Author's Note:
Yay original content! This is a chapter I've been looking forward to writing for a long time. We finally get a glimpse into Brandon's past.

Maybe Spiral was on to something when she suggested I was originally from Mystifying Forest. We hadn't even entered the dungeon yet, but something about this place felt familiar. It was the same kind of familiarity I had felt in Foggy Forest in fact, only stronger. I was beginning to think that, despite what Uxie had told me, there was a chance this place could restore my memory.

"This dungeon should be much tougher than any of the others you two have explored," Spiral noted. "You are ready to go, right? No last-moment preparations to make?"

"I'm ready," Crest confirmed, "though I think Brandon is distracted by something."

"I… feel like I know this place," I explained, "but I still don't remember anything. As for preparations, there is one thing: my badge says I should be able to use Magical Leaf. If you don't mind, I'd like to practice a bit before entering the dungeon."

"I don't have a problem with it," Spiral answered, "but I think Magical Leaf needs a target to work. It's not like Razor Leaf; without a target the move will fail."

That didn't sound like a problem to me. "There's nothing stopping me from just targeting a tree or something."

"No, you need to target a pokemon for the move to work properly or it will be much weaker. Try using the attack against me, my Protect can still block it," Spiral suggested.

Crest didn't seem to think that was a good idea. "You do realize you have a quad weakness to Grass, right?"

"And you realize that he's half my level?" she countered. "Even if Magical Leaf hits me, I can take it. Remember what I said back at the waterfall? There is more to life than type matchups."

"If you're that confident, then let's try it," I said. "I suspect it shouldn't be too difficult to learn the move. It is just a better Razor Leaf, after all." I tried the attack, and Spiral's shield easily blocked it.

"First try. You're getting better at this," Crest commented. "Keep experimenting with it in the dungeon though. It should home in on enemies, even if you don't aim the move at all. I'm going to try Bide against the weaker hostiles."

"Well, looks like we're ready then. Like I said before, this dungeon will be tough. Leave the evolved hostiles to me and try to keep your distance with Bubble Beam and Magical Leaf, and I'll use Water Pulse," Spiral suggested before entering the dungeon.

As was expected from a forest dungeon, I was at a type disadvantage against nearly every enemy. Luckily, our combined ranged attacks meant very few hostiles could get close enough to be a threat. When enemies did manage to get close, Spiral's Protect was able to block attacks, and my Reflect could defend my teammates from a safe distance. Beyond that, we found and used a slumber orb.

"You two are holding up better than I expected," Spiral encouraged as Crest and I battled the weaker hostiles.

Of course, not everything was going smoothly. "I don't like this place. This is the only time I've met other Chikorita, and I have to fight them," I said, watching a defeated hostile fade away. "Is it like this for you in Brine Cave?"

"You get used to it," Spiral answered, picking up the pecha berry it dropped. "Remember, they're just hostiles. They aren't… They aren't real."

"But didn't you suggest that Brandon used to be a hostile?" Crest reasoned.

"I know, it's just…" Spiral paused as she thought for a second. "I don't like to just wait around for answers. I thought maybe we would find something if we came here, but the more I think about it, the less I'm sure."

"I suspect we'll be leaving here with more questions than answers," I agreed. "There's something strange I've noticed about this dungeon. It feels like it's been getting easier as we go deeper."

Crest caught on to what I was saying. "Normally it's the other way around. The last few floors have been more complex than the first, yet we haven't run into nearly as many hostiles."

"It does seem strange," Spiral agreed, "but it's probably just really good... err, bad… no, strange luck. I've never seen this before, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

We continued through the dungeon and the pattern continued: each floor had more twists and turns than the last, and enemies became rarer and rarer. By the time we reached the last few floors, there were no enemies to be seen. We couldn't even find items anymore. Eventually, we reached a narrow clearing.

"We finally reached the end," I noted. Looking around, I discovered that this place was somehow even stranger than the dungeon. The forest was dark, and seemingly colorless. The trees around us were eerily still, and the air was no different. There were no pokemon here, or wind, or… anything.

"Luminous Spring should be just up ahead," Crest said. From what I could tell, he hadn't noticed anything strange yet.

Spiral was concerned though. "Something doesn't seem right here."

As we walked along the path I noticed the grass beneath me. It felt stiff, as though it did not want to move. Looking behind us, I saw our footprints had been imprinted in the grass. 'I've never seen grass like this before. Sure, my memory isn't exactly reliable, but still…'

"Hey guys, I think I found the spring," Spiral called from ahead of me.

"Are you sure?" Crest asked.

"Well, no actually," she responded. "I've never seen anything like this."

The "spring" was completely still; it wasn't flowing at all. The water was impossibly calm. Curious, Crest dipped a flipper into it. "This isn't at all like Frost described," he said quietly.

"What was that?" Spiral asked.

"My brother," Crest clarified. "He came here a few years ago. The spring is supposed to be vibrant and glowing with its power. As if the water itself was alive." He lifted his flipper and the water held its shape.

"Nothing is moving," Spiral noted. "It's like the forest itself is dead."

Crest was extremely disappointed. "I guess I can't evolve here. But, this just doesn't make sense…" This was the first time I've ever seen Crest not have an explanation for something. After a moment of deathly silence, he said, "Brandon, touch the water. Maybe you'll have a vision that can explain this."

"I'll try it," I said, placing my front leg in the shallow water.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. After a brief moment of silence, I heard a now familiar ringing sound and saw a flash of white light. As the vision began, I couldn't believe what I saw. 'Those are humans. A whole village of them. Is this vision… a memory?'

The vision focused in on a small group of humans armed with swords and bows. "Hey, guys, wait up! Let me go with you!" Was that my voice?

"Not a chance, wimp." One of them replied.

Another cut in, "How many times do we have to tell you? We're hunters, not babysitters."

"You can't even use your magic effectively, what makes you think you could survive a hunt? Go back to the farms where you belong."

The group left and the vision began to fade. A moment later, a new one took its place. This time I was confronted with an elderly woman. "Pay them no mind, young one. Your skills are your own, and no one else's."

"But everyone else's magic is so much better than mine," my voice responded.

"That is no indication of your worth. You have a capacity for great wisdom, child," the woman comforted. "There is much I can teach you, if you are willing to learn."

The vision began to fade again, ending with my past voice. "Thank you, elder." The ringing sound returned, and the flash of light that signaled the vision's end brought me crashing back into reality.

"What… was that…" I asked myself shakily.

Crest appeared worried. "Brandon? Are you okay?"

"What did you see?" Spiral asked.

"I'm not sure how to explain it," I began. "I think it was a vision of my past."

"You mean like a memory?" Spiral pressed.

"I think so," I tried to explain, "but before I describe what I saw, you're going to need some context. I never brought it up before, but I actually do remember one thing. I haven't always been a pokemon."

Spiral was immediately skeptical. "If you weren't a pokemon than what were you?"

"That's actually why I didn't explain earlier. I was something called a human. As far as I can tell, none of the pokemon in Treasure Town have ever heard of them." I said.

"We know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth," Crest added. "I saw him when he found out he became a pokemon. Brandon's reaction was genuine."

"Well, if you insist," Spiral hesitantly accepted our explanation, "but what did you see in the vision?"

"There was a group of around four humans, some sort of hunting party I think. They refused to let me join them," I recalled. "Then, I was alone with an elder of some sort. She was trying to comfort me."

"That's it?" Evidently Spiral wasn't impressed.

"Actually, there was one more thing. In both visions, someone mentioned something about magic," Crest tensed up when I said that. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Only that it's extremely dangerous," Crest replied. "My parents always used to warn me to stay far away from anything magical."

Magic was that bad, huh? I decided not to tell him that the visions implied that I could use it. "In any case, we didn't learn anything about the spring."

"That is strange. All your other visions related to the thing you touched. Why would the Luminous Spring give you a vision about yourself?" Crest wondered.

Spiral didn't think that was much of a mystery. "Obviously he has some sort of connection to this place."

"And that connection would be?" Crest asked.

"No clue," Spiral answered. "I think we should leave now, though. This place is creepy."

"I agree. I doubt we can learn anything else here anyway," I said. "Let's report this to the guild. Not my vision, but the spring. Maybe Chatot or Wigglytuff will know something."

I was really starting to wish I hadn't given Chatot the day off. It turns out he does more than I thought to keep the guild running smoothly, either that or our expedition caused all his work to pile up in our absence. Regardless, I've been quite busy without him.

Earlier today, I was visited by a representative from the Helping Adventurous Pokemon Prosper Institute. HAPPI has a partnership with my guild; they provide badges and job requests in exchange for a share of the profits from missions. Apparently HAPPI wasn't very happy that they couldn't contact us during an emergency. At least they reported the time gear theft; now I can return to Fogbound Lake without arousing suspicion.

But that was boring work stuff, something far more interesting was happening now. "Hi friend!" I greeted a visiting explorer. He was a Dusknoir who, according to Sunflora, had become famous in our absence.

"Greetings to you too! I take it you are Wigglytuff, the master of this famous guild?" he responded.

"That's me!" I answered cheerfully. It seems someone finally recognized my talents. Hopefully that wouldn't last long, lest my cover be blown. "What brings a friend like you here?"

"I am simply looking for a lead on my next exploration," Dusknoir answered. "Your guild always receives the latest news, and my current mission is of significant importance. Though, if you don't mind, I think it would be best if we discussed this in private."

Looking around, I saw that most of the guild was listening in on our conversation from a distance. Sunflora was filling Team Strength in on who Dusknoir was, and Chimecho was with them… wait, did Sunflora know my secret? I shook the thought aside. "Of course, friend. Follow me to my chamber."

We entered my room and I took my spot behind my desk. "Now, you said you were looking for information? I'm afraid our head of intelligence is away at the moment. Chatot is taking the day off after his work on the Foggy Forest expedition."

"That is too bad. How was your expedition, by the way? Did you discover anything?" Dusknoir asked.

"Not a thing. It was a total waste of time," I responded in my usual, cheerful tone.

He seemed surprised to hear that. "Strange, I thought for sure there must be something hidden in that area. Regardless, I should explain why I'm here. Have you heard about the stolen time gears?"

"The theft was reported earlier today," I answered.

"Thefts," Dusknoir corrected. "Two have been stolen now."

"I… wasn't aware of that…" I replied, my usual optimism wavering.

"So, the mask slips," he pointed out. "There is no need to hide your true self from me. I cannot be fooled easily."

I let out a disappointed sigh. "You're not the only one. I try to remain cheerful around my recruits, but recently it's been getting harder. Some have started to see through it."

"I can imagine. Some things can't be helped, just as some pokemon can't be fooled," Dusknoir explained. "I have made it my mission to catch the time gear thief. Can I count on your guild for help?"

"Absolutely. We must catch the thief before anywhere else is affected," I agreed. "Chatot will be back tomorrow, we can strategize then. The day after, I'll assign the entire guild to assist in the capture."

Dusknoir was pleased to hear that. "Good. I have sources that suggest there are at least two thieves, one of which is a Grovyle. As for the other, I'm at a loss."

"It would seem the rumors I've heard of your knowledge are true then," I replied.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Rumors tend to exaggerate themselves over time; I doubt anyone could live up to what's been claimed of me," he said.

"Perhaps," I continued anyway, "but I have a question that I know nobody else has an answer to. Do you know anything about humans?"

Dusknoir appeared shocked by my question. "Where did you hear that word? I thought I was the only one who knew of them."

His reaction worried me, so I refused to answer. "What do you know?"

"Please forgive the brash response, I was caught off guard," Dusknoir explained. "I'm afraid my knowledge of humans is limited. They are not pokemon, that much is certain. Despite that, they can still use potent elemental magic, which makes them extremely dangerous. Moreover, humans are masters of manipulation. They have no qualms with leading you to your own destruction."

That was a lot to take in. Of course, I already knew that humans were not pokemon, but I didn't know anything about magic. And what about dangerous and manipulative? That didn't seem to match Brandon at all. Then again, how would I know who was manipulating me?

"I must ask again how you know of humans," Dusknoir pressed.

"I know someone who claims he used to be one," I admitted.

That caught his attention. "And who would that be?"

"He wanted to remain anonymous," I lied. Dusknoir clearly didn't trust humans; until I knew why I wasn't going to put my recruits at risk.

"Of course," he replied respectfully, "though I must urge you head my warning."

"Oh, relax. I play others for fools, not the other way around," I answered.

Dusknoir laughed it off. "If you insist. I will meet with you tomorrow to formulate a plan to catch the thieves. Until then!" he waved as he departed from the room.

I relaxed a bit after he left, but my mind was still racing. 'I claim I can't be played a fool, yet now I know someone has tricked me. But who? Dusknoir is hunting down the time gear thieves, so I know he has good intentions. Brandon was quiet, sure, but never maliciously so. Surely I have to trust my own recruit.'

I was interrupted from my thoughts by a knock on my door. "Come in, friends!"

Team Strength entered the room and Crest said, "Guildmaster? We have to report our exploration from today."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," I responded. "I'm not as obsessed with protocol as Chatot is."

"This is important," Brandon answered. "We think you should know about it."

"We visited Luminous Spring today," Crest continued.

"Luminous Spring?" I repeated, "but you didn't evolve. Was something the matter there?"

Brandon answered, "Yes, but we aren't sure what it was. The water wasn't flowing; it held its shape when we touched it, and everything was grey."

"Whatever it was made it impossible to evolve there," Crest added. "Do have any idea what was causing that?"

Unfortunately, I was at a loss. "I don't know. I have, however, received word that a second time gear has been stolen. Perhaps the state of the spring is related to the gears? Whatever the case, catching the thief will be the guild's number one priority. In two days, I will assign everyone to that mission. I suggest you spend tomorrow making any necessary preparations."

"Someone stole another one?" Crest asked. "But why would anyone need time gears?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Crest," I responded. A moment later, we heard Chimecho calling the guild to dinner. "Please don't tell anyone about this yet. I'll explain the situation at tomorrow's assembly; until then I don't want anyone panicking."

"We understand," Brandon answered. "We won't say anything until you do. Anyway, let's get to dinner. I'm starving after today's exploration."

"Oh, one more thing, before you go," I said as the team turned to leave. "Does Sunflora know my secret?"

Brandon appeared confused by my question. After a moment of thought a realization hit him. "No. Does Chimecho?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "Guess I should have told you, huh?"

"It doesn't matter," he replied. "See you at dinner."