Chapter 1 - Welcome to Sacreca
It felt as if it was a dream...
A mysterious void of sorts was all that could be seen. Its infinite brightness held nothing but emptiness. The visually striking whites and blues gave off an otherworldly sense of wonder and intrigue. No sound could be heard but the light air within the void. Suddenly, as if nothing would occur here, a calm and elderly female voice was heard...
"Hello. I am pleased to meet you. You have been chosen for a task of huge importance, and now the time has come. You are about to enter a whole new world...a world far from your own. This world is inhabited by many Pokémon. They live daily lives there, much like yourself in your own world. It is a world of peace. But I fear it will not be that way for long... There is a crisis that is about to unfold in this land. I can sense it. And so, you have been chosen...to avert this great crisis before the damage becomes permanent. Your personality shall soon manifest itself into a new form. This form shall give you the power you need to help you in this mission. But be careful, many dangers are sure to lay ahead. I know this will all seem so sudden to you, but...there is no other option. I don't have much time, so I must bid you farewell for now. I shall now use the last of this power to send you there. Please...save this world... You are...our last hope... Good luck, Susanshi..."
And now...
There was a great meadow of rich green grass in an unknown land. The hills of the meadow stretched out all across the landscape. The sky was clear and blue with not a single cloud to ruin the view. A very light and soothing breeze was blowing across the meadow. Several piles of wheat can be spotted growing in areas, as well as multiple flowerbeds dotted about here and there. The whole scene was like it was straight out of a photograph that captured every noteworthy detail.
Upon one of the meadow's hills were two figures. They were just two of the many variations of creatures known commonly as Pokémon. One stood at around two feet in height on two long, black legs. It featured a furry blue body, head and arms. It had ears which pointed upwards and two black appendages that drooped down on either side of its head. The face was in possession of a black mask-like marking, followed by red eyes. The forehead had three small protruding tufts of fur. The Pokémon was wearing a thin red scarf around its scrawny neck and was also carrying a bag around its shoulder by way of a leather strap attached to it. The bag was rather small and orange in color. It had a flap which went over the top of it to keep it closed. The flap also had a symbol on the front of it, resembling a four-pointed star on the front of a small square. The overall symbol was a light blue color. This Pokémon was a Riolu, a Fighting-type.
The second Pokémon, who was accompanying the Riolu, was orange, lizard-like and standing on two stumpy feet. A small flame burned on the end of its tail. The Pokémon also featured a rather grave expression, along with a thin green headband around its head. The ends of the headband drooped down behind the head and appeared slightly burnt at the tips, most likely caused by the fire on the end of the tail. This Pokémon is Charmander, a Fire-type. They were both standing still at the top of the hill. The Riolu was staring at a small piece of paper that it was holding.
"Alright, Leo. Where do we go from here, huh?" asked the Charmander.
"Oh, um... I...think we've gone the completely wrong way," replied the Riolu as he stared puzzled at the paper.
"What? You're pulling my leg!" snapped the Charmander. "Let me have a look at the map!"
He then proceeded to snatch the paper off the Riolu and gaze at it.
"Y-you idiot! You had the map upside-down! We ARE at Jade Meadow!" he said angrily.
"I...I did? Well, that explains why the mountains were upside-down," said the Riolu with a look of embarrassment.
The Charmander began to glare at him.
"Hehe...oops!" The Riolu said bashfully.
"And out of all the possible partners, I get stuck with YOU!" the displeased Charmander shouted.
"I...I'm sorry, Tokot. Sorry for being such a screw-up on our first mission..." lamented the Riolu.
"Self-pity won't work on me! You'd better make up for this mess in the future!" warned the Charmander.
"I-I'll try. I'm just not feeling all that confident about this..."
"Not confident? You're the one who was blabbering on about how you wanted to become an Explorer and make a Pokémon of yourself! You're failing right now, don't you get it?!"
"Look, I'm sorry, Tokot. Now, can we get back to the mission? The Berries that Foliar, Flare and Flow want are in Chlorophyll Woods, which is at the end of Jade Meadow. We should get going now, don't you think?"
"Ah, yes. The sooner we get those Berries then the sooner I can demand a better partner."
The duo then began to head off in the west direction. The Riolu appeared to be saddened, likely from guilt.
"Oh, can I have the map back now?" he then asked as they walked.
"Sure, take it. Just don't look at it the wrong way again," said the Charmander as he handed the map back to the Riolu, who then took hold of it, opened up the flap on his bag and placed it within.
A very short while later, the Riolu and Charmander had reached the outside of a cluster of tall trees that together formed a small piece of woodland at the edge of the meadow. They were standing just before a gap in the trees which led inside. A dirt path formed outside the gap and traveled straight down into the entrance.
"This must be Chlorophyll Woods," observed the Charmander.
"Let me have a look at the map to see if it is," said the Riolu as he took the map out of his bag and inspected it. "...Yes. This is most definitely Chlorophyll Woods."
"Are you absolutely sure this time?" questioned the Charmander.
"I'm as sure as I should be," replied the Riolu.
"I don't believe you, but we'll check here anyway. Now, let's go in there and get those Berries!" said the Charmander.
He began to make his way into the gap in the trees before them, but quickly noticed that the Riolu had not even moved from the spot where he was standing. He turned his head around to spot him staring off to the side of the area.
"Yo, Leo! Quit looking into space and get over here!" called out the Charmander.
"But wait! I think I can see something over there!" claimed the Riolu.
The Charmander gave off a quick sigh.
"OK, I am going to come over there, and I will prove to you that there is nothing there, then we can continue with the mission!" he said as he walked back up to the Riolu.
Once he returned to his side, he looked out hard in the direction the Riolu was looking at.
"Well, I'll be damned. There really is something over there!" he said in very slight surprise.
"See? Why didn't you believe me before?" asked the Riolu.
"Because you hold maps upside-down!" replied the Charmander. "For all I know, you were looking at a fig!"
"No... It can't be that... I'm going to see what that thing is," said the Riolu, before he began to run over to whatever caught his eye.
The Charmander quietly followed behind him. The duo stopped before what they had spotted. It was a small blue object lying down in the grass just outside the woods. It turned out to be yet another Pokémon, lying face-down and unconscious. It sported a sky-blue cape-like feature that started at the base if its neck and went down the back, a light blue body, spherical head, small yellow feet and flipper-like arms.
"It's... It's another Pokémon!" declared the Riolu.
"Leave it, Leo. It's causing a distraction," said the Charmander. "It's probably just lying here, hoping to receive undeserved attention. Or worse, dead."
"How could you say that? We don't even know that!" said the Riolu.
He then started to gently rock the Pokémon with his foot.
"Hey, are you OK? Wake up!" he requested.
There was not a single response.
"Yep, it's dead," the Charmander quickly concluded. "Some scavengers will eat the corpse eventually, so let's just leave it here. I ain't letting it spread whatever it may have to me, and possibly you."
"Not until I make absolute sure that it clearly isn't alive," said the Riolu.
He then discovered a small stick a few inches away from him. He walked up to it, picked it up, returned to the blue Pokémon and began poking at it gently with the stick.
"Come on now, wakey-wakey! Wipe the sand from your eyes and breathe this fresh morning air!" requested the Riolu. "...Please?"
After a few more rapid prods, the Pokémon began to twitch.
"Oh, it's alive after all," announced the Charmander. "Well, too bad for the scavengers."
The stirring Pokémon gave off sleepily groaning sounds as it rolled upright, revealing a white face with a yellow beak, two fur tufts on the forehead which pointed downward at an angle and a pair of half closed, sleep-filled feminine eyes. This Pokémon was known as a Piplup, a penguin-like Water-type. The Piplup sat up and gazed lazily at the Riolu, who was stood standing directly in front of her while still holding the stick he used to poke at her with.
"Hey, how are you?" asked the Riolu. "You're not hurt or anything, are you?"
The moment he finished talking, the Piplup screamed in shock and disbelief, all while still staring at him:
"AHHHHHHHH!"
"H-hey! Calm down! It's only a stick!" stated the Riolu. "I don't think I poked you too hard with it. ...Did I?"
"Nah, you're way too soft to cause harm with a stick. What you'd need is a log. Now THAT would hurt," said the Charmander.
The Piplup had then looked upon the Charmander after hearing his voice, only to appear even more shocked than previously.
"No! This is impossible! Y-you shouldn't be talking!" shouted the Piplup.
"Oh? But I am!" replied the Riolu, "I'm talking, you're talking... We all talk!"
"But...but Pokémon can't talk!" stated the Piplup, shaking her head.
"I think this girl's deranged all the way," said the Charmander.
"D-deranged? I-I can't be!" the Piplup bellowed. "You can't talk! That's how it should be! How is this all even possible?!"
"Hey, you're a Pokémon too, you know!" said the Riolu with a look of concern.
"W-what? Me, a Pokémon?!" questioned the Piplup. "N-no! I won't accept it! There's just no way that I'm a..."
She was halted during her speech. She had caught a glimpse of her reflection within the Riolu's eyes. She saw a Piplup staring right back at her. She stared into the eyes and raised her flipper up into the air. The image in the eyes repeated the exact same action. Without hesitation, she grabbed Riolu by the arm and pulled him down towards her and stared harder into his eyes.
"W-whoa! We've only just met! You sure you want to go there already?" asked the Riolu in surprise, left on his knees.
The Piplup didn't respond. Instead she shared gazes with the reflection. She then placed her remaining hand on her face to see the reflection doing the exact same thing in real time. She removed her grasp of the Riolu and screamed once more.
"Oh no! I-I really am a Pokémon! I'M A PIPLUP!" she wailed with her eyes widened.
She then proceeded to examine her new and unfamiliar body.
"I...I am blue! I don't even have fingers! And... Whoa, I sure did lose a lot of weight. Or did I put it on...? Ohhhhh! I can't tell!"
"Why is being a Pokémon such a surprise to you? Haven't you always been one?" wondered the Riolu.
"Yep, definitely amnesia," declared the Charmander.
"No, it's not amnesia," claimed the Piplup. "I remember going to bed last night!"
"Well, it's not like you had an all-nighter, is it?" questioned the Charmander.
"No! No no no no no! Why is this happening?!" barked the Piplup.
She then attempted to stand up. She did so in a relatively clumsy manner, wobbling as she tried to keep herself stood on her tiny feet. She trembled as she tried to keep her balance.
"You're not feeling well, are you?" wondered the Riolu.
"Well? Am I well?! Of course not! I'm a Piplup!" snapped the panicking Pokémon. "This just isn't right!"
She began to run away from the Riolu and Charmander. She had only taken a few steps before tumbling over and landing on her face. The blades of grass eased the impact greatly. She then lifted herself back up and stood up shakily.
"Ohhh... I can barely even walk like this..." she said quietly to herself, her head pointed down at the ground below in grief.
"Will you please calm down?" requested the Riolu as he approached the Piplup. "Just keep taking deep breaths. It'll help you feel better."
"I... I wish I could feel better..." sighed the Piplup. "But given my current situation, I don't know if I can do that."
"Well, whatever your situation, we'll try to assist you any way we can," assured the Riolu. "It's what we do, right, Tokot?"
"Uh, yeah, whatever," responded the Charmander, who had also got closer to the Piplup.
"Thanks for that. But...you misunderstand," said The Piplup.
"Misunderstand what exactly?" wondered the clueless Riolu.
The Piplup turned around to look at the Riolu. She paused for a moment to think to herself, whether or not to discuss her problems with him.
"How will this Riolu react if I told him the truth?" she asked herself in her head. "Wouldn't he be freaked out by it? Well, not as freaked out as I am right now, probably. OK, I'll tell him... I must do whatever I can right now."
"OK, this may sound crazy, and believe me, this is already pretty crazy for myself," she said. "The thing is... I'm a human."
The Riolu wore a shocked face after hearing this. The Charmander looked rather unimpressed and unconvinced.
"A...a human?! Are you sure?!" questioned the Riolu as he dropped his stick. "But...that's insane! Aren't humans giant compared to your size? And don't you have...c-clothes? Wait, do you call them clothes? I can't remember..."
"Of course I am a human!" explained the Piplup in response. "And yes, it's clothes we wear!"
She then took a moment to peer down at herself.
"Whoa! I'm not wearing clothes now! Geez...this is so wrong! I'm naked!"
She covered her body with her flippers, giving off a slight blush in the process.
"...Naked? But you have fur, don't you?" wondered the Riolu, bearing a face of utter confusion.
"I...I guess this is better than nothing," said the Piplup, revealing her body once more.
"But still, I'm finding this very hard to grasp," said the Riolu. "You're a human, but you're a Piplup right now. What's even going on?"
"...Even I'm unsure about that," replied the Piplup. "The last thing I can remember before all this was dreaming about being in this white void thing and hearing this voice telling me that I have a mission. Then I wake up here!"
"Really? Anything else?" asked the Riolu.
"Yes... That voice said something about having another form," replied the Piplup. "Maybe... Maybe I'm still dreaming! I refuse to accept any of this as reality! Hey, one of you, hit me! Help me to wake up from all of this!"
"Y-you want me...to hit you?" wondered the Riolu, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"Yes! I'll be back in my own bed and as a human! And I'll have clothes on again! Now hit me! Hit me as hard as you can! Don't hold back!" ordered the Piplup.
The Riolu was starting to look nervous, suggesting that he was uncomfortable with the idea of causing pain to somebody he had just met. The Charmander, with a sigh, then walked up to her.
"Enough of this. So you want me to hit you? Very well then," he said impatiently.
He took a swipe at the Piplup with his claws, directly to the face.
"Ouch!" she cried out as she held her head in her hands.
"If this was a dream that you were having, then you would have vanished by now," said the Charmander.
"But you're still here, so therefore, as much as you may not like it, it's no dream. This is really happening."
The Piplup then uncovered her face, revealing three scratch marks running across her face.
"Nope, this is reality," she said to herself.
She began to feel light-headed.
"Oh, maaaaan..."
Then, out of disbelief, she fainted to the ground, landing on her back.
"Huh, looks like she can no longer accept being a Pokémon," said the Charmander. "Well, this was quite the time-waster. Come on Leo, let's get back on track."
"Wait, something's not right," said the Riolu, before he knelled down beside the Piplup. "I mean... What if she's telling the truth? Then we can't just leave her like this. She'll need our help!"
"What? 'Our help'? Oh, no way, Leo! I'm not going to be more of an errand boy than what I already am!" replied the Charmander in disapproval.
"But isn't being an Explorer all about helping out those in need?" wondered the Riolu.
"Did you forget my whole reason for joining the EA in the first place?"
"I haven't, but I think you've misunderstood the point of being an Explorer..."
"Misunderstood? You're the one who can't even read maps properly!"
"Hey, I said I was sorry! I was just nervous about becoming an Explorer, so it left me unfocused!"
"Unfocused? Even my a..."
The Charmander was suddenly interrupted by a now-conscious Piplup:
"What's with all the arguing?"
"Oh, feeling any better?" asked the Riolu.
"Y-yes," replied the Piplup with slight unease. "I get it now. I'm not dreaming, I'm really a Pokémon now. Whatever that voice was, it said I had a mission. I guess I should just accept my fate."
She then let out a sigh.
"What kind of mission?" asked the Riolu.
"Something about a crisis that will occur," replied the Piplup. "I don't know any other details."
"A crisis? I bet it's something to do with Leo here," suggested a cocky Charmander.
"No... I doubt that," said the Riolu. "If I was going to cause a crisis, I'd be aware of it, right?"
The Charmander slapped his head with his palm upon hearing this.
"Well, if a crisis is going to happen then I can't really just stand here and do nothing, even if I've only just started my first term at the EA," said the Riolu.
"Oh, that reminds me of something..." said the Piplup as she got back up onto her feet. "We should properly get acquainted, shouldn't we? I mean, what happened before wasn't really the way of doing it. So yeah... My name is Susanshi, and I'm a human who's feeling pretty weird right now. Where am I exactly?"
"Should have said this a little sooner, but my name is Leo," said the Riolu. "Pleasure to meet you."
He then held his right arm out at Susanshi. After a hesitant response, she grabbed his hand and shook it lightly, then let go.
"So yeah...I'm a Riolu. I'm also a rookie Explorer," continued Leo.
"Yes, I know a lot about Pokémon. You don't need to tell me your species," said Susanshi.
"And this Charmander here is named Tokot. He's my exploration partner," continued Leo.
"Yeah, good to meet you," greeted Tokot, before whispering quietly to himself: "Well, not really."
"I apologize for any rudeness my partner here gives off. He's just a little upset because he lives in a garden shed," explained Leo.
"Don't remind me, you twit!" snapped Tokot.
"And this is Jade Meadow, in the world of Sacreca," said Leo, completely glancing over Tokot's insult.
"Sacre-what?" questioned Susanshi with uncertainty.
"Sacreca. Say-cre-kah," replied Leo.
"Sacreca? Ah, I get it now," said Susanshi. "And what's this whole thing about Explorers, may I ask?"
"It's pretty much the big thing about Sacreca. You see, in the local town there's the Explorers' Academy, or EA for short. It's sort of like a school where Explorer hopefuls spend several years at to learn about the ways of the Explorers. Pokémon come from all over to get in on the action and excitement! Those who do good during their time at the EA eventually graduate and can become independent teams. The rules are set so that each team must have one team leader and a maximum of four team members. We have to be in teams, you see. Those without partners can go with any other team or solo person. Of course, nobody was interested in letting us two join, so naturally we ended up being paired together," Leo detailed as best he could, all while still trying to keep it brief.
"And boy, do I ever wish that didn't happen!" exclaimed Tokot.
"That's all really interesting, Leo," said Susanshi. "But what can I do?"
"Pretty obvious, really. You can join us!" replied Leo. "We'll help you with your predicament however we can!"
"Oh, you'd really do that for me?" wondered Susanshi.
"Sure thing! Explorers help out those in need!" replied Leo. "Plus, me and Tokot can help you with your own mission, all while trying to uncover the mystery of it all."
"Oh, I really should thank you, Leo. I'm just glad I didn't freak you out too much with my...truth," said Susanshi. "It looks like I have no other choice, so hopefully I can find out what exactly's happening. That voice was too quick to abandon me here, so I haven't any idea what to do right now."
"Just as long as she doesn't screw things up as bad as Leo, then I guess I'm fine with her," said Tokot rudely.
"Right now, we don't have a name for our team, but we'll think of something soon," said Leo. "Oh! Speaking of which, we should get back to our mission!"
"Oh? And what mission's that?" asked Susanshi.
"We've been tasked with going into Chlorophyll Woods, which is right next to us, to gather some Berries for the cafe owners back in Sacreca Town," explained Leo.
He then reached into his bag and pulled out a smaller piece of paper and looked at it.
"They want five lots of Cheri Berries, Rawst Berries, Sitrus Berries and Pecha Berries. All of them grow in these woods."
"I see. Well, I guess I can help the two of you out with that," said Susanshi. "But... In exchange, you'll help me, of course. So sorry to have to drag you into my own problem, but I'm not of this world, and I just want to get it done with so I can get back home!"
"Hey, we already agreed to help you," reminded Leo. "I'm sure Master Eag will allow you to join our team. He's the leader of the EA, by the way. We can register you for the EA once we get back to town. Let's go get those Berries first."
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute," said Susanshi as she backed off a little. "Do I really have to join your team? But I don't exactly plan on staying here, you know!"
"Don't worry! We'll register you with us so that you blend in. You get what I mean?" said Leo. "If you join us, then people will think you're a part of the team. Nobody will suspect a thing!"
"So you want to go home? Good riddance, I'll say," said Tokot.
"Tokot, please!" said Leo. "Again, I apologize for Tokot's behavior."
"Oh, that's OK. I'm sure he...doesn't mean it, really," said Susanshi.
"Hmph. That's what you think," mumbled Tokot silently.
"Enough of this, let's go get those Berries!" Leo announced. "Just follow me, Susanshi."
With that, he, Susanshi and Tokot all headed back towards the gap in the trees and entered Chlorophyll Woods. During this, Susanshi was wondering to herself:
"This is such a weird series of events... I went to sleep last night, then I have that dream with the voice... Now here I am with the body of a Piplup. What is the meaning of this? Why me, of all people? Well, I don't think I'll learn that answer right away, or worse yet, not learn it at all... No! I must not think like that! I'll just have to think positive! In the meantime, I'm sure these two will help me out. But until then...I'll just have to wait and adapt..."
