Jessi awoke several hours later in a daze.
She stretched her arms, only to realize she was in a hole. The events of the past night eventually struck her like a battering ram.
The phone, the light , the gods…
"Shit!"
Jessi hurriedly scrambled out of the crater, ignoring the pain in her cramped arms. Maybe it was just a bad dream, maybe it never happened… please just be a bad dream!
As she walked, although it was right at noon, she could feel shadows closing in on her, as though the trees had a life of their own. The air was filled with the clutters of birds, the chirps of bugs, and she was startled with every sound. The forest, once open and welcoming, now seemed dark and foreboding. With every step she took, she became more and more uncertain. Am I walking in circles? Every patch of grass she passed through looked the same as the last. Was she lost in the woods, with no one to help her?
All of a sudden, she noticed a rustling in the long grass right next to her. A fearsome red spider with gleaming purple eyes and white mandibles popped out as though conjured by magic. Jessi wasn't panicking recognized it as an Ariados – venomous, elusive and incredibly dangerous. She was frozen in place, unable to move as it crawled towards her, its feet making a sinister scuttling noise.
All she could do was watch as the Ariados pounced…
And got knocked out by a fireball!
Jessi spun towards her unlikely savior, which turned out to be a Chimchar, a fire type monkey. It ran up to her, standing protectively. A young woman appeared behind it, who was probably around 30 years old. She had frizzy red hair arranged in a ponytail, electric blue eyes and she was dressed in a dark blue kimono style outfit, similar to those soldiers would wear. What caught her eye however, was the woman's wooden shoes. Jessi looked away, realizing it was probably impolite to stare. The woman sprinted over to her, panting heavily.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked in a disapproving tone. "You shouldn't be wandering around here without a Pokemon, you know! Honestly, it's a miracle you made it this far! You're lucky Chimchar noticed you." The chimp responded to the sound of its name, leaping back to her side.
Jessi tried to stand up, but her right knee was wounded. The woman inspected it, and pulled Jessi upright. " I have some medicine back at the bade. Follow me!" Without waiting for a response, she easily lifted Jessi in a sweeping motion, and went back the way she came.
Eventually, they arrived at the village. It was surrounded by a ring of trees, and a casual onlooker wouldn't have seen it if they didn't know what they were looking for. It was a typical village, except for the massive Galaxy Team building, a pasture could be seen near the building with Pokemon wondering in the fenced off grass area.
The lady explained, "Those are some of my Pokemon! Caught them during my travels." With that, they entered the Galaxy Team building. Bookshelves filled with old parchments and scrolls surrounded the interior of the house, with a table and some chairs in the middle. From the papers spread over said table, Jessi couldn't help but get the impression she was a messy person. At the far back, a large fireplace burnt warmly, a pot of water hanging above it, and a backdoor led to the ranch outside.
She placed Jessi delicately on the straw bed and took some herbs, a mortar and pestle off a shelf. "What's your name, kid? Mine's Fennel."
"J-jessi" She replied " Thank you for helping me"
"No worries. So what were you doing there? You looked really lost." Jessi explained what happened to Fennel as the Professor arrived, who nodded sympathetically. Fennel smeared the herbal paste onto Jessi's knee as the girl spoke.
"Ahh, this is interesting!" The professor named Laventon exclaimed. " It's written in Unown – this map is probably a few centuries old at the very least!"
"Can you read it?" Jessi asked hopefully. Fennel cleared her throat and Laventon said in an ominous tone, as though casting a spell, "The Saviour of Sinnoh, the great Creator's gift. Assemble the Jewel of Life, or see the world in endless strife."
"The Jewel of Life is rumored to be created by Arceus Himself. According to history, our ancestors used it to turn Sinnoh into the fertile land it is today. Not as fertile as it used to though…" Fennel added.
Seeing Jessi deep in thought, Fennel looked at Jessi carefully. 'If the Mongols are after There wasn't a choice at all, really.
'"I'll do it."She said softly. " I'll search for the Jewel of Life." Fennel squealed excitedly in response.
Her words snapped Laventon back to reality. "Whoa, whoa! Are you seriously just going out without anything else? At least bring something else!" He skillfully collected certain items around the house, such as flint and steel, a knife, salted meat, and packed them all into a duffel bag.
He took out five wooden spheres Jessi recognized as Poke balls, and pulled a large book from a shelf. Pokeballs? They had locks at the opening and on the top were holes for releasing steam. She was always fascinated about how they could encapsulate any Pokemon, big or small.
"I'm sure you know how Pokeballs work," Fennel said. " Just in case you need to capture any Pokemon."
"This book is what I call a Pokedex. It contains all the information on every Pokemon I met during my travels, could you help complete it " Laventon said
"And for the grand finale…" Fennel grabbed three Pokeballs and said, 'Rowlet, Cyndaquil, Oshawott, come on out!'
Three Pokemon emerged from the balls. The first was an owl-like bird with brown quilled feathers and two green leaf-shaped quills below its beak. It looked at Dawn with large, intelligent eyes. The second was a spikeless blue porcupine with orange dots at the back. Its tail flame raged, as though showing off its power. The third was a blue and white sea otter with a sharp shell at its chest.
" Can't leave home without your own Pokemon! These are three of the Pokemon I've caught in other regions. Feel free to pick one, I'll feel better if one of them is with you." Laventon said.
Jessi looked at them in awe. For the first time, she was about to own a Pokemon of her own! "Thank you!" she bowed.
She examined them carefully, trying to figure out which one was the best. However, they looked the same to her, and were just as powerful. Then again, a flyer would really come in handy if she needed to send messages or get out of tough spots…
" I choose you!" She said with a huge smile, pointing straight at Cyndaquil. The porcupine hurried over to her happily, while the two hung their heads down in disappointment. Jessi looked to the others apologetically.
Fennel returned Oshawott and Rowlet to their Pokeballs, and handed her Cyndaquil's "From now on you two are a team then! People treat their Pokemon like servants, but I believe both are equal – treat your Pokemon with love, and you can overcome anything" Laventon said "I will!' Jessi replied, putting the map back in its box.
Fennel nodded.
" Welcome to the Galaxy Team"