Chapter 16
Nozomi could feel the determination rolling off of Blake as the small boy gained a one track mind, beginning a search for strength as he lived out his childhood in Goldenrod City.
"Goldenrod City." Was all Nozomi could say, watching the memory of Blake's first night in Goldenrod City start over from the beginning.
Nozomi left the room, entering all the ones she had skipped, watching Blake and Larvitar spend countless nights in Goldenrod City fighting Pokemon for what food they could find. During the day they would beg locals for food or try take what he could from stands set up in the streets, but this earned him more beatings then food.
At first Nozomi couldn't figure out what had the people acting so cold toward Blake and Larvitar, but as she thought about it some more, she realized that this was during the times when Team was first reestablishing itself in Johto. For the average person, this was the most dangerous time in Goldenrod City simply because of the dangers the people in black presented the community. While the organization never did any wrong to anyone, they unnerved the public, and made them suspicious of each other.
If only she had known Blake was in Goldenrod City after the fire, she could have saved him from all the struggles the people were dropping down on him.
Finally, Nozomi came to the room where she found Blake in a dire situation.
Nine year old Blake rested against the wall of a building in an alleyway, red faced and weak. Larvitar frantically ran into the alleyway, holding a half empty can of Pokemon food and a banana peel.
"Lar-Larvitar." It said to Blake, showing him the banana peel. Blake went through another coughing fit, producing deep, rough coughs that a child his age shouldn't be able to make before shaking his head.
"I can only eat what's inside the peel Larvitar." Blake said with a hoarse voice. Larvitar threw the banana peel to the side, showing Blake the Pokemon food. "That's for you Larvitar, save if for when you're hungry."
Larvitar placed the can on the ground, running out the alleyway again to continue it's search, leaving Blake who was huddled up again the wall of the building, trying to keep warm. After about an hour, Larvitar returned to the alleyway where it had left Blake, tightly holding the three oranges it had managed to get from the fruit stand owner.
While he had refused to give Larvitar any at first, Larvitar continued to interfere with the sales the owner was making until he finally grew tired of Larvitar's persistence. Chucking a few oranges at the Pokemon, it left after collecting three from the street, leaving a very irritated man to try and pick up all the business he had lost in an hour.
Upon its arrival, Larvitar found a young woman with Blake who was unconscious, her hand on his forehead. Instead of approaching the woman, Larvitar became aggressive, throwing one of the oranges it held at her.
"Oww." She mumbled, rubbing her cheek after she had been hit. She then heard a low growl in front of her, finding a small green Pokemon standing in between herself and Blake. "Let's see, this Pokemon is a...Pupitar...no, that's what it evolves into..."
The woman continued to ramble to herself for a few more moments before she snapped her fingers.
"A Larvitar." She exclaimed. "Listen Larvitar, your friend is really sick and unless he gets some medical attention soon, he'll die."
Larvitar remained where it was, glaring at the woman. Larvitar was still going to refuse, but when Blake began to cough again, Larvitar was forced to reconsider her offer.
"Larvitar." It said, stepping to the side for the woman to continue her examination of Blake.
"Alright Larvitar, I need to move his to a safer, healthier place for him to rest and get better." She said, slowly lifting Blake up from the ground. "My name is Lola and I want to take him to New Bark Town, would you like to come, Larvitar?"
Nozomi exited the room, looking back at the door she had just left. She could understand how Lola had taken the mother in figure in Blake's life after having nothing but Larvitar with him. But one question still remained. What happened in between the fire in Ecruteak City and Blake waking up in Goldenrod City. It was clear to her that he had been kidnapped, but there was still no explanation as to who took him, how they did it and why?
Nozomi turned to the hazy end of the hallway, beginning walk toward the wall that had blocked her off from the rest of Blake's memory.
'The wall must be the amnesia, its blocking Blake off from remembering, and its preventing me from seeing it.' Nozomi said to herself. Passing the first door where it showed Blake waking up in Goldenrod City, Nozomi hit the wall within two steps which put an end to her advance. 'Here it is.'
Nozomi placed both her hands on the wall, both of them gaining a greenish glow. Nozomi closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths to stay calm while she began to restore Blake's memory. The haze began to clear out of the hallway for a moment before it all came back together, hitting Nozomi in the torso which sent her flying backward. She was sent flying by this, from where she was currently standing all the way to the beginning of the corridor.
5/28/0046/Morning
Kimono Girls Estate
'Boy, they've been inside Blake-kun for a while. There must be a lot to fix.' Lana noted, watching as the girls sat around Blake in the same position they had started in yesterday only a blue dome had formed around them when they had entered Blake's mind space.
Lana noticed the dome flicker several times before it dissolved completely. Someone's focus had been broken while they were inside Blake, but before Lana could conclude who it was, Nozomi was sent flying. It was sudden, but the moment after the dome disappeared, Nozomi was thrown to the wall by an unseen force while her sisters looked up at her in confusion.
"Nozomi, are you okay?" Her sisters asked in unison while Lana ran over to the oldest of the Kimono Girls to see if she was alright.
"What happened in there?" Yumi asked, looking down at Blake who was still sound asleep on the floor.
"I can't bring him back." Nozomi muttered.
"What?"
"I found the problem but Blake himself won't let me fix it. He honestly believes that his family had abandoned him in his early childhood and he's locked off that part of his memory. He doesn't want to admit that his family didn't want him, so he treats it as though he never existed until that night he woke up in Goldenrod City." Nozomi explained sadly.
"Goldenrod City? What was he doing there?" Lana asked, looking over at Blake who was still out cold.
"I don't know, the part of his memory that might have the answer has been completely blocked off…he won't let me through, he won't even let himself through." Nozomi continued.
"So he was in Goldenrod City the whole time?" Rei inquired.
"No, a woman found him while he was sick and took him to New Bark Town." Nozomi went on, wiping away the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks. "He grew up in an orphanage, turning into that hollow shell Yumi saw when he entered the compound."
Lana crawled over to Blake, resting on her knees beside him.
"So he isn't coming back?" Lana asked in a monotone voice, staring down at him.
"Right now it's impossible." Nozomi replied with a nod.
"Well then, I'll make this Blake fall in love with me." Lana said to herself confidently, leaning forward. Lana lowered her lips toward Blake's, planning to steal a kiss while she could. Unfortunately, the teenage boy woke up at the moment.
"What are you doing?" Blake asked, giving her a blank stare since Lana's lips were about two inches away from his own. Lana jumped back, one hand on her chest since she was caught off guard by Blake.
"Don't do that Blake-kun!" Lana whined, going unnoticed by Blake who rose from the floor.
"Where am I?" Blake asked, looking at each of the Kimono Girls.
"Our house Blake-kun. You used to live here too." Miyu said, motioning to the entire room as if it was his own.
"I never lived here." He said, rising to his feet. Without a word, Blake began walking toward the exit of the room before noticing that the door had no knob for him to open it with. What kind of door didn't have a knob to open it?
"No!" Lana cried out, grabbing onto Blake's legs to before he could leave the room even though he wasn't clear as to how the doors opened and closed yet. "You're not leaving Blake-kun!"
Blake looked down at her and tried to muster up a glare, but it was like there was malfunction with his glare producing system in his brain whenever he looked at Lana. Quickly he looked away; continuing to search the door for a way to open it before the rest of the Kimono Girls except for Nozomi jumped onto him. All of them went down to the floor with a hard thud, Blake being at the bottom of the pile where he groaned in pain.
"Get off of me." Blake grumbled, struggling to move with the number of people he had seated on his back.
"Come on Blake-kun, you can't leave." Yumi said desperately.
"There must be something you need." Rei added before the rumble of Blake's stomach broke the short silence that had set in.
"Are you hungry Blake-kun?" Yumi asked, although she knew of the answer based on how he was back when he lived with them in Ecruteak City.
"Well he was always a bottomless pit." Hiroko muttered her breath.
"Hush Hiroko. We'll lay out a full meal for you Blake-kun." Lana said, trying to convince him to stay.
Even though Blake wanted to leave, there was no way he would pass off a free meal.
The Kimono Girls and Lana watched as Blake stuffed his mouth with as much food as he could fit it, swallowing most of it without chewing, three out of his four Pokemon keeping up with pace Blake had set while Kirlia ate at a much slower pace.
"I knew he ate a lot, but this kid could put a Snorlax to shame." Hiroko muttered, watching Blake stack up what appeared to be his seventh plate.
The girls watched him eat for another fifteen minutes at a high pace before he fell onto his back with a content yawn.
"Sheesh, your appetite got even bigger Blake-kun." Lana exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, sorry about eating everything. I haven't had a decent meal in a few weeks." Blake said, sitting up now.
"Why haven't you been eating?" Nozomi asked, getting a blank stare from Blake.
"That's none of your concern." Blake replied, glancing at Poliwhirl, Quilava and Larvitar who were now fast asleep on the floor while Kirlia sat quietly, finishing the small amount of Pokemon Food it in front of it.
"Blake, we're your onee-chans and it's our concern when you're not eating while traveling across the world." Yumi stepped in, watching Blake return his sleeping Pokemon to their Poke-balls.
"Even if you do know me, it's nothing you need to worry about." Blake said, nodding to Kirlia who had just finished its meal. Kirlia rose from the floor and jumped up onto Blake's shoulder. "Thank you for the meal, but I have places to go and people to beat, so enjoy the rest of your day."
Blake opened the sliding door to the room, failing to notice the silhouette of a body outside the door. As Blake took a step forward, he bumped into Stanly who was just about to enter the room.
"Oh, I'm sorry…Blake? What are you doing here?" Stanly asked, recognizing Blake from back in Violet City.
"You. I still didn't get the Charter for Cherrygrove City from you." Blake said, ignoring Stanly's question.
Before Stanly could reply, Blake felt a sharp jolt hit the back of his head.
"Oww, what the hell are you doing!" Blake shouted, turning around to see Yumi glaring at him. Blake returned the glare, holding the back of his head which Yumi had just hit.
"Blake-kun, address people properly when they greet you and answer a question that's directed at you." Yumi said. "I thought I taught you how to use your manners."
"I don't even know you!"
"Am I missing something here?" Stanly asked, unsure of what was going on.
"Sorry Stanly, this is Blake." Yumi said, introducing Blake.
"Oh, we've met before." Stanly replied. "How do you guys know each other?"
"Blake is the boy that disappeared that night." Hiroko said, getting Stanly's attention.
"No way, this is the King?" Stanly exclaimed, turning to Blake who was still glaring at Yumi.
"When am I going to get the Charter to Cherrygrove City?" Blake asked, directing his focus at Stanly now.
"I was wondering when I'd find you again so I always kept the Charter on hand in case I stumbled onto you while I was traveling." Stanly replied, beginning to look through the messenger bag he had slung over his shoulder. "Here it is."
"Good, now I didn't join Team Rocket for nothing." Blake said, accepting the signed document from Stanly.
"You what!" Miyu shouted, standing up abruptly. "Why did you join Team Rocket Blake-kun?"
"Whoa, whoa." Stanly jumped in, stopping Miyu in her tracks. "It was a special mission for the Pokemon Committee."
"What do you have him doing in the Pokemon Committee Stanly?" Nozomi asked. "He's only a teenager and you have him dealing with criminals."
"At first I would've said the same thing, but I saw Blake battle and he truly is a gifted trainer. I got a report from Shari explaining how much he advanced during his time in Azalea Town so I didn't question what might happen to him when dealing with Team Rocket." Stanly explained. "But now I have absolutely nothing to worry about since Blake is the King."
"We wouldn't be worried either, if he had his memories." Yumi said flatly, glancing at Blake who quietly rolled up the Charter he had just been given, placing it in his backpack.
"Wait, he can't remember anything?"
"Not a thing. We tried to restore his memory, but he blocked us out."
"Not even Lana could bring back his memory?"
"Nope, he can't remember a thing about me." Lana said before an idea flashed in her head. "What about Grace?"
"What about her?" Rei asked. "We still need to find her."
"Well they are brother and sister by blood, maybe she'll have a better chance at bringing Blake back then we did." Lana suggested.
"I don't have a sister." Blake said.
"Don't tell me…Does she have long black hair, really likes music?" Stanly asked.
"Exactly, how'd you know?" Nozomi asked, raising one eyebrow.
"I found a girl just like that in Goldenrod City a few years back. I brought her back to Indigo Plateau where she joined the Committee." Stanly explained. "Does that mean she has a Crest as well?"
Everyone but Blake gave Stanly a nod.
"So we're this close to finding all three of them again and now I've sent Grace into Team Rocket to help out Shari." Stanly said, looking up at the ceiling. 'But why didn't the Commissioner sense her Crest then?'
"So you don't know where Grace is right now?" Hiroko asked.
"No, I had no idea she had Crest the whole time." Stanly replied.
"She's at Mt. Mortar." Blake said, getting everyone's attention.
"How do you know Blake-kun?" Lana asked.
"When we came back from Olivine City, she told us that she was headed for Mr. Mortar to start training for the IBF Tourney." Blake explained.
"Alright Blake, go get her." Stanly said, getting a blank stare from Blake.
"No." Blake replied, heading for the exit of the room before coming to a complete halt because Lana had once again grabbed onto his legs to prevent him from leaving.
"Please Blake-kun?" She begged.
"Look, I have a lot of work to get started with so I have to get going." Blake replied.
"More important than your own sister?" Nozomi asked.
"I've never had any family so I don't know what you're talking." Blake responded.
"Alright Blake, but trust me, you're going to wish you went to find Grace." Stanly said, getting Blake's attention.
"And why's that?" Blake asked.
"If you went to find Grace and brought her back here, you would've learned a disturbing truth about your past." Stanly said since he knew he had captured Blake's curiosity. "Not to mention Mr. Mortar is filled with strong Pokemon that would be worthy opponents for you right now."
"Sorry, but you're going to have to better than that if you plan to persuade me into finding Grace." Blake said, causing Stanly to flinch.
"Sheesh Blake, I really hate trying to work with your type, but I guess I'll have to play one of my trump cards." Stanly said with a sigh, going through his bag once more. "I took this because I knew I'd have to work with you again in the near future."
Stanly pulled out a cyan colored stone out of his bag, with a seven point star on the top of it, the stone visibly glowing in daylight.
Kirlia jumped off Blake's shoulder, throwing itself at the stone. Stanly quickly raised his hand, moving it out of Kirlia's path which left the Pokemon with the option to hit the floor rolling.
"This is a Dawn Stone, as you probably know, it can make a male Kirlia evolve into a Gallade and your Kirlia seems to be obsessed with getting it." Stanly explained, using his foot to hold back Kirlia.
"Alright, you got me this time. I'll be back with Grace in a week." Blake said, returning his Kirlia who had abandoned its usual composure in a desperate attempt to get the Dawn Stone. 'Good, with that Dawn Stone, I'll have a Gallade and the first part of my team will be complete.'
As Blake exited the room, a purple creature dropped down from the ceiling onto Blake's head.
"Bagon!" It shouted as Blake removed it from his head.
"So you want to come along Ryuu?" Blake asked.
"Ba!" Bagon said, nodding to Blake.
"Alright. Let's get moving." Blake said, placing the Dragon-type Pokemon on his shoulder, leaving the Kimono Girls, Lana and Stanly.
"Did any of you notice that he called Bagon by the name he gave it when he was little?" Yumi asked.
"Yeah, but there's no telling what parts of his memory are totally buried, and what comes back up with a certain event." Nozomi said.
"Do you really think Grace can do it?" Rei asked.
"Probably, but that's assuming she hasn't lost her own memory." Yumi responded.