I'm not from the "Pokemon World" or "The Pokemon Universe" as people call it. I'm from, well, our world in our Universe. Name's David, age 39, and - quite frankly - I've just about had it with this place. I'm not sure how or when it happened - probably one of those things where you end up falling through a portal or whatever - but I ended up in Pallet Town of all places. Local Pokemon Professor, Oak, helped me get to grips with everything, so I wasn't too lost, but... damn, this place is crazy, just crazy.
I don't like Pokemon. Now, don't get me wrong; I don't HATE them, but I don't like them. Sentient they may be, but they are still incredibly dangerous animals - and I should know, as I saw an Ursaring maul to death a kid who got too close to its territory. Damn thing just up and killed him then dragged off his body to who knows where, his Pokemon be damned! Did I try and intervene? Hell no; I'm from our world and when you see a fucking Bear, you get the hell out.
What sort of parent lets their fucking ten year old kid leave home at such an early age to "train" these godawful monsters, anyway? I asked some Pallet folks about this... and they actually said that this was the norm. Madness! Nevertheless... I got set up in Pallet Town with a job servicing people's computers and other Pokemon-related technology, all the while keeping my distance from said animals themselves and for a time it was great! I had enough money to purchase a place and sort all my shit out, so I did; then I thought I would travel around and see what "the Pokemon World" had to offer.
Mistake.
Oh, don't get me wrong: I prepared well, got myself a pack with the usual clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag and other camping supplies - but holy fuck the amount of bloody ten year old brats who thought I was a trainer...! It seemed no matter what route I took, no matter what I did to try and avoid them, no matter how much I told these spoiled arrogant fuckers who "wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was" that I wasn't a trainer... they all insisted on challenging me to a battle, then insulted me or sneered or even spat in my face when I told them no. Finally, things came to a head when, after telling the latest ten year old shit "no" for the nth time, the brat made to kick me - and that's when things took a turn for the strange...
As the stupid boy made to kick me and I prepared to ward him off with a wooden hiking staff, an orange-scaled arm ending in a three-clawed hand shot out from some tall shrubbery; then the boy was grabbed; and finally I heard a horrified scream followed by a wet snap! My breath froze in my throat, then, as from out of the greenery a Charizard emerged! Now you all know what Charizards look like - big orange-scaled dragon-like creatures, paunchy, with huge wings and a tail with flaming-tip - but this one was way different.
The thinner muzzle and body shape, her profile, she was Female. She also didn't have the paunch most other Charizards sported; instead, she looked as thin and willowy as a rake, her paunch gone, replaced by all-hard muscle. Also, unlike most Chars who are slow movers on the ground but quick in the air, this girl was fast and quiet on the ground, she'd dealt with that little shit in minutes; he hadn't even seen her or had time to call out his Pokemon. Slowly, carefully, I backed up against a tree - there was no point running, she'd get me within moments - but she didn't attack me; instead, slowly, gently, without making any sudden movements, she approached me and then, lowering her head... she pressed her snout to my cheek before touching noses with me!
"Thanks," I uttered. A soft, comforting rumble was her response - before she turned and burned the body of the kid she'd just killed to ashes. I called her Sarah, a name she accepted readily, and from then on we travelled together. She was my one and only Pokemon - and she was a complete mystery. Though she was utterly kind and gentle to me, she seemed to dislike other Pokemon and find the "rules" of the Pokemon World as baffling as I did - and she utterly loathed the child trainers we encountered, taking a cruel, sadistic delight in scaring the little shits to death, or even killing them if said children turned out to be abusive towards their Pokemon before burning their bodies into ash, leaving behind no evidence.
She wasn't a murderess - my Sarah didn't kill just anyone, aside from truly abhorrent criminals and utterly horrible, abusive Pokemon Trainers - but it soon became clear that something had happened to her in the past. Since she could only speak in syllables of her species name - "Charizard" - she obviously couldn't tell me what this incident was; but whenever I inquired about her past, her expression grew half-wistful, half-grieving, eyes misty with unshed tears... I ended up drawing her into a gentle hug, holding her large body close as I apologised softly over and over. Thereafter I decided live and let live and stopped inquiring, something she seemed to appreciate as time went on and we grew closer as friends.
Though she'd chosen to come with me because I looked nothing at all like a Pokemon Trainer - and still didn't consider myself one as she was my only Pokemon - I eventually caved and purchased for her a Pokeball. When I slowly presented it to her, upon seeing it, my Charizard's eyes narrowed and she growled dangerously; but then, when she saw its design, she paused, a curious noise escaping her throat. An unusual Pokemon required an unusual Pokeball, thus, gone was the ordinary red and white colour; replaced instead with the design of red, orange and yellow flame. A yellow and black hazard tape design circled the split where the ball opened, beneath which were the words: "EMERGENCY USE ONLY."
Becoming teary-eyed, Sarah whimpered and took a step back; then - as I shrunk the ball and put it in a pocket of my jacket - she came forward to hug me gently. "I'm still not a trainer," I murmured to her, stroking my hands up and down her back as she hung her head over my shoulder and cried, "and I don't want to be. This is just so that a 'real' Trainer can't capture you. You go in, get 'caught' and then I'll have you out of it immediately; I swear I'll only use it in emergency situations or if there's real need. Okay?" I moved to hold her head in my hands, scratched behind her horns, stroked her cheeks and snout and she snuffled and nodded, pressing her dragon-like head into my arms, closing her eyes.
A moment later - after I'd taken the Pokeball from my pocket and expanded it again - my Charizard companion steeled herself, then pressed the button on it with a claw and was sucked inside. The ball didn't rock - Sarah was a willing capture - rather, the button went white almost immediately. No sooner had it done so then my Charizard released herself, snorting and shaking her head as she materialised from energy into matter. As I said, crazy world. No sooner was she out then she was whimpering again softly, eyes misty with unshed tears. "And that's that," I stated, shrinking the Pokeball and putting it away.