Prologue to a Dream
Silence settles over the forest as a young girl wakes from her slumber. She observes her surrounding and bites her lip. The trees all look the same to her as they did the day before. With a sigh she pushes herself to her feet and begins her journey again. She glances up at the sun through an opening in the leafy canopy.
"I must have overslept. It's already noon and I haven't even gained any ground." She brushes her dark chestnut hair aside and treks deeper into the forest. As she walks the trees and bushes come to life with Pokemon going about their lives. A Nidoran dashes across her path and she watches the small blue creature with interest. It stares up at her, before dashing back into the bushes. A smile crawls onto her tanned face.
Time passes at a fast pace while the girl hikes through the foliage. Her stomach rumbles like an approaching storm. Her hand moves to her stomach and she stops to scan the trees for a meal. She spots a yellow fruit and she licks her lips in hunger.
"That looks like a nice snack." Her feet carry her to the tree and she scans the trunk for low branches. She jumps up and swings her legs above her before perching herself on the branch. She swings from branch to branch until she reaches the yellow fruit. She plucks it from the branch, but wobbles from the added weight.
"This fruit seems a lot heavier than it looks." A buzzing noise above her hits her ears. The girl glances upward, but soon regrets her decision. "Oh no, not a Beedrill nest. That's the last thing I need at a height this large." A crack in the imposter fruit makes her jump. The shell splits open and wings sprout from the back. A large wasp emerges from the shell and stares at the girl in shock. Without warning the wasp dives at her with its stingers raised. The girl manages to dodge the attack, but her sudden movement disturbs the nest above. A swarm rises from the nest and spots her.
"Today is so not my day." In seconds the swarm is upon her as she tries to get to the safety of the ground. Her free hand swats at the bugs as they dive at her. A sudden burst of pain almost causes her to lose her grip. She cradles her stung hand close to her as she works out the stinger. Before she could even register the attack two more stingers sink themselves into her back and a third lands on her leg wrapped around the trunk. Branches catch on the girl's clothes, slowing her fall, but she lands hard on her side. Her vision begins to swim as the bug's poison begins to take affect. Her breathing becomes labored as her chest tightens from the loss of breath.
Buzzing from the swarm above causes the girl's blood to fill with adrenaline. She braces herself for the impalement of one of the Beedrill's arms, but instead she jumps as the charred body of a Beedrill lands just inches from her face. Her eyes scan her surroundings, but nothing appears. A flash of heat scorches the air above her and another body falls, this time on her body. She yelps in pain as the body lands on her tender leg. To her side the bushes quiver and an orange lizard pushes its way through the foliage. A man in a white lab coat follows the lizard close behind.
"Charmander use ember once more!" Something between a growl and a hiss escapes the lizard and bullets of fire leap from its mouth. The swarm is in momentary disarray, before they retreat back into their nest, covered in burns. The man kneels down beside the girl, his hands support her back and head as he lifts her into a sitting position. The girl moans in protest to the overwhelming pain, but doesn't fight him. Her eyes try to focus the swimming image before them.
"Are you P-professor-" Her breath catches and she gasps in pain.
The man nods in understanding. "Yes, I'm Professor Oak. If I may, can I ask yours?"
The girl's eyes fall shut and her mind begins to slip. "Alice." Her mind fades into the state of unconsciousness.