn blew out her breath in a mid-sleep sigh. "I don't have Pokémon," she said yet again.

"Fine. Suit yourself. This isn't part of my job description." The driver returned to his seat and the doors squealed shut once more.

Dawn smiled at the comforting rev of the engine as the bus rumbled away from what was supposed to be her lodgings for the night. She hoped that it would never end. But it did, of course. The driver had come to the end of his shift and was taking the bus back to the depot. Someone else would take it up again for the return journey back across town. As he left, the driver glanced over his shoulder at Dawn, still fast asleep. He couldn't just leave her there, but he knew better than to try to move her. So, as a compromise, he left a note for the next driver, saying that she needed to go back to the other Pokémon Centre. He'd never gone to so much trouble with a passenger before. Or he had, but they were usually older and drunker than this one.

*****

Barry had thought that the next time he visited Pastoria City, he would be settling in as an apprentice at Crasher Wake's Gym. But it was late, the Gym was closed for the night and Barry had so many other things on his mind. Sitting on the top bunk in a room at the Pokémon Centre, he'd emptied some things out of his bag, including Dawn's trainer belt. He sighed so quietly that nobody heard it, perhaps not even the inhabitants of those six Pokéballs. Well, two of them were absent, and Barry fell into a semi-trance as he wondered whether Shinx and Noctowl were still following Dawn. If Team Galactic had tried to kidnap her, those two would surely have done something to stop them, wouldn't they?

"Lucas? You still awake?"

"Yeah," Lucas replied quietly from the bottom bunk.

"Are you worried?" Barry leaned over the railings at the side of his bed. The other boy was reading by the light of a torch.

"Sort of." Lucas folded the edge of the page, closed the book and tucked it under his pillow. "Hey, do you know why Dawn went to Lake Acuity? I thought she was meant to go to Lake Valor."

"So did I. Maybe...she didn't think I was tough enough." Barry no longer wanted Lucas to be able to see his face, so he retreated back into his own bunk and lay back with a sigh, gazing up at the ceiling. "I never beat her," he muttered. "She's always been a bit better than me. Just a bit, though!"

"Yeah, she seems like a good trainer," Lucas said thoughtfully. "But you must be good, too. That's why the professor trusts you. Both of you."

"Not as much as he trusts you," Barry replied.

"I dunno. I mean, he sent you two off alone, but he came with me to Lake Verity. I don't think I'm that good, but...it'd be nice to think that I could do things on my own."

"If there's a showdown against Team Galactic tomorrow, I'll let you handle it."

"Hey!" Lucas prodded the underside of Barry's bed in protest.

"Just kidding," Barry added with a grin.

*****

Considering she'd only had about an hour's sleep on a rickety bus, Dawn felt a little more refreshed when she woke up. But the bus was deserted, its doors open and its lights out. It was a strangely eerie place to be, and Dawn couldn't wait to get out. She grabbed her bag, put it on her shoulder and got off the bus within seconds. Now she had to go through the rigmarole of finding out where she'd landed this time round. Gazing into the large garage nearby, she saw that it was filled with similar buses. In front of it, a few men in drivers' uniforms were talking in the shadows.

Dawn decided to ignore them and instead set off in the direction of an interesting-looking building across the road. In contrast to the dead, dark and grey surroundings, this place was brightly-lit, with shiny blue walls beneath a domed glass roof. Although it might not have been open to the public, Dawn scanned the numerous windows with her eyes and she was sure that she could see people's shadows moving around inside. It's a big place. They must have somewhere for me to rest.

She walked up the stone staircase and through the square towards the large building. The doors opened automatically and Dawn wandered into the foyer which was empty save for one girl sitting behind a secretarial desk. She had her back turned and was talking to someone on the phone, but Dawn had to stifle her own gasp at the sight of her distinctive hair. She's one of them! Looking around with a new sense of awareness, she recognised the yellow logo on the floor at her feet and wasn't sure whether to run or take the chance to explore.

She had to decide quickly: it sounded as if the girl behind the desk was about to finish her conversation. As she turned to replace the receiver, Dawn scurried noiselessly into the nearest doorway. Well, she thought, pressing herself against the wall, I'm here now. I might as well keep going.

*****

She'd had a busy day and was beginning to feel its effects, but Jupiter had no intention of going to bed yet. She was too excited, although she would never have shown it. Everyone else might have already locked themselves away for the night, but the very idea of going to sleep at a time like this seemed ridiculous. Saturn was in the laboratory, working as Charon's assistant, but Jupiter had no great interest in science. So, instead, she had resigned herself to patrolling the now-empty corridors. It was boring, but it gave her time to think about the immense changes that would begin tomorrow.

But it really is boring, she remarked silently, stopping at the end of the corridor this time to gaze out of the window. The Veilstone Building had great views. From here, someone could see right across the city; on a good day, they could even see as far as Lake Valor. Well, maybe not anymore, Jupiter thought with a smirk. She couldn't help but wonder what it looked like now – probably a lot less prettier than it had before the bomb – but seen as it was night-time, she couldn't see that far. In fact, most of the view was washed out by the interior lighting and her own reflection. And that of someone else, far behind her.

Jupiter turned around at once. A reflection was enough to tell her that the person she'd just seen was not wearing a Team Galactic uniform. She could barely believe her eyes; she was sure that she had to be hallucinating. Strolling down the corridor, pausing to gaze into doors and read the placards on the wall, was that perennial nuisance of a girl who had shown up at Lake Acuity. No, it can't be her. But it was. Aside from the absence of a hat and gloves, she was dressed the same. She looked a little scruffier than the last time Jupiter had seen her, but if she'd been travelling all day...

How did she get here in the first place? For a moment, Jupiter froze in horror. Had she, or some of her underlings, been followed all the way back from Lake Acuity? No, she told herself firmly. The kid wouldn't have the mind to do that. Especially not after... She recalled the day's events in their entirety and a wicked smile spread across her face. It didn't fade, not even when Dawn gazed straight down the corridor and saw her. For the Team Galactic Commander, it was a moment of triumph in itself. She had battled this girl before and she had lost. Now they were standing face to face again, but her would-be challenger no longer had any Pokémon with her. Perhaps she didn't even know that she'd ever been a trainer at all.

"But what does she know?" Jupiter muttered darkly under her breath.

Dawn had halted in her tracks. She was sure that she recognised the woman standing in front of the window just a matter of metres away, but she couldn't have said how or why. She still didn't feel scared, even though she had been dreading the prospect of running into someone as she explored the building, but she certainly felt wary. The atmosphere was inexplicably tense, as though there was some sort of stand-off that Dawn wasn't fully aware of She was glad when the woman broke the stalemate by beckoning her.

"Come here. Don't worry, you're not in any trouble."

Dawn took a deep breath and cautiously walked towards her. She stopped a few feet away – a safe distance, she thought – and her fingers danced nervously in her coat pocket. She shrugged a little, unsure of whether she should say something. She didn't like the look she was getting.

"What's your name?" Jupiter asked calmly, still smiling.

"Uh..."

It struck Dawn as a simple question – and a welcome change from people asking whether or not she had any Pokémon – but she simply couldn't answer it. She took a breath to speak, but her mind was blank. It was what Jupiter had been expecting. The commander's smile broadened even further and she had to shield her gleeful grin with one hand. This really is my lucky day. Disturbed by the amusement on her face, Dawn became defensive.

"Why do you want to know my name?" she demanded.

The flash of anger in her eyes almost made Jupiter laugh outright. She might have managed to erase this girl's memory, but there was still a lot of spirit left in her – which was good, because it meant that there was something to toy with.

"Really," Jupiter said, her smile becoming unpleasant. "Tell me your name. If you can remember it." A laugh escaped from between her teeth. "Oh, I knew it was you. This is just wonderful."

"I don't understand," Dawn whispered, the sparkle vanishing from her eyes as she gave in to her own confusion.

The commander checked her watch. It really was getting late. There was a lot of potential for fun here, but it would have to wait until another time. "You'll understand soon," she said. "Come with me."

She set off in the direction of the residential quarters, glancing over her shoulder now and again to make sure that Dawn was still in tow. The girl followed without a word, with just the occasional glare at Jupiter's back when she wasn't looking. She didn't really know who this purple-haired woman was, but Dawn had already decided that she didn't like her very much. Nevertheless, she dutifully followed her for what seemed like ages, until at last, they stopped outside one of the many identical doors. Commander Jupiter took a large set of keys from her belt, unlocked the door and stepped aside.

"Go on," she said quietly.

"Why?" Dawn asked.

"Aren't you tired?"

If there was one thing that Dawn definitely was, it was tired. This was enough to quell her suspicions. She pushed the door open and closed her eyes in blissful relief at the sight of a cosy room with a bed, a dressing table, a closet, even its own attached bathroom. At that moment in time, it seemed like she'd just walked into Heaven. Although she hadn't been invited to make herself at home yet, she sat down upon the bed and let her bag slip from her shoulder.

"Don't fall asleep," the woman said from the doorway. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."

She disappeared and Dawn clicked her tongue in annoyance. But her hostess was true to her word and returned quickly. This time, she entered the room and closed the door behind her. She was carrying something. It was on a coat hanger, but it was covered with a protective black plastic sheet that made it impossible to see what lay beneath it. Under the woman's other arm was a box, and on top of that, a pair of scissors. She tilted the box, letting the scissors slip onto the dressing table. Whatever was on the coat hanger, she hung it up in the closet and pulled out the chair from the table.

"Sit down."

Dawn wanted to point out that she was already sitting down, but something told her that it was probably best to obey. Swallowing hard to suppress the fear that was slowly rising in her throat, she rose from the bed and sat down in the chair. Within mere seconds, her hair had been pulled out from beneath the collar of her coat and cut to less than half its length. Despite the dressing table, there was no mirror in the room, but Dawn heard the scissors next to her ears and saw thick strands of her own hair falling onto her coat sleeves. She was too stunned to react.

"The alarm will go off at seven. Be ready by eight. I'll come to collect you myself."

The words barely registered in Dawn's mind. She stared down at the fallen hair on her coat sleeves and narrowed her eyes. "Who areyou?"

"You can call me Commander Jupiter."

Commander? So, she's in charge of me now? "But..."

"You won't be needing this anymore," the commander said, picking up Dawn's bag from where she'd left it on the bed. As she headed for the door, she glanced back at her newest recruit and felt a fleeting flicker of pity. "I know you haven't the faintest idea who you are or what's going on," she said, smiling in a way that was somewhere between malicious and sympathetic. "But I can tell you that you're just like the rest of us. You were born to serve a great leader. Sweet dreams."