[Sandgem Town, Sinnoh Region]
Sandgem Town was a lovely remote village. It wasn't the largest settlement in the Sinnoh region, but its stunning views and gorgeous shore line made it a vibrant destination for tourists. A heavy salty scent filled the air, the crashing of waves a recurring sound that echoed in the distance. Surrounded on all sides by thick woodland, the enormous mountain range that split the region in two sat still in the distance. Its white capped peaks a marvel, as the mist fell down its rocky length. Yet, the village itself sat on a wide, open plain, populated with many houses, shops and businesses.
People walked the streets, going about their everyday lives. Shopkeeps chatted, while every now and then a small truck would drive through slowly and carefully. Children ran in large groups, playing some new game. Starly sat perched atop houses, their birdsong infecting the air with its calming song. Budew and Cherubi hid in between plant pots and flower beds. Burmy hung from the exterior of houses, motionless and asleep. Other Pokémon could be seen about too, Buneary and Glameows, perhaps a Bidoof or Kricketot. Everything appeared peaceful, in harmony. Humans and Pokémon together.
However, what was significant about this town in particular wasn't its stunning views, nor was it the idyllic beach. Sandgem town was famous for one main reason. It was the location of Professor Rowan's Research Laboratory. Each region's residential Professor held an esteemed position, regarded as the leading authority on matters within their locality. Yet, Sinnoh was different. Considering the Professor also happened to be the Champion, Rowan held much more power then most other regional researchers. It fit in with Sinnoh's perception as a cold and rugged place, that even its scientists were the strongest battlers around.
Appearing from the treeline, [Y/N], Cynthia and Gible had emerged from the forest. Their destination was the local police station. As they broke from the underbrush, he couldn't help but notice the sun catching upon her hair, dazzlingly bright. He hadn't really given the time to analyse her features too greatly upon their first meeting. Her seemingly sharp features were offset by her kind demeanour, taking on a more carefree appearance. Though, her eyes were the most peculiar part, a deep grey. The sort of colour you could get lost in. To call her pretty would have been a grave understatement. He cast his gaze away soon after, not wanting to be caught staring.
Along the walk, the amnesiac boy continued to ask questions, and the blonde was keen and enthusiastic to answer all that she could. Naming any Pokémon that they came upon. He also asked about the geography of the region, though that would be a more complicated matter without a map available. That would be his next goal, to secure a map. Once he had that then perhaps he could regain his bearings somewhat, spark a memory or two.
What was most strange however, was that absolutely nothing about the world around [Y/N] seemed to resonate. The landscapes, the natural beauty, the vivid skylines, and especially the Pokémon themselves. Whenever he looked at one he saw a gross mistranslation. Like it should have been something he had known, yet at the same time was something completely different. Cynthia appeared just as confused, herself unable to imagine a world without Pokémon, to hear someone with an utter lack of any knowledge about the monsters was beyond unusual.
There was little use worrying about it too heavily, or at least that was what he attempted to tell himself over and over again. He couldn't remember anything, not this town, not the names of the small monsters running about, not the country he was in. It was almost as if he had been dropped into a completely alien world. And each time he brought his mind back to that dream that he couldn't entirely make out, his head burned with pain, forcing him to stop prying. It was a difficult situation, and realistically there wasn't much that he could do.
What did make him feel slightly more at ease was the calming atmosphere Sandgem Town held. It wasn't busy, and the people walking down the small roadways didn't rush or hurry. Everyone seemed content, as if there weren't any problems at all. The uncanniness that [Y/N] had felt before soon came back with a vengeance. It appeared far too suspicious for it to be true.
From his side, a quiet giggle broke through his concentration. Turning to look, Cynthia held a hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter. "What's so funny?" [Y/N] asked with a confused expression. She calmed herself down, "You keep making that serious face. It's just funny." He gave her another look before turning away, shaking his head, "Sorry, I'm not really in a funny mood right now." He had to go and damper the mood, though he wasn't really in a good state for joking right now. And who would be, without memories of anything. Lost in a strange land with nothing to centre oneself. It would be hard for even the nicest of gestures to break through the uncertainty.
Cynthia hid a guilty look, she probably should have thought more about poking fun. It didn't really suit the situation, but that didn't mean she had to mope about. Gible sat in between her arms, staring up at the blonde with a confused expression. The small dragon gave her a funny expression flailing its tiny limbs trying to touch her face, forcing her lips into a small smile. For as much trouble as the little monster gave her, she wouldn't have preferred any other Pokémon.
After a few minutes they made their way up towards the local police station. The building was much smaller then [Y/N] had originally thought, and held a more traditional design. It certainly didn't scream law enforcement. However, as they grew closer, it was clear to see the windows covered up and the lights turned off. Walking up to the front door, he placed a hand upon the door knob, and gave it a strong pull. A subtle click sounded.
"Great, it's locked." [Y/N] said aloud. Cynthia gained a more dejected expression, "Just when we needed them too. They're usually always open, I don't know what would be keeping them." All three gave a simultaneous tired sigh. He turned towards her, "Is there a hospital nearby at least?" She winced slightly, "There's a small clinic, but no major hospital. The closest would be in Jubilife City if I recall." [Y/N] gained a more relieved expression, "How far is Jubilife?" Cynthia looked down, "It would be a few hours northwards by car..."
What was he supposed to do now then? He couldn't turn towards the police and any major hospital was a town over. He was in some country town where you would be lucky to catch a single car every hour. An irritation [Y/N] hadn't experienced before began to surface. What the hell was going on? Why the hell was he going through this? What had he done to deserve any of this? In his stomach a sickly nausea reappeared, something he had been trying to suppress since he woke up. Disorientated, the buildings and people around him soon began fading into multiple iterations, suffering a severe case of double vision. Even standing upright was becoming a challenge. While he tried to come to terms with the world around him, the world around him reacted back, slowly spinning but quickly growing faster and faster. Everything was simply too much for the young man to handle all at once, despite how hard he tried to force through it.
Even while she hadn't known this strange boy for very long, it was clear to Cynthia he wasn't in the best headspace mentally. Though how exactly to help she wasn't really sure. She didn't really have much expertise in helping those who had lost all their memory. While she contemplated the many ways she could help, it was glaringly apparent she hadn't noticed the boy stumbling around in circles, his face turning a strange colour. It was steeped in kind intent, but as he buckled under his own weight, collapsing to the floor, her mind went blank. Startled, covering his mouth in surprise, Cynthia kneeled down, shaking the strange boy's shoulder. Repeating his name with increasingly more worry each time, "[Y/N]! [Y/N]!" Over and over again.
"Cynthia? Something the matter, what are you doing out here? Whose this here?" A gruff voice intruded, the blonde and Gible in tow recoiling in fright. [Y/N] attempted to look up at the new figure, yet as he scanned the stranger's legs and bottom torso his vision went black, failing back into unconsciousness. Cynthia let out a small worried jumble of words, completely out of her depth. "I don't know! He said his name was [Y/N] but he couldn't remember anything else! Not even Pokémon! "The new figure shook their head, sighing under their breath. "I see. Well, help me get him up. He can rest at the Lab for the night. And I'll see if I can perform a quick examination on the boy."
Cynthia's eyes light up, the anxiety disappearing from her face. The pair soon took off down the road, both holding a limp arm sluggishly wrapped around a shoulder each. Their destination was a large series of buildings situated within a large field, amidst the outskirts of the town. A windmill turned blissfully, pushed by the wind casting reflective shimmers all across Sandgem. However, for how long it would remain so blissful wasn't clear and a new mystery was about to be dumped onto its doorstep.
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[Professor Rowan's Research Laboratory, Sandgem Town]
Once again [Y/N] had returned to the black, yet it would be for a much shorter period this time. He felt like he was falling. Falling down indefinitely, faster and faster without any sign of stopping. Tumbling deeper and deeper into the void, an unknown dimension to which didn't feel a malicious threat or warm welcome. Thought slowly began coming back to him until a precise moment when he felt his back hit collide with the ground, sending a sudden jolt through his body. In the next moment his torso fired up from the soft mattress below him. His eyes darted all around him, though he felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It hadn't been the first time today he had been in this exact situation.
Fortunately for him this time he wasn't stranded out in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by nice wooden furniture and a warm, crackling fire. Large bookshelves lined every wall, stacked with literature upon literature and took on many different topics. Small ornaments sat before them, strange creatures of varying sizes and shapes. A few framed photographs took his interest, each seemingly displaying an image with the same man in them. An older gentleman, he wore sharp features and an intense stare, but in most of the images he was displayed with a bright smile, playing with children or those 'Pokémon' things.
While he had hoped upon some far off star that he had simply woken up in his own bed, his memories returned to him, it was clearly not the case. Thinking back to the events before getting to wherever he was now, [Y/N] remember the cute blonde girl, Cynthia, and her demonic shark pet, Gible? He guessed to himself, trying to recall what she had called the evil creature. They had attempted to find some help from the police before finding the station closed for some unknown reason. Then he had collapsed down on the side of the road, nothing more. Though he could've sworn that there was something, or someone else he was forgetting. Around his head were a bundle of tightly wrapped bandages, giving him the appearance of a mummy. It at least gave the impression that wherever he was they weren't trying to kill him immediately, which was reassuring.
It was at that moment when [Y/N] noticed something in the room that he had realised upon waking. At first he mistook whatever it was laying against the floor as an incredibly furry rug. This was quickly disproven however as the 'rug' shuffled in its sleep, letting out a loud snore, a bubble appearing from the end of its snout. If it had been a similar size to the Gible that had attacked him before then perhaps he wouldn't have reacted in the way that he did. Due to its large size, similar to a cow or bull, he held a far different reaction. Stumbling to his feet, he stood atop the bed's mattress, back firmly pressed against the wall. Fright was plastered on his face, accompanied by multiple small beads of sweat. That thing could eat him if it wanted, eat him whole and have room for seconds.
While he had attempted to avoid the 'rug' monster's attention, his sudden movement didn't go unnoticed, a small ear twitching in response to the sound. The snot bubble popped as the creature slowly shook, raising itself from the floor and looking back towards the bed. It tilted its head in confusion, its face a mixture of brown and tan fur, with a small black mask around its mouth and nose, with two enormous buck teeth. "Bib-Bibarel?" It asked, a genuine concern in its voice. Worried and anxious why the human, who he had been commanded to guard while they were unconscious, had reacted in such a way.
"Bibarel?" It repeated once more, keeping its eyes locked on [Y/N]. He did the same, the pair stuck in an unflinching stare down, neither willing to look away. "Don't move! Stay back!" He tried every command he knew to make the thing stop, but nothing seemed to work as it slowly trotted over towards him. As it righted itself, the monster appeared even larger than he had originally imagined, an enormous brown tale half its size swaying behind it, wagging backwards and forth. "Bib-Bibarel." The large monster called once more, what did it even mean? Bibarel?
He then remembered the demon shark thing, Gible, having a similar problem, where it would repeat its name over and over again. Was that the constant for all of these monsters? And if so, why? [Y/N] had never heard a dog repeat its name, only barking and panting and so on. Maybe it was like parrots where they could imitate sounds. It wasn't a fool proof thesis, but it made the most sense to him at the time. However, it still didn't help him with the giant monster that was about to tear him limb from limb. Bringing up his arms defensively, it was strange to think he would die so soon after losing everything. Perhaps it was better that way, he didn't need to feel bad about leaving friends or family behind, no ties to a past life. He would just be dead and that was it.
[Y/N] shook his head, not believing a word of that garbage. He still had years ahead of him, and he wasn't going to be taken down here by some mutated beaver abomination. "NO! BACK! I KNOW HOW TO FIGHT!" He lied, whether he had or not in some past life, it wasn't knowledge he knew. That wouldn't stop him as he attempted to assume a fighting stance, though in reality it looked more silly then intimidating. This only seemed to confuse the giant monster even more, tilting its head in what may have been considered a 'cute' manner. [Y/N] saw through this cunning ruse, it had to be some tactic, to lull him into a false sense of security. And when his guard was down it would take both of its enormous, gnashing teeth and rip his head clean off.
Without any warning, the small bedroom's door opened wide, revealing two people. The first was Cynthia who carried a small tray in between her hands, a large bowl containing some rich smelling soup or some sort. Waddling down beside her feet was her Gible, its small, stubby legs made it look like a human infant attempting to walk for the first time. Behind Cynthia however was a new figure. An older man with dark hair, though in small parts it was slowly greying. A bushy moustache sat beneath his nose, jutting out sharply. What was most noticeable were his steely eyes, the man held an intense stare.
"Bibarel, was something wrong?" Cynthia said. She didn't get a direct response as they both watched the fight before them. [Y/N] was locked in combat with the Bibarel as it attempted to bear down upon him, its mouth unfurling into a gruesome maw of nightmarish proportions, he couldn't even look. With both hands he held the bottom and top of its jaw at bay, keeping it as far from him as long as he possibly could until help would arrive. Though he was quickly losing the brawl against the giant beaver monster, who was quickly putting more and more weight onto the amnesiac. "HEY! GET OFF! STUPID BEAVER DEMON!" [Y/N] shouted out. They looked astonished, having thought that the strange young man would have at least been out for another few hours. How he had enough energy to thwart off a Bibarel, not even the Pokémon Professor knew.
[Y/N] soon noticed the two, glancing his eyes between the two, "HELP! DO SOMETHING! IT'S TRYING TO EAT ME!" Cynthia and Rowan both gave an embarrassed and confused look, knowing that this Bibarel in particular would never want to hurt someone. In fact, they were one of the most gentle Pokémon that Rowan had ever encountered, if not a bit dopy. It wasn't necessarily the Bibarel's fault, it was simply the ability held by that evolutionary line, Simple. What was surprising however was how excited the giant beaver monster was. Never before had the professor seen the creature so lively and playful, usually placid and content to sleep. Rowan gave a small chuckle, "It appears Bibarel has taken a liking to you, boy."
He didn't understand why they were being so calm about the situation. "A LIKING FOR BLOOD YOU MEAN! GET IT OFF OF ME!" It was hard not to laugh at the young man's outburst as the Bibarel finally broke through his defence, licking his face relentlessly. At first [Y/N] believed he had already been killed, only to feel the wet sensation of the creature's massive tongue against his face. Cynthia found the display hilarious, but Rowan couldn't help but feel intrigued. "My, my. I've never quite seen him act this way. How peculiar." He said to himself, letting out a low hum in contemplation.
"Alright, Bibarel. That's enough. Leave the poor thing alone." Rowan commanded, to which the Pokémon attentively obeyed, quickly collapsing onto its behind and sitting upright with a goofy expression. "YOU COULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT SOONER, OLD MAN?!" [Y/N] shouted, wiping the layers of saliva from his face. Rowan chuckled once more, "My apologies. It was just so unusual. Bibarel is usually much more reserved than that. What did you to endear it to yourself so quickly?" He shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. "I didn't do anything. It just jumped at me and tried to rip my face off!" The professor took a mental note. Had it simply been the feeling the boy gave off? It certainly wasn't impossible.
"Where the hell am I right now?" [Y/N] asked, exasperated and even more tired than he had felt before. Who knew fighting off a seventy-pound monster would tire someone out so quickly? "You're currently in Professor Rowan's Laboratory." Cynthia answered, placing down the tray upon a small table adjacent to him, "After you collapsed outside the police station Professor Rowan appeared and brought you here." He looked towards the older man, "Let me guess, your Professor Rowan?" He chuckled, "Guilty. How are you feeling, lad? You took quite the tumble out there. And Cynthia's told me you're suffering from a severe case of amnesia?"
That suspicion once again came back with full force, it was almost like a danger sense the boy held. Why had he helped him in the first place? Was he really just trying to be a nice person? [Y/N] just couldn't trust it, but he had to show his gratitude. He lowered his head, "Sorry for being rude. I appreciate what you've done for me. I don't intend on staying for too long, but thanks for letting me sleep for a few hours." He said, beginning to pick himself up from the bed. Rowan walked forward, placing his hand against the boy's shoulder, applying a forceful presence. "Nonsense. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'd have done it for any person. And you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I don't think I could let a young man in your condition leave here without it haunting my conscience either way."
Strange. The old man didn't appear angry or aggressive, there was no sense of hatred towards the stranger. Rowan simply seemed ready and willing to help in any way he could. What was with this place? Why was everyone so nice around here? It felt wrong, as if any moment a trap would be sprung and he'd be caught in some well crafted plot. [Y/N] looked into his eyes and Rowan reciprocated the gesture, there was no hesitation in his gaze, and he knew that he couldn't leave so easily. Cynthia watched on from the side lines slightly confused as to what was going on. She shared a few brief glances back and forth with her Gible which now sat in her arms once more.
[Y/N] let out a heavy sigh, "Fine, fine. Thanks, Rowan was it?" The old man who had appeared so stoic before actually smiled back, an unsettling sight at first, "Professor Rowan, pleasure to meet you. [Y/N], right?" He sat himself back down in the bed. Looking over his various wounds and injuries, the swelling around his head, the cuts and bruises around his leg from the Gible's earlier surprise attack. Leaving here now, getting lost in a strange place wasn't a much more appealing alternative. "Good." Rowan said, turning towards the door. "Get some rest, young man. I'll be back in the morning to see how you're doing. Then we'll see about getting you back home." His voice was clear and strong, and inspired some confidence.
[Y/N] gave a small smile, "Thanks, for everything. I appreciate it." Cynthia swirled round, getting his full attention, "How's your head doing? You scared me, you know! I didn't know what I'd have done if Professor Rowan hadn't shown up!" She said, pouting slightly. It was now his chance to laugh at her, chuckling to himself. "What's so funny?" Cynthia asked, the boy's sudden change from his once tired self was a weird shift. "That face you make. It's just funny." He said, turning back around the comment she had made earlier in the day.
She looked at him in bewilderment, before looking away. [Y/N] only just noticed a slight red tint to her face, though didn't think anything of it. "I made you soup. My Grandmother used to make it for me all the time when I was unwell. Eat it before I take it away." Cynthia said, folding her arms. He continued to chuckle, "Sure thing, Lady." He said the word again, "DON'T CALL ME LADY!" She shouted, [Y/N] laughing even louder. Even Gible seemed to be laughing along in her own special way, as Cynthia's face continued to grow redder and redder.
From outside the room, Rowan couldn't help but listen in on the conversation. Eavesdropping was never his speciality, and it wasn't the best behaviour, but just this once he didn't think it mattered too much. It was a nice reprieve, to see young folk enjoying themselves. Adulthood was filled with trials and tribulations. His generation needed to make sure that the problems under their watch would be solved, it wasn't fair to drop it off on their shoulders. At least for now they wouldn't have to worry about such things.
As he walked away, palms dug deep into his long, brown coat, a light hum began ringing from within his pocket. Reaching in he soon procured a small vibrating device. The words, Call incoming, appeared upon the small display, and he knew exactly who it was. He let out a tired huff, there was never time to rest as Champion, but that was the job. "Yes, Rowan here. What's the situation." He answered with a new seriousness to his voice. "The Hunters have gotten away from us, we've lost them for now, but we'll keep looking."
Multiple veins began popping up atop the Professor's forehead. They had been chasing these crooks all the way from Jubilife and they had managed to disappear once again. How did they do it? "Alright, send some officers back here to Sandgem. I don't like knowing they're so close to home." The caller acknowledged the request, saying their goodbyes and hanging up. Not even the quiet Sandgem town was safe it appeared. Never mind, he thought, they just had to be prepared for an attack. And Rowan was sure that he wouldn't let them go this time.