On the table in the boardroom there was an array of Silph brand supplies I could take on my journey. I stuffed a rope, some pokemon repellent, and a few spray potions into a backpack, skipping over the small heap of pokeballs. I didn't plan on using any of those.

At the end of the table was a purple masterball, my new companion. I examined it while Dad explained how privileged I was, being the first to test out their newly developed starter pokemon, the product of years of research. Blah blah blah. I pressed the button, opening the purple ball.

What spilled out onto the table in a splash of red light I can only describe as a robotic origami duck. It was pink and blue and polyhedral, roughly the size of an old fax machine. It purred like a dial-up connection and radiated warmth. I immediately hated it.

Dad explained that the creature in front of me, Porygon, was designed to save the environment by teaching kids to recycle. I glazed in and out as he talked about Porygon's ability to convert berries into powerful balls of energy, then Recycle the berry to be used again. It could also change elements in battle according to the situation.

I knew I couldn't weasel out of this trip, but I decided to throw my dad a curve ball, just to choke him up a bit.

"I won't do it," I interrupted before he could say anymore. "I absolutely refuse." Dad looked up from his presentation, and I knew I had his full attention. "...unless," I added, cutting Dad off before he could object, "I get a sword."

"A sword?" my dad asked, raising an eyebrow. If there's one thing my dad respected about me, it was my ability to bargain.

"I want my own sword. If I'm going out into the world, I can't rely on this tree hugging toaster oven to defend me."

"Xian, a sword is a dangerous thing. I don't want you running off and impaling yourself. Besides, I would have to order it all the way from Johto, across the Indigo Plateau."

I noticed that he hadn't said no. "Well I insist. The more you protest, the longer you're delaying this project."

"I see… and then you'll cooperate with this project, to the best of your capability?"

I agreed. "Then you'll have your sword. It should be ready by tomorrow. In the meantime, why not try your pokemon against the gyms in town?"

It was a small victory, but satisfying nonetheless. Dad gave me a berry that Porygon could convert into ghost energy, saying it should come in handy. I pulled the Lorax wannabe back into its ball and headed down the stairs.

Outside, the sun was high and the reflection off the cobblestone sidewalk burned my eyes. Temporarily blinded, I bumped right into a passing girl, who fell back and scraped her hands on the ground.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry," I said, reaching out to help her to her feet. She ignored my hand, studying me silently. Her gaze moved up and down my body, like she was undressing me with her eyes, then mentally trying on my clothes. It started to get uncomfortable, so I withdrew the hand and crossed my arms to cover myself.

Without a word she stood up, dusted herself off, and ran away as fast as she could. I watched as she sprinted down the street and disappeared around a corner. "What a freak," I muttered, walking toward Sabrina's gym.

Sabrina. A legend around Saffron. Early on the league recognized her as a child prodigy, one of the most talented young trainers in the world, so she skipped her last year of trainer school and became Saffron's gym leader.

If that wasn't intimidating enough, she was also beautiful, intelligent, and sadistic. Just talking to her always had an unnerving, nauseating effect on me, and now I had to challenge her to a fight. I hesitated at the door to her gym, steeling my nerve before walking in.

The room was dark and cold, giving the impression that I was trapped in a void with no walls. The only source of light came from a tile on the ground, which, upon further inspection, turned out to be the bane of my existence- a warp panel.

Silph Co. had just developed warp panels in an effort to streamline business operations. There were already several installed in the building, unfortunately. No words can truly capture the disorienting terror of accidentally stepping backwards onto one of those tiles in the morning while getting breakfast and dropping your eggs all over somebody's lab equipment.

I clutched my gut as a wave of nausea rolled over me. Since walking in, I'd been picking up on unwelcoming vibes from every other mind in the building. It was like my mind was being bombarded by negative thoughts, and my stomach couldn't handle it.

With warp panels, you can feel your body getting obliterated, launched out of existence, and then reconstructed in a different location. Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the warp panel, disappeared, and immediately vomited into the next room.

"Aw dude, what?" someone said. I looked up to see a sleepy looking kid with a disgusted look on his face. "Scrape that crap out of here! Oh god, I can smell it."

I carefully nudged the puddle back onto the warp panel with my shoe. It sprayed up into the air and disappeared, out of sight and out of mind.

"I, ugh… I challenge you to a battle," I managed, struggling not to burp. He accepted and we squared off to fight.