I'm your average teenage kid with a secret love for Pokémon. Sadly, it's kept secret because of being 16, it's considered "immature" and it's frowned upon by society. However, that does not keep me from playing some of my favorite games such as Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Ruby, Emerald and Platinum.
I never made it past the fourth generation of Pokémon as I found the fifth generation to be tedious, uninteresting and most of all...pathetic. So I stuck with my original games on my SP and DS lite.
I've owned every Pokémon(some hacked) known. Even Deoxys, Jirachi, and Arceus. I'm not that hardcore of a Pokémon player as I barely ever watched the tv series, nor did I ever keep a Pokémon card for more than a few weeks. I just played the game because it was an excellent time killer and it was great for something to complete my childhood on. I'm sure some older people can agree to that.
But one day, I came across something that will change my life forever.
My Aunt just recently moved into a new three-story house because with her growing new family, my parents are no longer here, and I was helping her move things in and out. It was especially easy with the pickup truck I had. So transporting things was no big deal. Once, my mom told me to go to the bathroom and put the towels and other restroom like things in drawers and such.
After putting everything else away in cabinets, I slid out a large drawer to put the towels in. Then something caught my eye. At the bottom of the drawer were two old style Pokémon games. Red and yellow. Guess the family before us had a kid that loved Pokémon as well. I picked up the two cartridges and examined them. The label on the red cartridge was missing. The left over white streaks left behind indicated that it was taken off in a hurry.
The yellow cartridge however, was as normal as could be. The picture of Pikachu running put a smile on my face. But, as I looked closer. The Pikachu had a small sliver running down its eye. Thinking nothing of it, I slid the cartridges in my pocket, finished my chores and decided to go hang out at the park for a bit.
After about an hour of doing nothing but just sitting at a park bench watching little kids running around and some getting yelled at by parents. I decided to just head home and relax. I stood up and out of my pocket fell the yellow cartridge. I picked it up and had a sudden wish to play it. However, I didn't have a Game Boy or anything for that matter. I sold everything that I had related to Pokémon and video games to help pay for gas about a month ago.
Realizing there was a GameStop not too far from my house, I was convinced I would find a SP or something. As I was starting up my truck, something extremely fucked up happened. As the engine-turned over, the gas gauge on my dashboard suddenly went crazy. Ping-ponging back and forth from E to F. And it would not stop. I knew I had at least a full tank in and this was a brand new truck. So why would it do this?
Thinking nothing of it, I shifted it into reverse and drove off to the store. Upon arriving at the stores parking lot, I decided to look at my gage again to see if it was still screwing up. What I saw made my heart drop. It was spinning in a complete circle. Spinning faster than propellers on a Bi-plane. I slammed my fist against the plastic barrier. Nothing. I forcefully turned my engine off and ripped the key out of the insertion socket. It stopped. Frozen on E.
Scared to all hell, I shoved my door open and sprinted for the front entrance door. I stopped short of the door and collected myself. Gripping the handle and walked into the store.
The gal working behind the counter asked if I needed any help. She could see the terror in my face. I shook my head and just asked if she had any Game Boys. She nodded and motioned for me to follow her. She took her place behind the counter and opened the glass counter to show a red SP. The SP was badly beaten up with scratch marks on the cover and the screen along with dents and cut off corners. This usually does not bother me but it grew weary onto me. But I digress.
As I slid the yellow cartridge into the GBA slot, the lights in the store flickered. The store employee, a few adults and a kid looked up at the ceiling as if expecting an answered. I was among those who looked up. I slowly looked down at the SP screen. It showed Pikachu. Just his head and half of his chest was visible. He was smiling with his black eyes and red cheeks and yellow body.
I pressed start. The screen did nothing. I pressed A. A "Pika!" sounded through the speakers. It sounded just like the cry you hear on the tv show. I pressed B. Now his Pokémon cry programmed into the games sounded. Except it sounded like he was crying. Like he had just fainted in battle. The Pikachu on the screen changed. His ears fell and his smile vanished into a frown. His eyes were droopy. I honestly had never seen anything so sad in my life.
I was interrupted from doing anything more as the store employee told me the "15 minute play time" rule was up. Impossible, I hadn't played it at all and there was no way the SP was in my hands for any longer than 40 seconds. She told me I either had to pay for it, or get out and she threatened to call the cops. Whoa. Earlier this woman looked like she was about to give me CPR-which wouldn't have been bad at all-and now she looks like she is about to kill me. Intrigued by the Pikachu, I choose to buy the SP.
I gave the employee $20, expecting to receive $5 back in change as the SP was only charged for 15. However she took the 20 from my hands and slammed it into the cash-register. She told me to get out before she called the cops. Wasting no time, I bolted for the door and ran for my truck. I threw open the door and hopped into the driver's side and quickly closed the door.
I sat there in silence. Disappointed that I lost $5 and to the fact that I lost my chances on a really hot girl who worked at freaking GameStop. Also, I felt an uneasy feeling in my stomach. The kind of feeling you get when you are outside and its cold, and alone.
"Pika!" I looked around, scared shitless. Was that the cry from the SP? Or was I imagining it? I glanced over to the passenger seat to see a closed red SP with a yellow cartridge sticking out of the bottom. I slowly picked up the SP. I noticed it was off. The switch was down and there was no light above it.
The little voice in my head told me not to open it and my inside were screaming too. However, I ignored all of them and forced my hands to grip the cover and open it. At least it was Pikachu and he was happy again. But, fear still coursed through my veins as too why it showed him even though everything was obviously off. And I also just heard him say Pika.
As im about to pressed A like I did in the store, something caught my eye out my windshield. I look up to see the employee standing and staring directly at me. Making eye contact, I didn't know whether I should start my truck and leave, or get out and try to tell her I was sorry. I never did make that decision. Instead Pikachu made the decision. He made his cry and I looked back down at him. He hadn't changed. But there was a message that read across the screen just under his chin.
"Would you like to help her?"
Not knowing what to do, I looked back up to the girl. She hadn't moved a muscle. I looked back down at Pikachu. Only, he wasnt there. Instead was a text box that said YES/NO. Hesitantly thinking, I pressed A. The YES option flickered and Pikachu appeared again while the text box disappeared. He just smiled.
I squinted my eyes in confusion. And I glanced up at the girl employee. I could faintly pick up a smile, even though she was a good football field length away. She raised her hand to her head, as if she was waving. I didn't know if I should wave or not. Well...as it turned out. Her hand held something in it. My stomach dropped.
"BANG!"
The girl fell over and a red splattered onto the plate-glass in front of the game store. A red mist lingered in the air. I couldn't move. I didn't want to move. I just saw someone die! What the hell was I supposed to do!
"Pikachu,"
My inner emotions ran wild. Anger and rage built up inside of me.
"Pika..."
I closed my eyes, hoping I would wake from this night-
"CHU!" The speakers sounded with a long and spiked screeching noise. I dropped the SP and covered my ears. The screeching went on forever. I felt liquid coming out of my ears. Then just as quickly as it started, it stopped. I removed my hands and looked at them. I was wearing red gloves. I soon became dizzy.
"Pika?"
Once my vision came back, the first thing I saw were people around where the girl used to be. Then, I felt the SP next to my feet. It's closed when I picked it up. I slowly opened the cover to be greeted with a message.
"You have helped someone end they're pain and suffering. How do you feel?"
There was no text box. Just a feeling of guilt deep in my stomach. My guess was that the game wanted me to speak. So I did.
"I feel... Scared," I whispered to nothing particular.
"Why do you feel Scared Henry?"
My heart skipped a beat. How in the fuck did it know my name?
"Ive never seen someone die before," I answered
"Dont worry Henry..."
My heart pounded against my chest.
"...She wont be..."
My heart stopped waiting for the text to continue.
"...the..."
Pikachu appeared. But now he was black-skinned with crystal blue eyes.
"LAST!"
The screeching sounded again. But my ears were already damaged and it only lasted for a few seconds before the "dark" Pikachu vanished.
The screen cut to its original off-screen. I couldn't move…nor did I want to. I was frozen in fear as the face I just saw was already giving me nightmares. Never had I been more scared in my life.
Police had now showed up at the store. Being completely calm, but totally petrified, I closed the SP and put it and the red cartridge in the glove box and started up my truck. The gas gauge was back to normal as it read half tank. I didn't even bother putting on my seatbelt as I drove out of the parking lot. A million thoughts were running through my head. What had just happened? Am I dreaming? Please let me be dreaming.
I drove for what felt like forever. With no intention to go anywhere else in this entire fucked up day, I soon found myself on the road to home. Only one person lived there other than me. My sister Jackie. We were inseparable. Nothing could drive us apart, not even the fire that destroyed our home…and killed our parents.
We were living in secrecy for the past two years. We received fake identities, passports, birth certificates from an uncle who was there during the fire. He saved me and my sister. He hid us in his house because out of uncertainty, didn't know what to do. The police couldn't find me and my sisters "bodies" so announced us dead on the scene. He does so much for us, but we never know how to repay him. I should also mention that my sister loves Pokémon and she is 15.
I pulled up in my drive way and killed my engine. However, as I walked away from my truck, a strange feeling lingered in my chest. Never had I felt something like this before. I didn't know what this was or what it meant. I shrugged it off and walked inside.
Seeing my sister in a bathrobe with her hair a jumbled mess was the ONLY reason that my brain made a smile.
As I was about to walk up to her and hug her, a shadow was crawling after me. I knew that this was only the beginning of the end…
.
.
.
.
"Pikachu?"
