CHAPTER 1

Anniversaries are special. Many things don't make it to a 50th anniversary. But it's no surprise the worldwide powerhouse Pokemon gets one. To celebrate the launch of the 1st Full Dive virtual reality computer called MetaHop, the creators of Pokemon announced that they would be developing a full dive experience for the system. But since then, 3 iterations of the MetaHop have been released. The most recent one called the MicroHop, introduces smell technology, the ability to stay on forever with a self sustaining power source with its own connection to the 6G satellites surrounding Earth, but also it is smaller, go figure. 11 years have passed since the reveal was shown. Many rumors went around that it was cancelled after a 5 year gap of the developers being quiet about literally everything. Eventually the news came out that it would come out February 22nd Finally, the day has come, Pokemon Realm was released.

I was only 11 when it was revealed, my father was probably the happiest man in the world when he saw the news. I never saw him that happy. He was always a fan, who dreamed of the day for decades. I'm 22 now, and I'm well off for my age. My whole family, really is. I am the top of my class and managed to garner so many scholarships to colleges around the world, even 2 for Mars. I convinced them to start let me study with who I want while working with others, many of them actually paying me to work with them. I have been around the world to many universities making a large sum of money in the past 5 years.

Spending $2,000 never felt so great. I got the console after my most recent paycheck. I noticed on the new poster for the game that it had been given an M rating. Granted, all games for the past 6 years for the Hop systems have been rated M for the sheer amount of immersiveness the games offer. This got me even more excited, even though the rating was inevitable. Opening night for the game was beyond packed. managed to get the pre-order for the game before the servers crashed. In this new model, the game data is stored in cards that look like old credit cards of earlier this century. They have storage of 20 petabytes. Which is constantly being upgraded via new models and high demanding games.

Once I got home from work. it was a blur. I got from my car to my computer screen in record time. I installed the system with ease. All I needed to do was enter basic info, bank details, and general information. After the setup, i put on the head set that looked like a robber mask in those old movies. But the material is very thick, and not as bendable. I lay down in my bed, to make sure I don't break my neck going unconscious. A button is on the headset to start the game. My finger was just hovering over it and before I knew it, I was in.

I was greeted to a blurry room, with nothing but a pedestal. I walked up to it to be spoken to by Professor Oak, one of the first characters you ever see in the franchise.

"Welcome Ash, ready for adventure?"

My name is Ash. My father named me after the character from the Pokemon anime series that was there from the very beginning. I wish, he could've been here to live his dream. I put in basic info, height, weight,"gender preference?" I stood in shock.

"Where's the help option when you need it."

I was puzzled for a moment then realized that the M rating affects all aspects of the game and does not single out a mode from the others. Many things are in games these days. I chose 'Girl' just to keep things simple, and because it was a required question. I was also asked 'Feature Preference' and at that point I got genuinely frightened. Frightened by what erotica I might be getting myself into. Every game has some sort of adult pleasurement nowadays, and by some law that God somehow doesn't forbid, many fetishes are alright. As long as actions aren't real world decisions, it's fair game. After that, I was greeted with a character creation closet and I thought I was doomed. I could spend hours customizing a character. But I remembered that I got the Origin DLC along with this game that came with the pre-order . It came with outfits of all the game series main outfits from the first 20 years. But one costume stood out while I was browsing the menus. The OG Ash Ketchum outfit. Dated 1997, and looked cooler than ever. I have his name, so I thought I should look the part. The outfit is coded to fit whomever wears it, no matter the size. Then i walked through a door that lead me to a big plaza.

Many other people were there, all looking different. So different, I'm glad I got that DLC so thank God the pre-orders crashed or others may have looked like me. It seems I was in a giant stadium, but it felt like a bowl with how tall it was. After a few minutes, it was jam packed with other players. Then a message played on giant screens throughout the stadium, it wasn't Professor Oak this time, but a new face.

"Welcome to the world of Pokemon! My name is Landon Palm, and I'll be the announcer. The world you are in are filled with many Pokemon, in the seas, the sky, and throughout the land. The world is what you make it, you can fulfill any dream here. You could be a trainer, a coordinator, a researcher, a breeder, or just a regular citizen. Or if you want to, a criminal. There are various regions for you to see. In the version you all are in, there are eight. The 1st eight in the franchise; Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar. I would like for everyone to take this time to find any friends you may want to start with, when you do, we will continue the announcement.

This was great for me, those were the regions I was most familiar with. I loved the retro feel of the series before my time. As for friends, I think I'm alone here.

"Hey Ash! Is that you!?"

I hear a voice behind me. I turn to see my friend from high school, Damon. Damon is one of the well built, well liked by girls, and very active athletes. But unlike any other athlete at school, he was nice. We knew each other since 3rd grade, and I'll never forget how we met.

I was sitting on the playground playing an old Nintendo Switch when a group of 5th graders came by and started harassing me. They started to beat me up and then Damon came up and punched them all to defend me. He was very strong for a 3rd grader, needing only one or two punches to get them to run away. He was also a fan of old Nintendo and showed me a collection of Pokemon cards, and I showed him my collection of Pokemon on my game. Then the rest is history.

"Oh hey Damon!" I say in response. Damon doesn't care much about his looks in games, but I can tell he tried this time. He is dressed in a short sleeve white t-shirt with an orange vest and black jeans

"I'm glad I managed to find you here." Damon said in relief. I ponder for a moment.

"Why do you say that?" I asked in a confused and curious way.

"Because you're the only person I know who got this game at launch." He says excitedly

"I'm flattered…" I respond unamused. "Shouldn't you be practicing for you premier football game next week?"

"I got time to kill so I thought I would see if I could find my best friend at the launch. Also because I have been waiting for this game for years also" Damon responds.

"Hey guys!" I hear another voice. I face it to see…

"Hey Blaire!" Damon says with thrill.

Blaire has been a big love interest of mine for many years, and seeing her here makes my online confidence hit an all time low. She was on the high-school cheerleading squad and the team leader. She is beautiful in every way, her personality and looks are amazing.

"F-fancy seeing you here" I say very nervously.

"Thanks again Damon for getting me this system! It's really cool." Blaire says gratefully.

"No problem! Since you have recently taken a liking to Pokemon, I thought that you wouldn't want to miss this amazing experience." Damon says.

I know Damon knows that I like Blaire, so why did he do this? Is he trying to mock me or something? I need to ask.

"Hey Damon." I take steps back and gesture him to walk over.

"So why did you really get her the Microhop?" I ask with concern.

"I know you like her bro. So i figured if she plays this game too, you could get some time with her, get closer and become something." Damon says with confidence.

I couldn't believe it. He actually did this for me. He spent $2,000 on a girl I like so we can get closer. Times like these you'll learn who your true friends are. We walk back to Blaire

"So what were you guys talking about?" Blaire asks as if we weren't trying to keep it from her.

"Oh. Ash was just asking me about my outfit and what item category my style was under" Damon says with ease. Smooth as usual Damon.

"Oh yeah, your outfits are cool! You guys like mine?" Blaire asks.

I never actually took the time to strain my eyes down to see her outfit. Her outfit is amazing. She picked the look of Serena from X and Y, it makes sense because Blaire is majoring in Clothing design. It suits her so well. Her hair matches the hat so much. I stand with awe for a moment. Took a moment for the silence to break. Not in a good way.

"Damn, it's amazing" I say in a trance. The trance broke when I had their eyes glaring at me. I said that out loud. This moment was awkward and I needed to fix it.

"That sounded weird. I just made it sound like it was attractive, what I meant was it fits you perfectly." I say with no ease.

"Thank you Ash! Damon told me that Serena was your favorite so I picked this one. I never knew you liked my style so much. I should model my designs for you!"

… 1. Damon did what? I have died 2. She would model for me? I have died and gone to heaven. Damon is such a bro sometimes, he basically made Blaire a bigger treat to be around. The announcer came back on screen with a message of a countdown. After that he starts talking.

" Now that all groups have been established, let's get everyone set off. Around the stadium you will see Hoopa rings that will lead you to the region of your choice with names above it. To assure that a group makes it into the same server together, you must register each other in a party and go into the same for what to do after that, the scripts will take over. I hope everyone enjoys their time in the world of Pokemon. I bid you adieu."

The announcer disappeared, and people started running and jumping through the Hoopa rings. As for us, we stood around.

"So I guess we should register each other." I say with confidence.

The menus in this game work how you'd think they'd work in VR. It's all in the mind. If you think inventory, your inventory opens. If you think settings, you see settings.

"Ok so we need a name apparently, any ideas?" Asks Damon

"How about the Holy Trinity." Blaire says with joy.

I'll have to disagree with her there. I could beat her at her own French game.

"The Three Musketeers!" I say with confidence.

Blaire is ecstatic. It shows in her face.

"Oh my God Ash, how could I never think that! That has to be the name!" Blaire says in demand.

"All in for The Three Musketeers!" Damon shouts.

We all say in sync,"Yeah!" I type in the name and that's final.

"Now where do we go?" Damon asks.

"We should go to Kalos, it's French afterall." Blaire states.

I knew she would say that.

"Nah, we should go to Galar, it's big with sports" Damon exclaims.

And I knew he would say that. There was a pause for a moment.

"They don't matter." Damon says calmly and gets our attention.

" The whole reason we're here together is because of Ash, you are the shining light here. You gave me a reason to do sports. Just because you said I hit hard, I'm now in the NFL!"

Damon then put his hand on my shoulder.

"Also, since you taught me how easy it is to a back flip, I got the courage to join cheer-leading. You also said you liked my style of clothing and how I made it, I'm now a design major in Paris." Blaire says with love.

I was shocked. Completely over run by emotion. All those words I said that meant little to me, meant everything to them. My impact on their lives is more than i could ever fathom.

" I-I don't know what to say." I say very quietly.

" You can start by saying where you want to go. It should be your choice!" Damon says with appreciation.

"I agree" Blaire states.

I think for a moment, my choice is very important. My childhood is very important to me, and that has made me make a decision.

"Hoenn." I say in response.

"Hoenn?" Damon says. "Why is that?

"Hoenn is important to me. My father passed down an old GameBoy to me when I was 9, before he got sick. The game he gave me was Pokemon: Emerald. The game to this day is a big part of me. I will always cherish it.

"Hoenn it is then!" Blaire states. She grabs our arms and we run to the portal. The portal is wavy and distorted, you can still make out the map of the region.

All 3 of us jump in together. Into the world of Pokemon.