The storm raged on, and a Pokémon, green, lithe, and quick, was racing through a beaten path in a forest. Nightwood Forest, said the wind. It was cold. The Pokémon didn't seem to slow down, or even notice the rain as it dripped off his leaves. Grovyle. Another whip of the raging wind. Finally, the Grovyle reached an area that had a faint green-blue-turquoise color that pulsed slowly, like a sleeping heart. The Pokémon seemed to wince at the light, even though it was not all that bright. It was night, a new moon, maybe that made it so much brighter.

     What made the light, though, was a floating gear, palm-sized, surrounded by a design that pulsed like the gear, but was only light, not tangible. The Grovyle pulled out a bag, and started to reach for the gear, but hesitated, basking in its light.

     "Do my eyes deceive me?" the Grovyle said. "Could it be...? Yes, it is!" Lightning struck, and the Pokémon was glancing at the sky, and he held small pouch close to him now, before turning back to the gear. "I've finally found it! Treeshroud Forest's Time Gear!" He reached for it, and hesitated again. "But...this is only the first of the five..."

     Two more strikes of lightning lit the clearing up, with the Grovyle looking once more at the sky, for a moment drowning the Time Gear's light. Then the Grovyle grabbed it, murmured something while looking around, and, when he didn't find what he was looking for, he growled, "I guess that was a lost cause. I have yet to find her here." He then sped out of the area as it turned gray and lifeless, and he raced so it would not touch him.

✦ ❦ ✦ ❦ ✦

Loudred came to bring us to roll call. Pika looked just as startled as I was, maybe a bit less so since he wasn't twisted in a blanket -- which was fireproof, made specially for me -- like I was. I must have stayed up later than I thought when I was reading the journal.

     I tried remembering my dream. Green forest trees and shrubs, rain and lightning--

     Pika greeted me, dazed from Loudred's voice as he was, and I smiled with a response to the effect of "Good morning." I was a bit preoccupied as we went to roll-call, I just wasn't there. My thoughts were too loud. My thoughts from trying to remember my dream... or thoughts from trying to remember my past. The journal was familiar, like I could almost remember writing it, almost remember the days that I had written them about. But there were two things I could see clear as day. I had trouble remembering, but when I did, I realized they were--

     "HEY YOU TWO!" thundered Loudred at Pika and I, making my ears ring, shattering my thoughts into a million lost shards. What was I remembering? I almost had it... like a dream in the morning... but once distracted, it's lost for the moment. Loudred came rushing over from the sentry hole. "We need your help with something today!" He pointed over toward Diglett, who seemed partially preoccupied, and led us over. "Alright, Diglett. I brought them!"

     Diglett, who seemed to be like me and was snapped out of his thoughts, blinked a few times and then smiled at us. He wasted no time getting to the point, though. "Ah, thank you, Loudred. Okay, so it's a kind of 'initiation' that everyone in the Guild do sentry duty anyway, so--"

     "You two are doing sentry duty today!" Loudred interrupted, though even at this annoyance I could tell it wasn't intentionally rude.

     Diglett nodded, thought it was not all that much movement. "Sorry," he said. "I'm usually the one to do sentry duty, but today my dad gave me his duty of updating the bulletin boards upstairs. It would be great if you could take over my sentry duty for today. I have to go and find some new outlaw postings, and for that I have to go to Officer Magnezone..."

     I nodded slowly, and responded the same way. "Fair enough, especially if this is one of those 'rite of passages,' anyway."

     "Right," Diglett said. "So... please do a good job for me." He tunneled down, leaving the dirt not looking as neat as the rest of the floor.

     As Loudred explained how we had to do sentry duty, Pika and I made our way in the tunnel. The light only went a few feet from the bottom, and the rest was pitch black.

     Well, it would have been if I wasn't a Charmander.

     Still, my tail wasn't enough light, and with vines growing along the sides, I didn't trust my fire to not set it ablaze if I let out a plume of flame. Pika further mentioned the darkness, commenting on how solid it was, and that we'd otherwise have to have a paw and talon on the wall to not run into one.

     Suddenly my mind flooded -- that's what I could call it, anyway. I was remembering a conversation I'd had with a Treecko... there was talk of me being not from there, wherever 'there' was, and everything was in black and white, everything but what I could see of myself and the Treecko. I had to blink a few times.

     "Pearl, you alright? Another dizzy spell?" Pika asked, his voice concerned, with hidden excitement. I felt his paw on my shoulder.

     "No, I don't feel faint, thanks though," I said. "I think I just remembered something, though... let's get to the post, and then I'll fill you in."

     We eventually got ourselves up on the ledge by carefully climbing some vines, and we could see a little as we made our way up. We were beneath the grate, though I wasn't sure how I was supposed to even guess the Pokémon's footprint. I decided to let whatever physical features tell me.

     "How are we going to do this?" Pika asked me.

     I glanced up, through the grate, then I faced him again. "I'm going to try to see their physical traits, and hope that is good enough."

     "I guess that's as good as we can do the first time, though--"

     A sound, like metal on metal, started to creak and grind loudly above us, then it sounded like it was set in place.

     "The Guild's entrance is open," we heard Loudred's voice call. "We'll start having visitors soon! Be Ready!"

     "We are!" I called back. I turned to Pika. "I saw... I don't know exactly," I said, trying to remember and focus on what I'd seen. "There was a black-and-white world, but what I could see of myself and of a Treecko in front of me, we were colored, we had color... I'm not sure what that means."

     Pika smiled. "It means your memory is coming back, Pearl." He squinted a moment, studying my face. "Don't look so troubled! It's a good thing, isn't it?"

     "Yeah," I said softly. "But something is bothering me. And I don't know what."

     I let the task distract me from my memory recollection. But of anything that was clear in the memory, it was a face -- but not the Treecko's. Instead I saw a Grovyle's face, the one in the pictures I have, that was stern and fierce, not soft or happy like all the Pokémon in Treasure Town and even the odd exploration team. No one looked so... serious, or determined. It was a familiar gaze and an unfamiliar stare.

     And I still didn't know who he was, or is, or if he was even still alive or looking for me.

     When we came back up at the end of the day, Chatot was peering curiously down the hole. "You've worked an honest day, you two! ♪" he called down. He backed away when Pika reached the top, then as I climbed out, Chatot pulled a small bag that jingled from under his wing -- I noticed a kind of leather belt or strap that was hidden by his feathers around the rest of his body. "You two seemed to have had some trouble agreeing on the Pokémon who were entering the Guild," he continued, though not with any disappointment or scolding. "But you did do the job accurately, not one Pokemon was mistakenly identified. Your reward for your work today is five-hundred Pokécoin, and also," he pulled out another little pouch, it also could fit in my palm, "three revive seeds. They can come in handy if you are ever in a challenging dungeon, you'll get a second chance. Quite useful for younger teams, I would say." Pika got the seeds, I was handed the coin.

     "Thank you," we both said.

     Pika and I waited in the bunk rooms a short while, as we waited for Hex and Kip to come back from an outlaw mission. He tried glancing over my shoulder as I began to read another entry. "Are you remembering any of that? What is it, anyway?"

     I closed the journal, one talon that should have been my thumb saving my place. "I... I am starting to remember the entries, in a way that's like I've read it before, just a long time ago. But what's happening... if this is my life, I would like to know if I would show others the story, you know? This is her -- my -- thoughts, not just my days. But the world that she writes about is not a good place, I'll tell you that."

     Pika nodded. "I'll respect that."

     I smiled at him. "Thank you, Pika."

     "No prob--"

     "Dinner's up, everyone!" Chimecho called. "Come on!"

Pika sighed. "I keep getting interrupted today!"

     Dinner was as it used to be, though there was no sign of Kip or Hex anywhere. When the lights-out came, they still were nowhere to be seen.

     Pika was very alert the first hour, while I tried passing the time and ignoring my growing concern with reading the next journal entry. Something was trying to piece together information that started to come together. Otherworldly senses--

     "Pearl," Pika said quietly, "are you worried about them?"

     I closed the journal, losing my train of thought. At least I wrote down part of it in my journal, I thought. "Yeah," I answered. "I am. But they're more equipped to be out of civilization. Remember, Hex mentioned they keep extra food in their bag? I'm sure they're fine... for now. I really believe they're okay, Pika."

     Pika's concern seemed to only become more pronounced as I spoke. "How do you know?"

     I shook my head. "I.. Let's call it a hunch, okay? I feel that they are safe for the moment, 'roughing it,' if you will." I remembered something, and started rummaging through my bag. Once my talons closed around the object, I pulled it out. It was a very light, pale yellow seed, with a black stripe down the center of it on each side. "And Pika, if they are out there in trouble, we can't help them right now. We don't know where they are, and it would be better to have a full night's sleep behind a search-and-rescue mission, okay? Here, I have some sleep seeds," I held out the seed to him, "please get some sleep. We'll head out immediately in the morning if they aren't back by then, alright?"

     Pika seemed very conflicted and worried, but with a droop of his ears and tail, he stepped forward, took the seed from my talons, and ate it. "I trust you, Pearl," he said, going to his nest. "I just hope you're right." His last words were mumbling, and I knew he was unaware that sleep was taking over his body so quickly. I didn't know how I knew what the sensation felt like, but that was the least of my concerns.

     "Good night, Pika," I said. I got a mumble in return, before his breathing slowed. "And I hope I'm right, too. I wish I knew where this instinct came from." I glanced at the finished journal. "Or I wish I understood where this feeling came from." I fell asleep, worried just like Pika, but unwilling to have both of us knocked out with a seed. My thoughts took a while to be quiet and let me rest.

     In the early morning, Pika was already awake, rummaging through his bag. "Pika?" I asked tentatively. "How long have you been awake?"

     "A few hours," he answered, not looking up from his bag. "I got a good four with the seed. But you weren't sleeping any easier than I would have. Thanks for the seed last night, though." He glanced over to the bunk hall. "They've not come back, and I don't like this."

     "Agreed," I said. "I want to leave. Let's see if Chatot is awake, he can give us permission -- or he can at least know where we will be -- for a rescue mission."

     We were about to knock on the door of Wigglytuff's room, where we heard voices, when the door opened to reveal Chatot. "Come in," he said, quiet and subdued. The Guildmaster seemed as peppy as he always did when we entered. "We know you're worried about Hex and Kip. Ah, your bags are all set to go." Chatot gave us each an intense stare. "You have to be careful, alright? I know you won't be able to be stopped if you chose, as lightning and fire is a dangerous and powerful combination. Hex seems to consider you both equals instead of new recruits, Arceus knows why... but we have agreed on her having a good feel for Pokemon. The Guildmaster is only allowing this because they never stayed away from the Guild overnight on a mission before, not without expecting to." Reaching into his under-wing pouch, he pulled out a piece of paper. On it was a Lucario, wanted for stealing from many places, including the Kecleon's mobile stalls in the mystery dungeons, and a few Bazars. "This is a strong Pokemon in a challenging area in Lost Wilderness, you two. You will need to be careful," he stressed again. "You should be going after D-level outlaws, now. Hex and Kip are going after higher-level Pokemon, as they have been here longer and are more experienced. This Lucario is an A-level outlaw, and he doesn't work alone. Any Pokemon who has an inch of stealth in their muscles, he probably knows and has with him. Absol, Weavile, Umbreon," he said, listing off more Pokemon from the bounty. "Just be wary, alright? Your tail will stand out, Pearl," he added to me. "Now go, if you're going to go."

     "Thank you," Pika and I said together, as we rushed out.

     We checked the Wonder Map and located Lost Wilderness. On the map, there is a large bay expanding almost from Treasure Town to Lost Wilderness, making me suspect that Kip had Hex and swam at least part of the way. It would have been quicker, anyway.

     "I wish I was a water-type," I said. "If I was, especially something a bit bigger, or even if I were a Charizard--"

     Suddenly, I dropped my bag, and thought of a warm rush of power from fire, and a roar... The warmth grew within me, and I felt such a desire, such a need to be able to move over the land, sea, or sky faster than Pika and I would have been able to as we were--

     I could faintly hear Pika calling my name, and some other words. When I finally tuned him in, "...glowing! Pearl, can you hear me? You're glowing!" was what I heard.

     I was about to ask what he was talking about, but my body tuned in the pain. Muscle, bone, and tendon were on fire within me. It was too much to actually understand what was going on, and I couldn't even utter a painful gasp -- maybe I already did. My lungs seemed to burn for air, but then I could take in more air than I knew, with my few days of memory, but it felt so familiar, so secure--

     Pika was trying to get my attention again, and when I looked at him, he was tiny. The path, too, was smaller than it had been a bit ago. "Pearl," he said in awe -- why was he looking at me so awestruck? -- "You're a Charizard!"

     "I'm a what?" I asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu with asking him the question. I tried looking at myself, and I looked much bigger than I had before. My tail, I saw as I brought it into view, was larger and more cumbersome than the Charmander tail I had woken up with near Beach Cave. "A Charizard...?" I murmured. "Charizard..." I repeated, as if I were going to talk to someone. But my memories stopped being recalled, and I was left confused in my new body -- again.

     "Pearl? Are you there, Pearl?"

     I returned my attention to Pika from my mind. "Sorry." My voice was deeper in this new form, and I could feel my skeleton and muscles starting to relax and get used to this. "...I think I know how I became a Pokemon, now, or at least an idea," I said.

     "You do?!"

     "I... I'll check the journal after this mission, Pika. For now, it seems we've got our fast way to get to Lost Wilderness." I grabbed my bag, put it over my head, resting on my neck, and lowered myself. "Hop on, and let's go!"

     Pika deftly leaped onto my back, and in this form he weighed almost nothing. I felt him grab onto my neck as much as he could. "We're coming," he murmured to himself.

❦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ❦
October 31, 2017
I've been working on this for the last week or so, since I really need to get this moving along. I've missed two upload days, so soon I'll have a second chapter out. This originally was going to encompass more of the game's storyline, I had a rough outline, but things happened. Pearl having so many memories return, Hex and Kip going on an over-night mission, and Pearl shifting with the Ditto ability she's got were not in the outline. We still have to get to Waterfall Cave!
The original title for this chapter was, New Theories, Old Questions, but seeing as the latter part has to do with stuff that's not happened yet... Well, I didn't want to label this as part one. After this mission, the next day will be the Waterfall Cave thing. Though I was looking for a bit of a filler with a good bit of story in it, as this was just a filler day in-game, I never expected it to be this crazy!
I hope you enjoy the longer chapter, I'll have another out soon, before December. In a perfect world, it would be before mid-November, but I don't know how long I'll take on it. I write pretty often now, so that at least is going for me... Have a great day, guys!

Edit December 25, 2017: I added a picture of the Treeshroud Forest Time Gear (I think). Art is not mine. No art in this book is mine.