Remember? -A Pokémon Story-

Chapter 15

"A different... reality?" Ash says, bewildered. You look over to him and give a slight nod.

"That's gotta be it," you say with determination. Professor Burnet clasps her hands together, getting everyone's attention.

"Well, in that case, you all better start making your way back to Melemele Island. We have some work to do," she says with a wink.

"We'll be there as soon as we can," you promise her. Burnet nods as she ends the call, and the screen turns dark. You turn around to face the others, sighing.

Professor Kukui walks over to you and gently puts a hand on your shoulder.

"(Y/N)... are you sure? I mean, this is huge. If you're wrong about this, and we send you off to a different dimension, we might not be able to get you back," he says, concerned.

You look up at him. You understand the gravity of the situation, but you know this has to be it.

"It all makes sense, Professor. I don't recognize any of Lumiose City because this isn't my Lumiose City. My dad didn't recognize me because he never had any kids in this universe," you say to him.

"Yeah, but-"

"I don't exist here," you interrupt. He looks to the ground and sighs.

"Alright," he says as he looks back up to you, "then let's do this." He shoots you a smile, and you give one in return.

"We need to get back to the airport and see if we can catch a flight back to Melemele Island," Kukui says as he stands upright, looking over at Ash. You both nod and follow Kukui out of the private room and through the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

Cato walks next to you, his presence comforting. You look around at the strange city. Everything feels so different now, knowing that you're not supposed to be here.

You all walk in silence, partly because no one really knows what to say. A few minutes pass before you notice a certain building coming up ahead. Your heart starts to race and you try not to look at it, but how could you not?

Your pace slows as you walk by the Sycamore Pokemon Lab, a lump forming in your throat. You stare up at the building. It looks so different from your home, even though it's in the same spot.

"(Y/N)?" you hear Ash say. You turn and look ahead of you to see that Ash and the Professor have stopped, noticing your absence.

"I'm coming," you say flatly. You turn your head and take in the sight of the lab one last time before continuing forward, catching up to Ash and Kukui.

~~~~~

You've been on the plane for a while now. You find yourself staring out your window once again, watching the moon reflect off the water.

You aren't really focusing on the natural scenery, so your mind wanders to every nook and cranny your brain has to offer.

You wonder what else in this world is different from your own. Back in your world, you never really travelled. You mostly stayed in Lumiose City, though sometimes your dad would take you to different places around Kalos for fun.

You never travelled outside the Kalos region, however, so there's really no way of telling how the other regions here differ from the ones where you're from.

Your thoughts were suddenly disrupted by a finger poking your arm.

"Whatchya thinkin' about?" Ash says to you with his usual bubbly attitude. You smile at him, thinking of the best way to convey your thoughts. 

There is one thing that's been bothering you for some reason.

"I wonder why, in this world, my da- uh, Professor Sycamore never had a kid," you think out loud, "Like, so many other things are only slightly different, so why did my entire existence disappear in this world instead of him having a daughter slightly different from me, or maybe a son?"

Ash glances away, not knowing what to say. You look back out the window and sigh, not really expecting an answer anyway. You decide to change the subject to something lighter before it gets too awkward.

"Do you think the Alola we're going to now is different from the Alola in my world?" you say to him. Ash looks back to you, smiling a little.

"I'm not sure," he admits, "have you ever been to Alola back in your world?" he asks. You shake your head.

"No, I've never been outside of Kalos. Until now, of course," you laugh softly. Ash looks surprised.

"Really? Wow, so seeing Alola must have been all new to you," he says. You nod, giving a small yawn.

"What about you? You said you've been to Kalos before, but where else?" you ask, curious. Ash grins as he recalls all his adventures he's had in different regions.

"Well, you know I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region, but after exploring Kanto I went to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and now here I am in Alola!" Ash lists off. 

You stare at him for a moment, shocked that this boy has been to so many different places when you've barely even left Kalos. And you're older than him!

"Wow, you must have some good stories," you laugh. He nods his head, opening his mouth to start telling one, but he gets interrupted by the pilot announcing our arrival in Alola.

"Well, maybe some other time," Ash yawns, then laughs as Pikachu nuzzles his head into his neck.

Professor Kukui stirs next to you two, stretching as he wakes up. He looks over at you and Ash, yawning.

"Burnet should be outside, she said she would meet us here to take us home," he says. You nod and grab your backpack.

You reach down and gently shake Cato awake. He paws at your hand, protesting.

"C'mon bud, I'm tired too, but we need to get off the plane," you say, trying to get him up. Cato finally rolls over and stretches, groaning as he sits up.

You pat his head as he follows you out the door and down the steps. You feel the warm Alolan air brush against your cheeks as you make your way onto the ground.

You spot Burnet leaning against a jeep and she waves you all over. When you get close, she scoops you up into a tight hug.

"It's good to see you again, (Y/N)," she says.

"It's good to see you too," you laugh, smiling into the hug. 

You all pile into the jeep and start making your way back to the Professors' house. You, Ash, Cato, and Pikachu are in the back while Burnet and Kukui are up front.

You lean against Cato's large frame, your head resting against his soft fur. The wind brushes gently through your hair as you look up. The stars shine brightly against the dark sky, and the large moon illuminates the trees below.

Although this isn't where you thought you'd be tonight, you feel at peace. You can't help but let your eyes flutter shut as the sound of waves against the beach below lull you to sleep.