A/N: Hi everyone! As you've probably already noticed, I kept my word and got this chapter finished before the next year. Honestly, I would've posted this sooner but lately I've been just too busy even consider login in. Luckily, my holiday starts in a weeks time so I'll probably have lots of time to write the next chapter :)

A huge thank you once again to my betas who help make this story even better :)

Chapter 5: Sweet Escape

A young man yawned lazily as he leaned against the railing of the small ferryboat that was slowly but surely cruising through route 27, getting nearer to its destination by the minute. Although the speed of the vessel wasn't exactly breathtaking, he was thankful that he'd even made it on the small boat; having had to have kept a fairly swift pace for most of his journey from his hometown of Cerulean all the way to the Indigo Plateau where the ferry had set sail. From there it had been an overnight trip via ferry along routes 26 and 27 towards the final destination; New Bark Town, or more specifically, Johto.

Johto, he thought tiredly as the first rays of sunlight glimmered across the horizon of seemingly endless waters. Yes, it had been a long, tiring journey but he was almost there.

With newfound excitement, he stretched to his full height and tried to peer for any signs of land, absently running a hand through his shaggy brown hair for a lack of anything better to do. He'd found it hard to entertain himself whilst on the ferry and it was beginning to affect his normally energetic personality, making him feel like a time bomb ready to explode if they didn't reach Johto soon.

Still seeing nothing but water, he focused his attention to the only other person on deck at the moment; a fisherman. Unsurprisingly, the man's attention didn't seem to be on his fishing, but rather on him, though the fisher tried to conceal his obvious staring. It was being to get irritating.

Turning back to the horizon, he could almost feel the man's eyes on him and after a moment of silence the remark that he'd been waiting for finally came. Here we go again…

"See anything yet kiddo? Bet you could see half of Johto with that height of yours," the man snickered dryly, his voice sounding like he'd spent a fair share of his life attached to a whisky bottle rather than fishing.

Certainly smells like it, he thought as a sudden gust of wind sent the stench of stale alcohol into his nose.

"Hardly," he replied just as dryly and turned on his heals, starting to head back to the little room he'd occupied during the short trip, ironically having just seen the first signs of land beyond the horizon. There was nothing more he hated than people commenting about his height; a trait he didn't have any say in. Now standing at a more than adequate 6'6'', one could say he'd heard more than his fair share of less than amusing puns.

Stopping at his door, he quickly opened the rusty lock and crouched inside to get his things before he headed back on deck; relieved to see they'd almost made port. The sight of land and various buildings quickly changed his mood from irritated to excited once more as he almost bounced in place at the thought of what awaited him in his neighboring region.

Swinging himself over the railing as soon as the ferry hit the sand, he quickly saluted the captain who seemed to be having a mild heart attack up in the small captain's room, and started to make his way towards the town. He itched to get started on his adventures through Johto but before he left he knew he had to go visit his uncle down by the Pokémon lab.

I mean, it'd be rude not to, since he's helping me fool my parents and all, he thought idly as he spotted the sign pointing to the lab, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he thought about the situation he'd gotten himself into. Man, I wish I didn't have to lie to them like this but what can you do? This is my dream after all.

The single red and white ball capsule in his trouser pocket could've weighted a ton as he finally made it to the lab. Suddenly feeling nervous, he took in a calming breath of air and grabbed the doorknob, smiling faintly as his eyes locked onto the single bracelet on his wrist. Now confident, he turned the knob and entered the building, thus starting for what he hopped to be the adventure of his lifetime.

o.o.o.o.o.o

Tabitha sighed in frustration as she sat strapped into a wheelchair, supporting her head with her hand as she watched the rather dull scenery of white walls and uncomfortable looking chairs slowly flow by. The nurse pushing her sure wasn't in a hurry getting her back from the clinic's shower rooms, even stopping a few times to chat with other nurses as though Tabitha and her were on some casual midday stroll - or in her case roll – through the clinic's hallways. It seemed liked the nurse was completely oblivious of the fact that her 'darling patient' was in a less than good mood.

It had been three whole days since her first interactions with the police and they'd yet to come visit since. When she'd tried to ask about it from her doctor, the man hadn't even given her a proper answer, leaving her guessing whether or not the police even took her seriously. The investigation wasn't proceeding as well as it seemed to in every TV-show, that's for sure. It was frustrating to say the least; having nothing else to do than sit and wait in total uncertainty while people close to strangers handled her matters.

They must think that since I'm not a member of the community I'm not that important. Figures…

After having finally been able to shower, one would've thought that she'd felt at least somewhat better, but truth be told; even though she'd temporarily forgotten about the police, the whole showering trip had only irritated her more. Not only had she been strapped to the wheelchair – her ass of a doctor had surely been behind that idea – for the entire time, the nurse accompanying her had been very persistent that Tabitha shouldn't or couldn't take a shower by her own, ending up having to have been washed by the nurse; something she never wanted to experience again. She felt completely and utterly helpless and humiliated, and it frustrated her to no end. And if that wasn't enough, they'd ran into Dr. Harlow on their way back, the whole encounter further making her regret that she'd demanded to shower that day.

There had been one perk to this entire thing though, and she tried to focus on the matter as they slowly approached her room.

The clinic's layout.

Up until now she'd been confined to her room, leaving her to base her 'great escape plans' on pure assumptions of the clinic's layout, but now after actually having been somewhere, she at least had some sort of idea where a few places were, specifically the nearest elevator and exit.

The clinic was apparently a three-story building, with her room stationed on the second floor. There were two elevators, the nearest being an entire hallway away from her room. She had yet to see the first floor though, and armed with only the knowledge that the exit was on the building's north side, she'd be winging it for the rest of the way.

The only real stumbling block in her plan was the clinic's staff; they all recognized her and knew about her slow recovery. Getting passed them wouldn't be easy.

Her legs were also a slight question mark; though she'd managed to put more and more weight on them and even walk about a bit, she still couldn't walk for very long without having the pain kick in. A wheelchair would help her maneuver through the long hallways but also might cause more attention on her. She'd noted some of the patients walking around the hospital seemingly aimlessly and none of the nurses paid much attention to them; as for patients in wheelchairs, well, that was another thing. Or maybe it had been just her.

Now back inside her room, the nurse unstrapped her from the chair and held out a hand for her to grab, pulling her from the chair and allowing her to take the mind-blowing two steps to her bed on her own. Once on her bed, the nurse rolled the chair closer to the door before she hooked her back to the ever-present IV bag. Tabitha was more than happy that she didn't have to be hooked to more machines, and from what she could tell, the IV bag would also be unnecessary in a day or two.

That was if she still felt like sticking around during that time.

"Now remember dear, by no means exhaust yourself anymore than you already have and just concentrate in getting better. Lunch will be served in an hour or so," the nurse slowly explained to her as if she was a little child, further irritating her.

She pinned her gaze to her window as a way to distract herself from totally losing it in front of the nurse. "Yeah I know, I do know how to tell time."

"Of course, I just thought I'd tell you anyway; so you'd have something to look forward to," the nurse replied as she gave her one last smile before turning around and started heading for the door. Before she got to it though, an announcement was made on the clinic's speakers, demanding that all available nurses were needed somewhere on the third floor, causing the nurse to abandon the wheelchair she was about to reach for and bolt out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Tabitha stared at the door for a while, as if expecting the nurse to suddenly come back, but after a whole five minutes of nothing, she figured whatever was going on somewhere on the third floor was much more important than a misplaced wheelchair.

Suddenly she was hit by a sense of realization as she stared at the shut door.

It's almost too perfect, she thought as she considered the opportunity she'd been presented with. It was almost midday, meaning the last of the group of elderly people that seemed to think the clinic was their second home had probably already left, probably leaving no one at the reception. All available nurses seemed to be a floor above her and she knew for a fact that Dr. Harlow was on his lunch break, thus excluding him from the picture. Her hand – now free from any bacteria - was almost completely healed and she was no longer in acute danger. In other words, she had no need for hospital treatment anymore.

So that meant…

"This is my chance," she murmured to herself, eyes still fixed on the door as if expecting someone to suddenly swing it open and crush her newfound hope. Her confidence grew when she noted that no footsteps could be heard on the other side, and with a quick glance out of her window, she decided.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, she yanked the IV needle out of her arm, hissing slightly as a small stream of blood started to leak out of the small wound. Without much thought, she grabbed her white blanket and flung it over her head and elbows, trying her best to hide her head as she slowly and very carefully took the necessary steps towards the door and awaiting wheelchair; figuring that the more she hid her characteristics the better. Legs already starting to hurt, she gratefully sat down onto her temporary way of transportation, readjusting the blanket before grabbing the doorknob, prying it open as silently as possibly. She peeked through the doorway, relieved to see an empty hallway save for a few chairs. Pushing the wheels to a slow roll, she tried to get the chair to turn right, and after what felt like an eternity, she finally figured out how the damned chair worked, turning only the left hand side wheel, finally making the turn.

Now then, that wasn't difficult was it?

Now turning both wheels, she was slowly but surely inching forward, closing in on the elevator that was less than a hundred feet away. She was on constant lookout as she rolled along the otherwise quiet corridor, her every sense on high alert as she whirled her head around whenever she thought she heard or saw something. She could almost hear her own heart beating in her chest as she got closer and closer to the elevator, her heart beating faster with every inch she moved. Suddenly seeing something glimmer in the corner of her eye, she almost skidded to a stop as she quickly turned to face whatever she'd seen; a pair of forgotten reading glasses, sitting neatly on top of a nearby chair. Still staring at the pair of spectacles, she slowly brought a hand up to her head, breathing out a sigh of relief and shaking her head, a slightly hysterical laugh almost escaping her lips.

I'm starting to get paranoid, aren't I?

Trying to regain her composure, she momentarily set her eyes on the pair of discarded spectacles, considering whether or not to take them.

I guess the more I can disguise myself the better my chances are of making it to the exit.

Grabbing the glasses, she quickly put them on, thankful for the fact that whoever previously owned them hadn't had too bad of an eyesight. After a moment to check that the coast was clear, she reeled the wheelchair forward, at last making it to the elevator. She pressed the button and prayed that the arriving lift would be empty or at least free from staff. Holding her breath, the doors finally slid open, revealing an empty elevator, much to her shook. She'd been almost certain that this was the point she'd eventually get caught, yet for some unexplainable reason her escape was still manageable if her luck was to continue. Though, knowing her short history regarding good fortune, she highly doubted she'd manage to avoid running into trouble this time either.

Reeling into the elevator, she pushed the button with the number 1 on it and waited for the elevator to stop at the right floor. Focusing on the matter at hand, she took a few deep breaths, trying to steel herself for the enormous task ahead; locating the exit. She figured her best chance was to act as casual and calm as possible whilst looking for anything that pointed to the exit. Being overly jumpy and paranoid now could cost her her freedom.

The doors once again slid open and she rolled out of the small lift just as a nurse and an elderly woman stepped in, though fortunately the nurse's attention was on the woman who apparently was suffering from a nasty case of heartburn, and she didn't even glance at Tabitha as she stopped in front of the elevator, trying her best to figure out which way was which.

So, if the exit is supposed to be on the north side and my window is on the… eastern side, then north would either be straight forward or backward. But I can only go left or right. Damn corridors, which way do I go?

Figuring that the horizontal corridor would eventually have to split into vertical ones, she went with her gut and turned right, having had fairly good luck with her decisions so far.

Seriously, if I'd known it'd been this easy to get around, I'd tried escaping days ago! Not that I'm complaining that no one seems to give a rattata's ass about where their patients wander off to.

After a minute or so of good paced reeling, she finally noticed a crossing corridor and tried her luck by turning left this time, almost falling off her wheelchair when she saw what waited at the end of the hallway; the reception. And more importantly…

"The exit," she breathed out incredulously as she slowly reeled the chair closer, feeling almost surreal. She was almost there, her long awaited freedom a mere fifty feet away…

"Hey, Amy! It's already passed twelve, time to change swifts!" a sudden female voice echoed through the otherwise silent corridor, and Tabitha instantly froze.

Shit.

"Come on Amy, I've been sitting here all morning, I need a coffee break!" the woman continued calling out to the other, her voice rapidly losing patience. After another long, silent moment Tabitha could hear something being either dropped or slammed onto a table. "Amy?! I know you're there so get your ass over here! I want my break!" the woman's irritated voice rang through the hallways as Tabitha just listened to the situation.

She deduced that the woman shouting was probably the receptionist, and her frail hopes of escape seemed to shatter upon that realization. There was simply no way she could get passed her in this state; hardly being able to maneuver around in her wheelchair and wrapped in a blanket. It was just too suspicious. She'd be stopped, forcefully escorted back to her prison cell of a room and probably drugged into a state where she couldn't even move. She felt a shudder run down her spine and she shook her head in denial.

No, that wasn't going to happen. Not now! She was so close!

With determination she'd previously lacked, she gently reeled herself closer to the end of the corridor, peering around the corner to get a view of the reception. Sure enough, a middle-aged woman was sitting on the other side of the desk, ever so often glancing behind her.

Come on Tabitha – or whatever my name is -, you've already gotten this far. You can do this; she mentally cheered herself on, eyes searching for anything that could help her get to the exit. The receptionist seemed to be a little on the big side; perhaps she could just out speed the older woman by bolting for the exit; she was almost convinced that the middle-aged woman couldn't keep up with her for too long, even with her snail pace reeling.

No, that wouldn't work. I'd only draw more attention to myself if I seem too obvious about my intentions. But what other choice do I have? How on earth do I get passed her unnoticed?

"Amy!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on, I'm coming," another female voice replied lazily from somewhere behind the reception, though she obviously didn't have any interest in doing so as no footfalls could be heard; instead, a barely audible sound of coffee mugs clacking against each other echoed in the reception hall. "What's the point in sitting behind that awful desk this time of the day anyway when there's hardly anyone checking in? Honestly, just leave a note and bell and come drink your coffee. I'll go handle any 'customers' if I hear anything, okay?"

The receptionist seemed to consider the suggestion for a moment. "You know it's against the clinic's regulations to leave the reception unattained," she began crankily, but eventually stood up from the seat and started making her way towards the small room that her co-worker was so reluctant to leave. "But the second those doors open, you're dragging your behind back there, got that? I can't handle another wave of paranoid pensioners."

Tabitha felt like a magikarp on dry land as she tried to understand what had just happened, idly listening to the small talk and gossip of the two women. Slowly closing her mouth, she whirled her head around, her eyes searching for cameras. Was this actually happening? How could it possibly be this easy?

I sincerely hope that I'm not on some gag show…

Peeking around the corner once more and finding the reception empty, she weighed her two options. She could either continue by wheelchair and risk being heard if the chair were to squeak at the wrong moment, or she could walk – or crawl, depending whether or not her legs felt up for the prior - the remaining distance, though then she'd risk straining her ankles and possibly tripping, not to mention she'd be slower than a shuckle stuck in tar.

I guess that settles it.

Reeling the chair forward for one last time, she began inching her way towards the set of electronic, sliding glass double doors, all the while keeping a close eye on the reception. She knew that the women couldn't ignore the sound of the doors opening and that they'd have to come check whether or not someone needed assistance. She only had one shot of pulling off the last part of her escape.

God I hope this works.

Taking in a lungful of air, she steeled herself as her hands started turning the wheels as quickly as she could, drawing closer to the doors faster than she'd wished to even hope for, and with no time to either regret or think clearly, she skidded the chair to a halt as soon as the doors started to open, all but sending her flying off of the chair, barely gaining any sort of balance as she stumbled outside, having very little to say on the matter as she continued her less than controlled 'run' for several more meters, eventually losing her previous momentum and collapsing on the road leading to the clinic.

For the longest time she could barely even breathe properly, her senses on overdrive as she just sat frozen in place, waiting in horror for the moment that someone would come after her. She could feel the adrenalin rush through her body as she prepared to bolt or possibly fight at any given moment, her muscles tense and breathing shallow, just waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

Her mind still in a haze, she tried to calm down her breathing as she slowly glanced back at the clinic, wondering where her captures were, finding no one chasing after her. She made use of the moment by breathing in one large intake of fresh air.

Isn't anyone coming after me? There's no way those women wouldn't have heard me exit and when they see that wheelchair they'll know a patient got passed them.

She could feel her breathing start to settle as the remaining adrenalin lingered in her blood, slowly burning away with every passing second. A dull pounding was already starting to hit her ankles as she cleared her head and finally realized that she wasn't being followed, at least, not yet.

What am I still doing here?!

Getting up as fast as she could, she began slumping forward, trying to utilize the last of her adrenalin as her ankles became more pained with every step she took. She could feel her muscles already start to tire as she made her way towards some nearby houses, gritting her teeth as she willed herself forward, still not comfortable with the distance between her and the clinic. Finally running out of adrenalin, she was forced to stop and rest for a moment, and as she leaned against the fence of a small cottage, she quickly took in her surroundings.

She estimated that she'd at least gained close to a hundred meters between her current position and the clinic, now taking refuge in the closest neighborhood consisting of a few rows of duplex apartments and a few smaller cottages like the one which fence she was shamelessly taking advantage of. It was a nice looking neighborhood, an air of warmth and calm lingering around it. It seemed like one of those places where people never locked their front doors and left their car keys in the ignition from time to time.

Seems like these people even leave their laundry out to dry, she thought idly as she suddenly remembered her current appearance; dressed in a hospital gown, legs bound in casts, and her head awkwardly covered with a blanket. The glasses she'd been wearing had fallen off during some point of her hasty retreat.

Yeah, even a blind person could tell that there's something suspicious about this…

Her eyes sought after the set of clothes she'd seen being dried on a clothesline on one of the yards, a smile forming on her lips as she forced herself to take the necessary steps towards the house, her mind set on what she needed to do. True; someone would be missing his or her laundry but really, what other options did she have? It wasn't like she had any money to buy clothes and even if she did she considered it highly unlikely that any shopkeeper in their right mind would sell her anything in her current condition.

Finally making it across the street, she quickly glanced around to see whether anyone had spotted her, and seeing none, she carefully opened the front gate and entered the yard, closing the gate behind her as she made her way towards the hanging clothes. Having reached the clothesline, she carefully felt through the available clothes, finding most of them either nearly or completely dry. With little to choose from, she yanked off a pair of moss green cargo pants and a basic black long-sleeved shirt before she retreated to a small playhouse a couple of meters away, seeking at least some coverage in order to change out of her horrible light blue gown. The clothes she'd picked were obviously a man's; the shirt would've easily fit a person three times larger than her, and the pants just barely stayed on her even after she'd torn off a piece of her previous attire as a sad excuse for a belt in order to secure the large and heavy pants. They did, however, have largish leg openings, so getting them on with her casts was relatively easy. Plus, with the large, dark colored shirt, the fact that she still lacked a bra was barely noticeable. This considered, she could've done much worse.

With the clothes issue solved, she found herself without any clear mission.

"What do I now?" she murmured out loud, finally daring to voice out her thoughts after having to have kept them suppressed for the last hour or so. She'd found herself talking to herself quite a lot as a means to vent out frustration and stay sane during her time hospitalized and the habit had apparently stuck. She wasn't exactly worried about the starting habit; as long as she remembered not to do it around others, she'd be fine. After all, she got the feeling that talking to one's self was considered strange.

"Well, I guess there's worse habits, like smoking," she thought idly, trying to get her thoughts in order.

Her top priority at the moment was probably staying free, and seeing as she'd just broken out of a hospital, there'd definitely be people looking for her. She hadn't really thought about what she'd do after getting released – or after having escaped, as it was the case.

What did she want? She couldn't remember where she lived or what she'd been doing before the whole hospital thing, so fundamental speaking she could do whatever she wished. It all came down to whether she was brave enough to carry out her whims.

"What do I want?" The question hung heavy as she sat hunched inside the small playhouse, her brain working on overdrive as she thought about the matter.

There were a lot of things that she wanted; a decent meal for one, as well as finally get rid of her horrid casts, but when it really came down to it, those matters could wait. Just barely.

I want to know who I am. Why I'm here and what happened to me. I want to travel and see places and decide my own fate. I want to be free.

Since the police had proven to be nothing short of useless in solving anything about her, she'd have no choice but to find answers by herself. As of now, she knew absolutely nothing, and she didn't have anything else to go by other than the alias she'd been given. She didn't like the empty feeling she felt whenever she thought about her unanswered questions, and she knew she simply had to have answers before she lost her mind.

With that in mind, she'd decided; she wouldn't stop searching for answers before there were no more questions left unanswered. She didn't care how long she'd have to look or how far she'd have to travel, no; all that mattered was that she got her memory back. And this journey might be the trigger for it.

She felt a genuine smile form on her face as she crawled out of the playhouse, leaving the blanket and hospital gown behind, slowly rising to her feet as she looked around to see if anyone had seen her. Finding none, she decided to hoist herself over the fence, making her exit to the road on the other side of the house. It was, after all, a small, tightly knit community, and she wanted to avoid any suspicion if possibly; walking out of the front gate of a yard she clearly was a stranger to would definitely catch someone's attention.

Mustering up all her strength, she managed to lift her leg over the fence, leaving her sitting on top of the wooden fence as she pulled her other leg over, very carefully sliding off to the other side and landing with a light thud.

Taking a look around, she continued her way left, mind still set in getting as far away from the clinic – and her latest crime scene – as possible. As of now she only had one clear destination on her mind; the Pokémon Center.

Now if I could only find it, she sighed mentally as she slouched slowly along the road. Somehow she had the feeling that it would take her a while before she got there, the park benches beside the road looking more inviting by the step.

I swear even a newly hatched torchic has more strength in its legs than me…

o.o.o.o.o.o

A pair of bloodied surgical gloves flew into a nearby trashcan as Dr. Harlow all but kicked open the emergency room's door on the third floor, cursing under his breath as he stomped out of the room, making his way towards the elevator. He'd been called off on his lunch break to perform a surgery when a patient's appendix had sudden burst, the surgery taking nearly an hour to finish before he was satisfied with the results. During one point of the operation they'd nearly lost the patient thanks to a nurse screwing up, but he'd pulled through it, damned if he lost a patient to something as common and easily treatable as internal bleeding. There were way too many people in that operating room to begin with as some moron had called for more nurses to aid in the surgery even though he was doing perfectly fine without the entire staff inside the small operation room. He'd have to have a talk with the senior physician about the incident, the thought irritating him to no end.

Already feeling a headache start to form, he quickly glanced at his wristwatch, displeased to see that it was already as late as one. He hadn't been able to eat nearly anything in the last eight hours and he was nothing short of famished, running only on a few sips of coffee he'd managed to enjoy before his lunch break had been interrupted. He thought about the sandwich he'd left on the employee's cafeteria table and frowned deeply, knowing it'd be long gone by the time he reached the cafe. His coffee was probably near arctic temperatures by now given no one had thrown it away.

Stopping by the elevator doors, he hit the down button with more force than it was necessary, feeling the need to vent out his frustration on something.

Maybe I should go pay that kid a visit, he mentally mused as the elevator finally arrived, stepping into the small lift and pressing the button that lead to the ground floor. He was tempted to go through with his whim but decided against it, figuring getting something to eat was his top priority at the moment, seeing as he doubted he'd get another chance for lunch again anytime soon.

He made his way to the employee cafeteria, noting that his sandwich was indeed missing, not even bothering to search for his forgotten coffee as he approached the self-service counter and poured himself a new, hot cup of coffee. Grabbing the first edible item on the counter, he turned on his heels and started making his way towards his office, figuring that was the best place he could attempt to finish his small lunch. Quickly unlocking his door, he stepped inside his office and pulled the door shut with his leg, gratefully making his way to his chair, finally being able to sit down after the tedious surgery.

He made short work of the egg and fish sandwich that had simply landed in his hand, and though the combination wasn't his favorite, it would have to pass. As he drowned down his coffee, he took a look at a list of the remaining patients he still had to attend to during his shift, feeling a tired sigh escape his lips as he glanced at his watch. Nine patients and less than two hours to go; it was manageable. He'd barely got any 'real' work done during the morning, as he'd been stuck with on-call duty. He was convinced that during his thirty-one years of existence he must have pissed off some higher power and karma was now getting him back for it, for the entire four hours of his duty the room had been packed to the max with what seemed to be a busload of the town's elders, all complaining about how this and this place ached, and so on. It had been hell on earth, at least as far as he was concerned.

Swallowing the last of his coffee, he got up from his chair and grabbed the list of his remaining patients, determined to get through them with time to spare. He'd almost reached his door when his office phone suddenly rang, the monotone ringing sounding quite ominous as he slumped back to his desk, answering the phone with his signature 'what'. He chose not to register what the nurse on the other line had just told him.

"I'm terribly sorry doctor but it seems that we're missing a patient of yours," the nurse told him in a calm, steady voice, as if not worried at all about the matter.

There was a long moment of silence before he finally answered.

"I'm sorry nurse, I must've heard you wrong," he answered, his voice hinting of slight disbelief as a tiny laugh escaped his lips. "What was it you wanted?"

He could hear the woman hesitate before she replied. "One of your patients is missing. We were making our lunch rounds and couldn't find her in her room."

Her. Don't tell me it's who I think it is…

He was silent for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts as the nurse held her breath on the other line, probably hoping that he'd take the news well.

"You. Bunch. Of. Incompetent. Airheads."

"I'm sorry sir we had no idea that she'd try anything like this please believe us we've tried to look for her but she's gone and no one's seen her…" the nurse desperately tried to explain herself, blabbering on and on a million miles an hour, further increasing his headache.

"Will you shut up?" he cut her off and raised his other hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Of all the days for this to happen, it just had to be today? Taking a calming breath, he resumed on the matter in hand. "When did you first notice that she was missing?" he asked sounding fairly monotonous, figuring that it was the best way in getting answers out of the woman.

"Half an hour ago. We thought she was just off to the toilet or something but when she still wasn't back a while ago we got suspicious. We've asked around the clinic but no one's seen her."

"That's enough, I'll take it from here," he sighed tiredly and hung up before the nurse could say another word. Slamming the list in his hands back onto his desk, he started making his way to the girl's room, severely startling anyone who had the misfortune of bumping into him during the way. A single nurse stood nervously beside the empty bed, practically squirming under his gaze as he entered the room.

"Well?" he gave the nurse a waiting gaze, giving her a chance to explain. "I assume you were in charge of the patient today."

The nurse swallowed. "Yes, I was. I took her to shower and escorted her back to this room. Then I heard the announcement on the radio and rushed over to the third floor."

"Did you lock the door?"

She didn't answer straight away, her eyes falling to the floor as she slowly shook her head. He rolled his eyes.

Figures.

Turning around, he left the room, making his way back to the first floor. He needed to have a look at the security camera footage to determine if the girl had in fact escaped before he could report about it to the police.

Entering the security room, he quickly advised the clinic's two security officers to go through all shot footage from the last two hours and report back to him whether they found anything strange. With things rolling, he made his way back to his office to retrieve his patient list, damned if he couldn't finish his rounds before his shift ended, even with this slight complication.

Honestly, that girl's more trouble than a bunch of kindergarteners high on sugar…

He worked quickly and efficiently, checking up on all his patients and doing the necessary small talk and treatments that needed to be done. He was already on his way back to his office when his pager started going off, the security men finally having found something. He entered the small room, the men beckoning for him to come closer as they stared at a stop motion picture of a corridor on their computer.

"So we looked through all of the footage and get a loud of this," one of the men said, clicking the play-button, thus rolling the tape. What he saw almost made him speechless.

"What on earth…?" was all he could say as he watched the girl zoom across the front reception in a wheelchair and stumble out of the exit like a newborn deerling. He honestly felt like face palming at the situation, and he almost did hadn't it been for his ego. Instead, he settled for rubbing his tired eyes and sighing deeply. It looked like he'd have to contact the police, yet again.

I hate my life.

o.o.o.o.o.o

Tabitha waited patiently for her turn as a group of young trainers before her left their pokémon to be treated at the Pokémon Center, idly glancing around the interior of the center as she stood near the counter. It'd taken some time but she'd managed to find the blasted building, having had to ask for directions not once but twice, reaching the center just before three pm. Her ankles hurt like hell by the time she collapsed onto the sinfully comfortable couches, almost making her forget the reason she'd sought out the center.

"Next please," the nurse called and Tabitha took a step forward, quickly smiling at the nurse as she gave her a bright smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, actually, I'm here for my pokémon. It was left here on the 19th of September in believe, though not by myself," she answered casually, having had time to think of what to say. She didn't feel like her statement was beyond suspicious, but it would've helped if she even knew what her pokémon was. Fortunately, the nurse seemed to believe her, quickly tapping something onto the computer next to her on the other side of the counter. After a short moment she'd finished her search, giving Tabitha an inquiring look.

"Are you by any chance talking about the pokémon that someone from the police brought in for treatment and storage? It's the only match I can find to your description; two Poké Balls, though the other's empty."

Tabitha felt something tingle in her stomach as she idly nodded her head in reply. "Yes, that's the one. Though I didn't know that the police were involved with this; all I was told was that my pokémon were ready and I could come get them."

The nurse gave her a curious look. "You don't say? In that case would you be able to tell me what your pokémon are? It's normal policy, just to make sure that trainers receive the right pokémon."

Crap. I knew this wouldn't be this easy. But what should I say? I have no idea what's inside those balls…

After a moment of furious thinking, she sighed heavily, giving the nurse a look that was no doubt nothing short from pitiful. "I'm sorry but I can't answer that question. You see, I was recently in an accident and I unfortunately lost my memory in the process. Up until a few days ago I didn't even know I had any pokémon to being with," she murmured sheepishly, putting her credibility and acting skills on line as she smiled sadly at the nurse. "I was only released this morning."

"Oh. OH!" the nurse seemed to remember something as she gave her a comforting expression. "You must be that girl they found a few weeks ago. I'm so sorry dear, it must've been hard for you," she apologized, focusing on her computer once more. With a few clicks and some tapping, she turned back to face Tabitha. "One moment please, you'll have your pokémon as soon as I'm back." With that, she turned around and momentarily disappeared into a backroom, soon returning a small tray in hand, two red and white ball capsules sitting soundly atop it. Laying the tray on the counter, she gestured towards it with a smile. "Here you are, all healed up and ready to go."

Tabitha hesitated for a brief moment before she reached for the two balls, not really sure what to do with them, deciding to merely hold onto them for the mean time. She did, however, manage to mutter something resembling a thank you to the nurse as she moved away from the counter, quietly making her way to the giant map of the region that hung on the wall on the far end of the building. Stopping in front of the map, she studied it for a minute or so, quickly pinpointing her current location thanks to the red sticker that symbolized the town.

Where should I head now? It's more than apparent that I'm not from this town so there's no need for me to stick around here. Maybe I should try a larger city like Violet City; there seems to be a gym and everything, and if I'm indeed a trainer, maybe they'll recognize me there, provided that I was heading back from there.

Sure, the probability of her challenging the gym was slim but she figured it wouldn't hurt to try. If anything, she'd had two pokémon with her, meaning she might have tried her luck at the gym. Then again she'd been found on a route leading towards Violet City, suggesting that she might have only been heading towards the city; though who's to say she wasn't travelling in the opposite direction?

In that case, maybe I should try New Bark Town? I heard that trainers usually start their journeys from there after a meeting with the professor; maybe I went to see him before I traveled to Cherrygrove? Who knows, I could possibly be from that very same town…

The simple decision of where she should travel was beginning to frustrate her as she weighed out her two possible options, both having their merits. She finally ended up choosing the one that was closest; New Bark Town. It was only a mere 5-mile walk away; she could handle that.

Feeling a jolt of excitement run through her body, she started making her way towards the exit, happy to finally have a heading, and possibly a step closer to find out something about her past.

o.o.o.o.o.o

"So Jonah, are you heading somewhere in specific?" a man in a white lab coat asked in good manner as he escorted his eighteen-year old nephew back outside of the Pokémon Lab of New Bark Town. He had been positively surprised that Jonah had decided to pay him a visit before embarking on his first ever journey, even though knowing the boy's personality. He was probably struggling not to break into a run the moment they said their goodbyes.

He felt a smile form on his face as he looked at the energetic boy. I hope he doesn't get into too much trouble; I'll have a hard time explaining anything more serious than cuts and bruises to his parents.

Jonah shrugged his shoulders at the question. "I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'm just going wherever the wind takes me, you know?" he replied casually, rubbing the back of head sheepishly. "After all, I'm new to this stuff and to be honest I don't really know what I'm doing. But it's alright, I'll figure it out, eventually."

"Well, I have no doubts that you couldn't," his uncle replied smiling, opening the lab's door when they finally reached them. "Good luck to you Jonah. Don't be a stranger," he said smirking, offering his hand to his nephew, who in turn ignored it completely, pulling him into a hug instead.

"Thanks uncle, I'll call you whenever I remember, okay?" Jonah grinned and let go of the older man, raising his hand for a quick wave. "See you around."

With that, he was off, his footsteps almost unconsciously quickening as he walked through the small town, every step getting him closer to the town's exit and the beginning of the next route. When he finally reached the town borders, he could feel his excitement peak as a vast field of grass opened before him, a well-worn and travelled path snaking through towards the horizon. He quickly dug up the town map he'd received from his uncle and pinpointed his current location, looking up the next town to estimate how long it would take to get there.

Hm, seems like the only logical place to head would be Cherrygrove, and then north towards Violet City. I think I remember there being a gym in Violet City; maybe I should try the Johto League Challenge?

He continued examining the map, noticing that the first route suddenly split into another about half way towards Cherrygrove. Route 46, as it was, would eventually lead to Blackthorn City.

I guess that'd be another possibility. Then again it's much farther than Cherrygrove, I think I'd run out of patience along the way. I guess that leaves me only one choice.

He repacked the map into his bag and took his first steps onto Route 29, walking in a fairly quick pace, deciding that he'd at least make it to the next city by nightfall. He didn't think he'd be ready to sleep outdoors just yet, and with what he'd heard, local Pokémon Centers offered travelling trainers a place to stop and rest for the night; that was, for a price. He grabbed his wallet from his trouser pocket and took a look inside, a slight frown forming on his face as he looked at the small amount of money that he still had, most of it having been spent on his long journey from Kanto to Johto. Letting out a nervous laugh, he returned the wallet back into his pocket and ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair.

I'll have to start battling people soon if I want my adventure to last more than two days.

It seemed like no matter where one travelled, you could always count on something uniting the world; money. Pokémon trainers, especially good ones, tended to be rolling in cash, and seeing as it was a common career path for many, the Pokémon industry was doing way better than others that didn't have anything to do with it. Jonah himself had always wanted to become a trainer – no for the money of course, though it brought a nice plus to it all – but his parents, especially his mother, had been absolute about him finishing school and attending collage, telling Jonah over and over again that he couldn't handle life as a trainer. He'd finally decided to break free from his otherwise sheltered life when his parents hadn't stopped pestering him about collage, and the lie about an internship at professor Elm's lab in Johto had rolled off his tongue with little difficulty. To his surprise, his parents hadn't doubted his word, all too happy that their son could possibly gain a future career out of the supposed internship, and he'd soon found himself free to travel and live as he pleased.

Once again the Poké Ball in his pocket felt heavier than it actually was, and with a long sigh Jonah pulled it out of his pocket, staring at the red and white capsule pensively. The small ball was a gift from his parents, figuring he'd need some sort of partner to help him – as well as look after him, he suspected – during his internship at the lab, having no idea that they'd just provided their son with his starter pokémon. Jonah, of course, had been nothing but happy about the gift, yet for some reason during the last day or so he'd also felt a little guilty about it.

Maybe I should call them and tell them the truth, he thought idly, considering it for a moment before shaking his head. No, he'd wait for a while. He had to prove that he could take care of himself before informing his parents.

"Yeah, that's what I'll do! I'll show them I can handle being a trai- WHOAH!" his speech was suddenly interrupted as his foot got stuck on something, and due to his height, he lost his balance immediately and tripped, soon finding himself taking a closer look at the consistency of the worn-out path.

"Ow, that hurt," he moaned groggily as he turned to look at what he'd tripped over, surprised to see a familiar looking small, purple mouse-like pokémon laying flat against the road. "Oops, sorry about that little guy, or girl, whichever you are," he nervously apologized to the rattata that was only now trying to stand up. "I didn't really see you there… no hard feelings, right?"

Now back on all fours, the tiny mouse gave him a hostile look as it took a step towards him and bared its sharp teeth, giving no chance to think twice about how it felt about the situation.

"Oh no," Jonah gulped as he quickly got up and started to back away from the clearly angry pokémon. He didn't like how things were turning out. Rising his hands, he tried one more time for a way out of the situation. "Couldn't we solve this peacefully? I apologized didn't I?"

The rattata growled at him and charged towards him.

Shit.

Jonah broke into a run and continued following the path, ever so often glancing behind him to see whether the pokémon pursuing him had given up, though it seemed like it was very persistent to get even with him and was easily keeping up even though he nearly ran at his full speed.

Uh man, this is just my luck! Look at me; getting chased by a wild pokémon. I bet I look pretty pathetic, even for a rookie trainer…

A sudden realization popped into his head as he continued being chased by the rattata, and he stopped abruptly, turning around to face his pursuer.

"Why am I running when I have a perfectly good pokémon to battle with?" he wondered out loud, quickly reaching for the Poké Ball in his pocket and rather confidently throwing it into the air, revealing the Growlithe he'd gotten from his parents.

The puppy pokémon barked out its name a few times and happily jumped against Jonah's legs, feeling extremely excited to be outside its Poké Ball. Jonah tried his best to get it to concentrate, awkwardly pushing it back down as it continued jumping beside him.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too but we can play later, okay? Right now I'd really need your help," he told it and pointed at the rattata that had stopped a couple of meters away, probably to access the situation before it decided to attack, trying to tackle the fire type.

"Alright Growlithe, get ready to…" Jonah yelled confidently before momentarily freezing, just then remembering that he had no idea what moves his pokémon knew. With no time to think about it further, he gave his command. "Um, Growlithe, dodge and then do… something!" he told his awaiting pokémon, the fire type cocking its head in slight confusion but obeying all the same, jumping quickly to the side in order to avoid being hit by the small normal type and then, unsure of what its trainer wanted from it, charged at the rattata teeth bared, latching onto the other using Bite.

"That's it, keep it up Growlithe!" Jonah cheered, watching as his pokémon once more bit its foe, that being enough to end the rattata's hostile intentions, sending it scampering away as fast as it could. With his very first wild battle over, Jonah rushed over to his fire type to congratulate it, dropping to his knees and petting his Growlithe that in turn happily barked at him, pleased at bring praised.

"That was just too awesome! Man, I can still feel the adrenalin in my veins!" Jonah marveled, feeling as though he could do anything at the moment. If battling always felt like this then he'd certainly continue it!

Grinning happily, he reached into his pocket for his Poké Ball, and with one more praise to his energetic companion, he called it back to rest inside the capsule.

Now then, who says I can't handle being a trainer?

A/N: I took a few liberties with the layout of the routes connecting Kanto and Johto, I hope that doesn't bother anyone.

Jonah is the OC of zombicidal-maniac