The Dragon Master V: Chapter Two

	I was sitting on a bench, and people were throwing coins on top of me, like 
I was some bum. A man threw a coin on me, and I stopped him.
	"Do you know who I am," I asked. The man looked at me as if I were crazy.
	"No," the man said. He then muttered, "Crazy psycho" and walked away. I sat 
back down on the bench and looked at what I was wearing. I was wearing a 
ragged teal T-shirt, and a pair of jeans with lots of holes in them. I 
stopped the next person that I saw it was a woman.
	"What's the date," I asked her.
	"August 14th, 2006," she replied. I shook my head.
	"It can't be," I said, more to me than her. "When I was knocked 
unconscious, it was August 4th. What city is this?" Luckily, this woman put 
up with my nonsense questions and seemed genuinely concerned about me.
	"The largest city in both Johto and Kanto," she said. I was relieved. I now 
knew that I was in Goldenrod City.
	"So this is Goldenrod City," I asked, just to make sure. She laughed.
	"Goldenrod City," she exclaimed. "No, this is Cherrygrove City." My mouth 
fell open. I started to mumble to myself.
	"What the hell is going on here," I asked myself.
	"Are you all right," the woman asked me. "Here, let me take get you a cup 
of coffee. I'm on my break." She grabbed me by the arm and took me to a 
coffee shop across the street. I didn't resist, as I was extremely 
thirsty...and hungry for that matter.
	"This is making no sense," I said, my head in my hands as the woman ordered 
us some coffee.
	"Well, let me try and clear some of this up," she said. "First of all, I'm 
Diane. What's your name?"
	"Bob Shepardson," I said. I felt my chin, and discovered that I hadn't 
shaved for days, wherever I was.
	"Well, Bob," Diane said. "Where are you from? Who are your parents?"
	"I'm from here, originally," I said. "I lived in the orphanage for two 
years. I was adopted when I was two by a woman in New Bark Town, Delilah 
Largway."
	"She's not related to the current Pokemon League Champion, is she," Diane 
asked.
	"Who would that be," I asked, curious.
	"Lance, of course," Diane exclaimed. "You must have been on that bench a 
lot longer than you think."
	"LANCE," I said through gritted teeth, standing up. Everyone in the coffee 
shop stared at me, so I sat down.
	"What's wrong with Lance," Diane asked. "He's a great Pokemon League 
Champion."
	"As for your first question, Delilah was Lance's mother," I said. "Until he 
killed her."
	"What," Diana asked perplexed. "It wasn't Lance. It was that one guy, you 
know, who used to be in the Elite Four...what's his name...Bruno! That's 
it!" My eyes widened. I had no idea what was going on, but I didn't like it 
one bit. I pushed my untouched coffee away.
	"I have to go," I said. "Thank you for the coffee, Diane."
	"Anytime," she replied, not knowing what was going on with me. I shook he 
hand, and walked out of the coffee shop and down on the street.
	"This is insane," I muttered to myself. "I have to find someone that I 
know, and do something about this." I walked into a restroom at a gas 
station, and looked in the mirror. It was not the same me as I had once 
known. I needed to shave, my eyes were all red, and I wasn't even sure if I 
still had my Mastery.
	I concentrated on creating new clothes for me, and soon I was dressed in a 
teal shirt and a pair of jeans. I walked of the gas station, and started 
walking down the sidewalk.
	I walked around the corner, and ran into someone I was very glad to see. I 
was lying on the ground, and so was she. She was dressed in blue hip 
huggers, along with a blue T-shirt.
	"Misty," I gasped. She looked surprised to see me.
	"What are you doing here," she asked.
	"Excuse me," I asked.
	"Don't you remember," Misty asked, furious. "I filed a restraining order on 
you. After we broke up, you started to stalk me!"
	"What are you talking about," I asked.
	"That's right," she said. "Play stupid. It was the only thing that you were 
ever good at." I was about to say something, but a figure dressed in black 
came up behind her and put his arm around her waist.
	"What's the matter, Mist," Ash said, looking at her. Then he spotted me. 
"Bob..." I sensed the hate in his eyes.
	"What's going on here," I asked in desperation.
	"Go wait in the store, Misty," Ash said.
	"Anywhere away from him," Misty said. She walked away and into a PokeMart. 
The both of us looked at her until she left, and then turned back to each 
other.
	"What is going on," I asked Ash desperately.
	"I'll tell you what's going on," Ash said, his voice full of hatred. "You 
broke Misty's heart, and she broke it off. You started to stalk her, so she 
filed a restraining order. The comforting friend, me, consoled her. We 
eventually started going out, and now we're engaged. Just stay the hell away 
from us both. We have been much happier since you left our lives."
	"I don't understand," I said. "The last memory that I have with Misty is 
being up at the altar with her, saying our vows. Evidently, that was ten 
days ago. How could all of this happen in ten frickin' days?"
	"You've been drinking too much," Ash said. "Go off the booze, stop 
fanaticizing about Misty, and stay the hell away!" With that, Ash walked 
into the PokeMart where Misty was waiting.
I was still confused. How could all of this happen, I thought. I'm a bum; 
Lance is alive and the Pokemon League Champion; Misty hates me and is 
engaged to Ash, who I killed; Bruno was Delilah's murderer; and I can't find 
anybody who remembers the real world! I calmed down, and decided what to do.
	"I have to go talk to Bruno," I said. I asked around, and found out where 
the Police Station was. I went up to the front desk.
	"May I help you," an Officer Jenny asked from the desk.
	"Yes," I said. "I need to find out what happened to Bruno." She nodded.
	"I can tell you," she said. "Evidently, he killed Lance's mother."
	"Did she have another son," I asked.
	"She did adopt one," Officer Jenny replied.
	"Whatever happened to Bruno," I asked.
	"He's being kept in a cell deep below all floors," Jenny said. "He's been 
down there for four years. He's on death row. His execution will be in a 
week."
	"I need to see him," I said. She gasped.
	"What did you say," she asked.
	"I need to see Bruno, the Fighting Master and ex-Elite Four member," I 
demanded. Everyone in the room stopped doing whatever they were doing and 
stopped to listen.
	"I'm afraid that can't be done," Officer Jenny said.
	"Look," I said dangerously. "This can be done the easy way or the hard way. 
Take me to Bruno. He holds valuable information that is a life or death 
situation. Don't make me ask again." Officer Jenny gulped.
	"I'll take you to him right away," she said. Pulling out a keycard, she 
went over to a titanium door, put her keycard in the slot, and typed in a 
code. The door opened, and all eyes were on me, as I went to see Bruno.
	When we reached the bottom, I walked towards the only light in the room. It 
was a cell with laser bars.
	"I'll set up the intercom," she said.
	"No," I said. "I want to speak with him face to face."
	"But, sir," Jenny said.
	"Don't make me say that again," I said. She pressed a button, and the bars 
disappeared. I sat down at a table across from Bruno. His face came into the 
light, and I was surprised how much it changed. There were scars all over 
it, and he was pale, because he had not seen the light of day for four 
years.
	"Who the fuck are you," Bruno asked.
	"Of course," I said. "You're different, too. My name is Bob Shepardson. I'm 
Lance's brother, by adoption, but not by choice."
	"Another League bastard to come in and try to get me to confess," Bruno 
said. "Like it would matter. They're going to execute me anyway."
	"Not if I can help it," I said.
	"Why would you want to help me," Bruno asked. "They say I killed your 
mother."
	"I know you didn't," I said. "I know you were framed."
	"How did you know that," Bruno asked.
	"Because Lance also put me in the same position," I said. "Though I guess 
that that part of everyone's memory doesn't exist anymore."
	"What part," Bruno asked. "Tell me."
	"I don't come from around here," I said. "I come from a place where I'm the 
Champion, Lance is dead, Ash is dead, and I am married to Misty. You 
decorated the Palace of the Elite Four for Misty and my wedding. You were 
like a brother to me."
	"What have you been smoking," Bruno said. "Whatever it is, give some to me, 
so I can escape this horrible reality for a couple of moments."
	"You don't understand," I said. "This was a mistake coming down to see 
you." I got up to walk away.
	"Wait," Bruno asked. I turned to him. "If you are who you say you are, then 
tell me this. What is my wife's name?" I thought back to Ash's funeral. 
Bruno told me the whole story then. I smiled.
	"Her name was Molly," I said. "I'm not going to try to say how it happened, 
because it might have changed since everyone went psycho on me."
	"What do you mean," Bruno asked.
	"You would never believe me," I said, sitting back down
	"Try me," Bruno said. There was that look in his eye...that challenging 
look. I remembered it so well. I never turned down a challenge.
	"I think that this isn't the real world," I stated. "It's some sort of 
whacked up place where everyone is different."
	"You're right," Bruno said, nodding.
	"So I'm right," I said.
	"No," Bruno spoke. "I don't believe you. The loss of Molly was all too 
real."
	"It was in my reality, too," I said. I spoke at a whisper, "I'm busting you 
out of here."
	"No," Bruno said. "I will not retaliate. Mostly because I think you're 
insane."
	"Join the rest of the world," I said.
	"Leave me alone," Bruno said. "I've never even seen you before. Why should 
I trust you?"
	"I knew your wife's name," I said.
	"That's in my records," Bruno said. "Anybody could have looked it up."
	"Fine," I said. "Don't believe me. I'll just let you die. You're just as 
stubborn here as you were when I knew you." I got up, and walked out of the 
room. Officer Jenny escorted me out of the high-security prison, and I was 
once again on the streets of Cherrygrove City.
	I started walking. I didn't know where I was going, but I started walking 
anyway. I came to a place that I thought existed only in Goldenrod 
City...the Radio Tower. As I walked in the doors, I sensed something that 
needn't have belonged there. The presence of something that didn't belong 
there...
	I stepped on the elevator, and it took me to the top floor. Walking part a 
few guards, and was about to go into the director's office, when two guards 
stopped me.
	"What is your purpose here," the first guard asked.
	"I need to speak with the director," I said.
	"What about," the second guards asked.
	"I need to see if he'll play a new band in my agency," I lied.
	"What's the band's name," the first guard asked. I was stumped. I had to 
think of something fast.
	"The Dragon Crew," I thought fast. The guards eyed me suspiciously.
	"Go in," the guard said, opening the door. I stepped in the office, and the 
door was closed behind me. A man was sitting behind a desk, but was his 
chair was turned so he was looking out the window.
	"Who is it," the man in the chair asked. I knew that voice, I thought. But 
it couldn't be...
	"Answer me," the man said, turning in his chair. I was right. It was who I 
thought it was.
	"It can't be," I said. "It just can't be..."
-                                         End of Chapter Two                 
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