Chapter 1:
A DARK WORLD
—•—
Welcome again, little one.
The cycle repeats.
Yet again you're thrown into this dark world.
Others would have lost faith a long time ago.
But I still believe in you.
I still believe you can make it through.
This is the last chance.
The last loop.
Good luck.
—•—
Gront observed the charred remains of what about an hour ago was Silvertown. A large part of the previously quiet town was turned to ashes. From some houses arose thick smoke columns which rose towards the sky, hindering the Garchomp's vision. Slightly grossed out, Gront walked among the singed corpses of dozens of little Pokémon who used to live peacefully in that place.
Was that really what he wanted? Despite the High Command orders, he did not believe the loss of innocent lives was necessary.
Just remember that we do it to finish those filthy traitors. You always remember that. Vylos' words echoed in his head. He was just following orders, even if he had no idea about how the consequences of his actions would influence the great plan. In fact, most of the tasks the Intelligence Corporation assigned him and his partners were that way: clear, concise, and above all absolutely unquestionable. If he posed a question about the mission's background to Vylos, the Scizor simply answered with "confidential" or "not relevant to the fulfillment of your mission".
And still, it was comforting to serve the cause. That cause would ensure the victory against the Rebellion's unpatriotic bastards and cease their cancerous influence over Pellaria. Gront just wondered if the death of so many civilians was worth it.
The Garchomp shook his head to clear those thoughts. he picked up a banner he found nearby to clean his bloodstained blades. When he started the unpleasant job, he found a Furret hiding under it with her two Sentret babies hugging her. The little rodent looked at Gront, her eyes popping out of her head in terror. The Garchomp looked around him with a straight face and then whispered:
"Come on, beat it."
He heard no answer, so he added: "You are not my enemy. You cannot stay here; they will find you and probably kill you. And you do not want that for your babies, do you?"
His words seemed to be stimulating enough for the Furret, who ran out with her babies attached to her back. Gront stood there watching the direction where the furret and her babies vanished in the smoke, unaware of the Pokémon that was approaching him in the opposite direction.
"The squad is ready and I've gathered the prisoners, sir. We're ready to return to the fort at your signal," the Pokémon said.
Gront turned around only to find Kiroh, the leader of the incendiary squad of Fort Flarah, looking him in the eye. The Heatmor's voice put him out of his musing. He cleared his throat.
"All right, Captain," Gront answered, trying to sound calm. "The sooner we leave this pile of debris behind, the sooner we will report our victory to High Command."
Kiroh nodded, acknowledging the Garchomp's words, and both left the macabre scene.
—•—
Cynder covered his ears with his front paws to drown out his thoughts. The sound of the explosions was still echoing in his ears. The Cyndaquil could hear the screams of pain and desperation of his neighbors even when he was almost a mile away from Silvertown. He stopped to look behind him, wishing with all his will there was no one else around. The infant Pokémon was exhausted, and the last thing needed was some Intelligence Corporation agent chasing him. Since his species' eyes were not totally developed, he could not see much at night and he had to use his ears to find other Pokémon. However, he did not hear a sound. The Dusk Forest remained totally silent. Not even wild Pokémon had the courage to go out at night when the Intelligence Corporation's troops were around. Cynder was sure that even they were scared of the Ghost and Dark Pokémon the Corporation sent to watch over the land at night.
The Cyndaquil was exhausted, yet he knew he had to keep running. He started to move again, but promptly tripped on a rock and fall on his face. It was obvious the Fire Pokémon had to take a rest.
Feeling completely useless, Cynder got up, tears falling from his eyes. He entered a clearing and stay there to rest, feeling that for the moment, the place is safe enough. Just then, in the quiet of the night, he was able to start accepting what had happened. He remembered the last vision he had of his parents. His father, a big and strong Emboar, had given him a little travel bag full of berries and apples while he listed the places Cynder would have to go through and pushed him out the back door, where his mother gave him a strong and loving hug.
Cynder sobbed. He did not even know if the elemental affinity of his parents would have made it easier for them to survive the attack. They had ordered him to go to Flamerock, a town in the Groudon's Spine ridge safe from the influence of the Intelligence Corporation. The provisions his father had given to him would last a reasonable length of time and would be more than enough to help him get to Flamerock and wait there for his parents to pick him up to go live somewhere else, far from war.
But what if they don't come?
The Cyndaquil shook his head and tried to distract himself by looking at the stars. He always loved looking at them for long periods of time, and they were always there for him. The moonlight illuminated the clearing allowing him to see beyond his own nose, so he looked at his little travel bag wondering if wasting some of his provisions was prudent.
Ah, what the heck, he said to himself while looking for some apples to eat.
But suddenly, something got his attention. What seemed like a blue-colored Pokémon was lying completely still a few feet away. Cynder could have sworn it was not there the first time he checked, but he attributed this to his own vision problems. He quietly got up and approached the little Pokémon to confirm that, in fact, it was a sleeping Mudkip.
What's a Mudkip doing here?, Cynder wondered while inspecting him.
This isn't their natural habitat. Maybe it's running from the Corporation like me, but… I don't recall seeing this guy around Silvertown.
Even considering his elemental affinity, Cynder felt that he has to woke up the Mudkip as it went against his ethics to leave fellow Pokémon to possible danger. He extended his hand and gave the Mudkip a slight bump on the head, what caused absolutely no reaction on the Water Pokémon. With a groan, Cynder retracted his hand and gave it a slap on the cheek, which achieved the desired result. The Mudkip quickly opened its eyes and jumped up with a gasp. While Cynder was staring at the Mudkip with a confused expression, the Mudkip was frenetically looking around their surroundings.
It looks confused, the Cyndaquil thought. He decided to take the first step.
"Er… hello, I'm Cynder," he said, attemping a cordial introduction. "Who are you?"
The Mudkip immediately focused on him. By his facial features, Cynder determined he was a male.
"Oh, I'm sorry about the slap thing," Cynder continued with a smile. "I'm not used to see any Mudkip around here so I thought you were lost or something."
"M-Mudkip," the Water Pokémon stuttered "That's the problem… Where even am I? T-this must be a dream. That's what it is, right? Just a dream…"
Cynder was flabbergasted by the Mudkip's reaction. He seemed absorbed in studying its own body while babbling like a hysterical person. The Cyndaquil started wondering if that stranger was insane.
"Hey, calm down," he said trying to comfort the Mudkip. "Maybe I can help you. Just tell me what's wrong."
"You don't understand!" the Water-type exclaimed "I-I'm not supposed to look like this! I am- I am not a Pokémon!"
"What do you mean you're not a Pokémon?" Cynder asked impatiently. "You look like a perfectly normal Mudkip to me!"
"Well, I… I know this sounds insane, but you have to believe me!" the Mudkip answered nervously. "I'm… I'm supposed to be a human!"
Cynder froze. He didn't know what to answer at that.
"I know!" the Water-type exclaimed. "I'm as confused as you, but I'm telling the truth! I just… I just…"
He dropped to the floor, unable to end his own sentence. After the initial shock, Cynder reached inside his bag and handed the Mudkip a pink, hard-looking fruit.
"Eat this." he said. "It's a perism berry. It'll help to clear your mind."
The Mudkip thanked him and devoured the berry like he had not eaten in a month.
I'm not sure if I can afford to bring him with me, Cynder thought.
My resources are limited, but… I can't leave him here to die. He's on a terrible situation. A human turned into a Pokémon… Is that even possible?
While Cynder was immersing in his thoughts, the Water-type had finished his berry and was now looking at him.
"By the way," he said, "what are you doing here? This doesn't seem like a very comfortable place to be."
This put Cynder out of his thoughts. He looked back at the Mudkip, wondering if telling him about his current situation was the right thing to do.
If I intend to bring him with me, he thought.
I might as well tell him what's going on here.
"I'm running away from the Intelligence Corporation," he said. "They destroyed my hometown and the only thing I can do now is hide from them. My… my parents helped me escape and now I'm trying to get to the mountains. I don't know what to do from there, though."
An awkward silence followed the Cyndaquil's words. However, the Mudkip decided to break the silence before it became too uncomfortable.
"That's terrible," he stated. "I'm sorry, Cynder."
"Don't worry about it," Cynder replied. "What about you? What were you doing before you were turned into a Pokémon?"
"So you believe me," the Mudkip said with a smile.
"Yep," Cynder answered. "It's not the weirdest thing I've heard about. I mean, the legends talk about Pokémon that can see your feelings or move entire continents with their bare hands. I have no reason to think you're lying to me."
"Awesome," the Mudkip replied. "However, I'm afraid I can't answer your question. I can't remember anything."
"Really?" Cynder asked incredulously.
"Yeah," the Water-type replied with a frown. "I mean, I remember very basic things. I remember I was human and I know you're a Cyndaquil and what a Cyndaquil is, but… I don't remember anything else. Not even my own name. It's kinda weird."
Cynder took a good look at his unexpected companion. He certainly didn't seem to be lying as he looked legitimately concerned about his situation. However, the Cyndaquil knew they couldn't stay sitting there for much longer. Silvertown was still relatively close and the Corporation troops could be looking for survivors. He suddenly got up and looked at the Mudkip.
"Look, this may seem a bit rough," he said, "but I need to keep moving. I could be in danger if I stay here for too long. Are you coming with me?"
"Sure," the Mudkip replied unexpectedly fast. "I don't think I would survive on my own in the wild anyway."
Cynder smiled at him. In a strange way, his conversations with the Mudkip seemed very comfortable and genuine, something that never happened him with any other Pokémon he knew at first contact.
"Oh, by the way," he said as he started walking, "mind if I name you? I mean, I could just call you Mudkip if you like, but that would be odd. Almost every Pokémon has a name."
The Mudkip looked thoughtful for an instant, then nodded vigorously.
"I suppose it would be weird if Pokémon referred to each other with their species' name" he said.
Well, he seems happy enough about not having any memories… Cynder thought.
"Let's see…" he said. "What about something like… Mudkip... mud… Muddy?"
The potentially-named-Muddy Mudkip frowned.
"Isn't that a bit too common?" he asked. "It's like calling a Pikachu Sparky or something."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right…" Cynder replied. However, a new name idea appeared on his mind almost immediately.
"Hey," he said with a smile, "what about Marvin?"
"Marvin…" the Mudkip mumbled. "Yeah, I like it. It's cool."
They left the clearing and began their journey to Grey Valley.
—•—
Marvin was not accustomed to his new body and had a little trouble keeping up with Cynder at first, but he soon got the hang of it. After an hour of walking, they finally left the forest and found themselves walking along rough terrain. A big, spike-like mountain was visible now they had left the lush vegetation behind.
"That's where the Groudon's Spine starts," Cynder explained. "It's a mountain range that goes all the way to the Northern Sea."
Marvin was going to ask his friend something, but he suddenly heard footsteps.
"Hey, you two!" a hoarse voice called from behind them before he could say anything.
Marvin and Cinder turned toward the source of the voice, a portly Swampert carrying a leather backpack. A vertical scar could be seen carved across his left eye, which along with his strong constitution and advanced age gave him the appearance of a war veteran. He also had a little white amulet hanging from his neck. Alongside the Swampert was an Ampharos. In contrast with his partner, he looked young and full of vitality, and was wearing a grey scarf around his neck.
"Aren't you too young to being alone in the wild?" the Swampert asked them. "It can be really dangerous, you know."
"S-sorry sir," Cynder replied. "We were running from Silvertown."
The Swampert glanced at them with disbelief.
"And why exactly are you doing that?" the Ampharos asked raising an eyebrow.
Marvin gulped. Were those Pokémon members of that 'Intelligence Corporation' Cynder was talking about earlier? The Swampert certainly looked menacing, but the Ampharos seemed somewhat friendly and inoffensive.
"Well," Cynder answered, "The Intelligence Corporation just attacked it about an hour and a half ago, sir. They burned it down."
The unknown Pokémon looked on, speechless. The Swampert then raised his fist and slammed it onto the ground with a powerful roar. Marvin felt the ground shaking under his feet.
"Wow!" the Ampharos cried "Easy, buddy. We'll send some help when we get to the base. You don't need to…"
"You sons of…" the Swampert then started walking on the opposite direction, completely ignoring his partner.
"Paldus!" the Ampharos yelled "What are you doing? Silvertown is about an hour away on foot! Don't be stupid!"
"I'm just going to take a look," he answered without even turning around. "Send reinforcements when you get to the Watchtower."
The Ampharos, Marvin, and Cynder watched him go. The Electric-type did not even try to convince Paldus to come back.
"Once he makes up his mind…" he said to himself. However, he quickly noticed the presence of the two younger Pokémon. He cleared his throat. "Er… hello, little ones. My name is Lugnos and I'm a member of the Resistance. Nice to meet you."
"Oh, so you're from the Resistance," Cynder said with starry eyes. "For a moment I thought you two were members of the Intelligence Corporation. My name is Cynder and this is my friend Marvin."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," Lugnos answered. "May I ask where you two were going? There's no"
Cynder looked at Marvin in the face, like asking if he could tell the story. Marvin shrugged.
"I was going to Flamerock, the village on the mountains," Cynder said. "My mother said I have family living there. She said I had to go to Grey Valley and ask for a guide."
"Really?" Lugnos asked almost skeptically. "Well, since you two look like the kind of Pokémon who oppose the Corporation, I can lead you two to Grey Valley. In fact, my partner and I were heading towards there."
"That's great!" Cynder exclaimed. "Thank you, sir!"
"It's nothing," Lugnos replied. "You don't have to call me sir, though. Everybody calls me simply Lugnos." He looked at Marvin. "And what about you? Are you from Silvertown too?"
"I'm not," he answered. "I mean, I don't think so. Cynder found me in the forest with no memories at all."
He felt it was not a good idea to tell the Ampharos about his human condition.
Not all Pokémon can be as sympathetic to me as Cynder was, he thought.
Although he looks friendly, I can't just go telling everybody about it. I don't want a lot of attention drawn towards me.
"So you're an amnesiac," Lugnos concluded. "Don't worry, I know a Pokémon who can help you. She has dealt with this kind of problem before. Do you want to come with me to get you cured?"
"That would be fine," Marvin replied with a smile, his eyes shining with hope.
"Wow, can that Pokémon really bring back Marvin's memories?" Cynder asked.
"Of course she can," Lugnos laughed. "She's an Espeon." He looked back at the path Paldus had left. "We should keep going," he said. "It's getting late, and Grey Valley is still a fair distance. Don't worry; you can rest once we get to Grey Valley. We have a pretty comfortable set of beds. Cyndaquil, are you coming with us, right?"
Cynder quickly nodded, and the three Pokémon started walking. While Lugnos and Cynder remained silent most of the time, Marvin was talking to himself.
This is so strange, he thought.
One should think that losing your memory would be a traumatic experience, but… I don't feel that bad. It's not even that difficult to adapt to this new body.
He looked at Cynder, the Pokémon that had found him. He seems worried, the Mudkip thought. Losing his family should have been a heavy blow for him.
He looked at Lugnos next. The Ampharos seemed confident and insightful, and his elegant appearance and eloquent way of talking gave him an air of respect. However, Marvin thought, the Ampharos seemed pretty clueless about how to deal with children.
Suddenly, a new doubt came to the Mudkip.
"What exactly do you do at the Resistance?" he asked.
Lugnos looked at him. He smiled.
"We help Pokémon in danger," he answered. "Since the Corporation outnumbers us, the only way we can help is hiding and offering help to towns that oppose them. However, I'm afraid I can't tell you much more, since we have to stay clandestine."
"That sounds really awesome," Cynder intervened. "It would be great to help the Resistance when I grow up.
"You wouldn't even need to 'grow up,'"Lugnos said. "We accept Pokémon of all ages, though we usually make them pass some kind of test. We don't want to risk our entire organization because a sloppy Pokémon fell into the Corporation's claws, you see?"
Cynder nodded thoughtfully.
Is he really considering joining this 'Resistance'? Marvin asked himself.
"Now I would recommend we start to pick up the race," Lugnos added, "since it's already pretty late."
The three Pokémon soon left the area. In their way, they crossed paths with a group of flying Pokémon who landed for a few moments to salute Lugnos.
"Looks like somebody has already warned Astrid," the Ampharos mumbled. "I guess it's better this way. It means the auxiliary infirmary is already deployed, and I bet Elina is already in there."
"It takes a lot to arrive?" Marvin asked, starting to feel tired.
"Don't worry Marvin, we're almost there," Lugnos answered with a smile.
They had abandoned the rocky terrain long ago, and now they were walking across a rocky and narrow path between the mountains. Sometimes, a Zubat or Swoobat would fly over their heads, probably after their sleep was disturbed by the three Pokémon's presence.
"Grey Valley," Lugnos explained, "is a marvelous place. I can't tell you why since it's classified information for non-members, but it's a place where the Corporation can't see you, even if they send a flying Pokémon to investigate the area. All they see is a gathering point for merchants and black market dealers."
"That's incredible," Cynder commented. "I'm sure it's a great place to hide from the Corporation."
"It is," the Ampharos replied. "If it wasn't, we wouldn't be settled in it. For almost a hundred years this place is been one of our most valuable fortresses."
I don't know what any of them are talking about, Marvin thought with frustration.
These people are continuously referencing weird things.
Some minutes later, the three Pokémon reached an area where the path became spacious and easy to travel in. Marvin could see the sky clearly again and the wide area of land ahead of them, though he could not see what was in there because of the darkness of the night. What he could see at the distance, however, were a group of lights whose origins he could not determinate.
"Well, Grey Valley is right ahead of us," Lugnos said. "See those lights? They're energized sun stones. We use them a lot, since they serve as great light sources."
"I thought sun stones were evolutionary stones," Cynder commented. "I didn't think they could be used to provide light."
"Under normal circumstances, they can't," the Ampharos explained. "However, we use energized sun stones. When you charge an evolutionary stone with elemental energy, it can be used as a light source, a distraction method, or even a weapon. They are great tools if you know how to control them, and even if you use them they can still be utilized to evolve."
They started their way towards the camp in the back of the valley, with Lugnos illuminating their path with his tail. Marvin could note there was an impressive body of water in the middle of the valley, the light provided by Lugnos reflecting in its surface. It didn't take them long to reach the camp where the infirmary was. After forcing their way between a crowd of Resistance members, the three Pokémon reached the establishment, a big strong-looking tent.
"Welcome back, Lugnos," an Azumarill said when they entered the place. "I see you bring us our first two refugees. They're lucky they're the first ones to come. I bet in a few hours this place would be filled to the brim with Pokémon."
"Good night, Domius," the Ampharos replied. "I'm supposed to take them to Elina. Is she there?"
"I would, my dear Lugnos, if you were not blocking the entrance," a feminine voice said behind them.
Marvin turned around to see a beautiful young Espeon looking back at him. Her hypnotic blue eyes shone with their own light.
"Excuse me," she said politely.
Marvin, Cynder, and Lugnos stood aside while the majestic Psychic-type entered the tent. It was filled with a considerable number of empty improvised beds and several more energized sun stones to light the inside.
"Was not our leader with you, Lugnos?" she asked once she was able to enter and accommodate next to one of the empty beds.
"He was, but he preferred to go help the refugees when he found out what happened," Lugnos explained. "Anyway, Marvin here needs your help with something." The Ampharos gave Marvin a little, almost imperceptible kick. The Mudkip walked towards Elina and looked her in the eye.
"I-my Name is Marvin and…" he started, feeling a little nervous. "Well, I don't really know what my name was, but…"
"Calm down, little one," Elina said with a grin. "I'm not going to eat you or something. Just calm down and tell me what happens."
Marvin gulped. The mere presence of the Espeon made him nervous, but her voice sounded so calm and maternal that it was practically forcing him to calm down.
"I lost my memory," he finally said. "I awoke in the forest with no memories of anything, not even my name."
"That's interesting," Elina replied, raising an eyebrow. "No memories at all?"
"Well, I do remember the names and looks of some Pokémon," Marvin continued. "I don't think my mind has anything else on it."
"That sounds familiar. It's probably just a memory block, don't worry," Elina said. "I have dealt with some cases like yours in the past. Alright, relax and let me see what is in there."
The Espeon then elegantly leaned on Marvin's shoulders with her front paws and looked him in the eye. The red jewel in her forehead started glowing.
The Mudkip started to get a little dizzy as soon as the Espeon entered his mind. However, the feeling disappeared after a few seconds.
This is not normal… Marvin heard her voice inside his head after a while. It was a strange feeling, at most.
I do not think this is just a case of blocked memories, Marvin. This is far more serious.
What do you mean? Marvin asked inside his own mind.
Somebody has removed the memories from your mind, Elina replied.
It's practically an empty vessel.
Suddenly, Marvin started to feel really worried.
W-why would somebody want to remove my memories? he asked the Espeon.
That's insane!
Maybe somebody wanted to take some information from you, Elina answered.
I do not think your memories were deleted, though. No self-respecting psychic would completely delete another Pokémon's memories without finding some use to them. If I had to guess, I would say your memories are stored somewhere. I cannot say it for certain, but I think this is a work from the Intelligence Corporation.
Marvin was feeling a pit in his stomach. That couldn't be possible… he didn't even know what the Corporation was!
Calm down, Marvin, Elina said.
I have to tell Lugnos about this.
The Espeon then broke the connection between the two.
"This is way worse than a memory block, Lugnos," she said. "His memories have been stolen."
"Oh," Lugnos simply replied. "Do you think it was the Corporation?"
"I suppose so," The Espeon said.
Suddenly, it was quiet. None of those present knew what to answer to this. After a few moments, however, Lugnos changed subject.
"There's a thing…" he said. "It's about you, Cynder, but I think it will have an impact on Marvin's life."
"And what is that?" Cynder asked.
"There's no town called Flamerock," he said.
"What?" the Cyndaquil yelled. "Then why did my mother tell me to go there?"
"Flamerock," Elina intervened, "is a code name. When a member of the Resistance wants another Pokémon to be protected, it sends it to Grey Valley to ask for a guide to Flamerock."
"That…" Cynder mumbled. "That means my mother was a member of the Resistance?"
"Exactly," Lugnos replied. "And she wanted us to protect you, apparently. That's why, considering the situation, I suppose Marvin can stay with us for a while too."
Marvin was still astonished by the revelation. That completely changed everything he had planned. However, it opened a new way for him.
If that Intelligence Corporation has stolen my memories, he thought, the Resistance might be able to take them back somehow.
"That sounds good," Marvin said with a smile. "Thanks. It's really kind of you."
"Don't worry about it," Lugnos replied. "After all, what kind of monsters would we be if we left you to your fate? I don't think we can let you live in the Watchtower for a long time, but we can relocate you and send someone to inform you if we make some discovery about your memories. We can take this as a regular old mission."
Marvin nodded happily. Suddenly, Cynder stepped down and talked to Lugnos.
"Hey, Lugnos…" he shyly said. "I was thinking if maybe I could… join the Resistance?"
The Ampharos blinked.
"Do you want to join us?" he asked.
"Yes, I think I do," the Cyndaquil answered. "I mean, you help Pokémon, right? I don't want to sit down while other Pokémon are saving lives. Also, if you are willing to save my parents, I want to give you something in return."
The two Resistance members looked kind of shocked by Cynder's petition. Even Marvin was. However, the Cyndaquil turned around to talk to him before he could even say a word.
"I can also help to find your memories, Marvin," he said.
Marvin couldn't help but to smile at his friend.
"Well then," Lugnos concluded. "If that's really what you want, I'll ask Pabau if he can organize a test for you tomorrow. His team needs more Fire-types."
Marvin wasn't paying attention to what the Ampharos was saying, though. He was feeling dizzy again.
Are you sure that is what you want? a voice suddenly asked inside his head.
Marvin had a fright when he heard the voice, but didn't make it obvious to the rest of the Pokémon in the tent. Cynder was now speaking with Lugnos, so neither of them noticed about his gasp.
Elina? he asked.
Indeed, the Espeon replied.
Think about the situation, Marvin. Think about what you really want.
What do you mean? the Mudkip asked her.
Do you really want to step out of this battle? she inquired.
The Intelligence Corporation stole your memories, and you are just going to let others find them for you?
Well… I don't see any other way, Marvin replied. I don't even know where I am or what I'm doing here.
Don't you want to know why did they steal them? the Espeon then asked.
Marvin suddenly realized what Elina meant.
This is something personal, the Espeon said.
You are not like the other Pokémon the Resistance helps, for I am giving you the chance to join us and retrieve your memories yourself.
The Espeon then cut communication with him. Marvin remained silent.
She's right, he thought.
I can't just stay here waiting for someone else to find what's mine. He looked at Lugnos. It's not I don't trust this people, but… this is personal. I need to find out what happened. I can't rely on others to do the work for me.
Determined, Marvin approached Cynder.
I need to consult this with him first, he thought.
"Cynder, can I talk to you about something?" Marvin asked. Cynder was a little confused but nodded. "Can we talk outside?" After Cynder gave his assent, they walked a few feet outside the tent.
"Cynder, I was thinking, maybe, I should join the Resistance too." Marvin said as he faced his friend. "At least, it would be better that just waiting here and doing nothing. What do you think?"
"That would be great!" Cynder exclaimed with excitement.
"Really? You want me to join?"
"Of course! We could join as a team!" Cynder nodded excitedly. "Then, we can work together to get your memories back."
"And find you parents." Marvin added. Cynder lost a bit of his enthusiasm, replaced by determination. They both have lost something and they were determined to get them back
"Come on. Let's tell Lugnos." Marvin said. They walked back to the tent but as Marvin was about to enter, Cynder called him. "Marvin…" he called.
The Mudkip turned around. Cynder was now smiling back at him.
"Thank you," he simply said.
"No problem," Marvin replied with a smile of his own. "We are in this together."
They entered the tent and Marvin quickly walked towards Elina and Lugnos, who were talking about something.
"I want to join the Resistance as well," he said.
Elina expected this so she remained unaffected, but Lugnos was surprised.
"Well, that's… unexpected," he said. "But if that's what you want, we can test you along Cynder."
"I don't think these two need a test, Lugnos," Elina intervened. "They have all the right reasons to join the Resistance."
"What are you talking about?" Lugnos asked in surprise. " That's not enough. Moments ago we were just talking about Cynder's…"
The Ampharos stopped in the middle of the sentence when he looked at Elina's expression. She raised one eyebrow.
"Okay, fine!" Lugnos finally exclaimed. "They'll form a team. Take care of them for this night, would you? I'll be in Team Emerald's common room if you need anything."
The Ampharos turned around and left the tent, and Elina let out a little chuckle.
"How did you convince him so quickly?" Marvin said, amazed by the Espeon's persuasive skills.
"Easy," she said. "Lugnos joined the Resistance right around your age, and our leader Paldus arranged it so he could pass without a test. He doesn't like to be reminded of it, though."
Marvin couldn't help but to laugh at the declaration. Cynder let out a giggle.
"However, there is something I would want to talk about before this room starts filling with Pokémon," the Espeon explained. "Marvin, is okay if I tell Cynder about your… unique condition?"
I guess it was obvious she had noticed, the Mudkip thought. After all, she was inside my mind.
"If you mean the issue about me being human, he already knows," Marvin stated.
"I had to ask," Elina answered. "It is not prudent go telling it to everybody. I will let you know, a human being transformed into a Pokémon is not precisely a common event. In fact, this is the first time I ever heard about it in the first place. I did not have seen a human in my entire life, only heard about them in legends and fairy tales. This, along with your memory loss, makes you a very unique specimen."
Thank you… I guess, Marvin thought.
"Don't worry, I'll protect him," Cynder happily stated, giving his friend a soft punch in the shoulder.
"I hope you will," Elina replied. She looked at Marvin again. "I will help you discovering what happened to you, but you have to keep it as a secret and inform me of every new eventuality that happens to you. I promise I will not tell anybody either. Understand?"
"Yes," Marvin said with a cheerful smile. "Thank you."
"You are welcome," the Espeon replied. "Now, I suggest you two to go for a walk. I'll reserve you two beds, do not worry."
The two Pokémon did as she said and left the tent again. They found a lot of other Pokémon walking along the valley as well. The closest to them were a Talonflame, a Meditite, a Gastrodon, and a Tangela.
"The refugees will arrive soon," Cynder said.
"Do you think your parents will be among them?" Marvin asked him. "I mean, did you see them being captured or something?"
"I don't think they could escape," Cynder sadly answered. "They are not the cowardly kind. They possibly fought until they were captured or… I don't want to think about the alternative."
"You're a really strong Pokémon, you know?" Marvin said to him. "I mean, you ran away, you've come a long way, and you are handling it all so well. I don't think much Pokémon of your age can say that."
Cynder simply nodded. Marvin could felt how broken his friend was behind his calm appearance. Even if joining the Resistance had given him faith, the Cyndaquil was still being tormented by the possible fate of his parents.
Parents… Marvin realized.
Will my parents be worried about me? Do I… do I even have parents? Elina said she only heard of humans in legends… does that mean I come from another place? Are the other humans hiding somwehere?
He tried to get those thoughts out of his mind. If he wanted to find his actual memories, he would have to focus on the task.
That's the only thing of not having memories, I suppose, he thought. It's easier to focus on what you're doing at the moment. I guess that'll change with time. I'm counting on Cynder to help me unveil my past…
The Cyndaquil was still looking at the distance with a blank stare.
"Hey, Cynder…" Marvin said to him. "Are you sure of this?"
Cynder blinked and looked at him.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'm not saying I took a rash decision when we agreed to join the Resistance," Marvin explained, "but I'm not really sure if I'm ready to… you know, fight another Pokémon."
"Hey, don't underestimate yourself," Cynder said with a smile. "You're a Pokémon now. I bet you have a lot of power inside of you; you just need to learn how to use it correctly. Anyway, we Pokémon have instincts, so fighting won't be an issue. You'll do fine, don't worry about that. Besides that, you Water Pokémon are usually more adaptable."
Marvin nodded. Though he wasn't completely adapted to his new body yet, he could felt the power it held.
"I'm glad you decided to team up with me, Marvin," Cynder said spontaneously. "I don't think I could handle joining the Resistance on my own. I really appreaciate having someone at my side in moments like this one."
"It's nothing," his friend replied. "I have something to ask you, though."
"What is it?" Cynder asked.
"What is the Intelligence Corporation?" he wondered.
Cynder puffed.
"It's a long story," he said. "It was created almost a hundred years ago as some kind of special police. It kept getting more and more corrupt with the years, thought, and they decided to try and take over Pellaria forty years ago."
"Wow, that's ambitious," Marvin commented.
"Yeah, it was," Cynder continued. "In fact, they were defeated by the organization we know today as the Resistance, and Pellaria was fractured. Right now we are in the 'neutral zone' of the country. The Corporation has no political influence here, though they control some fortresses towards the east."
"Thank you for the information," Marvin said. "Now I have a little perspective."
"No problem," Cynder answered. "Though it's lucky you asked me, because a lot of schools in the neutral zone don't teach the real story."
"And why is that?" Marvin asked. "It seems like a really important piece of history to me."
"Because the Corporation blackmails the towns' mayor into enter into their jurisdiction," his friend explained. "Then they force schools of the town to teach a different version of the story to make them look good. It's really low even for them."
"That's terrible," Marvin said with a frown. "I mean, they're manipulating everybody to trust them, aren't they?"
"They are," Cynder replied. "I bet they only burned Silvertown because they knew there was a Resistance member living there. They don't do bad things for a real purpose… they just do them because they can."
Tears starting to stream down the Cyndaquil's face. Marvin noticed it and approached his friend to hug him.
"It's okay, pal," he said trying to comfort him. "It's okay. Just let it all…"
The two of them stayed there for a while until they started to see the first refugees entering the auxiliary infirmary. After a while, they went to sleep.
