Disclaimer: Working away at #3 right now, so I still do not own Pokémon.

This is not happening… Nate told himself once he was able to get his breath back, unable to wrap his brain around the spectacle in front of him. Pokémon did not just… appear out of nowhere. It was basic common sense, unless the Pokémon in question was a ghost type (or possibly a Kecleon, or possibly a ghost type Kecleon).

Please tell me I'm dreaming.

Ok, you're dreaming ~ Daniel replied, in a mocking tone that made it very easy to imagine a smug look on his face, like a Delcatty that had gotten away with eating the neighbor's Rattata.

Now say it like you mean it, please… While Nate was willing to remain at least somewhat optimistic, there was only so far that he was willing to trust the other boy. That is to say, he didn't trust Daniel at all, but it would be nice to hear that the laws of common sense still applied.

No can do, 'cuz you're totally not dreaming~

I was afraid of that...

You know, you're taking this immensely well ~ Helena chimed in.

I thought I might be a bit more rattled, Nate admitted. What with everything I know crashing down around me. But after the robot replica of my mom, being unable to run or jump, and the odd lack of life no matter where I look, this isn't actually too far out there. Now that he had time to cool down, Nate could see that he really should have been expecting some sort of catch ever since Daniel directed him to the grass.

That takes all the fun out of surprising you. Daniel sounded disappointed, but Nate honestly didn't care. If the strange, reality bending boy that had started making his life a (confusing) waking nightmare was unable to get his kicks, Nate was perfectly fine with that. I'll be back later, when he's ready to be surprised like a good boy...

Nate rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to the wild Pidgey.

It hadn't moved, and was staring at Ember with its odd, unblinking eyes. If it hadn't been for it moving earlier, Nate would have sworn it was simply a very detailed doll, perhaps like the kind that was trending in Hoenn. Nate had never seen the point of getting dolls when the real things were much easier to obtain and much more satisfying to spend time with. There was also the added bonus of not needing to explain to a partner/spouse about why one had a secret lair filled with life-sized dolls.

After pushing thoughts of creepy doll-filled rooms from his mind, Nate studied the scene again. He had already noticed that Ember had a similar floating box, but hers was different in a few ways. Where the Pidgey's box simply read 'Pidgey', Ember's box read 'Ember'. There was also the universal symbol for 'female' in her box, and the symbol for 'male' adorning the Pidgey's box. Ember's box also had the addition of a '20/20' underneath her green bar, as well as an extra bar with 'EXP' running along the bottom.

Ok, so that's probably the name... Nate decided. Which makes sense, I guess, the wild Pidgey not having a name yet... No explanation needed for the gender symbols...

The 'lvl' had him stumped, as did the green bars with 'HP' next to them. They likely had something to do with battling, but Nate was stumped. Surely they represented some complex aspect of the two pokémon that only the creators understood. Maybe the 20/20 stood for her vision. Did Cyndaquil typically have bad eyesight?

For some reason, after he completed that thought, the laughter of all five members of the mysterious group began reverberating through his head.

What?

N-nothing, Helena managed to get out between giggles. Just b-battle ~

How do you stutter if you're not breathing? Nate asked, frustrated that he was being laughed at for some reason. After he received no response, he sighed, and decided that he may as well get the battle over with. The sooner he was finished, the sooner he would be able to get away from the grass. That and the 'battle music' was starting to grate on his nerves.

What do fire types start out with again? Nate wondered, glancing at Ember. Oh... right.

"Ember, use Ember!" Oooooh, that's why Daniel didn't like that name...

... well crap...

While Nate was reflecting upon the shortsightedness of his choice of name for his starter, Ember did nothing.

"Ugh, come on, Ember!"

Nothing.

Y-you might want to check and see what moves she actually knows, Helena chimed in again, before dissolving into laughter again.

And how would I do that? Nate asked, irritated.

Check your arm, genius. Heidi replied, snickering.

Checking his arm yielded another box, this time detailing what appeared to be an option screen. After scanning what options he had, Nate selected 'Fight', as he had no items or other Pokémon, and there was no way he'd run away from a Pidgey, no matter how annoying the music was getting.

Let's see what we have here... Nate examined the display that came up after selecting the 'Fight' option.

"Tackle... and Leer..."

Nate stared at the display on his arm for a moment, seemingly willing it to read something else.

"..."

"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ANY FIRE TYPE MOVES? HOW?" Nate roared as he flailed his arms. It didn't make any sense. She was a fire type, fire types knew fire type moves. It was a basic rule of the universe, along with everyone hated Bidoof, and that one gym leader from Kanto would never get laid. If such basic rules were being violated, Nate didn't want to know what would happen next.

Being a little dramatic, aren't we? Helena asked. She's level five, give her some time, she's just a baby. You wouldn't expect a baby Pokémon to know moves like Fire Blast, would you?

"Not knowing Fire Blast would be fine," Nate growled, patience reaching lows previously thought impossible. "But how can she not shoot fire from her face if she has no problem shooting it from her behind?"

...

Helena was silent.

Because...Uh...

Because screw you, we do what we want. Heidi chimed in again. And we want you to do this our way, so no Fire Type moves until she's leveled up a bit more.

"What does that even mean, 'leveling up?'" Nate asked.

If you stopped wasting time talking to the voices in your head, and more time beating the stupid bird, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Heidi continued. Her tone had migrated away from amused and teasing, towards impatient and exasperated. Honestly, this system is designed for 10 year olds, and you're having trouble with it.

"What's that supposed to mea-"

Just. Attack. The Pidgey. Heidi sighed, her presence fading.

"Fine, fine," Nate focused on the battle again. Not surprisingly, the Pidgey and Ember hadn't moved. Nate idly wondered if it was comfortable to keep holding that position, because it sure didn't look comfortable. Maybe the strange forces holding them in place also made it so that -

ATTACK IT, DAMMIT! Evidently, Heidi had kept watching even after her presence had faded away.

The mental yell gave Nate a start, and he hastily yelled out an attack. "Ember, Leer!" At the sound of the command, the Cyndaquil dutifully jumped to action. Well, perhaps jumped to action is a bit of a strong descriptor, and Ember only really shifted her position and glared at the Pidgey, a flash of light appearing near her eyes. The Pidgey shivered, and there was an odd tinkling sound from the display on Nate's arm, informing him that Ember had indeed used Leer, and that it had accomplished the desired task of lowering the enemy's defense.

"Wow, never would have figured that out," Nate muttered, unimpressed by the display.

Huh, something we agree on ~ Daniel chimed in from the back of Nate's head. Even though the teen was annoyed by the reappearance of his tormentor, he was too focused on the battle to really give the being much thought. The lack of pizzazz with the Leer attack, I mean. Way back when it looked like a freaking laser beam from both eyes. Now that was a cool attack. Ever since we updated the graphics we've had this lame effect.

Nate had to admit to himself that he would have preferred lasers, but there was no force on the planet that would get him to admit that to Daniel.

Don't worry, I can read your mind ~ Daniel said cheerfully, his voice ringing around in Nate's head.

Nate growled to himself.

Oh yeah, Growl's pretty useful... Daniel added. Though I still prefer Leer myself.

Losing. My. Smile. Nate thought. Deep breaths.

Though Screech is waaaaay more useful...

In... Out... In... Out...

Buuuut...

Oh Mew no...

If the enemy uses Cotton Guard, then everything's just all screwed up ~

No matter how hard Nate tried to ignore the chattering voice in his head, nothing was able to block it out. Plugging his ears did nothing but make him look like a tool, and talking louder to himself just prompted the other boy to do the same. Eventually, Nate snapped. Letting out an inhuman snarl, he screamed for Ember to do her next attack. "GRAGH! TACKLE DAMMIT! TACKLE!"

Nothing happened.

I quick look at his arm showed that the message describing the wild Pidgey's defense being lowered was still displayed.

"Why won't she attack?" Nate managed to get out after staring angrily at his arm for a few moments.

Oh, because it isn't your turn, Helena informed him.

...what...

Allow me to explain, the girl continued. In a Pokémon battle, each Pokémon gets one 'turn' per round. The order of turns is based upon the Pokémon's speed stat, which you can check outside of battle, or whenever your Pokémon levels up. Now that Ember's made her move, once you've confirmed that you've read the message, the Pidgey will make his move. Are you with me so far?

Yes, Nate replied. And am I the first to mention how brain-shatteringly stupid that system is?

No, no you're not, Helena admitted. And you likely won't be the last. We're not getting rid of it, though, so learn to love it. Well... just try and tolerate it.

Nate rolled his eyes, before tapping the display on his arm.

Almost immediately, the Pidgey sprang into action and charged towards Ember. Ember stood her ground as the Pidgey approached.

Good, she must be preparing to jump away as it gets close, Nate thought. There's no way she'd just stand there and take it.

Unfortunately for Ember (and for Nate's fraying sanity), she did indeed stand there and take it. After the hit connected, the green bar next to the 'HP' began to shrink, and the number went from '20/20' to '17/20'

As the number went down, and Nate didn't see Ember having any problems with her eyes, he began to think that maybe, just maybe, the number represented something more meaningful.

No shit, Sherlock, Heidi sighed. Care to guess what it represents?

Here's a hint: H... P...

Uh... For some reason, the possible significance that the two letters could have held was escaping him.

Hit Points, 'HP' stands for hit points, Heidi finally supplied after thirty seconds had gone by, and Nate could think of nothing besides the fact the Pecha berries also started with 'P'. It represents how much health your Pokémon has; when it hits zero, your Pokémon faints.

Oh, that makes perfect sense, Nate admitted.

Of course it does, we designed this for ten year olds, Heidi snarked at him. And you're sucking at it.

Oh yeah? Well... "Ember, Tackle!" Nate called out the next attack, noticing that his display once again read 'What will Ember do?'. How's that?

The sound of slow clapping filled his head.

Very good, Heidi told him. She used the same type of tone a teacher might use with a very young child. You didn't even need us to tell you which move to use.

Nate ignored the negativity Heidi was throwing his way, and instead decided to watch Ember charge at the Pidgey. After she connected, the Pidgey's health bar shrank just as Ember's did. This time, however, the bar shrank to less than half of its original size.

"Aw yeah, that's how it's done!" Nate said, feeling smug.

The smug feeling only increased when the Pidgey missed his next attack.

Nate cackled, glad that something was finally going his way. His glee was short-lived; however, because Ember also missed her next 'Tackle' command.

"You missed! How could you miss?! He was three feet in front of you!"

Ember of course could not reply, and was hit by the Pidgey's next Tackle, which didn't miss.

"Hey look, he can hit things right in front of him!" Nate told his unresponsive Cyndaquil. He sighed afterwards, realizing the futility of yelling at something that wouldn't respond unless you used certain commands. "One more time, Tackle!"

The hit connected, and the Pidgey's health bar went to zero.

Nate could see that his display was saying something, but he just tapped it, anxious to move on. He missed the bar next to 'EXP' gaining some blue.

I just hope I can get back to the normal world soon...

The transition from the real world to the strange space where the battle was conducted took place even more quickly in reverse. Nate blinked, and he was suddenly back on the route in a pile of tall grass. Ember was once again on the patch of grass behind him.

"So... we just keep going forward?" he asked out loud. He wasn't really expecting an answer, so he wasn't surprised when he was met with silence. The teen shrugged his shoulders, before he started off once again.

The first step was uneventful, as was the second. Nate held his breath while taking the third step, fully expecting to have another 'encounter' as soon as he completed the step. When nothing happened, he let out the breath.

"Hah, this isn't so ba-" his next step brought the music and flashing black squares.

"-d... I hate my life..." Nate muttered while he watched to see what Pokémon he'd be facing next.

The silhouette of a quadrupedal Pokémon with a rather long tail appeared. Once it was close enough, the odd box-thing and the display on Nate's arm identified it as a Sentret.

"No big deal," Nate said out loud, confident he could handle a weak Pokémon like a Sentret. The number next to the 'lvl' on its box was lower than Ember's, so Nate was starting to think that it might mean Ember was stronger. It made sense, since starter Pokémon were typically a tad stronger than the Pokémon immediately adjacent to the towns the professors lived in.

"Ember, use Leer!"

The Fire Mouse Pokémon did the same glare that she'd used in the first battle against the Pidgey. Once the Sentret had recovered, it Tackled Ember. The number beneath the green bar went down to 13/20, and the colour changed from green to yellow. Not good, but no big deal... Nate thought.

"Ember, Leer again!" Nate called. May as well get its defense low enough to just take it out in one hit...

The Sentret's next attack brought Ember to 8/20, and the yellow turned to orange.

Not great, but she can still take two more hits. I'll use Leer again, then take it down on the next turn because Ember's faster...

"Leer!" Predictably, the Sentret's defense was lowered.

When the Sentret used tackle for the third time, something changed. Instead of the decrease of four hit points that the bar had been consistently decreasing by, the bar went all the way to zero. Ember let out a weak cry, before fainting.

What?!

A quick glance at his arm told him that it was a 'critical hit'.

No.

Everything around Nate started turning white.

No no no.

Aw, you were doing so well... Helena sounded genuinely sad.

NOOOOOOOOO!

Nate tried to struggle, run, something; but it was no use. Eventually, he felt himself losing consciousness.

Better luck next time~ Daniel told him.

A few more moments of white, then all was black.


Ok, so it's been a little while since my last update. Things were crazy busy as school came to a close, and the beginning of summer was pretty hectic as well.

Writing-wise, things have been going pretty well. Once I was able to sit down and get writing, this chapter didn't take very long at all. Neither should future chapters, seeing as from this point on it's mostly going to be a straight play-through of Soul Silver. Every name, Pokémon, and loss that Nate has will be the exact names, Pokémon, and losses that I had.

...

And yes, that means that I really did lose to a Sentret on route 29. I was filled with shame, and as my Beta Reader, Infinity Phoenix, will likely happily point out; I was freaking out over Skype after that particular incident.

Don't worry about the x/20 for Ember's health, I'm only mentioning it now because it's the very beginning. Most future references to the health bar (which will likely be few) will only give approximations (green, red, etc).

Non CP wise, I have a few things that I'm working on. Hopefully you'll enjoy them. Two of them probably won't be posted for a while, as they're likely going to be rather lengthy, and I have this to focus on. I'd like to get a sort of buffer done before I start trying to juggle updating more than one story.

The other one, which is a one-shot involving Mewtwo and that hilarious new form of his, will hopefully be up fairly soon.

I'd like to give a shout out to my awesome Beta, Infinity Phoenix. He's the one responsible for going through the tangled mess of words I produce when my face hits the keyboard, and telling me to straighten up and type properly. Oh, he also does important things like grammar and structure checking, as well as being a wonderful wall to bounce ideas off of.

Be sure to check out the Mythological Games forum. It's still fun, and it could use some new people to liven it up. Check it out in the general forums section.

Same goes for This is Not a Forum (TiNa), and Sunbean's Forum of Wonder and Excitement. Both can be found under games, then Pokémon. (Or you could just hit the forums button when you're browsing through Pokémon stories. Since, you know, you'd already be in the right section).

Feel free to drop a review in that lovely box down there. It fills me with warm and fuzzies, and lets me know if I've made any boo-boos while writing.

Until next time,

~Sky.