Pokémon Mistery Dungeon: The Missing Project (Rewritten!)

by Lupingllogi111

Jake didn't know what happened when he awoke and realized he had turned into a Pokémon. All he knew was that his regular life had been replaced, and now, he will have to blend in, bond with new partners, and most importantly, try to unravel the misteries of the world he is in and save it from a criminal guild that plans to take over the world with the power of an abomination...

17. Chapter 14: Reconnection

Chapter 14: Reconnection

---

The three Pokémon surrounding the bed slightly backed away, the Lucario looking especially shocked.

"N-No... this can't be happening..." He said, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "This was supposed to be the moment were we all apologize to each other and then walk out as if nothing happened! I... this can't be happening... She can't have... She doesn't deserve it..." The Marshtomp beside him patted him and looked down.

I was obviously confused as to what was happening. Were we in New Hope Town? I didn't recal a Blissey working as a nurse there. That wasn't important, though. Why was I in a hospital in the first place? Who were these Pokémon? Why were they so sad after I asked who they were? Why did I even want to go to Lively Town?

"Katy, is she suffering from what I think she's suffering?" The Zoroark asked the nurse.

"Indeed. Your friend seems to be suffering from a case of amnesia. But... this shouldn't be happening at all. The blows shouldn't have caused anything like this"

Amnesia? Blows?! What happened to me that made me have amnesia? And why can't I remember?

...

Well, that last question is obvious.

"Amnesia?! You gotta be kidding me! Now she is suffering from amnesia? This has to be a joke!" The Lucario cried, before looking at me. "Ember, you seriously don't remember anything about us?"

"No...? How do you know my name? Did... did I tell you?"

"Yes! Y-You told me the first time we met! Don't you remember? Back at the river?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you are talking about. I've never seen you before"

That only managed to make him actually cry. The Marshtomp pulled him back. "Boss, I know you are hurt, but she's got amnesia. She won't remember you, even if she tried"

Wait, did he just call him boss? Who is he?

"Ummm... boss? Does he... do we work for you, or something?"

"Well, kinda, but I'm not anyone's boss. I'm..." The Lucario gulped, as if finishing that sentence was the most painful thing in life, which judging by his expression, apparently was for him. "I'm Jake, leader of team Indigo. Nice... Nice to meet you again, I suppose" He stated.

I widened my eyes at what he said. "Wait, team Indigo? Is that the name of a rescue team? Am I a member of a rescue team?!"

Oh Arceus, a rescue team? ME?! That's not possible! I-I can't be an explorer! Not after what happened with my parents! Not after I...

"We know about the incident with your family, Ember. You were the one that decided to join us. You got over it already" The Zoroark explained, trying to calm me down.

I... got over it? R-Really?

"Don't believe us? Check your bag" He added handing me a small satchel.

Reluctantly, I picked it up and looked inside. Despite my logic saying the contrary, there was an explorer badge inside. A real badge.

It felt out of my hands as a sharp pain in my head forced me to clutch it. The Blissey wasted no time in using Heal Pulse on me, which seemed to lessen the effects a bit. After some time, the pain went away on its own.

"Are you okay, Ember?" Jake asked.

"I-I think?" I looked at the badge again. "Is... Is that truly mine?"

The Zoroark nodded. "Yep"

I stood looking at the badge silently for a few minutes. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I couldn't remember the faces, the names or even the bonds I had with the Pokémon in front of me... yet, some part of my mind told me I should. Some part of my mind kept screaming at me that something was missing.

Could I have really forgotten about my friends... just like that?

"What happened to her?" The Marshtomp asked Katy.

"I... don't know. This is very weird"

"Well, that can't be good at all" The Zoroark sighed.

"Are you sure you are okay, Ember?" Jake asked me.

"Well... I do feel... weird, I guess? It's like... I know something is missing. I feel like everything is at the tip of my tongue, but I just can't remember"

Katy spent a few seconds thinking, before humming. "Hmm, that sounds familiar"

"It does?" All of us exclaimed.

"Mhm. This looks like a case of forced amnesia"

The room fell dead silent. "Forced?" I asked. "What do you mean 'forced'?"

"The symptoms you are suffering from are those of amnesia, but nothing you have gone through should have been able to cause you something this severe, thus, it must have been caused by a Pokémon" The nurse explained.

"Caused by a Pokémon?!" The Marshtomp exclaimed.

"But what kind if Pokémon could cause this? And why?" The Zoroark added.

Jake simply looked stressed. "Wait, but if it's forced, there has to be a way to reverse it, right?"

"Well, whoever did it must have been a really powerful psychic, so the only way to fight fire is with fire. Which means we'll have to get another powerful psychich to help us" She whispered something to one of the Bellosom, who ran out of the room as fast as possible. "Luckily, I know someone that can help you guys. The only problem is that she lives in the neighboring city, and it's a bit far away"

The Bellosom came back with a paper in her hands. She gave it to the dark type and he looked at it. "Oldale Town? What's that? That's an actual town?"

Jake widened his eyes. "Did you just say 'Oldale Town'?"

The Zoroark nodded slowly. "That's a town back in Hoe-!" The Lucario exclaimed before stopping himself. "...back where I come from! I'm sure!"

"Huh, you are right about that, Boss... Maybe it's just a coincidence"

"Okay, so umm..." I interrupted, earning the glances of my 'friends'. It felt weird to call them that, but it felt right at the same time. Slowly but surely, I was starting to believe I was actually suffering from amnesia.

I didn't like at all.

"Would you mind... starting over? You know... telling me your names and all that? Maybe... Maybe that will help"

Jake took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright Jake, it can be fixed. Remember that. Please, for the love of God, let it be fixed" He mumbled to himself.

...God?

He extended his paw towards me and sighed. "Alright, let's do this again. I'm Jake. You saved my life when we first met. Nice to meet you"

I took his paw and shook it. "I... did what?"

"That's not the craziest part" He chuckled looking at the Zoroark.

He too sighed and did the same as Jake. "Hello there, Ember. I'm Kit. Nice to meet you too, I guess" He felt silent after that.

Jake nudged him. "Come on. You'll spit it out on accident eventually. Besides, she technichally already knows"

Kit took a few deep breaths and nodded. "Fine! But you owe me a drink later!"

"Hell no! I have no money on me!" Jake replied laughing.

"Yeah, that's what they all say" Kit smiled, rolling his eyes before his face turned gloomy again.

"Ember, you probably don't remember it at all, but you saved me from... ermm... comitting suicide a lot of years ago. So, uh... Thanks again"

My heart skipped a beat. Saving one life was something, but two? From suicide? "Excuse me? I did what?"

"Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either" Jake sighed. "There's more to it but,..." He looked at Katy. "We should discuss it alone... or when you recover your memory. We really don't want another emotional breakdown"

Emotional breakdown? What have I forgotten?

"Okay?"

"Anyway, back to the medical questions" Katy interrupted. "Can you move your jaw alright?" She asked me.

I tried moving it, but I felt an intense numbness that transformed into pain in no time. "I see you aren't still healed completely" She picked a Sitrus berry from her bag and gave it to me. "Eat this. If you rest for the rest of today, you'll be as good as new for tomorrow"

Eating the berry without complaints, I stood up and looked at the Pokémon surrounding me, more specifically at the Marshtomp.

"And who are you?" I asked him.

"Oh, I forgot! I'm Marshtomp!"

"Let me guess, I saved your life too" I chuckled.

"Heh, not really" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "We didn't really know each other until two days ago, or so. I'm actually Jake's partner!"

I raised a brow. "Partners? As in..."

Both of their faces went red. "No!" Jake exclaimed.

"We are just friends!" Marshtomp added.

I laughed. "Come on, I was just joking"

Both sighed. "Huh, I hadn't seen this side of you in forever! Did the 'mon that did you this reset you back to when you evolved?" Kit chuckled.

"You... were there when I evolved?" I asked him.

"Yeah? I don't know if you remember me, but I was the only Zoroark that attended was with you"

I was confused. "There... wasn't any Zoroark when I evolved?"

That brought all of them to a stop. "What?" I asked.

"You remember the time when you evolved?" Katy asked me, to which I nodded. "But you can't remember your friend, despite him being sure he was there?"

"Y-Yeah?"

The nurse pondered for a few seconds. "What do you remember exactly?"

"Umm, well, I remember that I was in the forest just about the outside of town... and me and my friends got attacked by someone. I can't recall exactly who it was"

"Who was with you that you can remember?" She kept pressuring.

"Well, I know that Agatha was with me. Of course she would! She saved my butt when we got attacked!" I paused, thinking.

"And...?" Kit asked.

"I... Oh! I remember someone else was there!"

That seemed to give hopes to Kit. "Misty was also there! She left early and missed the main event, heh. You had to see her face the next day!"

Kit's smile faltered. "I can assume that's not what really happened?" Katy asked Kit.

"What do you mean?!" I yelled. "That's exactly what happened!"

"Ember..." The Zoroark said, slowly shaking his head. "Misty was never there, nor was Agatha. You were crying in the middle of the forest because of your parents and I found you there. You evolved in front of my eyes. That's what happened"

"What? That... can't be true! I-I...!"

"Hold up, I think I know of something similar" Katy stated, walking to one of the locked cabinets. She picked a key from her bag and opened it, revealing a storage full of different medical reports. She picked one and closed the cabinet again.

"This case has only been documented once, and I thought it had been just a one time event... I doubt this is your case but it still is very similar" She explained.

"What is it?" Jake pressured.

She frowned. "We had an Inkay kid that got lost in a forest and came back with amnesia, but he only forgot things about his parents. Everything else was fine, but any memory that involved her parents was altered to leave both of them out and replace them, just like your friend, though there wasn't such a significant change of the events. We performed a blood analysis and we saw there was something weird going on with her blood, but we didn't know what it was. Since it was a memory problem, we tried to take her to every qualified psychic there existed, but no one could find anything wrong with her. That's until she appeared. A Ninetales went to the girl's house and presented herself as a very powerful psychic that lived in Oldale Town and that she had heard about the girl's problem from someone. She asked if she could give it a try, and since her parents were desperate for anything, they let her in"

Katy paused. "What... happened to her?" Kit asked.

"Well... despite what you may think, that Ninetales... cured her. Yeah, just like that. No one knew that town before, but the news spread like wildfire. That town is now a bit more visited than before thanks to her even to the point of building an inn, but it's still pretty little known. The point is, you should take your friend to her. She'll most likely be able to help her"

"Wait, a Ninetales?" I exclaimed. "I heard some of them could use psychic moves, but you make it sound like she is very powerful!"

"Well, I asked her the same question and she told us that she had only focused on her psychic side while growing up. She knows a lot of psychic techniques that Ninetales don't learn naturally, but she also told us that she could barely throw an Ember attack!" Katy replied, chuckling.

Jake raised his fist with determination. "Let's go to Oldale Town! We'll get Ember's memory back, even if it's the last thing I do!"

I chuckled at his display and he turned to me. "Can you walk?" He asked, offering me his paw.

I grabbed it and he helped me stand up. "I think so, yeah. Thanks"

"Alright, let's go then!" He exclaimed, turning around to face the exit. He stopped before exiting and turned around once again. "Umm, where is the town?" He nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

Katy rolled her eyes. "Head straight after getting out of the police station and you'll find an exit from the town with a sign that points to a path through a forest. Follow it and you'll be in Oldale Town in a few hours"

"But we can't go now!" Marshtomp exclaimed. "Going alone through a forest at night is suicide!"

"That's why you'll set out tomorrow and not today. You'll sleep in the infirmary tonight so you can set off tomorrow first thing in the morning. We can't give you breakfast, though, so you'll have to deal with that, sorry"

"Excuse me, but why can't we go now? If I'm really suffering from amnesia, why wait until tomorrow just because it's dark? I can light the way" I told them.

"Well... Umm, there's something we should tell you..." Kit chuckled nervously. I didn't like his tone at all.

"I'll check if I can bring you something to eat" Katy told us. "I'll leave you some privacy. Fiona. Oliver. You can go home now"

Both Bellosom sighed in relief. "Finally..." Fiona sighed.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, team Indigo! Hopefully we'll see each other again! And don't die out there!" Oliver waved, following Fiona out.

Die?!

Once we were left alone, all three of them turned towards me. "So... what have I forgotten?" I asked them.

"Ember, listen to us carefully, okay? You may not believe it, and you will most likely freak out, but it's the truth, and you need to know it, okay?"

"O-Okay? What's wrong?"

Kit took a deep breath. "So remember all those years ago? The... Rocket Guild?"

My face went pale. "Them? W-What about them?"

"Well... long story short, they are back. And we are pretty much their number one target..." Jake said.

I felt the air leave my lungs. "What... What do you mean? Back? Number one target?! "

"Well, what do you remember about it?"

"I remember that... the old leader left a note on the police station back at New Hope Town saying they were the one that took it down..."

"Well, that's true. But there were actually two leaders in the guild. One of them was the one that took it down, while the other one simply planned the rebirth of the guild in the shadows"

I was stunned silent. Is this all true? I just... forgot something like this?! This is one of the most important things in the whole continent!

"And everyone keeps going in with their lives, just like that?"

"They don't know. Only some PD's and us. They think it's simply a spike in criminal activity" Jake replied.

They don't know? But that's-!

Something hit me before I could finish the thought. "Wait, as far as I know, everyone thought that there was just one big boss. How did you know there were two if no one saw their real faces?"

Kit's face turned as white as snow. "Well..."

He sighed. "Ember, listen really carefully, alright? Don't tell this to anyone. Anyone, you hear me?"

"O-Okay"

"Ember... I... I don't know how to say this, but..."

"Didn't you already do it?"

"He didn't" Marshtomp interrupted. "He was forced to admit it after Lilith beat him to it"

"What is it? Surely it can't be that ba-"

"I'm the old leader of the Rocket Guild. I took that thing down. I left the note. It was me" He blurted, almost wispering.

I definitely didn't expect that. "You are WHAT?!" I yelled.

"Shhhh! Don't yell! No one is supposed to know!" Jake hushed me.

"Are you kidding me?! You are acting just like it's not a big deal! Do you not know what that guild has done?! Why it was so feared?! And you are telling me that this guy, who I remind you is a complete stranger to me now, was the boss?! "

Without anymore words, Kit walked out of the room, almost knocking Katy down and closing the door with a slam. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Jake looked at me for a moment and sighed. "Nothing, don't worry. I'll go get him. Marshtomp, take care of Ember, will you?"

"Sure, Boss!"

"Okay, thank you. Kit, get back here!" He yelled, running behind the dark type.

I was left alone with Marshtomp and Katy as I tried to process the new and important information I had just been given. "Did something happen while I was gone? Do I have to call a psychiatrist after all?"

"No, it's fine" Marshtomp replied. "Just be ready in case Jake bursts into the room saying that Kit's gone again" He chuckled.

"Excuse me?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, you don't remember, do you? Well, after Kit admitted he was you know who, we had to run away from a terrorist attack back in the town. Your friends are alright, by the way. Well, when we stopped to camp, Kit told us more about you know what and, well... you didn't take it too well. Kit ran away to this town with the intention of ending it all. Thankfully, the Rocket Guild came and stopped him, but... we got pretty badly beaten up, hehe..."

"He... did what? He doesn't look like he could even think about doing something like that now! He looks... pretty much like a big kid!"

"Wow, so even after you completely forgot about him, you still say that! Looks like you just need a few minutes with him to know who he really is" Marshtomp chuckled.

"Ember, is everything alright with you?" Katy asked me.

I looked at Marshtomp. My gut was telling those three were planning something. That they were going to do something to me the moment we were left alone, and that suspicion was only confirmed when they told me that Zoroark was the boss of the Rocket Guild!

Yet... something didn't click. If they were really Pokémon who wanted to hurt me, why would they waste their time on explaining those things to me? How could they know about Agatha and Misty? Why reveal to me something like what Kit told me if they didn't know me?

And most importantly, if they truly didn't know me, why was the first thing that Jake did when he realized I didn't remember him was to cry?

All of that added together was too much to deny. "No, it's nothing. I'm just hungry"

Marshtomp looked at me with widened eyes. "Oh, alright then. So about the food, we are not supposed to give free lunch to Pokémon that come here unless it's absolutely necessary. However, due to Ember's case and the fact that everyone in this police station knows who's coming after you, Diana decided to make an exception, so you'll get some sandwiches for dinner, made by yours truly"

"Wait you cook?" I exclaimed.

"It's my hobby, though I rarely spend time on it with being a nurse and all that. It's not like sandwiches need a lot of skill to cook"

"It's still a very big detail on your part!"

"Thank you! I have to go now, though. Have a great night and enjoy your food! And if anything happens, Ember, just tell the doctor on duty about it so that he can give me a call, okay? When you want to sleep, the switch is right here" Katy told me.

"Okay, got it"

"Goodbye guys"

"Bye!"

"Goodbye!"

Marshtomp and me were left alone once again. Jake and Kit didn't look like they were coming anytime soon. Something about that unnerved me.

"They may take a big while to come. Wanna start eating? I'm starving" Marshtomp asked me.

"Sure. I'm very hungry too"

We grabbed two of the sandwiches and started eating. They were really good for just simple sandwiches. "You know, I'm surprised you didn't say anything to the nurse when she asked you" The water type said, before munching his food.

"I am too..."

We were almost done with the food by the time the door creaked open, revealing Jake and a very depressed looking Kit that walked right in.

"Did Katy bring food?" The Lucario asked his partner.

"Yep! Here it is, two sandwiches for you! Made by Katy herself!"

"Woah, really? They look delicious!" He exclaimed, passing one to Kit, who was trying his best to avoid any eye contact with me.

Dinner passed as quick as it arrived, so we started lying on our respective beds. Despite having woken up barely a few minutes ago, my whole body felt completely numb and tired, and of course, the sharp pain in my head that had started bothering me not too long ago.

Once we were ready, Jake switched the lights off and went to lay on his own bed.

"Goodnight guys" He said.

"Goodnight, Boss" Marshtomp replied.

"Night"

Kit muttered something that sounded like a 'goodnight' and then the room felt silent. The suspicions that still were present on the back of my mind started creeping back.

Ember, what are you even thinking about?!Just relax. Nothing is going to happen. If they wanted to do anything to you, they would have already done it. Just take deep bre-

My thoughts were interrupted when a loud snore pierced through the silence, followed by a pair of groans. "You didn't tell me Marshtomp snored!" Kit exclaimed.

"I never realized he did!" Jake replied back.

I chuckled. "Yeah, laugh until you realize you can't sleep!" Kit chuckled from the other side.

Contrary to what he said, I fell asleep the exact moment my eyes closed, the painful feelings slipping away... perhaps too fast.

Way too fast.

When I opened my eyes again, I was falling into nothingness, and I felt everything go black when my back hit the floor.

---

When I managed to open my eyes again, I was in a completely white void. There was nothing to my sides, nor to any way I looked at.

"Hello?" I yelled, the only response being the faint echoing of my voice.

Slowly, I got on my paws and tried to find something, anything that could help me find where I was. Since there was quite literally nothing here, I decided to do the only thing I could think of and assess the situation.

Alright, you were laying down on your bed a few seconds ago, Ember, so this has to be a dream, right?

I realized that I was in a hospital just a few minutes ago, and that I didn't feel at all like I did before falling asleep, so that meant this was actually a dream, right? It made sense, since I had somehow arrived here after falling asleep.

Once that was settled, it was time to answer the real question. "Where am I?!" I yelled, the echo repeating the same question back to me.

Alright, this is a dream, but what is it about? And why am I having this dream? Last time I had one it was about something like me being trapped in a really small cave. Weird nightmare, to be honest.

Seeing there was no other thing to do, I decided to pick a random direction and walk forward until something changed. Surely, a white void wouldn't be all there was to this place, right?

I walked and walked for what felt like hours, until I started feeling tired from it. Tired. In a dream.

Those two things together didn't make sense, but yet again, this didn't feel like a regular dream at all, more like... being awake with extra steps.

The void was starting to get boring, so I went back to thinking about what this could mean.

Alright, a beatdown from the Rocket Guild, forced amnesia, and now this? Something is definitely going on. This can't be normal, right? If my amnesia is 'forced', that must mean that someone is behind it. Did that someone bring me here? And why? I don't get it at all. Why wipe my memory away? Why would anyone want to-?

I was interrupted by sobs coming from up ahead, which interrupted my thinking. That sounds like a kid crying. What's a kid doing here? And why does it sound so... familiar?

Ignoring that last question, I sprinted forward hoping to find the source of the voice. Thankfully not too long after, I managed to spot a silhouette in the distance. The crying came from whoever that was. Finally with a goal in mind, I made my way towards the yellow figure and...

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who it was. The kid responsible for the noise was a Fennekin, who was curled into a ball, desperately crying. Whoever she was, she sounded like a girl. I wasted no time on kneeling down next to her.

"Hey! Are you alright?"

The sobbing stopped for a second. She looked at me and recoiled. "Huh? Who are you?" She exclaimed.

"I'm-" I stopped. That voice... It was too familiar to me. It sounded like... like...

No, but it couldn't be, right?

"Umm, I'm... Adara" I lied. "Who are you?"

"I'm E-Ember. Nice to meet you, Adara"

That brought me to a stop. She just said...

Now everything made sense. The voice, it was familiar because it was mine.

That Fennekin was me, just when I was younger.

B-But... how can this be? What kind of dream is this? What even is going on?

"Adara? Are you... are you okay?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, don't worry about me. You should be worried about you! What are you doing here?"

The Fennekin's eyes covered themselves with tears once again. "I-I don't know! I was just going for a walk with a friend and then I suddenly got here! I was alone and everything looked the same and... and...!"

She once again lied down. "I want my Mom and Dad"

"You are lost too?" Walking with a friend? What was she... I talking about? "I arrived here not too long ago and I'm looking for an exit. Do you want me to help you find your friends?"

She sniffed. "I'm not supposed to accept anything from strangers, but I don't want to stay here for the rest of my days, so whatever. Okay, I'll follow you" She replied, standing up. "But you better not try something, cus I've been practicing my fighting to become an explorer, and I'm not letting you do anything to me!" She determinedly yelped.

Yep, that's young me, alright.

"Don't worry about it. Not like I could do anything to you" I smirked.

"Yeah, of course you can't! I'm gonna become the best explorer ever! And for that, I gotta be strong! That's why I've been running around this place for hours! "

"Well, you weren't wandering around when I found you"

Her face turned red. "That's because I have been stuck alone in here for Arceus knows how long!"

I chuckled. Was I really like that when I was a kid?

When I was a kid...

...

She said she was with a friend of hers. Who's that 'friend'?

...

What is this place? Why have I stumbled upon a past version of myself? Is... Is this truly a dream?

I should ask her.

"Hey Ember. What do you think this place is?"

"I don't know. It's... so empty. And the echo is making me go crazy. This feels like a dream, but... it's too real to be one"

"I think the same"

"Huh, really?"

"Yep"

I had my doubts but... she just described exactly what I'm thinking. She's truly... me.

We spent a few more minutes walking in silence, until I had prepared myself to make a big question that would tell me once and for all a bubbling doubt I had in my mind.

Once I was about to ask though, the small fire type beat me to it. "How's your life being... you know, a Braixen? I've always wanted to evolve as soon as possible!"

I could only chuckle. "Well, it's not that different from being a Fennekin. Your body kinda just gets used to suddenly walking on two paws instead of on four, but the most important thing is finally having a pair of usable paws that don't have to keep you from falling"

"Woah... Where did you get the stick in your tail, though? Did it magically appear?"

"Well, I don't really know. All I did was go to a forest and find a stick I liked. My parents always wanted to know which one I would pick when I evolved" I chuckled at the thought, before sighing.

"Are you okay, Adara?"

"Yeah, just... remembering things"

The Fennekin visibly flinched. "Oh no, it's something with your parents, isn't it? Ugh, I'm so sorry!"

Am I this readable?

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I... got over it already" Apparently.

"Oh, thank Arceus..." She sighed. "If it's okay to ask... what happened to them?"

I grimaced, but quickly sighed. She's me, after all. Sooner or later, she'll have to go through the same... But she looks so innocent...

"I don't want to say... Just know that they were explorers. Like, really good explorers"

"Wait, really? My parents are explorers too! What a coincidence!"

"Yeah..."

The silence returned, for longer this time. The doubts in my head were becoming increasingly loud the more time we spent walking. It was time for the truth.

"Umm, Ember?"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind me asking, who is the friend you were walking with?"

"Oh! Yeah, no problem, I'll tell you! His name is Kit, and he's a Zoroark that-!" She stopped herself. "I don't know if he would want me to share it..."

I felt my face go pale. It was beyond doubt that the Fennekin next to me was my younger self, but... the answer to the question was not what I expected.

She just said she knew Kit. She said she was going for a walk with him before she got here.

That's mostly what Kit says happened.

"Umm, Adara, are you okay?"

What kind of dream is this? Why am I here? Why, why, why? What's going on?

"Adara?"

Is the kid next to me real? Or am I just hallucinating?

"ADARA!"

I looked at the fire type. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I..."

Should I say it? Nothing else can go worse, right?

"Look, Ember, there's something I have to tell you. And you may think I'm crazy, but just listen, okay?"

She tilted her head. "Okay? What's going on with you?"

I took a deep breath. "Okay, first of all, my name is not actually Adara. I'm... My name is actually Ember"

"Huh? We've got the same names?"

"Yes, but that's not the end of it. I... I think this place is a dream"

"What?! A... A dream?"

"Yes. And we're actually the same 'mon, just... different in some way. I don't know how to explain it"

The Fennekin looked like she had just realized that her whole life was a lie, which hopefully wasn't the case before angrily looking at me. "A dream? You and me being the same person? Ha! You expect me to believe that?"

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but that's the only logical explanation I can think of!"

"Huh, if you really are the same person as me, what happened on that rooftop, huh?"

"B-But-!"

"No excuses!"

"Well, Kit tried commiting suicide, right? I think?"

"How do you-?" She started, but stopped. "Okay, but what happened exactly? "

"Well, uhh..."

Shit, I don't know! I can't remember!

"So you don't know? And you call yourself me? "

"Look, let me-"

"No! You say you are me and you can't even remember one of the most important moments of my life! You are a liar, Ember! "

She then turned around. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know but away from here! I'm finding my friend on my own. For the one time I don't listen to my parents..." She groaned, walking away.

"Wait!"

"Leave me alone! You're crazy! You are not the real Ember!" She yelled, before running and disappearing in the horizon.

I looked down, thinking about those last words. "You are not the real Ember!"

...

I get it now. This... this is not a dream. This has to be what my mom told me someone's mind looked like from the inside. T-This is my mind. That's why there are two versions of me.

That realization made me wince. Everyone's version of my past lines up with what that other version of me said. The fact Kit tried to jump, or even the fact that he exists... while I can't remember anything like that. C-Could it be that... I-I'm not... I didn't want to think about it.

There was something that still didn't make sense to me, though. Alright, so now I know there's two versions of me here because this is the inside of my mind, but why am I here?

...

Apparently to interfere with my plans.

I fell onto my rear from the shock. What? Who's there?!

That does not matter to you. Thanks to your presence, you have made that Fennekin run away just after I had found her.

Fennekin? Why do you need her?

You do not remember? Oh, of course you don't, I made sure of it.

Made sure? Wait, you are the one that erased my memory?!

I would not call it 'erasing'. That is such a disgusting thing to do to one's memories, am I right? If prefer to call it 'altering'.

I stood up from the ground. "YOU MADE ME FORGET MY FRIENDS!" I yelled, not bothering to keep the conversation inside my head anymore.

The voice simply chuckled. Your friends? Are you sure about that? If I'm not mistaken, you made that Zoroark run away from the hospital room not very long ago.

What?! How do you-?

As with my identity, that is not of matter. Let's say that I have been... watching you and your team.

So they were telling the truth after all...

See? You still doubt them, and you dare call them 'your friends'?

No, I- Ugh, shut up! Why did you mess with my head?

Well, let's say you and your little friends are the biggest threat to me and my plans, as I stated before. So you better tell me where that Fennekin went before I make you stay here forever!

No! You are going to hurt her! I'm sure!

Hmmm, and why is that? Have you ever wondered why there are two you's inside your mind? Well, as you have probably guessed, the version I'm looking for is the one that has all those memories I want to 'alter' so badly, while you are the perfect version of yourself, created by yours truly. Weren't you happy before you met either of those two? If you had not climbed to that rooftop, you would never have suffered the anxiety of that moment. If you had never met that human, you would never have gone through what the Rocket Guild forced you to go through! You wouldn't even have met me! Wouldn't that have been better?

That what? What did you say about Jake?

Oh, did you not know? The little Lucario you call your friend is a human brought to annoy me even further. Yes! Those monsters that enslave your kind! And your friend is one of them! Isn't that horrifying?

No, but... he doesn't... he can't...

"Ember! I mean, me! Or whatever!"

I turned around to see the Fennekin that had ran away from me before was coming back, tears in her eyes. She jumped into my arms the moment she was able to. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for calling you crazy!"

"Woah, what? Why are you here?!"

"I was listening to the conversation from afar and... and I remembered everything! I-I know what happened! He-He took me away and erased my memories of Jake and Kit, b-but I would have never thought there would be another copy of me! I was looking for an exit before whatever this guy caught me and wiped my mind again! "

"So what I thought is true... Wait, everything? Even the part where Jake's a-"

"Yes! But don't you dare think he's a someone to doubt just because of that! He's the most kind-hearted, understanding and... ugh, whatever! And the most loveable Pokémon anyone could ever find on this earth!" She yelled.

He is... what?

Sorry to interrupt your precious moment, but I believe you have someone I want on your arms. If you would be so kind as to give her to me...

"No way! You are going to erase her memory again! I won't let you get close, whoever or whatever you are!"

The voice stood silent for a long while after that. I see. Now, let me ask you something. What do you think has been happening ever since you've woken up? This bastard version of yours have been roaming around, only having been awakened by your weirdly coincidental arrival. But do you think a body can work with two different minds at the same time? Not both of you will be able to go back to the body, you know?

I frowned. We were two different versions of the same Pokémon sharing a single body, and everyone knew that unless you had more than one head, only one consciousness could take control of a body.

There were two of us, so similar, but yet so different. That decission was made up even before the voice had finished speaking, even if it was a very hard one.

"You erased the memories of some poor Pokémon and replaced them with lies. And if that weren't enough, you trapped the consciousness of the real Ember in this place. You are disgusting. If there is someone that deserves to go back, it's definitely not me. And that Ninetales we are going to go visit will figure out a way to bring back the real Ember to her body. I'm just... a pretender, and I'm definitely not going to let you anywhere near her!"

Eerie silence fell over the void. That was interrupted by evil cackling coming from the voice. I have tried to do this the easy way for you. I see you don't want to cooperate, so I will have to do this the hard way. You know, I may not be an experienced psychic, but when it comes to 'altering' things...

The ground began to tremble, and I started feeling dizzy. You could say I am an expert.

Before any of could process what was going on, the white void had transformed into a long and endless hallway. It was a hallway of what I supposed was the police station I was just in. What the...?

Now, I will give you one last chance. If you comply, I will make sure you go back to reality and forget this ever happened.

"Fuck off!" The Fennekin yelled.

"Yeah! I'm not getting fooled by you!" I added.

Hmph. You brought this upon yourselves. I hope you can run fast enough. And rest assured, you are not getting out of here until you do what I say.

Run fast enough?

"Run from what?"

There was no answer.

"Okay this is weird..." I said.

"I was going to say the same. Also, could you let me down already? Can't believe I'm stuck like this..."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry"

Once she was down on the ground she looked at me. "So... we are actually the same 'mon? You are a 'me' but without the memories of my friends? Crazy..."

"I know, let's not think about it too much. I'm... really scared of the future"

"Why?"

I sighed. "Your friends are gonna take me to a Ninetales that seems to be able to fix my memories, and well... you heard that voice. Only one of us is going to go back"

"You are scared of disappearing, aren't you?"

I slowly nodded. "Hey, listen. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you've been very brave when talking to that voice back there. Even if you are scared of disappearing, you still stood your ground and said that you will sacrifice yourself just for the sake of things going back to normal. That means a lot"

"It's nothing. Your friend really looked hurt when I didn't recognize him"

"He... did?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Also, what was that you said before about 'being the most loveable Pokémon anyone could ever find on this earth', huh?"

She blushed. "Shut up!"

"Oh, come on! I'm you! You can tell me!"

We both chuckled. After we stopped, a few minutes of silence followed. "So... why are we in this hallway now?" She asked.

"I don't know. That voice said that we were going to need to run, or something like that, right?"

"I think so? But why would we need to-?"

"Ohhhh, Ember's~" As if on cue, a cooing voice was heard and one of the doors to the side of the hallway opened.

A ghost type Zoroark walked out of it with a crazy look on her eyes. "Oh no..." The Fennekin yelped.

"What? Who's that?"

"That's- That's Lilith. The actual boss of the Rocket Guild. But she looks more... crazy than usual"

I looked back at 'Lilith'. She indeed looked like a Pokémon that had come straight out of a psych ward. The normally messy mane of fur on her head was even more unkept, and some of the fur on her body was missing. Her claws looked like they were stained with something crimson, hopefully not what I thought it was, substance. "Oh, I finally found you! I've been looking around this place for so long I've completely lost track of time! Now we can finally be together and have some FUN, don't you think~?"

"Woah! What's wrong with her?" Ember yelled.

"She's not normally like this?"

"Well, she is a bit crazy, but not this crazy! Do you think this is that voice's doing?"

"Well, this is certainly something I want to run away from, so yeah, it may be!"

The possibly fake Lilith tilted her head. "Run away? Aww, but I even brought some friends so we can have loads of fun together!"

Friends?

More doors opened behind her. Three more doors to be exact. From the first one, Agatha came out. She didn't seem as weird as Lilith, but she definitely looked off. I could swear she looked a bit more pale.

"Why did you leave me behind...?" The Froslass said in a more eerie tone than normal.

I looked at the Fennekin. By the face she was making, I could guess she knew what she was talking about. "A-Agatha" She stuttered. "I-I thought-"

"What? That me and Aiden could make it out of a town bombing by ourselves? You weren't even there when the store got destroyed. If it hadn't been for Aiden, everyone would have been dead"

"What? Town bombing? The store got destroyed? What's she talking about?"

She didn't respond. "I-I-"

"What? Didn't know about it? What a pathetic excuse. That Delcatty was right. You are still that naive kid from all those years ago"

What is going on? This is definitely not the Agatha I know.

Ember seemed shaken. "N-No... I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't want any of this to happen..." She sobbed.

He didn't have anymore time to dwell on it, as from the second door three familiar Pokémon emerged. There wasn't a very noticeable difference compared to their real counterparts, since all they wore was a rather angry look. Kit, however, was the most unrecognizable of them all.

His long and usually crimson mane had a lot of long, white colored streaks, similar to Lilith's. His eyes were bloodshot, apparently from crying, and below them, big eyebags were present. Through his whole body there were cuts and scars everywhere I looked, some of them looking recent, even bleeding. But probably most importantly was the big blood stain on one of the sides of his head, revealing what looked like the Pokémon's skull underneath it.

He looked like... he had just woken up from the dead.

"Ugh, it's you!" The fake Marshtomp yelled with a face of disgust when he saw me. He didn't seem to care for the Fennekin, just like Agatha did with me.

"You didn't have enough with what you've done to Kit, huh?!" 'Jake' added.

I looked at the walking Zoroark corpse. Only now I realized he was almost unmoving, standing still as if he were being held by a string that could break at any moment.

"W-What happened to him?" I asked, supressing a gag.

"Oh, you wanna know? Well, after how you acted when Kit told you about the Rocket Guild stuff, he ran away again! And guess what he did!" He snarled. "He jumped because of you! I-I wasn't fast enough to arrive before he... he..." He gently sobbed.

"He's dead because of you" Marshtomp simply stated.

My mouth twitched in anger. "Liar. I saw both Kit and Jake entering the room before I went to sleep! He didn't do anything! Yeah, I acted harshly, and I'm sorry, but what was I supposed to do, huh?"

"You are the worst!" The fighting type yelled. For some reason, those words hurt me more than they should. A small tear appeared in my eyes. Why, brain? You know this is fake!

There was still one door left open, and I was sure neither of us would like what would come out of it.

"Oh, don't listen to them! They've been so boring ever since that guy decided to jump!" Lilith interrupted. "But there's a pair of Pokémon that I'm sure you both will want to see!"

"I'm sure we won't" We both exclaimed.

From the last door two more Pokémon entered the hallway. Those Pokémon were none other than a Delphox and a Meowstick.

Our eyes widened. Those are... Those are...

"Ember!" Mom yelled.

"It's you!" Dad added with the same incredulous face as the Meowstick.

"Dad..." I stammered.

"M-Mom?" The Fennekin added.

"E-Ember, honey, is that you?" The psychic type asked weakly.

"Y-Yeah!" Both of us exclaimed and then looked at each other.

"Ember, we've been waiting to see you for so long..." The Meowstick said, her voice catching inside her throat.

"We need to tell you something..."

Tears started forming in my eyes. No... They aren't real... Don't... get fooled.

The other Ember didn't seem to think that rationally, however. "Mom! Dad! I-I've missed you! P-Please, don't abandon me ever-"

"Abandon you?" Dad cut through her rant. His voice sounded... off. It had a hint of... anger? Despair? "If I remember correctly, you were the one that caused us all of this, am I wrong?"

Ember's eyes widened, and I could feel mine do the same too. "W-What?"

"Have you forgotten already?" Mom replied. "Even after everything we told you, after every warning we gave you, you still followed after us that night"

I frowned, feeling more tears form. "Shut up! You are not real! None of this is real! Leave us alone!" I yelled, stepping in front of the sobbing Fennekin.

"You don't ever learn to listen to your parents, do you? Don't you think that what that Delcatty made us go through because of you is enough?" Dad almost growled. "You are a disappointment"

Despite my best efforts, I felt myself give in to the sadness, but it didn't come even close to how the other Ember looked. "I-It was my fault " She said. "If I just hadn't gone after them... They-They'd still be here..."

We didn't have much time to lament, as Lilith once again spoke. "Oh, come on! Why those long faces? Oh, I know what will cheer you up! Let's play a game!"

Sniffing, I swallowed and sighed, wiping my tears. "What game?"

"Oh, just a simple game of tag! And because no one likes to, we can start being It!"

"Tag?" That didn't look good. "What are the rules. I kinda forgot about them" I lied, just to check.

"Oh, simple! You run from us and we try to catch you! Easy, am I right?"

"What happens if we get caught?"

The Zoroark's face turned to an even creepier look as she smiled even more widely. "Let's just say you won't like it"

I shivered. That sounded bad. Really bad.

The ghost type went back to her regular face. "Now, since we are a lot more than you two, we'll act fair and give you a five second head start! Starting now!"

She raised her claws. "Five!"

I looked at the paralyzed Fennekin. "Ember!"

"Four!"

"I-It was my fault... Only my fault..." She kept repeating.

"Ember, we have no time for this now!"

"Three!"

I looked at the group of Pokémon in front of us. All wore murderous looks. They are going to kill us the moment they catch us, aren't they?

My heart skipped a beat. We-We have to get out of here!

"Two!"

I looked at the Fennekin once again. She still didn't move. I groaned.

"One!"

Without thinking about it anymore, I grabbed her, making her yelp in surprise, and turned around, sprinting as fast as I could away from them.

"GO!"

As if the door of a corral full of wild Wooloo had been opened, all the Pokémon behind us suddenly darted for us at a very high speed.

Even if the Fennekin still hadn't stopped crying, she now seemed aware of the situation. "What's going on? Why are we getting chased?!"

"I don't know, ask that creepy and ominous voice about it!"

"Oh, yeah, good point"

"Come'ere! Don't make this difficult~!" Lilith yelled from behind us, her voice coming from too close for my liking.

Shit! This isn't good at all!

I kept running for who knows how long. It was terrifying to know that one single slip would cost someone their life. And the Fennekin knew it too.

"When does this end?" She asked.

"I... don't... know!" I replied between breaths.

"If the corridor ever ended, it wouldn't make for a very fun game, would it?"

What does that mean? Is this endless?!

There's gotta be a way out...

Right?

In the distance, I saw what looked like the end of the hallway, but when I got closer I realized it was just a turn to the right.

My legs were sore, and carrying the extra weight of the other me was exhausting. I wasn't sure how long I would last like this.

"Getting tired already? Aw, but we are just starting~"

"You know I can run by myself, right?" Ember asked, looking at the horde following us.

"Yeah, but probably not... as fast... as me! You are back to being a Fennekin,... in case you hadn't noticed!"

"Don't remind me about it!"

The hallway didn't seem like it was ending anytime soon, and my legs were starting to feel numb. My speed was rapidly decreasing. We... are not gonna make it...

I felt someone's paw touching the fur on my back. Is this it? I'm... I'm so sorry... for not being able to save you...

And just when I thought every spark of hope was lost, a blinding light suddenly shined in front of us, making everyone stop and cover their eyes.

"Ugh, what the fuck?" I heard Jake groan.

"I hadn't seen a light that bright in years!" Dad exclaimed.

"Hey, that's just cheating!" Lilith yelled.

"Ember! Ember's? It doesn't matter! Listen, to me, I know it may sound very sudden, but I need the one of you that has the real memories to come with me!"

"What?" 'The one of us that had the real memories' exclaimed.

"Who are you?"

"There is no time for that! If they catch you, they will kill the last remnant of the real Ember there exists! The psychic link I created to be here is not strong enough to bring the real Ember to her body, but I can at least find her a safe place to hide in until that psychic helps her!"

"You expect us to trust you just like that? You are another fake Pokémon created by that voice, aren't you? Let us continue!" I yelled.

"I knew it was going to be hard to convince you, so let me explain to you what's going to happen if you don't listen to me. This hallway has no end, at least for now. I can alter the original one to have one, just a bit further. If you go through there, you will get out of here and return to your body, but the Ember created by that... thing is the only one that can do that! But both of you can't cross it! Please, you have to trust me!"

"The Ember created by that thing" Those words made me shiver.

I was about to deny again, but the Fennekin beat me to it. "It's me. I am the real Ember"

"Huh?! What are you doing?"

"It's okay. I think... I think this voice is telling the truth. And even if it wasn't, you are exhausted from carrying me and you are going to get caught anyway if I stay. Plus, something tells me it's trustworthy"

"But what if it isn't?"

She looked at me. "Is there any other option?"

There truly wasn't. I couldn't run forever, and if they caught up to us, we weren't going to make it out alive. But if this was a lie...

"Please, take her to safety" I told it, handing the small fire type to the light. Suprisingly, I felt like someone grabbed her. "Thank you. The exit is just a few minutes ahead. Once you wake up, you may feel very weird. Remember to trust your friends and listen to what they say. Be careful"

"We'll see each other soon, okay?" Ember asked, clearly still having doubts.

I nodded. "Of course!"

"Now run before they get their senses back!" The voice said, before it and the Fennekin disappeared.

Enough rest for now. I thought, sighing and running away once again.

"Hey! She's escaping!" Marshtomp yelled.

"Get her!" Mom added.

The chase once again resumed, but now I had more distance between them than before. And they knew that.

When I thought this was going to be just an easy run, a Water Gun was suddenly fired onto the ceiling, making a tile drop on top of me. I narrowly dodged it.

"Ugh, I missed!"

"I've got something that will let us get her" Mom said. Her eyes started glowing pink, and I could begin to see the edges of some sort of box appearing around us.

Trick Room. That will make me slow! I can't let her do that!

Without thinking, I turned around and blasted an Ember attack at the Meowstick, halting the move in a moment. For the pained look on her face, I also managed to burn her.

Sorry, but can't let myself get caught!

For some reason, they had now decided to start using moves against me, making the ceiling tiles fall, the floor slippery, and even open the occasional doors to the sides of the hallway using my parents psychic powers.

I wasn't going to give up, though.

Right there in the distance, I could see something. The endless looping hallway seemed to come to an end, with no more turns present.

All the Pokémon behind me let out an exclamation of confusion.

"Since when was there an exit door?!" Lilith yelled.

I ignored her completely and made my last sprint towards the door. "No you don't!"

Without any warning, my back was suddenly sprayed with a stream of water, which hurt more than it should have normally, even for a fire type.

That made me lose my balance and I fell forward and face first onto the ground.

"Bullseye! Nice one, Marshtomp!"

Even with the burning feeling on my back, which was something I didn't usually experience, I managed to once again get on my paws and keep running. The distance between me and the Pokémon had become much smaller, and my speed even more, but I had to keep going.

The end was just in front of me. Just gotta... keep... pushing...

I was taken out of my thoughts as another attack was fired at me. It definitely felt like a Fire Blast, and it was pretty strong too. Luckily, I managed to keep my balance and keep running. Just this last stretch!

Every single part of my body hurt as if I had taken a beatdown, and was making it really difficult to keep going. But if I gave up, I would never be able to fix what that voice had done. That alone gave me the strength to push myself to my limit.

"Someone throw something at her! Quick!" Jake yelled.

"Hey, that's chea-" Lilith began.

"Shut up!" Everyone interrupted her.

"Ugh, you really don't know how to keep a game fun!" She groaned, coating herself in a purple aura.

I mentally screamed. I was definitely not going to survive another attack, no matter the type, I had no energy to use anymore moves and dodging would only result in worse results. The only option I had was sprint as fast as I could to the exit.

Just when I felt the attack start to form around me and pierce through my skin, I tackled the exit door and fell to the endless abism of blackness as I heard something.

"Oh, hey you won them at their own game! Congratulations!"

I woke up on my bed back at the hospital with Jake standing beside me, obviously scared. "Hey, hey! Ember, what's wrong?!" He desperately yelled as he saw my panicked breathing.

"Everything..." The last thing I remembered was coughing so hard I threw up my dinner onto the floor before once again passing out.

---

You got very lucky today, Ember. Next time we meet, things will not be this easy.

Ohh, next time...

We are going to have some actual fun next time...

---

...

...

...

"Hey, she's waking up!"

"Boss, Boss! Come here!"

"Coming, coming!"

...

"Ember?"

...

...

"Ugh..." I groaned, slowly fluttering my eyes open. My whole body ached, and I felt worse than when I had first woken up here. I also had a piercing headache that made me want to die right there.

"Ember! Oh my god, you woke up!" The Lucario yelled, hugging me, tears falling from his eyes.

"Ow, stop! It hurts!" I exclaimed when the spike on his chest started piercing me.

"S-Sorry!"

Once he let go, I somehow managed to straighten myself on the bed. "What happened?"

"I woke up in the middle on the night and saw you shivering and twitching on your sleep. I tried to wake you up a lot of times before I just went up to get the nurse. While she was coming, I went back here to check on you and you woke up suddenly before throwing up and fainting again. I thought something terrible happened to you..."

Well, you could say so...

"It's fine" I sighed. "Thanks for worrying"

"The nurse said you were as exhausted as anyone would be after a fight, but she could only see that you had an intense headache and that you'd thrown your dinner onto the ground" Kit explained. "Ember, what's going on with you?"

I looked around. That voice said to trust them... Even the other you told you about it. Those three back there weren't real.

"There's... something I need to tell you"

"Oh, you don't say" Marshtomp laughed.

"But we've already lost a lot of time here" I said, standing up. "I'll explain to you on the way to Oldale Town. For now, let's just head-" I was interrupted by my legs giving out and making me fall onto my knees.

"You should go wash your mouth and then eat this berry. We'll wait for you outside" Jake laughed, handing me a Sitrus berry, offering me his other paw to help me stand up.

I chuckled and grabbed it. My legs felt numb, which was probably because of the running. But didn't that happen inside my mind? How could it be possible? Was that the reason I felt like that?

I decided not to question it any further and walked to the bathroom while the rest began preparing for the trip.

True to my friends' words, the moment I got inside the bathroom and drank some water, I was assaulted by a horrible taste from the inside of my mouth, reminding me of what happened before I fell unconscious.

I spent a long time trying to wash that disgusting taste away, and when I finally managed to make it less intense, I was definitely not keen on eating the berry. Nonetheless, I knew doing that would only cause more pain. I had to walk to another town, after all.

The berry definitely didn't taste as good as it regularly would, but it was still good. Some of the pain was lessened, but it still was hard to move around.

After finishing that, I exited the police station, waving goodbye to everyone I came across, and I spotted the three Pokémon waiting just outside. Jake and Kit seemed to know where to go to have breakfast, so me and Marshtomp followed them.

We arrived at a restaurant named 'Serperior's cookhouse'. Once we got inside, we saw that it wasn't too crowded at this time of the morning. A Snivy greeted us and took us to a table before calling his Servine brother.

Once we had eaten our breakfast, which was one of the most delicious ones I had ever eaten, and a promise to come back sometime soon, we waved goodbye to the both of them and headed out of the town.

Just as Katy had said, the path led through a forest, so we would hopefully arrive soon. I wasn't sure how long that Fennekin would last.

Was that even real? What am I talking about?! My body is completely sore, of course it was real!

"Hey, Ember" Kit asked me. "What did you want to tell us?"

"Oh, I forgot! Alright so, I had a crazy dream last night, but I'm starting to think it was actually not a dream"

"A dream? I think it was more than that if it made you throw up your sandwich" Jake chuckled.

"Yeah, that's the point. Well, you see..."

---

Even though we set early (later than originally planned due to some unforseen incident), it was around noon by the time I had finished explaining every single detail of the dream, and we had decided to take a small break from walking in a small cleared out area.

"Let me see if I got this straight" Kit started. "You woke up inside your mind, where you met an alternative version of yourself, let's call her 'Ember 2', that had all of the real memories of your life. Then, after she ran away for telling her that you thought you were the same 'mon, a voice talked to you, and told you that the reason there were two of you was because you had been created as a filler while it trapped Ember 2 in a fake life so she wouldn't try to come back, but was 'reawakened' when you arrived. Moreover, that voice confirmed it was the one responsible of erasing your memories and he tried to kill you both by turning an endless white void into an equally endless hallway, from which you only escaped thanks to the intervention of yet another voice, who convinced you of handing Ember 2 to her, so you could wake up and go the psychic. Did I get everything right?"

I nodded. "You missed a few details, but yeah. I know it's crazy, but-"

"I believe you" Jake interrupted.

"Huh? Just like that?"

"Well, I turned into a Pokémon, Ember. Nothing can surprise me anymore. Also, I may have an idea of who that voice could belong to. The second one I mean"

"Really?" Marshtomp exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think it's from-"

He suddenly stopped talking. "Jake? What's going on?" Kit asked.

"We aren't alone" He simply said, standing up.

"What? Is anyone here?" I yelped, looking around.

"Two Pokémon. Wait, no, three. And they are closing in fast!"

Every one of us stood guard. "There's a high chance these are from the Rocket Guild, so be really careful" Kit warned.

"Are we never going to be left alone? These guys just bring us trouble!" Jake groaned.

"Did I hear someone say trouble?" A male voice asked from somewhere behind the bushes.

"That's our cue to get into action!" Another female voice replied.

"Quit the chattering and let's get to it already!" Added a third voice, also male.

From behind the shrubbery, three Pokémon jumped out. A Glaceon, an Espeon and a Minccino.

We all looked at them with incredulous eyes. "Who... are you?" I asked.

"Oh, you don't know who we are? Don't be frightened, little 'mons!" The Espeon announced.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves!" The Glaceon added.

I raised a brow. What are these guys playing?

The Espeon walked forward and raised a paw in the air. "To protect this world from devastation!"

Using her psychic powers the psychic grabbed a nearby flower and floated it close to the Glaceon's face, who also walked forward and did the same as his partner. "To unite all Pokémon within this nation!"

I turned around to look at my friends, but they all seemed as clueless as I was, Kit looking specially embarassed for some reason, muttering something around the lines of 'Why them?'.

My attention was taken back to the three Pokémon. They weren't done yet. "To denounce the evils of truth and love!" The Espeon chanted again.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" The Glaceon added.

The psychic type looked at us. "Jessie!"

The ice type did the same, the flower falling onto the ground. "Josh!"

"The Rocket Guild blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare for an ardous fight!"

The Minccino jumped from behind them, did a flip and landed in front of them. "Yeah, that's right!"

We stood in silence for a long while. Marshtomp started clapping before Kit stopped him.

"Are you... from the guild?" Jake asked, trying to hold his laughter.

"Well, yes, of course!" The Espeon exclaimed. "Why wouldn't we be?" She added, sounding offended.

"Maybe because you haven't succeeded in any missions ever since you joined " Kit whispered.

"Hey, it's not our fault!" The Minccino yelled. "Boss always sends us to the hardest of missions!"

"Yeah! It's not our fault!" Jessie insisted.

"You had to infiltrate the Expedition Society. Once! The rest of the stuff was stealing money from banks, or just patroling!" Kit replied back.

"And we didn't even do that particularly well..." Josh whinned before getting smacked down on his head by the Espeon.

"And how in Giratina's domain do you know that, twerp?" Jessie asked.

Kit chuckled. "That's not the proper way to adress your former boss, is it?"

The three Pokémon in front of us widened their eyes. "You were the Boss?! " The Minccino exclaimed.

"Impossible! There's no way a twerp like you could-"

"Jessie the Espeon, joined the ranks around five years ago after not being able to become a nurse. You haven't moved up the ranks yet due to your poor performance" The Zoroark interrupted.

"That's-"

Kit didn't stop there, as he then looked at the Glaceon. "Josh the Glaceon, ran away from home because your parents wanted you to marry a Leafeon even though you didn't love her. You joined almost at the same time as Jessie, where you went to the same formation course"

"How do you-" The Glaceon began, but couldn't finish.

"And Hugh, the failed performer. Not much is known about you, other than you decided to join the guild because of the free food and shelter after your failure"

The three Pokémon stood dumbfoolded, just like us. How can he remember that?

"There is no way a twerp like you could be giving us orders! You can't be older than us!"

The Zoroark simply shrugged. "Tell that to the old Boss" He then took a, little less casual, battle stance. "Now, what do you want?"

Still looking like they were trying to proccess that they old boss was not even older than them, they once again turned to look at us. The Espeon cleared her throat and spoke. "We are here to bring you with us! Boss personally asked us to do that!"

"Didn't she ask the same to all the guild?" The Minccino asked, before getting smacked by the Espeon.

"Lilith's after us? What a surprise..." Jake mumbled.

"Hey, don't you dare disrespect the Boss!" Jessie yelled.

"You mean my ex girlfriend?" Kit chuckled.

"Quit the yapping, and let's get to the fighting!" Hugh interrupted.

"You won't stand a chance against us!" Josh added.

"Ember, stay back, you are still healing. Let the fighting to us!"

To say the least, the fight took less than two minutes. Jessie began with a Confusion attack, but she aimed it at Kit, making it useless. Kit, for his part, simply used a Night Slash, throwing the psychic type backwards.

Hugh, however, was a bit more smart, and used Swift on me. I was caught by surprise, and realized this was an actual fight against three members of the Rocket Guild.

Jake readied a Force Palm and unleashed it on the Minccino, who was knocked away, followed by Marshtomp's Water Gun.

"Hugh! You'll pay for that!" Josh exclaimed before throwing a few Ice Shards at him. He simply laughed and dodged them, making a flip and landing behind him. He used another Force Palm, knocking him a big distance.

"Now I understand what you meant with 'poor performance'" Jake told Kit.

"Yeah. Honestly, I still don't know why Lilith keeps this guys around. They'd be better working anywhere except at the guild" He replied.

Jessie's face went red with anger. "I will not tolerate such disrespect from twerps like you!"

"It's too late to do that anyway!" Hugh added, shaking his soaked head and standing up.

"Could you imagine how good it would be though" Josh asked. "Just imagine working in a bakery and waking up every morning just to smell the delicious aroma of freshly cooked buns and cakes..." He said, eyes closed and his mouth watering.

"Hmm, maybe that ain't that bad after all... Maybe we should reconsider our career path..." Hugh added, doing the same.

The Espeon used her psychic powers to throw a pair of rocks at them. "Do you think this is the time to discuss those kinds of what ifs?!"

"It's not like I am in very good condition to fight..." The normal type whinned.

"Could you guys leave us alone now? We have to keep going and get to our destination before it gets dark!" Jake said, annoyed.

"As if we were going to! This battle won't be over until we are knocked out!" Jessie blurted.

"Hopefully that won't take too long..." I muttered.

"What was that?" The Minccino yelled.

"Ember, I know you shouldn't fight, and all that, but... you know you can just melt that Glaceon, right?" Marshtomp told me.

"No, you can't!" Josh suddenly yapped.

"I don't like to fight..." I replied.

"Just like when you took down that entire Monster House on your own?"

"I did that?"

"Yup"

I grabbed the stick from my tail and looked at it. Did I ever use it? Looking at the tip, I could barely see some burnt wood, which meant that yes, I had used it. When exactly was something that escaped my mind.

"I want to help you guys, but... I'm not sure I know how"

"Stop saying that! You absolutely roasted that Beedrill! And I'm pretty sure it was our first official mission!" Kit replied. "Now, let's get these guys out of my face!"

I clutched the stick harder. "Okay... I'll try"

"You aren't going anywhere! Take this Psybeam!" Jessie exclaimed, throwing said attack at Jake.

With impressive agility, Jake dodged it and hit the attacker with a Force Palm, which distracted her enough for Kit to sneak up behind her and land a Night Slash, drawing a small drop of blood from the Espeon's torso as she shrieked in pain and fell to the floor.

"Jessie!" Hugh yelled, jumping on top of the fighting type. His tail glowed white and he started slapping Jake with it a few times. "How do you like that, huh?!"

Jake grabbed the small Pokémon's tail and threw him on the ground with every bit of strength he could muster.

"You fight pretty well for being a hu-... A you know what! " I told him.

"I learnt everything from you guys" He replied, shaking his head.

That only left the Glaceon, who was trying to act confident, but the fact he was retreating gave away the fact that he knew he had nothing to do against us. "Can't we talk this out?"

"You were the ones that interrupted our break" Kit reminded.

"Yeah, but- Surprise Blizzard!" He yelled, using the attack on us. The force of the move didn't let us move further.

"Ember, use some sort of fire move!" The water type yelled.

"Yeah, I'm starting to not feel my nose!" Jake added.

Come on, Ember, use something! Whatever! Just like when you were a kid!

But how do I use my fire moves?

Suddenly, some sort of memory came back to me. We were in a cave and I used Light Screen to cover my friends. For some reason, I remembered how to use it now.

Thanks, other me.

With no more time to lose, after a quick wave of my stick, a wall of light was formed in front of us, protecting us from the attack. We began moving forward without effort.

Once the Glaceon realized he was out of options, he ran to the almost unconscious Espeon's bag trying to search for something.

"Jessie, you had a Violent Seed, right?"

The Pokémon muttered something that sounded like a 'yes'. "Last chance to leave us alone" I said, pointing at him.

"Oh yeah? Take a look at this!" Josh took what looked like a red and small Pinap berry from the bag.

I widened my eyes. That's not-

"Josh, that's not a Violent Seed!" His partner exclaimed.

It was too late however. By the time she had finished that sentence, Josh had already taken a bite out of the seed. He seemed confused as to what was happening.

"Why don't I feel any different?" He asked himself.

I quickly raised the Light Screen again. "Behind me" I told the three.

Everyone did that without a complaint. "Jessie, did you get expired seeds?! Because I don't feel-"

"You absolute idiot! You just ate a Blast Seed!" The Espeon shouted.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, a big explosion happened in front of us. We didn't take too much damage, but the three criminals were sent flying up to the sky.

Before they disappeared, we managed to hear them yell something. "The Rocket Guild is blasting off again!"

We were left alone in the clearing again. "That Light Screen was a great idea! Nice job, Ember!" Jake congratulated me.

"Thanks, but you three were the ones that did the whole. You are a really good fighter, human" I teased him.

His face went red. "Come on, I'm not that good..."

"Come on you two! You'll have plenty of time to love each other once we get to Oldale!" Kit chuckled. "The least thing we want is to get caught by surprise again by actually competent members of the guild"

"Yeah, let's get going" Jake agreed. "I want to meet that psychic as soon as possible"

"Wait, did you just say 'love each other'?"

---

The sun was starting to set when we got out of the forest.

The first thing we noticed was a very small town that laid ahead. The forest turned out to be a bit more elevated than the town, so we could see its entirety from there.

And boy, was it small. There were at most ten houses, all of them able to hold at most four Pokémon, a town clinic, which was pretty small compared to New Hope Town's, what I supposed was a shop, also a lot smaller than Agatha's store or the department store, a small building that seemed to be an inn of some sorts, and a town hall. That was it.

There were also what looked like ruins a bit further from the town, but there wasn't much. Just a town in a forest clearing.

"This is where this very powerful psychic lives? A town in the middle of nowhere?" Kit yelled.

"Well, if she's so powerful, the last thing she would want is to live somewhere as crowded as Lively Town, right?" I replied.

"I guess..."

"Well, at least the Pokémon in this town have to know her, right?" Marshtomp thought out loud.

"They have to. Now come on! We have some memories to bring back!" Jake finished, starting to walk to the town.

We began following behind him, as the three of them engaged in small talk. I wasn't listening though. I was too caught up on my own thoughts to tune in to the conversation. There was a burning question inside of my head that kept me thinking.

If I'm not the real Ember, and the psychic is going to try and bring the real one out...

...

What's going to happen to me?

It was something to which there was no certain answer. Was I simply going to disappear? Die?

I shivered, at the thought. Unfortunately, that seemed to catch the attention of Jake, who let Kit lead as he walked next to me. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" I was taken aback. "What gave it away?"

"Well, apparently Lucario can sense strong emotions, even when they don't want to, and I think that whatever you're feeling is pretty strong" He smiled.

A sigh left my mouth. "I was just wondering things"

"Really? You don't look like that's it"

There was a pause. "I was just... What will happen once that psychic helps me?"

Jake looked at me like if I was asking how much two plus two was. "You'll get your memories back?"

"Yeah but... don't you remember about the two versions of myself?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I know I'm not the real one and that I shouldn't be here at all, and that Ninetales is supposedly going to bring that version of me out. So I was just wondering..."

Another pause. "What is going to happen to me?"

Jake looked at me and smiled. "Well, I can't tell you for sure, but whatever happens, just remember that I'll be with you until the end of the world, okay? We all will"

He then looked away. "I don't know what will happen, but... I need to ask you a question"

"Go on"

"Let's say that bringing your memories back causes you to die. Would you still let the Ninetales do it?"

I looked down in thought. What would I do?

I thought in silence for what felt like hours, until I finally came to a conclusion. I took a deep breath. "Of course I would. I can still remember your faces when I woke up. I don't want to make you go through all of that just because of me. None of you deserve it. Your friend is trapped somewhere inside of here..." I pointed to my head. "And if I have to die to make everything go back to normal..."

I took a few more deep breaths. "I am going to do it"

Jake widened his eyes and smiled again. "Even if you are not 'the real Ember' as you say, you are still just like her" He added, giving me a pat on my shoulder.

We kept walking forward in silence for a few more seconds, until I suddenly remembered something else the Fennekin had said. "Hey Jake..."

"Yeah?"

"Is it true that... you and me are supposed to be..." I felt my face go red. "You know..."

His eyes went wide once again, as he blushed intensely. He looked away. "It's complicated. I don't think that you wanted to be with me anyway"

I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. There were a few moments of silence afterwards. "Hey, it may be the other me intruding somehow, but..."

I looked away in embarassment. "If I hadn't met you this morning, I probably wouldn't mind giving you a chance..."

His whole face turned a new shade of red as he covered his face. "That means a lot. Th-Thank you" He was trying to sound calm, but his stuttering, the fact he was covering his face and the probably involuntary twitching of his tail gave away his true feelings about it.

I began laughing, and he did the same not too long after.

"Hey, you two!" I heard Kit yell. We realized him and Marshtomp had passed us and now they were a few steps in front of us. "Hurry!"

"Coming!" The fighting type next to me yelled. "Come on. I don't want you to hear Kit teasing us"

I raised a brow. "What?"

"Don't worry, you get used to it"

Once we caught up with them and we entered the town, we were met with a few residents that looked at us like if visitors were something extraordinary.

Considering that this town has nothing to do, I would be surprised if anyone ever decided to come here on their own other than to watch the ruins. I'm surprised there isn't a dungeon nearby...

"Let's go ask someone. Going from house to house is going to be a pain"

We got closer to a Mightyena that was sitting down on a bench. He immediately perked up when he saw us. "I haven't seen you before. Visitors?" He told us, smirking.

"Yeah. Is that weird?" Jake asked.

"You'd be surprised. Last time someone came around here was to see Sage, but that was a long time ago. What brings you to our little town, strangers?"

"We were actually looking for a psychic? A Ninetales" Kit replied. "You see, we are in a bit of a predicament, and we got adviced to come here and try our look for her. Does she still live around here?"

The dark type chuckled. "Yeah, that Ninetales is the Sage I was telling you about. I see you are four of the few that know about her"

"Excuse me, if it's okay to ask, why is she so little known? If she's that powerful, why not offer her services everywhere?" Marshtomp interrupted.

The Mightyena chuckled again. "Well, no one really knows, and we have even asked her ourselves! She says that if someone really needs her help, they'll eventually find a way to get to her"

"Puzzling..." Jake thought out loud.

"Yep, but that's how it is! She's been like that ever since she was a kid. Her parents were so proud of her and her ability with psychic powers..." He sighed. "But that's just me rambling. If you're looking for her, she's at the ruins, just like every afternoon"

After a few thank you's and a quick goodbye, we started walking towards the ruins.

I noticed how Jake wasn't leading anymore and was instead walking next to me. I smiled at him, but he didn't look at me.

Soon after that, we arrived at the ruins. It was a valley in the inside of which laid a few tall stones and ruined buildings made out of rock.

And just a few steps away from the main path, someone was sitting down, looking down into the ruins.

Her crest and neck of long and fluffy fur waving with the slight breeze that blowed. Her piercing orange eyes glazing absently at the ruins below. In a way, it was a beautiful sight, and I could swear I saw Marshtomp's eyes sparkle.

"That's her, right?" I asked.

"Well, she definitely looks like it's her" Jake replied, walking closer. The rest of us followed behind him shortly after.

"Hey, excuse me?" He asked the Ninetales.

She didn't move a bit.

"Hello?" He asked again.

"Is she okay?" Kit whispered to us.

"I don't know..." I replied, while Marshtomp simply stood in awe.

After a few minutes of silence where we considered the idea of giving up, the fire type in front of us closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Team Indigo. I have been waiting for you ever since I foresaw your arrival" She stated with a voice that sounded so calm, yet so powerful.

Woah, she can see the future?

She slightly turned her head to us. "My true name is not of any importance, but you can call me Sage. You have probably guessed that I am the psychic you have been looking for"

"Oh, errm... Yeah! We wanted to ask for your help with a problem we have" Kit told her, to which the Ninetales nodded.

"Your friend's memory loss, is that not right?"

I widened my eyes. "How do you-?"

"I know a lot of things about you, both thanks to my power and your own work. You have become pretty well known around this area of the continent thanks to your ability with exploring. Some congratulations are in order, don't you think?"

"Well known? Really?" Jake exclaimed.

"Mhm" The Ninetales nodded. "But let us go back to the point. I believe this is not a good place to talk, so we should head to my home. We will carry out your treatment there" Stated the fire type, standing up and walking past us.

"Wait, does that mean you are going to help us?" I asked her, making her stop in her tracks.

"My, of course I am! It would not be very compassionate of me to just shove you away, would it?" She chuckled, letting her smile be seen.

"Beautiful..." I heard Marshtomp mutter.

"Marshtomp, did you say something?" Jake asked him.

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about, Boss" He quickly replied.

All of us laughed and after we began following Sage back to town.

Everyone seemed to greet us as we passed, apparently not expecting visitors, just like the Mightyena.

We stopped in front of the largest house and the door opened on its own, letting Sage pass. I guessed she had open it with her psychic powers because I saw a small pink glow surrounding the door. It closed behind us in a similar manner.

"Woah, this house is big!" I exclaimed.

"It belonged to my parents, long before I was ever hatched. I inherited it once they passed away. It is not as big as you may imagine, specially once the biggest of the rooms is emptied"

"I suppose that's where you do your psychic stuff?" Jake guessed.

"Indeed. Now, if you please, wait here for a few moments. You may sit on the couch if you feel like it. Make yourselves at home"

The Ninetales left us in the house's living room as she walked into the kitchen. We sat on the couch, not daring to say a word, silently looking around.

Despite her calm and kind attitude, something about her told me that she could destroy a whole mountain if she got angry. Judging by how stiff Jake was sitting, I guessed he was the one that felt it the most. "That Pokémon could kill us if she wanted to, and we wouldn't be able to do anything to stop her"

"You can feel that, I assume" Kit chuckled.

"Yeah, and I don't like it"

"That ability of your species is truly something both very useful and very annoying, is it not?" Sage's voice interrupted us, as she walked back to the living room with a floating mug full of something. "Feeling the emotions of everyone you come across must be something very sanity consuming sometimes, hm?"

I could see his face go completely pale. "Oh, ermm, yeah" He nervously chuckled. "You didn't happen to hear... you know..."

Sage laughed, a laugh that almost sent shivers down my spine. "Do not worry about it, really. You are not the first Lucario that came here and said the exact same thing. Please, do not worry. I just want to help you"

After a few seconds of silence, Jake sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I... just got a bit overwhelmed"

Sage chuckled again. "You are the first one to tell me that" She walked closer to me. "Ember, right? Here, you should drink this. It's an infusion made with Payapa berries. It should help you with what we are about to do" She told me, floating the cup into my paws.

I took a look at it and then back at her. "Come on, drink it. You do not have too, but trust me, the aftermath of this treatment will be much worse if you do not drink it"

I nodded and began drinking the tea. To my surprise, it was actually warm and not blazing hot, and its taste was very enjoyable, even though I didn't usually like Payapa berries.

"Very well. Now, let us go to the upper floor. Follow me, please" Sage started walking towards the stairs, and I closely followed behind. Jake, Kit and Marshtomp waved me goodbye.

"You three as well. We will need you" The Ninetales suddenly said.

The Pokémon looked at each other before shrugging and doing as instructed. Sage took us to a big and empty room, where only a table with something written and a book laying on it stood.

"Okay. Ember, this is what I am going to do. I will first use Hypnosis to make you fall asleep. Then, I will do the same with your friends. Finally, I will use Dream Eater to bring their consciousness to the inside of your mind, so they can find your memories. I will handle the rest" Sage explained.

"Woah, wait! Why do we need to go inside?" Marshtomp exclaimed.

"I believe you are the best candidates for this particular case. I usually do it myself, but I believe that your friend's case is... different from the rest"

"Different? How?" Jake asked.

"I do not know exactly, but I certainly think you are better prepared than me"

"How? You are the powerful psychic!"

"Maybe, but you are her friends, and there is no greater power than that"

Once that was set, Sage instructed me to sit in the middle of the room. "Okay, is everyone ready?" She asked.

"Psychic moves don't work on me, you know?" Kit stated.

"Indeed, but I know a technique to bypass that"

"Miracle Eye?"

She smirked and shook her head. "There are more techniques than that to affect dark types, only that Pokémon usually don't know them"

"Wait!" I suddenly exclaimed.

"Hm, yes?"

"Sage, I forgot to tell you, but... just before we set off to come here, I had a dream. Well, I don't know if it was a dream, but I know that I saw another version of myself, and she was the one that had the real memories. And, I was wondering..."

I looked at Jake, and he nodded. "I suppose that we have to bring that other me out, but... what is going to happen to me?"

The Ninetales listened to my question and subtly nodded. "Hmm, if what you are telling me is what I imagine, then once we have found that 'other you' and take her out, both of you will... let's say fuse. Both versions will become one, but the real memories will take preference over most of yours"

I visibly shuddered. "Don't worry, it is not painful in the slightest" Sage added. "Now, are you ready?"

Everyone took a deep breath. "Yes, we're ready" I answered.

"Very well then" She walked closer to me. "Close your eyes if you please"

I did as she told me. "Okay, now listen to my voice. Focus on what you saw this morning" I pictured the white void I saw before. "Very well, now you feel your eyes become more and more heavy, you feel how you slowly grow more and more tired..."

Drowsiness started to take hold of me. It was working. Before long, I fell asleep right where I was sitting.

---

"Hey, guys! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes to the sound of someone yelling. I straightened myself only to find out I was back at the same place as this morning.

"Ember! Hey, wake up!" I felt myself get shaked as I yelped in surprise. The owner of the voice was Kit.

"Huh? Are we there yet?"

"If by there you mean a big white void, yes, we are there"

I stood up and took a look at the now familiar landscape. Just as the first time I entered it, it was completely empty and devoid of any Pokémon.

I also noticed Jake and Marshtomp still unconscious on the floor. "How are you awake?" I asked him.

"Sage told me I was probably going to be the first one to wake up. You know, being a dark type and all of that. She said her technique only did so much"

"Let's wake them up"

We grabbed the shoulders of the Pokémon and shook them, jolting them awake. "H-Huh?!" Jake groaned.

"Five more minutes, please!" Marshtomp said.

Once they were up, everyone looked around the space we were in. "Woah, this place is huge! Is this the inside of your mind?" Jake exclaimed.

"Yep. At least I think so"

"Why is it so empty though?"

I frowned.

"Uh- I mean- Like, it's just..." He stuttered.

I began laughing. "Don't worry, I was playing with you. Yeah, it's empty, but I don't know why. Let's focus on finding that other me for now"

We began our walk through the emptiness of my head in the search of a certain Fennekin.

It wasn't long until we found something. It was a tuff of yellow fur laying on the ground.

"That's weird" I grumbled.

"Yeah, finding a tuff of fur in the middle of emptiness? That usually means that someone's gotten attacked" Kit guessed.

"How can someone get attacked here? There's nothing!" Jake yelled, his voice echoing.

As if on cue, the air got heavier, and the atmosphere more eerie than before.

Just like last time.

"Well, I can see you are back. You brought your friends this time, hm?"

Everyone looked around in shock. "You couldn't have shut your mouth, huh Jakey?" Kit jokingly scolded him, rolling his eyes.

"Who's there?! What do you want?" Jake asked the voice.

"Oh please, you already know what I want. And I would already have done it if it was not for that annoying little psychic brat"

"Who?" Marshtomp questioned.

"The voice that saved us" I replied. "What do you want now?" I asked the voice, my words hanging in the air.

"Hmph, I suppose I can indulge you some more, though I believe it will not be necessary"

Huh, what?

"Ember!"

"No, wait!"

We turned around to see a Fennekin run towards us, followed by a Pokémon shrouded in a bright light.

"Hey, mini me" I chuckled.

"Hey, don't you call me that!"

Jake, Kit and Marshtomp looked at the other Ember in surprise. "This is your other version?" Marshtomp exclaimed.

"Why are you a Fennekin?" Jake added. "I thought that 'another version of me' meant another different Braixen!"

Kit, on the other paw, smiled. "You are exactly the same as all those years ago"

Ember turned to look at them and widened her eyes. "Wait, what are you guys doing here?!"

"We got a psychic to help you get out of here" The Lucario answered. "I don't know how though..."

The Pokémon looked like she wanted to say something, but opted to stay silent as she shyly looked away.

"For the one time I have to be serious... Ember, you can't run away like that again! How am I supposed to look after you if you do that?"

Ember turned to the shining Pokémon. "Hey, I'm on my twenties! I have all the right in the world to do as I want!"

"Sorry, to interrupt your little reunion, but I believe we have something pending, don't we?"

I had completely forgotten about the ominous voice that was listening to us.

"You four always run into trouble. How do you do that? It's truly something a legendary should look into" The other voice chuckled.

"Nevermind that!" Kit shouted. "Why don't you show yourself, huh, eerie and non-shining bastard?!"

"You want me to show myself, oh, but that would surely have a severe impact on your friend's mind..."

"Oh, come on, just make yourself a glowing silhouette! It's not that hard, is it?"

Even though there was no one present, I could swear the owner of the ominous voice was glaring at the other Pokémon. "Ugh, you truly are annoying"

From nowhere, another light began shining, but it wasn't like the one that Pokémon was shrouded in. Instead of a bright white light, this one was of a dark purple color, almost black.

Something was wrong though. It was hard to describe it, but it was as if that sinister looking light... flickered between dark purple and other colors.

Something truly weird.

"There. Are you all happy now?"

"What... are you?" Jake stuttered, clearly very uncomfortable.

"That is none of your business, human"

That made all of us stop. "How do you know that?!" He exclaimed.

"That is, once again, none of your business"

"What in Giratina's domain do you want?" Kit interrupted. "We aren't going to let you get Ember just like that!"

There was an ominous chuckle that came from the voice. "I supposed you were going to say that. And that is why..."

The glow of the purple light intensified. "I am going to make you give her to me!"

The glow subsided in its entirety, revealing someone. The Pokémon behind it was black, save for his wispy looking hair-like plume and some sort of red collar on his neck. He lacked legs, and his singular visible blue eye was fixed on us. The flickering was still present on him.

Everyone's eyes widened. "T-That's..." I began.

"A Darkrai!" Jake finished.

"Impossible!" The light behind us exclaimed. "The real Darkrai can't get inside other Pokémon's minds! He told me himself!"

Everyone fell silent. "What?" The Fennekin asked.

I could swear I saw a drop of sweat in the Pokémon's face. "Ermm..." The light turned towards Jake. "Have you told them about your dreams yet?"

"No?" He widened his eyes. "Wait, how do you know that?!"

A sigh. "Ohhh, Cebs is not gonna like this..."

Kit looked like he was about to say something, but he was interrupted. "If you have finished already, I will give you one last chance to do this peacefully"

"No! Leave us alone! We are not letting you touch her!" Jake shouted.

"Yeah! You'll have to pass through us first!" Marshtomp added.

"As you wish"

Suddenly four Dark Pulses were fired at us, knocking us back. I had been hit with that move already, but this ones hurt a lot more than normal.

"What are you doing?!" The other voice asked. "Using attacks this strong can cause damage to everyone's minds!"

Everyone looked at the voice. "Did I forget to tell you? Woopsies..."

"Well, let's do what we know best! It's been long since I fought someone strong!" Jake cried.

"Yeah! Honestly, since we became an explorer team, we've only done what, like six missions?" Kit added.

"It's not our fault that the Rocket Guild decided to come back!" Ember replied.

"Let's fight this guy already!" Marshtomp interrupted.

"Y-Yeah!" I weakly said.

"Whatever you want, then!"

That will not be necessary.

From nowhere in particular, a stream of fire blowed onto the Darkrai, making him yell in pain and making him flicker even more.

Why is he doing that?

Are you all alright? That was Sage's voice.

"Who's that?" Ember asked.

"The psychic that's gonna take us out of here" Jake replied.

"Was that you, Sage?" I shouted.

Indeed. Don't be fooled by that Pokémon in front of you. He's not real. Darkrai is not behind your amnesia.

"I knew it!"

"Yeah, we figured something like that was happening!" Kit replied.

"How are we gonna get out?" Marshtomp inquired. "We have someone trying to kill us!"

Leave that to me. I can sense from a mile away that his psychic abilities are lacking. The same way he got in, I can kick him out.

"Why didn't this guy do it then? If he's here, that means he's a psychic too, right?" Jake asked Sage, pointing at the silhouette behind us.

A light chuckle escaped the Pokémon's lips. "That's because I'm a hundred times farther than any of you are, silly! I'm already doing a lot of effort just to be here!"

Anyway. I will proceed with it.

"Do you think that you can kick me out?" The Darkrai laughed.

After a few seconds of silence, his expression changed into a worried one, sweat forming on his forehead.

Oh, sweetheart...

Darkrai once again screeched in pain, but this time, it was ear piercing. The silhouette began flickering more and more, to the point where even the screams seemed to distort.

It was NOT a question.

In between all those screams, Darkrai turned to look at us. His piercing glare making us freeze as he slowly vanished. "I don't know how or when we will meet again, but rest assured..."

He was almost invisible. "When that happens, no one will be there to save you from me"

And with that, he disappeared. I fell to the ground, panting.

"Ember!" Everyone exclaimed, running next to me.

"Ugh..."

"Are you okay?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay. Just dizzy"

I am very sorry about that, but it was necessary. Now there is no danger and we can perform our task without any interruptions.

"Welp, guess this is the part where I leave. See you soon, guys! And Jake, tell your friends about your dreams already!" The other silhouette giggled before vanishing.

I felt my head spin once again.

Alright. Now, Ember, would you please stand up and hold the other Ember in your arms to ease the process?

"Is that necessary? I already feel like a little kid with this body!" The Fennekin whinned.

"Ember, that's enough! Now listen to the psychic or you'll get no dinner tonight!" I said.

"You are lucky we are the same 'mon, or I'd be biting your ankles!"

Once that was set, Sage spoke again. Good. Now, I will briefly explain what is going to happen. Since you are two versions of the same mind, you will fuse, and become one once again. As I explained to Ember before coming here, the real memories will replace the fake ones, and all that you lived today will still be remembered. You will only feel some tickling, and at worst, you will suffer from a headache. Did you understand?

"Yeah" We both said.

Good. The rest, please stand back. I will take you out once we are done.

"Good luck, you two. Can't wait to see you on the other side" Marshtomp waved.

"Yeah, I think someone here is waiting to say something to you" Kit teased, nudging Jake.

"Shut up!" He exclaimed.

Alright, are you ready?

I looked at my friends as they nodded. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. "Ready"

"Me too" The Fennekin added.

Let us begin then. I recommend you close your eyes.

I felt a tingling sensation in my body as a tear escaped my eyes. "Hey, me?" The Fennekin in my arms said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for saving me the first time"

I smiled as my limbs began to feel numb. "You're welcome"

Before long, I couldn't hold it anymore and I fell unconscious.

---

Seeing a mythical Pokémon appear before your eyes with the intention of killing you is one thing, but seeing your friend, or friends in this case, fade away into nothingness was something that I would have never expected to see.

In fact, this whole day had been crazy enough for me to consider it as a dream.

"Do you think it worked?" Kit asked.

"It had to. I'm sure of it" I replied.

"I'm with you, Boss. It's not the first time Sage has done something like that, so I'm sure she'll be alright!" Marshtomp chuckled.

"It's just... today's been so tiring I could fall asleep right here"

"We got lucky that the ones that attacked us in that forest were those three. They at least were very easy to defeat" The dark type sighed.

"Yeah. Jake, you were amazing there! I hadn't seen you fight like that before!" Marshtomp told me.

"That's because you haven't seen me on a mission" I replied, laughing.

"I never would have thought my own trainer would fight alongside me... This is like a dream"

"Hey, if you like me that much, we can go on a date whenever you want! At least when you are not busy with Sage" I smirked.

"Hey, shut it!"

We all laughed.

I am sorry for the delay. Ember was a bit overwhelmed when she woke up. Now, I will bring you out. You may feel very dizzy and confused, but it will go away fast.

"Sure. Let's do it!" Exclaimed Kit.

"Do we close our eyes too?" I asked.

Yes.

"Okay"

Once we were ready, Sage spoke again. As with Ember, you may feel tickling sensations, but it shouldn't go anywhere beyond that. Now, stand still. I am about to begin.

Everyone nodded. I closed my eyes, and the void fell silent, but my thoughts were elsewere.

The words Darkrai had told us remained in my head, just like the one from the other voice. Was that not the real Darkrai? It made sense to think of him as an illusion, but why did it flicker? That was something strangely familiar to me, yet I couldn't place it.

Who was that other Pokémon that had helped us? Whoever it was, he knew about my dreams, and that made me shiver. That could only meant that he was one of the voices that appeared in there. Could a Mew or a Celebi have helped us and we had no idea?

There was still a burning question on my head. If that Darkrai was an illusion, who was behind it? There was no answer to that, and there probably wouldn't be anytime soon.

My thoughts were interrupted when I fell my body give out and fall to the ground.

Before I realized, I was back on the ground of Sage's house. The Ninetales helped us all stand up while we recovered our strength.

"I take everyone is alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, we are" Marshtomp replied.

"Thanks to you!" Kit exclaimed. "That Flamethrower was amazing!"

Sage chuckled. "Thanks, but it was just an illusion. I really don't know how to use Flamethrower" That last sentence was accompanied by a sigh. "Sometimes I miss being able to use fire moves..."

She slightly shook her head. "But it is not the right moment to dwell on the past. I suppose you want to see your friend?"

"Yes! Where is she?" Kit replied.

"She's downstairs, laying on the sofa. She almost fell over a few times while she went down"

"Can we go with her?" I asked, nervously.

"Oh, absolutely! Just be careful when going down the stairs"

We nodded and exited the room. Going down was something that turned out to be more difficult than what I thought.

Leaving that aside, I felt completely fine, just as if what we just went through hadn't happened.

And laying on the sofa, just as Sage had said, was Ember. I almost jumped down the remaining steps of the stairs as I made my way next to her.

Her expression was one of someone who had not slept in days, but even then, she turned to look at me when I got closer.

And she smiled.

"Hello again" She simply said.

I felt tears appear in my eyes once again, but this time, they weren't sad tears. "Really?" I stammered. "That's all you have to say?"

"I'm fighting the urge to fall asleep right here, what did you expect?" She laughed. "I can't believe what I've gone through... And it was all today!"

"Yeah, crazy, right?" Kit added. "You almost went through another breakdown in the police station"

"Yeah..." She paused. "Is it weird I remember everything that happened today?" She asked Sage.

"I would be worried if you didn't" The Ninetales replied, before looking outside. "Oh my! It seems the sun is already setting! I cannot let you go on with your journey while it is night. You may stay here if you want to"

"Thanks, but don't you think it'd be better if we slept at the inn?" Marshtomp told her.

"Well... you could, but I doubt your friend will be able to walk there while she is in that condition" She looked at Ember and smirked. "Besides, there are only single beds there"

I raised a brow. What does that mean?

"Well, if you really think it's okay... I guess we could stay, right?" I turned to look at Kit.

"Fine by me" He shrugged.

"Yeah, if she doesn't mind, we can stay" Marshtomp added.

"Very well!" The Ninetales exclaimed, a bit too enthusiastically. "I will cook something for dinner! Wait here!"

Saying that, she walked to the kitchen, leaving us alone in the living room. After a few moments of silence, Ember managed to straighten herself and sit on the sofa, not without a groan.

"Ugh, my head is killing me..."

"Are you sure you are okay?" I asked her.

"Okay enough to say some things"

"Like what?"

She cleared her throat. "First off. Kit, I'm so sorry about everything I've said to you. I didn't mean it"

He tensed up, but sighed. "It's okay. It's what anyone would have done, honestly"

Ember nodded. "Marshtomp, I don't think I have anything to say to you, but sorry nonetheless"

"No need to" The water type chuckled.

She then looked at me. "And Jake"

The Braixen paused for a few seconds. "I..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm so sorry about everything I've made you go through"

"Ember, it's alright. You didn't remember us"

"No, I mean before this. When we were at that pond, I said things I shouldn't have, and it obviously affected you. I'm... I'm an asshole for just pushing you away after you tried so hard to cheer me up and even telling me how you felt"

My cheeks went red. "Oh, yeah... I forgot about that"

At this point, Ember had started to sob. "I'm sorry for everything, okay? You don't have to forgive me if you don't want to..."

"Are you kidding me?! Not forgive you? Ember, you've saved my life, and I will always thank you for that, even if we have a discussion that big. No matter what happens, we will always be together. Do you think we would have rushed to this town as fast as we did if we didn't care? Do you think we would have gone inside your mind if we didn't care? You are the best Pokémon I could have ever met, don't you forget that"

The room felt silent as the fire type seemed to process what I had just said. She finally sighed and chuckled. "You are something else, Jake"

As I was about to reply, Ember interrupted me. "I need to tell you something. Come a bit closer, please"

"Umm, sure?"

I walked in front of her. "Here?"

"No, crouch. I wanna whisper something to your ear"

"Oh!" I got closer to her. "Why didn't you tell me bef-"

Without any warning, Ember grabbed my head and kissed me. It was quick, a bit quicker than my own back at the lake, but it didn't really feel like that to me.

Once she pulled away, I could see her face was very red. "I-I wanted to tell you after we saved Kit, but we had some problems. I-I love you too, Jake"

I was stunned in place. "D-Did you just..."

I could feel Kit's nudge me. "Come on, Romeo. Don't you have anything to say?"

I looked back at Ember, feeling my face go red. "E-Ember I..."

I got closer to her. "I love you"

I grabbed her shoulders and we once again kissed, hearing both Kit's and Marshtomp's cheering. I laid down on the sofa next to her, as we enjoyed the moment. This time, none of us pulled away.

---

END OF CHAPTER 14

Hey again.

I know it's been a long time since the last update. I have no excuse other than being lazy with writting and lack of motivation.

Also, this chapter was by far the longest I've ever written, and it could have been even longer if I elaborated more in some parts.

Now, leaving this aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and how it turned out! Remember that you can always leave a review and tell me what you think! I really need your feedback about this chapter.

Finally, since I won't be able to publish another chapter before the 25th, hope you have a really happy holiday season!

Also, I think I can say... I may be working on turning this story into an actual pmd game... But take that with a grain of salt.

Goodbye for now, and see you next time!