Pain.

That was the first thing to register in his mind. The agony that raked across his body was nearly unbearable, causing him to convulse in place. It felt like his entire body had been scorched by a Houndoom. He groaned as even the tiniest of movements sent waves of stinging pain through his every nerve.

"What…happened?" he wondered. "Why does everything hurt so much…?"

He thought back, trying to figure out what had caused him so much discomfort. Oddly enough, he could not place how he ended up in such a state or why. Perplexed as to why his memory was failing him, he concentrated deeply. Delving into the deepest recesses of his mind gave no possible answers as to what happened.

There was nothing there.

His heart skipped a beat as uncertainty began to seep through his being. He couldn't remember anything; nothing about who he was and he wouldn't find out anytime soon either. The piercing agony that ripped through his head seemed to be getting worse, making it hard for him to think much less move. He was vaguely aware of something wet lapping at the lower half of his body.

At least he had a body and he existed. He was alive. That was enough for him at the moment. His mind slowly went black as it was welcomed back into confines of sleep.

"Hana! Hurry it up! We're gonna be late!"

"Shizuka, I can't run as fast as you! Wait up!"

The Riolu huffed as she tapped her foot, waiting for her friend to catch up to her. When the Chikorita finally caught up to her, she collapsed in exhaustion.

"I...can't…run…any…more…" Hana panted out. "My legs are still sore…from hiking all the way back to the Guild…from Fogbound Lake. To be forced…to move some more after that long trip…it's tiring."

"Sorry, Hana," Shizuka apologized, looking sheepish. "It's just…I know how much you like the sight and…it's important to the beginning of Team Hikari. I just didn't want you to miss it."

"It's alright," Hana said, stretching her legs before she stood back up. "Okay, I'm better now. Let's go, ya Slowpoke! If we miss it, I'll dunk you headfirst into the ocean!"

Shizuka smiled at her friend as the Chikorita darted ahead with a newfound energy, leaving her friend in her dust even though she had been the one lagging behind earlier. The two Pokémon had just recently returned from their Guild expedition to the mysterious Fogbound Lake. Things had been rough at the start. The notorious Team Skull had messed with their mission to Apple Woods to gather some Perfect Apples for the Guildmaster, causing them to lose significant credibility as an Exploration Team and thus harming their chances of being picked as expedition members. Shizuka never wanted to experience that again. They tried their best on their subsequent missions afterwards, but were not picked to go on the trip when the fateful day came.

But their awesome Guildmaster, Wigglytuff, had decided that it'd be more fun if the entire guild went together and they were able to go. Chatot had a bit of a fit when he found out, but he calmed down in the end. He wouldn't dare disobey the Guildmaster. The fact that the parrot Pokémon trusted those stinky scumbags at all burned away at Shizuka. Why was he so trusting of those guys in the first place? Shizuka and Hana had been with the Guild way longer than Team Skull. How could he believe the words of some random group that suddenly appeared one day over Team Hikari?

Thankfully, she hadn't seen them since the Groudon Statue incident with Wigglytuff back at the Lake. She hoped it would stay that way. If they ever showed their faces to Team Hikari again, Hana was going to find a way to sneak crushed Tamato Berries into their food. If not, Shizuka would personally teach them not to get on the bad side of a Fighting-Type. The Guild had met the guardian of Fogbound Lake, Uxie, and had discovered a Time Gear which rested at the center of the lake. Shizuka was still puzzled as to why her pulse seemed to speed up once she set her eyes on the mysterious object.

Wigglytuff had sworn on the Guild's name that no one would speak a word about what they found during their expedition. There had been rumors that someone was stealing the sacred Time Gears, so everyone wanted to be sure to keep Uxie's Time Gear safe. After a long trip back, the Guild had returned home to Treasure Town. It was nice to be home again after being away for so long. Shizuka and Hana were nearing Treasure Town's beach in an effort to see the Krabby blow bubbles at sunset. It was a commemorative sight, signaling the beginning of Shizuka and Hana's Exploration Team as well as their friendship. Shizuka suggested that it was appropriate to see it once again to honor their first expedition together.

The Riolu let out a contented sigh as she sat on the soft sand of the beach. Hana crawled her way next to her, lying down as the bubbles began to float across the sky. The two Pokémon's eyes glistened as they watched the bubbles catch the sun's rays, reflecting rainbows across their surfaces. This light complemented the rosy pink sky and the sapphire blue sea, creating perfect harmony at that moment in time.

"I'll never get tired watching this. It's always a beautiful sight to see," Hana said, her eyes following a bubble that floated nearby. The bubble popped in front of her face, causing the Chikorita to giggle. She then blinked when she caught an off color in the distance. "Hey, what's that?"

Perking up at her friend's words, Shizuka redirected her gaze from the sea to the black something that her friend was pointing at. Curiosity getting the better of her, the Riolu stood up and made her way towards the black object. Hana followed, unsure of what the thing was but was curious enough to want to know what it was. As they got closer, the details to the figure became more pronounced. Hana let out a small sound of fright as she looked over the figure. Shizuka, oblivious to her partner's fear, got a little closer to it.

It was a Pokémon…at least, that's what she thought it was. It was a couple feet longer than her entire body. Its figure was oddly shaped to her; its upper and lower half was connected by its thin midsection. Black tendrils were connected to its shoulders; the one on its lower half almost looked like a tail. The white substance that was connected to its head looked like hair. It sharply contrasted with the ring of red triangles surrounding its head. They reminded Shizuka of bloody teeth. Whatever it was, the Pokémon was unconscious and had apparently been through something terrible. The wounds she saw did not look good whatsoever. It didn't even react to the ocean waves lapping at its battered body.

A stick entered Shizuka's field of vision, poking the unresponsive form. Shizuka placed her paws on her hips, giving Hana an incredulous look.

"Really, Hana?" she deadpanned. "Really?"

"Hey! Can you blame me?" Hana retorted, still poking the Pokémon with her stick. "I don't trust whatever this…thing is. It looks weird. What if it's an outlaw? If it is, we'll have to take it in to Officer Magnezone immediately."

"Hana, relax. Whatever it is, it's hurt. We made an oath as Exploration Team Hikari to help Pokémon in need. Rule number one of the guild: don't shirk work! What kind of Pokémon would we be if we turned over an innocent bystander?"

Hana pouted. "Well…yeah. But I really don't think this is such a good idea."

"No need to worry! What could possibly go wrong?"

"Ugh…"

Both Shizuka and Hana stiffened at the deep voice that had come from the black figure. A piercing icy-blue eye hesitantly opened, the single white pupil focusing on the two Pokémon. The black figure painfully pushed itself up with its clawed hands, turning to look at them. Hana hid behind Rilou, her suspicious glare never wavering. Shizuka gulped, placed between a rock and a hard place. Taking a shaky breath, she waved at the Pokémon.

"Um…hidey-ho, newcomer?" Shizuka awkwardly greeted. "Are you alright? We found you lying here on the beach…and…well, we were worried."

"Who are you?" the Pokémon demanded, his tone sounding angry and confused. "Where is this?"

"Watch it, buster!" Hana snapped, getting in front of Shizuka. "Don't get an attitude! I don't like it when I get Pokémon like you who think they're so much better than the rest of us. Skuntank and his goons were bad enough. I don't need to deal with another jerk like that!"

"Hana, calm down," Shizuka pleaded, placing her paw on her friend's leaf. Hana backed down, still scowling at the black Pokémon before her. "I apologize for her rudeness. That's just how she is. Do you mind telling us who you are and what happened to you?"

"I…" He placed his hand to his head, wincing in pain. "I don't know…"

Shizuka blinked in surprise. "You don't know who you are?"

He shook his head. "I can't remember anything."

"Well, this is déjà vu to the max! Wouldn't you say so, Shizuka?" Hana declared, nudging her friend with the leaf on her head. "Same issue, same beach. It's like a sign or something!"

"Maybe. I suppose so," the Riolu replied, giving the black Pokémon a smile. "Well, what can you remember? Anyone you know? Does this place look familiar to you? Anything at all?"

The resulting silence gave Shizuka her answers. The stranger glared at the ground, frustration and despair evident in his eyes. He was a lost soul, just like Shizuka was once upon a time. The Riolu could understand exactly what the Pokémon was going through. She didn't know what she would have done if Hana didn't find her. Who would believe her words that she was once a human? Hana accepted her story, believing her despite the evidence proving otherwise. Shizuka felt a resolve to help this Pokémon, just as Hana did for her.

"Don't worry! We'll help you out!"

"WHAT!?" Hana shrieked. "B-b-b-b-b-b-but, Shizuka! We don't know who he is! Look at him! He's freaky-looking! What if he's a dangerous outlaw!? We could be putting everyone in Treasure Town in danger!"

"Hana, I want to help him," Shizuka explained. "I know exactly what if feels like to not have anything familiar to cling onto and thrust into a world so different than what I'm used to."

"Shizuka…"

"Please, Hana? He has nowhere to go. Who else will be willing to help him? We can't just leave him here. What about our oath?"

"Oh…" the Chikorita moaned. "Alright. You win. It doesn't mean I'm going to like it though…"

"Thank you, Hana!" Shizuka cheered as she hugged her friend.

"Easy on the hugging! Easy! You're gonna choke me!"

"Right. Fighting-Type. Don't know my own strength sometimes," the Riolu laughed before turning to the mystery Pokémon. "Anyway, you don't remember your name?"

He shook his head. "I told you earlier that I could not recall anything; not even my own name."

"Would you like me to give you one?"

There was a short pause. "I would appreciate it."

The Riolu put a paw to her chin. "Okay, let's see…"

"You always come up with great names, Shizuka. They sound so pretty and majestic!" commented Hana. "Can you name him something that means 'jerk'? Because that's what he's turning out to be."

"How about…Satoru?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Satoru?"

Shizuka nodded. "It means a lot of things, but the meaning I chose is 'daybreak'. Do you like it?"

"He's as far from 'daybreak' as I am from a Slugma…" Hana deadpanned.

"…I suppose I can live with it," the newly named Satoru answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Satoru," Shizuka replied, now able to give the guy a proper greeting. "I'm Shizuka and this is my partner and best friend, Hana. But, I guess you already knew that from our arguing."

"Partner?"

"Yeah," Hana confirmed. "We work together. We're an Exploration Team."

"Exploration Team?"

"We do all sorts of things! It's literally the best job in the history of forever!" the excited Chikorita explained. "We take on jobs to help Pokémon in need, explore new places to reveal Mystery Dungeons, and we make wonderful friends along the way!"

Satoru still seemed to be in the dark judging from the befuddled look on his face. Hana frowned. He must've hit his head really hard if he didn't know what an Exploration Team was. Then again, Shizuka was the same way. She was a human, so it was only natural for her to not know what a Pokemon-only group like that was. The realization then dawned upon her.

"Hey, Satoru? Any chance you were a human before you lost your memories?"

"Human?" the Pokémon incredulously repeated. "No. I'm not a human. I know that much at least. Why would you ask something so farfetched?"

"Oh, no reason," Hana nervously answered. "Just curious."

He didn't seem satisfied with her answer. Hana had a feeling he'd be inquiring about that as soon as he was able to. There was no need to blow Shizuka's cover just yet. Not even the Guild members knew the Riolu was really a human. The poor girl felt like she needed some more time to find the right moment to tell everyone. Shizuka was always shy around people, constantly wondering if they'd treat her differently because she was once a human. Her concerns were especially focused on a certain someone at the Guild. Hana giggled, remembering the last time he interacted with Shizuka. The poor Riolu tripped over her words as much as she tripped over her own feet in front of him. And he had no idea.

"So whatcha gonna do now, Satoru?" Shizuka asked.

"…I have no idea," he answered. "I don't even know where to go from here."

"You could wander the world, discovering stuff for yourself?" Hana suggested. "Some explorers do that when they leave the Guild. It's an enlightening experience, or so I've heard."

He shook his head. "What's there to discover when there's nothing there to begin with?"

"Good point…"

"I've got it!" Shizuka announced. "Let's take him with us on our next mission!"

"You mean have him join our team!?" squeaked Hana. "Have you lost it!?"

"Not permanently. Only for a bit. Maybe while we're exploring, he can discover who he was and where he came from. It just might spark his memory!"

"I don't know about this…"

The Riolu turned to the amnesiac. "Satoru? What do you think? Would you like to see what we do?"

The mystery Pokémon crossed his arms and hummed. He appeared to be thinking over the offer, weighing the pros and cons.

"Considering I don't have much of a choice in my condition…" he growled. "I suppose I'll accept your petty offer."

"Who are you calling 'petty'!?" Hana retorted as Shizuka held the Chikorita back to prevent her from Tackling the guy where it hurt. "I don't care who you think you are; no one insults Team Hikari in front of me!"

"Are you sure this one isn't a Fire-Type in disguise? Her temper flares like one," he coolly responded, watching as Hana struggled against Shizuka's grip.

"You better watch out, buster," Hana warned, an evil glint shining in her reddish-pink eyes. "You're on my hit list now…"

"Eheheheheh…" Shizuka laughed nervously. "Can we at least try to get along?"

Hana huffed, her chin held up high as she turned away from Satoru. Shizuka sweatdropped. She had a feeling this was only the beginning of troubles yet to come. After all, she'd have to talk to the Guildmaster and Chatot to see if bringing Satoru along was acceptable since he wasn't an official member of Team Hikari. She had hope that Hana could eventually get along with Satoru. It'd just take some time.

Precious time that would soon be running out.

This is what happens when your muse hops around fandoms too much. This was actually a plot-bunny I started writing a year ago, but it never took off. THEN THE POKÉMON MOVIE MARATHON HAPPENED! I watched Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, The Rise of Darkrai, and Arceus and the Jewel of Life recently. That's when I remembered this plot-bunny was still sitting around. Then my muse started working on it again and the rest is history. Once again, my wonderful friend kitsunelover300 will be my lovely co-author. We have interesting stuff planned for this one. Hope you like this different spin on a PMD Darkrai redemption story!