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.