Episode 1: Terelm, Where Two Quests Begin!

Unknown Date (Unknown Day)

Evening - Enemy Base

I take some steps towards the cliff's edge, the enemy's base in plain sight. The breeze blows my cape in the wind. I turn to my teammates, who look just as ready to begin the mission.

"Looks like we're all set," I say. "Ready, everyone?"

"Ready for anything," Paladin replies.

"This isn't just to avenge ourselves," Heart says. "This is to avenge everyone!"

"Yeah," Joker agrees. "Let's make 'em pay. Especially for what they did to us."

"Let's remember the plan," Nova says. "Jade, you go over our roles."

"Fine, Nova," Jade says. "Paladin, Clover, and Diamond will destroy the searchlights."

"Roger that, Jade!" Clover nods.

"Twilight'll hack the base's defenses," Phoenix continues. "Heart, Joker, and Spade will guard him."

"Okay," Spade says. "But what about everyone else?"

"Erdrick clearly can't beat all of them alone," Sapphire replies. "So, I'll go with Nova, Jade, and Phoenix to do another diversion."

"Erdrick'll still do a diversion by himself, right?" Diamond queries.

"That's right, Diamond," Twilight says. "Alright, enough talk. We've wasted enough time here. Let's go, Erdrick."

"Right, Twilight," I agree. "Let's go!"

We all nod. Everyone leaves, ready to carry out their role. I smirk as the breeze grows stronger and I look back to the base. I ensure my transmission device's functioning. Well... No more use standing around. Best to begin the mission. No turning back!

BGM: Persona 5 Scramble - Perturbation

I take a leap into the enemy base. I manage to land on a rooftop. Utilizing my agility, I perform a death-defying bound onto another rooftop. I make a mad dash across the roof in order to increase my chances of not being seen. I jump one more time, and land on the edge of a building.

"It's almost time, right?" I heard Jade's voice over the transmission.

"Yeah!" Spade replies. "Let's do this!"

My cape begins to flap around as the wind suddenly picks up.

"Watch out, Erdrick!" Twilight warned me. "They're coming from below!"

A helicopter suddenly flies up to my level. Two enemies were visible, each with a Toucannon.

"Use Bullet Seed!" Both of them yell. The two Toucannon begin to fire seeds at me, but I dash away to avoid the attack. I jump down the rooftop and stand on the wall. Still affected by gravity, I begin sliding.

"Has it started?" Paladin asks.

"We're ready!" Sapphire replies.

"Okay! Let's go!" Jade says.

The helicopter catches up to me, and the Toucannon resume their fire. I roll to the right to dodge, then dash at the helicopter. As I make another jump, I grab onto the heli and climb up to the top.

"This isn't good!" The pilot screams. "Jump for it!"

Before the pilot can open the door and bail, I pull out my gun and shoot both of the blades, destroying them. The enemies jump out of the helicopter and immediately use their parachutes as the helicopter begins to plummet.

*KABOOOOM!*

When it hits the floor, the helicopter explodes into a million pieces, but I land safely by jumping just before the helicopter hits the ground. Now that I was on solid ground, I'd have to face another threat.

Innumerable cars begin to open more or less at the same time, and just as innumerable enemies begin to pour out. As I stand back up, I smirk as the shadow from their faces vanish to reveal masks.

Well... time for the main event! I draw my sword and point it at the foes, ready to fight!

Oh, I'm sorry. Guess I didn't notice you were there. My codename is Erdrick. I'm the leader of our little team. We're devoted to destroying other teams that were organized for evil.

You wanna know how I got here, huh? Alright, then. Lemme start from the beginning.

...Huh?

...Where am I? What happened to me...?

Wait... That's right. A light enveloped me, and I blacked out... But... what have I been doing before that? Everything's still dark... I feel empty, even though I'm not... This is so weird.

"...ey!"

Wait— That's a voice! Is someone there?! I'm not alone in here! Where are you? What are you trying to say?

"Hey! Wake..." What do you mean, "Wake?" Are you telling me to wake up? But I'm wide awake here! Are you crazy or something?!

"Come on! Just wake up already!"

Suddenly, I see a light. Was that something to guide me...? Lured by the comforting sight, I stepped towards it. As i stepped into the light, I felt revitalized... And finally opened my eyes.

The first thing I see is a boy wearing a cap, a yellow mouse on his shoulder, a few trees out of the corner of my eye, and of course, the sky. He heaves a sigh of relief as I open my eyes all the way.

"Phew, you're alive!" He sighed. "Thank goodness!"

Wait, why are you saying that like I've had a near-death experience? I'm just fine, kid. But the thing is...

"Who are you?" I asked him. "And more importantly, where am I?"

"Oh, me? I'm Ash! Nice to meet you!" Ash stuck his hand out, as if he wanted to pull me up. I got up with his help. "As for where we are, I went this way chasing after Pikachu. And as we reached this clearing, I saw you falling out of the sky for no reason!"

Falling out of the sky?! You're one crazy kid, you know that? If what you're saying is true, then I never would have survived that fall! I don't know how high up I was, but I do know that fall would have killed—

"By the way, who're you? And why were you falling out of the sky?"

"Well—"

Hold it right there.

I... I don't remember anything.

...You're not serious, are you? I really have amnesia?

If I really do have amnesia, then... does that mean I don't even know my own name? That can't be, right?! I know that! Yeah. I'm pretty sure my name is...

...

David... David Herotis. I'm fourteen years old. It's not my birthday yet, so... if it were my birthday, I'd be fifteen! Alright! I'm remembering! I'll be fine, I don't have amnesia! Alright, next...! How did I get here?

Uh... I think I...

...

...Seriously?!

C'mon!

Someone, please tell me, it's not true!

...

...Some—

Rats! I can't remember... how I got here! What have I been doing up til now? What have I been doing?

Where did all my memories go?! Ngh, I'm getting chills... I never realized how terrifying it is not to know anything about yourself. Gah, anything! Can I remember something?! Why can't I remember?! Why?!

"Hey! Snap out of it!"

The voice forces me to pull myself together. Ash was shaking me vigorously, trying to bring me back to the here and now.

"What's up with you? You just started freaking out!"

"I... I'm sorry. I'm David. David Herotis. I couldn't remember anything... And I was freaking out because not knowing who I am's terrifying."

"What do you mean, 'you don't know who you are?' You know your name! Surely you know who you are."

"I know that. It's just that I can't remember anything about my past, and that scared me..."

"Hm... Maybe we can ask Professor Camphor for help. Follow me, and don't get lost, okay?"

April 8th, 2017 (Saturday)

Daytime - Grama City

BGM: Pokemon SwSh - Motostoke

After a long walk, we ended up in some sort of city. I was surprised to see a city all the way out here, and with a castle, no less! That definitely took me by surprise— Weren't castles only in medieval times?

"Phew!" Ash sighed. "We're finally back in Grama City!"

"Grama City?" I repeat. "This a kingdom or something?"

"No, not really. It's more like this subregion's most notable city."

"Subregion?"

"I'll explain later. Let's get to Professor Camphor's house."

After taking a right, then a left, then another right, we ended up at a house. It wasn't really anything notable; just an ordinary house. Not that I expected anything crazier about it, though.

"So... who's this Camphor person? You've mentioned them once or twice..."

"Professor Camphor's one of the leading authorities on Pokemon research. And this is where she lives. I'm also staying here for a bit until I begin my journey to other subregions."

Wait, did he just say "Pokemon?" Something about that felt too familiar... but I couldn't put my finger on it. Is this what remembering something feels like? Because if it was, then I felt like I was still pretty far off from remembering— My mind was still too hazy.

"Hey David, are you okay?" Ash was waving his hand in front of my face to get my attention. "You're spacing out..."

"Huh? O-Oh, sorry. Just thinking of something."

"Thinking of what?"

"When you said 'Pokemon,' it made me think about that... But enough about that. Let's go inside."

Daytime - Professor Camphor's House

BGM: Pokemon SwSh - Sonia's Theme

We opened the door to Camphor's house. Immediately, a voice called out to us.

"Hey, Ash! What'd you do?"

I immediately assumed that voice to be Camphor's. Looks like she noticed that Ash had returned... with a new guy in tow, at that. Coming into the room from the right, I could see a woman with a beige, long-sleeve shirt with a lab coat tied around her waist, and I also saw something red, floating in the air. Its arms were shaped pretty weirdly, and it had feet but no legs, not to mention there was a red, needle-like appendage coming from the top.

"You're not gonna believe this," Ash says. "I came across this guy in the Wild Area!"

"Who is he?"

"I'm David," I introduce myself. "Apparently, according to Ash here, I got here by... falling out of the sky, right? That's what you saw?"

"That's right," Ash confirms.

"For some reason, I've lost my memories... I'm still a little confused. I came here with Ash hoping I could get an explanation about all this."

"Alright then, have a seat," Camphor offers, which I do. "If you don't know where you are, you're in the Terelm region, and you're in Grama City in the Grama subregion. I'm Professor Camphor, one of the leading authorities on Pokemon research."

"And I'm Rotom Dex," The red object says. Wait, that thing's talking?! Is it possessed or something?

"Y-You can talk?" I stammer.

"But of course! I'm a Pokedex designed to speak with humans such as yourself. Nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, but you can just call it Rotom," Ash says. "I call it that all the time. And it comes in handy when I need info."

"Oh, really?" I say, turning to him. "Sounds pretty convenient." It was at this moment I noticed the yellow mouse on his shoulder from before. Seeing that... thing felt pretty familiar to me.

"Huh? What're you giving Pikachu that look for?"

"Who's Pikachu?"

"...You really don't know what a Pokemon is?"

"What's a Pokemon?"

"Oh, right... I forgot you lost your memories. No wonder you don't know what Pokemon are."

"Then let me explain!" Rotom volunteers. "Pokemon are creatures you can find all over the world, even in the sky and oceans! Some people keep them as companions, or have them battle. Pikachu is one example of a Pokemon, and being a Rotom Dex, I can give you information about most, if not all Pokemon."

"Information, huh? Then why don't you give me Pikachu's entry?"

"But of course! Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon. An Electric-type. It raises its tail to sense its surroundings. If you pull on its tail, it will bite."

"It'll bite?" I didn't know why, but I wanted to find out if that was true. Pikachu's tail was in arm's reach. I stealthily reached around Ash, grabbed Pikachu's tail, and pulled.

As soon as I did that, Pikachu yelled, and much to my surprise, it released an electric shock! Who knew Pikachu could do this?!

"IT DOESN'T BITE YOU, ROTOM!" I scream. "IT ACTUALLY SHOCKS YOU!"

"...Whoops. Maybe I should've updated my data back when I was in Alola..."

BGM: Persona 5 - Beneath the Mask

After that catastrophe, Ash, Pikachu and I sat down on a couch, with Rotom nearby. Feeling a little guilty, I pet Pikachu to console it.

"Sorry about that, little guy," I say.

"Pi... Pikachu," It says.

"Huh? It's talking, too?"

"Pokemon can only say parts of their names," Rotom explains. "But I can talk to you because I'm designed to do that."

"Yeah, you explained that to me earlier. Hey, Ash? What should I do now...?"

"Huh?" He asked.

"I mean, I've got nowhere to go, my memories are busted, and... well, I'm pretty sure you get the point."

"If you're really not so sure what to do, maybe you could join me on my journey?"

"Journey? For what? And for why?"

"For becoming a Pokemon Master!"

Pokemon Master...? Haven't I heard that before...?

Wait, that's right! "Pokemon..." This is another world! I've gone from my world to another... but... why? Did I travel here or something by myself? And if I did, how did I do that? Remembering something brought a wave of relief. Not that I was panicking or whatever, but having at least one memory was something, right?

"Pokemon Master, huh? Sounds pretty interesting. But why'd you want me to tag along? We just met, you know."

"You see, on my journey, I've been to seven other regions, and I've had friends to back me up all the way. Maybe you could be like them? If you don't remember anything, then I can show you this world, and I'm pretty sure you'll get your memories back!"

That sounded like a pretty solid deal to me. I could help him become a Pokemon Master, and in return, I could get to know this new world and possibly get my memories back? Sounds good to me!

BGM: Persona 5 - Break it Down

"Heh... Alright! I'm on board with that!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit! I knew I could count on you!"

"Embarking on a journey, exploring Terelm... Even though I don't know what Pokemon are, I'm all for learning what they are!"

"Alright, now that's settled, you've gotta follow me. C'mon, this way!"

Following Ash out of the house, he began taking me somewhere. On the way, a little girl caught my eye. She had pink hair and a blue-and-pink striped shirt, but that didn't catch my attention. What I saw first was her hair ribbon. It looked peculiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. She must have known I was gazing at her, because she flinched and ran away.

"Hey, David? You're gonna get left behind!"

"Oh, sorry. I'm coming!"

Daytime - Grama Wild Area

BGM: Pokemon SwSh - Wild Area (Version 1)

Eventually, we reached... a gigantic field! I felt so free as I looked around, what with the wind blowing my hair and clothes around.

"What is this place? It's so big!"

"This is the Grama Wild Area. The way you use it is this: You find a Pokemon, and you catch it! I've been here a few times, trying to get another Pokemon."

"Catch?"

"Here." He pulled something from his pocket. "This is a Poke Ball. It's something you can use to catch a Pokemon. Here, I'll let you have it. Don't worry if it fails, because I've got a lot more!"

Taking the Poke Ball from his hand, I stuffed it into my pocket. After that, we were all set to catch a Pokemon. We arbitrarily started in a patch of grass. We didn't have to do much, though— I immediately heard rustling coming from behind me. Was that a Pokemon?! I yelled where the rustling was coming from hoping to scare the Pokemon out of hiding.

BGM: Pokemon SwSh - Battle! (Wild Pokemon)

Something emerged— something with a gray body and muscular arms.

"What Pokemon is that?" I ask Rotom.

"If you'll just allow me," Rotom says. "Machop. The superpower Pokemon. A Fighting-type. Machop have arms that never tire, no matter how much they exercise. Machop have enough strength to throw 100 average-sized adults."

"Wh—?! What the?! Are... Are all Pokemon ridiculously overpowered like that?"

"Well, not really. There are Pokemon that are utterly useless in battle like—"

"Don't answer that. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of Pokemon extremely weak, too, and we don't have all day to listen to that. Anyway, this one's mine! Leave it to me!"

Before anyone could say anything, I ran in front of them, having a standoff with Machop.

"Hey!" Ash yelled. "You can't fight it yourself!"

"Relax. I can fight! Or at least, I think I can...?"

I started to have doubts, but I pushed them aside. I ran at Machop and landed a kick. Machop hits the floor, but it gets up quickly and kicks at my feet, making me trip! And to top it off, it sends me flying with a rock-hard uppercut! I land near Ash.

"David! You alright?!"

"Y-Youch... That stings. Rotom... you weren't kidding."

"It used Low Kick," Rotom explains. "It's a move most Machop know."

"So... if I can't fight it, then Pikachu probably can. Think you can do it, little guy?"

"Pikachu!"

"Okay buddy, let's do this!" Ash exclaims. "But David, you gotta catch it with your Poke Ball, alright?" I nod. "Alright, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu concentrates its electrical power and fires it at Machop. It takes the Thunderbolt head-on, and it collapses. I take this chance to throw the Poke Ball at Machop. Suddenly, it sucks Machop in with a red light! Then it shakes as it hits the floor. Once... twice... three times...

But Machop breaks out of the ball! As soon as it did, it bolted.

"Oof. Tough luck, David."

I picked up the Poke Ball I used for my failed catch attempt. To my dismay, it was broken. I decided to throw it out later.

"That was my only Poke Ball. Do you have more?"

"Here you go." He gave me many more Poke Balls this time. "That should be enough to catch at least ONE Pokemon, right?"

Well, yes, but actually no. He gave me twenty Poke Balls to use, but throughout ALL of my attempts, I wasn't able to catch even one, despite getting really close a few times.

"Ughhh... This sucks. I haven't been able to catch a single Pokemon!"

"It's alright," Rotom says. "We can just try tomorrow."

"Rotom's right," Ash agrees. "For now, let's go home."

Evening - Grama City

BGM: Persona 5 - Beneath the Mask

I trudged back to Camphor's house with Ash. Was catching Pokemon really that hard?

"Hey, it's alright," Ash consoles me. "Catching a Pokemon's tough anyway. I know you can do it next time!"

"Well, easy for you to say," I counter.

"Y'know, you gotta try the hardest when you wanna give up."

"What...? Since when did I say I wanted to quit catching a Pokemon? I'll just take another crack at it tomorrow."

But, turns out I wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow. Because when we got pretty close to Camphor's house, I heard—

"Please, stop! Just leave me alone!"

Huh?! What's going on?!

BGM: Persona 5 - RUN, RUN, RUN!

"Get back here, you little brat!"

When I looked, I saw three guys chasing after... a kid? She looked kinda familiar. But let's not think about that right now! That kid needs help! Before Ash and Rotom can say anything, I dash off.

"Woah! David, where are you going?!" Ash hollered.

"Bzzt! Who is he chasing?!" Rotom bleeps.

I didn't hear anything more from them afterward, and I focused on chasing those punks. I had no idea where I was now, but my current location didn't matter to me— The girl really needed my help. Why am I doing this, anyway? I guess I'm a little impulsive... Eventually, we reached an alley, and the girl was trapped. I observed the villains. They all wore the same black-and-white uniform, but their hair were colored differently, being red, blue, and green.

"Okay, kid," The red-haired pursuer cackled. "Stay there as we bring you to the base."

"N-No!" The girl shrieked. "Stay away! What the heck did I do to you?!"

"We don't care about that," The blue one laughed. "The only thing we care about is helping the boss wipe out scum like you."

"And we'll get a bonus too," The green-haired one remarked. "Ain't that what they call a win-win?" His associates laugh with him.

"Fine!" The girl yelled. "If that's how you wanna play it, then—"

"Oh, shut up, will ya?" The red one interrupted her. "You're coming with us, and that's the truth!"

"Oh, really?" I say. "Wanna bet?"

They turned around and yelled "What was that?!" simultaneously, but that didn't faze me. Faster than the eye could see, I run at them and punch them in the face to knock them out. After that, I reached out to the girl.

Wait, that's the girl from earlier! The weird-looking one, no doubt.

BGM: Persona 5 - Life Goes On

"Woah..." She gasped. "Thank you, mister!"

"Heh, don't sweat it. Let's get outta here."

I took her hand and led her out of the alley. Suddenly, I heard Ash and Rotom, calling me. The kid flinched and hid behind my back as they turned the corner.

"David! There you are!" Ash exclaims.

"You were acting kinda weird," Rotom says. "Was something wrong?"

Since I knew I couldn't lie, I stepped aside to reveal the girl, who flinched again upon being revealed.

"She was being chased by some bad guys," I explain. "So I helped her out." I showed them the alley where I socked those baddies in the face.

"How'd you do that? You don't have any Pokemon to help you fight."

"Uh..." I stutter. I grinned nervously and held up my fists. What's that expression again? Actions speak louder than words?

"No way!" Ash gasped. "You actually fought them yourself?"

"Well... They were definitely weaker than that Machop from before."

Rotom remained silent as it flew in front of the girl and started taking pictures of her. I guess anything's possible with technology, huh? The girl eventually started tugging on my green shirt's sleeve to get my attention.

"Hey, misters...?" She murmured. "I don't mean to interrupt, but those guys... They might wake up. Do you know someplace safe?"

"Oh yeah, that's right," I say. "Let's get back to Camphor's house. Rotom, you lead the way, okay? I have no idea where we are. I'm pretty sure you've got a map function."

"Leave the navigation to me!" Rotom enthusiastically replied. With its guidance, we made our way back to Camphor's house at nightfall.

Evening - Professor Camphor's House

"So do you know why those guys were chasing you?" I ask the kid.

"Not... really," She replied. "I was just minding my own business when they just jumped me and chased me down. But I'm glad you helped me— I would've been toast if it weren't for you."

"You look kinda weird," Ash says. "I dunno, but you just do."

"Oh! I thought you wouldn't notice. You see, I'm a Hybrimon!"

"Hybrimon?" I repeat.

"A Hybrimon is a person with Pokemon abilities. That means they can fight, like a Pokemon would!"

"Hybrimon...?" Rotom says. "Data updated!"

"That's so cool!" Ash exclaims with wonder. "Do you know where your being a Hybrimon comes from?"

"Not really. But I'm not complaining! I actually like it a lot!"

"I never thought something like that existed," I say. "Mind if you tell me your name?"

"My name?" She repeats. "I'm Liana! Nice to meet ya!"

"And... I'm not making fun of you or anything, but... what's with your hair ribbon? It looks kinda goofy to me."

"Oh, that? It's not really a hair ribbon. It's more like a bow tied from my tentacle-like hair."

"Hair... made of... tentacles...?" Well... I guess there was something I'd never stop thinking about...

"It's just one of the characteristics of being a Hybrimon."

"Liana, do you think you can tell me more about yourself?" Rotom asks. "I'd like to update my data even more!"

"Oh, okay," Liana agrees. "I'm sometimes called an 'octopus Hybrimon' by some people. And I'm a Normal- and Electric-type. I can shoot ink at my foes to decrease their defense, and I can electrify it, to boot." Rotom updates its data again. Then I realized she was now looking at me.

"Hm? What's up, kid?" I ask her.

"David, right?" I nod to say she got my name right. "Could you catch me, please?"

BGM: Persona 5 - Alright

"C-Catch you?!" I gasp. Weren't Pokemon and Hybrimon supposed to avoid capture?!

"Well, of course! I mean, you saved my life back there, right? I think I can trust you."

Well, I didn't see this coming, but if I can get an easy catch, then I'll take it! I borrowed another Poke Ball from Ash, and after relocating to outside Camphor's house, I was ready to catch her. I winded up to throw...

"W-Wait! You shouldn't use—"

But I didn't listen, and I threw the ball. She went inside, and the Poke Ball began to shake. But... for some reason, it stopped with no reaction.

"Ash?" I ask him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not really," He replies. "You see the button on the Poke Ball? If it flashes green, then you've already caught it. But for some reason, it's not working..."

So I waited for the green flash. And I waited... and waited... and waited... but nothing.

"Is it broken? W-Woah!" The Poke Ball was shaking violently now, and it was flashing purple. It inevitably broke as Liana was forced out. She sighed.

"Poke Balls don't work," She explained. "Even though I'm part Pokemon, the fact I'm part human stops normal Poke Balls from working."

"Oh... then how do I even catch you?"

"Use this!" She pulled something from her pocket, and threw it at me. I caught it before it beaned me in the face. It was... a Poke Ball? But it looked pretty different...

"That's a Hybri Ball. All Hybrimon carry one, and they give that to a trainer that they like."

"A Hybri Ball, huh? Alright, then! GO!"

I lobbed the Hybri Ball at Liana, and she went inside again. This time, the Hybri Ball cooperated, and I caught her!

"Oh yeah! That's my first catch!"

"Congrats, David!" Ash applauds. "How does it feel to catch a Hybrimon?"

"Awesome! Now, how do I send her out?"

"Throw the Hybri Ball, and it should work."

"Okay, then! Liana, come out!"

I threw the ball upward, and it opened, releasing Liana mid-air. I caught her in time before she hit the ground. She laughed as I held her in my arms.

"Well, it's official!" She exclaims. "We're partners! Whaddya think of that?"

"It's the best thing that could ever happen!" I happily reply.

Ash has met the mysterious, otherworldly David, who has caught his first Hybrimon, Liana! What adventures await them in the Terelm region? The answers to come, as the journey continues!

I'm giving this fanfiction another shot. It felt like I wasn't doing something right, like I wasn't making it anime-esque enough. So, the journey's gonna start all over again. Please look forward to it, everyone!