To the lab........ again.

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub><It's still hard to believe that you have been turned into a kid.>
"Yea, and I still don't remember you.... So this is the lab?"
<Yep, this is where you first got me when I was a Riolu.>

Ash looked up at the large structure looming above him. His child stature and mind couldn't comprehend it all too well, but the Lucario next to him told him that he should go here for some odd reason. Ash was talked into it, and he still didn't know quite where he was or why the Lucario was wearing his backpack.

<Ok, you stay here, I will be right back.>
"Whatever you say."

-------------------------------------------

Luc watched as the young Ash sat on the ground and crossed his arms and legs, and closed his eyes. He was really stubborn now. Luc decided that this was the best idea to do, bring him here to the lab. At least here, he would be safe from the Psychic, who seemed to have it out for Ash.

Shaking his head, Luc turned and walked to the steps, and, like how anyone would, he knocked upon the door when he came to it, but opened it at the third knock.

"Hey, any Professors here?!?</sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

A crash could be heard from within the lab followed by some yelling....but they were happy yells.

"You ran into the frickin' wall again!"

<YOU WOULD TOO IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE THUMBS!>

<If you men aren't going to clean up your mess when you are done, then, please, for Dialga's sake, don't make a mess!>

<Did you hear anything? Cuz all I heard was BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!>

<You men are sickening.>

Then, another voice from behind Ash.

"Oh, you must be here to get your first pokemon, eh?" It was coming from a woman in her early twenties. She was carrying two large paper bags in each of her hands and had to set them down in order to open the lab's door, but not before yelling, "Could someone get the door already?"

She led Ash into the lab - it was a mess to say the least - and proceeded to chew out Kam, who happened to be sitting on the couch playing video games with his pokemon.

"I leave for two days for a professor conference, and this is what I have to come home to? Did it ever occur to you just once to at least keep the place up? I'm telling you boy, it's a wonder I don't just shoot you now, for all your worth. What the heck do they teach you in school these days?"

"In case you've forgotten, we went to the same school," Kam said, hardly looking up from his game.

"Look, I'm being serious now, and I want a serious answer from you!" A second later, the TV had been unplugged.

<I'm sorry,> came the voice of a Sandshrew, addressing Ash, <May I get a pokemon for you?>

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub>Luc came up from behind Ash.

<He already has pokemon. I took him here because he needs somewhere to stay.?

Ash took off, looking around the lab. Luc let him, and walked to Barbra.

<I have some news for you.... Sander is gone, and remember that one kid who came here for a Riolu? Thats him now.>

Luc let that soak in.</sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

Sandra nodded. <Well, I'm sure he can stay here for the time being.>

Barb, on the other hand, was still distracted by Kam's laziness.

"Now look, I need your help, and I need it badly. NOW."

Only then did she notice the Lucario. "What did you just say?"

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub><Sander is gone, and that kid there should be older by a long while. Some weird dude took Sanders powers and killed him somehow, and turned our only thing that could stand up to him into a kid with no memories of his past self.>

Ash wandered back and sat next to Kam, watching him and his pokemon play the racing game.

"Mind if I get a game in?"
<I was his first pokemon, and yet he doesn't even remember me.>

Luc looked down, ashamed at what has unfolded before him.</sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

"Sure," Kam told Ash, "Mind plugging it in as well?"

"I see," Barb said, though she didn't know whether she believed the pokemon or not. Who was this Sander person he kept referencing. "But, if he must, the kid can stay here until he regains his memory. Palkia knows it's a circus in here already."

<Is there anything I can get for either of you?> It was Sandra. The Sandshew was holding clipboard like always.

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub>"Coke."
<I don't know how long that will be. Sander, from what I know, is a form of unknown power that can do just about anything. Some weird Psychic took his power, thus killing him. The psychic had dark aura, and somehow, that mixed with the unknown power turned Ash like this.>

Luc looked at Ash, who was busy playing games. A day ago, Ash would be out running and befriending pokemon. Now, he was too much of a child. Luc turned away and faced Barbra.

<Your smart, I can sense it. Can you help Ash return to normal?></sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

Barbara was already picking up papers and pencils and putting them back into place. "I'm not sure. I don't like to mess around in the dark arts. I'm afraid you'll have to find something that can counter-act the dark aura. But I'm pretty sure that only thing that can do that is some sort of light aura."

<All the goodness of the world,> came the voice of a pokemon.

Sandra handed Ash a coke.

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub>"Thanks"
<He does have light aura... He just doesn't remember it. I guess besides him, I a the only other person who has it.>

Luc started to pace around. For a pokemon, he was remarkably human like. It was almost scary to see his mind working as hard as it was.</sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

"Well, I'm not sure that the light aura from one pokemon will be enough to reverse this whole- eh, aging process or something."

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub><Well we need to figure out something for him. 'm taking a walk.>
Luc walked out the door as Ash walked up to Barbra, drinking his coke.

"Haven't I seen you before?"

He looked up with bright, golden eyes.</sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

"Now, weren't we going to play a game?" Kam asked.

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

_{Ash just shrugged and walked to Kam, and grabbed a controller, and started to play. He couldn't shrugged off the feeling that he was here before.}

[/sub]

[PBK]

Bright colors flashed across the screen as the game started.

Kam selected his race car color and waited for Ash to do the same.

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

<sub>Ash chose black with red trim.

You ready to loose? Kids are always better than adults, so you wont be able to beat me. hehe.</sub>

[/sub]

[PBK]

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kam said. The game started. A little counter on the screen:

3...2...1...

And they were off!

The blue and yellow car that belonged to Kam's Wartortle rammed immediately into the fence. Curses in poketongue could be heard.

[Aura Guardian Ash Lightning]

_{Ash grinned and his black and red car shot off. He was doing good until the first turn, when he hit the brakes hard and went into a dead stop. It took him a couple of seconds to get up to speed again.}

[/sub]