Chapter 2: The Full Reality

Professor Oak's laboratory was conveniently located on the top of a small hill, where both it and the windmill standing next to it had been built. The building itself was pretty small for a laboratory and rather homey—not complex like most research facilities. Looking at it gave me a warm, welcoming feeling as Lance and I climbed the concrete stairs.

"Why are we here?" I asked, puzzled.

"Don't you wanna see Professor Oak?" he questioned in response. He didn't look back as he spoke.

"Well yeah but…what about everyone one else? I wanna see Riley and Kamryn too."

"Don't worry! You'll get to see everyone."

I narrowed my eyes, sure that Lance was hiding something. Lance liked to hide his face when he was concealing stuff.

We approached the plain wooden door at the top of the steps and knocked three times. I braced myself in case anything should come flying out to greet me, but the only response we received was a muffled "Coming!" from within the lab itself. After a short wait, footsteps approached, followed by the clicking of locks and the turning of a doorknob. Once it opened, we were met by a man who was in his early thirties or so. He wore a customary headband that held back the strands of his black hair, a simple turquoise T-shirt and red shorts being his outfit.

"Oh, it's you!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up when he saw us. "Wow Swift, you've really grown a lot."

"Have I? 'Cause someone thinks differently," I said, glaring at Lance. He looked away innocently, and the man at the door laughed.

"I see you haven't changed much, personality wise," he noted, pulling the door open wider. "Come on out back–everyone's waiting for you."

Waiting for me?I echoed as Lance and I followed our guide inside. They'd better not be planning a surprise.

We entered more or less into a living room, but it was so sparsely furnished and piled with books, papers, and folders that it looked more like a recycling company.

"Filled with books, as always," I commented with a grin.

"Sorry about that," the man (whose name was Tracey Sketchit) apologized as he shut the front door. "The professor and I never get the time to clean up around here with all the research we're doing."

I can see that, I agreed, eyeing the empty pizza box that sat on the sofa. Tracey had been Professor Oak's assistant for as long as I could remember. He had first come to Pallet Town with Ash, whom he had met in the Orange Islands, and had decided to stay with the professor in order to learn more about Pokémon.

Tracey opened the door at the far end of the room, motioning for us to follow. I immediately braced myself, as it was impossible to predict what would come at me with Lance's figure obstructing my view. Even if he were my height, I still wouldn't have seen much because the ground sloped downwards from the backdoor. As it was, I raced to figure out what kind of greeting "they" would send me—the people who were "waiting" for me weren't the kind of people who would just jump out and shout "SURPRISE!"

Well, all I can say is that they got me.

Lance suddenly threw himself flat on the ground as we were heading out, and all I managed to see was a multi-colored blur and a giant lump of aquamarine before I found myself lying on the ground underneath something that weighed roughly thirty pounds. Laughter exploded in the background as I groaned, dazed, and tilted my head to see what had knocked me down.

Sitting on top of me with an ever-dignified look on its face was a familiar Ivysaur. The four legged Pokémon glared haughtily down at me with its scarlet eyes, its mouth curled into a sort of smile. Its skin was the shade of aquamarine that I had seen before collapsing, splattered with occasional patches of teal. A large rosebud sprouted from its back, overshadowing the Pokémon's face.

"An…Ivysaur?"

"Ivy-saur!" the Pokémon exclaimed in confirmation. It rubbed its face against my cheek affectionately, emnating a low purr. I looked over at the Grass Pokémon's pointed right ear, and saw a distinguishing scar curved around its base. I grinned.

"So you're Riley's Ivysaur right?" I asked. "Looks like you've grown bigger…and stronger too."

"Saur!" he agreed, and began rubbing my face once more.

"Welcome back," greeted a voice from somewhere above me. "That came out better than I expected." Ivysaur promptly got off, revealing the form of a boy with dark blond hair and deep hazel eyes.

"Riley," I acknowledged with a suspicious glance. "So you set this up."

"Of course I did; who else could've done it?"

Should've thought of that, I sighed. Riley Arum, the third member of our trio, was the most methodical person I'd ever met. He had a fixed schedule for his everyday life and kept everything as neat and orderly as possible. I'd never once seen him wear unkept clothing or grow his hair out past his eyes. He was also a walking clock with an impeccable sense of time that was never off by five minutes.

"Fine, you got me," I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I got up and brushed myself off.

"So you admit it?" Riley questioned. "That's a first."

Another twinge of irritation sparked within me—when we were small, neither of us ever admitted defeat because of our competitiveness.

"I figured I might as well let you have this one now that I'm back ," I explained, smiling slyly. Riley snickered, but grinned anyway.

"We'll see about that," he responded.

"You've just seen each other and you're already at each other's necks," a voice commented with a chuckle. I looked past Riley and saw the slender figure of a woman approaching us. Her wavy hair was a deep, natural purple, with eyes that were a dark shade of lavender.

"Kamryn," I said simply out of recognition. Last time I had seen her, I had resented her for sending me and Hisa to Almia. I still held a small grudge against her for doing so, but I also knew that my time there had taught me some valuable lessons. She smiled at me, almost sarcastically. Kamryn was the kind of person who liked to tease people in an "I told you so" sort of way.

"Welcome back to Pallet Town, Swift," she greeted. Her tone was casual, showing no signs of emotion. "How was Almia?"

I hesitated, wondering whether or not I should go with my initial instinct and say that I wish she'd never sent me there. But in the end, I swallowed my pride and said, "It was okay, I guess. I mean I did learn a lot from there, but—" Kamryn cut me off by abruptly wrapping the crook of her arm around my neck, squeezing the life out of me.

"See? What did I tell you?" she proclaimed loudly, tightening her headlock. I gagged as the air suddenly rushed out of my lungs and Kamryn shoved her face close to mine, a sly grin on her face and a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Now what was that again about Almia being a waste of time?" she asked, flashing a wink in my direction. I rolled my eyes–I guess I had forgotten that even though it had been four years, my aunt was still only twenty-one, a late sister from my dad's side of the family.

"Alright alright! I was wrong! Happy now?" I growled. Kamryn's smile broadened and she lifted her arm. In a lighter tone, she said, "Looks like I win. I am glad you're back though."

Yeah, sure. I grumbled. I had a lot of getting-back to do after four years.

Professor Oak had the same graying hair that seemed slightly whiter since I had last seen it, with the familiar crinkles at the corners of his mouth and eyes. His hands were thin from the years of research he had done, but he was still the kind professor I had always known him to be. He wore his traditional lab coat over a simple polo and plain trousers, as he always had no matter what the occasion.

"SWIFT!"

I suddenly found myself squished into a giant bear hug from Amber, Lance's younger sister. She now stood a slight half inch over me (despite the fact that I was a year older), whereas once she was miles below my chin. Her hair was a lighter variation of her brother's, while her eyes were colored a dark gold that had led to her name.

"Wow is that really you? You've changed so much! I can't wait to show you all my Pokémon! Oh yeah, I need to show you all my Ribbons to! Aww man we really need to catch up! And how—"

I coughed, feeling the oxygen leave my lungs.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, and released me from her grip. I sighed in relief as the air seeped back into my lungs. "I guess I got carried away."

"It's okay," I laughed. Amber beamed, as though she still recognized who I was and was glad that the person inside me hadn't changed. I felt likewise, as I didn't really have any female friends other than her and Kamryn. "So, how's it been ever since you became a Coordinator?"

"Great!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "I really like bringing the best out in Pokémon, you know?"

"Yeah," I agreed, feeling all of my old excitement towards becoming a Pokémon Trainer return. I gingerly touched the single Poké Ball at my belt, feeling it twitch slightly in response. I knew that my partner felt the same.

"Let's eat!" Lance declared, running over to the nearby picnic table and making everyone laugh. It sat by the shore of a manmade lake occupied by various Pokémon, the majority of them being Water types. It was covered in a simple, vibrant green tablecloth, with balloons tied to its legs. What had caught Lance's attention were the numerous platters of food that had been set on top of it, making my mouth water. It wasn't long before I discovered that they had been made by either Kamryn or Riley, who were both excellent cooks but also highly competitive against one another.

We all joined Lance at the table, with us "kids" on one side and the "adults" on the other. I was sandwiched between Riley and Amber, while Lance was stuck on the end next to his sister. He didn't seem to mind as long as he could still reach the food. As we ate, I exchanged stories with everyone else and got caught up on the latest events. Kamryn elaborated on what Lance had told me earlier on the pier, saying that witnesses had always spotted an Aerodactyl kidnapping the victims the day before they reappeared the next morning. The information got me thinking, but I couldn't figure out why an Aerodactyl would randomly go out and kidnap people...unless it belonged to someone.

"So, when do you guys plan on leaving for your journey?" Tracey asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Tomorrow," Lance, Riley, and I answered simultaneously, glancing at each other in complete agreement. The adults blinked at us.

"Don't you think that's a little too soon?" Kamryn inquired. "I know you're all excited, but maybe you should think it over and wait a week or so―"

"No," I interrupted, placing my fork on my empty plate. Frustration was starting to build up again, the same frustration that I'd held for four years. "Four years is long enough."

"I agree," Professor Oak added, catching just about everyone off guard. "With things as they are these days, it would be safer if they were on the move. Otherwise they might be targeted." Again, I began to think about the Aerodactyl and the people-showing-up-unconscious events. What was going on, that things seemed to be so bad? We let the professor's words sink in, drawing a silence into the air.

"That reminds me," Professor Oak continued, breaking the foul mood that had settled, "I have a surprise for you."

"For me?" I asked, cocking my head.

"Not just for you, but for Lance and Riley as well," he said, looking at each of them in turn. The two boys immediately perked up, their curiosity aroused. I shared their inquisitive thoughts, as the Professor had never given us anything except for our first Pokémon. Oak nodded at Tracey and Amber as he said, "Amber, Tracey, if you would be so kind as to go fetch them from my lab."

"We're on it," Tracey responded, giving the professor a quick salute before leaving the table. Amber flashed a mischievous wink at us before following Tracey to the lab.

"SMILE!"

My head snapped towards the source of the voice while Lance and Riley suddenly squished next to me. I jerked my head away and threw my hands up in front of my face the moment I saw the glint of a camera lens, shielding myself from the menacing flash as it took the picture.

"Aww I was so close!" Kamryn moaned, confirming my success in avoiding the picture (I preferred staying out of them). I felt momentary relief at this, but it was soon replaced by a strange foreboding sensation as something else caught my attention.

When the camera had flashed, it had also lit up something shiny around Riley's neck. When I looked, I saw that there was a miniature axe suspended on a plain brown cord. Its handle was a dark forest green with silver patterns twisting over it. The blade itself was a lighter shade of green, and seemed to have an iridescent shine to it.

"You have one too?" I inquired, pointing at the weapon with a frown on my face. Riley looked down and quickly covered it up with hand.

"Oh, well, um―"

A scream suddenly pierced the air, causing everyone to turn just as a gust of wind blasted our faces and a giant shadow fell over the field. Shielding my eyes, I managed to spot what was going on.

Not far off, Amber and Tracey had just been about to enter the lab. What had caused Amber's scream was apparent: a large, gray Pokémon had swooped down from the sky and had taken hold of her and Tracey in its large talons. As it flapped its large, membrane wings, I could also make out a long snout with saw-like teeth, and a thick tail tipped with a spear-shaped point.

"Amber! Tracey!" Kamryn shouted. She jumped up from the table and ran towards the Fossil Pokémon even as it rose higher and higher into the sky, swiftly making its escape. Lance, Riley, the professor and I joined the pursuit as well, but we knew that there was no way we could catch up on foot. Kamryn slowed to a stop, punching a fist through the air in frustration. We all came to a halt beside her.

"Dang it," she breathed, "it's too fast... Why...why did this have to happen now?"

"I'll go get some Flying Pokémon," Professor Oak offered, already sprinting for the laboratory. I watched as the Aerodactyl's form continued to shrink rapidly over the horizon, not comprehending that one of the so-called kidnappings had just happened before my eyes.

The nerve, I thought, anger boiling within me as I clenched my fists. Whoever's behind this isn't getting away with it. Gritting my teeth, I reached for the only Poké Ball at my waist and enlarged it as I pressed its button.

"Swift, what're you doing?" Riley demanded, alarmed. "You can't-" But my mind was already set.

"Blaze, Hisakugen!"

The Poké Ball burst open the moment I tossed it up into the air, revealing the form of a large, coal-black Charizard. Its entire body was covered in scaly skin, the underside of its membrane wings colored a rich mulberry-maroon. His limbs, neck, and tail were thick with muscle while a bright orange flame blazed on its tail tip. The Flame Pokémon banked low to the ground, buffeting everyone with his wings as I jumped onto his back.

"After it!" I called, pointing at the gray form of the Aerodactyl. Hisa uttered a roar in consent, flapping his wings and rapidly gaining altitude as he picked up speed. They would not escape now.