Twig Woodland Outskirts

Light flooded my vision, before fading. Before me, was a dirt path leading into the distance up a sunset-lit hill. The trees were much sparser now, no longer forming solid walls.

"We're out!" exclaimed Burhalla, as I heard something shatter.

What was that?!

Before I could ask what that was, Saltriv started running down the path, before stopping a few steps away, and turning around, a worried expression on their face. "Come on! I want to see my family again!" they demanded.

I could understand their worry. I'd been through something like that once, though not to this degree.

I shuddered as the memory came back. Listening to the news about how Kyogre and Groudon were rampaging near Hoenn, frantically packing only the necessities before leaving the house, getting lost in the crowd and separated from my family as everyone in Goldenrod evacuated, calling out for help to no avail...If that brawl had made its way to Johto—

"Gen! Come on!" Saltriv's voice echoed, breaking that train of thought. I had gotten lost in my thoughts again. I needed to focus on the task at hand, that being going with Burhalla and Saltriv.

I ran towards the two, and together, the three of us headed along the path towards the sunset.

No words were spoken for some time. I think we were all just relieved to be out of that place. I know I was.

As we climbed the hill, I started to hear unfamiliar voices, though I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I slowed my pace a bit. I looked towards the other two, and they didn't seem to notice them. Was I just hearing things?

Should I tell the others? Would they believe me? Would it be a good idea to keep this a secret from them after what Burhalla had said?

In the midst of me trying to figure out what to do, I saw a trio of figures emerge over the hilltop. I couldn't tell what they were from this distance, but Burhalla seemingly could, as his footsteps halted.

"Berry crackers. I've been found out," I heard him mumble under his breath.

The figures continued to approach, and I could now make them out. A Typhlosion, a Meganium, and a Porygon-Z.

There was an audible gasp, and the Meganium came barreling at us with a shout of, "SALTRIV!"

This was probably one of Saltriv's parents, then.

Saltriv ran off from our group with a similar shout of, "MOM!"

As the two reunited, the Typhlosion approached us. Out of the corner of my vision, I noticed Burhalla's expression pale.

"Burhalla," the Typhlosion spoke, briefly glancing at Saltriv, before turning back to the Charmander.

"Hi, dad," Burhalla responded after a pause.

"I understand what you were doing. Really, I do. And I'm glad that you found Saltriv. But you should have known better! You could have gone missing, or worse!" Burhalla's father roared at him. "What if you had? What would I do? What would Valorch do? I need to have a stern talk with you once we're home."

I stood there awkwardly, all alone, as two contrasting conversations played out near me. I looked back and forth between Saltriv and Burhalla, barely registering the Porygon-Z following the rest of their group down the hill.

"Well, se-se-seems like Burhalla's fine, and they even brought back Saltriv and this Oshawott! All's well that en-en-ends well, at least!" the Porygon-Z stuttered, bringing me back to reality as I was finally addressed.

I locked eyes with the Porygon-Z, before they leaned towards me. "So what's yo-yo-your deal? I've nev-ev-ever seen you around town before," they asked.

"I'm Gen," I responded, taking note of their...odd speech pattern. I remember learning that Porygon-Zs were unstable. Was that still true in this world?

"Where are you from-om-om? My memory banks indicate the Oshawo-wo-wott family not being common on the Thunder continent," they continued, their tone changing midway through to a more robotic one.

What now? Do I tell them what I told Saltriv and Burhalla, since the two of them were right there? Would the Porygon-Z be able to tell it was a lie? I didn't remember if the Porygon line were normal-type or psychic-type. Either way, I needed to decide, and quickly, before anyone got suspicious.

"I don't remember," I lied, hoping I made the right choice, or at least the best choice I could at this point.

"You do not recall what lo-lo-location you are from?! That's ve-ve-very worrying," the Porygon-Z replied, their tone again switching as they spoke.

The conversation between Burhalla and his father stopped, as did the one between Saltriv and their mother.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice you. I was a bit...caught up," the Meganium said, with a glance towards Saltriv. "You really don't remember where you're from? What do you remember?" the Meganium continued, worry seeping into their voice.

"Just my name, and how to do some things," I parroted back my response to when Burhalla had asked that question, causing the look of worry on the Meganium's face to worsen.

"I'm not sure if I should believe you. You're not faking it, trying to pretend to be another amnesiac human sent to save the world?" the Typhlosion interrogated. "There's been four Pokemon who tried lying about that just this month."

My confidence shattered with his words. I couldn't tell the truth now, after what Burhalla had said. Plus, given what the Typhlosion was saying, they definitely wouldn't believe the truth. I could ponder this more later, though, for now, I had to reply.

"I'm telling the tru-" I began, before I heard Saltriv speak up.

"It's true. He couldn't even remember how to use moves," they defended.

The Typhlosion looked like he wanted to say something, and began to open his mouth, but Burhalla interjected.

"I saw it too. He couldn't even remember how to use Water Gun. He never mentioned being a human, either," Burhalla backed up Saltriv and myself. I shot a grateful look towards him, and he nodded silently in response.

"Can't we talk about this more once we're in town?" Saltriv pleaded. "I want to see dad again."

"That sounds like a splen-len-lendid idea! Le-le-let's go back to the village," the Porygon-Z spoke, before floating towards the hilltop.

"If we don't start heading back soon, we won't return before nightfall," the Meganium said, before following behind the Porygon-Z alongside Saltriv.

The Typhlosion hesitated for a moment, before starting back up the hill. I did the same, Burhalla walking alongside me once I caught up to him.

"You are telling me the truth, right?" he questioned, turning to me, a look of suspicion on his face. "You're not another Pokemon doing that for attention?"

"I'm not," I hastily responded. It was true for one of his questions, at least.

His expression changed to a more neutral one. "Ok. I don't want to have to deal with more people keeping secrets from me." He turned back towards the setting sun.

He muttered, "Hopefully dad won't be too harsh once I'm home." I decided not to comment.

This lie couldn't end well.

Soon, we reached the hilltop, and the view beyond became clear. I gawked at what was on the other side.

There was a massive clearing in the middle of an even more massive forest down below. In it, there was what looked like buildings, and tiny specks migrating from place to place. The entire area was shrouded in a light layer of fog. Was this Overcast Village?

I wasn't left with much time to process it, as the group continued onwards, down the hill, forcing me to follow them, lest I be left behind.

For a while, silence pervaded through the group, as we descended the hill. It wasn't until we reached the forest that someone spoke up again.

"Where did you find Saltriv, anyways?" the Meganium asked Burhalla, as we walked along the foggy path.

"They were talking with Gen at the end of the dungeon," Burhalla answered.

"Really? How long had you two been talking?" the Meganium asked, turning towards Saltriv and myself.

"Not for long. I woke up, Saltriv was there, we just introduced ourselves to each other, then Burhalla arrived," I answered.

"I just woke up there, and Gen was the first person I saw before Burhalla had found us," Saltriv corroborated.

The Meganium took a moment to take in this information, then continued onwards.

Soon, the trees cleared up, and the path stopped at a wide stone circle covered in fog.

"Welcome to Overcast Village!" Burhalla announced to me.

Overcast Village

It didn't seem nearly as big as Goldenrod, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in wonder. I walked towards the center of the circle to get a better look at my surroundings. Right to the left of where the path ended was a bulletin board, filled with posters depicting many Pokemon. A Tyrogue was looking over the papers on it. Next to it, was a large tent in the shape of a Kecleon's head, underneath which was an assortment of boxes guarded by a Torterra. On the other side of the path was some sort of strange box with many mechanisms on it. Heading away from it was a Pokemon with short arms, a V-shaped head, and a wispy tail, carrying what looked to be its pre-evolution on its head. There were many stone roads leading out of the circle, lined with houses that grew progressively fainter the further into the fog they were. Down one road that a Leafeon was walking across, I could barely see another stone circle like the one I currently stood on.

It wasn't quite like anything I had seen before. There were so many Pokemon here, and yet I felt so alone.

I was jolted out of my thoughts as Burhalla's father spoke up. "Time to go home," he stated, before starting down one of the roads.

"Wait, but-" Burhalla began, but the Typhlosion interrupted him before he could finish.

"No 'buts'. We're going home, now," the large fire-type said, before ushering Burhalla down one of the roads. Burhalla turned towards me with an apologetic expression, and before I could protest, he disappeared into the fog.

Now what? Burhalla had offered to help me out, and now he was gone, at least for the time being.

I looked over towards the remaining members of our group. The Porygon-Z was already heading down the road Burhalla and his father went down, leaving just me, Saltriv, and the Meganium, the latter two of which were conversing with the Torterra under the Kecleon-shaped tent. I heard a loud shout of "Saltriv!" from an unfamiliar voice. Was that the Torterra?

Hopefully Saltriv would be willing to help. Otherwise, I was in trouble.

I walked over towards the tent, and pleaded, "Can I stay with you all for the night? I don't have anywhere to go."

"Of course! Right, mom?" Saltriv answered almost immediately. I wasn't expecting a response that quickly.

"We'll have to discuss it first, but I'll consider it," the Meganium responded, causing my expression to fall. "You should have told me soone-"

"They helped heal me when I got poisoned in that dungeon! Please?" Saltriv added.

"Why not?" the voice from before spoke up. I realized it was the Torterra, who was now facing me. "We have enough room, anyways. You helped save Saltriv, we should pay you back somehow."

"Thanks, dad!" Saltriv exclaimed, their expression full of joy. That Torterra must be their father, then.

"Looks like you can come with us then, Gen," the Meganium stated, as I felt my mouth form into a smile. I had somewhere to live here now! At least, for tonight. I doubted I'd be able to stay much longer, if I was even still here tomorrow, and didn't wake up back home.

"Let's head home. Night is almost upon us." the Torterra said, exiting the tent. The Meganium started towards a road next to an oddly apple-shaped house. Saltriv and their father followed, and so did I.

We walked down the foggy road for a short while, passing by many Pokemon I did and didn't recognize, until Saltriv broke the silence. "There's not as many Pokemon around as I remember."

"There's been a lot of disappearances since you've been gone. You've probably already noticed the Kecleon brothers," Meganium responded, a twinge of worry noticeable in her voice. "Did Burhalla already tell you about that?"

"He did," Saltriv answered. "Has it really been months since I...disappeared?"

"Unfortunately, it has been," Torterra replied. "We can talk more about that tomorrow. Right now, you're back, and that's all that matters."

Eventually, the others stopped, as we came to a house that looked like four massive pumpkins joined together, with gigantic leaves topping two of them, and a tree on top of a third.

"We're here," Meganium announced, as the three of them entered a wide doorway, and I quickly followed suit.

Saltriv's Home

It was quite spacious. To my right, there were entrances to the other rooms. In one corner of the room I was in, on the wall, were several cabinets, with small handles that resembled loops more than anything else. Underneath them was what seemed to be a radio on top of a table, yet no chairs. That's probably to be expected, though. All the Pokemon that lived here were quadrupedal, and I didn't know if chairs even existed in this world. The left side of the room held a bookshelf, every shelf filled with a colorful assortment of books, piquing my interest. What kind of literature did Pokemon have? I'd have to check that out later, assuming it was in a language I could read.

"Wait here. I'll get the guest bed," Meganium said, before heading into another room, Torterra following after her, leaving me and Saltriv alone.

The silence was quickly broken, as Saltriv spoke up. "You really do have amnesia? You're not faking it like Burhalla's dad said?"

"I really do. Barely can remember anything," I lied, before questioning if I really did need to keep this up. Burhalla was away, I presumably wasn't in danger anymore, and the topic was right. Plus, Saltriv had memories of that platform, apparently. Maybe if I told them my memories of that place, they'd believe me?

"Not even about being a human or something?" they pressed.

"Nope," I responded after a few moments. I weighed the odds. At best, Saltriv believes me, doesn't tell anyone, and can help me get back home. However, it was far more likely that they wouldn't believe me, especially after what Typhlosion said. Worst case scenario, Saltriv's family kicks me out, Burhalla is told, and I have no one to help me figure out this world.

"Anything in particular you do remember?" they continued.

"Just my name, and a few other things," I answered. I couldn't risk it. It wasn't worth the potential loss.

"What kinds of things?" they asked.

Before I could get a chance to even think how to respond, Meganium poked her head into the room we were in. "Everything's all set! This way!" she told us, before turning back around. Saltriv ran after her, and so did I. It wasn't long before we entered our destination.

It wasn't nearly as large as the first room of the house, but there was still a great deal within it. On the far side of the room, there were two straw mats, a thin blanket and a pillow beside each. Next to them was a wide, plain-looking box, bursting with an assortment of various items, some I recognized, some I didn't. Among them was a strange gadget with a screen in the middle, and a glowing blue orb at the top. Was that some kind of Pokedex or something? On the ceiling was an open window, letting the last rays of sunlight for the day shine down upon the left mat.

"Your bed is the one on the right," Meganium pointed out, as Saltriv rushed into the straw mat on the left, lit by a quickly diminishing amount of sunlight. Those must be the beds, then. They didn't look very comfortable.

"Get along, you two," Meganium asked the two of us. "I don't want a repeat of last time."

"We will!" Saltriv assured. "He saved my life! Of course we'll get along!"

"Just making sure," Meganium clarified, before heading out of the room.

I walked over to the unlit mat, dreading what would come next. I braced myself, then flopped onto the bed of straw, finding it...much more comfortable than I expected. Huh.

"You looked like you've never seen a bed before!" I heard Saltriv exclaim in bewilderment. "Haven't you slept at all since you forgot everything?"

"I haven't. Waking up in that clearing with you is the first thing I remember," I lied.

"Weird. You should tell me exactly what you do remember! Or you could write it down in a journal! I think I have a spare one somewhere."

"Can we do that tomorrow?" I pleaded. "I'm tired."

"Ok! See you tomorrow!" Saltriv cheerfully replied, pulling their blanket over themself with a vine as they laid their head on a pillow.

As I tucked myself in, I thought over everything that had happened today.

There was whatever had happened on that platform in that psychedelic void. There was that mailbox that I put that paper in. What was the deal with that? There also was that really soft bow, that changed colors. Then my reflection turned into an Oshawott, just like I am now. After that was all those Pokemon with shadowy auras, and that note, telling me to save one. Was Saltriv the one I saved? Who wrote that, anyway? Did that have anything to do with what Burhalla said about "going shadowy"? And then there was that terrifying giant hand coming down for me. I'm not sure if I wanted to know what that was. And somehow Saltriv remembered it all? That place had made even less sense than this world did.

Not that this world made much sense, either. I'm somehow an Oshawott now, just like my reflection on that platform. Pokemon lived in towns here, but there were also wild Pokemon, too? Burhalla also did two Embers one after the other back in Twig Woodland. I was almost certain moves couldn't be used that quickly after each other. There was also that shattering sound once we exited the dungeon. I still had no clue what that was about. Speaking of mystery dungeons, those also didn't make any sense at all. Something like that happening naturally was an impossibility with the laws of physics as I remembered them.

At least I met Saltriv and Burhalla. They had offered to help me. Saltriv already was, convincing their family to let me stay the night here. I really needed to thank them once I woke up, and Burhalla, too.

They've really been a big help so far, even if they might have suspicions that I'm lying.

Why did I even start that lie, anyways? All it's caused me is trouble, and I can't come clean now, or I'll lose Burhalla's trust, along with likely the trust of everyone else here.

Would they have believed me if I told the truth, though? With there apparently being Pokemon faking being amnesiac humans, not to mention humans being legends here, they probably wouldn't.

What was the best thing to do?

Was there even a right answer to that?

Why were there Pokemon pretending to have amnesia, anyways? Why was I an Oshawott? Why was I here at all?!

Gah, why was any of this happening?! Why couldn't I be back home, where things actually made sense?!

What was happening back home, even? Were my family and friends ok? Did they know where I was? Were they trying to find me right now?

I want to go home. I want to go back to my family. I want to go back to the world I know.

I want to wake up back in my bed, like this all never happened.

My final thought before drifting into sleep was hoping that, somehow, despite all evidence to the contrary, this was all just a bad dream.

Goldenrod City

I heard the gambler curse as the fourth card he flipped over was revealed to be a Voltorb. All 930 coins he won during this game were forfeit. I began to shuffle the cards for the next person in line, when the gambler smashed their fist against the table, causing the Doduo near him to flinch.

"Gimme another go! This time I'll hit the level 8 jackpot!" he demanded. They never learn, do they?

"You're back down to level 2," I told him, as I doled out the cards, making sure to lay out the right amount of multipliers and Voltorbs. After I wrote down the multiplier and voltorb sums at the side of each row, I announced, "Begin!"

I paid little attention to his actions, instead glancing towards the empty table to my right. Gen should have been here for his shift hours ago. Where could he be?

I felt a faint buzz from my pocket. It must be closing time, then. I ignored every expletive the gambler spat at me, as I packed up my belongings and headed out the door. Closing up shop wasn't my job, anyways.

The moment the door shut behind me, I was confronted by a disheveled mess of a man, eyes widened and eyebrows pulled together.

"Spersua! Have you seen Gen at all? You're his coworker, right?" he questioned. Right. This was Gen's father.

"Sorry, sir. He hasn't turned up today. Something happen?" I asked in turn, raising an eyebrow.

All I received in reply was a cry of anguish, as he ran off.

Ok then. That was odd. Something was seriously up with Gen. Maybe I should leave him a message.

I pulled the rectangle out of my pocket, and sent a quick "U ok?" message to Gen. That should put me at ease for now.

I should get home soon. The sun was setting.

I walked down the street from the game corner, past a telephone pole adorned with a poster of a familiar visage.

I stopped, doing a double take. Yep, that was Gen alright, or at least a picture of him. And on a missing poster, too.

Well, this sucked.

Nothing I could do anything about, though.

I began to continue towards home, before a patch of blue caught my eye. A pristine blue bow, lying on the ground. I immediately nabbed it. It was unbelievably soft, more than anything I've felt before. I didn't want to let go of it.

I'll keep it. It was my favorite color, so no way was I giving it up. Maybe I could sew it on to my shirt collar or something. I bet that would look stylish.

Whoever lost it wasn't my problem.

Hopefully Gen would turn up soon. Managing Voltorb Flip all by myself was exhausting.

Plus, I did miss him a bit.