A/N: So much for 'only' AN. ;)
If you like this story, please consider supporting me on PAT(R) (E)[on] SLASH KajaWilder (NSFW filter must be off) for more of this, plus images too. This will be one of my less-frequently-updated stories here, but there will be lots more there soon. :)

As well, I am continuing to search for one-two more Beta Editors. I don't need you to have experience, I just need someone who knows the fandom(s) I write in at least moderately well, and English fairly well. Hrymeigh- my current Beta- both has a lot going on in their personal life at the moment, and isn't as big into Zelda and Pokemon as they are HP. Seriously, those are the only qualifications- knowing and reading English at a decent proficiency (if you are following my fics, you qualify!), and knowing the fandom of the fics you are reading. It's that simple. Of course, I would appreciate some dedication and speed, but I do understand people have their own lives. If interested, PM me here, I get those email alerts whenever they are sent, usually within a few minutes.

That's enough out of me. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Insertion

Initiating countdown... Bioscan complete. One minute until immersion. Subject's doing fine... neuro-response well within optimast##dds73 spread. Thirty seconds. Subject experiencing increased endorph32g#$. Ten. Subject fadi33#5^112sss...

Alex stumbled on the dark, dirt path he found himself on. Overhead, an unfamiliar sky shone with stars, things he'd rarely seen at home with the light-pollution even at the edge of Pacific Mega-City, far out in what had once been the Nevada Desert, while a few white, ghostly clouds drifted past, few and far between.

In the darkness, all was quiet and still, and as Alex looked around, turning a slow circle, he could see only a few terrain features worth of any note.

First, and most jarring, was the utter lack of buildings. Trees, once seen only in museums or on the lawns of the truly wealthy (of which his family was just at the bottom edge of), ran by the hundreds, maybe thousands, along one side of the wide, straight dirt road he found himself on, with a forest- an actual forest- some miles to the left. Hills dotted the wide, shallow valley, with a few mountains beyond those, many more miles distant. In the direction he'd first appeared was a signpost, carved apparently from wood, in plain English with a single word and an arrow pointing up, while behind him, the road continued on in the hills many miles distant, eventually disappearing in a low fog that hadn't yet made it to where he was.

As Alex continued to look around at the empty place, more wild and open land than he'd ever dreamed of seeing anywhere left on Earth, it seemed almost too real. But he also began to hear more, the silence giving way to the chirp of crickets, and hoot of a night-bird, and the low whisper of a soft breeze through the leaves and wild grassland around him. "This is amazing," he murmured, and took one step toward the sign.

At once, two bright blue holo-windows, at least that's what they looked like, even if they were missing the hardware that emitted the light planes, appeared before him, angled for easy reading with white letters. The one on the left was small, and held only a sign-wave oscillator that wavered as a voice filled the area around him, cultured, smooth, female, but clearly synthetic, utterly without accent. The right was larger, and held several button-like sections.

"Greetings, Alexander, and welcome to the world of Pokémon. It is a world much like your own, but inhabited by strange and fascinating beings you might not be familiar with in your native world. I am known as Professor Yggdrassil, though most simply refer to me as Professor. I am considered, in this day and age, the foremost expert on all things Pokémon, and it behooves me, as a world-spanning AI, to assist newcomers to our world in their orientation and their journeys. Tell me, Alex... are you satisfied with the way you appear?"

He blinked, looking down at his body, "I- I suppose I am, yeah."

"Very well, appearance confirmed. Age: Twenty, Human Male, 84% Caucasian, 6% Latinex, 10% trace lineage. Nature: Determined. Your starting Pokémon will be selected randomly from a pool generated by your nature, beginning with the first one-hundred and fifty Pokémon. Currently, Pokémon from generations one and two exist within the world. More will be discovered at a later time."

"Okay," he told the screen, "so... if my nature is Determined, and I can see that, what does that mean for my pool?"

The AI answered quickly, "The Determined Nature implies a patient approach to combat, but also a protective streak that brings out extreme effort if the things you care about come to, or are about to come to, harm. This lends itself naturally to the Rock, Ground, Steel, Fighting, and Dragon types. Choose one of those to eliminate from contention."

"W- well, hmm... I don't remember a lot about the old starters, but I know the tradition back then was fire-grass-water only. So I guess that's out, more realistic this way though. Uh... A lot of the rock and ground have both types, though, so I think I'd be eliminating two if I did that. So... well, I mean, who doesn't want to ride around on a dragon? But I'm going to pick that one."

"You wish to remove the Dragon type from contention as your starter? This will also remove Pokémon that will gain the type through Evolution."

"Yes. I'm sure."

"Very well. Rock, Ground, Steel, and Fighting types. Your starter Pokémon is..."

There was a brief pause, before a beam of light shot from the sky, impacting the ground just inches ahead of Alex. He stepped back, surprised, and blinked away the harsh green after-glare. Once he could blink his eyes clear again, the man looked down in surprise. A purple creature with four legs and wide, almost bat-like ears framed a rat-like head, from which protruded a single long, purple horn a few shades darker, almost black in the night, than the rest of its more lavender colored body. "Dhoo?"

"This is a Nidoran male, the male line of the Nidoran Family, known as the Poison Pin Pokémon. It will be registered to your Pokédex when you obtain it. For now, it will walk beside you as your companion. Would you like to name your Nidoran male?"

"Er... Poison Pin, huh? Hm... what does it evolve into? Something with the ground type, right?"

"The Nidoran line ends at Nidoking, which has the ground and poison types."

"Can I get a picture of one? I can't remember all the old stuff."

"No. Once registered in the Pokédex, more information can be provided."

"Er... alright. So... do I have any Pokéballs?"

"No," the AI replied immediately, "you have only the clothes and items you were wearing when you were scanned into the world, plus your new Pokémon. Would you like to name him?"

"I suppose," Alex replied quietly, "Uh... can I change it later?"

"The original trainer can rename a Pokémon at any time from their menu screen, in the Pokémon's individual status screen."

"Oh, that's cool. Uh... well, for now, let's just call you... heh... let's test the game for real. How about I name you 'Cock'?"

"Ni... ran!"

"'Cock' accepted. Cock will begin with an initial disposition of 'friendly' toward you, but has no training. Other Pokémon you catch will begin with their own dispositions, based on the circumstances surrounding their capture or taming by you. Cock will follow your verbal commands in battle, or if discretion is desired, the tapped commands on your battle screen once your Pokégear is acquired. If you have further questions, consult the 'help' screen in your menu. Otherwise, let your own Pokémon adventure begin!"

Alex blinked as the menu faded away too, though somehow, he suspected he could call it up with a word. He took a deep breath, feeling the cool night air fill his lungs in a way he'd never wanted to with the pollution and smog that blanketed everything he knew in the real world, especially not outside. "Well, uh, Cock, are you ready to go?"

"Ni!"

He took a step, and then another, moving toward and then past the sign, which pointed toward the small town of Pallet. "Pallet... man, I remember reading about that in the History of Pokémon anthology like, ten years ago. Wasn't that the starting city for the first game?"

So Alex Ward entered the world of Pokémon, more fully than he ever had before.

Elle grinned as her own AI finished uttering much the same words but with a rich, baritone voice she found quite soothing, finished the explanation with, "Age: Fifteen, Human Female, 67% Caucasian, 14% Mongol, 12% North African, 6% trace lineage. Nature: Mischievous. Your starting Pokémon will be selected randomly from a pool generated by your nature, beginning with the first one-hundred and fifty Pokémon. Currently, Pokémon from generations one and two exist within the world. More will be discovered at a later time."

"Um... what kind of Pokémon does that include? The Mischievous Nature?"

"Mischievous Natured individuals such as yourself are fun-loving first and foremost, but care little if their own fun comes at the expense of others or not. This can make them seem cruel, but most Mischievous beings are not aware of the pain they can cause. Related types include: Normal, Fighting, Dark, Ghost, Psychic, Poison, and Fairy. Due to the large number of compatible Types, you may choose three Types to remove from contention."

"Like... to take out of the pool? So if I choose Fairy, I wouldn't get a Fairy-type starter?"

"That is correct."

"Well, then I choose Fairy. I'm not some girly-girl!"

"Fairy selected. You may choose two more. If you wish to skip this step, you may do so at any time by saying 'Skip'."

"Nah... narrowing down the list is cool, even if the random picks from Gens sixteen through twenty-two were cool enough to bring back. Uh... I'm not much of a head-on fighter, so let's take out that, and lots of the normal Pokémon are boring and girly, too. No Fighting, no Normal."

"Accepted. Your remaining options for the random selection from the primary Generation One Pokémon are as follows, including Pokémon that can evolve to gain the randomly selected type: Dark, Ghost, Psychic, Poison. Confirm?"

"Hells yeah, confirm," Elle giggled, her hair bouncing slightly as she gave a little involuntary hop, hands clenching before her chest. It was dark, and cold, but it had been dark when she left home, too, so she'd worn comfortable clothes for the trip, even if somehow she felt the rest of what she'd brought in her bag was worthless- none of it had come with her, the bag set in a corner of the small, hospital-like room she'd 'gone to sleep' in.

"Confirmed. Your Starter Pokémon is..."

Another beam of light shot downward, and Elle actually shrieked a little, though it was more from excitement and anticipation than surprise at the show, which left her blinking away painful tears and shining after-images for longer than her currently unknown co-tester had been, before she spotted it.

"A... what... is that thing? I can barely see it."

A strange sound, accompanied by a vaguely sweet, almost flowery smell, wafted through the cool night air toward her, "Ghaaaassst..."

"This Pokémon," her Professor Yggdrassil AI announced, "is called Gastly, and is known as the Gas Pokémon. It is extremely thin, said to be made up of 95% poisonous gasses from the moldering remains of the dead, and 5% the souls of the deceased mixed into a terrible conglomeration. Gastly are renowned pranksters, and lethal in combat, though a stiff wind is said to blow them away."

"Heh," Elle chuckled, giggling as she peered at the dimly-shining, spherical, almost face-like shape that darkened the area ahead of her slightly, "I guess I wouldn't have gone with Ghost given my choice, but it's not a bad type. Gastly, huh? Sounds like something I can have fun with."

"Would you like to name your Pokémon?"

The girl's grin widened, showing bright white, straight teeth, "I sure would, but for a trickster? I can't call you Coyote, since you aren't a canine... Spider 'cause of the Poison? Nah... Well, maybe. Most games let you rename characters, and as far as I know most of the Pokémon games do, too, so let's go with... Loki, for now."

"Loki confirmed," the AI said, then fell quiet for a moment while the barely-apparent will'o'wisp bobbed in the air ahead of her, seeming almost to cackle silently as she took a tentative step once more.

As she'd half-expected, the baritone rang out again, "'Loki' accepted. Loki will begin with an initial disposition of 'friendly' toward you, but has no training. Other Pokémon you catch will begin with their own dispositions, based on the circumstances surrounding their capture or taming by you. Loki will follow your verbal commands in battle, or if discretion is desired, the tapped commands on your battle screen once your Pokégear is acquired. If you have further questions, consult the 'help' screen in your menu. Otherwise, let your own Pokémon adventure begin!"

"Alright, let's do this," the girl cheered, pumping a fist into the air and lifting a leg high off the ground before breaking into a fast walk, chattering a mile a minute at the strange little creature, who without being told to, turned to float along, bobbing in the air beside her, trailing little wisps of purple and blue that drifted away like smoke from an incense stick.

Alex stretched in his bed, which felt strangely hard and more than a little warmer than usual, waking up after what felt like just a few moments but feeling refreshed and wide awake. "Okay, so 'sleeping' is like sleeping in a game. You lay down, time passes for you about... what, eight hours? That's what the clock says. Alright... and good morning to you, Cock. Heh..."

The purple hide of the creature twitched, and more than a dozen of its little spines shivered in a ripple as he reached out to pet his new companion, only to pull it back with a wince. "Ouch... I didn't think they'd be that sharp. Damn. I hope they aren't poisonous, heh. Alright, little guy, are you hungry?"

The Nidoran's eyes widened from their half-awake state, shining golden in the early 'dawn' of the game world. A moment later, after he spun his legs out of the borrowed bed of the "Pokémon Center,", it hopped down to follow him, stumpy little tail wagging as he went to relieve himself. Glad that's something I only have to deal with occasionally. I could eat, though... I wonder how that works without logging out? I've only been 'playing' for about three hours, so I should be fine if I wait a few more.

After a quick in-game shower where he was surprised to find his nude body quite realistic and just as he remembered it when he undressed from his 'work' clothes, Alex stepped downstairs to find a place that was increasingly familiar. It had felt very late indeed when he'd stumbled in, well after midnight, and arranged a room with the pretty, rose-haired woman behind the main desk, and felt himself wondering if she'd join him if he asked. The woman was buxom in the extreme, curvy in all the best ways, and even seemed to be eyeing him slightly, but Alex was a bit nervous to attempt such a thing so early, even if his own interview had made it quite clear that the 'adult' nature of this game was active and functional- it was the primary purpose of the 'select few top candidates' speech he'd been given.

I can't believe they're paying me extra- all of us, really- to have as much sex as we can in the game. It's weird, but... I can't complain. Not like I was raking it in in the real world. Last time I got any without a pity-fuck from Cora was... damn, five years ago. I was just a kid back then, and even Laura was a couple years ago.

Alex put the thought from his head for a moment as he scanned the room.

Several of the people he suspected were NPCs. They seemed realistic enough, like the woman behind the counter, but something about their flesh, while it was highly detailed, was just a little off. Maybe it was their subtler movements?

But a few, some of whom had little faint dots above their heads that, as he focused on them, resolved into names or handles of other sorts, were even more realistic- as real as himself.

Most were scattered around at various tables in the eating / telecast section of the multi-use space, some chatting up NPCs, many of whom were more than what he would call 'normal attractive', and a fair few were into the downright stunning category, while others talked with each other excitedly, comparing notes of their first few hours of the game.

Some, he could see, had more than one Pokémon, and were proudly showing them off. Shit, I'm behind the game. Damn it... But I'm hungry, and they made it clear I need to take care of my in-game body and those of my Pokémon, or we'll all suffer.

He moved to the counter of the little cafe next, and ordered something sufficiently nutrient-rich, if bland, to get him through the day, along with what the proprietor, a hulking, fat NPC, called "Poison Pellets, the best food for young Poison-types."

After the three plates, one of which very closely resembled a dog dish that, after glancing around at the rest, he set on the floor next to his feet, they both began to eat as the room continued to grow more crowded.

While chewing, Alex amused himself with examining the inventive handles or nicknames the other players had chosen, and tried to remember those who acted a bit more serious, or who seemed like they would be good potential allies or rivals. It wasn't that he really cared to rise to the top- the odds were just so low- but he did want to rise to the upper echelons of the game, see all that it had to offer, during his year-long sabbatical.

Names like "In_Jail_Out_Soon," "Desperate4U," and "RageQuittin'," were capped by even worse, such as "Hellbent Hooker," and, "LemmeSuxU."

Mostly, they made him laugh inside, until the pattering of light feet attracted his attention, which caused eyes to raise up a pretty, slender girl with golden hair in a long wave down her back, clad in spandex-style running shorts and a cami, crimson red on top and black on the bottom, stopped at his booth, "Sorry to interrupt your people-watching," the girl said, voice high, melodic, and words rapid, "Everywhere else is full, do you mind if I sit here while I eat?"

Alex shrugged, only then noticing that her own hands were full with a plate of food and a little tin of the same Poison Pellets he'd dumped into Cock's bowl. "Sure, be my guest. I'm Alex."

"Elle," she murmured through a mouth full of eggs and bacon, much like what he'd had. Then she grimaced, reaching for the spicy hot sauce on the little stand on the far side of the table, smiling as he reached over and pushed it toward her shorter hand. "Needs more pepper."

"Places like this never seem to put enough on," he agreed, then laughed, "Which is weird when I think about the fact that it's not real. This isn't some roadside diner."

"No, it's not," Elle laughed, glancing around herself even as she shoveled in another mouthful, chewing as fast as she talked, "It's hard to believe we're in a game. I mean, I remember logging in. I remember appearing on a road with a sign leading to Pallet, and then walking down it after meeting Loki, here, and went to sleep... and here I am, just a few hours later, ready to take on the world. It's great, isn't it?"

Alex frowned, looking at the spot the girl had pointed to, just over her shoulder. "Uh... Loki?"

"Sure," she said, pointing again, "My Pokémon. Yours is a... wasn't that one called a Nidorite?"

"Nidoran," he corrected almost automatically, "one of the very first Poison types. I see your, uh, kibble is the same type...?"

She nodded, grinning, "Yeah, but I don't think Loki will eat them. Will you, little puff?"

He watched as the apparently insane girl tilted her head then made a little smooching motion over her shoulder, only to recoil in disgust and wipe her mouth hurriedly, "Eww... that's gross."

"I... huh? You know what, never mind. Hey, I'm gonna head out soon- a lot of these guys have more Pokémon already. I'm sure there's a starting quest soon. Want to go with me?"

'Sure," Elle agreed easily, wolfing down her last few bites at once so that her cheeks bulged while she chewed, "Eff meph fee rhfry fwip."

Then she dashed off, leaving her plate and tin on the table while she dashed for what he recognized quickly as a public restroom. A few minutes later, food swallowed, mouth brushed he suspected, given the minty smell, and bright smile on her face, the girl returned, stuck her tin into a pocket of her shorts, and said, "Alright, ready! Let's go- uh, do you know where to go first?"

He shrugged, "Usually there's some sort of Professor or something to teach you the ropes early on, right? But I guess the Professor in this game is-"

"Yggdrassil."

He watched as she said the words, and a moment later the same blue menu he'd seen the night before opened up before the girl.

She blinked, "Uh... okay, so voice commands really do work. Um... quests?"

One of the last buttons on the wide screen flashed, and the screen changed. He quickly sidled around so he could see hers more easily too, while tapping his own mostly-invisible floating icon to make his screen expand next to hers, and caught up in moments as she read out loud.

"Find someone to help teach you how to catch Pokémon. Reward: 5 Pokéballs."

"Oh, cool," he muttered, "so there's no 'experience' in this game, at least not for us, but we get rewards of our own for doing quests, like more items. Makes sense."

"Sweet," she murmured herself as she started walking absentmindedly toward the door, eyes on her quest screen, "I'm gonna catch me so many Pokémon!"

There weren't any clues in the quest itself, but it wasn't hard to follow the flock of newly-minted Trainers inside the game as the Beta Test had begun in earnest to the 'quest giver', which turned out to be a series of identical NPCs, each a youth of either male or female gender, and about fifteen years old- there were just two models between them. "Huh? Why's everyone the same?" his companion asked quietly, pointing it out.

"Probably that old joke," Alex said with a shrug, "Remember, way back when, there was that old cartoon? The first games used sprites, so everyone sort of looked alike. When the cartoon came along, they made fun of it, saying all the female cops and Center workers looked alike, you know? Maybe it's an Easter Egg."

Elle grinned, "Cool," and her walking sped up.

Apparently, just being near the quest givers when someone else accepted it was enough, because a moment later, both of their screens opened up and a new message popped up on both, "Quest Begun: Catch your first Pokémon! Reward: 5 Pokéballs."

Almost unconsciously, Alex found himself dashing along behind the quickly-moving girl as she skirted other players by the hundreds, moving further and further into the fields, until they had gone past nearly everyone, and only a few more hardy souls continued on past them. "Why'd you stop?" he asked, breathing a bit hard. He was in pretty good shape, and he knew it, but running wasn't his thing. This girl, though, was fast, and even though he had a good foot on her, he'd had to work hard to keep up.

"Pokémon," Elle breathed, pointing at a rustle in the grass of the wide field, "I spotted it, I got dibs."

"Sounds fair," he nodded, "Go ahead."

She grinned, "Okay, Loki... go get 'em!"

For the first time, with fewer people and less chaos around them, he spotted just a hint of the nearly invisible Pokémon, which shot forward into the grass, seeming to pass right through the individual blades without leaving a sign of its passing.

There was a yelp, then another, and an angry hiss, before Elle called out, "Loki, uh- come back!"

A few seconds after, he saw the shimmer again. "How come it's not working?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "Maybe it's a normal type? Did you tell Loki to do a move? I didn't see you hit anything or call something out."

"Oh, no," the girl muttered, frowning as she turned away, "I don't even know what Pokémon it is, yet. It's a good thing we start with a couple Balls."

Alex couldn't help it, he snorted. "I have more than just two."

She blushed, looking away, "Pervert... anyway, Loki, uh- use Lick!"

Again, the blur in the air whizzed into the grass, but returned a moment later without the other Pokémon even seeming to notice it was there. "Hm... that didn't work. Use- Smog!"

This time, he actually saw a purple mist spray out of almost empty air, and a few seconds later, heard a faint, almost human-sounding cough. "That did it- Try Smog again!"

She had to blast the thing, whatever it was, four more times total before the rustling noises, which had been drawing progressively closer, stopped, and both heard a faint thump, then a wheeze. "Pokéball, go!"

Tradition, he knew, from the very first few games and the same cartoon show he'd referenced earlier. Not everyone would be saying it. Alex certainly wouldn't be, not even the first time, but the excitable teen seemed to want the 'full experience'. He even smiled himself as she giggled, her slender body giving a little wiggle as the ball rolled on the ground after the pale green light had shot into it and it snapped shut.

Cute as can be, but damn if she doesn't look way too young to participate in the limited beta. Oh well. A few seconds later, a faint beep filled the near quiet of the plains, and Elle reached down to pick up the red and white sphere, "Got it, yes! Pretty sure it was a bug or grass type with that color, right?"

He shrugged, "Don't know. The color addition on capture was after my days of playing regularly. I haven't played for a generation or two."

"Really? Well- this must feel like old times then, old-timer!"

"Hey," Alex frowned, "I'm only a few years older than you."

Elle winked, "Come on, we can find another for you before we head back. Doesn't look like there's a time-limit on the quest."

So they kept walking, her taking the lead and him trying to subtly watch her pert derriere move beneath the biker shorts, her firm and toned legs swaying through the grass with ease as she kept leading them on, further into the wilds away from Pallet Town toward the west.

They kept walking for what felt like hours as the in-game sun rose high, heating the air and their bodies until both were a bit sweaty and they stepped into the shade of a deep, dark woods next to where a small stream moved out from between the trees to roll to the south. They had long since passed the last of the other early explorers, but neither really cared. They'd seen several Pokémon, but Alex was determined that his first catch would be something unusual, rare even.

"Let's take a rest," Elle groaned as she dropped to a fallen log just inside the shade of the trees, "It's hot."

"Sure," he agreed, stretching himself, and stealing another glance as the girl mimicked him. Damn, it's been too long if I'm checking out a teenager this bad.

He sat too, and waited until she said she was ready. Just as Elle had stood back up, though, he spotted the flash of pink moving through the shallow riverbed. "Pokémon," he whispered, pointing in that direction.

She squinted, and shot back, "Your turn- not a lot of Pokémon I know that are pink."

"Old ones," he hissed, "Several of them. Most are Normal. Hold on... C- no, I'll order commands silently."

He glanced over at Elle, who gave him a strange look as he opened the menu and clicked on the "Battle" screen, which displayed a rough estimate of his own Pokémon's health versus the name of its opponent, which was currently ?. Both bars were green and full, and another glance showed the same equipment he'd started with: One emergency spray Potion, suitable for human or Pokémon use, and two plain Pokéballs, the same everyone had started with.

He tapped on "Leer," and the purple-skinned, spiny quadruped leaped forward, dashing toward the riverbank, where it skidded to a halt, growling downward quietly. The pink creature froze, and he saw another dome of pink appear, smaller than what must have been its back, as he heard an unmistakable yawn.

He clicked Peck, and Cock lunged forward and down, throwing himself head-first at the creature, which yelped as the horn, about four inches long, pierced its soft hide just below the neck.

There was a slap of flesh against flesh, and the strange creature yelped again as he ran forward. "Peck!"

His verbal command, though, elicited no reply from his first companion in the game, and no answering yelp followed as he, too, skidded to a stop on the stream's bank.

Half-submerged, Alex saw a heavy, thick body, almost humanoid but not quite, resting on three legs, its round, solid form a bright, fleshy pink almost the color of... well, he didn't want to think about it. The creature had two small, beady dark eyes and a wide mouth, from which protruded a great tongue as long as his arm, which slapped against the apparently unconscious Nidoran, smashing it into the soft ground of the bank again.

This time, though, the other creature whimpered, and the tongue rolled back up into its mouth for a moment.

"Are you alright, buddy? Come on, answer me..."

The other Pokémon grimaced and groaned, then the tongue unfurled once more, lashing out not at Cock, but at Alex and Elle, whipping past them to hold them at bay as the creature took a step backward, then turned slowly, wobbling, and tried to walk away on three legs, the other bleeding and oozing purple.

Alex looked down at the battle screen in a panic, and was confused when he saw that while it had decreased a bit with the literal tongue-lashing, Cock was doing just fine, while the other creature, type still unknown, was rapidly nearing collapse, the health bar still moving slowly downward as he watched. "It's poisoned," he exhaled, "Lucky! My hand is fine, so I don't think it was a Poison Pin effect, must've been the Peck."

"Are you going to let it faint, or use a Ball?" Elle asked exasperatedly, pointing at the dwindling health bar, which was now just turning from yellow to orange.

"O- Oh, yeah, r-right," Alex muttered, blushing as the girl's chest slid against his arm, and reached into his pocket to pull out one of his two Pokéballs. He threw it casually, and with surprising deftness, the Pokémon slapped it out of the air with its tongue.

"That's not fair," he growled, pulling out another, "Fine- tradition it is! Pokéball, go!"

Elle laughed, "Geek!"

But his aim was true, and as the creature transformed into wisps of faint pink light and fell into the ball, which clacked onto the ground, Alex found himself willing the catch to be a success harder than he could've believed even a day earlier, such was his immersion into the world already.

It beeped, and he cheered along with Elle.

"It's poisoned, though," she reminded him a few seconds later, still grinning madly along with him, "We should get back to the Center to heal them both up, since yours is sleeping."

He nodded, and this time, they walked side-by-side, each chattering away as they returned to and passed thicker droves of people, which grew in number again and again as they passed from the fields and into the town itself, heading for the Pokémon Center.

Both stepped up to the desk where the same pink-haired lady stood, helping one customer after another with apparently limitless patience, and they stood in line, Alex unconsciously tapping his foot in an increasingly erratic rhythm as he felt worry for both of his new friends take over.

Elle, for her part, was giddy too, though her presence felt strangely calming to the older man, who half-listened as she kept up a running litany of comments on the fashion of the various other beta testers, their old-school Pokémon and what their mysterious abilities might be, for over an hour until it was finally their turn.

"I think my Starter is sleeping, but a bit hurt, and my first catch is poisoned and hurt. Can you help?"

"Of course we can, dear, don't fret," the friendly woman replied, "We'll have them right as rain overnight. Would you like to book a room?"

"Sure," he agreed, "and my friend needs her Pokémon fixed up, too."

"Certainly. That will be one hundred and fifty dollars."

Dollars. Currency that hadn't been used, at least in fashion, for more than a century in the real world. Almost everyone used the online cryptocurrency Cashbytes these days, but it was clear Elle knew as well as he did what the woman was referring to as she held out her own small wallet, "I've got it for both of us. Here you go."

As had been the case since the dawn of the series, healing Pokémon was free- the food and board provided while doing so were not. At least the real world's inflation doesn't seem to be a problem here.

A pair of keys were issued, and a few minutes later up a long elevator ride, both stepped out onto the same floor and moved, Elle still chattering away, to the same door. But when both reached for it with their cards, the pair froze.

"Er..."

The blonde rolled her eyes, "We're all adults here, right?" and swiped the card.

He followed her in as the door swung open, but frowned again once he saw the bed.

Bed, singular. Not plural. I better-

"Where are you going?"

He stopped, one foot out the door, the other on the just-shut handle. "It's a single room. I'm going to-"

"Nah, we can share," Elle waved a hand nonchalantly, "You're here for the adult beta, right? So'm I. Not that I'm gonna fuck you or anything. Not tonight, anyway- we just met. But if you behave, we can both sleep in the bed."

"You know I'm , right?"

"So'm I," she grinned, flipping her screen on and spinning it around, "Twenty-one, in fact."

Alex frowned, "Bullshit."

She shrugged, dropping down onto the bed and waving her hand in front of the holo-screen to activate it, "Don't care if you don't believe me. I'm in the adult beta, same as you- pervert."

"Perv- why would you say that?"

One blonde eyebrow raised as Elle gave him a glance, "Don't think I haven't seen you checking out all the female NPCs and several of the players. You wanna fuck the girl at the desk, right? I mean, I wouldn't blame you, but you're a bit obvious."

Alex frowned, "Even if you're right- which I doubt- about your own age, you don't act like you're part of that beta."

"Because I'm not perving on everyone?"

He nodded, blushing a bit as she changed to the weather forecast channel.

"It promises to be a bright, sunny day in southwest Kanto, but a storm front is moving along the coast from Johto, so we can expect some rain in the late afternoon and early evening, with..."

"Well, news flash," Elle said with a chuckle, leaning back, "I got my needs, too. I just hide them better."

He ignored the comment for the time being, and nothing more was said on the matter until he was about to lay down on the floor next to the bed. "Nope, up here," she murmured.

"It's not right," he hissed back.

"It's right if I say it is," Elle hissed in return, "And I expect you'll be quite the gentleman. I'll stay on my side, you stay on yours- unless you're afraid you can't resist my womanly charms?"

He snorted, sitting up and sending the blonde a glare, "You're like a kid."

"And you're a horny old man. Come on, you'll sleep better up here. Besides, it's just a for a few seconds, right?"

"Oh. Yeah, I actually forgot this was a game for a second. I guess that's alright."

But unlike the previous night, Alex didn't drift off immediately. Instead, he lay awake for what felt like hours, listening to Elle's slow breathing, and even occasionally found himself looking her way, watching the gentle swell of her chest rise and fall beneath the covers before he caught himself and looked away, closing his eyes.

Still, when he did wake, it was as if he'd slept a full night, something that was rare in the real world, though his clock only showed a few hours at most had gone by.

Elle, as she often did, woke early, her own internal clock somehow overpowering the artificial sleep induced by the game, and it was still dark outside the window. A quick glance at the digital display hovering over the holo-screen near the single bed of the hotel room told her it was still just before five. Her drunkard of a father would have just passed out a couple of hours earlier, if time matched up inside and out of the game. She wasn't confused or startled by the heavy, warm body a few inches away from her own, and even the rough hand that had somehow moved to cup her rear wasn't surprising- feeling the back of the fingers was, but just a little. Huh. Pervert or not, at least he's a gentleman. Unless he's awake...?

"Alex...?"

The whisper got no response at all, not even an unconscious twitch of his fingers. She smiled, lifted the blankets slightly and slid sideways from the bed, walking through the narrow space between it and the wall toward the tiny little bathroom offered, and locked the door before pushing her shorts and underwear down to sit on the toilet.

While doing her business, the girl clicked open her Menu and opened the Settings tab, scrolling through the options, adjusting many as she went. The volume, for example, she turned to almost nothing, something that even in the quiet she had to strain to hear, but Yggdrassil's voice, when the AI spoke, would be just as loud as it had been the first night, just over a comfortable level. There were a few other changes, too, including making the background a soft white with black letters instead of blue with white, which was far more pleasant on her eyes than the glaring, incandescent azure.

Then she saw the 'Trainer Card', an electronic signature that consisted of a portrait of herself, which she could 'flip' with a finger-swipe to show her real self if she wished, though she was glad both were the same at the moment- it would rouse less suspicion from Alex or anyone else if she were caught masquerading under a very false avatar, as opposed to herself. The code that identified her was, by her estimate, fifty or more digits long in old-fashioned hex-code with several of the newer emotifaces thrown in for good measure.

Once she was finished and wiped, the girl stripped down to her birthday suit and stepped into the shower, making an effort to scrub well with the offered supplies, while still moving at a quick pace. She had no idea when Alex would be awake, and she wanted to be done before he was.

The teen was distracted, however, as she stepped out of the shower and stood before the mirror that covered one wall of the shockingly realistic wall of the bathroom. Elle looked at her reflection carefully, examining it inch by inch, trying to find the smallest flaw, glitch, or discrepancy with what she knew about her body.

There were none.

Every hair follicle, every freckle, light even against her pale skin, and even the mole behind her right ear, mostly covered by hair, was captured and transported into the game avatar. That wasn't all she noticed, either. Damn, I really do look good, don't I?

She slithered a hand up her stomach to cup one breast, sighing at the contact as she gave it a little squeeze, then moved the other down between her legs. She could feel every twitch of her steamy flesh beneath her fingers, and every goose-bump raised as she cooled, the the individual fibers of her pubic hair, sparse and somewhat trimmed, grated beneath her palm as her fingers slipped around the small clit and down, deeper into her core. Holy shit... feels... this all feels so real. Just like when I touch myself... it's amazing! The VR is so damned real it's almost hard to tell it's fake. No... it is hard to tell!

For a moment, she was tempted to pleasure herself, it had been a week since she'd caught wind of the closed, limited beta and concocted her plan, and in that time she'd been busy hacking into several systems that were supposed to be unbreachable, including Game Freak's and the United Mega-Cities Government of the Americas official census sites, among others.

There had been a lot of tracks to change to represent her newer, 'older' self.

But she reluctantly pulled the first knuckle out of her vagina and sighed, standing up straight before turning, bending, and twisting. The muscles even moved just like her own natural ones did. "Fucking amazing," she exhaled, then frowned as she glanced at the slightly soiled, probably smelly underwear she'd worn the day before. She lifted then carefully, sniffed, and recoiled. Yes... they did smell, realistically so. It wasn't a truly pungent odor, not yet, but she had gone for a long walk over half of the day, and had built up some sweat in doing so.

She sighed, bending down to put one leg, then the other into the thin cloth and pulling them up with a little shimmy. "Gotta get some clothes, then. At least it's been pretty consistent that fashion matters in-game for a hundred years, so it shouldn't be that hard to find a boutique even in the starting town."

"Elle?"

She jumped, shorts half-raised, "Y- Yeah?"

"Just wondering how long you'll be. I gotta go."

She swallowed, "Um, just getting finished. Two minutes, I can brush my hair out there and my teeth later."

"Okay."

Extra clothes had not been provided by the game, and of course she'd been forbidden from letting whatever software the VR system used scan her backpack, too. It would 'provide an unfair advantage'. But each player had started with a small fund of cash, a single Pokémon, and a few essentials in a carry case- a handbag for females, and a belt pouch for males. Toothbrushes, thankfully, were included, along with deodorant.

No 'feminine supplies', though. So no monthlies, I wonder? Huh... only one way to find out.

She slipped past Alex a few seconds later in the still dark room, neither saying a word. Then her nose caught a peculiar, musky sent, and she felt her eyes closing with pleasure. Damn, he smells good, considering he hasn't showered since the walk. No... down, girl. He is an older guy. Handsome or not, you barely know him. Play it cool- no matter how much you want him to jump you. Be hard to get. Yeah, that's the best way.

After turning the holo back on to the news and weather channel, she picked up her brush and slipped her socks and shoes back on, then listened in the background as she opened up her menu once more, this time looking over her Pokémon. "Two Poisons, and I know Alex' starter is a pure Poison too. So that's three out of four Pokémon between us. Kind of railroading, but at least mine are dual-types. Grass isn't my favorite, but it can be useful, and Ghost is awesome. Hm... think it's too early to send a friend request? I wouldn't mind sticking around with him..."

The next step was checking her funds. She was pretty sure that, aside from her paying for the room and both of their breakfasts and dinners yesterday split between them, it was a fair bit that he had a hundred fifty dollars more than her, which gave them eight hundred ten to start with. And I need at least one more change of clothes, probably three or four, and a pack to carry it in. Food and supplies for the road. Pokémon food. He'll probably need a pair or two of clothes, and food too. Not gonna leave us a lot for Balls or Potions. Then again... there was that Team option.

Alex was dressed in the same clothes, still drying his two-inch brown hair when he stepped out of the bathroom, billowing steam behind him. "Look at this," she said, pointing out the tab.

"Joining a team? What, like, you and me teaming up?"

"That's a Party, but if you want to we can do that. No, a Team. Like Team Ultra, Flare, or the very first one, my personal favorite, Team Rocket. It says there are in-game prerequisites, but if you meet them you can join the teams."

"Huh. That's cool, we haven't been able to play the 'bad guys' in a Pokémon game for a long time, not since I was a little kid."

"I never did," she shrugged, "sounds fun. Not a lot of info on what's what, though. I guess we'll find out as we progress."

"We... so you do want to team up in a... what was it, a Party?"

She froze, just for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly, "If- if you want. I mean, you're okay company. Not too pushy, and you seem like you'll let me do my own thing if I want." Damn, should've known he wouldn't be a total idiot pushover.

She didn't catch his own eyebrow raising, but she did notice the pause before he answered, and how slow and measured the reply was. "Let's be real here, Elle. I've got one year to play this game as much as I can, and I intend to do it. We're getting paid, pretty well I might add, to explore the game and report on what we find, whether it's bugs or things we really like, or don't. That's what I'm here for. What are you here for?"

She blinked, "Uh... honestly?"

He nodded, sitting down on the bed a few feet away to put on his own shoes.

"I... I don't really have anything. I mean, it's gonna be fun, right? That's why I'm here."

"No... goals?"

"Not really. I mean... there's no one I'd miss in the real world, if that's what you're getting at."

She could hear the eyebrow of the older man raise even though such a thing was patently impossible, especially with her face carefully neutral and facing the menu once more. "That's not what I was getting at, but I guess it's a fair assumption. There's... a few people I'll miss over the year, but there's no reason I can't take a vacation later and see them if I want. But my goal is to explore the game as much as possible, which means thoroughly, and all the way to the 'end' if I can, in every aspect of the game I can find. If that sounds like your 'fun', then our goals coincide. If it doesn't... it's honestly probably best if we don't team up."

She was quiet while he went into the bathroom again, and she heard the water run as he started brushing his teeth, and even longer as Alex gathered up his meager belongings in the game and sat down next to her again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I'm not trying to pry. But my goals aren't going to change. There's no reason we couldn't break up a Party later, as far as I can tell, but I'm kind of in it for the long haul. That... means some things."

She snorted, glaring over her shoulder, "You think we're gonna get hitched in-game or something?"

"No," he laughed, "it's just- this is an adult game, and I know damned well you aren't as old as your paperwork might say. You don't walk, talk, or act like a twenty year old. You do you, this is your life to screw up or whatever. Could be the best thing that's ever happened to you, I don't know. What I'm saying- well, what I wanted to say anyway, is that it's an adult game, and I'm going to..."

"Test it?"

He nodded, face flushing just as hers did.

She shrugged, pointedly looking away again as she stood and stretched, amazed once more how sitting in one place could make her feel stiff, just like in real life, "That's cool. I mean, sooner or later I'll meet some stud and want him, too. It's fair, and I guess it is what we're being paid for, mostly."

Alex nodded, "So, if that's fair, it comes with some things we need to set up in advance- but I'm starving. Let's get our Pokémon back, get breakfast, and get out of here."

She grinned, "Sounds like a plan."

AN2: So, what did you think of the first glimpses of the new and (I think, anyway) improved Kanto region? There's a lot more to come, and yes, as you might have guessed, this story will get pretty smutty. Not every player they saw was in the 'special Beta', but there's a couple hundred of them.
If you liked it (or if you have a problem, of course), leave me a REVIEW, and once again, please consider supporting me on the Patron site. :)