Chapter 66: Memory Loss
Geeta was finally able to stand after seeing what happened in the alternate timeline. She took a deep breath and stared at the two scientists.
"I... think I understand, now.." Geeta said. "Everything you're doing- it's all for that boy, Aeon, isn't it? It'd be easy to undo everything. All you'd have to do is eradicate that boy's existence, but..."
"That would be too cruel," Turo said.
"So you're trying to find another way," Geeta said. "That makes sense. Although, there's one thing that's on my mind..."
"If our calculations are correct," Sada said. "What you're wondering is about what's going on inside the mind of the other version of yourself...in the Scarlet Timeline."
"And you are also wondering about the third video." Turo said.
"The third video...is in the hands of your alternate self." Sada said.
Geeta closed her eyes and sighed. " Of course it is. Let me guess, You gave it to her on purpose, didn't you? It's all part of your plan, right?"
"Naturally," Turo said.
"...Well..." Geeta opened her eyes. "I was planning to go there to meet her, anyway. But not before having a rest. Arceus knows I need it after all that happened today. And, let me guess again, did you plan for that, too?"
"Naturally," Sada said.
"The way you're saying that you're predicting everything makes you sound like you're high and mighty," Geeta said. "Anything and everything that happens in this timeline, we have to credit you, don't we?"
Sada and Turo began walking, their steps were unified, as though they were one being.
"The script came from trial..." Sada said.
"And Error," Turo said.
"Trial and error?" Geeta asked. The implication made an immense chill that Geeta felt ran through her spine in an instant. She was paralyzed by this feeling as the two scientists walked past Geeta.
"We will be expecting your call in the morning. You won't be late," Sada said.
'You won't be late,' they say. Had they even calculated the exact time she would call them again? The chill she felt intensified. It felt like she was a puppet, and they were her puppeteer. Geeta remembered what Rika said. 'They said they manipulated you before. They could do it again." Geeta even remembered assuring her that she would be fine. But in actuality-... Geeta stood no chance from the start. Was it true..? No matter what she did, she'd be playing into their hand?
Frustration caused her to clench her fists and grit her teeth. They weren't Gods, or anything. Why was she so intimidated?
"Wait-" Geeta said. The two scientists stopped walking, not even turning their heads to face the champion. Geeta turned her head to them. "Your plans- how far do they go? And how do you know they'll work?"
Geeta had blurted that out without thinking. She just needed an answer- one that proved that they weren't perfect beings- or Gods that just willed the way this timeline was into existence.
"To be honest...We don't know if this plan will succeed or fail," Turo said. "But one thing is certain. So long as the time machine exists, we can reset this timeline,"
"Reset the timeline!?" Geeta cried. She spun around to the two androids. "What happens to all of us when you do that!?"
"The you that exists here, along with everything else on this timeline will cease to exist and reset," Turo and Sada said.
Geeta's eyes widened in sheer horror. She felt like she couldn't breathe, let alone speak.
"You couldn't fathom the amount of failure we've gone through." Both Scientists said. "The number of times we had to reset this timeline...means that we will not hesitate to do it again."
The scientists left the room.
Geeta put her hands on her chest in an attempt to calm her rapidly beating heart. "R-Reset...the timelin-.." She muttered.
If that happened, everything she went through would just be...deleted. Gone.
Every memory she made thus far would be gone.
No. It was much more than that. It was like thinking about a Video Game's Save Data. Everything in that game when it's saved...everything that's happened... it's like a 'timeline' on its own. But then, if player wants to for whatever reason, they can delete the save data. After that, everything is reset- all of the progress made, all of the time spent, reset. But where does that Data go? Of course, it's deleted- but if you really thought about it...what was deleted were people's memories. The version of themselves that came to be because of the things that happened to them. That's gone too. That's a kind of 'death' in itself.
Where do the versions of the people that were inside that deleted data go? Where does their memory go? They're gone. Everything about it- gone. That wasn't something worth grieving about, let alone worrying about, because the characters in the video games are just that- characters in a video game. They didn't truly exist.
But-...this was real life.
This version of herself- the Geeta belonging to this timeline, the Violet timeline... would cease to exist if things failed.
Geeta imagined it: losing all of her memories, and potentially becoming an entirely different person than what she was right now. If that happened, that previous version of her, the one that existed before the potential memory wipe... would...be dead.
That meant she could become just like her corrupted self all over again.
The sheer horror of the situation made Geeta lose all feeling in her feet. She fell to her hands and knees. She asked that question to the scientists to prove to herself that they weren't Gods... but accidently confirmed it.
They were essentially Gods. Time Lords. And they just threatened everything and everyone that currently exists.
If things went wrong, the entire timeline resets.
That horrible thought made Geeta's breathing became faster and faster. Soon, it became clear to her: She was having a panic attack. The thought of potentially becoming like her evil self was causing her to panic.
She even began to cry. She felt like she was choking. The anxiety and pressure were weighing down on her back- overwhelming her, even threatening to squish her like a bug.
But even as that pressure overwhelmed her, she kept her hands balled. She felt the muscles on her forearms flex as she forced herself to open her tear-stained eyes which were now bloodshot.
Above anything else- above her own life- even...She wouldn't let this timeline fall. Her resolve was like an antidote, one that managed to even slow her breathing.
But not for long.
Even as her breathing quickened, Geeta pondered. That horrible discovery gave her one piece of important knowledge...that there was a reason why the timeline where Evil Geeta is still exists.
They could easily reset the bad, scarlet timeline, but they chose not to. The only one who knew the answer as to why- or rather, the only person who would be willing to tell her... is her alternate self. La angel rojo. She had to convince that other version of herself to talk.
But there was no way that version of herself would do that without a fight.
Worrying about that, however, would come later. For now, she had a Panic attack to endure and wait to pass...
"It's a good thing you brought Pawmo to us when you did," Nurse Joy was talking to Kai's group in front of Pawmo's closed hospital room door.
"Is Pawmo going to be okay?" Kai asked. Right beside him was Kai's Quaxwell, who was holding the hand of his Charcadet. Tinkaton...Wasn't there with them.
She had refused to leave Pawmo's hospital room despite the wishes of Kai. Aeon had told him that it was probably due to how worried she seemed.
(Kai's Grevard was in his ball because Kai didn't want to have a literal heart attack and become the second bedridden member of the group.)
"He's taken severe damage, particularly on his head." Nurse Joy continued, "I don't think he'll come out of that room without some lasting effects."
"Wait-" Kai asked, "Lasting effects? Like..?"
"Like potential temporary memory loss." The Nurse responded. "But for now, Pawmo has to stay and rest."
"Y'know," Nemona said, putting a hand on her hip, "With all of that running, I forgot to ask, what exactly did Pawmo do to get hurt like that?"
Aeon turned to Nemona. "He saved our lives," He said. "Without him, we would have fallen to an incredibly strong Titan Slaking."
"Wait-" Arven cried. "Titan?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?! You beat a Titan- where the heck's the Herba Mystica?!"
"Oh-..." Aeon said, tilting his head. "That…sort of…slipped my mind... Ugh...I'm not as sharp as I normally am today."
Kai elbowed Aeon's side. "Be nicer to yourself," he said. "We had a whole fight."
"...Yeah... you're right," Aeon muttered.
Arven sighed and put a hand on his head. "Look," He said. "We've gotta find it fast, before another Pokémon finds it and becomes a Titan."
"I-..." Kai lowered his gaze. "I can't come with you," Kai said. "This happened because I wasn't good enough to have Pawmo listen to me..."
Aeon placed a comforting hand on his boyfriend's clenched fists.
"No one blames you for what happened," Aeon said, "Take your own advice. Be nicer to yoursel-"
"...How can I?." Kai pulled his balled fist away from Aeon's hand. "I blame myself. It's because I wasn't getting any Gym badges. If I were a more competent trainer… and my Pokémon recognized that…then this wouldn't have happened. Period. The only way to show my competency is to focus on getting Gym badges." Kai nodded to himself. "It's settled. I'm going for a Gym badge."
"Hey!" Arven shouted. "What about the Herba-"
"Arven," Aeon said, turning to his brother. "Remember that time when we rushed to find a Herba Mystica? We weren't ready- and we had to retreat… and you…" Aeon looked away.
He remembered exactly what had happened: Arven had nearly sacrificed himself for Aeon's sake. "...You already know where I'm going with this." Aeon muttered, choosing not to mention it. Arven's eyes lowered to the ground, for he knew exactly what he was referencing. "I don't want that to happen again. I understand that you really, really need this, but you have to understand. We need to be ready."
"I gotta agree," Nemona said,
Arven sighed. "We're so close…" He muttered under his breath. "One more.. We just need one more… and.."
Arven clenched his fists. Aeon then went over to his brother and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. After gritting his teeth, he begrudgingly nodded.
"Fine," Arven said. "You win. How many badges until you're satisfied?"
"I'll be satisfied when I get em' all," Kai said.
Arven groaned impatiently.
"Okay- okay," Kai said, raising his hands in a surrender motion. "Two badges."
Arven sighed and crossed his arms.
"Don't you still have those badges from Team Star?" Nemona asked. "I coulda sworn you had a badge from that Mela girl."
"Yeah, but…" Kai looked away. "This might be a stretch…but I think it's because of my feelings about those badges. I didn't even accept Atticus's badge, and I…didn't want Mela's badge. I think it's because of those feelings…that my Pokémon see that as 'not counting' as a real badge. At least. That's how I'd feel if I were my Pokémon."
"That does make sense.." Nemona said. "The feelings of a Pokémon are a mirror of their trainer's. If their trainer doesn't consider it a badge of honor or something worthy of being earned after a hard-fought battle..then the Pokémon won't, either."
"But-" Aeon chimed, "Kai's gone through countless battles with his Pokémon. Wouldn't their trust in them grow despite the amount of badges he's earned? Why should their trust be something connected to the number of badges Kai's earned?"
"Yeah!" Arven said. "What matters is the time spent and the bonds they share! Not the amount of badg-"
"No, you guys don't get it..!" Nemona said. She raised her voice a bit, and it alarmed everyone else as they turned to her. She looked angry- and that anger stemmed from the passion she had for battling. "I'll say it one more time: The feelings of a trainer's Pokémon is a mirror of their trainer's soul. The doubt in Kai's leadership isn't just stemming from them, it's stemming in Kai himself!"
Kai's fists clenched even more. A shadow loomed over his eyes as he lowered his head.
"That doubt is coming from the fact that he's only earned one gym badge," Nemona said passionately. "You're right about one thing: Badges don't matter to Pokémon. But they do matter to the trainer! What badges do is boost the confidence of a trainer, which then is felt by their Pokémon! That's what makes them obey…!"
Everyone watched Nemona in silence. Nemona raised her eyebrows and gasped lightly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh! ¡Lo siento! I'm sorry! Was I loud?" She asked.
"You're fine." Aeon said. "I think I understand. Despite the amount of battles Kai's gone through, he's still feeling doubtful about-"
The word 'Doubtful' caused Kai's frustration to flare up. "Can we not talk about that?" Kai asked. "Please? Thank you."
Everyone raised their eyebrows in sudden surprise at Kai. Kai sighed and scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I just have to get badges, right?" The embarrassed boy said. Let's do that." Kai began walking off on his own.
"Wait- Kai!" Aeon shouted.
Kai closed his eyes and grumbled to himself.
He thought that he got over this 'Doubt' thing in his mind, and that he moved on. But clearly- it was still with him. And that was ticking him off.
Tinkaton stared at Pawmo, sitting on a stool that was tall enough to have her on the same level as the hospital bed the electric type laid on. Pawmo's head was wrapped with bandages, and he had an oxygen mask over his mouth.
The Pink Pokémon gripped her knees tight as emotion began to overwhelm her. She had no idea how long she had been crying for.
"Why.. couldn't it have been me..?" Tinkaton muttered under her breath. She looked down, watching her hammer become stained with her tears. She wiped her eyes with her arm quickly, sniffled, and moved her head away from her hammer as to not rust the metal. "Why did you think attacking Slaking like you did was a good idea...? Sure- you… you saved our lives, but-... look at you. You- you're…."
Tinkaton put her hands on her face and began weeping. After a while, Tinkaton breathed a heavy and shaky sigh. "That's the only thing I can think of… 'why couldn't it have been me..?' Although, I can't shake the feeling that if it wasn't you, then…I'd be the one in the hospital bed, and you- would have been sitting on this stool."
Tinkaton reached for Pawmo's hand and clasped it in her hands.
"I swear…" Tinkaton said. "One day.. I'll.. I'll… I'll make it up to you. I don't know how, yet.. But-... I swear I will."
Emotion alone was what carried Tinkaton's head to inch closer to Pawmo's face. She closed her eyes, and kissed the electric type on the cheek. She pulled away… and gasped as Pawmo began to open his eyes.
"Ugh.." Pawmo groaned. "Where am I?"
"P-Pa-...!" Tinkaton began choking on her sobs and frowned. "Pa-...Pawmo-.." The fairy type burst into tears all over again…
And Pawmo looked confused.
"Who are you..?" He asked.
Tinkaton gasped, pulling her head up from her hands.
"What-..?!" Tinkaton cried. Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh- I-I get it. It's- it's because of my new look.. I'm- I evolved, Pawmo. I used to be Tinkatuff. Now, I'm-... I look like this."
"Uh…yeah...? I know how evolution works," Pawmo said. "So uh…are you going to tell me who you are..? Or…?"
"...What?" Tinkaton said. "Wait- you- do you not remember me? Do you not know who I am?!"
"Uh…why do you think I asked?"
"Oh my g-...What happened!? Why- why are you-..!"
"Hm…"
Tinkaton heard the sound of Nurse Joy muttering to herself and turned to the human.
"Darn it- why can't humans understand us!? I want to know what's happening with Pawmo!" Tinkaton pointed at Pawmo. "Come on- say something!"
"Something's definitely the matter… huh?" Nurse Joy said.
Tinkaton started nodding furiously. "Yes!" She cried.
"Is Pawmo acting strange to you?"
Tinkaton nodded furiously.
"Hm…then it's just as I feared. I think Pawmo is suffering from memory loss. Your trainer just left. I should call him and let him know. However, you shouldn't worry. I think we can assume with proper rest, he should regain his memory."
Tinkaton lowered her head in sorrow.
"It's okay," Nurse Joy patted the tiny Pink Pokémon's head. "Everything's going to be fine. It's only a matter of time until he gets his memory back. He just needs rest. I'm going to go get the phone."
Tinkaton nodded. "Okay…" She muttered. Nurse Joy smiled kindly and then turned away- walking out of the room.
"Oh…" Pawmo said. "I get it now…"
"Huh?" Tinkaton said, turning to Pawmo. "Get what?"
"I lost my memory, so that means I got hurt. So if I got hurt…and you're worried about me and crying… and you kissed my cheek…"
Tinkaton's face became bright red as her eyes widened.
"I-..." Tinkaton cried. "I can explai-"
"You don't have to explain," Pawmo said. "It's obvious! You're my girlfriend!"
Tinkaton's entire body began to turn red with immense embarrassment. "G-G-G-G-G…..GIRL-GIRL-...GIRLFRIE-..."
"Yeah! Girlfriend!"
"GIRLF-F-FR–FR..FR-"
"I…uh, just said it. Girlfriend-"
"G-G-G-...GIIIIIIIIFLRIEEEEEEENNNNNNNND?!"
"Uh…yeah…? Tell me, when I started dating you, did I know you were this weird?"
A puff of smoke came out from Tinkaton's body before she fell back-first onto the ground and went unconscious.
"H-Hey!" Pawmo cried. "What's wrong!?"