He finished loading his weapon. Hunching over behind his partner, he made sure to keep his activities hidden from the otherwise-regular activities of those around him. He took aim at the back of his target's head, well within range for a shot like this...

Splat

Isaac felt the spitball hit right behind his ear right as Ms. Hudson turned around to write the homework on the board. He brought his hand up in annoyance, scraping the spit-soaked wad out from where it had wedged itself, and heard snickers behind him. Sam and Bobby were keeping themselves under control today. Only three spitballs, and class was almost over. No sense saying anything now. They'd hadn't been as bad over the last few weeks, so maybe they were getting bored. If he kept ignoring them, pretending nothing was wrong, maybe they'd give up and bother someone else.

That was something to worry about tomorrow. When the bell rang, he could leave, slam out his homework before dinner, and spend the night playing Pokemon. Hopefully his Pokemon Gray beta would be finished downloading by the time he got home.

Isaac still wasn't sure how he'd gotten into the beta for a game he hadn't even known was in the works. One day an alert had popped up on his screen during a Trainer battle asking if he was interested. He'd assumed it was an easter egg, but when the icon showed up on his screen after his latest update, he'd happily begun the download.

The bell rang, and he was snapped out of his reverie. He suffered through a rubber-band bee-sting on the shoulder from Bobby as he and Sam walked by, and then they were gone. He gathered his things, heaved himself out from behind his desk, and went out to collect his books and bag from his locker.

The hall was crowded, as usual, but the usual clamor was strained, as if everyone were gearing up for a football game or dance. "There's probably a party at some senior's house tonight," Isaac told himself. As he passed a group of whispering girls, they quieted before giggling. He self-consciously wiped behind his ear again, worried he'd missed something.

He finally reached his locker through the press. He'd just started opening it before he noticed the bottom leaking, and by then it was too late.

The door opened, and piles of Jell-O bobbled out. All Isaac could think while the slimy green gelatin settled into his pants and shoes was, "Oh."

Not even bothering to get his stuff, which was undoubtedly ruined, or close his locker, Isaac left, the hoots and laughter haunting every step. Not bothering with the bus, he started the trek home. He didn't feel it when the tears started, but they were making a steady stream down his face by the time he reached his front door.

His parents weren't home yet, so he stripped off his disgusting clothes and stepped into the shower. As the water cascaded over him, he sulked.

"Why me?!" he cried after a few minutes, pounding his fist on the side of the stall. It hurt, and he cradled it with his other hand. "It's always me! There's tons of other kids, and they always choose me. It's not like I'm the smartest, or the dumbest. There are fatter kids in our grade." He slowly sank down to his knees, exhausted from his outburst. He whispered, "So why is it always me?"

The tears continued.

When he finally got out of the shower, Isaac still didn't hear his parents. "Well, it's not like I can get any school-work done. Gray should be downloaded by now."

He finished drying off, and lay on his bed, Game Boy Ultimate in hand. He powered it on, letting the familiar animations begin soothing him. And there it was! Pokemon Gray: beta, right on the home screen. He selected it, the Nintendo, Game Freak and Pokemon Company logos cycled, then an unfamiliar logo popped up, everything went blurry for a second, and then...

Nothing.

"What?" Isaac asked aloud? One second, he was preparing for a 'new game' selection screen, and the next, well, nothing.

His room was gone. His bed was gone. His GBU was gone. He looked down and squeaked in embarrassment- his towel was gone! He just... was.

"What happened?" he whined. Tears began welling in his eyes again, blurring the nothingness around him.

Then, all of a sudden, it was back. Not what he'd left, but at least there was world around him now. A field, to be specific. Of course, he was still naked, but hopefully now that clothes existed again, that wouldn't be a problem for too long. Then he saw it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a twitch of purple move. He turned to see what it was, and...

A rattata. Isaac's eyes bulged, and he fainted.