Author's Note: I guess I have more time writing this story than I thought lol. It's also the most fun I've ever had. I hope that everyone enjoys this story as well. I also hope to putting in more of the Pokémon Go app features and functions in the next chapter. Enjoy!
POKéMON GO
The two individuals were on top of a hill overlooking the sea. Waves crashed and receded. The process forever repeating. The sun just setting over in the horizon. It would have been the perfect moment. But it wasn't. Soon, disaster was going to strike.
"Brock is gone." the young woman with red hair said.
"He didn't even say good-bye." the young man lowered his head, hoping she wouldn't see the tear drop.
"He said it was hard for him to do so."
"We can't do this..."
"We have to. We need to separate. We don't have a choice here." the young woman said.
"Why?"
"It's the only way they won't find us!"
"You already left once, remember? It messed us up. It messed me up more. What good will it do, us going our separate ways?"
"As long as we're together, trouble will always follow. You know it's true."
The young man looked saddened.
"Please...try and understand. It's the only way. I know it's hard but as long as we're together, all this terrible stuff is going to keep happening. I'm sorry but...this is good-bye."
"I guess you're right. This is about me..." the young man looked determined. He even straightened his red cap. "It started with me. It should end with me. This can't go on forever. Alright then, we'll do it. I don't like it but...I'll do it. We'll...separate. Hopefully we'll come back and have fun times again. Until then, I promise you...I'll be the one to stop this." he hugged her. The one partner he had always admired most. He gave her one last, longing look.
Suddenly the skies darkened. The skies were that of a burning red.
"You got to go! Hurry!" she cried.
"Good-bye!" he began to run. She was going to be left all alone at the edge of the cliff.
"Ash!" Misty called out to him.
He looked back at the friend he had known for many years.
"You keep forgetting one thing. You've always forgotten this thing even before you left Pallet all those years ago!" she said with great caring in her tone.
"What?"
"It's not about 'you'."
The man's eyes opened. He woke up, having bolted up and sitting upright on his bed now. He turned on the lamp and saw clearly that he was in his bedroom again. He rubbed his forehead, which was soaked with sweat as well as the rest of his body.
Satoshi had no idea what he just experienced. But one thing was for certain, it did not feel like a memory...or a dream.
Chapter 3: The Link
"The things we do to help a friend in need." Jack muttered.
Brit rolled her eyes at that response.
"No one's asking you to stick around, Jack." Brit said. "The door 'is' behind you."
"Not saying I want to give up. Just saying we're participating in something that is beyond us. This is only the first step of...well...I guess you could call this a 'game'. And say we get to Japan? We don't how difficult the next step will be. And we have to assume there is 'one' because it cannot just end with one." Jack said.
"I remember the good old days where finding a Charmeleon was only at the far side of town." Jerry chuckled.
"Really?" Red asked. "Most would just find an ordinary Charmander and just train it enough to evolve into one. Charmanders are more abundant in my world."
"Yeah? Well...Charizard will always have a place in my heart." Roger said. He then paced around.
Brit had to admit Jack had a point. 'What if the next step is hard and we can't solve it?'
"I like how we're all going along with these theories. Seems one of them makes sense once you pick one at a time. You take one of them and it leads you to something totally and completely unexpected." Roger said as he paced around the basement.
Everyone had been in total silence for a long period after hearing of a potential escalation of arrivals from another universe. Roger appeared unhinged, like he was holding something back. Yet, no one in the group was sure they wanted to hear what could be construed as possible ranting.
"Dude, would you take it easy? Stop walking around, you're making us nervous just doing that." Jerry said.
"I am. This is 'me' taking it easy. I got to do this all this pacing because if I don't, I become a million times worse."
"Is he alright?" Red asked, looking worried as he stared at Roger.
"He's just trying to get a handle on the moment. Failing at it, actually." Brit said.
"Oh. So he's freaking out?" Red said. "Could have just said that."
"What is your deal anyway, Rog?" Jack seated with Brit asked.
"I don't know I just…I wish I could have seen it coming, that's all."
"Seen what coming?"
"That old lady at the convention. She was so weird from the getgo, I should have told you guys about her."
"You ran into her before?" Brit asked.
"Yeah!" Roger said explaining. "I know, right? Perfect timing."
"This old woman you're talking about?" Red spoke up. "You really think she may have brought me here? With magic?"
"Like a witch, basically." Jerry said.
"So, no Pokémon in this world but there's magic? Why didn't you guys tell me?" Red asked.
"Whoa there, buddy!" Jerry calmed him down. "Up until this point...there were never any signs whatsoever that 'magic'...real magic..." he used his fingers to do air quotes. "...existed. Ever."
"Apparently there is now." Jack said.
"Rog..." Brit spoke.
"Yeah?"
"What did she say exactly?"
"She warned me saying, something was going to happen to us. That we had to be careful. And I just ignored her like that. Never gave a second to consider that she may have been right."
"That's it?" Brit asked. "Nothing else?"
"Nope. Nada. Zip." Roger turned serious and gave off a sigh. An indicator he was feeling responsible about something. "Still though, if only I'd told you all. Now I might be responsible for the destruction of our universe, sorry-" he looked at Red. "our universes."
Jerry, done with rolling his eyes, spoke to him. "Dude, stop going crazy. You couldn't have known all this was going to happen. I mean, come on, you thought the old lady was from the loony bin bunch. I understand that. We get that. I would have done the same thing in ignoring her too. Who else wouldn't?"
Brit gave a sigh of annoyance and instead of any more thinking about what's going on, one thing needed to happen.
"The way I see it..." Brit stood up. Everyone looked at her. "This whole thing...is a game. And we're going to play it. Everything goes alright, the universes. His..." she looked at Red. "...and ours will be saved. We brought ourselves into this, we gotta bring ourselves out of it."
"So what's the move?" Jerry said after a long while.
"We need to get to Japan."
"We can't afford a ticket, Brit. Much less for five of us."
"We're broke as jokes." Roger said.
"And I just got fired from my last job." Jerry added.
"There has to be a way." Red said.
Red spoke up. "Did your...ummm what do you call it again? Smartphone...say anything about when we should get there? To Pallet?"
"Dude, no offense..." Jerry turned to face him. "But it's not Pallet. It's Machida."
"Whatever." Red turned back to Brit. "Did your device give any sign?"
"No. But as long as this portal is around, it's going to grow. Who knows how big it's going to get once we do finally find a way to get there." Brit said.
"You really think getting there will give us an answer on how to close this charming 'stargate'?" Roger asked.
"I do. It's got to give us something." Brit said.
"I think..." Jack spoke up. "I think I can come up with something. Not sure about this. But I'll find out more."
"What do you mean?" Brit demanded.
"Well-"
Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, stopping Jack's explanation.
"Your dad's coming!"
"Um...umm..." Brit looked at Red and pulled him towards her. She made him follow her somewhere in the basement. Luckily, she found a hiding place in the form of a small, narrow closet but enough for Red to fit in.
"But um...why-" he tried to ask.
But Brit shushed him.
"Stay here!" she said and closed the door right after. "I'll be back." she had added.
"What is going on down here?" Brit's dad arrived at the bottom of the stairs. He fixed his glasses properly.
"Mr. Teerson." Jack said straightening himself.
"What are you guys doing down here at midnight?"
"Doing illegal stuff. You know, the usual..." Brit's tone was indeed dripping with sarcasm.
"Brit!" her father looked up and down at her astounded and seemed at a loss for words.
Brit winced when she remembered that she was wearing the outfit that her dad forbid her to wear earlier today.
"I specifically told you 'not' to wear that ridiculous thing!" he said.
"Guess I didn't listen."
"What are you all doing?" he asked them.
"We were playing truth or dare." Roger said. "Heard it's coming back...in style."
"We were just hanging out, dad. Playing a harmless game. Not enough to call the police, you think?"
"Brit." his father put his hands on his hips, an authoritative front. "OK...I want all of you to go to your homes right now. Or I will call your parents."
"Until next time, folks..." Roger whispered as he went out the door.
"Dude!" Jerry smacked him across the head from behind. "Stop with the wise ass remarks..."
Everyone went on to leave.
Jack was at the door but looked back at Brit, about to say something when Brit got ahead of him.
"We'll talk later." she then shut the door.
Red in the small closet, was hearing the whole thing, thought Brit's father was strict. Stricter than most dads.
Aside from the hidden Red, Brit and her dad were the only ones left in the basement.
"Do you realize how much trouble you're in?" her dad asked. "Staying out at long hours of the night? You have any idea the things that go on in the streets at this time?"
"Let me guess, you're gonna ground me for life and take away my allowance?"
"You're making it very easy for me to do so right now. I'm sick of your attitude, Brit!"
"Well, then why don't you stay out of my life, dad?"
"You don't 'even' have a life, Brit! I keep telling you." her dad yelled. "Whatever you have that even comes close to a life, you wasted it! It's gone! You're going to a mediocre college, you're going to have a mediocre job and you're going to have a mediocre-"
"Well, gee!" Brit fought back. "That kind of sounds like someone I know! You didn't take life seriously in your younger generation years, why should I listen to you?"
"Because I don't want you to make the same mistakes I made! The same kind of mistakes that got your mother killed. Because of me!"
"What?" Brit was taken aback.
Her dad sighed. "That trip your mom took to the Alps...she had asked me to go. I didn't want to. I didn't even want 'her' to go. But she did. She said 'life is about adventure.' She says if I were to have gone with her, I...would find 'me' again. Whatever she meant. She went. I was there when she promised you she'll come back and the two of you would one day go on adventures together. You know what happen after that..."
Brit remained stunned.
"But me? I was too scared to go. If I had been there with her...I would have talked her out of it. I would have saved her." he whispered and had sat at the bottom step of the stairs. "Not a day goes by where I don't think about her. She made everything make sense. Even just by standing there. When I look at you, I can tell that...had it be me instead of your mom that died...you'd be fine with that." he gave a nod and took off his glasses to wipe a tear off his right eye. "At least you'd be better raised. So yeah, I agree too. I wish I had died. This world lost something special. If I had died, no one will notice. But your mom...she was one of a kind."
Brit didn't know how to respond to that. She could not believe what her father had just said.
"I..." she began to say.
Her dad lifted his head to hear what she had to say.
"I got to get some sleep."
Her dad gave the softest nod. "Alright."
"Am I grounded?"
"You're an adult, yes but that can only get you so far.. You're under my roof. You're grounded for three days."
Brit let that burn through her and said nothing.
"I'm tired so I'll argue with you tomorrow." she muttered. "I'll be up in a minute. I have to get my stuff."
Her dad nodded and went up the stairs.
Brit went to the closet where Red was hiding.
"Nice place you got here." he said sheepishly. "Very roomy."
"Sorry. I didn't know where else to put you. Besides my father's never met you. So it would have been weird had you stayed around and-"
"Listen?" Red replied.
"You heard?"
"Yeah. It was that intense."
"Sorry about that. What goes on with me and my dad has been happening for years. What he just said confirmed that he has been a crappy dad."
"So you hate him more?"
"I...I don't know."
"He seems sad." Red stated.
"Why do you want to talk about this, Red?" Brit asked.
"I just-" Red decided to say something but thought better of it. It seemed inappropriate. But it did bother him.
"What?" Brit asked.
"Nothing. You're right. Sorry. It's none of my business."
Brit then cleared her throat. "So...umm...I don't know where exactly you want to sleep. I mean, upstairs is out of the question."
"I can stay here."
"Here? Really?"
"I've slept in worse places." Red said simply. "No offense."
"There should be a cot down here."
"I can find it." Red said quickly and smiled at her. "Thanks."
"It's no problem. Just trying to help."
Red prepared to get some shuteye. Brit was about to leave. She reached the stairs before she called out to him.
"Red?"
"Yeah?"
"No matter what happens tomorrow, whether we find a way to Japan or not, I'm still glad you're here."
Red gave a firm nod.
"Good night." he said.
"Good night." she said.
As soon as she was gone, Red sighed and shook his head. He didn't know what to do.
"Oh boy..."
The trio had just finished their usual intro. One they repeated countless times. They waited for two young men to speak but none of them uttered a single word yet. They both were on the ground with their eyes widened and they hadn't even moved a muscle.
"Can you idiots speak or what?" the young woman Jessie said.
"Habla Ingles?" the young man James asked them.
"No, I think they're deaf like bats." the creature asked.
"That's blind like bats!" Jessie smacked the creature on the back of his head then refocused back on the two young men.
"They look strange." Jessie frowned. "Abnormally shaped. Must be aliens!" she said the last sentence with fear in her tone.
Finally Clint was the one who responded in a loud, long scream. The trio was taken aback and looked annoyed.
"I hope that isn't the form of communication here." Jessie said crossing her arms to her chest, annoyed.
"If it is, we better start learning." the creature said.
"Aah! What the-?! It talks!" Clint cried at the sight of the feline creature.
"You're him!" Kevin said.
"Is that-?" Clint pointed at the furry feline creature.
"Yes?" the creature waited. "You know who I am, how could you not?...I'm famous everywhere!" he said flexing it's little chest proudly.
"Sonic the Hedgehog!" Clint said.
"Huh?" the creature's eyes bulged. "Who the heck is that?"
"Obviously a worthy pokémon for us to also capture. Is it?" Jessie said looking delighted.
"No...it's not a pokemon actually. It's a different thing." Kevin said.
"Sorry, my mind is in shock right now. I mean to say, you're a Meowth!" Clint said.
"Took you long enough. I was starting to get nappy." Meowth said.
"You're the Team Rocket?" Clint asked looking at all of them.
"But of course...!" James said giving a flattered look. He then took out a rose from his pocket and put it to his nose to sniff it. "We're the ones who time and time again dealt with the impossible and failed to come out on top."
Jessie spoke next. "We were the ones on the bottom, failing every attempt we made, but now..."
"...we're not holding anything back!" The Meowth spoke boldly and proudly again. "This time, for certain, we're the ones who're going to be in charge. But to do that...we need help." he said admittingly. His little chest deflated.
"Yeah...we're still losers." James slumped.
"Speak for yourself!" Jessie looked at him.
"I can't believe it..." Kevin said. "You 'are' Team Rocket! Live-action!"
"Live action? What is that? Some form of camera angle?"
"No, you...you...you're not animated like in the show!"
"Huh? What are you idiots talking about? I'm not live action or animated! I'm-" Jessie then took a look at her hands. "These hands..." she wiggled them.
"Yes." he looked at his own hands and felt his own face. "Jessie...you look different."
"My fur shows more..." Meowth said.
"Look!" Jessie pointed at the window of a random parked car. They were looking at their reflections.
"I...
"We..." Jessie stuttered.
"We look weird!" Meowth said. His paws touching his furry face. "But eh...it's a start."
"OK...let's not freak out here..."
"Meowth, we never should have listened to you and gone in to that portal!" Jessie said to him.
"Curiosity is my curse..." Meowth shrugged.
"I'm about to scream." James said.
"I'm ready to scream myself!" Jessie said touching her long red hair. It was now wavy and no longer pointy. "The gravity stinks in this place. But wait though!" she looked closer at her reflection in the window. "I'm beautiful!"
"So am I!" James said happy now. He went over his chin area. "I changed my mind! Look at those chiseled features! I like it here."
"And I am as handsome as an Entei!" Meowth said in amazement. "Takes some getting used to in this place after all." And got closer to the reflection, blocking James and Jessie.
Jessie smacked Meowth in the head. "Don't take the spotlight for yourself!"
"What are you guys doing here?" Clint asked from behind.
"How did you get here?" Kevin added.
"Portal. Spinning. Weird purple light." Meowth said counting down from his fingers. "I think that all about does it. Now we have another problem. We're lost. But you guys...you're from this weird dimension. You could help us."
"Hmm...guides could work to our advantage." James said.
"Help you?" Clint asked astounded. "But you're Team Rocket!"
"We already established that. You'll help us because you're the only two idiots we've encountered so far!" Jessie said.
"You're trying to take over the world again, aren't you? Oh man...we're gonna help criminals!" Kevin shook his head.
"You nincompoop, we're not here to take over the world!" Jessie said.
"We're here to save it! OK!" Meowth said poking him in the nose. "Just don't tell our ex-boss.."
"Oh OK..." Clint said.
"Then..."
"We'll help."
"Good." Jessie gave a nod.
"We were in the business of losing..." James said.
"But now, we're in the business of 'not' losing!" Meowth added.
Kevin and Clint clearly had no idea what they had gotten themselves into but one thing was for certain, they had to obey them.
It was the next day. Saturday and Brit was in ordinary clothing, to which she found mundane and not in keeping with her true self. With her dad at work, he still had tabs on her. There was video surveillance in the house. But luckily for her, there were no cameras downstairs. She had already called the rest of the guys to meet up there. There was no more time to waste, she was ready.
"Hey..." she greeted Red as she came downstairs.
"Interesting getup." Red said to her.
"Yep. It sucks and I hate it."
"Then why wear it?"
"Because I have no control of my life apparently."
"Huh?"
"Long story." she shrugged.
Jack came in along with Roger and Jerry. Brit and he stared at one another.
"OK..awkward." Roger said coming in fully.
"What did you find out?"
"As expected. According to good ol', sometimes reliable, online searches..." Jack started. "A trip to Tokyo from New York is..." Jack pointed on his phone screen.
"Oh God..." Brit's face fell.
Jerry went to his side. "Dude...that's...that's like close to one thousand dollars!"
"For just one person."
"Ready for the bad news?" Jack asked everyone.
"Wasn't that it?!" Roger asked now even more appalled.
"Even if we found the money to buy the tickets...it takes 14 hours to get from here to Tokyo."
"Welp..." Roger hung his head. "Can't say we tried."
"Guys, we have to find a way to get there quickly." Red reminded them.
"It's not like we have a deadline." Jerry shrugged.
"No...but someone is going to find that probe!" Brit said.
"Oh...I completely forgot about that." Roger winced.
"If people find it, it can cause a problem."
"I'm going to regret asking this but how so?" Red looked at Jack.
"Whatever that probe's made of, be it its alloy or composition, they're going to know that the object is not from this world. Your stuff, I mean...your technology in the Pokémon world is vastly different than ours."
"More problems, yay..." Roger said.
"Dude, you're not helping." Jerry looked at him.
"Jack, yesterday you said you had a plan for getting there, what was it?" Brit asked.
"Yeah, I hope this plan of yours doesn't involve us robbing a bank." Jerry said.
"No, but it does involve doing something stupid."
"Oh no..." Roger said. He had an idea of where Jack was going with this.
"We can sneak on board the plane and hide in the cargo area."
"Dude, who are you and what have you done to Jack?" Jerry asked astounded.
"How can this be done?" Red ignored Jerry and now looked desperate. He felt hopeful now.
"I have a guy on the inside."
"Does 'said guy' happen to be your cousin?" Jerry said rubbing the bridge of his nose, he was in disbelief.
"Is he a pilot?" Red asked.
"Far from it. He's a security guard. Not exactly flying material."
"He can get us access. That's the important part."
"So now we're going to 'Ocean's Eleven' this..." Roger said. He looked at Red, apparently believing he was going to ask what that was.
"It won't come to that." Jack said. "All he's gonna do is stow us on board in the engine room of one of their planes."
Brit was doubtful. "You plan on telling him what it is we're doing then? I mean, he's not going to just let you do this from the kindness of his heart."
"Dude, this ain't gonna work." Jerry said.
"We have to try." Jack said.
Red on the other hand, held up a pokéball in his hand, he held it close to his face, eyeing it strongly. He contemplated using it. But he couldn't let this world see him. This world cannot handle seeing such a creature. 'Only use him unless it's a last resort.' he whispered to himself.
"So when are we going?" Roger asked.
Brit stood up. So did Red. Jack sighed.
"NOW?!" Jerry looked at everyone in the room.
They were on their way to the airport, having snuck out of the basement and gone to the garage where there was no surveillance whatsoever. Brit was on the highway stepping hard on the gas and passing every car in front of her.
"Gotta say. Sneaking out of the house and jacking your dad's car...not going to win your dad's graces anytime soon, are you?" Roger said in the backseat.
"Not exactly." Brit said annoyed.
"Alright. Won't speak any further." Roger said.
"I'd like to believe that." Jerry rolled his eyes. He had been seated right next to him.
"I gotta say..." Red said to Brit. "You seem very adamant on doing this."
"What can I say? Just want to help." Brit said as she focused on the road.
"I appreciate that but are you sure it's not something else?"
Jack, who was hearing everything behind Brit was getting annoyed by Red's questions. He knew the answer.
"Just don't want our universes to be dust." Brit said.
Police sirens were heard from behind. They were getting softer but when they grew closer, concern amongst the group grew. Brit and everyone else turned around.
"Tell me that's not for us?" Roger asked.
Sure enough, it was. A deputy cruiser.
"I knew today was going to be a bad day." Roger nodded.
That was when Brit's phone rang. On the screen, it showed DAD as the person calling which added to her already growing frustration. She answered.
"Hello, dear old dad."
"Oh great..." Jerry hissed behind.
"Did you think I wasn't smart enough to put a tracker on my car, should it ever be stolen?
"Could have had me fooled.""
"You pull over right now and I'll call the police off now."
Brit looked at Red, who looked desperate.
"Gotta say...we have the best luck in the world." Roger said.
"Brit, just stop the car." Jack said. "We try and outrun them, that's only going to make things worse for us."
"I wonder what it's like to have a criminal record?" Roger asked Jerry, who was just ignoring him.
"Brit, do as I say, please!" her dad pleaded. "Don't make me do this. I can't bear to lose you..."
Brit stopped him. "Dad...I heard you last night. I did. I still love you and I don't want nothing to happen to you either. But please understand...what I'm doing...it's extremely important."
"How?! How can it be that important that you're willing to get arrested? Whatever you're up to, Brit...it's nothing but fantasy. I know that's what this is about."
"I just want out of this world, dad. I wanted this world to be more than what it is. It never became that. I've waited since I was a girl. Since mom died. Now I might have a chance to see that through."
"What do you mean, Brit?"
"Goodbye dad. Remember I love you."
"Brit-"
She hung up the phone. Everyone in the car looked in awe by what Brit had said and what she was currently doing. Evading the police.
Brit, who was about to slow down to stop, remembered something. Something both vital and wonderful.
It was official. She had to do it.
"She's about to pass the point of no return, isn't she?" Roger asked with eyes wide open.
"Brit!" Jack yelled.
"She 'is' going to pass the point of no return!" Roger affirmed.
The car went faster. Other vehicles expressed their anger and frustration by honking their horns at Brit for driving erratically.
"Someone's been watching too many Fast and Furious movies!" Roger said as he went side to side. Brit passed a truck that almost turned to the side too wildly that it almost fell on the police car chasing after them.
"Welp, my life is over..." Roger said.
The airport came into view.
"We're gonna ditch the car." Brit said as soon as they got away.
"Obviously." Jerry agreed.
They were in the parking lot and soon all of them ran to the airport terminal. They got inside where they saw people walking around with their luggage and carry-ons.
"Can't believe we did that...!" Jack muttered in astonishment.
"It's official." Roger said standing and appearing in shock. "I'm an enemy of the state..."
"Dude, snap out of it." Jerry then looked at Jack. "Let's go find that crazy cousin of yours and get this over with it. If you say he can get us on a plane, then-" he said but was cut off.
"Umm..." Jack said. He was grimacing at what he was looking at.
"What?"
They saw a guy being escorted out of the airport with two big officers, holding his arms. He was thrashing around, trying to get free.
"Not mine! I swear! It's not mine! I'm a weed man, not a white powder freak!" he was taken outside and into a police cruiser.
Everyone hung their heads.
"I take it that was him?" Red asked Jack.
Jack, who continued to have his head down, nodded, not looking at Red for not wanting him to see his face red with embarrassment.
"Well, this is it, I guess." Roger said. "The only thing that came out of this was the fact that we became criminals. So we're screwed in every way possible."
"Guys!" Brit, who didn't pay attention to Roger, had been looking at her phone. "Come here..."
"What is it?"
"We got a bonus here..." Brit muttered in confusion.
"A bonus?"
Everyone looked at her phone and saw her app. A message had said the group had won a bonus indeed. The map showed the interior of the airport they were in. A swirling dot that had not been there before, was ahead to the right. They were practically close to this new sign.
"That's..."
"Right there..." Brit pointed.
Close to the security checkpoint was a small bar.
"We should go there." Red said. "It's a sign." Brit and he went.
"What more do we have to lose?" Jack said going along.
"The-"
"Say another wise ass remark and I'm leaving your ass here." Jerry said to Roger.
"Fine. Shutting up on how more screwed up we are." he said and followed Jerry.
The small bar was empty save for a person sitting at the far end of the corner.
"That's the 'signal'?" Roger asked.
Brit was the one walking toward him. The man had dark glasses and was busy eating a sandwich. Brit had gotten close to him but the man still didn't acknowledge her.
"Let's just say I'm a fan..." he said taking off his glasses.
"Are you...?"
"Not from this universe?"
"Yeah."
"Red, you know him?" Brit turned to Red.
"No. I don't."
"The famous Red. I can hardly have believed it myself." the man leaned back on his chair and smirked. "It's an honor."
"How?" Red asked.
"How did I come here? The portal has been open to all. Authorities and scientists can no longer contain it. Soon it will spread over the entire town."
"I didn't see anything coming out of my phone."
"Well, I don't think you check your device as often as you should." the man said.
"Something tells me you're not the only one soon." Red frowned.
"Quite right. More are arriving. That's why we need to move fast. You guys want to go to Japan? I know how."
"Wait..." Red said. "Why should we trust you? Who are you in my universe?"
"Just call me 'youngster'.'
"Youngster?" Roger looked appalled. "I take it you're really a fan of the 50s, aren't you, ya whippersnapper?" he joked. But the young man wasn't amused nor was anyone else in the group. They still tried to make sense as to who the man was. It was Jerry that had a breakthrough. His eyes widened.
"Youngster? As in just a regular trainer 'youngster' from the video games?" Jerry asked.
"The one and only..." he said.
"You're someone I just randomly find..." Red said in awe. "You have no name..."
"Neither do you...Red..." the young man said.
"You know a way of getting to...Pallet?" Red asked ignoring him.
"I do."
"Will you tell us?"
"I have the tickets here..." he slammed on the table four slips of parchment. Airplane tickets. His hand remained placed on them.
"I take it...there's a catch isn't there?" Jack asked, looking annoyed.
"There is..." youngster said nodding.
"Yeah, I know there is..." Red looked determined. "Man, I didn't want it to have to come to this."
"There's going to be a battle." Brit said.
A Pokémon battle was indeed to happen and now Brit and the others were about to be witness to it. They were led to an abandoned room somewhere below the airport building. It was more of a boiler room area. It was dark, cold and wet.
"How long have you been here?" Red asked Youngster.
"Since yesterday."
"You seem to adapt well in this universe." Red stated
"That's what I do...me and my...friends..." he swirled a something in his finger. A pokéball. "We adapt."
They were now in a large room that looked as if it had been a large office. Now it served as a ring area. Red stood at the end of the room while youngster stood in the opposite.
Brit looked at Jack and wanted to know what was going to happen next.
"One pokémon will be used only. Call backs and changes will not be permitted. So choose your pokémon wisely."
Red locked daggers at youngster. He had a pokéball raised.
Brit looked at her phone in awe. She was in amazement. Her friends as well when they saw the battle on the screen. She saw Red's true form.
"Why's the app doing this?" Jerry asked. "It's not like we can control the guy."
"Screw the phone, the action's here up close." Roger said.
Youngster threw his pokéball to the middle of the room. It burst open at once and a glow appeared. The glow dissipated and the whole group saw the creature. Animation, drawings or even CGI did not do justice to how the well the appearance of the creature looked. It was mostly red fur with some gold to it. The creature had a canine aspect to it.
"That's amazing..." Jerry said.
"It's a-" Brit was about to say.
"Growlithe?" Jerry suggested.
"Arcanine...will be my champion!" Youngster bellowed.
Arcanine was Growlithe's evolved form.
"Can't believe it. That's an Arcanine...!" Jack whispered in wonder.
Red looked at the group and after a long while threw a pokéball in the middle of the room. A glow shined and a large figure materialized. A slender creature materialized. It had feline characteristics. It had a purple hue to it. It sluggishly raised and dropped its tail.
"Whoa!"
"That's always been one of my favorite pokémon!" Brit whispered in awe.
"Espeon." Jack said.
"She's as beautiful as I imagined her to be..." Brit said softly.
Roger, who was so eager to see the creature battle gave a shout of glee. It was almost too feminine.
"Dude!" Jerry smacked him on the head.
"Sorry, but this looks so good! He has an Espeon!"
Youngster began first.
"Arcanine...flamethrower attack!"
Unlike the mobile app and video games, the Espeon moved out of the way. The flames were so hot, the whole group felt them.
"Oh great now it's in trouble!" Roger said. "No! No!"
Red merely looked bored throughout the whole match. "Vee...Psychic attack!"
Spiraling, dark energy swirled around the Espeon, it was charged up and finally concentrated...it let out a devastating power beam at the Arcanine. The force of it threw him back to a wall. It tried to get up but its face fell down to the ground.
"I lost."
"And I won." Red said.
"That's it?!" Roger said standing up. "One attack and that's it?!"
Everyone looked at Roger now. Jerry merely shook his head. Roger was acting like an idiot again.
"I mean...I'm glad we won but damn that was weak! Why?"
"He was only a beginner trainer." Brit said smugly. "Red's Espeon was at a higher HP."
"That's right." Red replied.
"I knew it was too good to be true." Youngster said.
"Hey, what's going on here?" someone asked behind them.
It was a security guard, shining a flashlight at all of them.
"Nothing sir." Red said.
"What were you doing?"
"Ummm..." Brit held up her phone in front of her. "Playing Pokémon Go?"
The security guard looked annoyed. "Get out now."
They did so. Brit looked a bit embarrassed.
TWO HOURS LATER
"Well, that was easy..." Roger said. They were all seated on an airplane at this point, now in the air and traveling at 35,000 feet. Brit still couldn't believe it either.
"I mean, I get it. That Youngster guy...was out of his depth. Completely."
Roger sighed. "Hey, at least we got to see two new real Pokémon in the flesh."
"We did it..." Jack said seated next to Brit, who continued to look out the window, not acknowledging Jack.
"I hope this isn't a stupid question but...how are you feeling?"
"We just got away from the cops. Told my dad the truth that I loved him. That I might never see him again-"
"You 'will' see him again, Brit."
"But how long do you think this whole thing is going to take to fix?" Brit looked at him.
"I don't know...but I know that it will get fixed."
"Because of Red?"
"Because of you..." Jack said staring at her intensely. "If there's anyone that can get us through anything, it's you. You've always been capable of anything you set your mind to. I mean, look at us, we're here. We're here because you pushed. You're that strong. You are. And because you're so, we can win this thing."
She did so too, if only for a brief second, before she turned away.
"Thanks."
The response wasn't much but for Jack, he thought it was the greatest gift he ever received.
Kevin and Clint couldn't believe who they were with, let alone who they were helping. They had been fans of the animé since they were children. They were wearing heavy clothing, Brown, over-the-top trenchcoats with porkpie hats and sunglasses to conceal their appearance. It reminded them of the episodes where they had to remain inconspicuous. Meowth was in a stroller, covered in a blanket.
"This is the airport."
"Yes. We see that. We have them in our world too." Jessie said.
"Why do places have to be so far?" James said underneath his outfit. "Especially the place we're trying to find."
"Hey, I'm already feeling ridiculous in this thing. Are we on a plane or not?" Meowth's voice was heard underneath.
"Not yet. We got to wait." Jessie said.
"For what?" Clint asked.
"I don't know...something." James said. "In our experience, a sign or signal always shows up."
"Oh...what an adorable baby..." an old lady had gone up to them. The stroller was covered. "I adore seeing new people brought into this world."
"I know, right?" Kevin said to which Clint gave him a soft elbow to his ribs.
"Can I see him?"
"NO!" Jessie cried then laughed a bit to get the edge off. "He's uh...he's sleeping. That's what it is."
Clint and Kevin heard the loud snoring Meowth gave off. It was too loud for a baby to hear. The old lady looked stunned at hearing such a thing.
"Oh, OK. Bye." the old lady went with a frown.
"Is she gone...?" Meowth said underneath.
"Yep." Clint said.
"That was a close one, folks!"
"Oh, even if we did have cash to go on a trip, where are we supposed to go or who we're supposed to-" James looked at the screens showing departures and arrivals.
Kevin noticed something. "Shh! Guys! Look, listen!" Everyone hid behind a column, where they peaked around to hear several officers and a middle-aged man talking to one another.
"Five kids. One wearing a strange Cosplay outfit named Britney Teerson. We're late in apprehending them."
Both Clint and Kevin gasped.
"Brit?" Kevin asked.
"What are you guys on about?" Jessie asked.
"We know her." Clint said.
"Eh! I'm leaving!" Meowth's voice was heard in the stroller.
"So am I." James said.
"There's nothing valuable to hear!" Jessie said. "Now as I said, we must look for the sign so that-"
"...and one individual wearing a red cap. I think they may have already taken the first flight out."
That stopped everyone right in their tracks.
"Red cap?" Jessie asked.
"Could it be him?" James asked.
They got closer. All of them behind a large column once again.
"Where did they go?" Ahead, the father asked.
"According to flight records...Japan." the officer responded.
Everyone looked at one another. They had an idea now.
The Next Day. Haneda Airport, Japan
"That was one long flight." Red groaned.
"Understatement of the year." Jack said nodding in agreement and stood right next to him. They were outside the airport terminal, watching cars, taxis and buses picking up and dropping off people. Brit and the others had gone to the restroom.
"I almost forgotten what 'standing' felt like." Red said.
"Yeah. At least we're here." Jack said.
"Anything on your mind?" Red asked him.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing...just...you seem bothered."
Jack shrugged. "Just got off a 14 hour flight. And I'm reminded that the universe might be in danger. Not exactly feeling positive."
"I think it's something else. You've been a certain way since even before we left."
"It's just some things I got to get off my chest soon."
"Does it involve Brit?"
Jack turned. "What?"
Before Red could say anymore. Brit appeared from behind. So did Roger and Jerry. Brit was in her cosplay costume she wore the other day. Jack couldn't help but be taken aback once more.
"Had to go change. Nice to be back in my own skin. Hey guys...what's-"
They were all looking at the city ahead. Tokyo.
"Wow..." Brit said looking around her new surroundings.
"It's weird being in a new place." Jack said.
"Now you know how I felt." Red smiled. "This must seem strange."
"Like an out of body experience." Jerry said. "Never saw myself ever being in Japan."
"Oh man, my ass is so numb..." Roger said getting out of the airport.
"You mean so 'dumb', don't you?" Jerry asked him chuckling.
"Ha, ha..."
"So...this is Tokyo." Brit said. "It looks amazing."
"It took almost a day to get here." Jack said in wonder at all the sights.
"All thanks to this guy right here. Beating a low level Pokémon with one blast." Rog patted Red on the back.
"Unfortunately, we have no time to sightsee guys." Red said already walking fast. "We need to get to Pallet. Find that Probe that Mr. Root sent."
"Oh, right. Machida." Jerry blinked and nodded.
"Right, the fate of the universe now lies in our oh-so good hands." Roger said dramatically. "Let's not have butterfingers."
"It's 40 miles from here." Jack said. "We're gonna need an Uber."
"A what?"
"It's like a cab. Long story. It's what I wished we 'could' have used in America instead of stealing your dad's car and having the police involved..!" Roger said having slowly turned to look at Brit in emphasis.
"Shut up, Rog!" she said.
"I'll order it." Jack said.
"So hey...we beat a beginner who didn't know squat about Pokémon, we got here to Tokyo...wonderful city by the way...I just hope this good luck keeps up."
A loud scream was heard. Then another. And another. Soon the group saw multiple people running toward them in panic. They seemed to be running away from something.
"I hate speaking too soon." Roger said.
"What's going on?" Brit asked.
"Guys..." Red said looking closer ahead.
"What is it?"
"Godzilla?"
Everyone slowly turned to look at Roger, who uttered such a response. The annoyance once again was felt.
"Sorry." he said looking away from them.
GAME FREAK HQ
A job interview was always a must to pass. At the headquarters of one of the most greatest video games ever created, Junichi Masada interviewed a promising young man who seemed to be what he was looking for. So far, he answered every question clearly and concise.
"Now comes the most important question, basic but extremely crucial. Why do you want to work here?" Mr. Masuda asked the new candidate.
"I can do everything the position asks me to do. I perform a job to the best of my ability. Making mistakes is not in my nature. I have never...ever...failed in any task whatsoever. Game Freak...has always been a lifelong dream of mine to work in. This is the one place where the ultimate game was invented. It has a rich history. I just want to be part of history too, sir."
"Indeed, you sound confident. Your resumé speaks for itself. Good references. So good I'm amazed. Game Freak isn't just a video game developer, it's-
"A kingdom." the candidate answered with a smile.
"Exactly."
Masada seemed pleased. The young man had a mindset similar to his.
"Welcome to Game Freak, Mr. Blue."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't let me down."
"I won't."
Blue shook the man's hand firmly and afterwards, he turned his back to him and left the office, carrying a slimy smirk that Mr. Masuda never saw.
