Chapter 2: Another Way to Define Real
Whiteness. There was nothing but the bright white fog surrounding Andrew now, as his body was still stinging all over from the sudden pain moments ago. Andrew stood to his feet, and flexed his arm. As his arm moved, the stinging subsided to a tingling sensation, and eventually faded away completely. Andrew flexed the rest of his body, until all traces of his discomfort had eased away.
Andrew attempted to walk forward, but found he was unable to take any steps in any direction, though he was able to move. Slowly, objects around him faded into view. As before, after a point, the white fog vanished completely, leaving Andrew standing in the corner of a furnished room.
Looking around him, Andrew took note of the appearance of the room. The room was of a decent size, and its walls and ceiling were painted in a pale slate blue color. The molding around the wall at the floor and the carpet itself was a lighter shade of the wall's color. There were several pieces of wooden furniture, and the wood was stained to a rich golden-brown color. The room itself, being themed primarily in cool colors, made Andrew feel calmer and made the room's temperature seem lower than it actually was. Andrew took a deep breath of the air. It was fresh, cool, and clean; a huge change from the environment that he used to live in, that always carried a faint amount of pollution, no thanks to a major highway that ran nearby.
Andrew stepped into the middle of the room and looked back to the spot he was just standing at. A door was behind where he had been standing before, a light dimmer knob on the left side of it. Turning to the left, Andrew looked over all the objects in the room. There was a rubber doorknob stop on the wall, in the same color as the wall. About two feet from the doorknob stop was a sofa, with three cushions. It was colored in a slightly darker shade of the pale slate blue of the walls. Continuing to turn counterclockwise, Andrew observed a small wooden end table next to the sofa, and the foot of a bed a short distance away from the end table. The bed itself seemed about eight feet long, longer than most conventional beds in his old reality. The blanket on the bed was the same color as the sofa. The underside of the blanket was visible as it was folded over on the head end of the bed. The blanket's underside, the pillow, and the fitted sheet of the bed all carried the same color as the carpet. The head of the bed was nestled in the corner of the room.
Continuing down the wall opposite the door, Andrew saw a wooden bedside table, which had a small black clock on top of it. The bedside table sat up against a larger wooden dresser. The dresser had three rows of two drawers each, each drawer having a shiny golden knob. On top of the dresser was a large black stereo system, with large speakers on each side of it. In front of the stereo sat small glass bottles of what was most likely cologne. Sitting on the floor next to the dresser was a CD rack, full of various albums. The only other thing along the wall was another door, thinner than the first.
The next wall sloped down at an approximate 45-degree angle, stopping about three and a half feet from the floor. Breaking up the angled wall were two alcoves, sinking in about a foot, with windows at the back. In front of the windows were single shelves, each about two feet from the floor, and made of wood. Below those shelves were small spaces, where various books were kept. On top of the shelves were various potted plants, soaking up the sun's rays. In between the two windows was a two-foot high platform, with a large black television sitting on top, and a space beneath where various audio/visual devices sat.
Along the room's final wall was a large wooden desk that had a tall cabinet structure at the end nearest the door, and a dark slate and silver office chair sitting in front of it. Attached to the cabinet was the desk top itself, that started at a curve, that led to a thinner section ending nearest the sloped wall. On top of the curved section was a large silver laptop, which was shut. The empty legroom underneath the desk continued around to the thinner section, and almost the entire way to the end of the desk, where it was supported at the end by two drawers, one of which was apparently designed as a file cabinet. On top of the thin section were a small lamp and a small wooden object, with a holder for sticky notes, and two writing utensils. There also sat a wooden rack, filled with two rows of colored pencils, the back row being elevated. The cabinet itself had two doors on the bottom, and three shelves on top, in which books were stacked. The cabinet section of the desk seemed about 6 or so feet high.
Andrew figured that the door he had been standing in front of led to the rest of wherever he was at, so he decided to look in the door nearest the dresser. When he opened the door, he found the room to be dark, so he instinctively searched along the wall to his right, and found two light switches. He turned them both on, and the area filled with light. Andrew's suspicions were correct—it was a walk-in closet, and a large one at that. Examining the closet, he found that the back wall had a large mirror on it.
Andrew stopped to look at himself, only to realize that hadn't been wearing a single thread of clothing! Blushing, he dashed back over to the dresser, and began hastily searching through its drawers, until he came across a pair of gray boxer-briefs, immediately putting them on. Breathing a sigh of relief that he was at least somewhat decent, he searched through the rest of the drawers, taking note of what garments were where. He took out a matching gray undershirt, and put it on. He also took out an army-green shirt, blue jeans and belt, and a pair of socks, tossing them all onto his bed. After he had put his clothes on, he wondered where his trench coat was. He stepped back into the closet to see it hanging alongside various other coats and more formal clothing. He pulled it out and put it on, and looked back at the mirror. It was showing the same thing as he had envisioned back in that room with Rebecca. He smiled, and looked down to the floor to search for his boots.
Unable to find his boots in the closet, Andrew turned off the lights and exited his closet. Taking another step inside the room, his foot landed at the wrong angle, sending Andrew onto a one-way trip straight to the floor. Landing with a loud and dull thud, he climbed back up to his feet, and looked at the spot where he tripped, thinking, "what in the world did I just trip over? There's nothing there!"
As Andrew continued to search the room for his boots, there came a knocking upon the larger door to his bedroom. "Andrew, are you decent in there?" a voice from the other side called. Andrew knew who that voice belonged to, and responded, "Yeah, I'm dressed; you can come in." The door opened, and Rebecca stepped into the room, wearing a casual housedress. "What are you doing here?" Andrew asked, somewhat surprised, "I thought you would have stayed behind."
"I had to come along with you."
"Why is that?"
"Because, Andrew—I'm here to be your mother in this reality."
Rebecca's statement was more than unexpected to Andrew. He hadn't really thought about what his family would be like in this reality. "You're going to be… my mother?" Andrew asked, making sure he hadn't been hearing things. "Yes, that's right. I am going to be your mother here," Rebecca confirmed. Andrew took a deep breath, sat down on the floor where he was standing, and let Rebecca's words sink in. After a while, he looked back up at Rebecca, who had taken a seat on Andrew's sofa, and nodded. He then got back up onto his feet.
Rebecca stood up as well, saying, "Alright, then. Let me show you around the house." She walked out of the room, Andrew following behind, falling flat upon his face again as he was about to exit the room. As he got back to his feet, Andrew muttered to himself, "Why the heck do I keep falling over like this?" Rebecca heard him, and responded, "It's because of your legs. They're longer than you're used to. That'll change tomorrow, when your mind finishes its integration in this reality."
After Andrew was back on his feet, he looked out of his door, and saw a long path extending forward. When he stepped out onto it, he looked up at the expansive ceiling, with its wooden support beams purposely exposed. Around him, he saw hints of a room beneath him, and looked over the edge of the path. He was standing on a bridge over the floor below! The bridge split halfway and took a turn to the left, leading to another room. Rebecca explained that the room on the path's split was a guest room, but she added, "While, yes, it may be a guest room, it's actually used quite often by a single person." Andrew didn't think much of Rebecca's addendum, and proceeded across the rest of the bridge with Rebecca. At the end of the bridge was a staircase to the right, which led to the lower floor, a door in front of Andrew, and a turn to the left, which led to two more doors. Rebecca pointed out that the bathroom was behind the door in front of Andrew, an office was next down the path, and Rebecca's room at the end. Rebecca started heading down the stairs before Andrew took a look at any of the other rooms.
When Rebecca led Andrew downstairs, Andrew had to hold the handrail to keep from plunging down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Rebecca turned and showed Andrew the living room. Andrew loved the openness of the room, and two gigantic windows accentuated the already airy room. As Andrew walked past a large white sofa, a small, round, and pale blue creature jumped up on top of the back of it. It had no arms, a pair of small budlike feet, and what seemed like leaves on top of its head. Andrew looked at it and recognized it. When the realization of what it was finally registered in his brain, he lunged back in sheer surprise, tripping over a low coffee table, and falling onto hard tile floor. He crawled away from it, his face ghostly white, and his eyes wide and dilated. "Wh… What the hell is that?!" was all Andrew was able to muster out of his surprise, his heart pounding harder than the pistons in a car engine.
Rebecca hadn't taken any surprise to the appearance of the small creature. However, she was surprised with Andrew's reaction to it, commenting, "Andrew, what's wrong?" Andrew flung a shaking finger in the creature's direction, blurting out, "That!" Rebecca looked down at the creature, which looked back and jumped in place cheerily, apparently oblivious to what was going on. She looked back to Andrew, and said, "I'm surprised you haven't guessed where you're at yet. Just calm down and think about it; this reality is different than your old one, remember? Trust me on this one; it is what you know it is."
Andrew took a deep breath and stood up, his heart rate still higher than normal. He approached the creature cautiously, and picked it up in both hands. Its body felt smooth and waxy, like a plant. He took another deep breath, and his pace began to increase yet again. However, this time, his heart was beating fast from excitement, rather than from a sense of dread and uncertainty. "Yeah, this is a different reality," Andrew said calmly, then he tightened his throat to keep himself from yelling outright, "And I chose to be in it!"
Rebecca let out a chuckle, and told Andrew, "Well, you don't have to tell the world; they already know." Andrew allowed the creature to jump onto his shoulder, and proclaimed, "Here I am, in a completely different reality. I never thought I'd be here, I never even thought this kind of thing—multiple realities and all that—would have even been more than complete and utter speculation. Nevertheless, here I stand, in utter disbelief, regardless of the truth. I've only dreamt that I would be in such a situation. I stand here, with a different body and a different perspective on life." Andrew looked up to the creature on his shoulder, and continued, "The only reason that I have a different perspective is because of this; this Pokémon, an Oddish, to be exact, standing here on my shoulder. Subsequently, I'm sure I'm going to have a lot more perspective changes in the near future. Although I haven't a clue as to what the future holds for me as of yet, I'm ready to face it, and I'm sure I'm going to love every minute of it!" Andrew looked back to Rebecca, who had started clapping, saying, "Well put, Andrew! And here I was, thinking that you weren't really the type to say more than a few words at a time! It's good to see that you're happy about being here."
Rebecca turned around and motioned for Andrew to follow her as she continued the guided tour of the expansive house. The Oddish on Andrew's shoulder jumped off onto the sofa as Andrew passed by it. After Rebecca finished guiding Andrew through the kitchen and dining room on the lower floor, she led him into a huge room at the back of the house. It was surrounded more by glass than by actual wall, and offered a grand view—the edge of a forest, leading into rolling hills, ending with a breathtaking view of a snow-capped mountain. To Andrew, the term 'breathtaking' was applied quite literally, as he was in such awe of the view that he forgot to breathe, and wound up gasping for breath when he realized that he hadn't been breathing. Rebecca chuckled at this as she headed back into the living room.
Andrew, however, stayed to observe the room itself, since his eyes darted immediately to the landscape outside when he entered the room. The floor was covered in white tile, and there were three degradations towards the far side of the room, where in the lowest section there sat a white metal wire table, surrounded by four white metal wire chairs. Alongside the steps down to the lower areas were two raised islands, with a dirt center, where various plants of many sizes and colors grew. On the second level of the room, there sat a white elbowed sofa, and a wooden coffee table. At the end of the room, there was a pair of large glass doors that led to the outside. Andrew proceeded down to the lowest level, and turned back to look at the house. The back wall of the room was wooden, and he could see brick-trimmed windows higher up on the walls, where the kitchen and dining room were located. Above the sloped glass ceiling, Andrew could see that the wall continued upward, and met the black-shingled roof. There was a large protrusion from the roof at the center of the wall. This protrusion had a pair of windows on it, and the ceiling sloped to meet the apex of the rest of the roof. Andrew knew that the protrusion was because of the guest room.
Andrew headed back into the living room, and sat down on the couch, next to Rebecca, who had been sitting and waiting for him, reading a newspaper to pass the time. She folded the newspaper and placed it on the coffee table, and asked Andrew, "So, did you like the view out there?" Andrew excitedly nodded his head, saying, "Yeah, that view was simply amazing!" Rebecca commented, "I had a feeling that's what you were thinking, given the fact that you forgot to even breathe." "Yeah, yeah… I know…" Andrew replied, shrugging shyly. "Well, I'm sure that you're going to want to take a look outside now, so feel free." Rebecca said, as Andrew lowered his hand from behind his head.
Andrew stood up, and walked towards the front door, when he unexpectedly stepped into a recessed area, lost his balance, and ate the hard concrete floor of the recess. Nurturing his chin, Andrew got back to his feet, and looked at the floor, only to realize that he hadn't been wearing his boots. He was about to turn and ask Rebecca about his boots, but he saw them sitting on a shelf near the door, alongside a plain bench. On the shelf above his boots, there were several pairs of slippers, and pairs of flip-flops on the shelf below. "Ah, I see what's going on here…" Andrew thought as he sat down on the bench and reached for his boots, "It's sort of like the Japanese tradition of taking your shoes off in houses and certain public places."
Andrew tied his boots and proceeded outside. He looked around and took in his surroundings. To his left, a paved path continued around to the side of the house, where Andrew could make out what seemed to be a driveway. The driveway arched over a small stream, which ran to Andrew's left and in front of him, propelled by a small waterfall from an embankment to Andrew's right. The embankment continued underneath the house, providing some support for underneath Andrew's bedroom. The house, however, seemed to pass unimpeded through the hill, to make the transition between lower and upper floor seamless from the outside. The house itself seemed even larger on the outside than it did inside. The walls were covered in finished and stained wood, arranged in continuous horizontal planks. Climbing up the wooden walls were several Ivy vines. Andrew walked over to the stream, and looked into it. The water was clear and moved swiftly; Andrew could see small fish swimming downstream.
Andrew turned around to examine the driveway, when he noticed Rebecca standing in front of the door, which was left open. He walked over to her, and asked, "I don't quite get it. Why are there normal fish swimming around in that stream?" Rebecca closed the door, and turned back to Andrew, responding, "Because, Andrew… Not every living thing in this reality is going to be either a human or a Pokémon. There are other types of living things here." "Oh," Andrew said, as Rebecca reached into a pocket on the side of her dress, saying, "Speaking of Pokémon…" From the pocket, Rebecca drew four red and white spheres, each approximately the size of golf balls. She handed the four balls to Andrew, who looked at them in his hands, saying, "Pokéballs. How predictable. What all is in them?" Rebecca held her hands behind her back, proclaiming, "Why don't you see for yourself?"
Andrew threw all four golf ball-sized Pokéballs into the air, and they landed in the grass with a rustle and a dull thud. Andrew waited for something to happen, but nothing did; he turned to Rebecca, and said, "Uhh… Nothing's happening." Rebecca gave a sigh, and told Andrew, "You have to enlarge them first, by pressing the little button on the front, and then throw them." "Oh, silly me; I should have known that…" Andrew said nervously as he picked up the four dormant Pokéballs. He pressed the button on each, enlarging them to the size of softballs, and then threw all four at once again. They each bounced along the ground once, and opened, as if on cue. In a flash of bright white light, four figures of various shapes and sizes appeared in front of Andrew, as his eyes widened in wonderment.
The white light gave way to reveal four different Pokémon. Each was remarkably different in their size, bulkiness, and shape. Andrew was impressed with the four Pokémon standing in front of him, but knew something was wrong, exclaiming, "They're not colored normally." Indeed, the four Pokémon standing in front of him were very rare. Instead of their normal colors, they took on completely different color schemes. Standing in front of Andrew were a Charizard, Gardevoir, Starmie, and his favorite, his omnipotent Nidoking.
Charizard was a classic image of a dragon, with a raging flame at the tip of its tail, and large, proud wings. Normally, though, Charizard were colored predominantly with a red-orange skin tone, and a blue hue on the insides of its wings. This Charizard's skin was the color of volcanic ash, and the insides of its wings a royal red color, but its underbelly still retained a creamy tan color. It was taller than an average Charizard, which stands at 7 foot 7 inches, whereas this one stood at 8 foot 3 inches.
Gardevoir appears as a feminine form, mostly a silvery white color, with green masses resembling hair and arms. There is an orange horn that points upwards in the lower middle of its chest. Its lower body takes the appearance of a dress flowing in the wind, and is split in the front. The inside of this portion of its body is in the same green color as its arms and the top of its head, and its legs—which are also green—are hidden behind this cover. Most Gardevoir are about 4 feet tall. Andrew's Gardevoir stood at 5 feet tall, with icy blue and lavender-white colors, instead of green and silver-white. Its horn was also a paler shade of orange than usual.
Starmie is one of the more interestingly shaped Pokémon, resembling a pair of 5-point stars superimposed over one another. They are a little over 3-and-a-half feet in length, and are purple in color. They also have a shimmering octagonal gem that shines in one of 7 different colors, depending on how the light hits it, though it is predominantly a red color. Surrounding the gem is a golden cover, with 8 points geometrically radiating outward. Starmie also have the unique ability to defy gravity. This rare Starmie was instead an aqua blue color, with a lustrous blue gem. Instead of gold, the piece surrounding the gem was a shining red color. This Starmie was also about 4 feet in length.
Nidoking are an immensely powerful type of Pokémon, possessing strength capabilities far beyond other Pokémon of its size. It is about 4-and-a-half feet tall at first, but as with almost all Pokémon, it grows in size as it gets stronger, usually reaching about 5 or 6 feet maximum. Its body is covered in hard armor-like plates and hardened spikes, which are a light purple color, and its front abdominal section is a gray color. Its spikes are said to be so hard, they can pierce diamonds; they also secrete highly venomous poison. Its tail is also one of its strongest assets, being capable of seriously damaging any that are unlucky enough to be caught by it. A rare type of Nidoking is blue in color, and slightly larger than normal Nidoking. Andrew possessed a type of Nidoking so rare, that he astounded everybody just by owning the only recorded case of such a Nidoking. It towered over normal Nidoking, reaching almost 7 feet 9 inches in height. Its poison is recorded to be so toxic that it will affect Pokémon types that are normally immune to poison. Its hide is stiff and appears like granite, with little sparkling flecks all throughout, and smoothened similar to the rocks you find in rivers.
Andrew revered the awesomeness of his Pokémon, and decided that it would be good to test out their performance. He ordered his Nidoking to step up. The Nidoking obeyed, and walked next to Andrew, shaking the ground slightly as it did so. "This is too amazing!" Andrew thought as he watched the Nidoking walking towards him. He threw a point forward, calling, "Nidoking, Water Gun!"
Andrew's granite Nidoking leaned back, preparing to attack, when Rebecca shouted "Wait!" from behind them. Both Andrew and Nidoking turned around and looked at her quizzically. "I wouldn't do that here; Your Pokémon's attacks are so strong they might destroy more than what's in front of them. I'd suggest going to your training field to do this kind of stuff. I'll show you the way." Andrew nodded, but his Pokémon had already started charging towards the driveway, for they apparently already knew the way. Charizard had been waiting for Andrew, ready for him to climb onto its back. Andrew did so, and when Charizard took off, Andrew shouted back to Rebecca, "That won't be necessary! I'll be back when I'm done!"
As the black Charizard flew over the treetops towards Andrew's training area, Andrew looked around, taken aback by the view. To his right, he saw more forest patches, and the start of civilization; a city many miles away. Left of Andrew was the fields and mountain range that was visible from the back of Andrew's house. After a few minutes, Charizard landed in the middle of a big opening. Seconds later, Nidoking came charging down a path leading away, with Gardevoir on its back, and Starmie trailing to its left. They stopped, and Andrew called Nidoking back to his side, ready to proceed with the performance test.
"All right, Nidoking, for real this time—Water Gun!" Andrew commanded. Nidoking again leaned back, breathed in and flung forward, sending out an almost solid column of water straight into the trees. Granted, the water didn't stop there; instead, it forced its way through tree after tree, toppling some over, and sent one flying into the air, landing on the other side of the training area, behind Andrew. When Nidoking's attack ceased, Andrew looked down the path of soaked and destroyed trees that it created, and his face paled when he saw the result. He wasn't even able to see the end of the path, for it had punched clear through to the other end of the patch of trees, leaving a view of the mountain range through it. Andrew stuttered as he said, "G…Good j-job, Nidoking…"
Andrew shook off his surprise, and ordered a Flamethrower attack from Nidoking, but ordered it into the air, so it wouldn't wind up starting a forest fire. When Nidoking launched the attack, Andrew wasn't sure if he was watching a flamethrower of a volcanic eruption. The attack ended, and a huge plume of thin smoke rose from the burnt compounds in the air. The Thunderbolt attack Andrew ordered next wasn't much different, though it did leave a sizeable crater at the attack point. Chuckling nervously, Andrew told Nidoking that it was done with the test for the day. He turned to Gardevoir, and proceeded with ordering attacks.
Several minutes later, he finished ordering attacks to all his Pokémon, and decided it was time to go back home. Andrew climbed on Charizard's back, while Nidoking, with Gardevoir on its back, and Starmie took off back towards the house. When they all arrived, Andrew told them they could relax for a while. Nidoking lied up against the embankment, Starmie jumped into the stream, Gardevoir teleported up into a tree, and Charizard fell asleep. Andrew went inside the house and told Rebecca that he was back. She put her newspaper down, and walked over to the door, slipping her shoes on as she passed the door. She and Andrew both proceeded outside, and Rebecca asked, "So, were you impressed with their performance?" Andrew gave a small laugh, and replied, "If you want to put it lightly, yeah." Rebecca gave a satisfied chuckle, saying, "I had a feeling you'd be impressed. So, have you gotten used to your new body yet?"
Andrew put a finger to his chin in thought, and realized that the concept of testing his own abilities hadn't crossed his mind even once. "Nope, can't say I've gotten completely used to it yet," Andrew said. He crouched down and jumped as high as he could. He soared high over the treetops, being able to see the city he saw earlier while he was flying on Charizard's back. Then, gravity took hold of him, and he began to fall. Andrew instinctively tried to keep himself from falling, but it was pointless. Ever faster nearing the ground, Andrew realized, "If I can jump this high, I can land from this high." He oriented himself with his arms akimbo straight up in the air, and his legs pointed straight down. His right foot hit the ground first, and he quickly tensed his leg muscles to slow his descent, finishing in a crouching position, with his arms down, fists resting on the grass.
When he tried to stand back up, his feet wouldn't pull up and wound up making Andrew lose his balance, and fall over onto his back. His feet, however, were still in their spot, sunken more than two inches beneath the surface of the ground. Andrew pulled his leg up as hard as he could, until he felt the ground release his trapped foot. He repeated the procedure with the other leg. After getting up to his feet, he brushed off the back of his trench coat, then turned to Rebecca and said, "Well, that was… interesting…" Rebecca nodded in agreement. Andrew then remembered the city he saw, and asked, "While I was up there, I noticed a city or something in the distance." "Ah," Rebecca nodded while saying, "I know what you're talking about. Yeah, Cerulean is some distance from here."
Andrew's ears perked at the mention of Cerulean, and his eyes grew wide. "Cerulean… You mean Cerulean… City? Like, the Cerulean City?" Rebecca muttered an agreement while again nodding. Andrew's anticipation at that point couldn't be stopped, and he quickly blurted, "I'll see you later, then!" and turned to run down the driveway. "Andrew, wait for a second!" Rebecca said, but Andrew ignored her, and stepped off into a run down the driveway, moving at incredible speed. However, his foot landed in the wrong place and sent him flying forward. When he landed, he skidded, flipped back into the air, flopped on the ground again, and rolled, finally stopping by ramming into a tree, while he was still speeding far faster than even the fastest runners.
Andrew lied on his back, eyes crossed, and feeling dizzy. Down his back, arms, and abdomen he could feel a searing pain. He heard footsteps and turned his head to see a blurry double-image of Rebecca running up to him. Sarcastically, he muttered to her, "That… kinda hurt… just a bit." He sat up, grunting and clenching his face in pain. He took his trench coat off and lifted his shirt. While his clothes appeared as though not a thread had been damaged, the surface of his skin looks as though it had just had a bad encounter with a belt sander, all red and with small cuts all over. The brush burns covered almost his entire abdomen and the whole way up his arms, to his shoulders. "Ooh, that's some really nasty brush burn you've got there… Let's get back to the house; there's some isopropyl alcohol in there that you can use."
Andrew got up to his feet, and he and Rebecca walked back to the house, which Andrew had put almost a quarter mile away in the thirty seconds or so had been running. As they walked back, Rebecca told Andrew, "You really should try to exert some control over how fast you run."
"Yeah, you do have a point; but I was so excited when you said that distant city was Cerulean. I couldn't help myself from trying to get there as fast as possible."
"I know, but you would have had to do a lot of waiting for what you wanted anyway. The Pokémon Gym there doesn't open for another half hour; it's only seven thirty."
"Oh. Say, why was I able to run so fast, anyway?"
"It's because of your body. It's so new that your muscles are on some serious overdrive… Good thing that your body is going to heal really quickly. Oh, also, you'll notice that your endurance will be through the roof as well. My body is new as well, which explains how I was able to run up to you so easily from a quarter mile away at the speed I was running, as well."
"I never took notice."
They reached the house, and went inside, taking their shoes off on the way in. Andrew sat down on the couch, further examining the damage his sudden fall had done to him. Rebecca approached him, setting a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and a few cotton balls on the low table in front of the couch, saying, "Here… Use these to clean off that brush burn." Andrew picked up the bottle and cotton balls, saying, "I've always hated rubbing alcohol."
Rebecca had taken a seat on a smaller sofa across from the one Andrew was sitting on. She responded to Andrew by saying, "Well, if you can't keep your balance, you'd better get used to it quick." Andrew opened the bottle, and put a cotton swab to the mouth of the bottle. He quickly flipped the bottle, and then flipped it back, wetting the cotton swab with the alcohol. As he applied the alcohol-soaked ball to his scrapes, he grunted, and then said, "Aah, even with a new body, it still never fails to sting… Oh well…"
Rebecca leaned back on the couch, picking up the newspaper she left sitting on the couch next to her, and began reading it. Andrew, however, continued to apply the isopropyl alcohol on all of the brush burns on his abdomen, chest, and arms. After he finished applying the alcohol, he capped the bottle, and set the used cotton balls off to the side of the table, where he noticed a section of the newspaper. On the newspaper was a small article titled, "An interview with Andrew Masako" Curious to see what information the newspaper had about him, Andrew picked up the newspaper and began reading the article.
Marie Gavada
The Pokémon Times has interviewed all of the big names in Pokémon, including the prestigious Professor Oak of Pallet Town. This month, we chose to interview the winner of last year's Pokémon League, a trainer by the name of Andrew Masako. While the Pokémon Times does not normally interview trainers independently, Andrew's impressive and flawless win, combined with the capture of a never-before seen species of Nidoking and several other unique Pokémon has prompted us to interview him.
Marie Gavada: So, Andrew, I'd like to begin by asking you a few questions about the Indigo League, and your training style. First off, what would you say is the key element in your record-setting victory in the Indigo League?
Andrew Masako: Well Marie, I would have to say that my Pokémon are more than key to my success at the competition, since, after all, I can't just charge onto the field with my bare hands, now can I?
Gavada: You have a point there, Andrew. So, when you do train, what is your primary focus?
Masako: I'm not a very big fan of focusing on the development of particular strengths or abilities of my Pokémon. Rather, I prefer to focus on their weaknesses instead. For example, I have given my Pokémon extensive training in defending against attacks from dominant types. That way, it allows my Pokémon to endure much more battling than many. Also, I teach my Pokémon attacks outside of their type. Granted, the attacks may not be as strong as if that type of Pokémon were using them, but I persist in honing their skills so that this drawback is overcome.
Gavada: Very interesting. What about your relationships with others? I hear that there are plenty of girls out there that would just love to get to know you better, if you know what I mean.
Masako: Well, I'd have to say sorry out there to all the ladies, but I'm not out and looking right now.
Gavada: Really now?
Masako: Yeah, I've been too busy with my training to think about relationships.
Gavada: Steadfast determination, I see. So, since the League competition is over, what have you been doing?
Masako: Well, mostly I've been keeping to a rather strict schedule of training, but I do plan to take some time off of that in the near future.
Gavada: Do you have any plans on competing in the League again?
Masako: Chances are, not this year; though don't quote me on that. If anything, I'll work towards defeating the Elite Four.
Gavada: Are you sure that you're up to the challenge? After all, there hasn't been a single trainer that has defeated all four of the Elites.
Masako: I'm fairly confident of my abilities. After all, there hasn't been a single trainer who had a flawless victory through the entire history of the Pokémon League, either, now has there?
Gavada: I suppose. Well, that concludes our time together, Andrew. It was a pleasure interviewing you, and letting all your fans learn a little more about you.
Masako: Hey, it was a pleasure being interviewed, and I have two things to say to all of my fans out there. If anybody wishes to challenge me, or get some pointers on training, feel free to visit me sometime. Also, just remember: It's not about winning or losing; it's about the journey and the lessons you've learned along the way that count more than anything.
Andrew placed the paper back down on the coffee table, and looked at the front page of the newspaper that Rebecca was reading. He gasped at the date that was printed on the newspaper. "It's twenty-two fifty-four?! Rebecca glanced at the date on the newspaper, and said calmly, "Yes, it is. It may be a different time period, but this is a different reality, so don't get too excited. Many things resemble the two thousand and four that you came from." Andrew buried his face in his hands, and shook it back and forth slowly. "Everything is different. Everything," he said through his hands.
Andrew sat there with his face in his hands for some time, until he came to the conclusion that practically nothing was the same. When he was clamed down, he removed his face from his hands, and looked up at the clock. "Wow, seven fifty already!" Andrew said, "Time sure can pass fast sometimes. I suppose I'll be heading out for the Gym, now." Rebecca lowered her paper, and told Andrew, "Just keep in mind that not everything is going to be the same as you think it might be." Andrew looked at her, confused, and replied, "What do you mean?"
"Well, for example, the Cerulean Gym possesses far more water-type Pokémon than would be your first guess."
"Hey, just so long as most things stay familiar, I'm fine with it."
"Okay, then. Take care, Andrew!"
As Andrew finished tying his boots, he opened the door, said, "See ya!", and left. His Pokémon were still lounging around, Gardevoir in the tree, Charizard in the middle of the yard, Starmie floating on the surface of the stream, and Nidoking in front of the embankment. They all seemed to have fallen asleep, all except for Nidoking, who was apparently in some sort of meditating state. When he closed the door, Nidoking opened his eyes and stood onto his feet. He walked over to the tree that Gardevoir was sleeping in, and gently bumped it with his tail. Gardevoir woke up, and floated down next to the stream, waking up Starmie, while Nidoking walked over and woke up Charizard. Andrew told them that he was going to get going, and picked up the four Pokéballs lying in the middle of the yard, summoning each Pokémon back into its respective ball.
Andrew walked back over to the driveway, readied himself, and shot off like a bullet down the long paved path. As he ran, he devoted extra concentration into making sure he didn't slip and fall again. Within about two minutes, Andrew had reached the edge of the forest, and continued through a long stretch of hills, disturbed only by the road in which he was running along and a few patches of trees. Shortly thereafter, he reached the edge of Cerulean City. He noticed a small station for passing trainers, offering free maps of the city, with the locations of the Gym and Pokémon Center highlighted.
Andrew proceeded straight down the road, into the heart of the city, where small single-family homes began to change over to small apartment buildings and small businesses. Cerulean wasn't home to any large businesses with high buildings; in fact, the highest building Andrew passed was a city bank, located right across from the police station, a rather logical place to have it indeed. He reached the edge of a park, and upon checking the map, learned that it was known as Hanada Park. Andrew also noticed that the Gym was located near the southernmost point of the park, with the north end leading to what came to be known as Nugget Bridge. He proceeded south along a walking and cycling path, until he saw the façade of the ever-familiar Cerulean Gym.
As Andrew approached, he looked at the double sliding glass doors at the entrance to the Gym, and took a deep breath. Stepping forward, he stopped to read a sign he had just noticed that was posted near the entrance.
CERULEAN GYM – BADGE: CASCADE
OFFICIAL LEADERS:
DAISY WATERFLOWER
VIOLET WATERFLOWER
LILY WATERFLOWER
MISTY WATERFLOWER
"THE SENSATIONAL CERULEAN SISTERS"
"Sure enough, she is here," Andrew said to himself, "I still cannot believe this is actually real!" He proceeded through the double doors, and was greeted by Daisy, the eldest of the four Waterflower sisters, and perhaps the most egocentric of the four as well. Her natural blond hair was long and flowing, with large clumps of her hair curling around her face. Her eyes were a rich shade of green, and her skin was very pale. "Like, hi there, Andrew. I see you're the first one to the Gym, as usual."
An itch developed on Andrew's left arm, and he scratched it nervously, saying, "Uhh… hi." Daisy's cheerful face relaxed slightly and she said encouragingly, "Like, its okay, Andrew. I know what's going on with you right now; we all do." She turned and pointed at a pair of large red doors along the wall behind her, and told Andrew, "Just, like, go in there. You'll be fine, just relax a bit." Andrew shyly replied "thanks," and walked up to one of the doors, pushing it open to reveal the large pool room.
The room itself was much like Andrew anticipated. The walls of the lower area rose to several rows of spectator seats, for shows the Gym gave, and public Pokémon battles. Below the seats on each side of the pool area were hallways, where windows allowed a view of the poolside floor.
Along the side of the pool were two other young women, whom Andrew knew as Violet and Lily. The both of them were similar to their sister, Daisy. However, Violet's hair was a deep aquatic blue, she had ruby red eyes, and she was also the second oldest. Lily, the second youngest, had bubblegum pink hair, and pale blue eyes. Daisy, Violet, and Lily were all approximately the same height. Violet and Lily were preparing the pool for trainers that were to challenge for the Cascade badge. Lily was checking the acidity of the pool water, and Violet was preparing the pads that float in the pool during Pokémon battles.
As Andrew shut the large red door behind him, Violet looked up at him and waved her hand in the air to get his attention, saying, "Hi, Andrew!" Andrew nodded in recognition as he saw Lily look up to acknowledge his presence. Lily said, "Like, how are you feeling today, Andrew?" Andrew responded, "Awkward, at best, but other than that, I feel great!"
"It's all right, Andrew," Lily told Andrew, "it's sorta' like the first day living in a new place, or, like, at a new job or something. You'll get used to it… But like, hey, at least you're happy, right?"
"Yeah, you're right…"
"Well, since you're usually here to train your Pokémon," Violet chimed in, "you just head down that hall beside me, and find out where Misty is. I've seen her wandering around here somewhere. I think she's feeding the Pokémon right now. Since she's usually the one helping you train, you're going to have to find out where she's at first."
Andrew smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay then, I'll go and look for her." He left the main pool room and back into the lobby. He turned left and proceeded down the hall. He felt almost as though he knew the layout of the Gym, despite having never entered it before. When Andrew came upon a turn to the left down another hallway, he proceeded down it, and passed by Violet on the other side of the glass. When she noticed him, she waved and gave a peace sign to signal to Andrew that he was headed in the right direction.
As he continued down the hall, Andrew found that the floor had suddenly begun to slope downwards. Walking further down the hall, he passed by a door to his right with a small sign labeled 'Training' next to it. Andrew tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked, and so proceeded further down the hall. To each side of him, Andrew took notice of the large windows that showed various views of the water tanks that the Gym kept its water Pokémon in, since the Gym was also a small Pokémon aquarium.
Further down the hall, Andrew noticed an open door. When he approached the door, he saw a sign with the words "Tanks 3 and 4" printed on it. He entered, and walked to the back of the short hallway, which had two doors on the end of it, one labeled "Tank 3" and the other, "Tank 4". He opened the door marked "Tank 3" and walked down the staircase. When he reached the bottom, he found the room to be empty. He turned around and walked back up the stairs, and through the door labeled "Tank 4". When he reached the bottom of the steps, he saw Misty on top of a stepladder, feeding the Pokémon in the tank.
Misty wasn't much the same as her sisters. She looked similar to her other three sisters, but her skin was a slightly richer tone, her hair was a bright and vivid orange, straight and cut short, and tied up into a ponytail that protruded from the left side of her head. Her eyes were a richer shade of the same blue green color of Andrew's eyes. She was the youngest and shortest of the four sisters, but she was the smartest out of her sisters, and also the best battler. She turned towards Andrew as he reached the bottom of the staircase, and said brightly, "Oh, hi Andrew! I was wondering when you'd show up."
Andrew, on the other hand, was too in awe for words. In his old reality, he loved her so much that it drove him to the brink of insanity on more than a few occasions. He had always thought of her as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in all his life. She had a charm about her; a certain way of saying and doing everything. Every time Andrew would so much as see her name written, whatever he had been thinking about at the time was completely obliterated as a tidal wave of thoughts about her rushed into his mind. Now he was in her world, meeting her face to face. He couldn't speak; he couldn't think. He trembled violently, his knees gave out, and he fell flat on his face. He didn't care much, however; he was in the same room as Misty, the only girl he ever wanted to devote his heart to. He was breathing the same air as she; but now, he could smell the sweet but subtle scent of her perfume and undetectable feminine pheromones.
Andrew heard the sound of Misty's footsteps as she rushed over to help him, and propped him up into a sitting position against the wall, the concern more than evident as she called, "Andrew, are you okay? Andrew?" Andrew's neck was still lax, his head pointed down towards the floor. When he began to raise his head, his eyes swiftly connected and locked onto Misty's, and he suddenly felt a wave of love overcome him. It was a feeling of love greater than the conglomeration of a thousand lifetimes' worth. He felt his face getting warm. It started to feel as though he had sunburn, and was getting hotter. He was blushing so hard that he began to get dizzy. His view blurred, his eyes rolled upwards, and his head fell backwards. The ceiling lights blinded him, and his eyes shut in reaction. He could faintly hear Misty calling to him as the darkness overcame him. His feelings for her overwhelmed him to the point of fainting on the spot.