The world was white.
Out of the whiteness stepped a gray-haired man in a lab coat. The man rattled on about being a professor, about how he studied Pokemon. The exact words slipped out of the boy's head as easily as they slipped in, but everything the man said felt comforting, felt right in the way puzzle pieces fitting together feels right, like everything was just sliding into place.
After a minute or two of this chatter, the man directed a question the boy's way.
"What is your name?"
This should not have been a difficult question.
This was a difficult question.
The boy had to stop to think, the professor's words jumbling together in his mind as he tried to focus on what was asked of him.
"R..."
The sound rolled on his tongue, lengthening and lengthening as he struggled to remember what followed after.
Then it came to him in an instant, and his previous difficulty seemed laughable now- how could he ever have forgotten?
"Rash. My name is Rash."
It was a strange name, he knew, and yet the professor- Oak, he had said his name was Oak- showed no signs of surprise, merely nodding sagely in response.
Another figure appeared in the whiteness, a boy about his own age with spiky red hair and a smirk on his face. The other boy didn't move a muscle, didn't twitch or breathe or shift position, standing still as a statue as Oak began to speak of him.
"This is my grandson. He's been your rival since you were a baby. …Erm, what is his name again?"
This question was easier than the last, Rash's childhood rival's name somehow coming to him much faster than his own.
"Glue."
Another unusual name, and yet the professor once again looked as if he had been expecting this answer- which made sense, come to think of it, given that the boy in question was his grandson. Oak had just forgotten what his grandson was called for a moment; Rash certainly wouldn't judge him for that, not when he'd practically forgotten his own name only a few moments ago.
"Rash! Your very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold! A world of dreams and adventures with Pokemon awaits! Let's go!"
Before Rash could say a word, could ask where they were going or what kind of legend was about to begin, the world faded away.
