Chapter 1 – Awaken

Ellie stretched out her legs, feeling the softness of her bed. Usually, the lumpy mattress that she spent most of her time on was as hard as a rock. But this morning, it was soft and fit her petite form perfectly. She could feel the sun shining through her window, hugging her back. It was such a perfect morning; she didn't want to open her eyes. She reached out her hand for a pillow, but felt something rough. She held it through her forefinger and her thumb.

'It feels like…grass," Ellie thought. She gripped the rough surface again, and slowly opened her eyes. As her eyes finally focused on her surroundings, she realized that she was in a field. As she looked down at her soft bed, she realized that she was sleeping on a patch of dirt. Ellie quickly sat up, looking at her surroundings. Her eyes searched for something that looked familiar to her, but nothing rang a bell. She fluttered her eyes, running her fingers through her long, wavy hair. In the distance, she noticed a few houses, looked like three, and a windmill, being lightly spun by the soft wind.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, slowly standing up. She brushed off her pants. Oddly enough, she wasn't a scared as she thought she should be. Ellie was a thinker, and often spent the night wondering those 'what if?' questions. So here she was, standing in a foreign field, with nowhere to go. Ellie began to walk towards the tiny town, figuring it was the most logical place to go.

Wherever she was, it was quite peaceful. Ellie enjoyed the simple tranquility of the paths and small grass patches. Soon enough, she was in the middle of the small town, a village more like. There were only three houses, two stories, with a cute quaintness to them. Then, in the corner, there was an old, square building. Almost like a research building, but there were friendly flowerpots growing out of the windows. She noticed a man, in a tattered lab coat, tending the small garden of vegetables.

"Excuse me?" she said meekly. The older man turned around slowly, with a growing smile on his face.

"Well hello!" his smile grew wider. "You don't look familiar, are you from the neighboring town?" Ellie smiled gratefully back, happy that he was friendly.

"I'm not from around here," Ellie looked up at the sky.

"Ah, another region I suppose. Any reason to visit our small town?" He stood up, and faced Ellie. She bit her lip, not sure how to explain her confusion to the nice man. He had salt and pepper hair, and a crooked smile. His thick, wire-rimmed glasses made it hard to see his eyes.

"No reason," Ellie looked straight into his glasses. "Actually, I don't really know why I'm here." The man looked up at her quickly, his smile fading. His eyes began to search Ellie's, not really sure what she was talking about.

"Why don't you come into my office? I'll make some tea." Ellie followed him into the large building. The research building was set up more like a house. There was a kitchen set up in the far corner, and a little television set near a tattered couch. The older man began to make the tea, and offered Ellie a seat at the dining table.

"You're never heard of Kanto, have you?" the man said, quietly. Ellie's eyes turned wide, and her breath was caught in her chest. That name was very familiar in her ears. It was part of a video game that she secretly played since Elementary school. It was called Pokémon, a game about different regions with these monsters, pocket monsters, which you battled to save the world. Ellie's mind ran back and forth through the years that she played the game. The best friends she made kept up with the game all throughout high school. She knew all the names of the Pokémon, all the regions, and all of the moves. She used to study them for hours, just to beat the boys as best as she could.

The teapot whistled, shaking Ellie out of her dreams. She looked up at the man, hoping that he could answer the question that was burning inside of her.

"I not from this world…at least I don't think." Ellie whispered, putting a hand to her head. The man brought over the tea, and sat down it down quietly. Ellie figured that the man thought she was crazy, and she probably was. The man grabbed a large book from a shelf above his couch, and brought it over to Ellie. In big black letters was the word Earth.

"I'm guessing you're from Earth?" Ellie's eyes widened, wondering how far from home she actually was.

"You know about Earth?" Ellie wondered aloud.

"Earth was discovered many years ago by a man by the name of Rowan Hanline. He was a famous professor many years ago. He and his three brothers accidentally found your planet when inventing a portal. They spent years researching Earth, writing this single book about the lives your people live." The man explained. Ellie held her tea cup, warming her hands.

"Just research?" she asked.

"Yes, that's all that they worked on. After four years, they decided that Earth and the Regions should be separated. They believed that since earth hadn't been exposed to…" He paused.

"I know about the Pokémon," Ellie said softly, the words barely audible. The old man smiled at her.

"Ah, then that's a shame. A lot has changed since those games have been made." The man grabbed his own teacup, and slipped slowly.

"What do you mean?" The man sat down again, and shook his head. He opened his mouth slowly, when suddenly the front door slammed open.

"Father?" A deep voice echoed through the kitchen. The man jumped up, a big smile upon his face. A young man ran into the room, and gave the old man a hug. He looked over at Ellie, with the same crooked smile the old man had.

"You have company, Father?" The old man turned quickly towards Ellie, a shocked expression on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss. I never got your name?"

"My name is Ellie. Ellie Mansel."

"I'm Charles Brennick, and this is my son, Lyle." Ellie stood up and shook Lyle's hand. Lyle had dirty brown hair, thick eyebrows and of course the same crooked smile his father had. His clothes were packed with dust, and his shoes were torn up and dirty.

"What're you doing in little ol' Pallet town?" he asked, stretching his smile all the way across his face. Ellie looked at him softly. 'Pallet town – the starting point of the whole entire series of games,' Ellie was slowly realizing that this wasn't a dream, that where she was, and these people were real.

"I think I was sent here…accidentally," Ellie slowly turned towards Mr. Brennick. "The portal can take me back, right?" Lyle stepped towards her, cocking his head to the right. Mr. Brennick turned his head towars the floor, opening his mouth, as if he was trying to say something.

"That portal was destroyed years ago," Lyle whispered. "The blueprints are no longer in our hands." Ellie slumped into her chair, shaking her head. All of the sudden, her head felt light, and her hands began to shake.

"Then I can't go home?" Ellie whimpered. Tears were caught in her throat. Lyle crouched next her, putting a hand on her leg. He looked over at his father, who's eyes were filled with worry. He knew exactly what Lyle was thinking.

"There might be a way to get you home," Lyle warbled. "But it'll be highly dangerous."