An Ultra Past Forgotten (Pokemon Sun & Moon)

Chapter 18

Chloe gazed up at the old, decrepit building. The house Guzma had led her to was the one that Team Skull had left untouched. The exterior of the place was covered in thick, overgrown vines. It was the only building in Po Town that hadn't been covered in graffiti.

"What is this?" the redhead inquired.

"I'm assuming it's your house," Guzma told her. "At least, this is where I found you. Golisopod, use Liquidation."

The pokemon stepped up, creating a blade of water from his claws. In one swift slash, he cut clean through the vines hiding the door behind them. Guzma then stepped aside, allowing Chloe to go inside. She was hesitant though, nervous and fearful of what she might find. A comforting hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Gladion giving her an encouraging smile.

"Go on, this is what you've been waiting for. I'll be right behind you."

Chloe nodded, smiling in return and taking a deep breath. She slowly pushed the rickety old door open and stepped inside. The place was a mess. There were vines and weeds growing up from cracks in the floor. The furniture was dusty and falling apart, and a few things, like the coffee table, were completely smashed to pieces. Perhaps signs of some kind of conflict?

"What happened here?" Gladion questioned, not too surprised by the state of the house. "Did Team Skull do this?"

"No," Guzma answered, causing them both to turn their heads to see him coming in as well. "About 8 years ago, Team Skull invaded Po Town. We chased out everyone that lived here so that we could make this our base. But this house...when we came to it, it was covered in vines. When we busted in, there I found you, laying on the floor, unconscious, with Tapu Bulu hovering over you. It was as if it was protecting you, but from what, we didn't know. There was no one else here."

Chloe looked around at the living room in disarray. "That's it? But what about my parents? Where were they?"

Guzma shrugged. "Don't know. There wasn't a trace of them."

Chloe fell to her knees, devastated by it all. "Did they...abandon me? Was I left behind?" Tears started welling up in her eyes, and it was Guzma who crouched beside her, rubbing her back.

Despite the girl's distress, Gladion searched the room, determined to find a clue---anything that could give them some insight. As he walked around, something crunched under his foot. He stepped back and looked down at his feet, bending down to brush weeds out of the way. There was a picture frame that had been smashed. The photo inside was a bit faded and had a chunk torn out of it, but it still clearly showed a man, a woman, and a little girl.

Picking it up for a closer look, Gladion could tell the young redhead was Chloe. She was adorable, and kind of reminded him of Lillie. The woman looked to have the same red hair, only longer, and she had what looked like blue eyes, and her face looked a lot like Chloe's. The man had short black hair that was neatly combed, and he had piercing red eyes. Chloe had his eyes. The left portion of the photo next to the man was torn off, but it looked to show the edges of a pokemon, though it was unclear of what kind.

"Hey, Chloe, I found something you might want to see."

He brought the picture over, kneeling in front of her and holding it out to show her. The redhead wiped away her tears, staring at the photo before carefully taking it from him, her hands shaking slightly.

Her eyes widened. "That's...my parents...?" She paused, searching her memories as best she could. "Yes, that is them...I remember now...those faces..."

More tears started pouring from her eyes as she started to sob and hiccup. Guzma continued running his hand up and down her back, and Gladion reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder.