Disclaimer: I don't own The Wonderful World of Pokemon.

All things considered today has actually been rather nice.

Are my first thoughts upon exiting my tutors particular section of the school building. Surprisingly, it really has been. The sky was clear, absolutely no rain even though its spring. The sun was surprisingly warm though, supposedly, a cold front should have been moving in. Without a cloud in the sky and with my Japanese tutor finally deciding to be merciful, it was all rather pleasant.

In fact the weather is one of the reasons my tutor let me out, that and he had to get to some part of his department to help. Of course he isn't just my tutor, he's actually the department head of the Japanese sector of my brothers college. The only reason I even managed to get Hidetaka Kurosaki, that being his name in English order, as a tutor was due to my brother. We had been discussing foreign cultures one day a year or so ago, his favorite being Mexico which, in between the Day of the Dead and their veneration of ancestors seemed to fascinate him, when I had to bring up the absolutely rich cultures of China and Japan.

In front of said director of the Japanese sector.

Needless to say he was interested, having known my brother from the college they both go to, so after my attempts at explaining the nekomata, and him having to correct my ideas about their origin, he found out about my fascination and took me under his wing. Aside that however as previously mentioned he let me out earlier than usual. Which is what led to me wandering around the abandoned campus, it being the odd Sunday without many club activities scheduled, and without my brother being around I decided to explore. After all with the security guards wandering the campus periodically and their knowledge of my situation, even if my luck decided to start acting up again I couldn't be safer.

Of course I think, fear freezing a scream in my throat, that logic only applies if said security guards are decent people. A gun gets lazily pointed over in my direction.

The gun, currently resting its sights on my chest, twitches slightly as the man, a security guard, in front of me laughs. Absently groping the poor girl shoved up against the wall in front of him, he seems to find this situation terribly amusing, it really isn't. He also smiles which, in between his cruel narrow eyes and the gun pointing at me, is rather terrifying.

"So kid, would you mind" he manages to gesture with his gun towards the wall of the alley he's in, "Kindly getting the fuck against that wall."

Barely refraining from sobbing, I obey.

"Now thats a good boy keep up like that and you'll go far." he leers at me, "In fact if you'd be willing to help me out after I'm done with this girl, it would be." a pause, then, "Very appreciated."

I go very still, bile creeping up my throat,

Is he? Oh god, he's going to...

I press desperately against the wall behind me trying to see and not see through the wall of my hair, my glasses, and the tears dripping down my face. Unfortunately, the "see" option appears to have been chosen, as I get a front row seat to this girl trembling and trying to unbutton her shirt under his cruel orders. Desperate, I try to think up some way out of this terrible situation, without getting myself killed, when something my tutor once said rings uselessly in my ears, "If you're ever put in a place you don't like, get out of it and get as far away from it as possible in what ever way you can." Of course him being a child in an adults body, he promptly demonstrated his idea with a punch to the air, which is useless to me considering I'm a 14 year old weighing 140 pounds when wet.

Yah I'm not knocking people out with my crazy muscles anytime soon.

Yet for some reason that one movement keeps replaying in my head. Over, and over, and over constantly repeating as I think. Then as I see her get half way down her shirt, it being a button up, I realize, I don't have anymore time or else he'll...

Sickened, I throw myself at the would be rapist.

"RUN!"

Somewhere between a sob and a scream at the point it gets out of my lips, she doesn't need to be told twice. Not that I exactly have the time or focus to notice. Not with my entire being focused on struggling with the man currently cursing underneath me, even if I can't win I have every intention of giving that girl the chance to run. So fighting with the man, whom is vastly stronger than me, I throw punches, kicks, and otherwise try to beat the crap out of him. This, thanks to my apparent talent with fighting or at least my luck deciding to switch gears, manages to go on for at least a few minutes.

A few brutal minutes of new kinds of pain. A few minutes of punching and being punched, of brutal kicks and muffled cries. At some point, I realize distantly, during this "fight" he apparently managed to knock my glasses off, fair considering I made sure he would never be having kids earlier. This realization is followed by the sudden appearance of pain all across my body. We both freeze glaring at each other through teary eyes as I try to keep him both pinned and from gaining leverage while he trys his best to escape.

Which is when we, the rapist and I, here the pounding of boots on the ground. Having been slightly distracted when I heard the sound, the eerily familiar sound, (Only Hidetaka wears shoes that obnoxious sounding) the man takes advantage of my distraction.

BOOM!

To suddenly put a hole through my chest in a flash of mind numbing agony.

Coming to consciousness is like trying to swim through a river going the opposite direction. Difficult at best, impossible at worst and insanely irritating. However once consciousness and feeling finally registers I immediately regret having ever decided to come to. Waking up to a vicious pounding feeling in my chest, as if someone had stomped on my ribs multiple times, is certainly not the most pleasant way I've ever been awoken. Blinking my eyes open I make an effort to figure out why I'm not in my bed contentedly snuggled away from the world only to find nothing in front of me. Absolutely literally nothing.

I stare at the utter blackness of the... Void around me for a moment before promptly squeezing my eyes shut again at the utter contradiction surrounding me. A quick peek at my hands shows yes, I can see them even though everything around me is that odd type of dark that hurts your eyes if you stare to long. Not only that but a quick look around confirms that there is a distinct lack of any discernible light source, other than me because apparently I glow now. Shutting my eyes again I try very hard to remember what happened.

I choke on nothing as the memory of crippling pain returns to me. Oh geez that guy shot me. I am actually physically dead. I sob, my thoughts immediately turning to my mother and brother, What's going to happen to my family, what about that girl, Hidetaka-sensei? I haven't learned everything about Japanese culture yet, heck I never even passed high school, I'm in my first year! I never managed to beat Hidetaka in shougi, I haven't learned kendo, and all my hard work, my plans, useless all for naught.

It's these thoughts and several more all along the same vain that torture me for what feels like, and may actually be, hours. Finally, after all that, I manage to get a hold of myself and drag my attention to the present.

Murmuring softly I tell myself, "You're dead." I sob again, pained and mournful.

"YOU. ARE. DEAD!" it's a scream that somehow manages to echo in the Void, and then calmer more centered and after several breaths, "So why am I not in the afterlife."

"Much better," My head snaps up at the oddly echoing voice, "you are much calmer now. Yes?"

My eyes are open. My eyes are open. my eyes are open. MyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopenMyeyesareopen!

In between one moment and the next my eyes are shut and their's a huge headache pounding around my skull. I pointedly keep my eyes shut.

"Yes", now that I'm paying more attention to it's voice I can tell just how wrong it is, like a thousand different people trying to talk at once through the same speaker system, "It may be wise to keep your eyes shut. Now."

A deliberate pause made far more poignant by the complete lack of sound around me.

"You are dissatisfied with your death. I believe. No? Why I could feel your regret from my private project! Of course you dislike your current circumstances but you are not the only one. I promise. Oh, curious are you? Yes, I believe you are." A sigh, "Oh if only the others were as smart as you. Yes I am intentionally looking for people to bring to my project, and yes you are a candidate."

I tremble barely containing a cry of fear.

It's reading my mind! It's picking out my thoughts! STOP! I refuse! Leave me! PLEASE!

"Now now enough of that calm yourself, and you were doing so well." The last part is more a sigh than anything else.

A minute passes in silence before I finally realize it's not going to leave. Still frightened and far more scared now that I know how determined it is, I start trying to calm down. It takes a long, long, long while.

"Much better. You see I'm not so scary? Why I am incapable of hurting a mortal. As a matter of fact I am a being of creation if you must know. Which brings me back to that project I was telling you of quite nicely, now as you have already guessed my intentions I will tell you of this new world. It is, to be put bluntly, based very loosely on the world of Pokemon, the game you seem so very fond of. What do you mean? Of course this is the truth! In all honesty I myself am rather fond of the game why... Never-mind, to the point you must understand it is only, as I said, very loosely based upon the games-"

"Okay"

A pause then, "You would so quickly agree? Oh wonderful and hmm ah yes that thought you just had. It's the idea I had originally! You see anyone that manages to defeat three leagues here will be gifted with the chance to return Home. Rather fair if you ask me and you would be one of the last few of the ten thousand souls I seek to bring. Oh truly wonderful well let me be the first to welcome you to this wonderful world"

"Welcome to the world of Pokemon"

Everything comes back in a rush. In between one moment and the next there's suddenly green all around mixed with dark browns and yellows. Then there's the smell, light and earthy I can't seem to get enough of it. Suddenly there's air running down my throat expanding my lungs and filling me from head to toe with elation. The sound of birds and frogs and odd shrill cries that I'm beginning to realize must be Pokemon, actual living Pokemon. Then a loud-

Crack

-splits the peace. I spin around at the sound only to come face to face with a young man with slicked back blond hair. He appears to be wearing a blue jacket with I'd silver highlights alongside dark tan boots, which makes me uncomfortably aware of the gray night pants, black shirt, and sandals that I'm wearing. Immediately taking a step back he throws up his hands in the universal sign for "Not a threat". Freezing in place I try hesitantly to nod my acknowledgement at him.

He grins slightly as he speaks, "Hey, uh, my name's Drake I'm from America it's nice to meet'cha. So what are you doing out here. I mean you don't even have a Pok-" he chokes suddenly, "I mean, um, I'm from Uno-"

"I'm from Earth too." I mutter interrupting him weakly, before I notice an odd animal behind him "Is that an Absol?"

Some of the amazement I'm feeling must have leaked into my voice because he positively preens after I ask.

"Oh, yep that's my first Pokemon, and hey if your from Earth than you died right?"

Slightly taken aback at his callous words I nod at him, "I got an offer from-"

"Some weird eldritch abomination, right. Exactly so you know that when we beat three leagues we can go back to earth. Which means we need to get really strong and work together, so what do ya say to partnering up with me huh. I can even help you out with learning to use a sword!"

Struggling under the onslaught of both his seeming enthusiasm and my own natural antisocial behaviour, I fall silent. Then, he grins at me. This expression, somehow different from his earlier ones, causes my stomach to curl with dread. This feeling is only reinforced whenever he suddenly walks over and loops an arm over my neck before tugging gently to start me moving the way he came from.

"Alrighty, So I'm gonna assume you just got here, considering you don't have a PokeLink or anything and start explaining. Not the PokeLink, Professor Oak can explain that right along with how to get your first Pokemon. Nah, I'm gonna explain our circumstances right now." he takes a deep breathe before barreling on, still pulling me gently through the forest, "First off, we are not in the Pokemon games. This place does have regions named the same, for instance Unova, my cover story, and Kanto, which is where we are at, but it is not the Kanto or Unova we know. It has completely different geography, different Pokemon appearing everywhere around here, a different PokeDex, and seems to have fused with Johto at some point."

He snickers at my utterly bewildered look as we finally reach the edges of a small town before sighing.

"In all seriousness though, be careful. And hey I'm gonna accompany you through it all so don't worry about it too much, just a little extra caution, that's all. Now second, about that sword bit, Apparently this place has trainers fighting alongside pokemon and while I never really got how that is possible, something to do with aura, it is what it is"

I very nearly freeze at his automatic assumption that I'll travel with him. But more importantly something is off about the way he says accompany. There's something different about his tone just like that odd grin. Dread coils in my stomach, and this time it isn't just my natural dislike of social situations.

For some reason there is something about this guy, this Drake, that sets me on edg-

We stop abruptly, shaking me from my thoughts, outside a giant brick and stone building. Quietly admiring it's architecture, and trying to pin down what about Drake disturbs me, I am yet again unprepared for the sudden surge to motion and end up stumbling a bit as we enter its spacious interior. Which is absolutely filled with people.

Just my luck. A potentially dangerous character and now, people!

Of course I'm not quite early enough to get the personal pokemon treatment. As a matter of fact, according to Drake whom has been here for around five hours, I'm rather late and it's only thanks to his quietly threatening presence cutting through the crowd that I get anything today. Though I do get the odd PokeLink device Drake has and am even helpfully pointed towards the "Bond room" which is apparently where I'm supposed to get my first Pokemon.

Presently in said bond room, I take a minute to regulate my breathing and to gather my thoughts. This whole situation is utterly ridiculous and now that I'm not drowning in adrenaline I can very easily see that it really is to good to be true. The situation only looks worse when I take my usual luck, or rather my lack thereof, into account. Especially considering that some eldritch abomination of creation managed to hear me when I was dead.

There are coincidinces and then there is purposeful interference. Not only that, but the way he said that he can't kill someone, not that he can't be responsible for their death, but that he can't directly kill someone. Then even ignoring all that and if he really did like Pokemon enough to build a world around it. Why would he grab some random schmucks to throw into it? He's obviously strong enough to make a world and I know I saw other people whom were very distinctly calm.

Which implies that they find nothing wrong with the current situation and were probably already alive here before we showed up

This is too weird. Too easy, so what's the catch?

I rub at my eyes, then startle as I realise my glasses are gone. Snickering slightly hysterically, I decide after several seconds of circular thoughts to just let this one go and move on to more present concerns. Namely the PokeLink, an odd armband reaching about halfway up my forearm with a gem in its middle on the top and an odd indention in the form of a hexagon on the bottom. It is currently, thanks to Drake's quick tutorial, a rather nice shade of navy blue with the gem in the middle a bland shade of gray that I can't seem to change.

Apparently this world's capturing and storage device for pokemon and items. It's supposed to draw at "the energy of the soul" in one research assistants words, or Aura in Drake's words. It also stores and uses said Aura to power itself and all its functions, of which there are many. From the apparently mundane spatial storage feature, which turns the item in question in to data before dematerialising and then rematerialising it, to the more advanced PID, or the Personal Information Display, which takes the field all people give of as they leak excess aura, and uses it to directly send visual information to the brain creating a sort of HUD to float in our vision.

And yet they can't seem to figure out why there are so many Zubats in any one cave, according to one of the assistants. Now I come to the main part of all this the "Bond". That is, the bond between pokemon and trainer, apparently using the gem in the center of the device not only to gather and channel Aura, but to also establish a fragile aura bond between trainer and pokemon. It then becomes the pairs job to strengthen this bond which, at its most basic levels, can be used to send and feel each others emotions and at its most advanced stages would allow us to trade thoughts, and send memories, or even see through each others eyes.

Shaking my head to clear it of useless thoughts I take a deep breath then step forward staring at the odd pedestal that, according to a helpful if slightly harried assistant, will analyze my aura and then give me a Pokemon. Finally right next to it I can see a small indention on the top, only about a foot in diameter and filled with a crystal clear liquid. Breathing in deeply I roll up my left sleeve, the arm holding the PokeLink, I reach into the indention until my palm grazes the smooth bottom.

I hear an odd click and then the wall in front of me flashes from the odd obsidian brick work it had been and in to the same gray color as my gem. Then words start to appear on it.

Your soul is a pure gray neither dark nor light. You are an incredibly reserved individual with strong opinions but also willing to hear others out at any time. You have great difficulty reading others at first glance but are incredibly good at building a mental image of somebody based on their actions around you. With those you trust and love you can be incredibly mischievous and friendly, and to your enemies a sly and vicious creature. Your Partner Pokemon has been located good luck.

A blinding flash of light later (I am abruptly aware of why there is no window on the door) and suddenly there is an odd feeling of being prodded insistently, without the physical discomfort. Shuddering slightly I make an attempt to discover the origin of this feeling and find myself uncomfortably aware of... something more. As if some internal muscle I've never used is suddenly getting a workout, and a quick check reveals an odd film like feeling, like a plastic wrap, where I'm being prodded. I tentatively peel it back with great difficulty and shiver as the prodding becomes a needle piercing softly into the figurative muscle.

This pool of unnatural stillness, where I know almost instinctively there should be a rushing river of life, is now on the very edge of my awareness. Hesitantly poking it on my own reveals nothing but reaching through the thin string connecting us causes three things in quick order. A quick flex of my figurati- mind, a sudden flash of light in the room, and the odd still pool to transform into a rushing river of-

-WhereAmI-WhatIsThis-WasIJustChosen-AwwMyTrainersAWimp-

- to appear along the Bond shunting me out of it as I lose focus under the sudden assault. Blinking away the spots in my vision I realize I am currently on the floor.

What just-

Oh you fell.~a mischievous voice interrupts cheerily, Am I really so amazing that you fell over in shock?~

I stare blankly as bright blue eyes blink at me impishly. Further analysis shows the Pokemon chosen for me to heavily resemble a red and gray fox with an odd tuft of fur on its head and dark black fur coating its neck in a very scarf like manner. My jaw drops.

You''re a Zorua. Whoa I'm compatible with a-

Nope. Sorry. Not what happened I actually disguised myself as the Pokemon you should have gotten.

Wait. Oh I'm so sorry- Your messing with me aren't you?

The Zorua currently sitting on my chest feels like she's pouting through the link.

Yep.~ She yawns suddenly, showing off sharp little teeth, And you almost fell for it too you really should have more faith in yourself you know. After all that thing you did for the girl was really brave even if you do look like a wimp.

Slightly unsure as to how I should feel about that particular observation and with my mind still lagging behind I can only nod. Then her second comment catches up with me and my head snaps to her eyes again.

Are you looking at my memories?! I thought only the most advanced bonds could do that and-! We're talking mentally aren't we.

She laughs at me.

You really are a curious one!~ Yap we're talking mentally and yes I'm looking into your thoughts in order to get an idea about you. And I can tell you why our bond is so advanced later but for right now we might wanna leave before someone gets annoyed. Oh and your right about that guy he's really off but you won't have to worry about it. She gives me a solemn look, Now that I'm here I've got your back.

Tentatively standing up I try to thank her for that last comment and end up unable to speak if not from the sheer sincerity of the promise then from the knowledge that she was scrounging around in my head. Settling for a slight nod in her direction and gently trying to send my gratitude down the link. She grins at me and winds around my leg, almost lazily shifting into another Pokemon with the natural illusory abilities of her species, but says nothing. I finally reach the door and open it to a grinning Drake. I shudder at the unidentifiable look in his eyes.

I believe the word your looking for is Hungry. she whispers across the link.

I nod at him meekly unable to quite look at him now that Zorua has identified his look. Remembering my glasses I take a deep breath.

Then promptly release it as I lose my nerve. He gives me a strange look but gets over it as he claps his hands.

"Now for training. Just you and me." He grins the same wrong grin as before.

Authors notes: Okay all done here so this is my first fic so gentle or not it would be very appreciated if you could review. Also fair warning I may not update this for a while after I get Chap. 2. up and running in order to give it some time and so that I can work on finishing up the rough outline I have drawn up for this story. And for any action fans reading this don't fret next chapter is gonna have a lot more action. So see ya then!