Memory Loss

A few days later, in Goldenrod City, Machine, Kusa, Yellow, and Silver woke up from their sleep that Nurse Joy had given them ever since they encountered the Masked Man. Unfortunately, only Machine and Silver were said to have recovered completely from their battle against the evil Masked Man. Kusa and Yellow had recovered but, it was, however, not how the rest of the Pokedex Holders wanted it to be like.

"THEY'RE WHAT????" The four Pokedex Holders shouted out loud, as Nurse Joy sighed at them. Kusa and Yellow were just coming out of the room, with utterly confused looks on their faces.

"That's right. When you all were unconscious, it seemed that Kusa and Yellow had lost their memories. They only remember things from two weeks before you met them." Nurse Joy explained as the four Pokedex Holders sighed, annoyed by what had happened. "If you hadn't come in contact with that Masked Man, this wouldn't have happened."

"Hey, what are you talking about? It's not our fault that-" Hakel started to say but Machine held out his hand and stopped him. "What the hell, Machine?"

"Hakel, I know what you were about to say... And honestly, she probably won't give a damn about it. Besides, none of this really her concern. We'll just have to bring Yellow and Kusa's memory back to the surface." Machine said, with a dead serious expression on his face.

"Do you really believe it's going to be that easy?" Nurse Joy asked, somewhat making it her concern. "Because memory loss is a serious deal and just because you MAY be familiar faces, doesn't mean you'll be able to bring them back to the way they were before."

"I don't count on doing any of that." Machine said, surprising everyone but Kusa and Yellow, who still had confused looks on their faces.

"Then, what do you plan to do, Machine?" Silver asked. "This is probably more serious than you imagine."

"Silver, do you have any idea how much Kusa and Yellow loved each of us?" Machine asked, surprising everyone in the room, except, of course, Kusa and Yellow.

"What the hell are you talking about Machine?" Gold asked.

"You two are much too naïve in this subject to truly understand what I mean but... I'll still try to explain myself in an easy way." Machine said, as everyone paid attention to what he had to say. "Love is a way into someone's heart and mind. Yellow and Kusa loved each of us, respectively, like we had born alongside of them. No matter what, even when Kusa dumped Hakel like a sac of garbage in the trash, I could tell that, she had loved him every since she met him two years ago. As for Yellow, I had promised my life to her and she had done the same to me. Even when we battled, we always held each others hands. By holding each others hand, we truly knew that we would be connected, even in battle."

"I get what you're saying, Machine..." Hakel said, nodding his head. "Essentially, you're saying that if we help them remember how much they loved each of us, then the rest of their memories will come flooding back."

"Exactly, Hakel. Love is a powerful thing but you two don't seem to know what I mean yet." Machine said as Silver chuckled a bit and turned for the door of the Pokemon Center.

"Hmph. You'd be surprised at what I'd say to that statement, Machine..." Silver said, as he waved goodbye to his fellow Pokedex Holders and walked into Goldenrod City. As he walked to the exit of the Goldenrod City, an girl's face popped into his mind. He smirked as he walked out of the large city known as Goldenrod City.

"Well, this is certainly something I don't quite understand Machine, you're right but I do know something..." Gold said as he put on his glasses and pulled out his skateboard. "You'd better be right about this. Get Kusa and Yellow back to the way they were before and hurry up and catch up to Silver and I. We'll be waiting for you guys in Ecruteak City. Got that?"

"Yeah, yeah... I understand, Gold. Just don't die before we catch up you alright? The Masked Man knows who you two are. NEVER drop your guard from this point on." Machine said as Gold nodded to him.

"Understood. If I ever run into the Masked bastard again, I'll tear him apart!" Gold said, as he darted out of the Pokemon Center and rushed after Silver who had made it pretty far away from Goldenrod City. Gold decided to head after him to make sure that he was safe. After all, Silver would need some backpack against this Masked Man again if he were to show up.

When Gold had disappeared from their sight, Hakel sighed and said, "Damn it, Gold... You're so impatient."

"Enough about him right now, Hakel. It's time to get down to business." Machine said as he walked over to Kusa and Yellow who were intrigued to met them, again. Hakel walked over to the two girls and decided that this was the perfect time to make Kusa forget she was mad at him.

"So, are they alright to go, Nurse Joy? Do you think they can be released from the hospital now?" Machine asked as Nurse Joy nodded at him and winked at him once.

"Of course, Machine! They're all better!" Nurse Joy shouted, in a different way than before.

"Wait a second... I know that voice..." Machine said, as Hakel and him leaned in towards her. "Getsuei...? Is that you?"

Nurse Joy giggled and spun around in a circle, making herself glow in a flashing light. When the light disappeared, Getsuei was standing before them, wearing the normal attire of the Dragons. "Yup, it's me! Long time, no see boys!"

"Getsuei?! What the hell?" Machine and Hakel asked surprised, almost jumping away from her.

"Excuse me, you two..." Yellow said, poking Machine on his shoulder. "Who are you two and who is she? I thought she was supposed to be Nurse Joy?"

"Um, well... It's a long story..." Machine said, rubbing the back of his head. "At least about her it is. What you need to know is my name is Ma-" Thinking about what he said, he stopped himself and introduced himself again. "What you need to know is that my name is Crimson Emerald and this is my friend, Hakel Fury. And, also, what you need to know is that... We're engaged."

"Engaged?" Yellow asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of you. How can we be in love?"

"It's a long story... Like I said. But trust me, it will all make sense. Do you remember anything yet?" Machine asked as Yellow shook her head. "Damn it... This is going to be tougher than I thought."

"Don't worry, guys..." Getsuei said, patting them on the back. "You'll be able to bring them back. I have complete confidence in you."

"Complete confidence, really?" Hakel asked. "The Dragons told you to watch us, didn't they?"

"Yeah..." Getsuei said, sighing. "Unfortunately, I'm not just here for my normal reasons as a pseudo-Nurse Joy. Orion told me to keep watch on you guys, Gold, and Silver. They want to know if you're ready to take on the responsibility of joining the Dragons. But, with this new enemy and Yellow and Kusa's memory loss, it'll complicate things."

"Yeah, we'll have to take it one step at a time, Getsuei... This has to come first though. Yellow and Kusa will never regain their memories unless we spend the entire day with each of them, respectively." Hakel said, as Getsuei nodded.

"Like I said, I—we, the Dragons, have complete confidence in you. Good luck, you two." Getsuei said, as they thanked her and she returned to her duty as a fake Nurse Joy.

"What the hell is going on?" Kusa asked as she looked at Yellow. "And who the hell are these people?"

"I don't really know." Yellow said, as she never took her eyes off of Machine. "But that 'Crimson' guy is cute isn't he? And he has a great head on his shoulders."

"That Hakel guy doesn't seem that bad either, eh, Yellow?" Kusa asked as they both giggled behind their backs as they finished talking with Getsuei.

"What are you two laughing about?" Machine asked.

"Are you talking about us?" Hakel asked.

"Nope!" Yellow said, as the two of them laughed at one another confusing Machine and Hakel.

"Well then, Yellow..." Machine said, taking her hand in his. She blushed brightly as they walked together to the outside of Goldenrod City. "How about we go out on a date to get your memory back?"

"Already? But, we just met! I mean, I would love to but..."

"Then, that settles it! Where would you like to go?" Machine asked, leaning in towards Yellow's face. She blushed brightly as Machine backed away from her, making her much more comfortable. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward... Are you alright?"

"No, no, you didn't make me uncomfortable! I mean, you did but..." Yellow said, stumbling over her words. Machine felt like it was the first time they had admitted their true love for another.

"Yellow... It's alright." Machine said, surprising her a little. "I know, by your eyes that you want to take this slow. For some reason, that seems a bit uncharacteristic of you. Or at least, it seems like that for the Yellow that I knew."

"The Yellow that you knew?" Yellow asked, wanting to know more about what he was saying.

"Yes..." Machine said, bringing her along with him as they walked to a fishing spot he noticed on his Town Map for Johto. "I'll tell you at this beautiful fishing spot that I noticed on our way here to Goldenrod City."

"O-okay..." Yellow said, as she walked next to him, holding tightly to his hand, even though she didn't know why she felt so safe next to him. As they walked to the fishing spot, Yellow hadn't realized that she had gotten closer to Machine, clinging to his arm as they walked on.

Kusa and Hakel had also emerged from the Pokemon Center as he said, "Well, Kusa... Shall we go on our date as well?"

"Of course." Kusa said, taking Hakel's hand before he had a chance to take hers. "I don't why but it feels like something happened to distance us right before I lost my memory... Did something bad like that happen before we were knocked unconscious?"

Not being able to lie to the love of his life, he sighed and said, "Yes... It's a touchy subject but to tell you the truth, if I don't remind you of what happened between us, you may never come back to your old self. And... I love you too much for me to lose you again."

"So... Did you really love me THAT much?" Kusa asked, as she clung to his side, the same way Yellow did. However, Kusa did it consciously, knowing that she had to of loved someone like Hakel, no matter what had happened to them.

"Kusa... I loved you more than I could have imagined. I still do." Hakel said, as they smiled at one another. "It's just that... something happens to me from time to time that made me lose you in the first place. I told you I would protect you about a year or so ago and it turned out... that I became the one hurting you."

"Hurting me? Like how? Physically?" Kusa asked as Hakel shook his head.

"No, Kusa... I hurt your love for me. I... never understood how much I loved you until I lost you. For some reason, whenever we were emotionally intertwined, we didn't create a big enough spark for us to become something more... I never knew how to express myself and I lost you by losing my temper. It overwhelmed me and I struck you down, in anger and rage."

"Is there something else about that I should know?" Kusa asked looking up to him.

"Kusa... You already do. You just haven't remembered it yet." Hakel said, as Kusa sighed. "Trust me, my love will unlock the master key to your mind."

"Are you sure you... can bring me back to the way I was?" Kusa asked. "Because as it seems... even though we had a fight, I want to love you like the way I was before. I feel an empty hole in my heart, like something's missing there. You... You might be the one to fill it again." Kusa clenched her shirt as Hakel stopped walking and turned around to her.

He pulled her closer to him and hugged her as tight as he could, not letting her go, no matter what. "Kusa..." Hakel said, as he began to snivel in his own disappointment. "I love you and... I'm so sorry for what I did."

"Hakel..." Kusa said, hugging him as well, pulling him closer to her. "Whatever happened between us, will never happen again... I'll... love you, despite all of this. But first, you have to open up to me like I am to you."

"Huh?" Hakel asked, as they looked at one another. Kusa brushed the tears from his eyes, making him smile.

"If I am to get my memory back, I have to know EVERYTHING about you. Something in your memories may unlock something in mine, and that's why you've got to talk to me, about everything, Hakel." Kusa said as Hakel smirked and nodded to her, regaining his cool demeanor again.

"Of course. After all, that would be the best idea to begin our love anew again." Hakel said, as the two of them walked into the Goldenrod Game Corner, talking the entire way there. Once there, Hakel rented out his room with some money he had left over and Kusa and Hakel began talking about one another to restore some of her memories.

Machine took Yellow to a beautiful fishing spot that gleamed so brightly, Machine believed that it lit up Yellow's eyes even more than he thought before. She stared at the sunlit water in front of her as bunches of Magikarp and Remoraid jumped out of the water and splashed back into it, playing with one another. Awe-struck, Yellow looked at him and said, "Crimson... This is amazing... I've never seen water so beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it, Yellow." Machine said, putting his arm around her waist. "Before we were engaged, we had a lot of dates at the water. And what was funny... we used to catch the water right as the sun or the moon hit it just right. It's a beautiful sight so majestic that only you could lighten the mood for me."

"Really? We always used to go here when we were dating?" Yellow asked, laying her head against Machine's side, feeling extremely comfortable with him now.

"Yeah, it was amazing... Those were always your words when we came to places like this. Even know, the water is unbelievably mesmerizing. And being here with you... makes it all worthwhile." Machine said, making Yellow blush and smile once more.

"How many times a day did you make me smile with your words?" Yellow asked as Machine smiled at that.

"Honestly, it was so many times a day... It never occurred to me. I was so love with you at all times of the day, it didn't matter how many times I saw you smile. Whether it was me, someone else giving you amazing information, or when we had a lazy day with our Pokemon... I always loved seeing you smile. I still do. There's nothing I would do to ever trade that away and yet... for some reason, that bastard took you away from me."

"Crimson..." Yellow said, in a way that made Machine believe that she was beginning to regain some of her memories. "I have to draw this... I have to draw you in this."

"Draw me?" Machine asked as she sat on the ground and took out her sketchbook. "You draw?"

"You know all of this about me and yet you don't know that I can draw?" Yellow asked. "We've been together for two years and I've never told you?"

"No... I never knew. Can I see some of them?" Machine asked as he sat down on the warm grass right next to her. She nodded to him and gave him her sketchbook which he opened up and was amazed by instantly.

"They're some of my old drawings... They may already be some in there with you and us but... I don't remember." Yellow said as Machine began to flip through the sketchbook.

"Yellow..." Machine said, as he gasped at every one of her drawings. They were perfectly drawn, each sketch drawn with precise precision and artistic ability. She was the best artist he had ever seen and he was surprised that she hadn't revealed to him that she could do this yet. "This is amazing... Why didn't you tell me you could draw this well?"

"Well, if I know myself well enough... I believe it may have been because I don't like rejection. I hate people rejecting me in any sense of the word because... it just brings me down." Yellow said as Machine smiled at her, happy that she had shared that with him. He honestly hadn't realized that when they first met and that may have been why she pursued him like she did. The more Machine rejected her, the more Yellow came back for him, showering him more love than he wanted. Thinking of how their love came to be, it seems like kind of a fairy tale. It was so unreal even though Machine had to restore all their love back to the way it was.

"Hey!" Machine said, turning to the second to last picture in her sketchbook. "Yellow... When did you draw this?"

"Huh? What?" Yellow asked as Machine handed her sketchbook back to her and she stared at the picture drawn where it was. "This... I... I don't remember drawing this..."

"You still don't remember?" Machine asked, as he leaned over to her. "This must have been a drawing you completed a day after we defeated Team Rocket... This was a glorious day, everyone was having fun at a party back then... Everyone was having a great time, drinking, you know just being themselves."

"Party?" Yellow asked.

"Yeah, it was the day I truly proposed my love for you." Machine said, recalling the event that happened. "I knew it had been a long few weeks and Team Rocket was the epitome of it all... But no matter what I said, all you could do was draw me. At first, I didn't want you to draw me but then... after seeing how much you smiled at doing it, I couldn't stop you. So, as you continued, I told you to add my team into it and you drew my team and I on this piece of paper in your sketchbook..."

"I thought you said you didn't know I drew?" Yellow asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"This... just came back to me. It was like... I forgot about the fact that you drew but... since you lost your memory and showed me that you had one again, the memory came back to me." Machine said as he turned to her. "But... that's not the memory we're trying to restore. My memories won't necessarily help yours."

"I wouldn't say that, Crimson..." Yellow said, as she put her sketchbook back into her bag. "You've now made me realize why I would fall for you in the first place. You love me unconditionally, without any regrets. We've... we've gone through a lot together, haven't we?"

"Damn, Yellow..." Machine nervously laughed. "You have no idea how much we've been through, at the moment. But because you brought that up... that makes me think for a second about... how much we really have been through together. It makes me smile when I think about how our love grew, eh, Yellow?"

He looked over to Yellow and saw that she was smiling at him, her eyes full of tears. However, despite all of that crying, she was still smiling. "Crimson... My memories... They're returning! Everything's coming back to me now! I remember how much I loved you and the day of the party that we had after defeating Team Rocket and how... much I love you even more now." Yellow said, with tears still flowing from her eyes. Yellow and Machine grabbed tight to one another, hugging each other and never letting each other go.

They rolled around through the warm grass with one another as they kissed each other, for minutes, never letting their lips leave each others touch and feel. They couldn't stop their love from flowing as Yellow's memory began to finally restore as the sun fell from the sky, across the horizon making the water in front of them, gleam with even more passion than it had before.

Meanwhile, at the Goldenrod Game Corner, Hakel and Kusa weren't making as much progress as Machine and Yellow had but it was getting there. "So... that's what happened between us, huh? Why would I say something that would get you so steamed like that?" Kusa asked, as Hakel shrugged.

"I don't know. I could never understand when you did things like that. We had a strange kind of love though, which only Machine and Yellow could see through." Hakel said making Kusa raise her eyebrows at him.

"What do you mean?" Kusa asked.

"I mean... not even we could tell that we were in love with another... But after Machine told me get myself together and that, if I ever touched you like that again, he would personally kill me himself. So, I left and tried to come to grips with my feelings for you... It was tough but I got some help from... an old friend of mine." Hakel said, imagining a tombstone in his mind. "He... told me to understand and relate to my feelings because it seemed that... I wasn't able to accept the fact that I loved you. He told me to believe in the power of love and never give up on you. I figured you never gave up on me either."

"Hakel..." Kusa said, poking him on the shoulder. Hakel looked over to her and she kissed him, happily than she had ever before. "I NEVER did. I'll always love you, especially since my memory has returned."

Kusa laid on top of Hakel and they kissed each other on the lips, finally accepting each other as lovers. More than anything before, Hakel and Kusa were finally together, and they intended to stay that way for a long time. The two couples kissed each other for a long time as if they hadn't seen each other in long time. Yellow and Kusa had returned, and were more connected to Machine and Hakel than before, respectively.

The sun faded in the distance, darkening the entire city of Goldenrod even though, that didn't stop the movement of the city. They city was full of lights, gleaming brightly over the water as the two couples feel asleep together.