Pokévolve
By: Nicki Fowl
…
…
…
A female voice rang out in the black sense-devoid emptiness.
"DNA synchronization process…complete…sign up successful…would you like to start the game?"
…
He didn't even need to speak, it heard his thoughts.
"Confirmation received…initiating uplink protocol. Access validated, preparing transfer procedure."
"Please be prepared for sensual impact due to transference procedures and avatar synchronization."
…
He waited, but though it was less than seconds, it felt like forever, even his sense of time rendered useless in the void.
"Transfer procedure preparations…complete…initiating avatar sync."
"Avatar sync impact in five seconds…"
"Four seconds…"
"3…"
"2…"
"1…"
"Avatar synched. Game…ON!"
All of a sudden it felt like a bolt of electricity raced through his body, and he could feel his clothes on his skin again, the cold pressure of the abyss around him. He could even feel his arms move.
And then it was gone.
And the emptiness returned for the longest time.
Oppressing him…
Eroding his sense of self…
Slowly destroying…his coherence…his sense…of…self…
…
…
…
…A change…
There…along the upper edge of his vision…a patch of darkness that was deep, deep green instead of black…
He slowly managed to look up…feeling his neck strain as he looked upwards…
He lifted his arm…it seemed to be held loosely by a force all around it…and reached for it…
Then he started to force himself forward, and he found he could swim within the darkness, and pushed forward toward the patch that was different…
His chest felt tight…
The patch turned from deep green into a greenish-blue, and he doubled his efforts…
The patch became a clear blue, and he could start to see light in the darkness…
His arms started to give, and he could feel burning in his chest…
The light was almost within reach, and he felt himself giving way, unable to reach up to touch it…
And that's when he realized…
He couldn't breathe.
When he broke the surface, his first breath was laced with fluid.
Then he took his second breath, and he kissed the grass under his feet, praising every god under the sun that he lived. He continued to caress the earth even as an iron-clad boot stomped down in front of his face.
But an iron boot that nearly caves your face in his hard to ignore.
He slowly brought his head up, his eyes following the boot to an equally armored leg and chest and all the way to the head, which had two glowing red eyes that stared down at him. It was that, the sheer number of spikes, and the oversized sword slung across the figures back that made him freeze, hoping to god someone didn't pull him out just to get some free experience points or something.
"Sup."
He jumped so hard that he nearly drowned a second time.
After getting pulled out of the lake, which was enormous, and had all sorts of other strange figures getting pulled from its depths, he took a moment to regain his senses and get his head on straight. He took deep, calm breaths, noticing the sweetness of the air, the calm itch of grass under his bare hands, the warmth of the sun on his face. He eyed the soaked iron-clad knight next to him, breathing equally has heavily as him after swimming into the lake to catch him a second time, and had one thought on his mind.
'Who is this guy?'
So he finally opened his mouth and asked as such.
The figure turned to him, lifting the visor, and revealed a smiling dark brown face with thick eyebrows, his face crinkled slightly from lots of smiling. He extended his hand toward the new face, and he took it and noted the weight and strength of his grip.
"My name is Brock. Nice to meet you, but who are you?"
"My name is Ash."
Brock raised an eyebrow, "Ash, huh? That's an odd name."
Ash immediately crossed his arms and pouted a bit, "What's so odd about being named Ash to a misspelled brick?"
Brock laughed, standing as he did, "Well, when you put it that way, nothing. But did you start this game in your pajamas?"
Ash blinked and then stared at his waterlogged clothes. Indeed he had started playing in his PJs. His white shirt was showing through, and he was thankful that he'd worn black shorts instead of the matching ones his mom had wanted him to.
With that, Brock helped him stand and he looked around at the vast field he'd come into, caught in awe by the exotic creatures flying, crawling, running, walking, and even dancing through the wilds as people chased them around, dozens of mystical effects and some cases items and weapons flying through the air, and a new question came to his mind.
"What is this place?"
Brock smiled again as he spread his arm theatrically, and what he said imprinted itself on Ash as the reason why people were so fascinated with this game over anything else.
"Welcome to Almia Field, US West starting point for Pokévolve players. This…is Velmora."
POKÉVOLVE!
INTRO END