I woke up in a daze. Looking around me, I seemed to be laying on a couch. The room around me was warm and I had a blanket wrapped around me. I sat up and looked around.
The last thing I remembered was snow and cold, but now I was here. Where was here?
“H…hello?” I said. My voice was hoarse and scratchy.
As I sat up, pain ran up and down my back.
Oh right. The green smoke. R. Red. Red!
“Red,” I tried yelling out, but my voice failed me.
A boy peeked his head out from around the corner.
“Mom, he’s awake,” The boy called back to someone behind him.
He stepped out and the woman I presumed as his mother stepped out from behind him. The boy looked to be about 13 or 14. He wore black pants and a red sweatshirt with black and yellow hat which he had on backwards. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place it. His mom seemed kind and had the same hair color and shape to the face. Definitely related.
The mom reached out her hands and handed me a cup.
“Here, sweetie. Drink this. It should help you feel better,” She said.
I took a sip and instantly I could tell that this was some kind of herbal tea. I am not a tea drinker and I almost spit it out, but I forced it down. I did not want to be rude even though I had no idea what was going on.
“Where am I? Who are you?” I asked my voicing recovering a little bit.
“My name is Gold,” The boy said. “And you’re in Newbark Town. This is my Mom.”
“Yes, Gold told me he found you up on Mt. Silver all by yourself. What were you doing up there all by yourself and without any Pokémon?”
Pokémon? Pokémon! Oh my god. I was in Newbark Town. The town you start in when you’re playing Pokémon Gold, Silver, or Crystal. The boy in front of me was…was Gold. The protagonist.
I almost spit out the tea.
“Pokémon?”
I grabbed my head.
“Woah. Just take it easy there,” Gold’s Mom said. “I know you’re a little disoriented. The cold can really get to you. Especially when you’re just wearing shorts and a t-shirt.”
“Yeah, you’re really lucky Typhlosion and I were up there looking for Red or you could have froze up there,” Gold said.
“Thank you,” I said swallowing a little bit of the tea.
“Now that I think of it, you were muttering a lot about Red in your sleep,” Gold said placing a hand on his chin. “Were you looking for him too?”
“Oh…yeah I guess…” I looked around and didn’t see any of my stuff. “Have you seen, an old-looking staff thing?”
“Yeah we have it. Well actually I took it over to Professor Elm. I didn’t think you would mind. It looked really old and I know Professor’s love that kind of thing,” Gold said.
“I need it back!”
I stood up and a wave of pain almost knocked me off my feet. Gold and his mother helped catch me before I fell.
“Woah there, honey. You’ve seemed to be injured. I did my best to patch you up, but you have to go to a hospital,” Gold’s Mom said.
“Were you attacked by a Pokémon?” Gold asked. “I heard that there’s really powerful Pokémon up on Mt. Silver.”
“No, it wasn’t a Pokémon,” I said.
I sat back down on the couch.
Gold and his mother exchanged a look.
“Please,” I said. “I need that back. It’s…very sentimental to me.”
Gold and his mother exchanged another look.
“I…I….can take you to Professor Elm,” Gold said.
“And then we get you to a hospital,” Gold’s Mom said.
“Alright, fine,” I said.
Gold and his mother helped me to my feet. It felt strange being held up by a 14-year old and his mom, but I was in no condition to walk by myself. Lucky for me it wasn’t a far distance from Gold’s home to Professor Elm’s lab. It was strange to be walking around in a real town when I knew it as little pixels on my Gameboy Color’s Screen. I had walked where Gold had walked and I had become a Pokémon Master of the Johto League. Now here I was. Actually in Newbark Town. Or maybe I wasn’t. I still had no idea how I got to storybook forest or wherever Red and Robin came from, and now I was suddenly in a videogame. Was this all just a bad VR experience? I don’t think so because they had to develop really good pain sensors for my back.
We opened the door to the lab and walked in. Professor Elm’s lab was smaller than I remembered it. Just a few desks up near the front and a small open area in the middle. There was a table on the right, which I remember held the first Pokémon you could choose from, and on the other side sat Professor Elm looking at the Bookmark in its scepter form.
“Oh! Gold! Glad to see you. And who is this?”
Standing in front of me was the Pokémon Professor I remember from Gold and Silver, but in the flesh. This was a whole new level of weird.
“I guess we never got your name,” Gold said.
“It’s Allen,” I said. “Nice to meet you, Professor Elm.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Allen. I heard about Gold finding you on Mt. Silver all alone in the cold. Quite a dangerous voyage without any Pokémon or winter clothing, I must say,” Professor Elm said.
“Yeah I heard,” I said. “About the Bookmark…er…the relic there –”
Professor Elm interrupted. “Oh yes! The scepter that Gold found with you. You called it the Bookmark? Hmmm… Well I can definitely tell it’s old. We’re talking thousands of years.”
Elm went around his desk and picked up the Bookmark, bringing it closer to the three of us.
“I’m not really sure of its origins. Where did you get it from?” Elm asked.
“A friend gave it to me. It’s kind of a long story,” I said.
Professor Elm looked me up and down. “You didn’t steal it, did you?”
“What? No! No! It was given to me,” I said.
Professor Elm and Gold exchanged a couple of looks.
“We don’t mean to judge, Allen. It’s just that both the Johto Region and Kanto Regions have seen their fair share of Team Rocket activity,” Elm said.
“Right. Well I’m not a member of Team Rocket,” I said.
“I believe him,” Gold said giving me smile. “You seem like a good person.”
“Thanks Gold,” I returned the smile.
“Well I still think that this relic should be sent to Pewter City for inspection and research,” Professor Elm said.
“No! Please,” I begged. “I need that relic.”
Professor Elm sighed.
“You can hang on to it for now, but I’m still contacting The Pewter Museum of Science about it, ok?”
“Yeah that’s fine, I guess,” I said.
Professor Elm handed it to me and I wrapped it up in my arms like I was holding a small child. It’s all I had or Red and Robin and that world. Plus it might be my only way home.
“Now we were going to the hospital, right?” Gold’s Mom asked.
“Right,” I said.
I didn’t really want to go to a hospital, but I was in a lot of pain.
“Professor? One last thing,” Gold spoke up.
“Yes Gold, what is it?” Elm asked.
“Well you know how I have my Typhlosion and Silver has Feraligatr, right? Well that leaves one Pokemon, right? Chikorita never got chosen,” Gold said.
“Where are you going with this, Gold?” His mom asked.
“Well Allen doesn’t have any Pokémon. Right Allen?”
I shook my head no.
Gold continued. “Well then, Allen could raise Chikorita”
“Gold I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Gold’s Mom said.
“How old are you, Allen?” Elm asked me.
“I’m 22, sir,” I said.
He scratched the top of his head and then straightened his glasses.
He took only final look at Gold and his mom before saying, “Come with me, Allen. If Chikorita likes you, then she can go with you.”
Gold held out his hand for a high-five and I gave it to him. He seemed really excited for me to receive my first Pokémon. It was actually a really exciting feeling for me. Although I wasn’t choosing my starter Pokémon like you do at the beginning of every Pokémon game, it still felt incredible that I was becoming a Pokémon trainer. Plus I kind of felt like Ash showing up late to get his Pokémon.
“By the way, Gold, how long was I out?” I asked.
“A couple days,” Gold said.
“It was about 36 hours you spent on our couch,” Gold’s Mom chimed in.
“Right, thanks for letting me stay,” I said.
“No problem, dear,” Gold’s Mom said with a smile.
She kind of reminded me of my Mom and that feeling made me miss home. I can’t believe I was missing my Mom and Dad. Were they out looking for me? Did they even know I was missing? Did time work different here? Will I arrive only a few seconds after I left or years later? All questions I didn’t really have any answers too. I wasn’t even sure if there was a way to get home.
I looked down at the scepter. It laid cold and motionless. No blue light.
“Here we are,” Elm said.
He had led us down a small hallway in the back that let out to a garden out back. It was mostly empty but there was a Pichu and Chikorita taking sunbaths in the middle of the garden.
“That’s my Pichu,” Gold said. “I hatched him from an egg, but I had no room in my party so I brought him here to keep Professor Elm and Chikorita company.”
I gave Gold a smile, “That was very nice of you.”
“Yeah I’m a pretty great guy,” Gold said with a large smile on his face.
“It took a while to get that good,” Gold’s Mom laughed.
“Mom!” Gold whined.
“Well go on, Allen,” Elm said. “Say ‘Hi’ to Chikorita.”
I knelt down with a little help from Gold.
“Ummm…. Hi Chikorita. I’m Allen.”
Chikorita opened one of its eyes and then the other. It stood up and let out a yawn which woke up Pichu.
“Pichu?”
“Chickorita?
“Come here, Pibu,” Gold said and the Pichu came running. Gold picked him up and snuggled with him.
“Chick?”
Chickorita took a couple steps forward towards me.
“Hey, little guy. Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you,” I said.
Chickorita tilted its head to the side.
“It’s ok, Chickorita,” Gold said. “Allen’s a friend. He wants to take you on adventures just like I took Typholosion on adventures all over Johto and Kanto.”
Chickorita walked over and started to sniff me. I reached out a hand and patted the top of its leaf.
I couldn’t believe that I’m petting a real-life Chickorita.
Chickorita flinched a little bit when I started to pet her, but she eventually relaxed to my touch.
“Chickorita!” Chickorita jumped up on me.
I caught her with one hand while holding on to the Bookmark with the other.
“I think that’s a match,” Elm said with a smile.
“Yay Allen!” Gold yelled with excitement.
“Congrats to the both of you,” Gold’s Mom said.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile.
I was holding a real Pokémon. I was a real Pokémon trainer. My childhood dreams had come true.
“Here is Chickorita’s Pokéball,” Elm said handing me a Pokéball with a leaf engraved into the top of it.
“Thank you so much, Professor Elm,” I said.
I touched the Pokéball to Chickorita’s head and she disappeared in a flash of red light.
“So cool,” I said.
Then I clicked a button and another red flash unleashed Chickorita back into the world.
“Chickorita!”
I picked her up and held her with one arm.
“Are you going to give her a nickname?” Gold asked.
“Yeah I guess I should,” I said. “What about…hmmmm… what about Keylith?”
“Key…what?” Gold asked.
“Keylith. That’s the name of a really powerful…ummmm… Grass Pokémon Trainer I’ve heard of. She uses ummm….what is that grass deer Pokémon. Found in the Unova Region?”
“I think you are thinking of Sawsbuck,” Elm chimed in.
“Right, Sawsbuck!” I said. “But we’ll just call her Kiki for short.”
“Kiki is perfect,” Gold said.
“What do you think, Chickorita? Do you like the name, Kiki?” I asked her.
She vigorously shook her head yes.
“Chickorita!”
“Well I guess that’s all settled, “I said.
“Now we need to get Allen to the hospital,” Gold’s Mom said.
“Right,” I nodded.
“The closest one is Violet city,” Gold’s Mom said.
“How are we going to get Allen there if we can’t fly with him and he can’t ride a bike?” Gold asked.
“How did you get me off Mt. Silver?” I asked Gold.
“Well I flew with you then on the back of Togekiss, but that was only because it was an emergency,” Gold said. “I don’t want to try that again.”
“I can probably get you guys some kind of truck,” Professor Elm said.
“That would be very helpful,” Gold’s Mom said.
“I’ll see what I can do. For now go back home and rest up,” Elm said.
We all thanked him and we headed back towards Gold’s house.
Gold and his mother helped me back onto the couch. I sat the Bookmark on the table in front of me. Chikorita sat on my lap and she curled up on my lap.
“So Allen, what does it feel like to get your first Pokémon?” Gold’s Mom asked.
“Amazing,” I said. “I’ve been waiting for this since I was a little kid.”
“Yeah it’s pretty amazing,” Gold agreed.
“So do you remember anything from before you were on Mt. Silver?” Gold asked.
I looked down at Chickorita on my lap. I wasn’t sure how much I should say. I was in a whole new world and I didn’t even understand the last one.
“I remember being in a forest,” I said.
“And Red was there?” Gold asked.
“I…I’m not sure. I remember a girl with red hair,” I said.
“I wonder if you met Silver, he kind of looks like a girl,” Gold said with a laugh.
“No, she was definitely a girl,” I said.
“Well there are a lot of forests in both Johto and Kanto,” Gold said. “It could have been a lot of different places. It will probably take a while to explore all of them.”
“Ummm…Gold, I don’t want to seem rude or not thankful, but how long do you think I’ll be staying with you?” I asked.
The energy seemed to drain from Gold’s face.
“Well, where else would you go?” Gold asked.
“Gold,” His mother placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Gold, I’m thankful for your hospitality and the fact that you helped me get Kiki here, but I need to find my way home. I can’t stay here forever,” I explained.
“Oh. Right. I guess that makes sense,” Gold said.
“Where are you from, Allen?” Gold’s Mom asked.
“I…I’m not sure,” I said.
“You don’t remember?” Gold asked.
“I guess not, but I know I need to get home,” I said.
There was a honking sound outside and all three of turned towards the door.
Chickorita jumped up from my lap and onto her shoulder.
“Chickorita!”
I picked up the Bookmark and all three of us walked to the door. Outside was Professor Elm in a blue, pickup truck.
Elm honked the horn again.
“Your ride has arrived,” Elm said.
Oak’s Mom climbed into the front of the truck with Elm driving. Gold and I sat in the back of the truck. I leaned up against some bags of Pokémon Food. Chickorita sat on my lap while I fed it little bits of food.
We started our journey towards Violet City. It was pretty bumpy, but I survived. The pain of my back injuries wasn’t too much and Chickorita helped take my mind off the pain.
“Hey Allen, can I ask you something?” Gold asked.
“Yeah Gold, what is it?”
“Why didn’t you become a Pokémon Trainer when you when you were 10 or 11 like everyone else?”
I was unsure what to say. How do I explain to a kid that his world is just a videogame in my world? There are no Pokémon in my world. Just normal animals like dogs and cats. I couldn’t obviously tell him that. That literally makes no sense. That’s like someone coming to me in my world and telling me it was all just a movie or something.
I shook my head.
“Well I guess I was busy doing other stuff. Going to school. Hanging out with friends,” I said.
“I did all of that too! But then I got the chance to get Cyndiquil when I turned 11. I went on my quest to collect all 8 Pokémon Gym Badges and defeat the Pokémon League. I even helped discover Team Rocket’s operations in the Johto Region with Pokémon Champion, Lance.”
“Well not everyone can have such an exciting life, Gold,” I said. “Sometimes you have to be the boring character in the background.”
There was a slight moment of silence between us.
“I feel like you’re hiding something,” Gold finally said.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re not telling me the whole truth. You remind me of Silver. He knew a lot of things and never told me the whole truth. It’s the same with you. I think you know more than you’re letting on.”
I hung my head for a moment.
“You’re right, Gold. I am hiding something from you. I don’t mean to. It’s just that it’s really complicated and hard to explain,” I said.
“Try me,” Gold said.
“I just don’t think you would understand,” I said. “Just know that I’m not exactly from a similar place you are. I didn’t grow up surrounded by Pokémon.”
Gold’s shoulder slumped.
“I don’t really get what you are saying,” Gold said.
“I’m not really sure how to explain it,” I said.
Both Gold and I went silent for the rest of the trip to Violet City.
Although the trip was awkward, I still enjoyed the ride. It was hard for to me not to focus I was literally surrounded by Pokémon. There were Pidgeys and Spearows flying in the sky, Weedles and Caterpies hanging from trees, and Sentrets running around on the forest floor. This was a lot of my childhood and I was actually seeing it around me. It was truly incredible to me, even though I needed to get home. Plus I might need to get back to Red. I’m not sure.
Eventually we arrived in Violet City when it was getting close to nightfall. The sun was beginning to set and I could hear Hoothoots in the trees. Professor Elm and Gold’s Mother helped me out of the truck and into the hospital. It was a small place with only a few rooms, but it didn’t seem that busy. They got me in a room in no time. The nurses had me lay on my stomach as they treated the wound on my back. I don’t remember much, because by this time I was falling asleep. My eyes grew heavy and I could barely keep them open.
The next morning I awoke with a Chansey by my bed holding a tray of food.
“Chansey!”
I woke up a little more and noticed I wasn’t wearing a shirt, so I quickly threw the blanket over myself. The Chansey just gave me a strange look.
“Thank you,” I said taking the food and Chansey left the room.
I looked down to see a plate of pancakes and fresh berries. I scarfed them down in no time at all.
“Good morning.”
I looked up from my plate and there was a nurse standing in the doorway.
“Oh. Good morning,” I said with a mouthful of pancake.
She gave a little laugh and walked over to my bedside. She pulled the blanket away from my chest before I could react and started to check the bandages on my back. I tried my best to hide the embarrassment all over my face.
“We got you all taken care of. We applied some healing balm to the wounds and wrapped them with fresh wraps. You should be back to normal within the next day or two,” The nurse explained.
“Thanks. Thank you,” I said.
The nurse somehow looked familiar to me. Had I seen her before? I mean in the games and the cartoon, there was only Nurse Joy. And this wasn’t nurse joy. But somehow I felt like I knew her.
“You have some visitors who want to see you,” The Nurse said.
“Oh great, but can I get a shirt first?” I asked.
“Of course,” The Nurse smiled at me.
They retrieved a new shirt because apparently mine was basically rags. It was a short sleeved blue shirt with a Totodile silhouette on the front of it. I actually really liked it.
After getting the shirt, the hospital staff released me from their care. I walked down to the lobby and there stood Gold and Gold’s Mother.
“So how do you feel?” Gold’s Mom asked.
“I feel wonderful. I’m actually walking fine and there’s a lot less pain,” I explained. “They said that I should be one hundred percent in a few days.”
“Glad to hear that,” Gold’s Mom said.
“Nice shirt!” Gold said.
I looked down at it.
“Yeah I really like it.”
“Now what you two going to do?” Gold’s Mom asked.
That was a good question. I knew that I needed to figure out how to get out of here. I needed to get home. Although there was a little bit of me that really wanted to stay in this world. To be a Pokémon Trainer and live alongside Pokémon. But what about the people at home. I had to get back to them.
“I thought we’d go check out Ilex Forest,” Gold said.
“Isn’t that a bit far to go?” Gold’s Mom asked.
“It’s not that far, Mom. We’ll just cut across Route 36 to Route 35, go through Goldenrod City, down Route 34, and we’ll be there. No sweat,” Gold said.
“Ok just be easy on Allen. He’s still recovering.”
“I’m fine, really,” I said. “Plus I’d love to see more of the Johto region.”
“Just let me know what’s going on and call if you aren’t going to be home tonight,” Gold’s Mom said.
“Mom! We’ll be fine,” Gold said.
“I know, I know,” Gold’s Mom said. “I’m heading back to New Bark Town with Professor Elm, so you know where to find me.”
“Bye Mom.”
“See ya,” I said. “Thanks again for all your hospitality.”
Gold’s Mom gave us a wave and then Professor Elm and her headed back to New Bark Town.
“So are you ready for your first real Pokémon adventure?” Gold asked me.
“Yeah I’m ready,” I said with a smile.
Our first stop was the Pokémon Center and then the Poké Mart. We got our Pokémon all healthy and ready to go and then Gold bought me some supplies and a bag to stick them in. I didn’t have any Pokemon currency and I doubted my credit card would work, but Gold was nice enough to pick up the tab. He had a ton of money or a 14-year old kid.
I had three potions, one super potion, and 5 Pokéballs.
“Thank you so much,” I said.
“No problem. You need some supplies if you’re going to go off and be a Pokémon trainer.”
“Yeah I guess you’re right.”
We then made our way from Route 36 to Route 35. I remember going this way and needed a watering can to scare away the Sudowoodo blocking our path. It would have been a long journey down Route 34 through the Union Cave and out through Route 33 to Azelea Town and then Ilex Forest. All of the rain, Zubats, and spelunking was avoided by going through Goldenrod City instead. No Sudowoodo’s blocked our path so it wasn’t a big deal.
Chickorita walked beside me for a while, but eventually grew tired so I let her sleep in her Pokéball. It felt so strange that I was actually holding a real life Pokéball with a real Pokémon living inside it.
As Gold walked, he had his Typlosion walking next to him. It was a towering beast of a Pokémon able to shoot fire from its mouth and pockets on its neck, but around Gold it seemed so peaceful and friendly.
“So why did you want to go to Ilex Forest so bad? You’ve been there like a million times, right?” I asked Gold.
“Well what you said got me thinking,” Gold said. “You said that you didn’t grow up with Pokémon which just sounded like a crazy idea. I figured maybe that you’re from another timeline.”
“Another what now?” I asked.
“Another time line. A different reality from this one,” Gold said.
“That’s a really smart idea for a young kid like you,” I said.
Gold smiled. “I am pretty smart.”
“But what makes you think Ilex Forest has anything to do with this?” I asked.
“Well I met someone there once from another world, just like you.”
My mouth almost hit the ground.
“What? Really?”
“Yeah after I beat the Pokémon league and spent some time in Kanto earning all 8 badges from that region, I spent some time enjoying Johto. It was actually a super boring time. I had seen glances of the legendary dogs, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei and I was hoping to track them down. When those efforts didn’t pan out, I went to Ilex Forest to see if I could find Celebi. When I went to the shrine in Ilex Forest, there stood a girl,” Gold said.
Gold kept explaining. “She said her name was May and that she wasn’t from here. She said she was from the Hoen region, which I had heard of, but not our Hoen region. Her region had something called Mega Evolution.”
I cut him off, “Wait, you don’t have Mega Evolution?”
“Ah! So you’ve heard of that?”
“Yeah I know what Mega Evolution is,” I said.
“Well I didn’t until May told me. She said that she somehow ended up in our timeline and needed to return to hers,” Gold said.
“And did she make it back?” I asked Gold.
“I’m not sure,” Gold admitted. “I told her I would go to the Pewter City Science Museum to see if anyone knew anything about alternate timelines, and when I returned, I couldn’t find her. I searched every inch of Ilex Forest and I’ve been keeping my eyes out for here, but that was almost a year ago. So maybe she made it back or maybe she just disappeared.”
I sighed. “Well I guess that’s a good place to start.”
“Yeah I figured it couldn’t hurt,” Gold said. “I think that maybe you’re from another timeline totally different from ours.”
“Maybe I was warped from my world to yours and that’s how I ended up on Mt. Siliver.”
“Exactly,” Gold nodded.
“Did you end up telling anyone about May and Ilex forest?” I asked.
“No. I talked to the people in Pewter City and they just laughed off the idea of alternate timelines. Just my imagination running wild. I’ve asked people about seeing May, but no one has seen her,” Gold said.
“Well I believe you,” I said.
“Thanks Allen,” Gold said.
We made our way through Goldenrod which was a much larger city than Violet City. Violet City reminded me more of a small town, while Goldenrod was almost the size of Washington DC. Tons of skyscrapers dotted the skyline and people were running around everywhere. People and their Pokémon walked by. I saw all types of Pokémon like Clefable, Golem, Poliwhirl, Pidgeotto, Ledian, Scizzor, Larvitar, and so many more. Some people gave Gold a wave and he waved back.
“Do you know these people?” I asked him.
“Some of them,” Gold said. “Some just recognize me because I won the Pokémon League. Twice actually. The youngest trainer to ever beat the League.”
“Woah, that’s impressive,” I said.
“Thanks,” Gold said. “But sometimes I feel like I’m just riding my own coattails. Everyone is expecting me to go off and do great things, but I just don’t know.”
“People expect you to go off and be the chosen one?” I asked.
“Yeah something like that,” Gold said.
I thought back to Red and Robin and their war with R.
“Yeah I kind of know how that feels,” I said.
We made our way through Goldenrod City and eventually stood at the edge of Ibex Forest. I let Chickorita out of the Pokéball and allowed her to stretch her legs a little bit.
“Chickorita!”
“So what exactly is the plan?” I asked Gold.
“Well we must travel through Ilex Forest to the Forest Guardian Shrine. There hopefully we’ll find Celebi or at least we’ll find some kind of clues on how this whole parallel world thing works and we can find a way to get you home,” Gold said.
I placed my hand on Gold’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping me with this. I know you really want me to stay.”
“Yeah I do. And a little bit is hoping that you’ll have to stay with me for a little bit longer. I’ve just…never had a bigger brother. And it’s really cool that I know more about Pokémon than you.”
“Well I wouldn’t go that far,” I said with a laugh.
“I just know that if I was separated from my friends and family, that I would want to get back to them.”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
“Ok so let’s go,” Gold said wiping a tear from his eyes.
“Agreed.”
Gold and Typlosion took the lead as Chickorita and I followed behind. The forest was loud with the buzzing of Beedrill, the flapping wings of Butterfree, and the Pineco rustling in the trees. Ilex Forest was a bit of a maze, but Gold knew the paths well enough that he led us straight to the shrine. It was a small, Japanese-style shrine nestled in an overgrown part of the forest. It was a small rock formation with a pool of water surrounding it.
“So do you see anything in particular?” I asked.
“I’m not really sure what I’m looking for,” Gold said.
“Yeah me neither,” I admitted.
We continued to look around the shrine and the trees nearby, but there was no sign of Celebi or any paths that looked like ways to another world.
“Wait, I have an idea,” I said reaching into my bag.
I pulled out the Bookmark in its scepter form.
“I know this has something to do with me ending up on Mt. Silver,” I said.
When I pulled it out, I noticed that it was glowing with a light, blue light like it did on the rooftop of the Rebel Base.
“Woah! It was not doing that earlier,” Gold said.
“Yeah I know. But I’m not sure what I need to do,” I said.
“Maybe place it by the shrine. Maybe in the water,” Gold said.
“Or you could hand it to me.” A new voice emerged from behind us.
Gold and I turned around and I saw a familiar face.
It was the nurse from the hospital.
“Who are you?” Gold asked.
“You’re…the nurse,” I said.
Typhlosion growled.
“Not just a nurse. I’m something much more powerful. So hand over the scepter and no one has to get hurt,” The nurse said.
“Who are you? Some member of Team Rocket?” Gold asked.
“No. My name is R.” The nurse said.
My draw dropped.
“No. No. This can’t be,” I said.
“Do you know her?” Gold asked.
“He’s. She’s. R is the one who burned me with the acid. She has something to do with how I got here. She was a He in the other world I visited. An evil dictator,” I tried to explain.
“Now don’t go throwing around such harsh words around, Allen,” R said. “You’ve only heard one half of the story. A story that has been erased.”
“What happened to Red?” I asked R.
“Red. Like the Pokémon Champion?” Gold asked.
“Don’t worry, Gold, that Red is fine. Probably out silently standing on a mountain somewhere. No, the Red that Allen is talking about is a Fairy Tale Girl. And is dead,” R said with a grin.
“How could you?” I yelled.
“Very easily. And the same will happen to you and Gold if you don’t hand over that scepter.”
“Don’t worry, Allen, we got this,” Gold said.
“I’m not handing it over to you,” I said. “I’m going to defeat you. For Red. And Robin. And everyone else you’ve hurt.”
“Fine be that way. But I did give you a chance,” R said.
Suddenly two Pokéballs materialized in R’s hands and she threw them forward. They didn’t open like normal Pokéballs, but instead reshaped themselves into full-grown Pokémon. Standing in front of us was a Metagross and a Weezing.
“Weezing!”
“Metagross!”
“Go Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel,” Gold yelled.
The flames from Typhlosion’s neck sprang to live and engulfed the entire Pokémon in fire. It charged forward at the Metagross.
“Chickoriata, use Razor Leaf.”
Chickorita whipped the leaf on its head and a fury of leaves started hurtling towards Weezing and Metagross.
“Nihilego, put a stop to this,” R said.
R’s body seemed to glow with energy and I could make out the shape of a Pokémon standing behind R. The energy flared and both Weezing and Metagross. The attacks collided with their targets but it seemed to bounce right off with no effect.
“What just happened?” Gold asked.
“Something is going on,” I said. “I’m not sure what.”
“Weezing, use Acid Downpour, Metagross, use Corkshrew Crash!” R said.
“I’m never even heard of those moves,” Gold said.
Those moves weren’t normal moves. Those are Z-moves.
“Watch out Gold, those are Z-moves!” I yelled.
Before I could explain further, Weezing unleashed a blast of poison spray engulfing both Chickorita and Typhlosion. Then Metagross crashed into both Pokémon, sending them backwards. Chickorita was thrown back and collided with me, knocking me back onto my injured back. Typhlosion took the brunt of the attack and was knocked back further. He collided with the shrine, shattering the entire thing.
“No! Typhlosion!”
Gold ran to the Pokemon’s side who laid there motionless.
Chickorita laid on my chest, unable to battle anymore.
“Wow. That was too easy!” R said. “I thought you might have prepared yourself better this time around.”
Gold stood up.
“Go, Togekiss!”
“No, Gold, he’s too strong,” I yelled out.
R just laughed.
“Togekiss, use Double Edge!”
Togekiss flapped its wings and shot forward.
“Metagross! Use Bullet Punch!” R said.
Togekiss was fast, but Metagross was faster. The energy flared up around it and it unleashed a fury of punches from its giant, metal fists. Togekiss was pummeled with punches and the last one sent it flying back. It landed at Gold’s feet in a similar condition to Typhlosion.
“Togekiss.”
Gold’s eyes began to well up with tears.
Gold began reaching for another Pokéball, but I had managed to get to him. I grabbed his wrist.
“No Gold, I won’t let any more of your Pokémon get hurt for this.”
“We have to stop him, no matter what it takes,” Gold said.
“Well what do we have here,” R said.
Gold and I both turned and out in the middle of the battlefield was a new Pokémon. A small, green Pokémon hovered there.
“No way,” Gold said. “That’s Celebi.”
“I’m so glad the King of the Forest has come to join us,” R said with a small courtesy.
“Celebi!”
Celebi did not sound happy and did not return the courtesy.
Green energy flared around Celebi and it unleashed a blast of energy that blinded me temporarily. When I managed to see what had happened, the battlefield was very different. The Green energy seemed to heal Chickorita, Typhlosion, and Togekiss.
There was also no sign of Metagross or Weezing. Both of them had vanished. R still stood there and now I could see the Pokémon standing behind R. In between R and us where Celebi was, now stood a new person and another Pokémon. Celebi had managed to get rid of R’s Weezing and Metagross, heal our Pokémon, reveal the mystery Pokémon, and bring reinforcements all at the same time.
“Red?” I gasped.
“May?” Gold gasped.
There standing in the middle of the battlefield was a woman that I now recognized as May from the Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire games, but she was wearing the same outfit that Red had been wearing while she was on the roof with the helicopter. It was like a mix of Red and May. Standing next to her was Celebi on one side and a Mega Blaziken on the other side.
“Hello Gold, Allen. So nice to see the two of you again,” May said.
Her voice was so calm and sweet, but there was a twinge of power hiding just below the surface. Gold and I were both completely stunned.
“Blaziken!”
May’s Blaziken called out and the flames on its wrists grew brighter.
Standing behind R was a Pokémon I now recognized.
“That’s an Ultra Beast. That’s a Nihilego from Pokémon Su- I mean from the Alola Region. It is able to transfer energy from its world to ours,” I said.
“Very good, Allen,” May said. “R has been able to use its power to shape reality. Summon powerful Pokémon from his imagination, disguise himself, and even travel between worlds.”
“But…but…what about the time we met in the forest?” Gold asked.
“I’m sorry Gold, but things are complicated. It will be easier if you don’t remember any of this,” May said with a sigh. “Celebi. Take him home.”
Blue mist seemed to form around Gold’s head and his eyes flashed blue before he fell asleep. I managed to catch him before he hit the ground.
“What did you do to him?” I asked May.
“Don’t worry Allen. I did not harm him. But he won’t remember you. None of them will.”
Celebi glowed with green energy again and Gold, Typhlosion, and Togekiss all disappeared in a flash of green light.
“Celebi.”
“What about Chickorita?” I asked May.
“Chickorita will be an asset to you in the next world,” May said.
R stood up off the ground a little bit dazed and confused. His nurse persona was gone and he stood in the same outfit I had seen before. He wore his military style armor and a helmet that blocked his face.
“Red, what a nice surprise. I thought I killed you,” R said.
“It is not that easy to get rid of me,” May said. “You have your tricks and I have mine.”
“It does not matter, I will take the artifact for myself this time! I won’t let you stop me!”
“Not if Blaziken has anything to say about it,” May said.
“Blaziken!”
“Come on Nihilego, show them the power you’ve got,” R said.
The creature flared with energy once again.
May turned to Celebi.
“Celebi, you have done so much good. But now I must ask you one more favor. Get Allen out of here,” May said.
“What? No. May. Red. Whoever you are. I can’t leave you again,” I protested.
At this time Blaziken rushed forward and collided with Nihilego in mid-air. There was a blast of energy followed by a torrent of flames. May did not seemed worried about the battle.
“My fight is here, Allen, but yours is far from over. You must go with Celebi now,” May said.
“No, I am staying,” I said.
She shook her head.
“I am sorry Allen. But you must go. Find me in the next world. Her name is Ella. She is an old adventurer and will probably ignore you. But be persistent. Show her the Bookmark and force her to help you on your quest. You will need her. Do not give up.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Now go,” May turned back to the battle.
Celebi flew over and placed one hand on the Bookmark and one hand on me.
“No!” I tried to shake the Pokemon off me, but it was too late. The Bookmark flared with a blue light and I was surrounded by the light. It swirled around me going faster, and faster, and faster.
I pounded on the sphere of light with one hand while clutching the Bookmark with the other. Chickorita cowered behind me. I heard a series of explosions and yelling, but I couldn’t see anything. Just blue. And then it faded to black.
I felt weightless like I was floating in space. Everything was pitch black and I couldn’t see a thing. I tried to call out, but my voice was nothingness. No sound. No sight. No anything. Then there was a flash of a bright light and I found myself stumbling out of a tree.
I landed on my hands and knees. I was coughing and I brought one hand up to my mouth. The Bookmark laid next to me, but it was no longer a scepter. It laid there as a long, metallic sword with symbols running up and down the hilt.
It was still dark but my eyes began to adjust. It was the middle of the night and there were stars shinning up above. I looked around and it looked like I was in some kind of city. There were stone walkways and plenty of medieval-looking houses. Had I stumbled into some kind of renaissance fair?
I looked about and noticed a large tree behind me lit up by a few hanging lanterns. There was some kind of placard, but it was written in some kind of language I couldn’t read. It had strange symbols that did not look like it belonged in any language I had heard of before. I looked around for some sign of Gold or May or even R. But it looked like I had escaped and ended up here. Wherever here was.
Allen The Writer 