"UP AND AT 'EM!" Loudrid screamed in my ear before leaving the room.

I groaned, rubbing away the headache he created. "Guess its business as usual." Pip complained. "But it was nice to figure out the mysteries of Fogbound Lake." We walked out just as everyone started to say the motto then go about their business. "Let's get to work, Partner!" Pip smiled.

"Great job, Partner!" The voice echoed in my ears.

Chatot flapped his wings to get mine and Pip's attention. "It's so nice to see you guys so excited to get back to work!" He sang.

"Excited isn't the word I would use." I laughed.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!" Loudrid called from the hole in the room. Diglette was perched below, identifying Pokémon footprints.

"I don't know, Loudrid. I don't know what I don't know!"

Chatot squawked, "What's going on?"

"Diglett can't identify a footprint. I mean it'd be no brainer if these two were working…No offense, but Diglett is a master!"

"Hold on," Pip chimed, "he didn't know Ash's footprint so this shouldn't be a surprise if the Pokémon is uncommon."

The two Pokémon just stared at Pip like his comment was unwanted.

"Excuse me? Oh! Dusknoir? Oh please, sir, come right on in!" Under my feet Diglett popped up, throwing me on my back. "It's Dusknoir!"

Chatot flapped his wings and ran around making sure everyone was in order.

"Who's Dusknoir?" I asked Loudrid as I stood, trying to be out of Chatot's way.

He turned, surprised. "WHAT? YOU DON'T KNOW WHO HE IS?!"

Sunflora smacked him from behind. "Be quiet, loud mouth! This is no surprise. He came out of nowhere and became famous overnight. He's a solo explorer. And he's super smart so there isn't a think he doesn't know!" At the mention of this Pip nudged my shoulder. I knew what he was thinking, maybe Dusknoir knows.

Everyone was gathered to see the world famous Pokémon. He was a ghostly Pokémon with one eye and a mouth on his belly but it didn't move as he whispered to Chatot. He hovered above the ground leaving only a small shadow.

"It is so wonderful to meet you!" Chatot greeted.

"Oh no, the pleasure is mine." His voice sounded wise beyond his years but underneath was a hint of annoyance or perhaps anger but it could just be that he was a ghost Pokémon too.

"I hope your last exploration was a success?"

Wigglytuff forced a small frown but even in his frown he looked like he was smiling. "No, unfortunately. We just kept wandering around in circles and finally gave up."

"I see. How disappointing for you."

"Oh no, not at all! After all everyone came back stronger and closer together!"

"Well I hope you do not mind if I borrow your resources."

Wigglytuff nodded. "Not at all! What's ours is yours, friend."

"Good to hear. I shall be wandering around Treasure Town if anything should arise."

Chatot flapped his wings to get everyone's attention. "Now, guys, just because he's famous doesn't mean we should be a nuisance! No asking for autographs."

Dusknoir laughed. "No, no, it would be no trouble should you ask for autographs. I would happily oblige."

As Chatot dismissed everyone Dusknoir left. I took a look in my bag for some items. "Hey, I need to stop by Kecleon's. I need more berries."

Pip agreed and we went on our way. I couldn't help but notice Pip left his treasure on his bed, now, instead of around his neck. We stopped in the middle of the town just to stare up at the smiling statue of a girl kind of like me.

Something small and ball-like jumped up on my back. I laughed as the small voice said, "Ash! And Pip!"

"Azurill!" Marill folded his arms.

"Are you two getting more apples?" I started to head to Kecleon's shop. "I can get you two apples."

Azurill shook his head. "No, we think we found our precious item!"

"Oh?" The Kecleon twins stopped their conversation to listen in and so did Dusknoir.

"Yeah. Someone said they saw it on the beach today. We're gonna go look."

"What is this item so precious to you?" Dusknoir asked curiously.

"It's my water float!" Azurill jumped from my back to the ground and sat on his tail.

"I see. That is quite the precious item, indeed." When he caught Kecleon's look of confusion he went on, "A water Float is an item specifically for Azurills and is exceedingly rare."

The two brothers thought about it. "We have never heard of such an item…. It must be so rare. Oh to sell something so rare as a Water Float!" The two daydreamed.

"Let's go, Azurill." Marill grabbed his brother's hand and led him away to the beach.

I smiled at Pip. "Too cute."

The Kecleon brothers snapped out of it. "Oh but is there anything we can help you with?"

I nodded and gave him my list of things, paid, then we headed back toward the Guild. On our way we saw Marill and Azurill. Marill was trying to comfort his crying brother.

"What's wrong?" I asked the brothers with a frown.

Marill silently handed me a note.

It read:

Too bad for you! We got here first! Want it back? It's up in Amp Plains, suckers!

It wasn't signed by anyone but we knew exactly the type of person who could've done such a rotten thing. Immediately Pip and I headed to Amp Plains. The Pokémon who resided there hid from every bolt of lightening that struck the ground. In the middle of the plain was the Water Float.

Pip grinned and went to grab it but stopped short when a bolt of lightening almost struck him.

"Intruder! Turn away! Go back!"

Pip gulped but tried to muster up a courageous voice. "We need to get that water float!"

"You had you chance." The voice came from behind. I turned but was struck with a sudden thunder wave that sent me flying back to Pip. "I am Luxray of the Luxio clan! We will defeat any intruders." He came at Pip.

I let my Pokémon instinct take control and pounded him with my tail. It forced his head to snap away from Pip.

"A-Ash!" Pip was surrounded by Luxio.

"Keep them busy, Pip!" I grabbed a handful of seeds from my bag and threw them at Luxray. My leech seeds bound him and started to suck the life from him.

Luxray was outraged and attacked me again. I grabbed onto his feet as he pounced and constricted them with my hands.

Luxray growled. "Attack! Attack as one!"

The Luxio had been charging their fur, waiting for the command. Pip wouldn't be able to take it.

"Stop!" Dusknoir called and came towards us. "Please, Luxray, they are just children and had no idea that they were trespassing." He held up a hand. "Do not bother, Luxray, just hear me out. I know that you are sensitive to people trespassing because you were attacked by enemies whom you didn't know to be enemies so therefore you strike first to avoid more attacks like that. But these children did not know, they were only trying to help a friend retrieve their precious item."

Luxray thought about it. Slowly I let him go and allowed him to stand.

"Come." The Luxio's released their charge from their paws and ran off with Luxio, the electricity still bouncing from their paws to the ground.

Pip retrieved the item. "Who would do such a thing?" He frowned. "Tricking us like that."

"Who indeed." Dusknoir turned to a boulder. "Why don't you answer them, cowards!"

The laugh from behind was all too familiar. I hadn't seen Team Skull since Fogbound Lake. "Why?" I demanded of them.

"To get back at your guild! Why else?"

"Why do you not fight them?" Dusknoir challenged.

Skuntank laughed. "Yeah if it was just them but not while you're around. We gotta skedaddle!" And with that the team ran off.

Dusknoir shook his head.

"Thank you so much!" Azurill bounced around us.

"Well you have done it again, Team Pokémon! First you tracked down Azurill so very quickly and now this!" The Kecleon brothers applauded.

I rubbed the back of my neck with a blush tinting my cheeks. Pip piped up. "Well, to be honest we didn't really track him down. Ash had a vision about it."

"Oh? A vision?" Dusknoir stared at me. "Please do continue."

"Maybe you might know, then! Whenever I touch an item I have a vision of either the past or future." I explained.

Dusknoir looked like he mulled something over in his mind before discarding the idea. "It sounds like you have a very special ability called Dimensional Scream."

"Dimensional Scream? Is it something you can sell?" The twins asked.

"No," the ghost Pokémon laughed. "It is a still unknown and unclear ability. It's possible you may be born with it or perhaps you learn it somehow. Nobody really knows. But what we do know is Ash here is able to cross the boundaries between time and witness events through items." Whatever idea Dusknoir discarded had apparently crept back into his mind. He started to float toward the center of town. "Please, tell me your story…"

Pip and I followed. "Well the night after a stormy night I found my friend at the beach." Pip lead us to the beach where he found me. "She was knocked out cold!"

"I see. So here then?"

"Yeah. And to make everything even more odd she's a human turned into a Pokémon!"

This news surprised Dusknoir. For some reason I didn't want him knowing that small tidbit about me but it was too late to take it back now. "And I am sorry I never caught your name, young Treeko."

My hands went to my chest as if to clutch some unseen necklace I should be carrying. I've never done that before. "Ash…"

Dusknoir mulled this name over. "Oh it must be short for something. I'm gonna tell you some names and you tell me if any of them ring any bells. Ashley…. Ashlan…. Aslin…. Ashton…."

My heart jumped out of my chest and I stood to attention.

"Ashton? Then that must be your name. Ash is simply a nickname you must go by." The mouth on his belly twitched into a small smile for just a second but it went away as suddenly as it came. I must've imagined it.

"Does that name mean something to you?" Pip seemed too eager for the answer to be yes.

"No, I am sorry but it does not. However, this is such a phenomenon that I cannot ignore! I will help you find your past and your reason for turning, child." Dusknoir put his hand on my shoulder. He seemed too sincere to be a bad person. I shrugged the feeling of fear away.

Behind me Bidoof panted very hard. "Guys! You have to come to the Guild quickly!" Without saying another word he ran off.