At Aya's home...
"How do you two DO this? I send you out into the forest for a few hours, so you can train your Pokémon, or play, or both, and you two return with mysterious objects, or rare Pokémon no one's ever heard of, or having befriended the NOT AT ALL local legendary Pokémon that no one has seen for thousands of years... or with priceless artifacts from the beginning of time... or you tell me that you've been defeating people who planned to take over the world, or were chopping body parts off Pokémon, or whatever... or you come back with some strange girl with wings."
"Hey! We've only done two of those things!" Timmy complained. Aya grinned.
"Three, but you don't remember 'cause you slept through it!"
"What? No way! What'd I sleep through?"
"I met a Lugia!"
"Lugia? Don't those live in Johto?" Timmy asked, confused and perfectly willing to be sidetracked.
"Yep! It was awesome. He let me fly around with him for a bit, once Kiri had convinced him that I had NO EMPTY POKEBALLS, and that I wouldn't dare try to catch him, anyway."
"Kids..." their mother sighed. "Fine, fine. I exaggerated. But tell me again what happened."
"Well..." Timmy and Aya began simultaneously. They glared at each other, and had a brief, non-verbal argument which Timmy won. He tried again... only to be interrupted by their front door swinging open.
"Hello? I'm sorry to intrude like this, but I believe my expertise might be necessary," said a voice from just out of sight.
"I'm sorry; we're having a private conversation. Can you come back later, please?" their mother called back, frowning. "That voice... he sounds familiar..." she muttered.
"Clara?"
"What? No way! Professor?" Clara (Aya and Timmy's mother, obviously) gasped. "How did you find me?"
The interrupting stranger walked quickly into the room as he spoke, "I had no idea you were here, dear. I merely received a semi-anonymous note that said I should get to this place in this region by today at 4PM. I had no idea what I'd find! I certainly didn't know WHO I'd find! Though it's no surprise, really. You were always the best at-" He stopped midsentence, staring at the unconscious, winged girl stretched out on their sofa.
"Professor Oak?" Aya exclaimed, "Mom, you know him?"
"... Like from the TV show?" Timmy whispered to Aya, "Really? Like the Professor Oak from Kanto? Him?"
"Yes. Shh. Don't you recognize him?"
"You didn't know what to expect, did you, Professor?" Their mother seemed amused. Oak shook his head. "I was just told in a manner I trust completely to be here. I was given no explanation- those usually become obvious very, very quickly. Has she been awake at all?"
"My kids found her. They said no... More or less."
"What happened?"
Aya stood up, timidly. "Um, Professor? Can we explain? Mom doesn't know yet, 'cause we just got home."
He smiled, "Of course. Please, tell me what happened. And your names, if you don't mind. We don't seem to have been introduced. I am Professor Oak, though I'm sure you two know that."
"Um, yes. I'm Aya, and this is my brother Timothy."
"Timmy!" Timmy corrected automatically, then ducked his head, embarrassed.
"Well, anyway. We were in the forest, about half an hour's flight in, training our Pokémon. I had gone off towards a place I like, and Timmy was a few minutes away... I have a psychic Pokémon, you see, and she makes sure I don't get too far away from him. Because Timmy's younger. Anyway, we were training when Kiri sensed something strange near Tim. We started back there in a rush, to find out what it was. Kiri got there before me, and when I got there Kiri was preventing Tim and his Pokémon from doing ANYTHING, and she was passed out in the clearing." Aya looked at the strange girl seriously, "Timmy thought she was a Pokémon, and he'd had Pikachu use thunderbolt... but it missed. She just passed out on her own! And then we flew back home with her," Aya explained quickly. "Kiri floated her home."
"Impressive," the professor said, "You two are very responsible young trainers. But you're sure she didn't say anything?"
Aya looked at Timmy. "Well, I wasn't there when she fell..."
Timmy shook his head. "She just fell. And looked startled. I thought she was a rare Pokémon..."
"Don't worry, Timmy. It's understandable. She does look... almost like a Pokémon," Oak said, smiling gently. They all turned to look at the girl.
Almost as if she could sense them staring, she suddenly sat up. She didn't seem to be very concerned to find herself inside and not in the forest. Instead, she rose shakily to her feet.
"Thank you for helping me," she said calmly. "My name's Anilae. I am Hanewl. Can you understand me?"
They all stared blankly at her for a moment. Then Professor Oak stepped forward.
"Yes, we can. I am Professor Oak. Can you understand me?"
Anilae visibly relaxed. "I can! Oh, I like this world already. What was that yellow thing that I think attacked me? Did it hurt that kid?"
"The thing that "attacked" you was something we call a Pokémon. This world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon. We humans live alongside them-" He laughed a little, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, let me explain properly. Pokémon are sometimes like pets, friends, and whatnot. And sometimes... Well, people and Pokémon partner up and... compete in battles. I study Pokémon; that's my job. The thing that tried to attack you was this child's Pokémon, Pikachu. Timmy thought you were a rare Pokémon, you see."
"I'm sorry! Pikachu is too! But he didn't even hit you!" Timmy exclaimed. Anilae smiled.
"Don't worry about it. Worse things have happened." She looked serious again almost immediately. "You only have humans and Pokémon here?" she asked Oak. He hesitated, then nodded.
Aya watched Anilae as the others got braver and began talking. Timmy asked all sorts of questions... and introduced her to both his Pokémon almost immediately. But Aya was confused. This girl was just a little older than she was, as far as she could tell. Yet there was something ...off, besides the wings. Without looking, she released Kiri from her pokeball.
-Aya? She woke up! What's wrong?-
-Her voice is weird, for starters...- Aya thought at her Pokémon. Kiri stared at Anilae for a moment, before turning back to Aya, shocked.
-It is! She's telepathic. You hear what she means, not what she says. It sounds like she's speaking Pokémon! That's impressive. No one I know can do that.-
-That's what I thought. And why is Professor Oak here? He lives in Kanto. And he got a random note saying he should come here? It's ridiculous.-
"I'm sure we can find you a Pokémon of your own, to start with," Timmy was telling Anilae. "Professor Oak gives people starter Pokémon all the time!" The professor chuckled.
"Well, only if Anilae was intending to stick around. I get the feeling she won't be here long enough to become a trainer. It would be unfair to her Pokémon, if she left them after only a few weeks or months..."
"Yes... I have no idea how long I'll be here," Anilae said. She stared at Oak, a strange expression on her face. "How-?"
"I'm sorry, I think Anilae and I have to speak in private for a bit. Would you excuse us?" Professor Oak said seriously to Aya and her family. Before they could do anything but nod, the professor had pulled Anilae with him back outside. Almost before Aya thought it, Kiri was following them.
"How do you know how long I'll be here?" Anilae asked as soon as they were safely outside. "How did you know to be here? Who are you, really? Why did you hesitate when I asked how many type of creatures live here? And why CAN I understand you? I don't remember learning your language…"
Oak waited for her to run out of questions. Once she'd stopped, he said nothing. He stared vaguely toward the horizon for a moment, thoughtfully.
"Here. This paper ought to explain some things," he said calmly. Anilae blinked. Where had that paper come from? She took it, cautiously. A single glance revealed nothing unusual about it. Of course it was something she could read! The note said... and she paused.
"This... this is written in MY language. Not yours. I know the language you speak... I don't recall learning it, but I know it… and I know I can't read it. Why do you have a piece of paper with my language on it?"
"It came with the note for me, telling me to find you. You should read it, I think. It will explain things that I can't. And I get the feeling you might be able to be a Pokémon trainer, after all." Oak smiled kindly. "The person who sent both notes is, after all, very fond of Pokémon."
Anilae stared at him suspiciously for a moment. Oak just smiled. Eventually, she gave up and turned back to the note. She read it three times, getting more, not less, confused and concerned as she read it.
"Why... No, how does this person know so much about me?" she asked. She stared down at her hands, twisting the note into elaborate, crinkly, patterns. Oak smiled.
"Don't worry about it. It's her job, in a way. Now, I think you'll like our world… but things will go better, if you plan to explore it, if you have Pokémon with you. For one thing, humans will attack you less often, if you can prove you're a trainer, and not something to catch. Though Pokémon might attack you more often… Hmm… Well, that's irrelevant. I can give you a starter Pokémon, if you wish. In fact, my friend practically asked me to. And… I will be able to take care of your Pokémon, if you leave suddenly and cannot take them with you. My friend will let me know, and I'll have arrangements made."
"I… um…" Anilae frowned thoughtfully, staring at the sky. "Actually… I guess I would like to learn more about this world." She turned back to the professor. "And ESPECIALLY your strange, secretive friend."
"I wish you luck, then. I don't have Pokémon for you here… so you'll have to travel back to my lab with me, so you can choose. And… you may want to hide your wings."
Anilae looked baffled. "Hide? Wings don't hide." She pointed over her shoulder, "See? They're much too big for that!"
The professor stared blankly at Anilae for a moment. "Yes… I see. Well then, if you can't hide them… we'll think of something." He glanced down at the paper in his hand. She doesn't know, it said, quite clearly, in letters large enough for Kiri to see from her hiding spot. Don't worry about it. It's subconscious, like the telepathy. Oak nodded slightly.
"Let's go in and tell your 'rescuers' what you've decided. I'm sure the two kids will be delighted to teach you all about Pokémon."
"Okay…" Anilae agreed, actually examining her surroundings for the first time. Her eyes, much sharper than any human's, spotted Kiri in the tree above their heads.
"Is that a Pokémon?" she asked the professor, pointing. He nodded, without looking, already walking back towards the house.
"It's probably Aya's Kirlia, Kiri. She's been watching us the whole time. Don't worry about it; they were just curious."
Kiri nearly fell out of the tree.
"Oh. So what are other Pokémon like? I've only seen Timmy's. How will I choose? How many will I have to choose from?" Anilae asked, turning to follow Oak back into the house.
Kiri and Aya ignored them.
-How the HECK did he know you were there?- Aya's thoughts practically shouted. Kiri nearly fell out of the tree again.
-I don't know! But what bothers me more is that he knew my NAME! And he knew what I am! I've never met him! You didn't show him any of your Pokémon!-
-Yes, but I did mention your name earlier, remember? I told him what happened when we found her…-
Oh, right. I wasn't really listening…-
-But still! He shouldn't have been able to see you!-
-He COULDN'T see me. Anilae must have ridiculous eyesight to have glimpsed me! I'm hiding behind leaves that are the same color as me! And I wasn't moving!-
-Huh… That's true. But maybe we should worry about something else.-
-Like what?- Kiri asked, honestly confused.
-Like that note he had. You saw it. One second it was blank, the next it had… a very strange message on it. What was it talking about?-
-You're right. It made no sense.- They both thought about this for a moment. All they could agree on was that the whole thing was strange. Very strange.
-Honestly, what should we expect? A girl with wings and blue hair fell out of the sky, followed closely by the MOST FAMOUS AND IMPORTANT Pokémon professor in the world… who your mom knows yet never mentioned? Today is absolutely insane!-
-True… true…- Aya jumped, startling her mom and brother. -Shoot! Kiri, Tim and I are kids, relatively new Pokémon trainers, and have met Professor Oak. We are soooooo going to have to go on a long, grueling-yet-fun-interesting-and-exciting Pokémon journey with our new friend, the girl with wings!-
-You think?-
-Yes. There's no chance it won't happen. You know his reputation.-
Kiri nodded carefully, -Yes, but he usually discovers horribly inexperienced yet very promising kids... you and Timmy are both much too experienced!-
-Anilae isn't. She first saw Pokémon a few hours ago when Pikachu 'attacked' her.-
-But she and the Professor both said that she isn't likely to be here very long at all… and I get the feeling she's too old, anyway. She looks at least 18.-
Suddenly, an appropriately-timed question snapped Aya's attention back to reality. Her mother had just attempted to guess Anilae's age.
"Actually, I'm 30…or I was when this mess started. I might be anywhere from 30 to 38 right now. That makes me… um… more-or-less equivalent to what you consider a thirteen or fourteen year old. We age a bit differently than you do, so I'd be starting a long journey around the world right now, with my friends, if I was home…" Anilae sighed. "I wonder if they've gone without me?"
-We are DOOMED!- Kiri and Aya cried simultaneously.
Clara stared at the strange girl, flabbergasted. "You… You… You're practically my age? You might be older than me?"
"No! No! Don't think of it that way!" Anilae said quickly. "Look, Hanewl age differently. We spend thirty to forty years as what you would call 'teenagers,' but before that we age much faster than humans. We're pretty much capable of living on our own at six or so. We don't, but we could. I'm basically the same age as your daughter, mentally and physically. In that respect, how many years I've lived is irrelevant. I'm just a teen, with wings, from another world, okay?"
Clara nodded, slowly. "Alright. I'm sorry- that just surprised me."
"Don't worry about it, Mom," Aya said pointedly, glaring at Professor Oak. "You won't have to deal with her much at all. Timmy and I are about to be asked if we'll be her guides on a Pokémon journey. Right, Professor?"
Oak nodded, smiling. "Well, yes. I can't say I'm surprised that you figured that out. But I would have expected you to be happier about it. Don't you want to see the world?"
"Of course I do! But on MY terms, not yours. I don't want to be famous just because you sent me off on my journey… and I don't want that for Timmy, either." Tim stared at his sister, shocked. She was turning down an offer from THE Professor Oak?
Oak, however, looked unsurprised. "Of course not. You don't want to be famous because of me. But I think it won't make much of a difference. You'll be famous because of what you do, or I wouldn't help you. Anilae will be famous for existing, since she's something we've never seen before. It won't matter to her, since she won't be here very long. But you and Tim will be known as her friends. And I think that that will overshadow even me. But you'll have to do amazing things even so, to be remembered as yourselves. And I don't believe that that will be a problem for you two." Oak smiled widely, suddenly.
"After all, I'm NOT starting you on your journeys, am I? You two already have Pokémon. In fact, if I left right now, Anilae would still get a Pokémon. You two, or your mother, could help her catch one. I'm merely saving you some time, and offering you a brief trip around the world."
"Um..." Aya frowned at the professor. "But that doesn't make sense. If the people you start in their journeys don't... but that's why you're famous, isn't it?"
Oak laughed. "Oh, no! I was famous long before Ash! Only, I was primarily famous for my research and discoveries, not my ability to choose promising young Pokémon trainers and send them off into the world alone!"
"Yes. That's how I know him, Aya. I used to go with my aunt and uncle to help with his research, long before I met your father. Long before I was a Pokémon trainer, in fact. But I wouldn't let him give me a starter; I insisted that I would catch my own!" Clara smiled at the professor. "And I did!"
"Professor, it's ok. If Aya doesn't want to guide me around your world, I'm sure I'll be fine on my own. It's not like I'm a toddler. So if you'll give me a Pokémon and a map, I'll head off to explore. It'll be fun."
Aya and Timmy gasped.
"Everyone'll think she's a wild, legendary Pokémon!" Tim whispered to Aya. She nodded, wide-eyed. "We can't let her!"
"No, we'll go! It's not safe for someone unfamiliar with Pokémon to wander around on their own!" Aya cried. Anilae stared at her in confusion.
"Wait, but-?"
"Very well then. Let's go: my helicopter will only wait so long," Oak smiled sheepishly, "I might have told the owner that it was a life-or-death situation... he'll be worried if I'm not back with an explanation soon."
"Hey! We weren't going to hurt Anilae!" Tim exclaimed angrily. "Aya, tell him!"
"I know you weren't. But I didn't know what the problem was, and it sounded urgent." Oak explained. "Anyway, that's irrelevant, now. Let's get going, so Anilae can learn what all this is about."
Half an hour later, the five of them were gathered in front of Oak's helicopter, Aya and Timmy with backpacks full of important items, both for their Pokémon and for themselves, and Anilae with a brand new, mostly empty backpack and a few absolute essentials for Pokémon training, donated from Aya's extensive collection of supplies, and from her mother's old adventuring gear.
Anilae tugged at the backpack's straps irritably, obviously uncomfortable with the whole idea of a bag COVERING one's back.
"How am I supposed to fly with this thing?" she asked Clara, yet again. She'd been asking this repeatedly since first trying it on. Somehow, none of the others had gathered their wits enough to point out that she WASN'T supposed to fly- that was the whole point, after all. Instead, Clara muttered something about not NEEDING to fly with it... which made Anilae look at her strangely.
Professor Oak interrupted what would surely have turned into a rant about the idiocies of forcing someone with WINGS to wear a backpack, and the strange quirks humans had, by declaring that, since the helicopter was basically ready to take off, they should probably get into it. He had to yell this pretty loudly, since they were standing in the wind directly under the spinning blades, and no one seemed to want to argue with that.
Clara gave Aya and Timmy each one last hug before pushing them gently towards the helicopter. They followed Anilae up into the cab, turning around to wave as they reached the door. Anilae was taking advantage of her telepathy to ask Oak (and the pilot) questions about how the helicopter worked and what it was powered by that they couldn't possibly answer, the noise from the engine overwhelming any possible shout, as the pilot slowly lifted the helicopter off the ground, They swung around towards Kanto, slowly, giving Timmy and Aya plenty of time to wave down at their mother, and generally be excited about flying in a helicopter, before leveling off and accelerating back towards the Pokémon Professor's lab.
