I think my parents have the coolest job in the world.

I'm dead serious. Who wouldn't want their parents to be voice actors for the number one animated series on television, Pokémon?

Even though I don't work along with them, I definitely have some perks for just being my parents' offspring. Kids at school know that my parents work for the American Pokémon Company, and they ask me for free games and merchandise and stuff like that. Of course I don't give it to them, it would be way too expensive, and we don't have any connection with the game section of Pokémon because that's mainly Japan's business.

It does give me popularity, though. I had a teacher who used to love Pokémon, and one time I accidentally left my homework at home. But he gave me a free pass so long as I brought him a special-edition Lugia trading card the next day! Really!

My parents only handle the voice-overs for the English anime, and they only play small parts when they actually do the voicing. Do you remember Edna from the anime series? Generation III... Old woman... Ring any bells? Remember anything?

If you did, it probably didn't click in your mind at first. In the Hoenn series, she was the old woman whose husband had died shortly after he boarded a train to go somewhere important, blah blah blah. Yeah, normally I wouldn't really remember. But my mom and dad asked permission for my grandma to voice Edna. Yes, my grandma. We have pretty good connections with people high up on the chain.

Until now, I had never regretted my parents having the job they have. Key words: Until now.

My name's Daisy, by the way. It's short for Daisen, the smally city in Japan where I was born. I'm American, though. My parents used to assist the animators in Japan, but then my mom got pregnant with me and didn't want me growing up there. I only spent the first year of my life in Japan, and don't ask me if I remember it. We also moved because my parents got promoted to do the voice work in America. Pretty cool, huh?

I think so too. Excuse me, I thought so. It used to be totally awesome, but a few days ago… my life's been changed, to put it simply. Very, very changed.

~Three Days Ago~

On the day that everything changed, I was sitting on my bed playing Pokémon Platinum.

It seems weird, now that I look back on it. There I was, my future was going to change in less than four hours, and I was playing a video game. Strange, right? You'd think I'd be writing out my will and calling up friends to talk to them for one last time and spending time with my parents for a little while.

Mom and Dad got a call saying that the technologies section of the recording studio was having problems, so they rushed out of the house a few hours earlier, leaving me alone with Cookie, my Springer spaniel. I was okay with that. I mean, I like being alone. I can do things without having other people breathing down my back and have a little peace and quiet. It's nice.

I flipped open my Platinum guide to Crasher Wake's section. Earlier, I had promised my best friend Taylor that I would write down some info on him because I had finished the game ages ago, and Taylor had just started playing. I had recently "converted" Taylor into a Pokémon fan. I took pride in that... knowing I had converted someone to my "religion". No, I don't actually consider Pokémon a religion, but you get my drift.

I called Taylor up on my cell once I got my battle plan. "He has a Gyarados, Quagsire, and Floatzel... I would use your Luxio on Gyarados because it's got quadruple weakness, your Grotle on Quagsire-"

"Why can't I use Grotle on Floatzel?"

"Because Wake's Floatzel knows Ice Beam. Sending in Grotle is like sending it to a slaughter house." I didn't mention that I stupidly had done that very thing. Just then, my phone beeped, signaling that I had another call coming in.

"Can I call you back soon? My mom's beeping in."

"Yeah, but hurry," Taylor said. "I wanna beat Wake fast."

I clicked over to the other line. "Hello?"

"Hey honey, are you doing alright? Listen, I need to make this fast because I have to go, but Renjiro wants a kid to come up to the studio tonight to test the prototype for that new game, Pokémon Kioku. I know it's short notice and all, but he asked foryou because he knew that you would be more than happy to."

I shrieked. "They're letting me test the Japanese version of Pokémon: Recollection Edition?" Pokémon: Recollection Edition was a new game that was coming out in about three years to the Japanese (technically Pokémon Kioku in Japan) because of such advanced technology. Getting to test it would be such a privledge!

My mom knew that I loved Renjiro, the assistant technology producer from Japan. He transfered over to America because the Japan Pokémon Company wanted an experienced person to supervise the Americans in translating the gaming. Renjiro spoke fluent English, so whenever I went to the studio with my parents I would sometimes hang out with him and talk about merchandise, upcoming games, voice-overs, and even school.

"Renjiro wants someone else to test it along with you, so do you think you can call up a friend? You need to be at the studio by eight. And wear something comfortable. This new technology will blow your mind."

I could barely contain my excitement. "Okay. Thanks Mom. See ya at the studio around eight!"

As I hung up the phone, I let my mind wonder about the "advanced technology" my mom was talking about. Renjiro used to not even talk about it with me, so it must be pretty special and exclusive. I remembered when Nintendo DS touch screens were new technology. And Wiis. And even rechargeble batteries.

I needed to bring a friend, so I thought I would let Taylor come along. I called him up and said, "You doing anything tonight?"

"...Are you asking me out? 'Cause if you are, I can arrange-"

"No, dumbass." Taylor always had a crush on me since we were little kids, and sometimes simple little phrases that popped up brought on new meanings with Taylor. But, he was still my best friend. You just have to look past his perverted outer covering and get to the big heart on the inside. Trust me, it took me a while... I know it's hard, but don't stop getting to know him only after three minutes.

I began again, "My mom called, and she said that the gaming guy Renjiro at the Pokémon studio asked her if me and you wanted to test a new video game. Are you up for it?"

"Sounds fun. Just let me save my game and I'll be right over." Taylor ended the call.

I shook my head and sighed, yet I smiled. Doesn't anyone say good-bye anymore?

So, let me back up. I can tell I'm going a little fast. That's just how I am. Taylor and I have been best friends since we were in diapers, and our moms used to bring us over to each other's houses for little playdates. We both have pictures of each other naked in the bathtub that we like to call blackmail. Yes, it most certainly comes in handy.

We went to elementary school together, then to middle school, and now we're both freshmen at NYC High. Through the years we've stayed pretty close, and we tell each other everything, despite our gender difference. We sort of- I don't know- complete each other. Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but it's true. We fill up each other's spaces. Where I'm mostly serious, sometimes violent, independent, sarcastic, and at times a real kill-joy... Taylor is funny, weird, carefree, loud, and spastic.

Major differences, no?

I had some time to kill before I needed to leave around seven thirty in a cab. I'll be honest, I was really psyched for this opportunity. It's not everyday you get to test a high-tech video game that only few people have seen.

When seven thirty rolled around, I called up a cab and left my NYC townhouse. I had thrown my long brown hair into a side ponytail, and wore my favorite American Eagle hoodie. I let Taylor in about fifteen minutes earlier, and we were finally on our way.

Taylor was excited. No, that's an understatement. He was so freaking hyperly estatic. When I threatened to shove my fist down his throat during our elevator ride, he shut up. For thirty seconds.

"So what are we gonna do tonight?"

"I really don't know, Taylor."

"What's the new technology like?"

"I really don't know, Taylor."

"Who's this Renjiro guy?"

"I really don't know, Taylor."

"Yes you do! Stop saying that!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Why can't you just kiss me and then we can be happy?"

I punched him. "Where the hell did that question come from?"

"I don't know, it just seems like the answer to every couple's problem!"

"Well, we're not a couple, and it's not," I hissed, then sighed. Taylor was always coming up with idiotic solutions to our problems, ones that involed some sort of dating mechanism. To this day, I still can't believe why I'm still friends with him. Moron. But I love him... in a brotherly way.

I tried to muster my patience together. "I don't really know much about what we're doing tonight, I'm just along for the ride and so are you. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The ride to the studio was short, and as the cabbie let us off at three-seventeen Madison Avenue, I couldn't contain my excitement. "YES!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Taylor shot me a weird look. "Don't do that, people are watching."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you're one to talk, idiot."

We made the climb up to the twenty-second floor, and found the studio. I figured Renjiro would be somewhere around here. I pulled off my hoodie and my scarf, and sat on the waiting couch. Taylor sat beside me, and we waited.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of waiting and mindless chit-chat, Renjiro rushed into the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting, we were having some trouble with the headsets. Stupid prototypes. Always screwy somehow or another." He laughed. "So, you ready to try it out?"

"More than ready," I told him. I introduced him to Taylor, and we were on our way to try out the new game.

While walking down the long hallways to the secret studio, Renjiro and I talked like old friends. Well actually, we were. It had been a little while since I had come to the studio because I could stay at home by myself and didn't need my parent's constant watching. We chatted about upcoming releases, the new Pokémon movie coming out in the summer, friends, grades, and other nonchalant stuff.

The three of us came to a halt in front of a door with a sign that read, "Pokémon: Recollection Edition." Renjiro punched in the code on a keypad, and the doors slid open, revealing a pitch-black studio. Renjiro flipped on the light switch.

"Introducing, our latest technology!" Renjiro announced. We looked around...

...And just stared. To be honest, it didn't look all that advanced. Two pairs of headsets lay on two mushroom-shaped chairs. The headsets looked like something you'd see from a Blue Tooth commercial. They appeared to just pop into your ear and stay like that.

"So, what do you think?" Renjiro had walked up behind Taylor and me.

"It's just-" I struggled for the words, "so.... normal, as in something you would see every day." Renjiro could tell I wasn't impressed.

"This is only part of it. Come to the back." He motioned for us to follow him to another area of the studio.

Taylor had been silent the whole time since we met Renjiro. That was something else about Taylor. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he won't shut up. But when he feels intrigued or confused, he's quiet. It strikes me as odd, because those are the times I'd be talking. Over the years, I've come to the conclusion we're wired much, much differently.

Renjiro led us to the latter part of the gaming studio. There, Taylor and I stood in front of a blank screen. I had just noticed that Renjiro had brought the headsets with him. "Stay here," he told us, "I'm going back for the chairs."

While Renjiro was gone, Taylor took the opportunity to tell me, "Pretty impressive. I can see how this works."

"Don't tell me," I said. "I wanna find out for myself." When it comes to book-smart technology things like this, Taylor's got me beat. But when it comes to common sense... don't even get me started.

Renjiro came back and told us to sit in the mushroom chairs, put the headsets on, stare at the screen, and wait for a second. I sighed impatiently. I was tired of waiting.

Suddenly, I felt sort of nauseaous and dizzy. A quick glance at my best friend told me he felt it, too. I started to feel sleepy, and I could barely keep my head up.

"I think I was wrong... this isn't how I imagined it would work..." Taylor's eyes glazed over, and he stared at nothing. I felt alarmed. Had Renjiro... ?

"Reeeeeenjiiiiiiiirooo...?" I called, my sylables slurred. My headset beeped, and a voice took over. "You're feeling the effect of the opium. It was coated on the chairs," Renjiro's voice told me.

"You drugged us?!?" I screeched. "With a freaking illegal drug?!? You plan to do that to both American and Japanese people when they buy the game? How did the company let you do this to us?!?" I was more than furious, I was literally writhing on the ground, but that was by more of the effect of the opium. Why the hell did he think he could do that to us?

"We're only drugging you as an alternative. This is only the prototype. We'll find another way to get customers unconscious."

They way he said that made me shudder. Sort of like how we were dispensable. What the hell had the company been reduced to? Psychotic morons?

Yeah, we'll go with that.

The opium had definetly taken its toll on my body. I couldn't move from where I was sprawled across my chair. This is like some sort of sci-fi novel, I thought. Nothing like this ever happens.

But I was more disturbed by Renjiro. Why did he pick me to be drugged like this? I thought he was my friend. Did he really want it like this?

To answer my question, I heard Renjiro over the headset. "This is weird..." he said, "I'm losing your mind's signal. Your's, and your friend's. This isn't supposed to happen... Oh shit..."

Great... nothing like that news to cheer me up.

I could actually feel my mind going. The last things I remembered was Renjiro coming in with a panicked look on his face, desperatly trying to shake me and Taylor out of our unconsciousness. At that point, I didn't care what was happening. I was too tired to hang on, which is what Renjiro wanted me to do.

Like I said, sci-fi much? I think so too. You only see this stuff on Star Trek, I'm not kidding. Why me? Why Taylor?

What the heck? Why was this happening?

One thing was for sure, though: We were on our way to being inside the actual game, Pokémon: Recollection Edition.

*~*~*~*~*

Hey everyone!

Scorchtail here! I hadn't been writing in a while, I know, I'm sorry. I had some serious writer's block with The Inheritors, and I just couldn't finish it. Hopefully I'll have better luck here. But I can only do that with the help of you guys. Seriously, your reviews are like fuel for writers. If you have any complains, please include them in your reviews. Any suggestions, do the same. I want to finish this one out. For you guys. I don't know how often I'll update, but please R&R and I'll try my hardest, I swear.

And also, a real woman voices Edna. ^_^ I was feeling a little random and decided to put that Daisy's grandma voiced her.

You'll learn more about the game in the next chapter!

Scorchy

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon or American Eagle. Only my characters.