Chapter 2: Gravity

Gravity is a powerful force exerted by every kind of matter out there. It is not limited simply to planets. That's a common misconception, since the only gravity we ever feel is the pull of a planet, or a star, or anything like that. But the truth of the matter (no pun intended) is that every kind of matter exerts a force of gravity. The reason no one feels it is because most forms of matter we encounter in our day-to-day existence is absolutely nothing compared to the size of the planet. As such, any force of gravity not exerted by a planet is negligible.

It is because of the power of gravity that the planet wasn't utterly destroyed when Eggman fired his energy cannon. With enough power, however, he could easily destroy the planet, and he knew it, but the last time he threatened to do it, things didn't quite work out as planned. And besides, who would buy into a threat to destroy a planet you're trying to conquer?

A split planet, on the other hand, is a much more viable threat. And that's just what Eggman had on his hands now.

Not long after Sonic and Eggman had their little fiasco in the sky over Kalos, morning came for the Kanto region, where the Tree of Beginning is located. But perhaps I have misled some to believe that the Tree is what Kanto is known for. This is not the case. On the contrary, Kanto is better known for being the region where the phenomenon of Pokemon training began, and it remains to this day one of the most popular regions to traverse in many young people's quests to become Pokemon Masters. While everyone's journey starts somewhere, the most popular place to begin is from the humble Pallet Town, home of Samuel Oak, the world's most renowned Pokemon professor. Many a trainer has come to him to obtain their first Pokemon from three traditional choices: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Thus has it been for the last 20 years, and thus shall it be for many years to come.

The sun slowly climbed high into the sky that morning, caressing the town of Pallet with its warm rays. As it approached its apex, a young man sat near the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. Next to him sat his first Pokemon and best friend: a Pikachu. He smiled as he remembered his wild first day as a Pokemon trainer, and how it almost ended in disaster. Ever since then, he'd travelled around the world and back again, challenging Pokemon gyms and entering official Pokemon League conferences in the hopes of becoming a Pokemon Master.

His adventurous heart wasn't one to rest for an extended period of time, but, at his mother's request, he returned home for a brief hiatus from travelling for a special occasion: his eighteenth birthday. At that thought, he sighed, and his smile disappeared. He looked at Pikachu, a conflicted expression on his face.

"Ash?"

He snapped out of his thoughts on hearing the voice and turned his head to see who had spoken, though he already knew who it was. "Hey, May," he replied in his gravelly but warm voice.

The girl in question, a pretty brunette wearing a red bandana, walked up to him. "What are you doing out here?" she asked. "Your mom told me you were just going for a short walk. Have you been here all morning?"

"Uh, well," Ash started, patting the ground next to him. May eagerly took a seat. "I was going for a walk, but as I was walking, my mind started to wander. I decided that I wanted some time to myself to think for a while, so I came out here."

"Oh," May nodded in understanding. "I see. What is it that you're thinking about?"

"Eh, nothing really," he said, trying to shrug it off.

"I'm sure," May said, lightly glaring at him. "Come on, Ash. What's on your mind?"

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his wild and thick raven hair, removing his old hat from his head. "Okay, you got me," he said. "I was thinking about my journey, and...well…" He trailed off.

"What?"

He sighed. "May...I started my journey when I was ten years old. I was young, dumb, and inexperienced, but I dreamed of becoming the world's greatest Pokemon Master."

"We all have those kind of dreams when we're young," May agreed.

"Well, I'm not exactly young anymore," Ash said.

"You're a young adult."

"You know what I mean," he insisted. "I was a kid back then. I'm not really a kid anymore, and in a few short days, it'll be official."

"By some standards, I guess," May agreed.

"Right," Ash said. "The point is...I've been travelling the world for almost half my life. In that time, I've never managed to win in any major regional conference. The only two accomplishments on my name are the Orange League Champion and overcoming the Battle Frontier." He sighed. "That doesn't exactly have the 'Pokemon Master' ring to it."

"Why do you say that?"

"A Pokemon Master is supposed to beat an official conference. If I can't come out on top, then I've got nothing to show for all my travelling."

May looked at him with concern. "What are you trying to say, Ash?"

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After a moment, he spoke again:

"I don't know. I'm just starting to wonder if this dream I had as a kid is out of my reach, no matter how hard I train. Maybe it's just what it is: a childish dream that should be left in the past. Maybe it's time for me to find something else to do with my life: maybe settle down, accept the title of a Frontier Brain...and maybe…"

He trailed off. "Go on," May urged him.

"Ah, nothing," he shrugged. He didn't want to say what he was going to say just yet. He didn't think he was quite ready. Almost, but not quite.

"You know, Ash," May said with a smile, "I've been thinking about the same thing."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm," she giggled. "When I started my journey with you, I decided that I wanted to become a Top Pokemon Coordinator. Of course, the only way to become a Top Coordinator is to come out on top at a Grand Festival. I've been pursuing that ever since I started, and while I've gotten close many times, I've never come out on top. Do I give up and look for something else? Or do I press on?"

Ash stayed quiet for a moment, then smiled and sighed as he stood up, watching over the ocean. "You and me both," he said. "Well, I guess we'll find the answer soon enough."

May stood up with him. "I'm sure we will," she agreed, interlacing her hand with his, "together. After all, we've always been so alike in that way. It's almost kinda scary!"

"Except it's not," he grinned at her. "We're just two Pidgeys in the same flock."

"I completely agree," she returned his smile. Then she pecked him on the cheek and embraced him warmly, while he returned the favor.

It was certainly true. These two young adults had much in common: from their headgear to the gloves they wear, you'd think they were separated at birth. And truth be told, their first encounter wasn't exactly friendly, though it wasn't hostile either. May initially looked at Ash with disdain, but his kind heart and decision to be her mentor brought them together in a close friendship that no one could break. As time went on, this friendship developed into something deeper, as the two of them fell in love with each other. After a few years, they finally declared their love for each other. Ever since then (somewhat hilariously, I might add, in light of an earlier incident in their friendship), they've been a couple, and they've been as happy as any couple could be; perhaps even happier!

I suppose the physical force of gravity isn't the only kind of gravity. And while a human being cannot exert a strong enough physical force to draw something to himself, an emotional force is much different. But gravity is just as much a deadly force as it is a stable one, for pulling something in from a great distance can have fatal consequences.

While it was morning in Kanto, night still blanketed the Kalos region. All was still and quiet...except for the screaming of a falling form with monstrous features. Then, abruptly, everything was quiet again. Then, the monstrous form hit the ground face-first. Its short legs stuck up in the air a moment, then plopped down with him. For a moment, he lay still. Then, coming to his senses, he began pushing at the ground to pull his head out. He pushed harder and harder, stretching his body to cartoonish proportions, until his head popped out with such force that he staggered a little before getting a grip on himself. He looked around, surprised at how well he could see everything in the dark: from the quiet houses to the strange creature lying in the ground to the –

"Huh?!" he said, his eyes instantly locking onto the small creature again. He held his mutated hand to the unconscious creature, poking it to wake it up. The creature's eyes fluttered open abruptly. "Are you okay?" the monster asked him.

On seeing his companion, the creature screamed in fright and flew away, hiding. "Help!" he whimpered. "A big, mean, monster wants to eat me!"

"Huh?" the monster raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had), puzzled. "What are you talking about? I'm not a monster. I'm –"

He cut himself off when he saw his reflection in a small pond. His eyes widened with horror (assuming that's possible). His blue fur was gone, replaced by a dark gray fur coat twice as thick as what he was used to. His arms were much larger, and his hands were now claws. His legs, once wielding the power to run at the speed of sound, were now stubby and short.

"What's happened to me?" he wondered, his face drooping. He shivered in spite of his fur. Or was it because of it?

"Um...Mister Monster Guy?" a trembling voice asked.

He turned to see the small creature standing next to him, trembling terribly. "Please don't eat me, but...can you tell me where I am?"

The monster scratched his head a moment, then recoiled from the pain. "You know, to be honest, I don't really know myself. The last thing I remember was being thrown out of Eggman's ship. Then I was falling...then this ring suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then everything was dark, and then I hit the ground."

"A ring?" the creature lit up.

"Yeah...it was kinda weird. Heck it looked like that one that –"

"That must've been my ring!" the creature exclaimed.

The monster looked at him, puzzled. "Your ring?"

"Yeah! It's like, one moment I'm asleep, and the next moment, the ground was shaking, and I almost fell into a crack. I tried to call for help with one of my rings, but I guess I wasn't specific enough on what I needed. Jeez! Ask for a legendary Pokemon and get some big, bad monster guy instead!" He folded his stubby arms, indignant. Neither of them noticed the sun slowly rising.

"Hey look, Precious, I'm not a big bad monster guy...or at least I'm not supposed to be. I'm – UNGH!" He started convulsing as dark energy sizzled all around him. His companion looked at him, frightened. When the spectacle ended, the sight he saw stunned him.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "A-Are you –?"

"Ugh," the monster muttered. "Anyways, as I was saying. I'm not a monster, I'm –"

"Sonic the Hedgehog?!"

Sonic was caught off-guard. "How do you know my name?"

"Everyone knows who you are! You're a celebrity, remember?"

"Oh, yeah...I guess. But I thought you were scared of me."

"Not anymore! Look at the water!"

Sonic did so and, to his astonishment, found his normal reflection looking back at him. "Whoa," he said. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know," his companion said. "But it's nice to know I'm not gonna be eaten by some big bad monster guy now!"

"Sorry for scaring ya," Sonic apologized. "Hm...oh! Eggman! I gotta find him and stop whatever plan he's got up his sleeve!"

"Uh-oh," his companion smirked. "Looks like the Egghead's up to his old tricks, huh?"

"Actually, I think it's a new one," Sonic said. "I just need to find him first."

"Let me help!" the creature exclaimed.

Sonic blinked. "You sure?"

"Yeah!"

He shrugged. "Okay. Say, what are you, anyway? Some rare Pokemon?"

"As rare as they come!" the Pokemon grinned mischievously as they started walking along. "You'll only ever find me at special events...kinda like this!"

"Well that answers one question. So what do they call you?"

The Pokemon giggled. "Hoopa!"

"Hoopa, huh?" Sonic smirked. "Sounds like something you say before you take a swig."

"HEY!"