#alain pokmon

[11jj11]

Far From Yesterday - Ch 12 - Marissonshippng

A bit of a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy. :)

   “How does anyone eat this?” Mairin muttered, eyeing the mass of spinach leaves on her fork with a scrunched up nose. “What do I look like, a Miltank?”

   While Mairin may have not been the best when she was younger, she did understand the importance of having good food in her diet. But that didn’t mean that she’d eat whatever was suppose to be ‘healthy’. Sure, she’d have some carrots with her dinner or lettuce on her sandwich.

   But salad was not a main course!

   Especially when it was made mostly of bitter spinach.

   But no, the stupid doctor had to make his stupid recommendations on what she should be eating, and what would be best for the baby. So of course Alain had rallied the whole lab against her, and suddenly the meals she was being offered were much different from what she wanted. And it wasn’t like she could just make her own food– her morning sickness combined with her poor cooking skills made it so she was never in the kitchen for long.

   And since she had her amnesia, she had no idea where her current candy stashes even were!

   “Chespie,” Mairin groaned, shoving her tray of salad away and leaning back on her bed. “Can you get me my phone? I’m ordering a pizza!”

   “Naught,” Chespie rumbled, giving her a disapproving glare. She glared right back at the giant Pokemon, who was making no effort to grab her phone– which was in her purse on the other side of the room. She sighed, shifting to gaze towards Ruby, who was positioned like a guard at the foot of her bed.

   The Absol was giving her a meaningful look, and finally Mairin sighed, and shoved another mouthful of the salad into her mouth.

   Perhaps the worst part was that the greens didn’t trigger her morning sickness in anyway, meaning that she didn’t even have that excuse not to eat it. There were vitamin supplements she could be taking that could be giving her the same nutrition as this salad without the horrible taste– but everyone else agreed that having it naturally in her diet was better!

   Deep down Mairin did agree as well– but she wanted something else besides salad. And she had already eaten the Tamato berries that had been put on top, meaning there was nothing else even remotely edible on her plate. She couldn’t even gripe about it to everyone else, because they were eating dinner at the table, and the mere smell of the meatloaf had made her feel dizzy. So instead she was eating up in her room with her Pokemon.

   Okay, maybe she was being a bit dramatic, but she was going to demand ice cream after this.

   “They better not make me do this the whole pregnancy,” Mairin muttered, shifting her salad about with her fork in hopes of finding more berries. “I won’t last that long.”

   Ruby laid her head on the bed, giving her a reassuring smile. Mairin returned it, before taking another bite. She had been to the doctors three days before, which had got much smoother than her visit to the doctor about her amnesia. Of course it had taken place at an entirely different office with different people, which was very welcomed.

   The appointment had been very brief, with mostly a kind nurse explaining to her what to expect in the following months, the prospect having been both exciting and daunting. In less than a year she’d be holding a child in her arms– her own baby.

   They had learned that she was a month into the pregnancy– which had been pretty surprising to both her and Alain. Seeing how sick she had been, one would have thought that it would have been the same the days before her amnesia had hit. But according to Alain she had only felt under the weather the night before it had hit– nothing more.

   But she was a month along– and according to the book that Sophie had lent her, this also meant that the baby’s heart had started beating– even if it would be a little longer before it’d be detectable from an ultrasound. Mairin didn’t care however, glad that with everything going in her life that she had something that was simply good news.

   Of course she was still dealing with the nightmares– which had shifted last night back to the ones of her sleepwalking in the desert. She hadn’t had that one since her first night with her amnesia, and since she was now more familiar with Ruby it was still a bit startling to have her dream self be so cold and bitter to the Pokemon, ordering Bébé to attack the Absol everytime she approached.

   Bébé...

   Mairin pushed her half eaten salad to the side, sliding off the bed with a frown. She approached her dresser, grabbing her Pokeballs and isolating one from the rest. She stared down at Bébé’s empty Pokeball in thought, biting her bottom lip. She knew that the fairy type had always been fond of the greenhouse, but still...

   In her twelve days of her amnesia, she hadn’t seen the Pokemon once.

   The first few days the thought had been easier to brush aside, and in the more recent ones she had been dealing with so much emotional and physical stress that her mind had simply been too panicked to think clearly on every thought in her mind. But these last few days... they had been calmer. She had been more accepting of the situation. She was thinking things through.

   And she knew that something was wasn’t right.

   Keeping Bébé’s Pokeball in one hand she grabbed the scrapbook that Alain had given her off of the dresser as well, returning to the bed. She placed the Pokeball on the pillow as she sat, ignoring the gazes from her other Pokemon, and opened the scrapbook. She had spent the last few days looking over it, admiring the pictures inside and reading the labels she had put on the photos. Some she skimmed over, the like ones with her is a certain white dress, and focused on other less intimidating ones. Like the section with nothing but pictures of her Pokemon.

   Mairin was flipping to the green pages– her past self had organized the scrapbook to be in rainbow order, the colors shifting through different shades, starting from light and continuing down towards darker hues. The section with all of her Pokemon were all in the lighter green section, and there was something she wanted to see. She paused as she came to the first few photos of Chespie, and she careful began to examine each photo.

   She couldn’t help but notice that each picture of Chespie was angled so you couldn’t see the missing spike on his back.

   Mairin continued combing through each page, the ones of Chespie shifting over to ones of Kiara, a majority of the photos showing the Pyroar napping. Sometimes other Pokemon could be seen in the background, but even that didn’t show what Mairin was searching for. The next photos were of Ruby, the Pokemon usually standing right next to Mairin– the only exception was the photo of the Absol showing off her mega stone, apparently from when she first got it.

   Next up was Luke– whom Mairin seemed to have met at some sort of facility. The Riolu had a determined look in his eyes, which eventually shifted to pride in the photos showing him as a Lucario. But still, none of the pictures satisfied Mairin. She closed her eyes, before finally reaching the photos of Poppy– possibly the longest section yet. All were of the Popplio in every position possible, the young water type simply being its happy self.

   Mairin nervously turned the pages– but the section of her Pokemon ended there.

   Bébé was nowhere to be seen. Even in the background.

   What was going on?

   Mairin swiftly began pouring through the rest of the scrapbook, searching for some sign of the yellow Floette– or Florges– whatever she was now. Her eyes swiftly scanned each page, briefly looking at each photo before the page was turned. Her fingers dug into the blanket as she searched, breathing slightly strained. Ruby approached her, but Mairin didn’t even glanced at the dark type.

   She wanted to know what had happened to one of her oldest Pokemon.

   It was as Mairin was searching for Bébé that she noticed something else about the scrapbook– every now and then she came across a page that was off in color. It was a small detail, but since every other page shifted through the hues so flawlessly it was a bit surprising to come across a section that seemed to almost jump ahead, the color a bit darker than what she had been expecting. At first she didn’t pay much attention to it– but then she came across another section just like it. She paused at this, peering at the content of the page that featured the sudden shift.

   It wasn’t just the colors that jumped, but what was on the pages too.

   As if another page was supposed to be there.

   Perhaps one time she could skip over with no problem, but the fact that she came across five sections like this made her head feel a bit heavy. It wasn’t like a page had fallen out, but rather like someone had purposely gone through and had taken out sections of the scrapbook. And while the idea would normally seem a bit strange, she knew just who would do something like that.

   Mairin slammed the book shut, heart thumping angrily. It had seemed like such a thoughtful gift, finally Alain letting her see some of the past he had been keeping from her.

   But no. He was still keeping things from her. Plucking them out as if it wasn’t something she should know– something about her own life!

   And still not one hint of Bébé anywhere in the scrapbook. Mairin grabbed Bébé’s Pokeball, pushing herself to her feet. She hadn’t pressed the fact that things were being hidden from her, not wanting to disturb the peace that had settled into the lab, but honestly she’d had enough. She wasn’t a child. She wasn’t stupid. She had a right to know about her own life– and no one had a right to hide it from her!

   She wanted answers.

   “Stay here,” Mairin snapped at Ruby, who had followed her to the door. The Absol paused, and Mairin rolled her eyes. “Sorry, I know you’ve been nothing but nice to me, but I have a feeling that you’d just take Alain’s side. I want answers for once, so you can stay here.”

   She realized that perhaps she had been a bit rude to the Pokemon as she snapped her bedroom door shut, but the frustration she had been keeping buried was finally worming its way to the surface. Mairin didn’t even bother to keep a small stomp from her steps as she made her way to the stairs. She stormed down them, stumbling slightly on the last few steps, but she managed to regain her balance.

   She closed her eyes, before heading into the kitchen.

   “Mairin,” Professor Sycamore said, smiling as she came in, though he looked slightly startled at her expression. “Is everything okay?”

   They were all sitting around the table, one spot empty where she usually sat, and she glanced away as everyone raised their gaze to look at her. The scent from their dinner made her stomach twist, but she forced herself to ignore that. She hesitated for a moment, before fixing her glare onto Alain.

   “I’m sick of this,” She snapped, a growl in her voice. She saw the looks of concern flash over each of their faces, but she kept her amber eyes locked on Alain’s blue ones.

   “Of what?” He asked calmly, turning to face her.

   “Of you keeping things from me!” Mairin snarled. “All of you! I have a right to know about my own life– and just keep pushing it away like it doesn’t matter.”

   Alain’s gaze slide down to the table, and he sighed. “I believe we have other things to worry about, Mairin, why don’t we just put this aside–”

   “No!” Mairin snarled, not quite sure of what to make of the sudden surge of anger, but she let it drive her. “We are not putting anything aside! I’m– I’m not some kid! I can handle it! It’s not your choice! You don’t get to decide what I get to know!”

   Alain’s eyes met hers for a brief second, before once more sliding away. “Mairin. Calm down.”

   “I’m not going to calm down!” Mairin shouted. “Not when you’re petty enough to remove pages from the freaking scrapbook,” He looked startled. “And yes, I noticed! I actually thought that you were trying to be nice, but that was just an attempt to placate me, wasn’t it? To get me to stop asking questions!”

   He closed his eyes, and the other members of the lab shifted uncomfortably as the argument grew. Originally she had come down here to demand answers from all of them, but it seemed that her buried anger had decided to take the lead.

   “Mairin, please sit down,” Professor Sycamore said in a tone clearly meant to lessen the tension. “I understand why you’re upset, so please sit down and tell us what exactly what you want to know.”

   Mairin didn’t sit down, but she did close her eyes, taking in several deep breaths to calm herself. She was still angry when she opened them again, but her voice was much more controlled as she set Bébé’s Pokeball onto the dining room table.

   “I want to know where Bébé is,” Mairin said in a low tone. “She’s not in her Pokeball, she’s not in the lab, and she’s not in any photos in the scrapbook. Where is she?”

   Mairin felt the tension crawl back into the room– but this time it wasn’t from her. The other members of the lab stiffened, and Mairin was sure they were all going to Clamperl up, but slowly everyone’s gaze shifted from her to Alain. Professor Sycamore looked concerned, the girls startled, and Max was glaring at him.

   “Alain...” Professor Sycamore began uncertainly. “You didn’t tell her?”

   “...No,” Alain said after a moment, taking a bite of his food, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. The professor pulled back slightly, while Max’s hands curled into fists.

   “You said you would!” Max shouted. “And you kept it from her? What– did you think she wouldn’t notice?!”

   Alain glared at Max. “That’s none of your concern.”

   “Alain...” Professor Sycamore began.

   “She was happy!” Alain snapped, fork clattering to the table. “Don’t you get it? Mairin was happy! How on earth could you expect me to tell her?!”

   “T-tell me what?” Mairin asked, a nervous edge slipping into her tone. Her eyes shifted between the lab members, all of whom couldn’t meet her eyes. Her voice cracked slightly. “Wh-what are you keeping from me?” Her eyes locked on Alain. “What happened to Bébé?”

   Alain’s eyes met hers, and Mairin couldn’t help but pull back as she noticed a cold gleam in his gaze. He stood up, his whole persona seemingly shifting in moments. His expression hardened, and with the height he had over her he looked even more intimidating. Alain walked towards her, his glare locked on her.

   “Fine,” He snapped, his tone sharp. “You want me to be straight with you? You want the truth?”

   She naturally took a step back, but she gulped and forced herself not to recoil from his coldness. “Yes– I am sick of the lies.”

   He continued walking towards her, and with the silence that had settled into the kitchen his footsteps echoed in her ears. She stumbled back, his blue eyes boring into her with a harshness she hadn’t seen since the fight. She could see the frustration in his gaze.

   “I knew what I was doing, Mairin,” He growled. “Was it too much for you to just trust me? I was just trying to let you be happy.”

   She closed her eyes, forcing herself to stop backing away. “I could never be happy being left in the dark.” His footsteps came to a stop, but still she kept her eyes close. “This is my life, and you don’t control it. I understand that you want to be there for me, but these lies only hurt.”

   She opened her eyes, and found herself staring at Alain’s chest. She couldn’t bring herself to look up just yet, simply watching his strained breathing. Under his shirt she could see a small bump– where she knew the necklace with the wedding rings were. She let this fact calm herself, because no matter what, Alain did care about her. He clearly thought that what he was doing was right, even if it frustrated her to no end. She then raised her head, meeting his gaze. His icy blue eyes stared down at her– frustrated, calculating, and the smallest hint of panic. She tried to let her anger slip away, simply wanting the truth.

   His expression hardened, and then he said, voice as cold as his eyes:

   “Bébé is dead.”

[11jj11]

Far From Yesterday - Ch 4 - Marissonshipping

Enjoy chapter four!

   Mairin spent the rest of the morning laying down on the couch, her stomach churning. Max had brought Chespie down from her old room, and the grass type had refused to leave her side since. She had been unable to eat another bite of food, however she did occasionally sip from the water Absol forced people to bring in for her.

   She also had a bowl near her in case she threw up again, but nothing worse happened than her stomach twisting about.

   She just couldn’t bring her body to calm down, clearly too overwhelmed by what was happening to her. She just laid there, not having the will to move as Chespie gently rubbed her back with his giant claws. The action was soothing, and the only thing that made an attempt to distract her mind from what was really happening.

   She looked down at her arms, staring at the twisting white marks that ran up them. She traced her finger up one, the marks going all the way to her shoulder. She frowned– it looked so unnatural– as if she had wrapped ribbons around her arms and had then stood out in the sun. She ran her hand across the twin marks on her other arm, but yet she got no hint to where they had come from.

   She leaned over, still feeling painfully sick, but the realization was worse. There was just so many questions she had, and no answers that she liked to explain it. The reality of what she was facing hurt.

   She was missing several years worth of memories.

   Her stomach shifted unhappily at the thought, and she pressed her eyes shut.

   What was she supposed to do?

   “My wife doesn’t joke around!” A sharp voice echoed from down the hallway, and Mairin flinched. Amber eyes flickered open as Alain walked into the room, talking to someone on the phone. “I need to bring her in as soon as possible.”

   He didn’t seem to notice that Mairin was in the same room as him. He paused, listening to the other end of the phone.

   “Yes, I did call her regular doctor– and he’s the one that told me to contact you,” Alain said, gritting his teeth.

   Mairin sat up slightly, blood rushing to her head at this action. She watched Alain, who had started pacing the length of the sitting room. Mairin wondered if everything was flowing smoothly in the main part of the lab– since both she and Alain weren’t working at the moment.

   ...She did still work here, correct? Mairin’s mind started racing, what if she worked somewhere else? Perhaps that’s why Max had been hired, to replace her? Clearly Alain still was involved with the lab, since he had the white lab coat on.

   “I’m not waiting a month,” Alain growled into the phone. He paused from his pacing, back turned towards her. Chespie put an arm around her, and she could dimly hear mumblings coming from the other end of Alain’s phone. “...Fine. We’ll do that. Schedule her in as soon as possible.”

   More mumblings from the phone, just quiet enough so Mairin couldn’t pick out what they were saying.

   “Thank you. We’ll be there,” Alain said, and then he hung up the phone. His knuckles were white as he slipped it away into his lab coat, jaw gritting together as he let out a frustrated sigh. Mairin watched as he ran a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath. “For Yveltal’s sake...”

   Mairin parted her dry lips, but she couldn’t find the desire to speak. Ruby and Chespie watched her for a moment, their eyes urging her to say something. But she could only stare up at Alain, still in disbelief at what was taking place. Now that she was really watching him, she could pick out several differences from what she remembered. Nothing drastic, but clearly he carried himself differently than the Alain she had known.

   “Mairin,” Alain said, sounding startled as he turned around. Blue eyes met amber, and she looked away. “I didn’t realize that you were there,” He looked over her pale form, and the blanket draped over her, and his eyes narrowed. “You look sick! Did something happen while I was on the phone?”

   Mairin gulped, forcing herself to speak. “I’m f-fine... just overwhelmed...”

   Alain nodded, shifting uncertainly. “That’s understandable... considering what’s happening...” He hesitated, studying the way she curled up slightly. Alain closed his eyes, looking like he was stopping himself from flinching. “...I can tell that you’re still not comfortable around me. I’ll leave.”

   Mairin jerked her head up– but before she could say another word he was out the door, heading off to another part of the lab. Mairin stared at where he had been moments before, her hand halfway lifted to stop him. She sat there for a moment, before letting the limb fall to the couch. She closed her eyes, laying back down.

   She... she wasn’t scared of him... he didn’t have to leave.... She wasn’t scared of her best friend...

   She was scared of the fact that he was her husband– but not him! She was upset at what he had said to her... years ago– but not at the person he was now!

   “A-alain...” Mairin whispered weakly, wanting him to come back.

   She wanted her best friend. She wanted her big brother.

   Tears stung her eyes– Alain wasn’t that person anymore. When he looked at her he wouldn’t see her as a little sister that needed comforting, but as a wife. Alain wouldn’t see his best friend, but a spouse.

   She wrapped her arms around her, and Chespie draped the blanket over her as she started crying. She was starting to realize just how terrified she was– because the person she was closest to wouldn’t see her in the way that would comfort her. A new relationship had been formed, one that she didn’t know or want. The Alain she wanted wasn’t here, and the one she remembered had left painful memories.

   And Mairin felt more alone than ever.

----------------------------------

   Mairin’s appetite had managed to return somewhat by dinner time, and her empty stomach was more than happy to join everyone around the dining room table. She was still wearing the same outfit she had woken up in, but Chespie had brought her the green jacket she had seen in Alain’s room this morning.

   It was clearly hers, since it fit her just right, but still Mairin pushed the thought of where it had been out of her mind. Instead she awkwardly sat at the edge of her chair, staring down at her hands. She studied the finger where the ring had been, and wondered what had happened to it. She had left it on the table, but it clearly wasn’t here anymore.

   She was just glad that no one had tried to give it back.

   Dinner was served up in silence– no one seemed to know what to say. Mairin was sure that she had somehow disturbed the normal seating arrangements– but she had sat herself between Sophie and Cosette, refusing to move. She and Cosette took up one end of the table, Alain and Max on the other. The professor and Sophie sat on each end of the table, looking over their lab family in silence.

   Mairin had a feeling that she was usually next to Alain, but right now she wasn’t even sitting across from him.

   “Mairin,” Cosette said after several minutes. “You need to eat something.”

   Mairin was jerked out of her thoughts, and that’s when she realized that she had done nothing but chase her food around her plate with a fork. She gave an uncertain smile, before stabbing her fork into the ravioli and raising it to her mouth. She had to choke the food down, the smell of the ravioli overwhelming her as she tried to eat.

   But still she managed to get through dinner with only several side glances being thrown her way.

   “Were you able to get a hold of anyone, Alain?” Professor Sycamore asked, breaking the silence.

   “...Dr. Tambert,” Alain replied in an colder tone. “His assistant wasn’t too bright, but the doctor himself gave us an appointment for tomorrow. Basically just a quick check up, to see what he’s working with, then we’ll schedule another and longer appointment from there.”

   Alain shoved a forkful of salad into his mouth, chewing it as if it had just insulted his mother.

   Professor Sycamore nodded. “Sounds good, we’ll just have to take things easy until tomorrow,” He smiled across at everyone. “I am putting all major research projects on hold, for now we just need to keep this lab running, and make sure Pokemon and trainers are taken care of, but actual research can wait.”

   “No,” Mairin said softly. “Don’t stop everything because of me.”

   He gave her a gentle smile. “Mairin, you were involved with several of those projects, we wouldn’t be able to carrying them on without you. Also, I think it would be best if we weren’t weighed down with anything else right now.”

   Mairin looked down guilty– because of her the lab’s projects were being stopped. Her grip on her fork tightened slightly, just because her life was messed up didn’t mean that it had to interfere with everyone else’s.

   “Do we have a cot laying around by chance?” Alain asked, looking at Professor Sycamore.

   “A cot?”

   He shrugged. “If not I’ll just take a sleeping bag then, I know we have plenty of those.”

   “You are not thinking of leaving!” Sophie exclaimed, and Alain rolled his eyes.

   “No, of course I’m not leaving,” He muttered, pushing his last few bites of food about his plate. “But I am going to need somewhere to sleep tonight.”

   Professor Sycamore frowned. “You will sleep in a bed like everyone else in this lab.”

   Alain glared at him. “There are six of us in this lab, but only four beds. That worked out just fine before all this, but I will not make Mairin share a bed with me. She’ll take our room, and I’ll camp out in the main room or something.”

   Mairin’s eyes widened– she may have disrupted the work of the lab, but no one was going to be kicked out of their room because she lost her memories. “No. I’ll take a sleeping bag,” Mairin said quietly. “You keep your bed and your room.”

   Alain glared in her direction. “It’s not mine, it’s ours– and there’s no way I’m making you take the ground with your condition. You will have the bed.”

   Mairin shook her head. “No, I want you to have it.”

   Alain’s expression darkened. “You are taking the bed– and that’s final.”

   Mairin flinched, her eyes quickly darting down to her plate. Shivers ran through her, but her voice fled. She couldn’t sleep in Alain’s room, no matter whose it was now, she only saw it as Alain’s room...

   “Enough,” Professor Sycamore said. “I’m pretty sure we have a spare mattress up in the attic of this place, and we have plenty of clean sheets. After cleaning up dinner me and Max can go up there and bring it down,” Sycamore glanced at Mairin. “Would you be most comfortable in your old room?”

   She gave a short nod. “Y-yes.”

   “Alright,” Professor Sycamore gave a pointed glare at Alain. “That’s settled then. No one is taking the floor, and Mairin will be in her old room. Everyone is in a bed, and in a familiar place,” He sighed. “Alain, you help Mairin move some of her stuff from your room, you’ll know what she’ll need.”

   “We’ll clean up,” Sophie said. “No need for you guys to worry about the kitchen.”

   Max scowled. “No, we’ll help you guys clean up dinner.”

   Cosette laughed. “We’d much rather clean up then haul a bed around– you boys have fun with that,” She flashed Sophie a grin, and the two females giggled like they were teenagers. “Oh, and don’t you worry about anything Mairin, you just rest.”

   “I want to help,” Mairin said– just because she was missing memories didn’t mean she couldn’t do anything.

   “You can help me move your stuff,” Alain said. “Decide what you’ll want in your room.”

   “O-okay,” Mairin whispered– through her insides shriveled as she realized she was going to be alone with Alain.

   Everyone finished dinner in silence.

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   “...Right side of the closet is your stuff, left’s mine– same with the dresser,” Alain explained as he opened the door to his room. “I’ll go hunting for a dresser or something to put in your old room tomorrow– but for now just grab the clothes you’ll want for tonight and tomorrow.”

   “O-okay,” Mairin whispered as Alain walked into the room, however she lingered by the doorway. Her eyes flickered about the room she had woken up in, shivering. Her eyes shifted to the queen bed, and she flinched.

   Alain had pulled a wicker basket down from a shelf, opening the lid and peering in. He set in on the bed, then headed over to the desk, grabbing a brush that was laying there. He headed back towards the basket, placing it in, before looking at Mairin.

   “You can come in here,” Alain said. “This is your room too.”

   Mairin hesitantly stepped in, before heading over towards the closet. She slid the closet doors to the side, and as promised they were filled with clothes. She frowned as she looked over the feminine half of the closet, trying to look for anything remotely familiar, something to show this was hers. She shifted through the various outfits, but was startled to find that most of the items weren’t things she even recognized. Surely she hadn’t changed sizes that much in the last few years! And it wasn’t like she was someone that had to have the latest fashion...

   She paused as she noticed a green hat tucked away on the back of a shelf. She smiled, pulling it out as she studied it. It was old and worn, but probably would still fit her, even if it was from when she was ten. She brushed off from dust, knowing that she’d never wear something like this now days, but having something familiar was comforting. It wasn’t hard to spot a backpack after that, and she sat the hat in the bottom of the bag, before looking for something suitable to wear.

   She settled for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to wear to bed, knowing just how cold she could get at night, and then jeans with a nicer shirt for tomorrow. She set them into the bag, feeling uncertain, and she had to keep telling herself that these clothes were hers, and that they would fit. Mairin then turned towards the dresser that sat along one wall, but paused as she reached for one of the drawers that Alain said was hers.

   She looked back at him, heart racing.

   He was watching her, having the wicker basket in one hand, and several other items in the other. “That’s yours,” He said with a nod, probably thinking that she was unsure about the drawers. “You can open it.”

   Mairin stared down at her feet, shifting. “Um...”

   “Oh,” Alain said after a moment, realizing where her hesitancy was coming from. He quickly headed towards the door. “...Sorry. I’ll wait outside.”

   Mairin shivered slightly, but pulled open the drawer, searching for the last clothing items she’d need. She stuffed them into the bottom of the backpack, before zipping it up. She shouldered the bag, looking about the room one last time. Nothing in particular caught her eye, everything just foreign and intimidating– and she swiftly headed towards the door, glad to be free of Alain’s room.

   As promised he was waiting for her. He held his hand out towards her, but she couldn’t bring herself to take it. Awkward silence fell across them as he withdrew his hand, and they headed towards her room in silence.

   “Looks like they’re still bringing down the bed,” Alain said uncertainly as they went in. The door was open, and they could see the bedframe had been placed in the room, but no mattress. Some of the Pokemon’s things had been pressed to the side, and Mairin hoped that they wouldn’t be upset with her sleeping in here. She tried to tell herself it was fine– they were her Pokemon after all.

   “Yeah,” She whispered. Mairin set her bag down in the corner, not sure of what else to do.

   “Okay,” Alain said, setting the stuff he had brought onto the ground. He pointed to the wicker basket. “That’s where you keep your toiletries and stuff is, I’m sure you remember we can’t keep all of our stuff in the bathrooms at once.”

   “I remember that,” Mairin replied quietly– the bathrooms in the lab didn’t have much in the way of storage space. In her memories she kept her stuff in a small cloth bag, but it seemed she had more things now.

   “Then there’s your purse– your phone and wallet is in there, and whatever else you keep in it. Don’t lose that,” He then pointed to the last two objects– a Pokebelt and an amulet. “Then finally your Pokeballs and key stone. Since you don’t remember... well, you got a keystone about three years ago.”

   For the first time that day, Mairin brightened up. “You mean I can mega evolve?”

   Alain smirked slightly. “I’m pretty sure it’s your Pokemon that mega evolve.”

   She smiled back, and for a moment the tension between them faded... but only for a moment. Mairin’s smile quickly vanished, and she looked away. She let her focus go to the belt, which had six Pokeballs on it. Six... including Ruby she only knew of four Pokemon she had ever captured. Her throat tightened– realizing that she had a two Pokemon she didn’t even know of.

   “What’s my team?” Mairin asked quietly.

   Alain stiffened slightly as she asked this, his eyes flickering towards the Pokeballs, then to her. He watched her for a moment, lips halfway parted as he considered his next words.

   “Well... you’ve already seen Chespie and Ruby– you have those two out the most. Then of course you should know Kiara... she’s evolved now,” He hesitated once more. “Then there’s Poppy, you hatched her from an egg a while back, and then finally you have Luke.”

   “And Ruby can mega evolve,” Mairin said, remembering the mega stone she had seen around the Pokemon’s neck.

   “...Luke can as well,” Alain said, before frowning. “At least, they should be able to... but I have no idea how your missing memories will affect your bond to them.”

   Mairin’s heart twisted. This amnesia... it just wasn’t affecting her, but everyone around her as well... She remembered how sorrowful Ruby had been yesterday once she realized that she didn’t know her... and now Mairin would have two more Pokemon that would have to learn that their trainer didn’t know them... But Kirara was evolved now, Mairin smiled slightly, trying to tell herself that was something to look forward to. She gulped once, but reached for the Pokeballs.

   Alain’s hand suddenly grabbed hers, stopping her.

   “Mairin, wait, please,” He said, and she stiffened up as he touched her. “Do me a favor, and don’t let any more Pokemon out until tomorrow.”

   “Wh-why?” Mairin asked, trying to pull her hand out of his. He paused, before letting her go.

   “Because we’ve all had a long day,” He said. “And learning of this was hard enough on Ruby, and hard on you. Tomorrow will be a new day, and everyone else will be there to help. Just get some rest, okay?”

   Mairin nodded slowly. “Okay...”

   He smiled softly. “Thank you. I am going to go help the others with your bed, alright? The attic isn’t exactly the easiest place to navigate,” He turned towards the door. “Call if you need anything.”

   “I don’t need you guys to babysit me,” Mairin snapped, harsher than she meant to. Alain paused in the doorway, but didn’t turn to face her. Silence filled the room, and for a moment she wondered if he was going to say anything.

   But instead he just walked out the door without another word.

   Something in Mairin shifted, but she just turned away. There were tears in her eyes, all of the pressure she had built up from today bearing down on her. The sun had barely even began to set, but she just wanted to sleep... of course it would be a few hours before it was even reasonable for someone her age to turn in, but she was sure that no one would think twice considering the state she was in.

   Not like she had a bed yet.

   She took in a deep breath, she could wait a little longer... then she could sleep..

   And Mairin hoped that when she woke up that this nightmare would be gone.

----------------------------------

   “Stop poking me...” Mairin heard herself mutter. “I’m sleeping...”

   However the poking continued, causing Mairin to groan. She rolled over, the grainy sand of her bed gritting against her. The sleeping girl paused, before her eyes snapped open. A dark sky was laid out before her, countless stars shining above her.

   And a glowering Floette was glaring down at her.

   “Bébé!” Mairin cried as she saw the yellow-flowered Floette, and she quickly sat up. The Floette placed her flower over her shoulder, no longer using it to poke Mairin awake. “It’s the middle of the night, what are you...?”

   A wave of panic washed over Mairin– because she wasn’t saying any of these words. She was hearing them, she felt herself opening her mouth, but yet she had no control over herself. Her body was moving of its own accord, pushing itself into a sitting position. Mairin tried to cry out, but her body simply looked around without any care to what she wanted.

   They were in the middle of a desert.

  “Crap...” Mairin ‘said’. “I was sleep walking again, wasn’t I?”

  “Flo!” Bébé confirmed with a nod.

   She let out a groan of pain, but forced herself to stand up. The desert was silent around them– nothing in sight but sand. Mairin rose to her feet, brushing off the grainy sand as she studied the ground. Her footprints came from the east, and she muttered under her breath.

   “Great...” She muttered. “Hopefully we aren’t too far out from camp... Come on Bébé, let’s get back to Alain and the others... Bonnie’s going to freak if I’m not in our tent when she wakes up.”

   Mairin’s panic was starting to fade, even though she still didn’t have control over herself. However she was slowly realizing that what she was seeing wasn’t real– this was simply a dream. It wasn’t too hard to piece together after a moment, and now that she was aware she was able to relax as the dream continued to play out.

   She watched as Bébé and her dream self matched through the desert, stumbling over sand dunes, shivering at winds that Mairin couldn’t even feel. It wasn’t the most exciting dream Mairin had ever had, though her vision of the place was very sharp. But besides that her senses in this dream were dim, and she couldn’t do much more than watch dream-Mairin hike.

  “Sol!” A familiar voice cried out after several minutes of silent walking, and dream-Mairin paused. The girl slowly turned, and was able to make out a white shape standing on the hill of sand they had just finished hiking down. The Pokemon watched them with sharp red eyes, and dream-Mairin froze.

   ‘...Ruby?’ Mairin asked, surprised at the sudden appearance of the Absol she had just met in the waking world. Of course she had no control over her dreaming self, so her question went unvoiced.

   The Absol was clearly Ruby though– there was no mistaking that– but there was still some differences from the Pokemon that had been cuddling up with her today. This Absol had a much sharper look in her eyes, serious and tense. She was eying Mairin warily, and her fur had a rough look to it. And then, of course, there was no mega stone on this Absol– it was clearly a wild Pokemon.

   “You!” Dream-Mairin snapped, and her voice sounded angry. “What are you doing out here– stop following me!”

  “Flo!” Bébé added, darting in front of Mairin, the Floette holding out her flower threateningly.

   The Absol said nothing, simply standing still as the wind rushed by her silky fur. Ruby continued to watch Mairin, her eyes locking on the human. She then lifted her head, the dark type looking skywards, then at Mairin again. Ruby went still once more for a moment, but then placed a foot forward.

   “No!” Mairin snapped. “Don’t come closer– the locals were right about you, you’re nothing but bad luck! Ever since you’ve shown up I’ve just been getting separated from everyone, getting these horrible headaches, and... and then the stupid sleepwalking! It’s your fault that I’m out here!”

   The Absol let out a sigh, a puff of white air escaping her mouth. The night must have been cold, even in the desert, but since it was a dream that meant Mairin felt none of it. Ruby continued down the hill, making dream-Mairin tense even more.

  “Ette!” Bébé declared, pointing her flower at Ruby as if it were a sword. The petals of the flower started to glow, the brightness quickly lighting up the night. Ruby narrowed in eyes in the harsh light, and a Dazzling Gleam was released.

   “Use Energy Ball while she’s blinded!” Mairin ordered, and a glowing green orb started to form at the end of her flower. The Energy Ball was released as the remains of the Dazzling Gleam faded, and a flash of purple could be seen from rushing towards Bébé.

   The Psycho Cut and the Energy Ball met mid-air– the Psycho Cut slicing the Energy Ball in two, and both attacks faded. Dream-Mairin flinched as if in pain, while Ruby was charging down the hill, her claws draped in a dark energy of a Night Slash.

  “Flo!” Bébé cried, forming another Energy Ball, racing forward to engage the Absol. The green sphere was once again launched, and Absol jumped up into the air. Mairin’s eyes widened, impressed at how much height the Absol had gained. She leapt right over the Energy Ball and the Floette, and landed in the sand behind the fairy type.

   Ruby then ran forward, charging straight at Mairin. Dream-Mairin froze up, bracing herself as the Pokemon ran right at her– but the Absol came to a halt several feet away.

   Red eyes peered into amber ones, Ruby’s gaze intense and cold. The Absol maintained eye contact, even as Bébé let out an angry cry.

   Then the Absol turned away, glowing with a Quick Attack as she raced off into the desert night.

   Bébé let out an angry chitter as the dark type ran off, waving her flower about in a fit of rage. Then the fairy type turned back towards her trainer, quickly bolting to Mairin’s side. She darted up towards her shoulder, settling down and crossing her arms. Dream-Mairin was shaking slightly, but still gave the Floette on her shoulder a thankful smile.

   And then the dream melted away from around Mairin, and she drifted away into the darkness of sleep.