"Gwen? What to you mean?"

"…I get the sense more and more that Rotom, Dragalge, Serperior, and I…we're connected, somehow." I say, reiterating our conversation from last night. I look at the ball in my paw, "And if we hand him over to Lurantis now…I might never find those answers." I turn to Skitty, my mind set "I have to let him out and ask." Shock is written all over her face "But-but what if he gets away? What if the Center finds out?" She's right, I don't want to jeopardize her dream of being an explorer. Still…

"We'll still have the ball, so we can always capture him again if something goes wrong," I say, partially trying or convince myself. It was a matter of luck that it worked the first time, and now that he'd be expecting it…

I'm hearing some voices in the distance, probably some of the braver townsfolk eager to play hero. "Skitty, is there anywhere secluded we can go? Somewhere we won't be followed?" She mulls it over for a moment. "Well, there's one place a little way off…." The voices are getting louder now, whatever it is, it'll have to do. "Perfect! Let's go! Lead the way!" Skitty gives me an apprehensive glance; I can tell she wants to trust me, but she also really wants to head straight back to the Center, turn him in, and finally start having a normal career as an explorer. I don't blame her, I just hope she can trust me for a little longer.

I'm distracted by a movement in the trees, but when I turn to look it's gone. Must be the stress. And possibly the pounding in my head; I still haven't fully recovered from the chase.

We go deeper into the forest, deeper than where we first met, navigating through the heavy underbrush. The trees get thicker as we we continue on. "It should be coming up soon…just a little past this creek" she says, hopping over the gently flowing water. "Here it is!" She points to a hole surrounded by trees. It looks rather dark inside. "The trees are really thick here, almost like walls! But it's not so dark further in, c'mon!" How is it less dark further in? Before I have long to consider, Skitty disappears into the trees. "C'moooon Gweeennn" she adopts a ghostly lilt in her voice, trying to lighten the mood. I smile and follow.

As we go further along the path, I start seeing signs of light. We enter a clearing, surrounded by dense trees, save for the path we used to enter. Mushrooms of all kinds border the periphery, some giving off a soft glow. It makes me imagine what the Exploration Center might look like if it ever got abandoned. Breaks in the canopy allow streaks of light in.

"This was my favorite hiding place before I joined the Center," Skitty says bashfully. "I always felt so safe here, cut off from the rest of the world." My heart twists a little at the words; what did she have in her life to need safety from, I wonder? "It's beautiful, and so peaceful….thank you…for trusting me with this place," I say. I really mean it too, I can tell this is special to Skitty, a secret place all her own. "…I'd trust you with anything," Skitty says, looking up at me. The pointed look she gives to my bag, however….

Right. I remember why we're here. She trusts me, but does she trust him? The others? I don't think so, and I can't fully trust them myself, at least not right now, but we don't have the leisure of time to sort through all those feelings. There were a lot of witnesses in the town, and it's likely the Exploration Center is already sending search parties after us to 'help.' It's now or never.

I get the ball from my bag. "Alright, are you ready?" "Do I have a choice?" She smirks, I give her a mock filthy look.

I hold the ball out, and….nothing.

I know Sigilyph said captured pokemon could be released at a later time…but I'm remembering he didn't say how.

I press the button on the front, nothing. We try prying the two halves apart, same result. Skitty even starts wacking it with a stick, but all it does is sit there, steadfast.

No no no! We can't have gone to all this trouble just to get bested by a…by a BALL.

My breaths are coming fast, and I feel the edges of a headache. I wrack my brain for any memories, any fragment of half remembered anything, anything that just feels right. There has to be some way to get this stupid thing open.

I lay down in front of it, staring intently…I'll be honest, now I'm feeling a little desperate.

"Please…please come out! I have important, time sensitive questions! For Arceus' sake just come out."

No dice.

~not surprising really, he always hated his pokeball…~

Huh?

~we had to take the train, which was going to leave in just a few minutes. The rule was that you had to be able to carry any pokemon companion to board, or else they had to go in their pokeball. It was never an issue before, but then again he'd only just recently evolved from a servine. "Look," I say pointedly while rubbing my forehead, trying (and by now failing) to be patient, "I know you don't care for being in your pokeball, but you're bigger than me now! How am I supposed to carry you? I just can't anymore!" By his face I know he's not buying it. Sometimes I can't believe how stubborn he is. "Well, either way, we have to get on this train, so, I'm sorry about this." I have him, against his will, return to the pokeball. He wouldn't come out for hours, and when he did he was in a foul mood~

The sudden memory leaves me breathless. I…I seemed to have known him well! We were…partners, maybe? Somehow I appeared to be…I don't know, responsible for him? And I remember that scenario on the train so clearly. I was running late for something, and he just would not cooperate.

That surely couldn't be what's happening now…could it?

Lost in a strange world, wanted by the law, injured, captured by a crazed zorua, and he's just being stubborn?

I pick up the ball again as Skitty watches. I sigh, "I'm sorry I put you in your ball, but you were getting away and…and I think we really need to talk….please?" I notice Skitty's expression has gone quizzical—maybe she thinks I've finally lost it.

Maybe I have.

I wait a moment. Then another. Skitty comes over. "Maybe if we—"

The ball opens and Serperior's shape reforms in front of me.

Well, that's partly true, I notice part of his shape is actually forming around me—specifically my neck.

Before I know it I'm being pressed into the ground, shrinking from his glare. "Where did you get that pokeball!?" He yells. I'm grappling at his tail, which is holding me down, but it's no use. "Hey!" Skitty calls, rushing over. Without breaking eye contact he reaches for her with his vines, lifting her from the ground.

Well this isn't how I expected the encounter to go. Three botched attempts out of three; I'm starting to think I'm perhaps not very good at this. Did I think there'd be a tearful reunion, we'd reminisce about my forgotten past, and all my questions would be answered?

Well, it would've been better than this.

"Well?" He snaps, bringing my attention back to my predicament. "Look, I've been stranded, attacked, chased, and now captured…my patience is wearing incredibly thin." Noted. I would like to avoid another Rotom-style encounter, which seems to be the direction this is taking. But much more of this and I'll barely be able to breath, let alone speak. My vision is already starting to go a little spotty. "I—my name…is Gwen….I'm a human…from another world….I lost my memories, but….I think…I remember you."