"Have you ever been to Nimbasa City?" Lyra asked as they walked along the road that led through a desert. Hot winds blew sand both ways across the road and he often had to keep a hand on Pitch to keep him from being blown away or else the little bird would dig his claws into his shoulder and he'd rather not deal with that.
"Nimbasa? I've heard about it. It's like the entertainment capital of Unova, right?"
"Yep! There have sports stadiums, arenas, movie theatres and even an amusement park. Nimbasa and Castelia are almost considered the Twin Cities because they're so close to each other. Castelia is just the center of the business world," Lyra said.
"An amusement park sounds like fun!"
"Sounds like fun? You make it sound like you've never been to one before? What kind of place do you live in?" Iris asked. He chuckled as Pitch let out a terrified chirp, not pleased about being pelted by the wind and sand.
"Well Johto—"
"It's a bit of an old fashioned place," Lyra said, finishing his sentence for him. "Maybe in a few years they'll come around but the biggest thing we have for entertainment is the Pokeathelon. It's nice but I know Unova has us beat!"
"I don't mind it actually."
"H-h-huh?" Lyra asked. "W-well I guess I see your point too!"
"But didn't you just say—"
"I was just saying that I could see his point too."
Iris shrugged. He looked off to the side and thought he saw a pair of eyes duck into the sand. He stopped in his tracks. "Hey, I thought I saw something. Perhaps it's another Pokemon?"
"Well duh! What do you think it—"
Pitch fired off a chirp in Iris' direction and he could only smile at him for causing Iris to shut up. "Ethan, do you really think we should—"
"What kind of Pokemon lives here?" He asked as he looked over at Iris. She shrugged.
"Well let's see…there is the little sand crocodile named Sandile, a fire monkey named Darumaka…or something like that! I'm trying to think what else…"
As she went on, a small beige crocodile with black stripes along its back, a pink belly and eyes that looked like a pair of sunglasses popped out of the sand and glanced over at him. "If it lives in the sand, I guess it'd be a ground type. Ugh, I don't have a water or grass type with me!"
He felt Lyra grasp his arm. "That's okay. We can just come back another time and catch one. Maybe even just the two of us."
"Seriously, are you gonna get distracted by every little Pokemon you think looks cool or something? It's like you've never seen a Unova Pokemon before!"
He was going to answer but Pitch let out a string of angry chirps in her direction and she looked a bit taken aback by him. Once he was done, he pat him on the head. "Like Pitch said, I only have five Pokemon anyway. One more would—"
"But Sandile is ground and dark! You already have a dark Pokemon, right? Why would you use another one?" Iris asked.
"Oh, he's part dark too? That sucks, he looks pretty cool too. I guess I'll have to pass—"
Lyra tugged on his sleeve. "Don't worry about it E! You've already told me about your team and I know of some Pokemon you could use! Just leave it to me!"
Pitch let out a chirp, reminding him who he promised to leave a spot on his team for and he chuckled. Lyra looked at him, a bit confused and he waved her off, while also freeing his arm, again. "Oh, Pitch just reminded me I need to leave a spot on my team for a Poison—"
"Poison? Of all the types, you would save a spot for that?" Iris asked. "Why would you use a Poison type anyway?"
He laughed. "Well what do you think?"
"Please tell me you're kidding."
He looked over at Lyra and shook his head. "No, why should I?"
She looked away. "Oh, never mind."
"Maybe I'll catch a Sandile another time, he looks pretty cool."
"Pretty cool? Is that how you pick Pokemon, by how they look? Why would you even do that? You're like a kid!" Iris said.
He suddenly shot a glare in her direction. "A kid that helped take down Team Rocket once before, beat Giovanni and is considered the third best trainer in two regions."
As they arrived on the fringes of Nimbasa, he saw nothing but Team Rocket members walking around. They ducked behind a nearby building and he peeked around the corner. "It's like a Team Rocket convention out there."
"I don't get it, why are they out here in Nimbasa?"
"I guess Team Rocket needs to entertain themselves too."
"Is that supposed to be some sort of stupid joke?" Iris asked. Pitch let out a chirp; nice to know he was thinking the same thing as him. "What did he say?"
"He says you're being a brat."
"That stupid bird! I bet he won't be talking so much after he meets one of my dragons!"
He let out a sigh. "You do that and I'm sure Sam would come to his defense. Can we please drop this and figure out how to get in?"
"Well, wouldn't it be smart just to steal some uniforms?" Lyra asked. He looked over at her and nodded.
"Yea, that's probably the best but—"
"Then don't worry, I have some with me!"
"You…do?"
Lyra nodded as she set down her bag and opened it. "Yes, I've done a little undercover work on them myself and swiped a few uniforms while I was at it. I've just kept them on me, just in case."
"How many do you have?"
"Enough!" She said as she took out several uniforms. She tossed one to him. "I think that should fit you. I think the one I have is a bit big for Iris but oh well."
He looked at it, remembering the last time he had put on a Team Rocket uniform. It hadn't gone very well and he wasn't all that eager to put it on again. He noticed Lyra and Iris shooting him a curious look and he laughed. "Ha-ha, don't mind me. I was just thinking. Let's split up. At first I was thinking we could just go to the gym but with all these Team Rocket people around, I think we need to investigate a bit. There maybe some important Team Rocket people around."
"Split up? But—"
"It's for the best. I'm sure you two can handle yourselves. Let's meet back here in about an hour and a half."
To keep his disguise honest, he had to return Pitch back to his ball. Pitch protested for a bit but eventually relented when he promised he'd let him out eventually. Just in case he got captured, he decided to hide it under his cap, just to be safe. He had to chuckle as he entered the amusement park after noticing quite a few Team Rocket people had their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, he decided to let Dodger out for once. Instead of sitting on his shoulder, Dodger decided to waddle along side him, pleased as peach to be out and about. He stared up at the enormous Ferris wheel that seemed to be the highlight of the amusement park. "Look at that Dodger, I think that would be pretty cool to ride on."
Dodger let out a quack. "Huh? Not now! We've got stuff to do! Maybe another time we can ride it! I don't think Mika would go for it but maybe Jasmine would."
A Team Rocket guy stopped them as they walked past a popcorn stand. "Hey, I got a question for you."
"Huh? Oh sure, what is it?"
"Have you seen some people walking around? Non Team Rocket people?"
He shook his head. "No but could you give me a description? I bet I could keep an eye out for them!"
"Eh well I'm sure you know what Ethan looks like, right? We know he was supposed to be showing here. Archer is looking for him."
"So he can defeat him?"
The guy shook his head. "I don't know yet but Archer wants to meet with him. Who knows what he wants but if you do see him, you are to take him to Archer at once!"
"Of course!" He said. He looked over at Dodger and they kept walking. "Red carpet treatment? I wonder what Archer wants?"
Dodger let out a quack and he shook his head. "What? I don't think he'd want to meet about perhaps packing up and leaving. Not a chance. He's gonna—"
He wasn't watching where he was going and bumped into someone. He stumbled back and noticed he had bumped into a female Team Rocket member. "Oh, sorry! I was a bit distracted and wasn't paying attention!"
He dusted himself off and tipped his cap to her. Actually it appeared to be two female Team Rocket members and the one behind her was grasping her by the shoulders and pushing her forward. She looked up at him and he realized it was Jasmine behind the mask. "Huh, what are you—"
"Hey you two, let's get off the sidewalk!" The other one said and he realized it was Homika. What were they doing here, together? Homika grabbed his hand and led the two of them away. Darn it, did they have to do this now? Homika led them away from the hustle and bustle of the amusement park and to some benches off to the side. She sat the both of them down and smiled. "Good—"
"What are you two doing here? I thought you were working with Skyla and that water gym leader?"
"I dragged her out here for an important reason. And…she's working with you from now. I'm…going back to my studio."
"But—"
Homika shook her head. "No, you aren't going to change my mind E. I'm only going to end up hurting you in the end so…"
"Wait Homika—" Jasmine said but Homika held out her hand to stop her.
"No. I'm sorry E but it's for the best. Besides, I brought Jasmine out here because she needs to tell something to you."
"I-I-I do?"
Homika nodded and began to walk away but Jasmine jumped up and grabbed her by the hand. "Hey, what are you—"
"Sit down," she said as she forced Homika to sit down next to him. He and Dodger exchanged a look.
"Jasmine, what are you doing? I'm—"
"Ethan…would you…ummm…"
Homika sighed. "How hard can it be? All you have to do is tell him that you like him more than just a friend—opps."
Jasmine turned bright red. So is this why Homika had dragged her out? Wait; did that mean that all that time when Erika teased him about the two of them…it was actually true? Homika stood up and sat Jasmine back down again. "Ethan, I…"
"Is that true?"
"Y-y-y-yes."
Ugh, now what? If he rejected her, then what? Isn't this what he always wanted, to know that she would like to be more than friends? He had always thought that wasn't the case but now he had his answer. "What are you…waiting for Ethan?" Homika asked. She sounded pretty choked up but kept forcing a smile.
"Well…I…don't know what to say."
Homika let out a sigh. "L-look Jasmine, I'll…save you the trouble. He feels the same way. Ethan, I want you to be with Jasmine instead. I know she'll treat you a lot better than I ever could and…it would really make me happy if you two got together. You both deserve it."
Jasmine looked back at him and then back at her. She began to open her mouth and seemed to think better of it. She gathered herself and let out a sigh. "Ethan…I…"
He took her hand and she turned bright red. "Jasmine…umm…how do I say this? I do like you…more than a friend but…can we just stay like that?"
She smiled, causing him to feel quite a bit of relief. "Yea, me too. I'm honored you feel the same way about me as I do for you but I can't do it either. So are we still best of best friends?"
"Of course! You had to ask—"
"Are you two f***ing kidding me? You've…you've been crushing on each other for the longest…you are the closest of friends and—"
"Homika, you're still hopelessly in love with him, aren't you?"
"So? I'm—"
"You really impressed with how far you were willing to go to make him happy. You've really improved a lot and I think you two should really be together."
"But…but…"
She got up and grasped Homika by the shoulders. "I trust you. And you really do care for him. Maybe more than I ever could."
"Liar! And…and…I don't know what to say."
"Well…you two could kiss and make up," she said as she sat Homika down next to him. "I think I'll leave you two alone, is that okay?"
"You two make even a double rejection sappy."
Jasmine laughed as she walked off. Homika grumbled and rubbed the back of her head. Dodger quacked at him and he laughed. "Dodger says you don't need to make it elaborate."
"Did he really say that?"
He shrugged. "Nah."
She sighed. "Well…now I have to think of how I'm gonna say my apology. I was planning to leave and go to the studio…find a use for those guitar strings of mine—"
"What?"
She looked up at him and smirked. "Nothing, nothing! I…really am sorry for how I handled that how Lyra thing. Even if I didn't trust her, I should have been more patient and tried to explain it instead of snap and threaten to slug you. The worst part of it was…I think I liked trying to be the nice girl for once. It made me a bit more relaxed and calm. Sure there was stuff that annoyed me…like that bratty Iris but I think I could have found ways to deal with it instead of snapping and becoming a psycho."
"That's okay, I forgave you anyways—"
"What, already? So then…"
He laughed. "I was just wondering if you would come back."
Homika folded her arms. "Yea…that wouldn't have been right for you to come to me. Well, I'm happy that you still want to be with me, even with all my flaws," she said. She reached over and hugged him around the neck.
"Ack…could you let me breathe."
"Oh, sorry!" She said as she let him go. She tapped her chin. "Hey, where is Lyra?"
"We split up so she's somewhere in town. Why?"
Homika jumped to her feet. "That…jerk can't be trusted! This time I've got proof! I overheard her talking with someone from Team Rocket and she knew about the trap in Icirrus City that nearly caught Jasmine, Marlon and Skyla!"
"Huh?"
Homika pumped her fist. "And she was planning to turn over Iris to them as well!"
He and Dodger exchanged a look. "But…why? She didn't seem like the type—"
"Exactly, I bet that is what she counted on."
"But…what about me? If she was planning to turn over everyone else to Team Rocket…"
Homika leaned forward. "She creeps me out. Maybe she isn't crazy…no, she is crazy! She seems to be only motivated by her obsession with you. She was willing to get all of us out of the way so only the two of you could take on Team Rocket."
He leaned back on the bench. "Well…she was always a bit clingy. And I think I did notice how she always seem interested in just staying with me and finding a way to send Iris away or keep her distracted—"
"Right! We need to find her and—"
"Well…let me talk with her."
She frowned. "Are you sure about that? I don't really trust her alone with you! What if she discovers that you know she can't be trusted? I bet she'd probably just…I don't know what she'd do now that I think about it but if we have to confront her, all of us should be there!"
He folded his arms. "Well…"
She put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, I understand. Or maybe I don't but I think I know what you're feeling. You're a nice guy, too nice sometimes and maybe even a little naïve. You probably haven't had many people turn out to be different than what you expected. I have…and it f***ing sucks!"
"Yea…"
She smiled. "Trust me, just don't confront her alone! Trust me on this one!"
He and Dodger exchanged a look. "Well…okay. We're supposed to meet back at the entrance of town…in about an hour. We can do it there."
"Good! So…you all split up?"
"Yea, to investigate. I didn't expect them to take over an entire town already. I figure there might be a few Team Rocket executives around and if we could capture them, that would help out."
"Okay, sounds like a plan! I can't wait to show up Team Rocket!" She said as she ran off. He watched her leave and looked at Dodger.
"Well, should we be going then?"
He and Dodger came across the Nimbasa Gym, though it didn't look much like a gym and more like the entrance to bumper cars. When he stepped inside, he saw that it really was like bumper cars, in a way. The floor had tracks where the bumper cars traveled along, moving you to another part of the room. He imagined there had to be some sort of system where you had to take on a few trainers before getting to the gym leader. He did notice that it was pretty empty. All the lights were still on but that was about it. "I thought they had taken over most of the gyms? Maybe since they took over the entire town, they didn't need to take this over."
Dodger let out a quack and he nodded. "Yea, I think it'd be awesome to navigate this gym and take on the gym leader but maybe another time."
Dodger let out another quack and he laughed. "Oh I guess I misunderstood you. You think we should check it out anyway? Hmm, I guess. If there is a back room, maybe we'll find something."
He hopped into one of the bumper cars that stopped nearby and it sped along and dumped him off at another part of the gym. It took him a little bit of time, pressing all the annoying switches to get around but soon he was at the back door. He looked at Dodger and grumbled. "That took too much time! I don't think I'll have a lot of time to waste here before we have to go back. I hope this was worth it!"
He let out a quack of apology but Ethan just reached over and pat him on his head. "It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm not annoyed at you, more at the layout of this gym. I hate it when they design gyms like this."
He opened the backdoor and it looked like he had stepped inside a disco club. There was a large disco ball in the middle of the ceiling and colored lights all around. Music boomed from the corner speakers and he and Dodger could only look at each other. "I thought she's supposed to be a model! Models are supposed to be like…I don't know, in touch with the trends. Didn't disco die years ago?"
He walked in a bit more and folded his arms. "This is pretty crazy. Hah, Wiggler would love it here. I could only imagine him grabbing the mike and belting out a tune. Probably a bad one at that."
Dodger let out a surprised quack and he looked over at him. "Huh, what was—" He said before he felt something hit him in the back of the head really hard and he blacked out.
"Ugh…my head," he said as he finally awoke. His head still felt like someone was taking a hammer to the inside of his head and he tried to lean over but felt himself tied up. Tied up in a chair, in a darkened room. "Now where am I? Dodger?"
"I'm so sorry."
"Huh? Hey, where am I?"
"You're not in Unova anymore."
Even with his headache, he could recognize that voice. "Huh, Lyra? What are you doing."
"I'm really sorry."
"If you're so sorry, why am I still tied up?"
A light turned on and she stepped into the light, having lost her Team Rocket disguise. She had her hands behind her back and had an apologetic look on her face. He tried to get out of the ropes but she had tied them good and tight and moving his head only caused him more pain. She walked over to him and stroked his cheek. "Please don't do that. You're probably still suffering from a headache and it'll only make it worse."
He glared at her. "At least tell me why I'm tied up."
She got on her knees and looked up at him. "Trust me, it's for your safety. If I didn't have to do it…I wouldn't."
"My safety…what are you talking about."
She got to her feet and walked away. "I'm talking about her…"
"Huh?"
She stomped her foot. "I'm talking about Homika! Why did you accept her back into the group? She's nothing but bad news!"
"Are we still arguing about this? I'm sure we have more important things to worry about, like Team Rocket. And speaking of Team Rocket, I heard a little rumor that you were working with them."
"A little rumor, you mean from Homika perhaps?"
"Well I won't name names—"
She walked back over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "E, I would never betray you. Never ever! How could I work with Team Rocket when they want to destroy you."
He shook his head. "I want to believe you but—"
"But?"
"I trust Homika a bit more than I trust you, especially since I've known her longer."
"But she didn't want me in the group before and you welcomed me! I even stopped her from striking you! So now, you've suddenly changed your tune."
He chuckled. "That was before she told me she overheard you speaking with someone from Team Rocket. It seemed you knew about the trap in Icirrus City that almost had Jasmine and the others but Homika stepped in and stopped them. And she said you also were planning to hand over Iris to Team Rocket as well."
She shook her head. "She only said that because she's jealous. She's prone to that. Why would I try to betray your friends to Team Rocket? I know how important your friends are to you and that's the last thing I would want to do. Don't you trust me?"
"I'm not sure I can—"
She touched his hand and smiled at him. "So…what can I do to earn your trust?"
"Untying me would help. We still have—"
"I can't do that. Not yet."
"Why? You still haven't told me where we are and why I have to be tied up? Wasting time here."
She let out a sigh. "We're in Sinnoh. And I have you tied up…because you'll only go back to her and she'll hurt you again and I'm really afraid what will happen if that happens. You're a really kind person but…a bit naïve and something like that…"
"You make it sound like you've known me a bit longer than you let on," he said with a laugh.
"Because I have. I knew you since you were a kid. You used to love riding your skateboard on the routes in and around New Bark. You loved speeding past the Pokemon in the field, teasing them as you went by, daring them to attack but not being quick enough to catch you. You never had an interest in becoming a serious trainer or even someone good enough to become a Champion. You never saw me but I was often following you behind, admiring you so much. It was so great to know there was someone out there who wasn't interested in becoming a trainer."
"Wait…what, how do you know about that?"
She walked over to him and sat down in his lap, cradling her arms around his neck. "I already told you silly, you didn't notice me because I was usually following behind you. I was too shy to try speak with you so I had to content myself with that."
"Yea but—"
"And then my cousin Crystal…she dragged you away. Dragged you away on her journey to become the Champion."
"I wouldn't say she dragged me. I kind of made the choice myself to tag along—"
"After she convinced you to. If she hadn't, you would have never left on that journey. You would have gone on to do something else but it wouldn't involve trying to become the Champion. And…I would have gained the courage to talk to you," she said. She sighed and looked at him.
"Well perhaps you're right but—"
"But things can be different, I know it! Tell me, before Homika told you those lies, did you enjoy being with me? Wasn't I everything you've wanted?"
Ugh, he really didn't want to answer that. He wasn't even sure what to think. "I…don't know."
She giggled and tugged on his neck, bringing their faces closer. "Silly, you know. You really did like me, though I have to apologize for being a bit too affectionate. I know it was a bit too much but I was just so happy to be with you again. It's been too long and I didn't want to lose you again, you know?"
"Yes but—"
"But I know just the thing!" She said as she let go of his neck and hopped off his lap. "I know I can't change what happened, it's in the past. However…if I got you to forget all those bad things…"
"Forget? How do you plan to do that? And what if I don't want to—"
"It's for your own good E! Won't you trust me?"
He laughed. "Well getting me to forget stuff means you're probably going to hit me in the head again."
"I'm sorry—"
"If you are, please let me go. We really don't have—"
"Trust me, this won't take long. Then we can go back and show Team Rocket who is boss. You won't remember Homika, Jasmine or anyone else for that matter."
That caused his head to clear up in an instant. "Wait, what? What are you about to do?"
"They're awful but one of the first Pokemon Team Rocket experimented on…was a Hypno. I think they were wondering if a Pokemon that could feed off dreams, could also feed off the memories of others as well. It was a pretty interesting study. They were hoping to do it to get formidable trainers on their side but called it off when they realized it wasn't going like they wanted."
"Wiping my memory?"
She giggled. "Yes, it's the only way to save you. It won't hurt and—"
"But…if you're in love with me, how do you know I'll still turn out to be the same person if my memory is gone?"
She looked at him, mouth open. "H-huh, but—"
"What if I turn out to be someone you hate? Then what will you do?"
She shook her head. "You won't turn into someone I hate. You can't! It won't happen!"
"So you've done this before?"
"N-no."
"Oh."
"But from what I read, it shouldn't happen. You'll be okay; you just won't remember much of anything. And that's fine. It's better that way."
"I like my memories though. Why are you doing this? If you really cared for me, you would be happy, regardless who I'm with or what not. And you aren't getting me to trust you if you're trying to wipe my memory."
She sighed. "I'm sorry but I can't let you go back either."
"Yea but they'll get worried and try to find me. And then what?"
She laughed. "I can handle them just fine. They aren't going to take you away from me, not after all I've done."
"You think I can trust you after all of this?"
"N-no. Not at all. I-I really am crazy. Crazy about you. I don't care if you aren't the same person after I wipe your memory, I'll still be with you even when no one else will."
She walked away and he tried to struggle again. As he did, he felt something rolling around on his head and remembered he had left Pitch's ball underneath his hat. He tossed his head forward, causing the cap to fall off, along with the Pokeball. It fell on its button, summoning Pitch at once. Pitch flew out and let out a chirp of surprise. "Hey, quiet it down and get me free okay?" He said in a hushed tone.
"What was that? It sounded like a bird," Lyra said. Pitch flew behind him and began to tear away at the ropes. She walked back over. "What was that sound—hey, where did this Pokeball come from?"
Pitch cut loose the ropes around his arms and fluttered down to take care of the ropes around his ankles. "Huh, oh that Pokeball? Isn't it yours? I think you dropped it."
She looked at it and picked it up. "Huh, I don't remember dropping a Pokeball though. I would have noticed if I did."
"Pokeballs are pretty light though. I've had some drop from my belt a few times and if I hadn't heard it fall, I might have missed it."
She looked it over a few times and her eyes lit up. "Hey, wait a minute…the button isn't lit. This is empty! I don't carry empty Pokeballs on me," she said, just as Pitch cut the ropes around his ankles free and he folded his arms across his chest. She looked over and noticed as Pitch returned to his usual perch. "W-w-where did he come from? I thought I took all your Pokeballs away, I know it!"
He picked up the cap off the ground and put it back on his head. "I'm not about to tell you where I hid him. You just didn't do a good enough search!"
She began to back away. "I-I…ahh…"
He walked up to her and pointed a finger in her face. "Now can I get my Pokemon back, along with my Pokedex and my phone?"
She shook her head. "N-no!"
Pitch let out a furious chirp but he looked at him and laughed. He looked back at her. "If you don't, I hate you forever."
"N-no. Please don't hate me! I really didn't mean any harm, I just…just—"
"Well…if you want to go back to earning my trust and maybe…maybe getting on my good side, you'll give me back my stuff and let me free. That's the only way I might think about trusting you again."
She looked down at the ground, not answering him for a bit. Pitch wanted him to yell at her but he had a better idea. He reached over and propped up her chin with his fingers. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. "Will you?"
"I…will you really trust me again if I do?"
He let go of her chin and folded his arms. "Maybe but we won't know until you give me my stuff back and let me go."
"Ahhh…okay."
Well that wasn't too hard. She walked away and soon returned with a small backpack that resembled his old one. She opened it up and he could see some Pokeballs inside, along with his phone and Pokedex. He took it and she smiled at him. He didn't feel like returning the gesture. "Thanks…now how do I get back to Unova?"
"I…don't know. I used a flying Pokemon to get here…but I let it go. You'll have to get back another way. I'm sorry."
"Yea…that's what you keep telling me."
"I…really am. Please don't hate me…I'm sorry. Just don't hate me."
He looked at Pitch and sighed. "I don't think I can really hate anyone. You just aren't my favorite person right now."
They left the building and found themselves in the middle of a snowstorm. To his relief, the wind wasn't blowing all that much but it had been so long since he had been in the stuff, not since he was last in Sinnoh. Too bad no one remembered about it. Pitch let out a chirp. "Yea, it is pretty cold but Sinnoh is like that. Be glad you haven't been to Mount Coronet, the snowstorms are even worse up there!"
They walked along for a while until they entered what looked like a large snowfield. To the east he could see the mountain range that split Sinnoh down the middle, though they resembled foothills more than mountains. Then it began to dawn on him. "Hey, I think I remember where we are. In fact, we aren't all that far from Snowpoint!"
Pitch let out a chirp and he laughed. "Oh it's a town in Sinnoh, covered in snow. I know you aren't a fan of it but like I said, Sinnoh is a lot colder than everywhere else. We can take a boat from there and get to a city to the south where we can catch a flight…or something back to Unova."
They walked by a large log cabin but as he began to shiver, he decided to go back. He remembered quite a few cabins set up where trainers could warm up in since the snowfield was so large. He walked over to the door, just as it opened and Maylene stepped out. "Oh, hi. Do you need to rest inside?"
"Yea, it's a bit too cold for me. I forgot how chilly it could be here."
Maylene looked back inside the cabin. "Uh, Candice? A trainer wants to use the cabin now," she said. He sighed as she referred to him just as a trainer. It would have been nice if anyone but him and a few others remembered what happened in the changed world but it seemed that just wasn't the case. She looked back at him and frowned. "You know…I have this sinking feeling that we've known each other before."
"Oh…well I think we've battled once before—"
"Well…no. I mean I don't usually remember trainers I've battled but I mean I…hmmm, so weird. I wonder…"
"Huh, a trainer? It's been awhile since we've had any new trainers coming through. It's like they've all become a bunch of cowards! It's only a little snow!"
Candice hopped out of the cabin, beaming with pride. "Well I don't know. I think he's new but I swear we've met."
She looked up at him. "H-huh? You know, I usually don't forget a face but I feel like I don't know you and yet…I do? Ahh Candice, you're so silly!"
Pitch and him exchanged a look. "Well…" he began to say before he decided to shut up. Yea they had met before, in fact the three of them along with Volkner and Flint were the ones who had stopped Team Galactic and returned things to normal. And all of them had a pretty touching goodbye when they realized they might not remember their adventures when the world returned to normal. She had even given him a goodbye kiss. He chuckled. "I was just one of those trainers who came through, challenging all the gyms and such."
"You did? I would remember. Candice has an awesome memory! I don't forget trainers! I…just don't remember that Pokemon you have with you. What is it?"
"He's from Unova actually. He's a Rufflet but I call him Pitch. I had another team once upon a time, and my main Pokemon was a Wigglytuff named Wiggler."
Candice and Maylene exchanged a look. She folded her arms, growing silent for a bit. Maylene laughed. "Wow…well you've done what I can't do. Get Candice to be quiet."
"She really seems more like a fire type gym leader than ice."
"You got that right but you know how…hard it is to calm her down?"
"Hey, why are you two talking about me, behind my back? Except when I'm like…facing the both of you? Candice thinks that's a bit rude!"
Maylene sighed and put her face in her palm. "Nothing."
Candice pointed her finger at him. "You know May, I do think I remember him…I know I should remember him but somehow I don't. And I hate that! Candice isn't that forgetful!"
Pitch let out a chirp with a phrase only Mika would say and he laughed. "Don't worry about it. Sorry to bother you two. I need to rest up a bit and then figure out how to get back to Unova."
She put her hands on her hips, "Well old friend who Candice doesn't remember but knows she should…what were you doing out in Unova?"
"Well…trying to stop Team Rocket for one."
Maylene sighed. "I thought they had been defeated. Wait…weren't you the one who helped to defeat them? If they're back, that means you didn't do a good enough job, right?"
"Giovanni is just that determined. They've taken over the Pokemon League, most of the gyms and even an entire city! Me and my friends have been trying to turn them back ever since, making slow but steady progress."
"Then…what are you doing out here?"
Pitch and him exchanged looks. "A long long story. I don't feel like going over it," he said. He looked over at Candice and notice she seemed to be struggling, like she had a headache or something the way she had her hand in her forehead. Maylene noticed too and looked over at her friend.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine! Just fine. Go on, don't worry about me!"
Maylene shrugged and turned back to him. "Team Rocket? You know…now that I think about it, I heard a rumor about someone saying they saw a Team Rocket member to the southwest of here."
To the southwest? Well that wasn't from where he had come from. "Really?"
"Yea but it was just a rumor floating around. No one believed it since we all figured Team Rocket was dead. Now that you've said they're back…"
"You know…maybe we should check that out."
"We?"
He laughed. "Well I mean me and my team. It's worth looking into, at least while I'm here."
"You haven't even told us your name!" Candice said. It looked like she was doing better.
"Oh, it's Ethan."
"Urgh…why…oh why can't I scratch that itch? I hear that name and I know I should remember and yet I can't! It's super, utterly annoying! I almost want to Hyper Beam a boulder!"
"You're hopeless," Maylene said while he laughed.
"Don't worry about it! Just thinking about it has me pumped! Thanks for the tip, I'm gonna go check it out!"
"Wait, hold up! Cut the phone! Stop the bus! Disable the Run Away button! Candice is gonna shoot you a Mean Look!"
"What?" Ethan and Maylene said together. She laughed and put her hands on her hips.
"Well Ethan, old friend which I have trouble remembering, do you mind if we tag along? I think if we help you out, maybe I can remember! And if criminals are involved, we can give them the one two KO!"
Pitch let out a chirp, wondering if she was always that crazy but before he could answer him, his phone rang. "Umm, could you two hold on for just a minute?"
"Yea," Maylene said.
He nodded and walked away a few yards before answering it. "Hel—"
"Ethan, where are you?" Homika yelled into the phone. He winced a bit.
"A little quieter please, my head still hurts."
"Your head?"
"You can thank Lyra for that one. I'm not in Unova anymore."
"What?"
"I'm in Sinnoh, she dragged me there. I guess she intended to keep me there, at least until she could wipe my memory and stuff."
"E, I know I'm trying to mellow out…but I'm so gonna kill her. I'm gonna take my electric guitar—"
"Please don't. I was able to talk her into letting me go. Maybe if we just leave her alone, she'll retain her sanity. Or something."
She grumbled. "Well…whatever. If you say so, I still hate her. So you're stuck in Sinnoh, I take it that you'll be over there a bit until you find a way back?"
"Oh I've been here before so I know how I can get back. It will take a little time so I trust you girls can hold down the fort while I'm away. I'm actually following up on a lead here, maybe another Team Rocket operation. Just a rumor but I figure while I'm stuck here, I might as well look into it."
"Well…okay. We'll manage over here. I just…oh never mind. I'm glad you're okay, I was really worried. Please don't tell me you tried to confront her—"
"She knocked me out and kidnapped me. I wasn't even looking for her. I was exploring the gym and she ambushed me."
"So I guess you've got some help over there?"
"Yea, a couple of gym leaders."
"A couple of girl gym leaders."
"H-huh?"
Homika chuckled. "All right my playboy. We'll manage over here," she said. He hung up a bit later and then walked over to the duo. "So that's that."
"Who was that?"
"Oh, just Homika—"
"You mean that crazy rock star? You know her?"
He laughed. "You could say that."
Candice shook her head. "You know a lot of interesting people. Team Rocket, us and even that loony rock star."
"And you of all people call her loony," Maylene said.
"Have you seen her on stage? Drinking blood, burning her guitar and pretending she's summoning spirits from the flames or humping her guitar while—"
"Too much information Candice!"
"Well I didn't know about some of that stuff. I'm going to have to ask her. So you two want to help?"
Maylene shrugged. "Eh…sure. This does take place in Candice's area so we kind of have to check into it as gym leaders."
"Lance will give us a tongue lashing if we let a Johto trainer handle things that we should be looking into. And he's a scary guy!"
"But you have Ice Pokemon."
"But he's a Champion…you know how much they like to cheat! He's hacked his Pokemon so they all have fire attacks, even the ones that can't learn them! Cand—I mean I know from experience."
Maylene let out a sigh. "Can we just get going? Once she gets started…"
"Has she always been like this? I think I remember—"
"Nah, for some reason, she's gotten worse. She used to do it for fun but sometimes she just talks nonsense. I really can't remember what caused her to go off on these tangents."
"Huh, interesting."