Forget Me Not

I stepped through the door and...

Wait. What was I about to do? It was something important, I think. Really important.

"Who are you?" asked a tall lady with reddish hair.

"I'm... uh..." You know, that's a pretty good question. I'm pretty sure I had a name. What was it again?

The words "Who am I?" drifted through my mind, and bounced around a bit. They must have jostled something loose, because I heard myself say, "Markus Cross."

Markus Cross. I know that name. It sounds right.

The woman smiled. "Oh, right! I have a Pokemon for you! It's the last one. Just let me find it..." Professor Willow went into another room.

Wait. "Professor Willow"? Where did that come from? Had I met this woman before? And why does this place seem so familiar?

CHOMP. I jerked my foot up in more out of surprise than pain as something started chewing on my leg. A small bundle of green moss went flying across the floor.

I lean down to look at it. It's actually quite cute.

"NAAAA!" it exclaimed. It scampered back to its feet and approached me.

I held out my hand. The Venap (how did I know what it was called?) put its two vinelike arms in my hand and nibbled lightly on my fingers. With my other hand, I rubbed its head, and it let out a deep purring sound.

"Oh! I see you've found him!" Willow said from across the room.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"That's up to you."

"Oh. Alright. I think... I think I'll call him Ivy."

Ivy seemed quite happy with the name, as evidenced by a happy screech of "NA!"

"Now, there are a couple other things you'll need." I stood up, and Willow handed my a manila envelope. I peeked at the contents. "Inside is a Pokedex, Ivy's pokeball, and enough cash to get you started." I picked up the Pokedex. It was a red rectangle with a large blue light at the top left corner.

"That little machine holds data on all the known Pokemon in Caldera and Kirant," Willow explained. "It's an older edition; I gave away the newer ones earlier today. This one's not as fancy as some of the newer models, but it gets the job done."

"It's amazing," I said, stuffing the contents of the envelope into my pockets and placing Ivy in my backpack.

Willow smiled. "Good luck out there!"

I stared suspiciously at the memory-draining door before I worked up the courage to step through. And...

Yep. Still have my memories. At least, what's left of them after last time.

My eyes had to adjust to the darkness of night as I stepped off the ship. I was on a small island with a few modest houses along the shore. I walked through the streets of Neo Bay (wait, how did I know it was "Neo Bay"?), letting my feet guide me. It seemed like a ghost town this late; only a few people were still up and about.

Eventually, I came to the entrance to Route 49 (and no, I don't know how I knew where it was). A tall, dark-haired woman wearing all black was waiting there, leaning against a tree. She smiled when she saw me, her teeth eerily white, her canines unusually sharp. It was a bit unsettling, to tell the truth.

"Well, hello there," she purred. "Long time no see."

"Excuse me? Who are you?"

She stood up straight and approached, presumably so that I could see her better. "It's me. Lacramoiara. What, do you not recognize me?"

"I think you've got the wrong guy," I said. "I'm Markus Cross."

Lacramoiara tilted her head back and laughed. "That's rich," she said. "You think you're Markus?"

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to get past her. If it were anyone else, I would have given them the benefit of the doubt. But something just felt... wrong about this girl. And I'm the kind of guy who trusts his instincts. (At least, I think I am; I have no idea who I am, remember?)

"Hold on now. You don't remember anything?" I shook my head, and a smile crept across her face. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"I should really get going..." I said. That smile just made her seem more terrifying, and I did not like how happy she was at my misfortune.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that. Sphinx, go!" She through a Pokeball similar to Ivy's, and a small flaming lion cub materialized. It was a Celsinge, I knew that much (somehow).

"Ivy, go!" I said. The little plant hopped out of my backpack and faced off against Sphinx. "Use pound!"

OoC: It's about time I started. Also, Bold == important.

Sphinx was fast, too fast for Ivy to handle. He skirted around Ivy, back and forth, landing hits with his claws whenever possible. Ivy tried to retaliate again and again, but it just wasn't happening! Then, he saw it. As Sphinx came in for an attack, he stopped for a moment before retreating. Taking advantage of this pause, Ivy pounded on his head with all his might. WHAM! A solid hit. Sphinx slunk back dizzy and just a little less cocky than before.

:venap: [Male] [21/26]
:celsinge: [Male] [20/25]

I shouted out some words of encouragement to Ivy. Of course, brute force isn't always the solution. Sometimes, you need to be sneaky and clever. And while I couldn't remember enough about myself to tell if I was either sneaky or clever, I could, at the very least, try my best.

I called out to Ivy. "Stay back; make him come to you. When he gets close enough, use leer!"

Celsinge was relentless in his attack. He clawed at Ivy, dealing out some solid scratches. He backed up smugly, wanting the satisfaction of seeing his handiwork on Ivy's face, but there was something in Ivy's eyes that threw him off. It was like staring into the deep recesses of his mind, a mind that was saying "Come. Come into my gaping maw." What satisfaction Celsinge had was wiped away and replaced by unsettling concern.

:venap: [Male] [16/26]
:celsinge: [Male] [20/25] [-1 Defense]

Dark green ichor was welling up in the scratches along Ivy's cheeks, but I tried not to let it bother me. Ivy didn't seem to notice, at least.

"All right, Ivy!" I yelled. "You can get him! Use Pound!"

The two exchanged heavy blows. Celsinge's vulnerabilities were beginning to show.

:venap: [Male] [11/26]
:celsinge: [Male] [13/25] [-1 Defense]

I could tell that Ivy was beginning to feel weaker, but he didn't let it show in his facial expression. He stared down Sphinx with the same arrogant confidence he had when the match had begun.

"Good job!" I said. "Keep at it! Pound him again!"

Sphinx tried to be the faster man in the fight, spending lots of energy to run up and scratch. Venap somehow had an inkling of the old adage and decided that just landing a good blow was fine, even if it happened just a little bit later.

:venap: [Male] [6/26]
:celsinge: [Male] [6/21] [-1 Defense]

Ivy was beginning to take the lead, but the tides could always turn; this was no time to get cocky.

At least, that's what I told myself as I grinned and told Ivy, "You've got them now!" I gestured towards the thick forest to the right and said, "Get back into the shadows and wait for Celsinge to find you! Then smash him with a pound!"

Lacramoiara smiled, showing off her abnormally sharp canines. "You don't seriously believe that this is over, do you? You should know better, ------"

I couldn't make out what her last word was, but it made me stagger back, a splitting headache sweeping through my mind. I could hear only a high-pitched whine, and my vision went black, except for a faint circle of grey in the middle. It only lasted a second or two, but even after I came back to my senses, I could see the faint outline of that circle etched into my mind. Ivy looked at me with concern, and behind him Lacramoiara's smile widened. "Ivy! Just go! Take them down!" I shouted. My voice came out shaky and softer than I had intended, but Ivy nodded and scuttled into the forest to await Sphinx's attack.

Sphinx saw the inevitable outcome and took a couple of backwards steps. If he proceeded to attack as normal under his current state, he'd be quickly pounded into the ground with Ivy's Vines and no longer be able to fight. He decided it was time for a change in plans. Putting on his most menacing kitten face, he sprang forwards and growled savagely at Ivy. Ivy was strong effected, but realized that Sphinx's guard was down all the same. He could still land a solid blow. His fear got the better of him however, and he couldn't quite finish the job.

:venap: [Male] [6/26] [-1 Attack]
:celsinge: [Male] [1/21] [-1 Defense]

The circle in my vision finally faded, and I took a quick look around. There wasn't anywhere close for Ivy to gain the higher ground, so we had to go with the direct approach.

"Ivy, draw close and finish him off with pound!"

Ivy, his eyes locked on his opponent, nodded quickly and lurched forward. The green ichor was pouring from Ivy's wounds now, but I knew that he still stood a chance. Just one more hit, and it'd be over...

Sphinx clawed at Ivy desperately, but was too exhausted and began... slowing... down... Ivy, also on the brink of exhaustion, drew on the last of his strength and pounded the Celsinge weakly. Even that was enough though, and tired but satisfied he stood over his foe, triumphantly.

:venap: [Male] [2/26] [-1 Attack]
:celsinge: [Male] [0/21] [-1 Defense] [Fainted]

Lacramoaira coughed up the 100P while Ivy reflected on what he had learned from the combat.

You have gained 100P, Ivy is now level 6!

You may now buy items, finish your rival story and move on to Route 49.

Lacramoiara's expression didn't change as she returned Sphinx to his pokeball. She sauntered up next to me and drew a 100P note out of... well, it kind of looked like she pulled it out of thin air. Just as eerily, she took a pen from behind her ear - a pen that most certainly wasn't there before - and she scribbled a word onto the paper before folding it up and placing it in my hand.

Smiling, she put her mouth up to my ear and whispered, "Only the beginning, ------"

I cringed as she uttered the curse again, and Ivy tugged at the leg of my pants. By the time I came back to my senses - and it couldn't have been more than a couple seconds - Lacramoiara was nowhere to be seen.

Who was Lacramoiara? Maybe a better question would be, what was Lacramoiara? She seemed a little... inhuman. And what did she have against me? I unfolded the cash Lacramoiara had handed me and read the note. A single word was written in red ink: Mistvale. I put it in my pocket with the rest of my money and picked up Ivy.

"Let's head back to town for a bit, bud," I said. The sun was just about to rise, and Ivy and I were already exhausted. I figured we could get some sleep, gather some supplies, and head out when we were fully recovered. Hopefully, we wouldn't have to deal with Lacramoiara again for a long time.

OOC: 5 pokeballs and 3 potions, por favor.

Done and done
-NyteFyre out.