pkmn RBY :: prologue :: amour
Following the invention of the Cerebellum, Pokémon was the first of many games to be released with fulldive technology, allowing players to immerse all of their physical senses in virtual reality. Simplicity was its design; Cerebellum was a streamlined helmet with built-in memory, wireless connectivity, and brainwave transmitters. A thin wire extends from its right side, so the console can be charged after or during gameplay.
The transmitters built-in to the Cerebellum were interesting. In layman's terms, they allowed the console to redirect brain signals and create some of its own to stimulate the player's senses. If anyone saw a player in the real world, without knowing the basics of the Cerebellum, they would just assume the player is asleep
During the first log in on the Cerebellum, the console itself had to be calibrated for the player. While wearing the Cerebellum, the player had to attach electrodes to various parts of the body that measured height, girth, and other qualities in order to proper replicate physical senses. For a VRMMORPG, the downside of the system meant that a player's avatar would always bear an uncanny resemblance to them, even if other customization options were available.
Kanto, the setting of the new Pokémon game, was a country surrounded by water and rock. Within its mountainous borders, there were grasslands, forests, and cities; as well as tiny islands dotting the ocean. In these environments live creatures called pokémon, short for pocket monsters. The game itself has no objection; trainers could befriend or battle the creatures or even just live a second life in this virtual world. At the time, I could not fathom how literal the game's promises would turn out to be.
Magenta eyes fluttered open, unveiling the sprawling world before me. New players, like myself, were first logged into Kanto on the outside of a prominent, two-story building atop a steep hill. Cement stairs, lined with cherry blossoms, lead down to the beginning area of Pallet Town. It was a small village with brick-paved roads where trainers usually met to form parties or complete minor fetch quests before setting out to explore the open world. From where I stood, I could even see the glittering bay at the South of Pallet Town, promising adventure for experienced trainers who would someday return to their roots.
I stretched my arms overhead, relishing the sensation of muscle elasticity and the warmth of sunlight on my skin. Despite knowing the game would feel real, it was entirely different to experience it. I held this pose for a few seconds, flexing my fingers and grinning wildly at the prospect of being in a new world, before allowing my arms to relax with a sigh of relief. Without wasting another second, I turned on my heel and walked into Oak Research Laboratory to acquire my first pokémon.
A silver bell chimed as I opened the door into the vestibule. The cream-colored walls were mostly lined with mahogany bookshelves with the exception of left side, where another trainer sat on a leather couch with his feet propped up on a glass top coffee table and a booklet in hand. Like me, he had chosen the all-black default outfit, but had burnt orange hair shaved on the sides and a chest-long beard to match. I eyed him curiously, debating whether to introduce myself or not, before deciding to take the plunge.
"Hi, I'm Amour," I chirped, as I sat down beside him, "What are you reading?"
The unnamed trainer glanced up momentarily, before angling the pages towards me. Pictures of five pokémon were shown with brief descriptions written beside them.
"I'm reading up on the pokémon we can choose," he said, "The main three are Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander; but during the first month of release, we can also choose between Pikachu and Eevee."
I leaned in closer, so I could get a better look. Immediately, the photo of a blue, bipedal turtle with a curled-in tail caught my eye.
"I think I like Squirtle!," I exclaimed as I pointed at it, "I've always been fond of turtles. Plus, the blurb says that it can be used to travel across bodies of water in its final evolution."
The man beside me smiled and pointed to the orange, bipedal dinosaur with a flame-tipped tail.
"I'm going to go with Charmander. He looks like a little bad ass. He's a water type, so he could help with cooking or...," the man grinned sheepishly, "lighting cigarettes. Think they have those here?"
I giggled and looked down, avoiding his smile for reasons I could not yet explain. "I mean, maybe? I doubt it, though."
There was a pause between us, before the unnamed trainer hopped up and adjusted his clothing. He tucked his hands into his black jean pockets and began to exit the vestibule, before looking over his shoulder and gesturing for me with his chin.
"By the name, the name's Scum. I'm about to adopt Charmander, but, uh...," he stammered as he pulled his right hand from his pocket and pointed at me. A small menu opened up in front of him and he selected one of two options. "Here's a friend request. I don't have anyone to play with and... well, unless you're waiting on someone, it could be fun to party up for a minute. My friends would never let me live it down if they knew I bought this game."
A transparent, two-dimensional box appeared before me, displaying "New Friend Request: Scum. Accept or Decline." I grinned and pressed accept, before following him into the laboratory.
It was twilight when we left the laboratory. Professor Oak - a gray-haired man who looked to be in his older forties - not only gave us our pokémon, but also equipped us with a pokédex, pokéballs, and our first fetch quest. Tinges of pink and orange painted the clouds and the sky itself was a dusty blue. Small lights flickered on at the base of the cherry blossoms, casting a subtle glow on the stairs leading into town.
While Scum was examining the quest manager, a menu option that organized quests, I released the newly christened Poseidon from his pokéball. I was surprised to see that the turtle stood at about knee-height compared to me.
"Wow, Po, you're huge!," I gushed, as I knelt beside him and hugged him.
Poseidon seemed to appreciate the affection and touched my cheeks with his little blue hands, as if he were hugging my face.
"According to the pokédex's quest manager, Oak's parcel is located in Viridian City. Wanna head on over or explore a Pallet awhile first?," Scum asked, as he closed the menu by swiping his finger in an upward motion.
Poseidon and I looked up.
"I kinda wanna check out the town first," I mused, while Poseidon continued at paw at my face.
Without missing a beat, Scum offered his hand to help me up. Even though it was a friendly gesture, I caught myself blushing from the contact with his skin. For the briefest of moments, I had forgotten how authentic the sensation of touch felt in this game. Thankfully, he did not seem to notice.
Scum released his Charmander, who he had named Flereous, from his pokéball. The small dinosaur stretched his arms and yawned. Poseidon waddled over to Flereous and the two sniffed each other, before squealing and hugging each other. I supposed that the pokémon were already acquainted from the lab. Scum smiled at them approvingly, before he began walking down the stairs. We followed close behind.
When we were halfway down the staircase, I was about to inquire where we should explore first, when my thought was interrupted by heavy footsteps and labored breathing. A third trainer was rushing up towards us. He had black hair, pulled back in a long, thin ponytail and piercing lime green eyes. Like us, he was black clothing, but it was not the default outfit. Instead, he wore leather pants decorated with two criss-crossed studded belts, a long trench coat whose tail defied gravity, and a spiked collar around his neck - all the markings of a beta tester who had early access to the game. Scum lifted a finger and clicked on the player, revealing his name to be Blackwing.
"Blackwing?," I asked, recognizing the username. "Hey, is that you, Mi-"
Before the question could escape my lips, he was upon us. He stopped a couple of steps below us and clicked on my avatar. An expression of indiscernible shock and anger appeared on his face. Suddenly, he reached up and gripped my shoulders tightly, yelling as he began to shake me.
"What are you doing here?!," he spat.
"What do you mean?!," I yelped.
The pokémon behind me pressed themselves against my leg and growled under their breaths. Scum stepped arm-to-arm with me and gave Blackwing a death glare that sent a shiver down my spine.
"That's no way to say hello," Scum spoke. His voice sounded cordial, hiding his distaste.
Blackwing pursed his lips and furled his eyebrows at my friend, before turning back to face me. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his trenchcoat and sighed heavily, collecting himself.
"Just... log out. Trust me," Blackwing murmured, while tightening the grip he had on my right shoulder.
"Why?," I asked with a trembling voice, "I'm confused. Are you mad at me? I tried calling you earlier, bu-"
"I'm NOT mad!," he shouted with mounting irritation, "Just log out. NOW."
Admittedly, I was afraid. I had never seen him acting so aggressively before. Hesitantly, I lifted my right arm and used my pointer finger to swipe down. A menu popped up before me, displaying several options, none of which said to log out.
"Would it be under user options?," I asked, dejected. At this point, my desire to play the game had been sucked out of me.
Blackwing stomped at the ground with one of his heavy boots and ran both hands through his hair, which loosed a few strands from the ponytail.
"It's too late now."
Scum's patience ran out. He snatched Blackwing by the collar of his shirt and tugged it forward. Blackwing stood his ground, scowling.
"Too late for what? What's your problem?," he growled.
Blackwing smirked and laughed halfheartedly. He reached for a pokéball attached to his belt and released a tan, bipedal pokémon with a segmented body. Pyre barked with the aggression of a small dog, preparing to battle.
"Teleport!," Blackwing yelled. Him and his pokémon evaporated into white light.
Scum and I exchanged confused looks. Seconds later, a furious red glow erupted at the edge of the horizon, presumably from one of the islands. A pillar of smoke arose from its source, reaching into the atmosphere like the arm of an reaper.
"An... event?," I asked warily.
In the blink of eye, an aurora shot across the sky with the speed of a meteorite. Streams of color danced above us with numbers dripping from their hues. Both humans and pokémon were transfixed on its haunting beauty. The aurora itself seemed to be alive, weaving through clouds and early stars like a snake.
I watched the event transpire with mouth agape without noticing that Scum was checking his menu. He tapped on my shoulder and gestured towards his user settings. The custom settings for the FullDive - which were calibrated for the individual's tolerances while playing the game - were set to maximum and grayed-out, rendering them unable to be changed.
"Amour, if we're unable to log out and the settings were also altered, that means...," his voice trailed off and I finished the thought for him.
"...if we're hurt here, we'll feel it. It'll be more than just a minor discomfort."
Even when spoken, the reality did not truly sink in until we heard a panicked shrieking from the town below. This was no isolated incident. The players on Pokémon's Overgrowth server were now trapped in the game and it all began with an explosion on Cinnabar Island.
A/N: As of November 11, 2016, this chapter was edited to add more information about the world itself. The first incarnation of this story was written in 2002 with the premiere of Dot Hack Sign and the second was written four or five years later upon rewatching it. They say the third time is the charm and I am now pulling inspiration from several trapped in a video game anime, including Dot Hack Sign, Sword Art Online, and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. Thank you for checking out my story! New chapters will be uploaded every Monday.